It begins...

A friend recently forwarded an email to me titled "The Invisible Mother," a short essay comparing the tireless and often thankless job of a mother to the builders of Europe's great cathedrals. Both give their whole lives for a work they will never see finished, both make sacrifices and expect no credit, and both are fueled in their passion by the faith that the eyes of God see every detail. The writer of the essay was inspired by the thought that our endless efforts in motherhood, invisible as they may seem, are worth it and can make an enriching life.


For many of us, the way we choose to hold our invisibility at bay is by creating something tangible. For me, my days often end with knitting - my love of fiber and the need to do something relaxing end up producing something I can hold and look at. Nobody will know how many times I swept under the high chair that day, or how many toys I picked up, or how many times I tried to coax a "please" or "more" or "sorry" out of my 5 year old. But a darling, handmade infant hat? That you can see.


I start new projects every day, and my 10 year old does the same. In this process of creating (and yes, often not finishing our projects!) we connect with each other and a bigger picture of ourselves in the process. My plan for this blog is to share the projects that excite me and bring some accessible proof of my existence in this invisible world of mothering!


So, this blog is dedicated to the mothers out there whose days are filled with the minutia of tasks that build our children and our families. I often tell people that I haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up. But for now, I am the builder of a great cathedral. With every shoelace tied, lunch packed, and forehead kissed, I build.


And I can hardly wait to create something new...


Saturday, March 5, 2011

YOCL in Overload

For those who have missed previous posts, YOCL refers to "Ye Olde Craft Log," which I created to keep track of my ever-growing list of crafty to-do's!  And because I am always full of impulsive, brainiac ideas, I have signed myself up for some YOCL overload.  Progress Report:


Baby Sweater Number 1: Have not gotten further than casting on for the first sleeve because I started Baby Sweater Number 2


Baby Sweater Number 2: Cast on with new cotton yarn that I thought I would love. Hmmm. Kinda rough feeling, and not so baby soft. Plus, an hour into the project I discovered a striping discrepancy with the pattern which means I need to rip back almost all of it to make it right (not loving Debbie Bliss right now!). The yarn is actually a difficult weave to work with as well, which slowed me way down and gave me hand cramps. And so now I am asking myself - is it worth it to spend countless hours on a baby gift I'm not sure about now, which may only get worn a couple of times. Pretty sure Baby Sweater Number 2 is going to get scrapped and then replaced by a nice, soft hat!


Building New File Cabinets and arranging Girl Scout stuff: Still packed in boxes and don't plan to drag that project out until our weekend company is gone.


Write Daisy Letters: My hopes have been dashed that we could get all 17 girls available on the same day for our outing - it kills me that a few of the girls will be voting on an outing they can't even attend. *sigh*


And this brings me to my impulsive, brain-child moment. Rowan's school newsletter came home a few days ago asking for donations for their silent auction, which is the biggest fundraiser of the year. I can't donate plane tickets or sports equipment, etc., but I say to myself, "Hey! Perhaps they would like some hand-knitted items? Baby hats, booties and such!" So I email the lady in charge, and yes, she would love any and all items I would like to donate and they would need them in 3 weeks. Oh, and it would be nice to put my business cards with them. So, I pulled out my stash of yarn, a bunch of pattern books, and whipped out YOCL:


Pumpkin baby hat
Flower top toddler hat
Matching infant bonnet/booties
Duck feet booties
Sheep booties
Bear booties
Stripey Toy Mice
And, Make Business Cards!


Naw, I won't be busy at all over the next 3 weeks. !!!! The orange Cashsoft yarn I had leftover from the last pumpkin hat called to me first, but as I cast on I became obsessively nervous that there would not be enough to make an entire hat. I made the smallest size, and pretty much tackled that puppy with my heart racing. By last night I was able to decrease the top and had just enough to finish it. Whew! I put on the stem and leaf, and that cutie is done. Not sure of the best way to display it at the auction, as hats are way cuter on something rather than laying flat. Any ideas?


Now of course, with the fun pattern books laying around accessible, Rowan got her hot little hands on one called "Knitted Toys" and came to me about 5 minutes ago (batting her long lashes) and showed me the picture of the cat pajama holder she would really really like me to make her. Add it to YOCL.
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1 comment:

  1. KathyMarch 5, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    I think switching to a soft hat instead of the striped sweater sounds like a good plan. Love the pumpkin hat! LOVE the list of auction possibilities! I'm inspired to knit something for it as well. THANKS!

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