Knit Purl Love

Today I'm guest/co-posting with Diana over at Hormonal Imbalances. This post was her idea -- she's smart that way. When she talked about taking up knitting when Sam left for training in Georgia she got a lot of questions about it. Since I was 'teaching' her (kinda)  she suggested we do a post about knitting and I literally squealed. One, because I'd semi-hooked her. Two, because knitting is my crack. And yarn is readily available. It's the gateway drug to felting, spinning  .. . farming your own sheep!  The web is my dealer. I buy weekly. The FedEx man delivers the stuff to my house and I greet him with shaking hands and a twitchy smile.

He fears me.

I need it. I crave it. Without it I am a shaking, shivering mess. What do I do with my hands as we watch TV? Drive in the car? Sit with family? What do I do when somebody has a baby? That baby must.have.a.new.hat. 

[caption id="attachment_1226" align="alignright" width="155" caption="Baby hats - don't be afraid to have fun!"][/caption]

*deep breath*

About three years ago a dear friend, Erin,  sat me down and said, "I'm teaching you to knit."  She put the needles in my hand, stood behind me and guided my hands through the old as time motions of knit one purl one.

[caption id="attachment_1224" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The knit stitch"][/caption]

As I strung together my first row of stitches, which were juvenile and messy, I was hooked. She spent a good two hours with me, guiding my hands over and over. Teaching me to cast on. Showing me the knit stitch and purl stitch countless times until I had it right. She left me with needles, yarn and a love of knitting.

Three years later I've attempted to pass on what has become my obsession hobby to Diana :) 

Here's the thing about knitting that goes beyond the creation of a new hat, sweater or scarf: you build a memory every time you sit down to work. I see Erin's hands when I 'throw' the yarn, as I make a knit stitch, because she taught me. My mom knits differently, so I don't see her hands in that movement. I see Erin's. But when I begin to knit socks? I'll see my mom's, because that's what she knits. When I start a baby sweater I immediately think of Diana's Bella, because I knit my first baby sweater for her. I remember what I was doing, where I was sitting. How worried I was that I wasn't going to be able to do it. And now as I knit, as I pick up new projets, half completed hats and sweaters, they each have their own memories attached to them. They are each their own little ball of happiness that I unravel and knit into something beautiful.

Some resources to help you get started:

~Stitch 'N bitch: The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller

     This is the ultimate start up guide to knitting. It reads like a novel and has excellent illustrations of casting on, all the stitches and some patterns. I'd recommend starting with some easier patterns, though. I always tell people to start with a simple baby hat or scarf, then move on.

~The Knitting Answer Book

     I actually knit with this book on my lap when I'm trying a new pattern. It's small and fits nicely. Don't be afraid to take notes in your books!

~One Skein Wonders

    Erin gave me this book as my first pattern book - and I think I've knitted almost all of them. Or many of them twice. Or more.

~ Pattern Works  http://patternworks.com  I love this website for their gadgets to go along with knitting. They have all sorts of things I need to help me knit. Things I didn't even know I needed. More crack!

~Knit Picks  http://knitpicks.com Oh, sweet yarn. This is my ultimate yarn supplier. They may know me by name. Possibly.

~On YouTube there is a series of videos by the Knit Witch. I believe she has books and a store of her own.

~Every knitter needs patterns. Many, many patterns. Daily sometimes.  http://ravelry.com has them. For free. You need to set up an account, but that's free, too. You can purchase patterns there as well.

Some personal tips from me, your average obsessed knitter:

~always use natural fibers -- wool, cotton, linen, silk

~use wooden needles. They're not as slippery and you'll have better control.

~don't be afraid of circulars -- use them as straight needles until you're ready to knit in the round.

~don't be afraid to just try. Violet is 8 and she's learning. She can already do the knit stitch. And Sarah is going to be learning soon. She's 5.

~practice. Make long scarves or pot holders until you're confident, if that's what feels right. I have many in my closets and drawers.

~find a GREAT yarn shop. Michael's just doesn't cut it for good supplies and yarn. Really. Plus, you need the knowledge of the owner.

