Retreat!!!!!

This weekend Patrick and I went to the Twist of Fate Retreat at Sun Peaks! Sivia Harding instructed us on beaded lace. It was a blast! My aunt was also there so it was a nice visit. She brought me some yarn, it's my first skein of Socks that Rocks and I might sleep with it under my pillow I love it so much.


My aunt has been knitting for quite a bit longer than me so by giving me yarn I think that makes her kind of like a drug pusher...

Sun Peaks is a small ski village, and there aren't even a dozen shops there but my aunt and I somehow managed to find yarn! There was a clothing store that had a couple baskets in the corner.


I bought a skein more for the principle of the thing rather than from any real need or desire.

The pattern we knitted is called the Ophidian Shawlette and it's a lovely little garment knit in soft fingering weight yarn. Picking out our yarn and beads was enjoyable and there was much covetting going on after choices were made. There's nothing like hanging out with other knitters to reassure me that my knitting obsession is not totally insane! It makes me wonder if crazy people don't feel crazy in the nuthouse!

Unfortunately I was so obsessed with the actual knitting, I didn't take any photos until the last hour of the retreat...


So just imagine people more peppy and excited and that's what the retreat was really like...


In addition to the Ophidian Shawlette, Sivia also showed us her stash of beads and I couldn't help but think that beads are so tiny and a bead stash must not be as guilt inducing as a yarn or fibre stash! We also learned some new cast-off techniques and blocking.


The whole weekend was yarn-knit-bead gluttony and I loved it! Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was across the street from the hotel which really helped with weekend enjoyment.


During Sivia's blocking demonstration my knitting (in the orange) got a little fresh with some other people's projects.

The first thing I did when I got home was take a whole bunch of pictures of my knitting, this is something my friend Kirsten calls Yarnography (...kind of like pornography...only with yarn...)


See the pretty beads? They were clear with a copper coloured lining, but showed up all warm golden when introduced to the knitting.


I took pictures inside and outside but unfortunatrely my cheap little camera couldn't do the colour of the yarn justice.


It was a wonderful time and Sivia is a great person who really has a knack for teaching!

A great week!

Today has been an absolutely fantabulous week!! It was my birthday on wednesday, which was low-key but still very nice! Tiny got me the coolest present ever!
Next week I start fight practices so I need a helm! I am super excited! It's going to be painful, difficult, possible horrible, and totally AWESOME!

Patrick is getting better at tummy time.


Like his little tattoo? We went to a tattoo show last night and Patrick was sporting his own very badass tattoo.

He doesn't get as much tummy time as he should because he hates it. He almost always gets really mad. He's a big baby with a big honking head so he often spends a large part of "tummy time" face down yelling at the ground. It's almost as funny as when he gets mad at his hiccups. He's getting better at it, and I am determined to make him do it more because I realized he was going to be walking before he could crawl. The kid has crazy strong legs and can stand just fine for a few seconds as long as you balance him. So I am encouraging him to crawl because you're supposed to crawl before you can walk...that reminds me of my little brother who never did learn to crawl-he used to drag himself around with his incredibly strong arms with his legs limply trailing behind him, like a naga.

I have been kntting the February Lady sweater...again. The first attempt was with a lovely red wool, but I somehow majorly screwed up the increases and it was really wonky. I also didn't like that particular yarn in garter stitch, the fabric was not pleasing to me. So this time I am knitting it in a linen/cotton blend. This yarn I had used on another project and it was horrible. It was stocking stitch and every little difference in tension showed up, it was very unforgiving. Luckily this yarn turned out awesome for this project. I figured since I now have several hand knit sweaters in wool, linen/cotton would be a nice alternative-something comfortable and non-scrathcy that I can throw over a tank top on a summer evening. The colour is also ideal for my wardrobe of black, brown and green.



This weekend I am super excited to be going to my second knitting retreat. The first one was so cool, if this one is even half as fun I'll be really happy. My aunt is also going, so I'll get to hang out and knit with her! The retreat is up at Sun Peaks ski resort and last night I realized I didn't have any hats that fit Patrick anymore so I whipped up this little number in leftover Malabrigo Worsted Merino.


I made up the pattern, I like how it spirals.

So I am off to learn beaded lace knitting with Sivia Harding! Wahoo!

You know you did good when...

You know you did good when you tell people you made your sweater and they don't believe you.
I am loving my luminen sweater. I love how it looks and feels, I love wearing it. I know it's going to pill like a crazy mofo and I have already forgiven it for it's future transgressions because I love it and it loves me. Do you know how I know it loves me? Because it makes me look good when I wear it and that baby is true, true love.

Patrick had a bad couple of days...oh wait I digress...I had a bad couple days while Patrick was merely grumpy. His grumpiness was the simple product of his refusal to nap during the day and he subesquently got grumpier and grumpier as the day progressed.
He totally made up for a bad couple of days with today though. We went to a really awesome wedding and he was exceptionally well behaved and charming the whole time. So I think he was saving it all up for today and I am totally OK with that.
The wedding was for friends of ours who have been together for quite awhile. Gord and Dawn have 6 kids, 4 of them together, so it's about darn time they got married! Just kidding, I don't care if they live in sin, sinning is fun! I am happy they got married because it's something that Dawn has been wanting and she's a nice lady and deserves to be happy.
The best part of the wedding was that it was held on a ball field.


