Flashback

It's 1992.  Early fall.  September, say.  The sun is high in the sky and shining brightly through the family room windows.  There are lots of them, or are they just big? I am 7 and they span from the floor to the top of the cathedral ceiling.  They always fill the house with heat. 

It's a Sunday.  We've already been to church, which is proof of autumn since dad prays on the golf course through the summer months.  Mom's in the kitchen, cleaning?  Cooking?  Both.  She cleans as she goes and is very fond of telling my now grown self that I'm doing it all wrong by not doing the same.  There's sauce on the stove filling the house with the smell of the tomatoes that we canned in August, fresh basil and parsley.  There's stewing beef inside.  Shortly there will be a discussion about the stewing beef.  There always is, as one of my parents prefers pork in sauce, the other beef and the inclusion of either one instills this discussion.  The screen doors are wide open letting the stuffy air out and the fresh new air of autumn in.  My big brother and I will set the table, my two other brothers by this time have gotten out of this duty, having already performed it in their youth.  Together there are six of us, and we will fill up the table with chatter, and probably heated discussions, and lots of food because soon dad will head outside to barbecue.

Blaring on the radio is Claudio Baglioni.  I'm not sure who he is at this time in my life, just that he sings in Italian and is always played on Sundays while the house is being filled with food smells and my mom is cleaning and cooking, and when he is on the radio my parents sing to each other.  At the top of their lungs with reckless abandon and across the room.  They smile, and sometimes sing to me too.  I'm not sure who he is at all, but he fills the house with love it seems.

This is where I've been this afternoon as I have taken a page from Attic 24  and decided to "love my home."  Mr. Frogged and I have affectionately scrubbed the entire main floor so far, set fresh flowers on the table and set the table ready for company tonight. 








All the windows are open.  We don't have as many windows as there were when I was a child, but all the blinds are open to let in the September sun and shine light on the newly polished wood tables. 

On the radio, Claudio Baglioni, and me now singing at the top of my lungs with a smile for my hubby as he eats (admittedly leftover from my sister-in-laws) veal with sauce.  It all got to be a bit of a timewarp as the smell of sauce snuck up my nose, and so I thought I'd bring you along for the ride.

Cuteness in Pink

What are babies for if not to coo at, cuddle and dress in warm woolies?

I finally finished the second Tiramisu blanket after some frantic end weaving and ribbon threading only to the hand it over before photographing it. It was received with the joy and gratitude that most (good) receivers of crocheted yumminess show and in exchange I got this precious photo of the first Tiramisu blanket in full use.







Last night at my craft date I made nice progress on my cowl. I will photograph and post it up soon. It's starting to show that knit lace glory that I've heard so much of.

And there's promise of thrummed mittens on my horizons...stay tuned.

Happy crafting.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gathering

Autumn has quickly and completely taken hold of the countryside surrounding my home here in Southern Ontario.  The sun shines prettily in the clear blue skies, while the crisp breeze liberates the leaves from the trees and instills the tightening of scarves and collars alike. 

I always begin gathering at this time of year as though in preparation for the long winter ahead, however it's not firewood or food necessarily that I amass around me.  Perhaps it's the thought of the snow drifts and traffic jams I associate with the winter that's to come, or perhaps it's the stimulation required for my soul to get through the ever darkening days (and November - a month I hate), but either way I gather.  I surround myself with friends and family, warmth, fireplaces alight, bubbling pots of homemade goodness, baking, children, my fluffy little doggie, Mr. Frogged, and yarn. 

This weekend has been no exception, beginning immediately Friday evening.  As a preface, we don't have any children of our own.  And to both of our moms, no we don't know if or when that will change. We haven't decided yet.  For now we are very lucky to have our furry, four-legged child who you can see was pooped from his first full week back at work with me. 

T-Dawg on our Friday night commute.

We are also blessed to have six amazing and unique nieces and nephews.  On Friday night two of our nephews were at our house for a sleepover of cuteness.  We kicked it off with homemade pizza, each child happily applying their favourite toppings with Auntie hovering behind adding extra mushrooms and green peppers when they weren't looking for the veggie factor.  As I said, we don't have kids, I don't want to give these ones back with scurvy or something.  They had a blast as was evident by the flour that laced every spare surface of my kitchen that night.  We topped it off with the Wii and chocolate sundaes before bed. 