~one final tip: have fun. Enjoy. Knit Purl LOVE

 

 

 

 

Learning Curve: Part 2

I'm a huge believer in chores. Huge. Violet started feeding our dog when she was 2 1/2 and it was her 'full time' job by the time she was three. It's Sarah's job right now, but when the school year starts it will be passed on to John.

I believe in chores for two reasons. First, I have too many kids (and a husband) for me to do all the work. I pick up and clean most of the day anyway. I'm pretty sure that I deserve some down time to pursue my hobbies, have some girl time - without the house looking like a war zone. Second, and this the most important reason, chores teach kids responsibility. They teach kids the value of hard work, respect, being part of the family, team work. And yes, part of the punishment in this family for not doing your (simple) chores? You go to your room, while fun, family things happen downstairs. If you can't help keep this family functioning, well, you can't participate in the fun of the family for a half hour or so.

I'm hard core. I don't want my kids to grow up entilted. So here is what they do:

~At about 18 months they were taught to toss their sippy cups in the sink. By now (at 8, 5 and 4) it SHOULD be second nature to get a plate/cup over to the sink. It's not, but usually I just have to send a glare and head jerk and somebody clears the table.

~At two years they were taught to get their dirty laundry to the laundry room - not a basket. I got rid of laundry baskets. They only encourage me to fold clean clothes into neat piles, carry it upstairs and leave it in the hallway for weeks. And weeks. So the kids have been trained to lob their clothing down the stairs, get on their jammies, go downstairs and push/pull/slide the clothes into the laundry room. Recently we've added putting the clothes into the hampers. (John loads a dump truck with his clothes and 'motors' clothes to the laundry room.)

~ They each make their bed, however crazy that may look, before they come downstairs (ha!) each morning. They effort is there. Violet, at 8 does this five out of 7 days. Which is pretty darn good. I'll take it!

~They are also responsible for picking up their own toys each day. I don't care what they do to the rooms during the day. But at night I need some sort of pick up to happen. One of the smartest things I did -- and I totally stole this from some parenting or organization magazine, was to get your child to help organize their room. So I did just that. John literally picked where each toy 'lives.' And each toy ends up back in it's 'garage' or 'home' almost every night. He's four. And I don't beat him.

~Then I have daily housekeeping chores that just have to be done. Things that I need help with and they are old enough to do. So why shouldn't they? I cook, scrub their toilet, wash the toothpaste out of their sink, fold their laundry. So why shouldn't they do a little cleaning/up keep? They should. Violet empties all the trash in the house on Wednesday nights.  She also sweeps the kitchen floor, and vacuums the rugs downstairs. She receives an allowance of a dollar.  Sarah keeps the shoe area clean - keeps them in the basket or drawers, takes them upstairs to the 'shoe box' I have in each room (she does this under great distress every.single.time. I take all her shoes away. She somehow manages to get it done. She'll get an allowance this year.) She also moves the stools in and out when we sweep and mop. John is responsible for putting a new bag in the trash can anytime I empty it -- he loves this job. He also helps to feed the cat as his 'time' approaches to take this job over.

~After I wash the laundry, each kid puts away his/her own jammies, underware and socks. I don't fold these clothes, so it doesn't matter how they make it into or come out of the drawers. So long as they make it into the right drawers? I'm good. Violet puts away all of her own clothing - and I expect her to do it nicely. It's a work in progress :) Sarah hangs up her dresses after I've put them on the hangers.

~ I bought three Melissa And Doug chore charts and that has really helped. The kids have filled them with random things, like "Brush your teeth." Which is totally fine, because they do it and get a sticker. Somehow, even after they've completed thier chores, a super reward is never given. I seem to always 'forget.' Partly because I truly do, and partly because, well. They are part of the family. These chores make the family run. Do I get a reward every day for scrubbing their urine off the toilet? For cleaning the tub yet again? For making another dinner? No, because it's what I do to keep us a family unit. So sometimes they get a high five. Sometimes I add fifty cents to their Disney jar. Sometimes the day just continues because we are just a family. 

Still to come: Organization -- school is coming! Lunches have to made. What we do to make this painless.

