Unglued

I'm stealing a quick moment away at the computer ("making letters!") while the baby boy bird sleeps.  It's a momentary break from near-constant adhesion.  I literally have him STUCK to my right arm all day long (and in this weather, stuck is the word, though we have heaved the air conditioners into 2 of their 3 windows--kids room and living room--and I am currently blissfully cool). 

I don't think that I've mentioned that, instead of a blankie or bear or tattered scrap of something or other, my dear son's attachment object is me.  No, I don't mean that he's attached to me (he is, but kids with blankies are attached to their parents too).  I mean that his source of comfort when he's feeling anxious, tired, or sore, is my arm.  Specifically, my arm hair.  He twiddles and plucks it.  Mostly gently.  Sometimes he needs a reminder about the gentle part.  He calls it "armie."  Seriously.  Weird.  Can't imagine where he gets that. 

Thankfully (and of course, this is the important part), I have figured out how to spin while he is nestled in my armpit fiddling with my arm hair.  I draft wtih that hand, and it all seems to work out.  This has been a good thing over the last three days.

The recovery has been much better than I expected, but it has not been entirely easy either.  (And here is the point where he wakes up and, well, nestles in my armpit to fall asleep again.)  Today has been rougher for him than the prior two days (they warned us of this), plus, at the moments when he's feeling better, he's not coping well with the restrictions on his activity.  We confirmed with the doctor and yes, we really do have to keep him quiet; I guess he's even more at risk of bleeding now than he was just after the surgery.  He has also decided to be completely opposed to taking any kind of medicine (though he still wants my sandwich, so it's not that he doesn't want to eat or drink anything).  So it has been a wrestling match to keep the painkillers in him, but our brief attempt at letting him decide did not work out well, so the struggle is necessary.

So things are going well but slowly chez mama.  All this sitting on my ass has some benefit, however.  I mentioned I've been spinning.  I turned this icelandic lamb fleece from Cummington

Into this:

Which, when plied, will hopefully look as much like this as possible:

Which would be really good, because I have become completely obsessed with making this.  And believe it or not, I think I have all the ingredients I need to do so, though knowing one single freakin' word of icelandic might actually help.  The good news: I will know a fair number of words in icelandic by the time I'm done; mostly about knitting.  If I ever travel to rural Iceland, we can talk wool.  Won't be much different from my travels to other places.

I left the pattern for the diamond shawl at the hospital ("what?  he's awake?  GET ME IN THERE!"), so I'm waiting to get that back (I could do all of it from looking/memory except for the edges of the diamond pattern, which always look WRONG until you're about 10 rows away, so I don't want to try it chartless).  I also hear that the rest of the yarn for my Fleece Artist/Hand Maiden FBS is on its way here.  So I'm going to have a lot of lace in my future, in, if I do say so myself, some pretty nice yarn.  Once again feeling like a sheep and wondering why this seems like a bad thing, I understand this is the Summer of Lace.  Works for me.

So while my sweet boy sleeps, I'll spin my little heart out, dreaming of Icelandic lace.  Sweet dreams to you too...

Comments

[Cassie]

I kid you not, I'm planning on making that shawl. Possibly next.

But I wasn't planning on handspun. Your spinning is amazing... slinking into a corner....

[Teresa C]

I want to make that shawl. I have some icelandic lace weight that would be perfect! Where can I get the book, and, ummmm, would you help with the translation?

[Marcy]

I've got that pattern book, Cate, if you want to take a look at it. It is not available to buy anywhere as far as I know.

And I may be able to help with some of the Icelandic. F'rinstance, here's a handy word to use when you need an expletive: "Skit" where the "i" is pronounced with a long "ee" sound. For a translation, substitute an "h" for the "k".

I'm glad the little guy is feeling well enough to give you a hard time. :D

[Cara]

Glad the boy is getting better!

[Lynn]

(((H))) kids are such troupers. Homeopathic arnica would be helpful with swelling and sepia or phosphorous for bleeding. Dissolving in water is fine, but M has no problems taking homeopathics ... they melt fairly quickly. It probably would have been more useful information a few days ago and for that I apologise.

I'm duly impressed with the fineness of your yarn! What's the wpi?

[Katy]

Okay, I think we need a picture of you spinning while a child nestles in your armpit. I can't even spin if mine are in the same room. ;)
Hope the recovery speeds up and you are all back in the normal routines soon.

[Stacie]

I'm glad your baby is getting better :)

[Deb]

That shawl definitely looks like a keeper! I'd love to get my hands on that book but have not seen a copy available. I'll just sit here and lust after it, quietly . . . (grin) Glad baby boy bird is doing so well!

[amysue]

My godchild's Mom is fluent in Icelandic and lived there while working on her masters (which involved translating old icelandic texts I think). I can ask her to translate if you like. The shawl is lovely

[juliafc]

I am humbled. Truly. I think I may expire from the beauty of the shawl when you inish it, so I have the summer of lace left to live? Knit slowly . . .

[Jo in Ottawa]

Glad to hear he's doing better. And that you aren't all headachey and whatnot any more.

The spinning looks great as do the plans for it. I've been hankering after doing some lace too but don't have any fine wool in the place. Cassie's going to help me solve that problem in NYC in a couple of weeks time...

[Juno]

I love that shawl. I saw a copy of the pattern book in the hands of Someone Who Shall Be Nameless (see today's first comment) and emailed her this week to complain that I could not find a copy and so was being kept from the object of my desire...whereupon she informed me that she was starting that one next. Birch.

But with your gorgeous handspun as the material I do not begrudge you the ownership of the pattern. It will be lovely.

Glad your little dude is on the mend.

[Judy]

I love thta shawl!! I want the pattern. Where did you find it?
Happy to hear healing is progressing well. Hope to see you Sun.

[The Feminist Mafia]

Cutest image ever - little boy nestled in mom's armpit twirling hairs and nursing a sore throat. Thanks for the misty eyes.

[Risa]

Glad the boy bird is getting better. Nice that you've managed to figure out how to spin with him nestled in your armpit. I can attest to the fact that a kid with a blankie can still attach herself to you like velcro. Kat showed you all that quite well :)

Gorgeous handspun and that will be lovely for that shawl. Thanks for the reminder of it, I'm wearing it today! I lusted after the thing after seeing in on Jackie's website years ago. Separated by about 5 years was my acquisition of the original and translation so I could finally knit it.

[Norma]

HOLY ......well, I can't even think of an exclamation good enough for that shawl. It looks way beyond my ability, and especially with the language thing going on on top of it, but WOW! That is going to be stunning.

Hope the boy starts to perk up. I remember when my daughter was that age, she was supposed to be taking a fever reducer and there was no way we could get it down her. Her pediatrician said, "There's a reason God gave her more than one orifice," and gave us a suppository form of the medication. It worked wonders!

[Heidi]

That Icelandic shawl looks like bobbin lace--that's knit?!? And your two-ply looks like thread, mine looks like rope. Wowsers! Glad to hear the boy is recovering so well, but poor armie!