The Mommie and boredom!

While we were away, I remembered what the Mommie used to say to me as a kid whenever I whined that I was bored.  "Go, count the hairs on your head."  And when that didn't work, she'd tell me to twiddle my thumbs forward, and then to twiddle them backward.    

I think I learned how to occupy myself.  Now I'm trying to remember if I used those lines with my kids. 

Smart Mommie!

Back and at peace

We sat shiva (7 days of mourning) for a couple of days, and then escaped to Cape Cod for our annual trip.  We had booked our trip way back in January, and decided to use what was left of our reservation as a time for reflection and mourning and remembering Mom.  It was a brilliant idea.  We were taken care of, no cooking, cleaning, just long walks to talk about The Mommie.  Every day we felt a bit better and more at peace.  So I'm glad we went.  Was it traditional?  Nope, but it worked for us.

So now we're at home and I feel pretty good.  I've been driving myself crazy wondering why I wasn't sobbing, but then I realized that I've been watching my Mom slowly decline for months and months.  Her dying seemed like a natural conclusion.  She didn't suffer, she went exactly as she wanted to.  HAH! on going either into a nursing home or hospice.  Not my Mom!  No way!  And I got to be with her for the past 6 years when we moved her to NJ.  Besides, she's totally inside me.  I've absorbed her, and now I have conversations with her all the time.  So, while her body is now longer here, her spirit is very much alive all around and within me.  She still doesn't let me win any arguments.

I started a shawl in green, which I'm calling the Elsie Shawl in honor of her.  She loved green, mostly olive green, which is not my favorite color. but Piffle on that.  I'm using my favorite green.  (Hey, I think I might have won a battle here!!!!)

Lace always looks like a messy rag before it's washed and blocked, but you get the idea.  I'm about to start another pattern and am charting it out.  For once I am not working on a mystery shawl.  Yippee.  It's fun to actually show a pic.

I have admired English paper pieced quilts for a long time, so I decided to start one.  All but 2 of the fabrics are Kaffe Fassett style fabrics.  And all in blues and greens.  The background is an off white Kona.  Here's the first star:

It's good to be back home and back to normal.  I think I'll go for a walk before it gets unbearably hot.

Thanks, all you lovely commentators!   I do feel quite myself again.  It was very very stressful around here since last Sept with Mom health crises, and the last 3 months were beyond stressful.  But in all that time, I really incorporated the Mommie into myself, and I truly feel that she is somewhere in there.  And wagging that dangerous finger at me!

Mommie had a great funeral!

If a funeral can be good, then The Mommie had one.  The weather was lovely, the rabbi took notes from my sister and me about her, and gave the best eulogy going.  We really celebrated her life.  She's next to my dad, and his entire family and friends are all in the same part of the cemetery.  It was like going back to my youth to see all those names there.

We're all doing some crying and lots of laughing with her, wherever she is.  The Mommie stories go on and on.  Somewhere, she is shaking her finger at us and telling us to behave.  Hah!  And, Mom, you could have let me win a teensy battle, but did you?  Nope.  Tough old lady!

I started a new shawl in her favorite color, green, and will call it the Elsie Shawl.  Her favorite color was olive green, which I'm not fond of, so this is a pretty spring green.  Too bad, Mommie, it's not your oochy green, but it still is green.  Maybe I'm winning this argument?  Nah.

Pics later on.  My head is totally out to lunch.  Not much goes on between the ears at days like this.  the stress is nearly unbearable, but then I relax, remember how great she was, and feel quite at peace.

Thank you, everyone, for all your warm words of peace and consolation.  I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate you!

Baruch dayan ha'emet.

My beloved mother passed away in peace on Tues. night.  She was The Mommie right to the end.  A strong, virtuous, righteous woman.  Stubborn and tough, full of fight and independence.  My role model, my fighter (I never did win an argument with her.), the most wonderful mother in the world.

זכרונה לברכה - Zich-ro-nah li-v’ra-cha.   May her memory be a blessing.

Thank you all for your words of comfort.  It helps immeasurably!   I'll continue to tell Mommie stories because they are all delightful, even if I never won an argument with her. 

Granny square quilt

I'm enchanted with the granny square quilts that are all over the web at the moment, so, brave woman that I am, I decided to make a lap quilt.

Here's what I have so far.

