Osborn Fiber Studio

We’re moving in two days. All in all, the move is going very well. I’m so thankful for all the help we are receiving. I’m a bit of a wreck, to be honest, but I know we’re going to make it.

This month has been all about the move. I’ve been in a continual state of planning what to pack when, executing some packing, then re-planning. I’ve been cooking so as to use up as much of our food as possible and give away the rest. And of course, I wanted to finish up my projects.

Knitting

Of course the big success story this month is the Northmavine Hoody! Here, I already told you all about it.

Immediately – pretty much the same day – as I finished Northmavine, I cast on the next project that was waiting in the wings. I’m knitting the Knitting Season hat, project #2 in the Knitting Season series from Kate Davies. I’ve changed the pattern drastically from a snowflake to a cross, and changed and complicated the color scheme. It’s really fun to knit.

I also finished swatching and cast on for my next sweater – Strodie. Also from the Knitting Season series. I realized as soon as this sweater came out that I had the perfect yarn for it in my stash. It had been purchased for two lacy shawls, but I don’t want to knit lacy shawls right now. I want to knit stripey sweaters. So I am doing so.

Welts, you guys! So many welts.

Finally, I finished a little Zuzu’s petals for N’s kindergarten teacher.

N had an awesome first year in big-kid school, and it’s largely thanks to this lady. She was willing and able to take an academically bright child and challenge her to keep advancing, while also challenging her to grow socially and as a leader. Not all teachers are willing and able to do that, not with everything else they have to do, especially here in Nunavut. I am so thankful for a good start to our public school journey. N loves school and is looking forward to first grade.

Spinning

I was totally on top of things with my 51 Yarns spins for this month, but I’m having a little trouble blogging about them. For the third time I’ve gone back and hit publish on yarn 10, and here’s yarn 11. This completes this delightful, tiny, over-complicated study of blending, shading and tinting, and basic and true drafts and prep.

Mending

When did I finish mending all those socks? Was it in May or June? I don’t even remember now. All I remember is that I have one pair left, one that I procrastinated on because they are really so worn out that I have to reknit the bottom half of the foot. Actually, I just remembered that I repaired them for the first time right before our last move.

This time there was no point in adding yet more darning, so I chopped that foot right off. I put the stitches back on the needle with some other yarn that has nothing in common with the original except being “for socks,” and it’ll be convenient travel knitting until they are done.

I had another rather large mending project: I had a crack at fixing our skidoo cover. It was already torn in a couple of places, but it was also vandalized a couple of times this summer. Big old rectangular holes, clearly made by a knife. Honestly these things happen in our neighbourhood, and while they’re unfortunate, they don’t make me feel unsafe.

Sewing the pieces together by hand, with needle and sinew and a whole lot of whipstitch, was very meditative. It put a lot of value into something that had been treated with disrespect. I thought about how God is willing and able to put the same loving care into healing me, and the person who did this. I prayed that they find what they really need.

Moving

What to say about it? We have successfully caused our home of four years to slowly disintegrate around us. It has felt rather merciless as I’ve had to focus on efficiency rather than sentiment, but maybe I’ll have space to grieve afterwards. “Post-grieving,” as my friend Rebecca called it in an email. Another good word is “dithering,” from my friend Andrea – a word that sounds like a plucked chicken running in circles, which is how I feel.

All our worldly goods are in a shipping container – or as we call it up here, a sea can – which was generously donated to us. Jared’s parents came up for a week to play with kids and help us pack it, for which we are enormously grateful.

The coolest part was when a giant forklift driven by a seriously competent lady arrived to put our seacan on the back of a flatbed truck. We made all the girls watch. I couldn’t help but have a bit of a twinge as I watched my spinning wheel and yarn drive away… I hope I packed enough wool in my suitcase… See you in a couple of months, stuff!

Since all their toys are packed, we’ve been keeping crazy busy. The Lord provided two bikes of the perfect size and price at a yard sale yesterday, complete with helmets:

And there’s been a music festival this weekend with plenty of kids activities, and other summer things going on. So it’s been easy to have fun out of the house. There have been lots of friends too to have one more play date with, and our grown-up friends have been awesome about having us over for dinner, taking the kids for a bit, taking care of us. I’m going to miss our community here so much.

Even the weather this month has been amazing. So many warm, beautiful days. The flowers coming out at just the right times. I got to do the hike to Apex I’ve always wanted to do and never got around to. Iqaluit has been giving us the very best – a great big hug goodbye.

The goodbyes have been good. Last sermons, last eucharists, last parties… all done now. I am content and thankful and broken to bits all at once.