Keeping Busy While Stuck At Home – Social Distancing and Witchy Crafts

 

Social Distancing. Self-Isolation. Quarantine. Whatever you call it, most of us are stuck at home for the foreseeable future.

At the beginning of the month, my kids both had colds, and as the panic over Covid-19 was ramping up, I made an effort to not add to the problem, and decided to keep them home a couple of days until their coughs and runny noses subsided. They were better by the weekend, and I was happy to be able to send them back to school on Monday. Then, on Sunday night, the province closed all public schools. All this is a long way of saying, that in my house, we are on day 15 of social distancing isolation.

These days, most businesses are closed for the next couple of weeks, and we are in the middle of what would have been spring break, so the schools aren’t putting anything out until April to help with the kids education. And since we are doing our part to help #flattenthecurve or #plankthecurve or whatever the hashtag is now, we are finding creative ways to keep busy that involve less screen time, and thus, less fighting.

February of Doom

February has been the month of doom at our house.  From colds to colic to more colds and more colic … lets just not talk about it.  Between bouts of screaming, crying, whining, packing, hot tea, more coffee than I should admit to drinking, and desperate prayers for just a hint of spring, I have been keeping busy 😉

I’ve been knitting a few things, felting a few things, reading books and magazines made of paper (old school, right?), and I finally finished up my first “for sale” dolly.

Isn’t she cute? Genie Marigold is the name, playtime is her game!

We will be moving soon, and I am fairly preoccupied with that.  Packing with two littles underfoot is not a treat.

I picked up a new rotary cutter for sewing that I am dying to try out.  And I think I have completely forgotten about the Art Journal project I was working on.  I should check to see how behind I am in that one.  Life never stays on that even keel you find when you sign up for things, does it?

Ah well, no worries.  I have goodies coming in the mail!  I am having so much fun getting back into sewing and knitting bigger projects, add to that the awesomeness of packages in the mail, and I think I can probably deal with just about anything.  I may have to do more of my shopping online.  Would that make me a shut in? I do go out for groceries … and coffee when it is not -20 (we all need the exercise when we can get it).

I have also become addicted to the magazine Taproot.  I may subscribe after we are settled in the new house.  I am in love with the simple life.  I like that even in a busy city like Calgary, I can live at my own pace.  I have discovered that that is what is keeping me sane out here.  I don’t need everyone around me to live the small town life.  I can do it in my own neighbourhood on my own block.

Well, it’s time to get dinner going – have a coffee on me 😉

52 Weeks of Calgary – Week 1

So far I am doing pretty well on my assorted projects for the new year.  I also have enough knitting on my needles right now that I have been limiting my online time just by trying to work on them each day.  That and the littles running around (one is still fighting off a lingering cough).

Good news of the week is that my camera is back from Nikon.  It is all shiny and fixed.  I am actually fairly impressed that they cleaned it for me.  That was cool.  It had gotten a little dusty waiting for me to have it sent off.

Having it back had showed me just how much I missed using a real camera.  My phone is decent, quick, and convenient, but it just doesn’t compare.  So, for week one of kids + Calgary, we have the following:

 

Fibre Art Goals for 2014

Andi’s post about her 2014 knitting goals has gotten me thinking about some projects I’d like to tackle in the new year. 2013 was a year of small projects that could be completed in a few hours to a single weekend.  It helped to keep me engaged and made sure that I always had something new on my needles.  This year, I want to take on a couple of bigger projects.  I want to make sweaters for myself and the kids.  I haven’t made a sweater since 2008, and it took over a year to finish.  Hopefully, I will be able to complete them quicker this time around.

For myself and my daughter, I am in love with the matching patterns Ease and Abate by Alicia Plummer.  For the cuddle baby, the cozy cardigan, Mossy Jacket by Fawn Pea.

I also want to take a bash at improving my skills with a few pairs of grown-up socks; maybe work on a couple crochet critters.  And who can resist bunny slippers?

Aside from knitting, I mean to learn needle felting.  I want to make little soft sculptures.  Of what, I’m not sure yet, but I will come up with something.

I’m going to stop there before I get ahead of myself.  If I plan too much, then it gets daunting and nothing gets done.  I was informed that my camera is back and waiting for me to get out and pick it up, so I should have some lovely progress photos for you all throughout the coming year.

Happy 2014, all!

A Handmade Wardrobe

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This post was inspired by Christine Chitnis, though, though it has been something that has been on my mind for a good long time.

I used to sew a lot of my own clothes when I was a teen.  It was a way for me to build a wardrobe of more stylish, well constructed clothes without having to pay the inflated price tag that those clothes often come with.  Now that “artisan” and “handmade” are all the rage, making your own clothes doesn’t save you a dime, and often the materials cost considerably more than a finished garment would.

And yet there is still a part of me that longs for a wardrobe of mostly handmade items.  I envision sweaters, shawls, dresses, tops, mitts, shoes, slippers, etc – all with memories of construction and a beloved, timeless design to them.

I’ve begun collecting patterns on Ravelry for knitted items I want to make – someday when I have the time to knit for myself.  That’s what long winters are for, right?

A few of my favourites are listed below:

First up is one I have loved for years, Shipwrecked by Knitting Harpy.  Then Ease by Alicia Plummer, Greenwood by Ann-Marie Jackson, Shallows by Bonnie Sennott, Atwater by Sara Gresbach, and the cuddly looking Woodsy Cardigan by Jennifer Wood.  They’re very simple, classic designs with a bit of colour work and/or lace thrown in for pretties.

These will definitely be good for a start.  It will probably take me a good year or so to get this lot knit up.  Though, at some point, I would like to get to sewing my own clothes again as well.  I have a lovely piece of linen that is begging to be made into something.

 

Snow Day

People who love snow always seem to be the people who live in places where there isn’t snow.  Snow is easy to love at a distance.  Hell, some days I love to watch it snow while snuggled under a blanket with a hot cup of coffee in my hands.  Not in April, mind you, but November is a good month for snow.

There is a quiet to snow that is addictive.  It’s as if everyone holds their breath for a moment.  It’s romantic.  It both draws you out-of-doors and settles you into the warmth of your dwelling.  The first snow of the season is awesome.

Grateful Gratitude

I accept that I am not going to be doing this every day, but I do need to remind myself of the good things on days when I am feeling like a beached whale.

Day 42:  I am grateful that I only have about 2 weeks left of being pregnant.

43: I am grateful for the pre-baby shopping spree that has managed to get us all caught up on stuff we need.  I am a lot less stressed now that I have a new car seat and baby bed.

44: I am grateful that I still have another week before I have to get back on the “endless appointments” bandwagon.

45: I am grateful for rain.  Always.

46: I am grateful that 130+ people are interested in what I have to say.  I started blogging to just keep track of my own rantings and ravings so I wouldn’t bore my friends with it. lol

47: I am grateful for sleep-in snuggle babies.  It lets me get a couple of hours extra sleep and who doesn’t love watching a cuddly baby sleep??

48: I am grateful for chilly mornings that make the sleep-in snuggle baby possible 😀

49:  I am grateful for cardboard forts.  It’s free and keeps kids busy for hours.

 

Look! A Real Blog Post!

I have found myself reading a lot more blogs this summer rather than writing.  As some of you may know, I’ve developed a distaste for random outrage and useless arguments over the past few years.  These days, I prefer my life to be simple, peaceful and focussed on those things that bring me joy.

While I do try to keep up with some of my favourite Pagan blogs, these last few weeks I have discovered some local foodie/mom blogs and knitting blogs that I am really enjoying.  Who doesn’t love food, and snuggly warm knitwear?