Big hearted days

So then there are days where it doesn't feel like January.
Days where you find yourself in the sauna of the small town radio station, chatting effortlessly for nearly an hour about the joys of house concerts, finding community and togetherness through music, getting excited about new projects*, and discovering and facing  things about yourself.

Days when you load the email and find an accidental message written for someone else. One that leaves you grinning knowing that the efforts you put out there are appreciated.

Days where you visit a past labour of love and find it growing and thriving without you worrying.

A day where you finish a knitting project and you've knit to gauge the whole project through.

A day where you're silly and comfortable in your own skin.

Those days can happen even in January.

* I feel like I need to keep track of the details here, for whenever my Alzheimer's might kick in and I don't understand my own codes.

www.northumberlandsmalltime.com was launched last monday, so I was the guest on "art beat" this week.
I found a message sent from one musician to some others across the globe , it was sent accidentally to me, it was sweet and affirming and I might have cried a little.
I stopped in to the NUkeO uke jam tonight, the room was packed. It felt great to be an observer and to help throw in some playing tips where I could. I'm so glad I was able to let it go and that people stepped up to continue it.
I finished knitting a big ol'shrug thing tonight. Started with the intent to wear with my favourite dress in the world.. the one that I have to try to remember to not wear daily.
I have a temporary roommate again, I'm so glad to have Mark back. And I'm so glad to have the company around the house.
Even the cold can be warm.

...

It's friday night... I'm in my jammies knitting on the couch listening to the cbc.... does anyone want to adopt me as their grandmother?

slip stich

I couldn't tell you how many pairs of socks I've knit in the past 4 years. It's an addiction that comes in waves, the need to feel the wool in my hands, the flick of my fingers the glide and click of the needles.

I own 4 pairs of knit socks. I should have more- I bought my last pair of boots just a little too big so I'd be forced to wear pretty hand knits with them. Most of the time my feet just slide around in the boots... boots which I need to replace, they've finally worn out. Maybe this next pair will fit right, I'll admit to myself that even though I say I'm not a gifter- it's not my love language- I love to do things like knit socks for other people... I'm never going to have a drawer full of my own.

All that to say... I got sad this morning when I put on my socks. I've got a hole in one, up on the leg part- the heels and toes are well felted and won't wear. It's cold and I don't want to take off my sock. Not even to mend it.

Fun things

So there are a few fun things in the works, the big one- Christmas in the park opens tonight. Here's a teaser video shot last week- I'm the one forgetting what line we're singing then rolling my eyes at myself...



The other thing is a little online endeavor, I've been sewing under the name "Bad Bunny" for about a year now... you can probably guess why- this week he chewed the phone recharger- he's not generally a chewer. This was a new trick, along with that other new trick where he goes up on the kitchen table and pushes everything off of it? Ya.

Anyway, I'm trying to be a little more proactive in "selling myself" and the things I make. Soooo, I bought a domain name. I haven't paid for it to be hosted anywhere yet, so currently there's a simple free page that came with the domain purchase. For now it's a start. A big one for me.

Bad Bunny Fibre Arts can be found here. 

Toasty Toes

I'm in high gear for Christmas crafting.
Actually, maybe it's the coffee...

Either way, slippers are being hand sewn and YOU could give those slippers to your favourite persons. Just $25! A real deal!

So, if you live in Northumberland or Ptbo, you should email me at ladylesley at hotmail dot com and place an order.

Look how cute those are! Your loved ones NEED them.

thanks love

I have a big stupid grin on my face.
With everything swirling around me this week I shouldn't. But just in one of those moments where I'm feeling so very alone (in the giant sense of the word/world), someone's thought of me. Created something thoughtful.

So now, instead of sitting and worrying about X, Y, and Z... and all the letters before those...I'm sitting with a warm dog on my cold toes, knitting at the ready, and the kettle nearing a boil for my tea.
With that big stupid grin.


"I saw that you were knitting and thought you could use some music".


Tweet last night: 12:30am  Need a guy with size 11 shoes to visit the house... no way to make that sound like it's not a booty call. #knitting #mens #socks

Toes

I'm on a sock knitting bender... I've given myself 2 weeks to knit 2 pairs of socks. Totally doable. Right?

A few nights ago GTI (I know, it goes by the name "Greenwood Coalition" now... I don't adapt well to name changes) Held it's second Johnny Cash Tribute night- a fund raiser, and all around good time.  It's an art show showcasing some of the work done by the GTI art group, and a whole bunch of amazingly talented musicians bringing Johnny's music to life.  I'm sorry if you missed it. Maybe next year I'll be in a place where I've got my head on right and think to share the info BEFORE the fact.

