Mod R is out today, so you are in my semi-capable hands. This is a slice of life post.
When I was a child, time seemed to move in a straight forward way, like floating down the stream of a slow, gentle river in a little boat. Then I became an adult, and the passage of time stopped being a steady ride. Sometimes it’s a rapid current, and I don’t know what’s going on, and the boat is falling apart. Sometimes the river turns into a swamp, and I’m going in circles, rowing as fast as I can and getting nowhere. Sometimes I just give up and drift. But then there are times when I open my eyes and notice that the sky is a beautiful blue, the water is clear, and the weeping willows are bending gracefully over the banks.
April had managed to pack all of those moments into 4 weeks. It’s always a very busy month for us. Gordon and both of our daughters were all born in April. This year, there was a book tour on top of it, followed by Gordon getting sick, and then a storm that ripped the decorative shutters off our house and damaged the stucco. Through all of it, we have been working on the book, which is a mammoth at 173,000 words and still isn’t done.
The river has been clogged with debris of Not Done for a while. Boxes of books haven’t been mailed, admin tasks haven’t been attended to, phone calls haven’t been returned, and important errands haven’t been run. I haven’t unpacked. I normally unpack within 24 hours of coming home.
::stares at the suitcases::
I swear I will unpack today.
We did accomplish some things. I have gone to my medical appointments. They had given me a heart monitor out of abundance of caution, and I am delighted to report that I am allergic to whatever kind of glue is on it. I broke out in hives, and the itching was ridiculous. The monitor fell off after 5 days and I actually did a little dance of happiness. I also dragged Gordon to have an eye exam, and his new glasses have arrived. I need to drag him out again to pick them up.
We went out for a dinner with friends and then again to celebrate the birthdays. We have left the house so many times in April, it has to be a record of some kind.
We signed and mailed off 2,600 bookplates for a special book box.
We heroically cut the grass in the backyard, because we finally got rain and in the true Texas fashion, the weeds had gotten thigh-high in a space of a week. Gordon ordered a dumpster for a spring cleaning, and I am ridiculously excited, because I can clean out the back yard. It accumulates old planters, random items like rusted thingie that was used at some point to turn the shutters, and other weird stuff, and I swear that refuse keeps reproducing somehow.
Someone emailed about the mammoth I made during the Q&A. Here she is.
I made her with Premier Parfait Plush for Kid 2. The pattern is available on Etsy from KnotsandSnuggles. Their mammoth has a wider head and less curly hair, but I really liked the curls. There is no trick – they happen naturally if you pull up a longer yarn loop.
I haven’t finished the Book Tour Shawl. I am saving it for the summer trip to Columbus Book Fair.
The next project is this shawl, Frühlingserwachen. I’d love to know what that translates to.
This is a very interesting pattern that looks deceptively complex, but is actually pretty straight forward. My issue right now is that I don’t quite have the right yarn for it.
I can hear you laughing, but hear me out.
This shawl takes at least 1,200 yards. I wanted to do one of Wendy Wonders gradients with it, but realized that what I have tops out at 800 and matching to it will be difficult. I’m trying to figure out how to approach this. Should I do each section in a different color? Do I want cotton or something like Blue Heroin with lurex for this or do I want wool? Fingering or DK? Should I stick to the gradient but do the narrow cross sections in a different color or would that look ugly?
I am conflicted.
Well, I need to be at work in 8 minutes, so I have to end this lovely picnic and climb back into my metaphorical boat.
This is my reminder to myself and to anyone who needs it today: the book will get finished, the chores will get finished, the planet will keep spinning. In a rush to get everything done and to catch up, let’s not forget to enjoy the river.
Spring Awakening (Frühlings Erwachen)
Play by Frank Wedekind
Spring Awakening is a controversial 1891 play by German playwright Frank Wedekind about the tragic consequences of sexual repression in late 19th-century Germany, following teenagers as they grapple with burgeoning sexuality, identity, and societal hypocrisy.
First, and also a very unexpected translation.
I’m pretty sure the pattern doesn’t reference the play, but both (play and pattern) relate to the awakening of spring.
“Frühlingserwachen” is a poetic, slightly outdated way to decribe the waking up of flowers and other plants and nature when the sleep of winter is over (to stay in the same descriptive language 😉 ).
I know of several garden-focused events here in the area that use this as a name, which are most often happening in some old parks or around old estates.
Take time to enjoy life 🙂
You deserve it
The mammoth is so stinkin’ cute!
