Category: Blog

Yarn-Silk Garden Sock
Needles- knitpicks 32" US4
Pattern- my generic magic loop toe up, 56sts with a 6st cable oneach sock

I LOVE waking up to snow!

So the last month has been interesting.
We got evicted, couldn’t find somewhere in the Santa Barbara area to relocate to so we had to make a hard & pretty sucky decision. The kids and I will live with my parents in St. Anthony, Idaho through the summer then move back to California, exactly where is kind of up in the air.
The boys school let them out on an Independent Study program so we didn’t have to transfer schools for 3 weeks. That rocks.
Sadie is staying with her best friends family until the end of the school year, then I will drive down and pick her up. Taking a few stops on my way to check out different jobs and living situations. And to visit my brother in Turlock, CA. I haven’t seen them in way too long.
I am so grateful to have parents that will take all 4 of us in. Oh & the dog. The unconditional love & understanding my parents have for us (all their kids & grandkids really) is pretty amazing. I am blessed to be surrounded by friends and family that will do just about anything to make sure my kids & I are safe and taken care of.
I keep thanking people here for all they have done for me and my kids, now it’s time to do it again.  I am loved. I am cared for. I have been blessed with people in my life that not only are my friends but truly understand me, know me for who I am and love me anyways. My faults, my imperfections, my issues (and believe me, I have some doozies of issues).
I don’t like asking for help. I hate it actually. It usually has to be forced on me, that’s a fault too and I know it. I don’t like relying on others for things that I feel I should be providing for myself & my kids. In the last year or so there has been a lot more reliance than I would like.  It all came to a head in November & has since slid downhill fast.
How can I express just how important certain people are to me? I can say thank you over & over but those are just words. It’s time for me to step out and take action to change the things in my life that have caused the circumstances I am in.  No doubt I am strong, I can take on just about anything. Now it’s time to act and move forward, showing through my actions just how much I appreciate and love those that help me constantly.
The strength that I have derived from others in the last month, the last 2 weeks especially, has been a real gift. I know God has blessed me with strength and  specific people at specific times in my life. Now is one of those times.  I look forward to the future, for the first time in weeks I don’t feel dread. Today is a good day. There are things I want for my kids and they will have them. There are things I want for myself and I will have them.
If you know me at all you know that once I say those words, the stubborn comes out and I will fight for it. I like me some good competition, even if it is with myself and my own life ;o)
And, there you have it.
We are here in Idaho until August some time.  We have plans for lots of fun stuff, Yellowstone is just an hour and a half away. Horses are in the backyard for our riding pleasure. Sand dunes 15 minutes away. My sister Stacy and her kids 10 minutes away, Christi and her kids are just 4 hours away.  Huge Sedgwick family reunion at the end of June. Tickets from Trevor’s class as a goodbye to the Lava Hot Springs Waterpark. It is going to be one hell of an adventurous summer. I have the next couple of weeks to unwind, unpack, settle in, get the boys independent school studies done, then Sadie comes and we get the party started!
I miss her. A lot. Her laughing keeps me going some days. The constant “Mommy, I love you. Mommy, I love you. Mommy….I love you!”  Who wouldn’t miss that?!?!  Thank God for texting, chatting & phone calls. 4 weeks, I can do it. I just need her here with me.
So, here are a few pictures of the house, my room. Mom set my bedroom up with a sitting area so I have somewhere to escape to if I need it, she thinks of everything & knows me so well.
(psst, that empty table to the right in the picture is my computer table now, just so you all can picture me there ;o))



I solemnly swear to post more often, more knitting, more fun pictures, all of it.
Maybe not so much sappy stuff though.
OH!! And a big, fat, frickin THANK YOU to Tracy the rockstar for teaching my last class I had on the schedule at Knit & Pearl. That was awesome and took a load off. Of course, she is constantly taking the load off my shoulders, she’s a good wife. ;o)

Okay, so I suck.
With all the other junk happening in life I have let knitting slide. Big time.
I start work tomorrow as a Substitute Instructional Aid for the elementary school district. I am excited about it, not really nervous. It’s right up my alley since I deal with special needs every day (granted, it’s my own kid & our system is rigid so he does really well).
I am going to start out being on call for Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. That should be plenty for me. If I want more, I can take more assignments.
And about the knitting. Seriously. What the hell is going on that I can’t seem to pick it up and just work on something! I have so many projects, designs, ideas, classes, etc. all stuck up in my brain and the hands just won’t do it.
I have been working on a Daybreak Shawl using Creatively Dyed Yarns I purchased at Stitches West a few weeks ago (bad girl, I haven’t blogged about that either).  I whipped through the first section, then slowed down through the stripes and I am at a standstill at 15 of the 20 stripes. Eh, I will get back to it soon enough. I should make sure to put it in my bag to work on tomorrow during my break.
I have 2 classes I am teaching coming up; Intarsia and the Branching Out Scarf from Knitty. We’ve not posted the schedule at the shop yet but it will be out soon. And then I will get it up here on the Classes page.
And I am such a bad girl knitting blogger that I don’t even have any pictures for you.  sigh. I fail. ;o)

May God grant you always……A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.

~ Irish Blessing

It isn’t often that I post truly personal things here on my knitting blog but this one is kind of life changing.
After 15 years together George and I have separated and are getting divorced.
It is a mutual agreement, there are many issues that have been dealt with, counseled over, and now we’ve decided that we just can’t go any further.
It’s sad. It’s hard. It hurts. But there are times in life when you need to cut open the wound to clean out the infection and then heal. We have tried for years to heal together and it hasn’t made for a better marriage. Now we need to heal separately.
The kids are handling it amazingly well. George & I are going to remain close for their sake, and to respect the years we spent together. Bitterness, animosity, and anger have no place here.
I want to thank all my friends that have been supportive, loving, truly listened to us the last few years, the last few months, and especially the last few weeks.
I love my friends dearly, my knit club especially. The strength you women bring me on a daily basis is incredible. God has blessed my family immensely by surrounding us with the love and encouragement you bring.
My family doesn’t read my knitting blog much, just my sister Cori really. They know how much I love them but I want to say it anyway. I have been given the most amazing family members; my parents who have been married for 45 years, my 3 older sisters and my baby brother. I love and respect each and every one of them for so many different reasons. Over the years I have worked hard at friendships with each of them individually and have succeeded. Now I will need them to lean on, for their support and love and I know without a doubt that they will be here for me, the kids, and George.
Tracy, oh Tracy. There are so many things I want to thank you for but right now the emotions are too raw and I am a bit cried out. I know you will understand when I just tell you that I love you, I love the part you have played in my family. The support you have been to the kids. The support you have been to George. He needs a friend like you always. I can’t begin to thank you for the support you have given me over the years, it’s almost too much to look back and tally it all up. God has given me the best friend I could have ever prayed for.
And now, I think I will go knit & be happy that I have the people I have.

Flickr: Your Photostream.
I love this shawl.
I love this shawl.
I love this shawl.
If the edging wasn’t the beginning and take 3 days I may make a third one. No, who am I kidding? I will totally make a third one!
Materials:
Pattern: Andrea’s Shawl,  Size Large by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Mossly Manly- 1 hank, and Ghillie Dhu- half a hank used, from Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Purchased at Stitches West 2010
Needle size: US 8
As soon as this shawl was finished I cast on another Daybreak using Creatively Dyed Yarns also purchased at Stitches West 2010.
The yarns aren’t nearly as contrasting once knit up as they looked like they would be in the hanks but I think they will work.
Once it’s far enough along in the striping section I will post pictures.