I've had some huge mixed emotions going into this one (the concert). Something in life ... in my circle... has shifted in the past 3-4 months, and I'm still learning to navigate the waters. It's nothing to worry about- not good, not bad.... just different.  I'm left feeling more observer than participant, and after the past couple of whirlwind years, maybe it's a really good thing.

HOW does any of that tie into a sock-knitting bender? Ah HA! One of the things you missed at the concert was a raffle... including one fantastic prize "2 pairs of custom knit socks"!

must stop typing must keep knitting must stop typing must keep knitting must stop typing must keep knitting must stop typing must keep knitting must stop typing must keep knitting must stop....

One pair down, one to go.

Watch out!

Last night was the first in a long series of Tuesday nights... The most perfect night of the week thru the winter... Pubstumpers Trivia night!!!

The Knitwits gathered both their knitting and their wits and settled into a respectable 4th place for the first quiz night. I'm pretty sure we would have gotten 1st place, but we were missing our music guru. It's amazing how much weight music carries in this thing. Which is terrible, because I know that I know the song when it comes on (we get 6 bars generally) ... but I have no idea of the name, or the singer.

When in doubt, guess Paula (Abdul) or Penis.

(photo is from last month when I returned the trophy to the pub, we won last season... actually we OWNED last season)

spinny and green

guess what?!
interrobang
Crazy Kijiji lady had a no-show on her spinning wheel sale and contacted me..... and dropped the price back down.... and now I'm in the possession of a single treadle lendrum wheel!

While I haven't had a chance to actually spin anything on it yet (what with the amazing weather and the market work- more on this in a moment) I've spent some time sitting just treadling, getting used to the feel of a single treadle and the ins and outs of this wheel. She's lovely. Really lovely. I actually find there's a smaller "dead zone" on this wheel vs. the Ashford traveller I've been using- that space where the treadles won't move the wheel- I was quite frustrated with the Ashford's dead spots. The only downfall with the single treadle, I have to give the wheel a push by hand to get it turning in the direction I want- with the double treadle, so long as I wasn't in the dead zone, I could start it off the right way with just my treadling.

ok, geeky spinning wheel story over.

Market stuff!!

I've teamed up with the handsome men from The Victory Garden   and they're letting me use a corner of one of their tables to sell market bags (crochet ones and sewn double sided shoulder bags) and produce bags (made from mesh- as light weight as those nasty plastic bags from the grocery store produce section, but reusable).. I'll be occasionally selling worm tea kits and worm composting kits too.... So fun! In exchange for the table space, I'm hoping to help out when needed in the garden harvesting and bagging for the market.

Some spending money that I feel really good about!

Not only that, but the Victory Garden is the same garden I was working in two summers ago! It's so nice to see that it's being loved ... I can't wait to show you some before and after pics!

knitwit

I forced my friends into joining me for trivia night at the pub.
That was 8 (trivia) weeks ago. While we lost the first game, we've come in second or first nearly every night since. We're good.
really good.

well, let's be honest.... I answer maybe two questions each night.

I'm there to knit.

In the pub, knitting. It's the only night the lights are bright enough in there to knit.
Let's face it, one can only drink so much coffee or tea in a week, a gal needs her pint with her needles!

this was NOT a pub project. my first lace piece. I had to be able to count and read the pattern for each line- pub knitting is for plain socks.

Did I mention our team is named the "knitwits"?

not so lost

Keys have been found.

They managed to find a home in my wool stash... good thing I was digging in the wool today!

I just loved the way snow has been clinging to the bricks at the back of the house- the far side has sprouted a mane of icicles too...

knit one slip purlside... knit... slip. slip. slip. slip.

Hi, my name is Bess... and I have a sock knitting addiction.

I know.

I know....
It's a nasty habit.
Ignoring housework.
Ignoring the phone.
All those fibres. Needles. Scissors. More needles...

Just laying... around the house everywhere.
Where ANY ONE could find them!
I know.
And I tell myself each time... this is the last sock....
I promise.


And then...
I open the cupboard.
or
I walk into the shop.
I see something soft and fine, in a cool or even a warm tone.
Self striping maybe.
Mixed fibres, wool, alpaca, angora... cotton, bamboo, hemp..... my blood races from my heart to my hands, from my hands to my heart to my head as I .
just.
reach.
out.
and.
touch.

cave....

purchase....

nested, under an old afghan... corner of the couch, snowflakes blowing past my window...
slip knit slip knit slip.