Stitch Rabbit

On The Sticks.

I finally FINALLY got the cardigan from Erica Knight's "Men's Knits" book. I seriously cast on this sweater A YEAR AGO. It's not done yet, I still have to block and piece it together, but it's done in most sense of the word. Photos soon. Whew.

I'm also nearing completion on the beautiful Purl Bee Striped Cotton Cowl, just in time for spring. I think you've seen peeks of it over the last little while.

I also cast on for a sweater for Frankie this week, found on Ravelry. The original pattern is from a French blog, and written in French. After Google translate, I thought I could decipher it... well as of this moment I'm sitting on a website that translates french knitting abbreviations into english for poor folks like me.

If the French lessons don't work out for me tonight, I think I'm gonna cast on for this rug from Purl Bee that I can't stop thinking about. I've got some big yarn that would knit up nicely for it and at this point I could use the distraction from all my almost completed projects!

 

Spring Cleaning.

While waiting for my poor Canon G12 to be repaired, I have been busy working chipping away at the literally thousands of photos that have been piling up in my photo library. It's been challenging.

I've gotten a lot better at choosing "delete". Often I'll take six or ten photos capturing the same moment. Sometimes I love them all, for different reasons... but it's asking a lot of my computer, external hard drive and myself to save every last detail recorded by camera.

So delete, delete, delete.

I also try and delete the majority of "household" photos I take as well. I'm often snapping photos of the inanimate object - trying to capture a moment in what I am seeing through my eyes. A basket of yarn, flowers in the garden, newly thrifted dishes, a current sewing project.... I might choose one or two of those photos to post on my blog, to record that moment in time - but when you look at them in such a large grouping... it's overwhelming and unnecessary.

So... delete, delete, delete.

When I get down to about 200 to 500 photos a month (I organize by month and year) I feel satisfied in my housecleaning and send the monthly files to my external hard drive, the one that houses our whole life on "film". I also send the occasional photo to a separate folder on my desktop marked "Photos To Print". If I do actually print them one day. Perhaps the folder should be called "Good Intentions".

I do often wonder.... as the years add on, how many photos can one family possibly need? If I'm holding on to 200 to 500 photos a month... that means after five, six years we have collected thousands upon thousands of photos of our life. Doesn't that sound a bit extreme?

I'm curious to know, how do you collect, store and sort through your digital photos? How do you choose which to keep and which to delete? How many photos are you taking and keeping monthly? Do you feel like you have too many?

 

 

 

 

A Regular Monday Afternoon.

Frankie: What do ya wanna do Mom?

Mommy: I don't know love, what would you like to do?

Frankie: I know! Let's put on my Joan Jett record and jump on the couch!

Mommy: You are your mother's daughter.

Three Years.

When I first started blogging I had big dreams. I was new to the world of the blog roll and had recently discovered the subculture of MommyCraftyKnittingSewing blogs. I was inspired.

I set out to be just like some of my new found blogging heroes, who were quite busy quilting and knitting and carrying babies on their hips all the while baking delicious glueten-free vegan cakes and brownies on a daily basis. I figured I was set. I had a kid of my own, and another one coming. My mother knew how to knit, I'm sure I could learn. I owned several quilts. I like cakes and brownies. I got this.

I was fresh in the world of sewing, and even dabbling in some needle felting which I now think is a little too hippy for me. I was making diapers and digging in my garden and happily blogging away, feeling confident that I would soon match my blogging heroes in numbers, banging out hoards of tutorials and how-to's, become the beacon of Crafty Mom Blogs and somehow generate enough revenue from my beautiful blog to clothe and feed my family, all the while making everything from scratch and possibly writing a book on the side. Did I mention we would also move to a farm?