Saturday we had pancakes and waffles for breakfast because obviously in my mind carbohydrates make children love you more.  We then bundled against the September wind and traipsed to our nearby and immense park for swinging competitions and jungle gym climbing all round.  How is it that at 26 years old my stomach still flips when I reach that climactic point of swinging when gravity kicks in and you begin the descent to earth?  Giggles ensue.  Have I mentioned I love to swing?


Contrary to the post date, today is Sunday and we went to Unionville for the day.  At the farmer's market there I bought, among other things, this darling tea cosy!  It's just like the ones my nana used to knit when I was a girl and she still knit.  And just like the ones that I continuously promise myself I will knit, but never get around to it.  This one I particularly love because the size of the pom-pom on top is something bordering between the ridiculous and the sublime.  In honour of the tea cosy, my Nana came over for a dinner of pasta with homemade sauce and stuffed peppers and a nice pot of tea, further testament to the cooler season and my mixed heritage alike. 

It's so Fluffy!

In fits and starts I have been working throughout the weekend on the bobbly blanket.  Now that my Knit Picks order is here I'm happily running through it and have completely finished my first row of bobbles already, which may actually be the "funnest" thing I've crocheted to date. 

It's not a scarf...

 

Bobble

 

I'm looking forward to much knitting, crocheting, and spinning this fall and winter.  Both to keep me nice and warm, and nice and sane.  Much as I love the autumn, the no-man's land between fruitful harvest and festive holidays causes me much anxiety.  Whether it's the diminishing daylight hours or the cooler weather, it is enough to make me stop in my tracks, click my ruby heels together, and wish for home.  And so I will continue to gather.  Gather people.  Gather food.  Gather yarn.  Gather love. 

Until next time, happy crafting.

Pearl Jam

WARNING: Not knit, craft, fiber, or yarn related.

So it's Monday, and normally on a Monday I would be either running around trying to do the things I didn't accomplish on the weekend or catching up on sleep.

Today is different. Today is epic. Today is Pearl Jam.




And here I am at the concert just WAITING for them to come on. The rock gods are smiling.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spun Out

I haven't really had the time to knit or crochet but check it out, the second strawberry Tiramisu is complete. Sadly it's still waiting to be washed and blocked but as I said, this week has flown by with scant chance to do a whole lotta much. I will get to it this weekend, I promise.













I went to the KW Knitter's Fair yesterday for the first time. It was awesome and I bought my first drop spindle and lots of luscious roving. So exciting. I started spinning last night and I LURVE it!!






This week what has taken up my time is our new family cottage. My entire family has just gotten a piece of Canadiana. And in my mind, I've just answered the question of "where will I keep my spinning wheel when I get it?"






Now I am the family interior designer, literally, and as such have been faced with the challenge of gettin' this show on the road by thanksgiving, which is a feat. I wish I could say I take it in stride but alas, I'm not that cool. I'm a perfectionist who wants her family to think she's something bordering between Superwoman and Martha Stewart pre-jail time. And when I think I'm failing at this, often I have a bit of a wobbler. A wobbler as defined by Ozzy Osbourne is like a freak out. So that was the culmination of the week on Friday morning but now I'm much better and back on the excitement wagon after having gotten much shopping accomplished this weekend. We are on our way to the cottage now to measure out where exactly the unpurchased wheel will go. ;)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dear Autumn

September 1, 2011.

Dear Autumn,

I'm so glad you're here!  It's always nice to see my favourite season, but I have to say that I think Summer left us rather abruptly, and without so much as a farewell.  That said, I should expect no less from her as she often arrives late only to leave early or rain whenever she doesn't get her way. 

But back to you Autumn, how wonderful you look this time of year.  I'm so looking forward to your brilliant colours and seeing all the kids back at school, and apple-picking, and buttery corn on the cob, and crock pots of stew simmering all the day long, and the Bindertwine Festival in Kleinburg, and of course wool!  It's the Kitchener Waterloo Knitters Fair next Saturday and I'm counting the days.  In preparation I have begun working on my Bobble Blanket in my superwash merino from Knitpicks and it's so much lovelier than the cotton nonsense I've been forcing myself to work with all summer.  And so I must thank you for coming and making it possible for me to do all of my favourite things while still not wearing a coat. 

Sincerely,
Mrs. Frogged