Learning Curve: Part 1

So the hot topic in the Blogospshpere lately has been working mom vs stay at home mom (SAHM) and what they call each other and themselves.

Meh.

I never had anything to say because  as long as I felt as though it was acknowledged that I was working? It was all good. And  this has always been acknowledged since Sarah was born. When I 'just' had one kid and was a SAHM? Yeah, I received many questions about, "What do you DO all day?" I won't list the answers. As I've gained more children the questions have stopped because I guess it's obvious to even the busiest of working mom what I do all day.

When I came home from my girls weekend I was slightly annoyed with my husband because although he'd managed to pull his shirts out of the dryer while still damp (a must unless you want a hot wrinkled mess on your hands), he'd hung them on baby hangers. And the adult hangers were literally right behind him. So now they were all full of wrinkles. The man has an extensive law degree. He can settle million dollar cases, but not get his clothing onto hangers. I shook my head and said nothing, thinking to myself, "How hard is it to use the right hanger? Really?"

Then I met up with a dear friend of mine, who just recently started the SAHM gig. Only she didn't ease into it gently with a newborn. She jumped into it with her 20 month old and 3 1/2 year old when they moved out of state. So when we sat down and she said, "Tell me how you do it. How do you have the kids at swim at 8:00, doing all these activities, and we're not even up yet?" I realized something.

There's a learning curve.

Because if anyone should be able to totally go, "This SAHM thing is a breeze!" And rock it out on day one? It would be Denise. She is incredibly intelligent, organized. She's a planner, your go to girl for problems and help. So for me to hear her say this  . . . and then remember how my husband can never do what I do . . . I finally understood.

I've had on the job training for 8 years.  I have an B.S in multitasking. A Master's in brain stimulating activities that will keep children entertained long enough for me to empty the dishwasher, change a load of laundry and clean up that activity. A PH.D in showering under 60 seconds (and only sometimes finding the children playing in your make up), getting the kids loaded into the van in less than a hour and making it out of driveway in only two stops. All the while cooking dinner, arranging playdates, mommy dates, changing sheets, cleaning bathrooms, vaccuming, mopping, playing, painting, talking on the phone, making appointments, organizing children's schedules, blogging, knitting, being a friend, daughter, wife, sister, volunteering, checking for boo boos and oh yeah, keeping three kids alive, breathing and happy.

OMG That's huge.

But I didn't go to school for it. I've been gradually learning it since June 3, 2003. I didn't jump in. It wasn't baptism by fire. If it had been? I can't even think.

So, for the moms who have just left the work force to join the kids who are actively trying to drive me insane force/SAHM (and we're not going to talk about labels, mmkay?), here are some tips on running errands and household chores/organization that I've put into our home to keep me sane (ha!). I've stolen most of them from other people and adjusted them to fit our needs.

Errands:

~Only run two or three a day, first thing in the morning. I try to start easy and finish hard. And don't be afraid to abandon ship mid errand. I've left stores mid transaction because I feel a meltdown coming on and I know I've pushed them too far. You have to walk a fine line between giving in to them because they simply don't want to be in the store, but you're the mom. You know them.

~Bribery. I'm for it. The first aisle I hit when the kids were little was the cereal or cracker one and I'd pop open a box of Cheerio's or Goldfish. Go ahead and side eye me for opening food before I paid for it, but my kids were (at that time) so well behaved that people complimented us on a regular basis. And I shopped with two carts, an infant, a toddler and a 4 year old who had to walk.

~Rock out in the van between errands. Seriously. Crank the radio and have a full on car concert. Nothing relaxes you all and pulls you back into that team mentality like a good ole' rockin' sing along. For me it has to be a real song. So pick your songs well.

~Toys. My van is a hot mess of lost toys. They keep the kids entertained while I'm driving and while we wait during different errands. We don't often take them inside with us -- but sometimes we have to. If one kid has a doctor appointment and I've had to bring the other two with me? Bring in a toy, please. If one of them has been melting down all morning and we still have to grocery shop? Bring in that suddenly favorite toy. Please. But I won't go back for any toy once we are back in the van. And they've lost them, and I never have. So pick the toys that go into the van wisely.

