In an otherwise dry summer, I feel as though we’ve had a whole season’s worth of rain over the last week. There were points when I was convinced that the entire house was just going to bob up and float away. I would lie in bed at night in semi-consciousness listening to the torrent all around me and get the impression that I myself was being washed away. In a way I kind of adored it.
I made Seraphine a Lil Shepherd vest a couple of weeks ago when I needed a break from tiny sock needles and thin fiddly sock yarn for bitty socks. She likes the vest (I think it’s the pom-poms) and the socks, which is a huge boon for me because more and more often lately she’s been telling me that woolen items are not soft and that they “hurt”. She’s very fickle. There are some items that I consider rough, but she accepts without question and others that are soft as can be and she turns her nose up at them! Very frustrating for a mama-knitter. It seems to help for her to see me knitting them. She always wants to know what I’m making and who it’s for. Then there is a build up of excitement about this special bit of clothing just for her. I think that may have been the saving grace of the vest and socks.
I just started reading A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle. I can’t remember who recommended it?
The salad above is kale with chicken, avocado, black olives and that vegetable cheese I’ve been making (it’s similar to this, but we have our own way of doing it). That was nice, but I’m terribly disgruntled about food in general lately and sick to death of everlasting elimination diets, which I’ve been on various variations of for the better part of 16 years now. And I just seriously need a big long vacation from the whole darn thing. Unfortunately, vacations from eating don’t tend to work out well. I know there are plenty of ways to make it exciting and delicious, I’m just too everlasting busy and tired to, a) be that creative and b) actually have the time to make it all. And the times when I do manage to make something novel and interesting, it takes hours to create and disappears in mere moments because there are so many people digging in. Alright, end rant. Moving on. Here if not in my head.
I’ve experienced a very unexpected knitting/wardrobe windfall! I had this theory that my best bet, as my kids get older, for insuring that they quietly and happily keep wearing my knitted goods was to be as discreet about their home-made nature as possible….classic men’s wear colors, simple designs, nothing that’s going to call too much attention. In passing Iain mentioned liking brown, so I was thrilled when a shade of brown went on clearance in my favorite, go-to, everyday yarn (the color is “Doe”. It’s now sold out in worsted, but still available in DK weight for $2.81 a ball, which is a pretty fabulous price for superwash merino!). I ordered enough for a sweater and started planning my simple, non-threatening, fingers-crossed teenager approved, palatable classic.
Imagine my surprise when a week after the yarn arrived he told me he wanted me to make him something “wild” and unlike anything he owns, with as many colors as possible! Preferably loud, bright, attention grabbing colors! I guess the joke is on me with that one! That’s more than alright because the consolation prize for being way off base is that I’m getting a new autumn sweater after-all. The full coverage warm sort of one that I had in mind, though in a different color and pattern than planned. I never would have bought the yarn for myself, but since it’s already here… And I also have the unique, endearing and amusing task of working up a wild and crazy sweater for my son’s seventeenth birthday. Not a bad deal at all.
I share your frustrations in regards to cooking special foods. I am exhausted constantly shopping for the ingredients and the prepping and feeding the family that suits different ages and variety and seasonal foods and health requirements. Meals we can all eat together that take hours to make and then get demolished in seconds. I know exactly what you are talking about. The story of Ian and his new love of wild colours made me laugh. The ever evolving children we mamas have to keep up with.