I was here as well to provide a translation… albeit minus the play reference. I, as a fellow knitter AND collector of yarns, completely understand your dilemma of projects that don’t have quite the right yarn (be it weight, color, or amount)… not enough stash busters out there that I would really like to dedicate time to. It is a lovely pattern.
Good luck unpacking and unearthing the back yard!
I love your slide of life posts! Thank you!
Oops slice of life. Darn autocorrect. I am also about to live this scenario in May. 3 of my 4 are born in May, they are all in school, in various after school activities, and we have two major trips planned. Oh and we are also starting the process of packing. We are moving to Canada from the US in July sometime. The next few months will be interesting. Insane, but interesting.
It is a lovely shawl. I have been on a yarn diet for several years now. However, there are 2 allowances for buying new yarn.
1. A project where I don’t have the right kind or enough of the “right” yarn
2. There is a hand crafted yarn so beautiful I’ve never seen one like it. I am required to buy enough yardage that I could make a shawl. ☺️
Buy yourself some new yarn if need to. 😉
But for what it’s worth, I think the design of this shawl opens you up for lots of possibilities. I think it can handle even different
styles of yarns for each section as long as you can match gage. Have fun with it.
I think I’m just down the road from you at Canyon Lake. so sorry to hear you had damage from the (much needed) rain we had. I love all your books!
I just wanted to say this- Life is hard right now. Finding out you were coming to Columbus was very happy news, thank you.
The mammoth could not be cuter.
Love this post because I have been having similar thoughts lately about time (and I have an April birthday too!). We got a dumpster delivered on Friday and it felt so joyous to clean out the house and get rid of old flooring, furniture, and shutters. It’s funny what brings you joy as an adult! I feel like a weight has been lifted and the house and yard are cleaner and less cluttered. Happy birthday to Gordon and the kids!
Love the analogy and the mammoth too. Happy Monday!
I understand a little too much. The sweater pattern is beautiful but the knitting gene died in the last generation. Some things have to give. My current book refuses to drop lower than 141000 despite my many protests. Is it possible to split yours in two? As a lovely reader surprise.
😲🥺😱☠️
Now, we have a new BDH swear word: spl!t. I daresay this may be the most vile of all swear words uttered on this page. (insert Victorian era swoon here)
Just kidding, mostly. 😉🤗
Spl!t ??? I am not liking this word!
Dear Author,
Thank you for this slice of life… I have forgotten what the sky looks like from my boat, between cancer diagnosis and other evilness happening in my life currently…
I can’t quite see the sky, but I am sure I’ll get an opening and see it.
Thanks for your posts, it’s always lovely to peek in HA blog.
I love your knitting… all I can do is stare in awe because in this case, I have two left hands… The mammoth is beautiful and so is the shawl. I would ask, in true BDH fashion to have some in the store, but I will not push it lollll…
Enjoy your boat
As a fellow cancer survivor (fingers crossed), keep looking for that bit of blue sky, it will reappear – Hugs!
🤗
Praying that ALL will be well.
is the dumpster thing the same as a new kitchen sponge (from an apt renter) – also the cutest stuffy every
It is for me. It is a chance to throw away junk. Like actual junk that appears magically in the backyard and things that have been in the garage and unused for over a year. We have lived here in this house for longer than we’ve lived anywhere, ever. Over eight years and stuff accumulates. It’s cathartic.
My boat is rudderless and I get seasick 🤪 But sure, I’ll look at the pretty sky, assuming my glasses didn’t fall overboard! Life.
That mammoth is absolutely darling. And I’m jealous of that shawl! I think BDH love is your projects – can’t wait to see it! Buy more yarn!
Thanks for giving us a peak into your life. I understand about not unpacking right away, that feeling of I cannot do one more thing.
Time is so variable these days. I feel it gets more so the older I get. Lately I’ve been having Mondays that feel like a week.
One of my oldest, best friends is coming up today so I am looking forward to an afternoon of tea and conversation.
The mammoth is so cute and the shawl looks like fun!
May the words spill out in a wondrous flow!
Take a look at Blue Brick yarns, based in Canada. It’s a bit expensive but the gradients are gorgeous and fingering skeins run up to 1600 yards. A 1200 yard skein runs $132. If, like me, you always buy some extra “just in case”, 1600 yards runs $176. Would love to see the shawl when it’s done!
I’m rereading Magic Claims and the first thing I thought of when I saw you mammoth plushie (love the curls; he looks adorable) was the ancient elephants in that book.