I thought that was pretty fun. Tiny liked it because he could have a beer during the ceremony. My favourite part was they were so far away we couldn't hear them and they couldn't hear us so we all just chatted until the very end and then we cheered. We didn't have to listen to all that wedding mumbo jumbo.
I dressed Patrick in a special outfit for the occasion.



I also took some photos of my friends daughter who didn't want her photo taken but I think they turned out cool and kinda artsy.



Lately I have been eating a lot of homemade smoothies. Like everyday. Sometimes twice a day. I have figured out how to make super duper delicious (pronounced delish-ee-ous) smoothies that taste like my favourite smoothies at booster juice except at a quarter of the price. I made so many smoothies I actually broke my blender. I somehow managed to crack the base. Luckily Tiny went and bought a brand shiny new one the next day!


(haha see how I trick myself into thinking I bought a really expensive booster juice smoothie by using my reusable booster juice cup for a home made smoothie?)

I get close to my full daily serving of fruits (and veggies since according to those Canada Food Peoples they're pretty much the same thing-I guess they never tried a green pepper pie) in one single smoothie. I buy bags of frozen fruits, sometimes I have 3 or 4 different kinds in the freezer. I thought I would share my smoothie recipe with you since it's so insanely delicious. Put the ingredients in the blender in the order I give for easier blending.

1 cup of juice-I prefer BomDia an acai blend but I'll use any kind of juice
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (turn on the blender for a second to mix the powder and the juice or you'll end up with gooey chunks of...well...goo...)
1 banana
1 cup of frozen fruit
3 big tablespoons of yogurt (I use vanilla activia)
Blend until deliciously smooth.

I highly recommend the protein powder and yogurt in your smoothie because it helps to fill you up and is especially good if you work out or do physical labour. Plus it makes the smoothie creamy and delicious!

To finish my slightly ADD post I leave you with a picture I took on the walk Patrick and I went on yesterday.
I am thankful that these people left there irrigation system on so I could take this beautiful photo, and I am only a little sorry that while I was taking it I could hear the pssshht sound of an irrigation system that was broken from freezing.

Somethings Afoot

Recently I have learned that Patrick has thrush. Thrush isn't a particularly serious affliction but it can make life difficult. It is possible that thrush has been at the root of all our problems with nursing. I just wish it could have been dealt with weeks ago, Patrick is exclusively nursed and having major diffiulties with nursing at times has taken over our lives and can take some of the joy out of new parenthood. I had been to the breastfeeding clinic three times, the first 2 times were great, I dealt with helpful, caring nurses who helped both of us while being so reassuring at a time when I felt a whole lot of despair and hopelessness. The last time I went the nurse was not reassuring or helpful at all. She was either having a bad day or didn't like me personally. She told me there was nothing she could do for the pain and she had absolutely no suggestions on how to help (that is actually how she phrased it "I don't know what to do, I haven't even written anything on your file.) She told me that because Patrick was gaining weight everything was fine. (Because weeping uncontrollably from extreme pain and having to express 50% of the time is "fine") A month later I find out it's likely that we've had thrush all along. I don't fault her for not knowing what was wrong but I do wish she had at the very least recommended a doctor visit.

One of the solutions is a simple one and inexpensive. Gentian Violet. It's over the counter and about $6. The doctor had prescribed an ointment for me but Patrick hated the taste and refused to nurse (while screaming). Gentian Violet seems to be working...



Although it's a little difficult to take him seriously when he looks like that, I now have a bad habit of laughing when he cries...cause really...look at him!

I finally finished the Luminen Sweater. It is the greatest thing I have ever knitted. I have knit other things that looked better, but not other things that looked better on me! I still have to buy the clasps and sew them on but it's finished blocking and looks amazing!



Hey look...there are my toes...

I have also been knitting the Sleepy Hollow socks. Yarn Harlot knit them and I thought they were so cool that I bought the pattern right away. I bought some yarn that I thought was ideal but when I cast on and knit one repeat the pattern was totally obscured by the yarn variegations. I immediately frogged and switched to some Noro Silk Garden Sock I picked up in Duncan and it looks awesome!



Even better the first sock finished at the exact point to start the second one so it matches! I modified the sock so that the pattern doesn't stop mid leaf-I hate it when patterns do that! So the last 2 leaves go down the toe while I am doing the decreases, they look all pretty and stuff.



Oh and I also figured out a way to take pictures of my own feet that doesn't look gimpy!



Last weekend we went to Saltspring for Easter. It was a great trip and Patrick travelled really well. While we were there Mom, Mackenzie, Patrick and I went on a yarn crawl in Duncan and Victoria (I also ended up going to the yarn store on Saltspring). It was so much fun and I went to the Beehive Wool Shop in Victoria for the first time. I was literally giddy with excitement. Beehive yarns is such a great store with so many amazing yarns. I actually hyperventilated while I was there and eventually we had to leave because I couldn't handle the extreme yarniness of it all. I picked up some great stuff on my trip-Fleece Artist fibres and a discontinued Noro from the Loom in Duncan, Mirasol Merino Sock (in an awesome sunflower looking colourway) Habu silk and Noro Silk Garden Sock from Beehive in Victoria, and Mini Mochi and Noro Silk Garden Sock from Stitches on Saltspring. I went on a bit of a sock rampage...I couldn't control myself!



I am really looking forward to my next project! I have no idea what it is and for some reason that completely excites me! It could be anything! Another pair of socks! Another sweater! Something lacy! The possibilities are endless!