Knitting Alchemy: Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and I had a wonderful time. Doug, Jesse, Jalessa, Miranda, and my Dad and I went to visit an alpaca ranch near Onoway, Alberta. It was a beautiful day and we got to pet, walk, and fondle all the alpacas we wanted. These small camelids are so funny looking they're cute and you just fall in love with them all. They also had yarn and knitted items for sale in the sale barn. It was great to share the day with my kids, Jesse's girlfriend, Doug, and my Dad.

And fun being around these gentle creatures, and meeting other alpaca lovers. Afterward, my husband made our world famous shepherd's pie (cream cheese...cheddar cheese...mashed potatoes....mmmmm!). A girl can't ask for a better day than that.

But, Mother's Day is always bittersweet for me because I lost my mom 23 years ago. We had our usual distant years that come with any mother/teen daughter relationship, and were just starting to be friends again when she passed away. Her last two years were hellish thanks to cancer, so our time together then was tainted with her pain.

So yesterday, it was nice having my dad with me. With Herculean effort, he's managed to stand in for her on many occasions...helping me untangle wool, being a model for garments I was sewing, canning fish with me, counseling me when my kids were sick or when life was hairy, and more, much more. Lately he's gone through a tough time ending a relationship that wasn't healthy for him, so I keep him close in my thoughts and literally close to minimize his aloneness. Thank goodness he lives in St. Albert and I'm able to see him often.

I have been gifted again with a book edit contract that I hope to start this week or next. It's very exciting. Over the weekend I was able to finish the secret project and get a few rows knitted on my Juliaca sweater.

Saturday, a friend and I drove down to Olds, Alberta, to attend the Hand Weavers, Spinners, Dyers of Alberta conference and merchant market. She drove and I rode shotgun. I should have knitted, but we were too busy yacking our faces off and enjoying the scenery as it went by. It was great to finally meet Barb, the woman I've been editing patterns for, and to see more of her lovely products. And, she introduced us to Marg from Celeigh Woolen Mill in Millet, and Fenn from Custom Woolen Mill in Carstairs: two incredible women in Alberta's fibre industry. I bought some lovely wool from Barb and 4, count 'em 4, knitting books by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I've been wanting them for a looooong time, so it's great to have them in my hot little hands. Rebecca and I had a blast on the trip and are planning another trip to Olds for Fibre Week in July. We'll bring more enablers with us this time. We may need to rent a bus!