I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it, but both my parents are essentially disabled, as in neither are well enough to work. My dad has suffered from
dystonia since I was 12 or 13. I'd rather not go into what it was like growing up and seeing my big, strong, soft-hearted dad deteriote into a shell of the man he once was, so suffice it to say his illness entails a whole lot of pain, pretty much 24/7. My mom suffers from migraines that can keep her bed-ridden for days at a time and prevent her from reading, viewing a monitor or watching tv for more than an hour or two at most. Since neither of my parents have worked since I was a child, money has always been a bit of a bitch. When I arrived from Germany, I was not in such great shape mentally or physically, but unfortunately instead of having time to relax and recover, I landed smack in the middle of my parents' health and money troubles.
I am now happy to say that together we have managed to work things out so that a) my parents will soon be moving to a new condo, with monthly payments that are within their small budget b) there will still be room for me, so I don't have to frantically look for a new place to live c) best of all, my parents have finally stopped freaking out, which is *so* not good for their health, or my sanity, for that matter. So, that said, I hope you will all be a bit forgiving about my not blogging much lately, as most of my news and happening was only of the kind that would probably have made me to cry to type.
***Knitting joy starts here***
I have probably said it before, but really, knitting is a great stress reliever. For me, this is particularly true when I am working on my own pattern. Unlike other kinds of craftiness, knitting was something that I immediately felt comfortable with and proficient at, so I find creating knit things very satisfying. This tank top I'm working out began with this great cotton that's been sitting in my stash for a while. These skeins were part of a relinquished stash I found on eBay, with a mix of different fibres and colours. When I saw the 2 balls of pink and 4 of aqua, I knew that neither would be enough for a project on their own, but damn don't they look cute together! I started playing with them a bit and eventually ended up with a polka dotted swatch that I really liked.
Now, I haven't done much in the way of colourwork, so I was not exactly keen to be doing a whole garment of it. I finally settled for the portion you see here on the front of the tank. When I thought about what to do for the back, a straight stockinette seemed a bit boring, and I've been loving these tops and dresses I've been seeing which include different fabrics put together in a sort of DIY style. I've also seen some that were part fabric, and part knit or crochet. So I though it might be fun to mix it up a little bit by using different stitches.
If you're wondering why the front has such a deep scoop-neck, it's because I'm going to add a lace insert there, using the pink yarn and the same stitch pattern that is on the ruffle on the bottom. I'm almost done knitting the back and am pretty curious to see how it's going to look on. I guess I'll just have to wait and see :)
And just to show you all that in spite of everything I am doing my best to treat myself and keep chipper, take a look at these adorable little shoes I found on sale! I am so in love with them, it's just silly. Not only are they pretty, they are lined in unspeakably soft, faux suede type fabric and feel like the comfiest of slippers :)
Welcome back hon. You can always rely on knitting and shoes to lift your spirits! Can't wait to see the finished top - I love the colours
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