My Bestest BFF had a birthday recently.  So I made her a project bag.  I might be done with project bags for a little while now.  On the other hand, I want to start an English paper pieced 60 deg. diamond quilt, so I will need yet another bag.  Probably a small one to start, and then a larger one as the quilt progresses.  I'll use almost any excuse to make these bags.  ;-)

I'm very edgy today.  My mom had a little stroke sometime in the night or this morning, and her left side was affected.  She seems to have regained a bit of motion in the left arm, however.  She managed to scarf down a good breakfast using her right hand.  She's right-handed, which helps.  Lately, she'd been using her left hand.  Why?  I have no idea.  She's The Mommie, and that's that.

The various medical folks who visit her residence are talking about having her go into hospice.  Nope, too soon for that.  She's a fighter, still enjoys her life, and not in any pain or discomfort.  Being her medical advocate is maybe the hardest thing I've ever had to do.  I'm glad, however, that I can do it.  It's a mitzvah for me to help her out at this point in her life.  Very very difficult, but I know her wishes and am confident that so far, I'm doing all right with the decision-making.

scrapperjen - I kinda like the quilt, too.  And those bags are beyond adorable and fun to make.  I might have to make me a couple more.  After all, I'm always starting new projects, so I always need new bags.

The Yarnarian (remember her?) gets prolix.

Remember the Yarnarian?  She who dyed yarn and knitted obsessively?  Remember her?  Nah, I didn't think you did.  Well, she's still dyeing and knitting, but now seems to be working on secret knitting projects.  It would be so nice to show you pics of socks and shawls, but I can't do that.  Everything is a mystery.  (Sometimes I think the projects are mysteries to me. )  I've become the invisible knitter!

On the dyeing front, I'm slowly scaling back from all the activity.  I'm still interested in it, but less so.  Everything changes and moves on.  I still have lots of stock, so will continue dyeing, and when I'm finished with my stock, then we'll see where I go from there.  Mostly I'm interested in OOAK yarns, yarns that I can dye without writing down formulas (formulae?).  Just playing is what I'm saying.  I also have tons of lace yarn, and will gradually use that up, too.

What really calls me these days is designing lace shawls.  I can't get enough of them.  I love finding a pattern in one of my stitch books, and then totally changing it to something else.  I love working on transitions from one pattern to the next.  I adore Never-ending Borders (NEB).  I love charts!  Love making them and following them.  Always have, too.  There's something about a grid that calls to me.

So what's in my brain besides lace?  Sewing.  I am not very good at it, but I plod ahead, try not to be a perfectionist and just enjoy the process.  I'm wild about making project bags, and keep giving them away to admirers.  I'm even thinking of selling a few in my Etsy shop, just for a change.  Here are the latest 2 bags, made yesterday. This is a bigger project bag, perfect for shawls as they get bigger and even for sweaters.

This is a sock project bag with a change in proportions to highlight the lining.  I wanted more of it to show, so I put the tie band a little lower on the bag.  Makes for a smaller bag, but it's so cute and pretty that I don't care.  Besides it comfortably holds a ball of yarn, the needles and the socks.

The other thing I did with with these 2 bags was change the proportions of the top band to the main exterior.  I wanted a bit more of it to show.  I'm not completely happy with it yet.  Have to find the perfect spot to sew in the tie band.  The bigger bag needs more fruffle showing from the lining, and the little bag needs a tad less.  But I still love them.

I think I've made at least 10 project bags since I started this lunacy.  And here's the best part, I showed our MA daughter, who is a brand new sewer, how to make them.  We bought her the pattern and I think I've created a mad bag maker.  She can't get enough of them either.  Such fun! 

That's enough babble for today.  Gotta go work on something mysterious and secret!

Bag Lady

 I've become a bag lady.  Can't get enough of them.  I donated a couple of bags to family members last weekend and found myself bagless.  Well, not exactly.  I have a gazillion project bags, but I was down to only 2 of the ones I've been making.  So, what's a girl to do?  Make a couple more, natch.

 The first one is from some fabric by Riley Blake, and it's a sock project size.

The next two are bigger project size.  I fussy cut the pink one to center that pretty print.  It is centered, but my photograph isn't. 

I might be bagged-out, at least for a week or two.

The Light and Dark Lace Club sign-ups are now closed.  I did list a few yarns on Etsy.  You can see them over on the right.

Passover news:  There are matzoh crumbs everywhere.  Too bad I don't have white floors. 

Off to block the most humongous shawl I've ever knitted.  It's enormous.  I'm small so it quite overwhelms me, but for my taller and larger customes (which probably is everybody), it'll really swoop and look quite elegant.  No pics.  Mystery KAL, you know.