Life gets in the way

I've been such a bad blogger lately...as the title suggests - life just keeps getting in the way. And I've got no new pictures loaded to add for your pleasure either. Sorry. I also haven't been very good at "filling my pitcher" lately... I seem to be so busy with work, day to day life, and being a mom that I'm not having too much time for myself. Not good, I know. The effects are starting to show. Anyhoo - The "x" has decided that he doesn't want to be a parent anymore (how can anyone do that?) and so here I am dealing with the fallout as usual. P did start seeing the psychologist at school and I'm so glad. He has seen her once so far and it was a completely positive experience. I'm so proud of him. He came home from school flying and so proud of himself. All things I wish he felt on a more regular basis. Anyway, there are lots of aspects to this situation - dad's live in girlfriend being the biggest one - and P's having a hard time sorting it all out. And instead of holding in there and trying to help his son move forward, he gets mad and leaves. I don't want to bash him because that doesn't help anyone, but I must say, I'm not surprised. It's been his MO for a long time to not be there when needed. 'Nuff said.

I have been knitting away on projects though. I've started a new shawl for a dear "long distance" friend of mine who is going through a really rough time. And say what you will about acrylic yarn (and I'm right in there with you) but nothing beats Lion Brand Homespun for a very soft and very comforting and very affordable project. Not that I wouldn't love to spend oodles of money on yarn all the time, but sometimes the budget just doesn't allow it. I've picked a beautiful shade of yellos and natural with a touch of brown and rose. Sounds weird, I know, but when I looked at all the colors lined up at the store - that one reminded me of Anne. I just felt it. I'm knitting it in plain garter stitch in order to get it done quickly. She's really needing some comfort so I want it to be a quick knit. And mindless too.

As to other knitting, I had to rip back the Matador (groan). It is an easy knit but I didn't realize there was an errata for the pattern until I found it on ravelry and I had already been almost 7 inches into the knitting of the body when I realized that I was supposed to change needle size after the ribbing. I would have realized it had I though about it for a minute but I was so excited to be knitting my first "sweater" type item that I plunged ahead thoughtlessly. I mean, everyone knows you're supposed to change needle size after ribbing, right? I don't know, maybe I'm just being too hard on myself. Anyway - I ripped it back (took a week after realizing the error to get the nerve up) but I did it, changed needles and now have knitted back to where I was before the ripping. It's an easy knit and I can't wait to be done. Although I've put it aside temporarily until I can get Anne's shawl off to her...

Well, blogging friends must go now...life calls.

New FO's!

Wow time flies. I haven't been such a good blogger these last couple of weeks. It's not for lack of knitting or thinking about it though. I have 2 new FO's! And both were quite fun to knit. First, there's the Lyra hat, inspired from the movie The Golden Compass:

My son nearly fell off the couch laughing when I tried on the hat (hence the "display" picture rather than the "try on" pic). But I don't care, I love it and it makes me happy. It's such a cute little girl hat as you can see when you go to froggiemeanie.com which is where the free pattern is located. She shows her cute little daughter modeling the hat and she's adorable. But this is a great warm hat made with beautiful wool (Rowan Big Wool - double stranded in Bohemian) so I'm just waiting for some cold days when I can pop it on and feel happy for wearing it. It was an easy knit on big needles - really just a rectangle that's sewn together in a clever way to make a hat. It was also fun because I sewed the hat using a three-needle bindoff, which I've never done. It was really easy. I checked online for a tutorial and off I went. Easy.

Now for my second FO, may I present "Piet":

I've been seeing so many cute softies on ravelry and various blogs, so I wanted to create one myself. Having a 10 year old though made me think I needed to knit something less baby and more "cool". So, while browsing at berocco's site, I found Piet. I started knitting him on Monday when I stayed home from work with P who was home sick from school, and then finished him up on Thursday night. I decided I wanted to try out the new Vanna's Choice yarn. I'm not a big fan of acrylic (not a snob just prefer the feel and wear of natural fibers) but after reading an article about it and learning that 50% of the profit from the sale of this yarn goes to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, I figured it was a good thing all around. So I went out and bought this:

I used the colors suggested in the pattern and I think he's adorable yet still cool enough for a 10 year old. P loves it and it has become his night buddy (though he wouldn't admit it if asked!). He's been having a bit a trouble when staying at his dad's house so I thought he might like a buddy that he can tuck in his bag and travel with him when he goes over there. The yarn was actually ok to work with. It held fairly well, the stitch definition was great and now Piet (or Spike as we call him) is washable and lovable. I don't know that I'd purchase the yarn to make a sweater but for some things like this, it worked great. And I feel good knowing that I'm supporting a good cause. The pattern's free at berocco so go check it out. It was a pretty easy knit though a bit fiddly when it came time to knit the arms. And there's lots of ends to weave in but since they're on the inside you don't have to be super neat.

If only all problems could be solved with a softie - wouldn't that be great? I'd knit them non-stop if that were the case. Not that I'm suggesting that all of P's problems at his dad's house will resolve with the appearance of Spike, but at least it will give him some comfort. Divorce is such a hard thing and just when you think all the pieces are finally coming together and life is falling into a new routine, there's a blip in the road. P's dad is living with a woman (the "other" woman) and though P doesn't know all the details (as he shouldn't), he's a smart kid. There's no denying that his mom and dad are divorced and now his dad is living with another woman who likes to act like dad's girlfriend - even though she's only supposed to be a "roomate", for financial reasons, of course. Yeah right. Anyway, when I allow myself to really think about it, it makes me so angry that his dad couldn't wait just a few months, let everyone get used to this new life and most of all, let P accept his new reality before introducing another piece of the puzzle. Of course, I'm angry about the betrayal and how that affects me, but mostly, especially as time goes on, I'm most angry about what this has done to P and how it affects his life. Especially since he can't really talk to his dad about it without his dad getting angry with him for having a problem with it. P and I have a really close relationship and we talk all the time about things, but I'm lately beginning to worry that I'm not enough to help him sort out all these changes. So...I've decided to take the step to find a therapist or counselor for him to talk to. His school has a great psychologist and I'm hoping that she can help. We've talked about it and he's receptive to the idea, which is so great. He knows that I've been seeing a therapist to deal with all of this and how much it's helped me, so he has seen first hand that it's a good thing and not something to be afraid of. On the other hand though, I think that I have more issues about it than he does because I have a worry that he'll think he's stigmatized or labeled because of it. Why is it that it's acceptable for me to see someone but I worry about my son seeing someone? I can't quite explain it. Am I not as evolved as I thought I was? Is it because I feel that his needing someone to figure things out is more a reflection of me as a mother? Weird. My overwhelming thought though is that it will be good for him so I'm trying to put aside my concerns. I just want him to be a happy and well-adjusted boy with all the normal, everyday issues. And not angry or sad because his parents aren't married anymore or his dad is living with another woman or sad because his dad isn't emotionally there for him. Thank goodness there are people in the world that are dedicated to helping others navigate the currents of their life. It's something to be grateful for.