My very first attempts at blogging were not even here, on Stitch Rabbit. I had another blog, one hilariously called "Blessed Nest". Hilarious because in hindsight, I do not believe blessed was an appropriate word. I should've worded it more like:

"HomeWithToddlerAndSmallInfantAndTryingToSurviveButLooksGoodOnInternet"

I think most bloggers would agree, you start off blogging on your very best behaviour. But it's only a matter of time till you really start to show your true colors. When we moved back to Vancouver and I started up Stitch Rabbit, I felt a lot more like myself:

From the Archives: "It Ain't Always Easy"

 Fast-forward a few years. I've got two kids. They're clothed (occasionally) in smocks and pants that I've banged out on my sewing machine late at night. I've made quilts for each of them, and a handful of others that drape casually over the furniture in our house. I've also made mountains of pillows and bags and handy household items, gifts and dolls. You've seen a lot of them here, on my blog.

From the Archives: "Around Here - It Is Winter"

I learned how to knit. From my mom, like I thought I would. It's become a true passion, a love that I cherish deeply. Knitting gives me time to be in my head, while using my hands and sitting down all at the same time. It makes me productive even while resting and blanking out. I've even managed to start selling my knitted goods in my shop, Stitch Rabbit Handmade.

"Stitch Rabbit Handmade"

I never, ever got the whole baking thing down. I bake, and I like it. But not enough to talk about it, and certainly not enough to take pictures of my uneven cakes and uncertain brownies. I'm not a foodie. I need to get over this. I will probably never bake bread from scratch. This is a fantasy that I need to let go of.

*  *  *

When I first started writing this blog I think my mom read it.

Eventually, a few friends started reading. (Thank you Amy, Michelle and Myki...for still holding on strong) Then I started emailing my posts to people, shamelessly promoting myself to family members and friends who may or may not be interested in my growing belly updates or what I thrifted that day. Over time, my readership has grown. As of now I sit at about 200 unique visitors a day, give or take. That might not seem like much when you consider that some of the big name bloggers generate thousands of readers a day... but to me - some 200 people look at my blog, my photos, my words and my life every day. Some of them are my friends and family, many of them are complete strangers. Some of them are from Canada, some of them are from the United States. Some of my readers are from Japan and Germany and India and the UK. Australia and New Zealand and South Africa. Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia. How cool is that? In the span of my blogging existence, I have had people read my blog from almost every country in the entire world. That blows me away. Whether you've been here since the beginning or you occasionally peek in... I want to thank you for reading. This blog has been a vessel for me, a means to the words I can't always get out, a place where I can sort out my feelings, wonder if I sound sort half-crazy and then hit "Publish" anyways.

Officially, next month I have been blogging for three years. I'm not the "It Girl" of Mommy blogs, I don't generate any money from writing, and I'm certainly not living on a farm making everything from scratch amongst the goats and the chickens. Over the years, I've learned to just be me here... knitting and sewing and yammering on about raising small children and the perils of garden work and taking photos of everything from stacks of fabric to cups in my cupboard. I still have big dreams and a lot more to say.

Thank you for hearing me out.

xo  stitch

 

Around Here Lately

 

Unfinished Business

There's a lull in the house right now in terms of finished projects. I've really hunkered down to finish off some long overdue knitting, work on Frankie's quilt and do some hand-sewing to repair some clothes. It's that kind of work that can feel tedious in the moment, because I might be looking for some instant gratification, but in the end it pays off because of the hours you put in. I'm looking forward to sharing the end results with you... But it will have to wait, partly because I'm not done, and partly because the day after I vowed to get back to my good camera and put down the IPhone... I dropped the damn thing and now it needs to be repaired. Uh huh. Life's like that.

Through A Different Lens.

I hadn't seen my camera for weeks. It's been packed away, with all my studio stuff and sent to the basement. It was in one final box I opened just yesterday. I looked at it, feeling guilty. I've been taking photos daily, as I do and always have and forever will... but I've been taking them only with my phone, which takes a nice shot, but isn't nearly as challenging as my real camera. I've been real camera lazy.

