Slippers & Whinging

There's not a lot been going on this week really. Everything is at a bit of a standstill with the house while we wait for the solicitors to complete the searches which is a little frustrating, and it looks like we might be spending Christmas still here in  the Uplands, which will be nice at least, although a shame not to be in our new house. Ivy has had even more of her jabs and was very brave about it at the time, but got a bad fever the next day. It feels rotten and I really deliberated about whether or not to have her inoculated, but the risks when living in a highly populated area are too great, to her, and to other children who are not inoculated.

We have been packing a little, but mostly working away at making bits and bobs. Will finished crocheting a blanket he started working on a while ago, which takes our total number of blankets up to 300. (ish)

I should be working away at the fixing pile which is now as tall as Ivy, but instead I finished Will's welly socks, and have made us both a pair of slippers. (Ivy helped)

I also need to make a pair of legwarmers too for Ivy quicksmart as it's getting very chilly and her legs get cold when I have her in the wrap. I bought a babywearing-waterproof-thing off eBay this week so hopefully that will arrive soon as we have definitely had plenty of rain and can expect a lot more.

I also bought myself a new (old) phone of eBay as I'm not getting on with the one I have (the buttons are too hard to push). I don't really like having a mobile phone and it's out of charge more often than not, but feel we should both keep one for emergencies. It feels a little compromising, but at least they aren't smart phones, which I can't stand. But as everyone I know has one I won't rant on about that. Will says we should get a doormat that says no smart phones allowed as it often feels like the first thing people say when they come to out house is not Hello, but 'what's your wifi password?'.

This week the battery on my laptop went kaput. It still works when it's plugged in, but I'm going to back everything up and then use the desktop as my main computer. She's an old girl and could go to laptop heaven at any point. I think it would be better to use the laptop a lot less anyway as Will and I both use the computer a lot more than we ought to, and as Will pointed out, not only is it a bit hypocritical given our dislike for smart phones and how instant everything is when you have one, but also neither of us has a commute or time-consuming hobbies or commitments (not by accident), so we should have a heck of a lot of spare time, and yet time seems to quite often run away from us both.

At the weekend just gone we had the Swansea Vegans Social Club Christmas dinner at Garbos which was lovely. A whole restaurant packed out with 30 vegans - great food, lovely people, very Christmassy! We also went to the Uplands market in the morning which is very vegan now, much more so than when we moved here last year, and we bought treats, so in all it was a very expensive treaty weekend, I think a bit of spartan living would do us both some good now.

Self-Sufficient in Socks

Last week we had a nice day in Pontardawe after another viewing at the new house. We ate vegan cake (chocolate fudge for me, Bakewell for Will) & pottered about, and  I picked up a childrens' loom knitting kit from a charity shop.
I haven't done loom knitting since I was a child, and even then it was only a teeny tiny tube - French knitting I think it was called. I couldn't really see the point in making a teeny tiny tube, so have barely thought of it since & it hadn't occurred to me that it might be useful. Little did i know that you can actually make useful things with it.
I'll admit that I'm a fairly hopeless knitter - I've always lacked the patience to learn how to do it properly. I can cast on and off, do a few basic stitches, and quite quickly, but that's the lot - patterns make me confused and angry. It's always been on my to do list to learn but I haven't quite gotten around to it yet, and now I've discovered it's not possible with Ivy on my lap as I keep poking her with the sticks, which makes her confused and angry.
I should mention that Ivy is a girl who gets very lonely, very quickly. She likes to spend as much time as possible on my lap, either sat up looking around, or more often draped over, fast asleep. This means that I spend a lot of time sat around only able to do stuff I can either put on the sofa next to me (laptop, reading) or hold over Ivy's head (sewing). Well, I can loom with Ivy on my lap! And what's better, unlike sewing there are no loose little bits of thread that she can get her hands on (she always does), and no sharp scissors or needles to drop.
I did make my first attempt at a sock by just figuring it out, and was very impressed with myself for working out how to do a heel and toe, however when I took the sock off the loom I discovered it was comically long and thin, and certainly won't go on anyone in this house's foot - a friend suggested it might be a good fit for their dog... I have since ordered a sock loom and a book about looming socks as am certainly not going to trust my judgement again. I have started working on my sock loom, but initially had some trouble as it is very fine (48 pegs for a ladies sock) and the hook that came with it was just too blunt. Once I tried a sharper hook I really got going, however that has since died. I've now ordered a better quality hook (hopefully sharp) so am just waiting on that before I carry on.
In the mean time I have been making socks on my 14cm round loom. My first pair (below) I made without using a hook and just using my fingers as I found the hook too clumsy (I think I've figured out a technique now), however the stitches on it are a little loose, and the socks I'd intended for myself actually fit Will instead, which is fine. I duffed the toe a bit -the stitch is too baggy where it joins up, so for the next pair I've finished with a tighter flat stitch just before the join, which is a bit neater.

