Big Eyes

(Tiny Dancer, at 9 months)

So when I was growing up, my mother always said that my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I did have a tendency to load up my plate with more food than I could possibly eat. (Apparently, in recent years, my stomach has grown to accommodate this habit.) The truth is, this is the case not just in the food department. I really do have "big eyes" - wanting more than I can manage, in almost every arena.

These days, it is especially clear that this is the case when it comes to making stuff. There is simply no way I will ever work my way through my to-knit list and my to-sew list. And that would probably be okay if I could find a way not to make myself crazy in the process.

On Friday morning, we left town for an almost four-week trip. Right now I am writing from our hotel room in Washington, D.C., where we are for a denominational meeting. We were going to get here Thursday night instead of Friday night, but a major issue came up at work that required lots of time and attention and delayed our leaving by a bit. It was really good that we waited, because by Wednesday night, we were both so strung out there was no way we were fit for travel (and we couldn't have gotten everything ready for the trip without an all-nighter; as it was, I was operating on an average of 4.5 hours of sleep a night).

I had big plans of the things I was going to have made for this trip, sewing-wise. I even got some of them done, and will be showing pictures here eventually. But at one point, when it became clear how much we had to do before we left, My Old Man did say that I probably was going to have to stop sewing. I didn't stop, but I did scale back. A bit. Here's the breakdown:

Done:

• beachy wrap skirt (my own version of a Sew What! Skirts skirt)
• 2 beach hats (Amy Butler Blue Sky Hat)
• khaki twill shorts (Simplicity City Short pattern 3867)
• white crinkled shirt (my usual Simplicity Built by Wendy pattern)
• yet another A-line skirt, black with cherries (this has been done for awhile, but is meant to go with something else I've been making, so I haven't shown it yet)

Undone:

• navy eyelet sleeveless top (Simplicity 3867) - I'm really disappointed about this, b/c I had intended this to be a fun July 4 top)
• white city shorts (Simplicity 3867) - to go with navy top
• eyemask (from Amy Butler's In Stitches)
• Tempting - though it is done now (finished on the road), and let's just say I have had a major disappointment with how it has turned out
• Syrian Lace Shawl (but I gave up hopes of having it done for the trip a long time ago - I basically chose to work on Tempting instead, which I guess I now regret)

Meanwhile, remember that modest little summer to-knit list I posted awhile back? Just had six things on it - two pairs of socks, the Syrian shawl, Tempting, and two Tomtens. (I say "modest" but when I look at that list, I realize I won't get nearly all of it done as it is). Well, I can't stop adding to the list. OF COURSE. Because, you know, I have big eyes. So already, I've added the Swallowtail Shawl (I link to Minty's, because as far as I'm concerned, hers is the definitive version), because when I got this yarn from Nova, I simply had to. But then, I had some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, and I'd been eying this yarn of Collette's for awhile, and I could no longer resist:

Merino Supersock Superwash fingering weight yarn, 425 yards
Brown and Pink
(possibly my favorite color combination)
This isn't a great picture. For a better glimpse of the color play, look here.

This is for socks for myself. Given my current lists, I believe they will be done by spring of '08.

There will be much to blog in coming weeks, both craft-wise and life-wise, but I'm unsure what my online access is going to be. I'll write when I can, read blogs when I can, and otherwise enjoy my vacation (we leave from DC on Monday for North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama - Little Buddha has been rehearsing the whole itinerary, while Tiny Dancer keeps asking to go home). Oh, and I don't generally give crafting tips because I consider myself still a novice. But here's a little travel tip for ya: If you are driving 538 miles to Washington, D.C., and looking at the odometer you notice that you only have about 20 miles to go, and you then notice that you are still in Pennsylvania, and you then remember that you have to drive at least 75 miles through Maryland to get to D.C., chances are good you missed your turnoff about 100 miles back and will be getting in approximately 3 hours later than planned. You will, however, have afforded your children the opportunity to drive through 4 tunnels that they otherwise would've missed.

Mathematical equation:

2 grumpy adults + 2 high-energy 3 year-olds x 3 extra hours drive time + 4 tunnels - 1 missed opening conference meeting and registration + 1 mother's high-anxiety = "well, this will be a fun memory someday"

I had no idea.

Seriously. I really didn't know how much fun it would be to wind my own wool with my new wool winder. Positively addictive. In fact, after I wound my first one, I simply had to do another, and then another. I found myself frantically scrounging through my stash in search of any yarn that needed to be wound. My boys both wanted turns winding, which they did get - briefly. But soon enough, I was (gently) shoving them out of my way, insisting, "Mommy's turn! MOMMY'S TURN!!"

Nevertheless, the boys enjoyed the spectacle, even though they didn't get to play with my new toy very much. When I first opened up the swift, they called out "Umbrella!" which I thought was very brilliant of them. (For awhile I was trying to teach them to call umbrellas "umbershoots" but it didn't really take, I guess.) When I finished my first winding experience, I pulled the yarn off the bobbin and showed the boys my yarn cake. When they heard me call it that, they insisted I put a candle it. Of course I obliged. It was a festive afternoon.

My Old Man really did right with this gift. I am possibly a little difficult for him to buy presents for. I have very specific desires, and I make a detailed list (with URLs and Amazon wish lists and everything) for him. Which sort of takes the element of surprise away. But I never asked for a swift and winder because: 1) they are so expensive, 2) I thought I just didn't need more crap to store, and 3) I thought I could just keep making do with winding by hand. But once or maybe twice My Old Man heard me say, while I wound by hand, "I could do this a lot faster with a winder." It wasn't a hint, honestly. It was just me complaining while taking a whole hour to wind a single hank of yarn.

So right before my birthday, he snuck off to my (awesome) LYS and inquired about such a contraption. It ended up being more involved - and more expensive - than he had imagined, and at one point he started to just give up, saying he wasn't sure it was something I really wanted. But the (brilliant) LYS salesclerk asked him, "How much does your wife knit?" "Oh, she knits a LOT. It's like her thing. She even has a blog where she writes about her knitting and shows pictures of what she's made." The (fabulous) salesclerk (wisely) advised, "If she has a knitting blog than she definitely needs a swift and winder." So he bought it. When I opened that surprise, I think he got the single best gift reaction that I have ever given (and as you might have noticed from yesterday's post, I generally react very positively to good gifts!). It was a happy moment.

So anyway, the yarn in the picture above is for my Sockapalooza socks. It is my first-ever Etsy purchase. 100% Blue-Faced Leicester Superwash wool, hand-dyed by Collette. The color is Stellars Jay, inspired by a bird Collette sees a lot when her family camps in the mountains. Isn't it gorgeous? I thought this color would go great with jeans. I am still trying to decide on a pattern. My first pair of Monkeys only whet my appetite to make more of those, so I may well decide to go with that (I think that pattern would be a great match for this yarn). But I'm also spending time with Favorite Socks to see what else might inspire me. I suppose I ought to cast on sooner than later, given how long it is currently taking me to finish knitted objects. And now that I know how much fun it is to wind yarn, I just have one more thing competing for my attention....