via Worth1000
31 October 2007
30 October 2007
Thank You & Actual Knitting
Know what makes me feel better when I'm down? Hand knit socks! After returning from Toronto, I found these awesome socks (and other goodies) waiting for me. My Sock It To Me pal, Ann (blog Ravelry), knit me these beautiful socks that fit perfectly.
The pattern is from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch and the yarn is Claudia Hand Painted in the colorway Eat Your Veggies.
Ann Also sent a package for Elah. She was beside herself when she discovered that part of the package was for her.
I feel totally spoiled. Here's what else was in the box. A beautiful pouch filled with all manner of tea,
shortbread cookie mix and A First Treasury of Knitting Patterns (can you believe it!?),
a skein of STR medium in Farmhouse (I love the colorway!).
Seriously, Ann, you went above and beyond and really made a difference in how I was feeling. I immediately put the socks on and even slept with them on (unheard of!) that night. Thank you.
In my own knitting news, I completed an EZ Baby Sweater on Two Needles (Ravelry). It was my grief knitting. I figured what better way to work through it than by knitting something for a new life.
Yarn: 2.5 skeins, Rowan Wool Cotton
Color: Elf
Source: Kaleidoscope Yarns
Needles: Addi Turbo US 5 crics
Date Started: 20 October 2007
Date Finished: 28 October 2007
Up next: I am furiously trying to finish my SSS sock by Thursday.
28 October 2007
The Road to Healing
This isn't me, it's my sister. My dad and I both loved to be behind the camera. Unfortunately this means that i don't have any pictures of the the two of us together.
My family and I drove up to Toronto on Monday. Tuesday was spent visiting my dad's hotel room and gathering his things, going to the police station to get his wallet and going to the funeral home to finalize some details for the service. I couldn't handle all of it and totally bailed on my family to go immerse myself in some wooly goodness at Lettuce Knit. I bought a skein of Hand Maiden Sea Silk and a Go Knit Pouch. I also got to meet Laura who had just returned from Rhinebeck.
Wednesday was my dad's service. It was hard for me to navigate and I was also very worried about Elah because she didn't seem to quite get it. She was excited to be staying in a hotel, excited we were going to ride in a limo, excited to wear her new outfit, etc. I didn't want her to get there and have everything come crashing down at once. The service was hard. It's good to know that my dad was so loved and I got to hear some amazing stories about him but it was also incredibly sad. My brother, Allan, and my dad's long time friend, Allan, both got up to speak separately and they both broke my heart. Stéphane never spoke but he shared some beautiful stories with me that I will treasure. It's unfortunate but I had seen many of these people since I was a teenager. I'm sorry that it took a tragedy to bring us back together again.
I also have to thank Wendy Grean. She was invaluable in this entire process. Whether it was contacting people in the industry to get the word of my dad's passing or helping arrange the service or coordinating people of providing a shoulder on which to lean, she was amazing. I don't think we would have been able to manage without her.
Finally I'll leave you with my words from my dad's service (at least as well as I can remember them).
I met my dad when I was 7; he and my mom worked on Louisiana together. I had a hard childhood and the one lesson I had learned was that people didn't stay. I did everything I could to make this new person in our life leave but he never did. He was my dad.
These are the things I learned from my dad.
1) People stay
2) It's OK to trust
3) Love really does conquer all
4) You don't need to sacrifice kindness and compassion to get the job done
5) A little sarcasm never hurts
When I called my dad to tell him I was graduating from college and ask him to come to the ceremony, the first thing he said was, "Wow, that's not too bad for a dumb blonde." That was of course followed by proclamations of his pride in me and I could tell, over the phone, that he was tearing up.
This world is a worse place for not having him in it but I am starting a journey on the road to healing. I cry a little less each day and try to remember what advice my dad would have given and live in a way that would have made him proud. I also gain strength from the love of my friends and family. Thank you to everyone for the blog comments, cards, phone calls, and well wishing. I have been totally overwhelmed by the love I've felt.
17 October 2007
Good Bye
My dad died in his sleep last night. He was working in Toronto, shooting two projects at once. The cleaning lady found him this morning. I'm going to NY with my daughter to be with my sister, brother and grandmother. I'm totally overwhelmed. I don't know what to do or how to feel or how to tell Elah or what to say to my family or what needs to be done to transport a body across the border or where we'll have the funeral (maybe Montreal because my Aunt can't cross the border into the states).
I'll be absent for awhile.
14 October 2007
Beantown Love
First a knitting update. Drunken Bees have been frogged back to the ribbing; a small set back but I'm still feeling good about them. CPH only needs the sleeves and buttons sewn on! If I can get enough homework done then I'll try to finish it tonight.
Now on to Boston.
I drove down on Friday and enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of Mrs. & Mr. Hello Yarn (and Shambles). I had a great time with Adrian and Mark, ate some delicious food, did a little bit of knitting and just had a good old-fashioned visit. It was awesome.
The next morning, Saturday, Adrian treated me to some yummy coffee, I marveled at all the fiber-y goodness in her home and then it was off to meet Siòbhan at Darkwave. 5 1/2 hours later I was on my way back home with the outline of a bad ass knitting tattoo.
Siòbhan is awesome and I was totally blown away by the design she created with very little guidance from me. I am so excited to go back.
09 October 2007
07 October 2007
Damn It
Remember when I was working on an original sock design? The sweetheart Socks over there on the right? ---->
Well I was just checking out the Interweave Holiday 2007 preview and there's a pair of socks in there with the same name. So what's the protocol here? My design is done, it's just not written up but now I feel like I should change the name. What do you think? Leave me a comment.
02 October 2007
Write Your Representative
October 2, 2007
The Honorable Peter Welch
1404 Longworth
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Sir:
I am writing to urge you to support the inclusion of transgender individuals, as well as gays and lesbians, in the bill designed to protect said persons from workplace discrimination.
Not including members of the transgender community sends the message that discrimination against some is still all right while others are worth of being protected by law. It’s true that members of the LGB (and T) community have waited decades for inclusion in workplace discrimination law but that inclusion should not come at the expense of others. Removal of transgender individuals from the bill is unacceptable. Please demand that transgender individuals be included in this important law.
Sincerely,
Emily R Spence
More info here and here. Find out who your rep is here.
Who Knew?
Amanda wrote a very interesting post about marriage, feminism and divorce rates over at Unsprung. Go give it a read when you have some time.
You hear a lot of people running around wringing their hands and talking about the 50% divorce rate. What’s little understood is that number is way out of date—due in large part to a lot of feminist cultural reforms, the divorce rate has been creeping down for a long time now. Now it’s at the lowest rate it’s been since the 70s.
Subscribe to:
Comment Feed (RSS)