I was also making Will a pair of yoga socks (no heel or toe) as he does yoga in a church and I was worried about his feet getting cold, until he told me that the room they use is actually really baking, so these ones have gone to me.  I actually really love them and am going to make a few more pairs - they're ideal for wearing over tight with sandals or clogs now that it's gotten colder. 

Now I'm working on a pair of welly socks for Will (essential as it's really started coming down now). I have finished one which I'm really pleased with & is a good fit for Will, and started working on the second. Once I have finished these I will make a pair for myself too. 

I also have plans to make some slippers for Will and myself, some legwarmers & knee socks that I need, a waistcoat, and I have a crochet pattern for a napsack that I want to make as well. I would also like to try knitting socks on needles, perhaps in the evening once Ivy has gone to bed as it would give me more freedom in shaping it than the loom I think (although on the loom you can change the stitch to give you a bit of control over size)
I can't exactly say that we're now self-sufficient in socks as the wool has to come from somewhere (although usually charity shops), but I am feeling very pleased that I'm now able to make something at home that would be difficult to find second hand, saving us from going to the shops when we need socks etc. I have a few different sizes of round looms so am also planning to pick up a book of patterns for other things too, and I think I would also like to get ahold of some long looms better suited for clothes. Just need to find some sewing patterns for pants now and we'll be made.

Autumn in Cwmdoncyn Park

Enjoying our home in Swansea while we're still here as we are now at the awkward stage of house buying where it might happen at any time.

We have been so happy here and had such a nice life - Will often compares us to battery hens that have finally been freed and are able to stretch their wings and get their feathers back. We have made a home and lots of friends here, but it is not our forever home and we always knew that - now we need more space.

I took some photos on our daily lunchtime walk around Cwmdoncyn today.

On another note, we are also trying to use Welsh words as much as possible so that we can improve. I can't say it in sentences very well, but I will try when I remember to say the descriptive words about what we've been up to when I post to improve my vocab:

Parc

Wintog

Cinio

Heddiw

Mynd am dro

Cymylog 

Gwr

Wlyb

Es i mynd am dro am Parc Cwmdocyn am cinio heddiw gyda gwr a ferch
Mae hin wyntog a cymylog a wlyb
Hwyl!

Fantastic Unplastic

I forgot to say - Ivy over the past couple of weeks has started to get a lot more grabby and has enjoyed playing more, so I've been collecting a few toys for her. We are both dead against bringing any more plastic into this house, especially for things that Ivy will be in contact with, so I have wanted to only buy wooden toys. I bought Ivy a couple of birch wood teething rings a few weeks ago when she started teething, which while she doesn't often bite on, loves waggling around, and following the success of that also picked her up a few wooden rattles from ebay.

I've also made Ivy a creature with bits and bobs of fabric I had, and plan on making some more as it's just the right size for her to grab and put in her mouth. I think that when there are a few they will look like coral or anemones.. something sea creaturey.

Lovely!

Cut the Crap - or - Making Space

We are a little absent at the moment, and although for a while I have been meaning to write a post, it is very difficult to know what about as we are in a bit of an inbetweeny place right now.
As I mentioned in the last post we are intending to move house, hopefully quite soon, and so a lot of our time has been taken up with making preparations for that, and the rest of our time is spent with our tiny, pink, playful baby. (who is 3 months old today!)

  

Over the last month or so we have seen at least 20 bin bags of clothes etc leave the house, and a number of boxes and large pieces of furniture, and we are really starting to feel the fabled freedom that comes with owning less stuff - in fact anyone who comes too close is now unfortunately subjected to me rambling on and on about it. I am genuinely happier though, more energetic, and feel I have more time and enthusiasm for my friends and loved ones.
All of my clothes now fit into one small wardrobe and I still feel I could get rid of more, in time, and although I still have quite a few shoes, I have given away or sold everything apart from Birkenstocks, Dr Martens, Vibrams and running shoes which are all kind on my feet.
I have found that the more I get rid of, the easier it is to ditch even more, and my appetite for new 'stuff' has completely disappeared, I just see it as a burden, more things to look after. Perhaps one day I'll attempt something like Project 333, but for now I'm happy to just keep going without rules, it's so much easier than I expected.
In terms of doing stuff - not getting rid of things - not much has been going on. Will has been doing some crochet, he's just finished a blanket we both started working on about 3 years ago. We've made a couple of gifts for people, and I have been working away at my hand-patchwork in the evenings after Ivy has gone to sleep, and repairing the odd thing as well. Although it takes so much longer I've actually enjoyed being restricted to hand-sewing. I'm not ready to part with my machine and I hope that it won't be too long before Ivy is more settled and I can start using it again, but the quiet, and the slow, precise process of hand-sewing is very peaceful.

I'll finish now by sharing a couple of sleep deprived wurbly thoughts I had during one of last-night's feeds.
This time next year I would like:
-To be living intentionally; for the things we fill our life with to be there because we have chosen for them to be not out of convenience, availability, or any kind of outside pressure.
-To be living as I would choose to live even if I were a much wealthier person; to be perfectly content within our means, not because there is no choice but to be but because the life we choose is one that is peaceful, sustainable and simple.
We're on our way.