My thought for the shaw is three hues of the same color, like a medium blue for the dense sections, a darker blue for the diagonals and a lighter blue for the more open sections. Or hues of green, etc. Other suggestion was still break out the colors, but go with ocean motif since you like the beach. One part is the clear blue-green of a calm tropical sea, another part is a seafoam green, and another part either a dark blue gray of a stormy sea or sand colored.
I’m sitting at work listening to my playlist while I plug away at boring but necessary financial spreadsheets. Your blog post popped up at the same time as “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” by Sara Bareillas and now I’m sitting here crying and plugging away at boring but necessary financial spreadsheets. I, too, have a bag (or two!) that is yet to be unpacked. Thanks for sharing the slice of life. I appreciate the reminder.
Thank you for the slice of life. Yes, the world will keep spinning, the work done, and all the joyous occasions will be celebrated. Plus, the unpacking, packing, and moving all the stuff to the dumpster will be done.
I know all about the packing/unpacking stuff right now. I’m in the packing stage for an eventual move at the end of September, beginning of October from an apartment I want out of now, if I could get away with it. Saturday, I packed two dining room chairs into a grand wardrobe box for easier moving. I have four more chairs to pack into two more of the wardrobe boxes. Pretty soon, I won’t have anything else to pack since I’m using the things I have out and not packed. 😊
On top of the packing, my apartment’s air conditioner condenser line decided to spring leaks Saturday night when Fort Worth was under severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. I heard this “drip, drip, drip” upstairs where the air conditioner filter is located. I have buckets under the drips. I have to get two more buckets just in case other drips start up. My apartment’s maintenance people have been notified. Now, the wait is on to see when they get in my apartment to fix this issue.
That mammoth is very cute!
That shawl would be neat in color blocks but I would take a million years picking the colors. I am making a sweater after buying hand dyed yarn. The hand dyed stuff was chosen to coordinate with Cascade Pima I already have. The sweater appears to be entirely the single color Cascade Pima now that I have a few inches of it done. The stitch pattern is really nice in a single color and I have to wear this thing eventually.
You know, if this Maggie thing goes the way we think it will, it might be time to consider giving up things like “mowing”. While I’m sure it seems like you should be able to mow your own yard, as they say, something has to give. A regular service would give you time to play in the yard, which is relaxing, instead of having to do chores in the yard, which is not. Just something to think about.
Hooray for the mowing service! I just play with my flower beds.
For your shawl, if you want to use the gradient yarn you have, pair it with a solid color from the gradient. You can do the denser woven-looking diagonal stripes in one (the gradient might be show best there) and the airy lace sections in the other (where the effect of the gradient would be harder to see).
Avoid all design decisions by buying massive amounts of yarn to cover all possibilities, problem solved.
Hugs! Sometimes life really piles on. But so glad you are home. Pls take time to breathe also 💗💗💗🌸🌸🌸
Happy birthday to all! I understand because half the people in my family are born in December + Christmas! One son was born in March so I always bought a present for each of my kids for Easter.
I have also been working on my yard but last week we got a new rescue dog who immediately dug into all the flower beds. Oh well.
I would do a different color in each area of that pattern and make the border areas a solid or even black or white depending on the other colors you choose.
Have fun and post a picture when you are done.
I’m mentioning this because this is often the detail I miss. From https://wendyswonders127llc.com/products/lily-forest-800-yards-hand-dyed-yar.
“If you need a larger skein for a project, please message me. ”
Hope this helps!
Yup. Enjoy the river. And go ahead. Buy more yarn. You’re going to anyway; might as well be for that gorgeous shawl. Today I was grateful for today, despite the chores. I am making sourdough pizza, we got to go out for breakfast, my brother stopped by, the garden is growing. I don’t need much, not really.
You guys are so busy!!!! Sounds like you need a once a week in- house assistant and a mower service. But what you really need is a trip to the yarn shop at Baha-Char! that will give you more time to relax (or Write!).
I live north of you I think.
The thunderstorm with hail hit us too.
Did some damage to the trees and backyard.
The mammoth is adorable.
Aside from my husbands day job we are in the process of moving the massive 56k inventory of a family owned costume rental shop to a more viable venue.
Your books are the incredibly welcome breaks at the end of long days of effort, as they have been in the past during previous extended projects.
I hope you know how much joy and escape you bring to all of us.
What a great shawl pattern! It actually looks like it is begging to be made of leftover yarn in your stash.
Dk wt is my favorite go to. Otherwise for gradient you could buy two cakes of Mandala and let the colors go do their thing.
It will be a great de-stressing project after a day of work!