Now that my camera is out of the box I had so carelessly stuffed it in, I am charging the battery and putting down the Iphone camera ( well, putting it down a lot, but still using Instagram of course) It's time to step back from the world of Iphones and filters and apps that beautifully and easily transform your photos without much thought.... and getting back to the the focus and attention that a camera asks of me. I'm not a photographer by any means, in fact I am still just getting to know my camera and all it's value... but the satisfaction in a good snap is worth all the work.

In the meantime, here are a few photos I've taken with my Iphone... it's still my eye, just a different lens.

 

 

Days with A Boy.

My son and I spend our days together. After the hustle and bustle of getting his big sister off to school, the day is ours. Sometimes it's busy, with lists of things to do, appointments and shopping... all of this with my son on my hip asking questions and protesting loudly when he's had enough.

Other days are spent much more peacefully. It doesn't have to be complicated with Charlie. Throwing driftwood into the water to see how big the splashes are, a coffee date on The Drive, or a walk in the park. I love this special time with him...

He's at that age, so inquisitive, so curious and so astounded by the world. His one word statements are turning into sentences, and our conversations growing longer as I learn more and more of what goes on in his sweet little head. These are the days.

As I'm writing this, he's carefully balancing two "coffees" on a tray, intent on serving me this sweet treat while I'm working. I love this little man.

 

 

 

Being Still and Taken Care Of.

It hasn't been a very good week. Actually, the last few weeks have been rough around here, mainly due to the kids getting sick on and off, rashes, noses, ears - the whole bit. To top it off the Mama got sick too, and when Mama gets sick, the whole household tends to just stop.

I'm lucky though, because even with Gabe working long hours, I have the gift of two Moms of my own making soup and tidying up and taking care of my kids while I'm laid up myself. And a Dad who will drive me to the doctors. Yesterday, through the headache and the burning throat and the body ache, I felt a lot of gratitude, watching my Mom and Mom-in-law chatting in my kitchen, my dad on the couch with the kids. I'm really lucky to have so much homemade soup in my fridge and parents who will exchange shifts and smiles, settling in to take care of me and my family.

 

 

The Beginnings.

The transition from winter to spring has begun. It can start with something as simple as a jar of tulips on the kitchen table.

The sun is warm and staying longer every day. The bins of mittens and hats by the back door are overflowing more than they are empty. My mind is turning from winter knitting to spring sewing. There is laundry on the line and smell of renewal in the air. We're about to head into a week of rain... but today, with the sun warming the floors, I am grateful for the beginning.

Her Very First (Doll) Quilt.

She poured through my scrap baskets, searching for the perfect pieces. She pressed, with my help, and marked each piece with a ruler and chalk into a near-perfect square.

She delicately cut each square, trying her very best to stay on the lines.

She sat, with me... and pieced her very first quilt. Deliberating the way it would look, switching blocks until it looked exactly right to her own little eyes. She was beaming.

She pinned each block, muttering "right sides together". This took a really, really long time. I did my best not to let my own hands get in the way.

She sat on my lap, with her hands guiding her fabric while I pressed the pedal beneath us and kept a watchful eye on the needle and the seamstress.

She pressed her very own seams. She's almost done.

Hours had passed and we came up from the studio and into the house and she chatted away with her Dad about her quilt and I listened, smiling. I can't wait to watch her finish her very first quilt.

 

Complete.

Completely done. Moved in. Sorted, organized, thankful for a space that is all my own again. I had a lot of hesitation moving my studio into the darkness of the basement. While the space would be bigger, I was afraid that I would never use it, being that it was on another floor from the rest of my very full life.

Wrong. Completely wrong. I've never felt more excited for a space. While there is much to be desired in the basement... Lower ceilings, bad flooring and slim to none in the natural light department... what I have gained is a break from the every day. A place that I can go to, and be completely involved in what I am working on. It's quiet, it's cozy and I can leave it exactly how I need to. It's exactly what I needed.

The pictures are dark. I couldn't wait till daylight to try and snap some better ones. Tonight I got some stitches out on my machine, listened to some albums I had yet to really hear, and got to know my new space. I'll try for some better photos again. For now, I'm going to get back to work..... I think I'm going to be really happy here.