~Snacks. Glorious snacks. Don't let the kids eat in the van? Oh, you need to relax that rule. Because nothing quiets a screaming van like a cool sippy cup/bottle of water and a chewy granola bar. Chewy because it's hard to chew. See? Sticks their little teeth together. Make them yourself if you're worried about ingredients. I can give you a link to a great recipe for some. But chewy.

~Like I said, bribery. I'm totally fine with rewarding them for good behavior. If they are great at Target I will buzz the toy department and grab a new box of chalk or bottle of bubbles. Always something small and always something the three of them can use. They're not enjoying the errands, I know. And they're kids. So while they should be good because that's what I've taught them, and they should internalize it -- they haven't yet. So I give them external motivation until then.

Tomorrow: Household chores I have my kids do -- even John and how it helps me keep (some) organization in the house.

Live Long and Prosper

Remember this post where I showed you my crafty Christmas chain made of post in notes? Well, it turns out that my craftiness was not appreciated by all members of my household. Take a closer look at this picture.

I don't know what those post it notes say. Maybe some of you are Trekkies. Maybe you recognize the saying. My husband certainly recognized it. And the post it notes it's on. That were from his desk.

Fail.

I was cooking dinner and needed a distraction. I thought of Momma Kiss and her awesome Christmas chain. I went all Martha Stewart and threw some post it's at my kids that I dug out of my husbands desk. I thought the ones with the words on it were from some random PR company.

Fail.

So the kids happily made a Christmas chain while I cooked dinner. It was a fantastic dinner.

Every now and again my husband reads my blog. He reads because he thinks what I write is, and I quote, "amazing." How much do I love this man? He also reads because I told him about Dooce and how her husband doesn't have work. So he counts my followers and asks how much closer he is to not working. It is a distant, distant future. Sorry, babe.

On this day, he came home from work, gave me a hug and said what I'd written the day before had made him cry and I needed to warn him about those. Then he cocked his head to one side and got a funny look on his face.

"So, those post it notes. From my desk."

"I know, right? Crafty! And look, a great dinner!"

"They're Star Trek post it's. From my sister, Elaine. They were a Christmas gift. I only use them on special occasions."

Wait. . .what? Special occasion post it notes? But I apologized, profusely.

The next morning I logged onto Facebook and asked Elaine where she had found the Star Trek post its. Her reply:

"I don't know. I got them like 20 years ago."

What.The.Heck.

20 years. Really? And he still has them? That's at least 3 moves. Law school. Internship. 2 jobs. How do you have post it notes for 20 freaking years? She says because they are really special and I had better feel badly.

I say, you cannot have special post its. Or if you do, use them. It's like having special china you only take out for the special company, only nobody is every special enough. I'm pretty sure that Michelle Obama can't make it for dinner tonight, so take out the special china.

However, I've been on a mad search for Trekkie post its.

Epic Fail.

Well, at least we'll have the Christmas chain to take out and look at each year, reminding us of this special occasion, right?

?

Holiday Tips and Who Needs Martha?

Every year you have at least one dish that just doesn't go quite . . . right. This year that dish was the rolls -- my responsibility. The turkey-- that I brined, dried, rubbed, stuffed w/ onions and apples?  Not a problem. Roasted Garlic taters? Easy. The thaw and bake rolls, because that is just so difficult: fail. I've included pictures for your viewing pleasure. Do you see how gi-normous they are? We called them 'mutant rolls.' They were beyond huge.

After reading Momma Kiss's Favorite Things post, I was inspired to have the kids make their very own paper chain. Then I totally forgot about it. Then I got a reply from her about her paper chain! So the paper chain making began! The result:

Yes, and just like in Momma Kiss' house, our paper chain is also made of Post It's. Because that's how we roll. (and FYI, the 3 kids were fighting over the Post It's. Like knock down-drag out fighting. Construction paper has met its match and we'll never go back.) I'll save these pictures and show the kids how earth friendly we are: reduce, reuse, recycle!

Kim