the dotted line:

asymmetrical jacket :: the pattern and the yarn in charcoal heather

:: inch by inch, it's happening :: rows are slow and scattered about my day, leaving me aching for something a little more substantial, a little more deliberate :: enjoying ella far too much to actually indulge in this thought :: desperately trying to find some balance, but when it all comes down to it, she's just too much fun and I can't help but put the knitting down mid-row and spend that fleeting moment of 'not being busy' with her :: there is, however, a sleeve and a front piece completed and a little version emerging, too - perhaps next time I'll have something to show for myself :: there has also been some work on this elusive little scheme of mine, oh, and some very special gifts, too ::

Remember that box at the bottom of the pile that was tempting me, just begging me to be opened? Well, after much restraint, I still haven't opened it. It's not that I haven't tried, but the boxes on top are just too heavy and I would ask for help, but this box being out of my reach is the only reason that I've gotten anything done at all. Instead of finishing one sleeve and starting another, I would be sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by books and yarn and fabric and pretty papers, planning an array of new projects, without regard to my already very long list of things I'd like to make. The books above were bought during my last trip to the Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles a couple of days before leaving and were promptly packed away, without even so much as a glance. They in particular are calling my name. But in the interests of finishing something (erm, anything...), I will (try to) wait.

These books, however, had no option but to be unpacked. I love reading to Ella {even though she's more interested in eating books than listening to me} and I especially love that these books have a cultural dimension to them. Ella's arrival has given our social and cultural backgrounds a whole new level of importance and I am still in awe over just how strong having a child of your own makes you want to impart your knowledge and experience to them. With all of her Scottish relatives on my side, she'll have no choice but to know about bagpipes and haggis and men that wear skirts :) and teaching her about her Japanese-Canadian heritage is something that we're both very much interested in doing. Although I have reason to suspect that the 'Squeamish about Sushi' book and the 'First Book of Sushi' will be my husband's favorite books to read her, in an effort to start early and get his love for sushi to rub off on her! We are adventurous eaters and now that she's about to start eating solids, we're excited to share our love of food with her and at the same time are a little scared about how to go around introducing her to what we eat...of course we will have to follow the different stages of introducing solids first to minimize allergies, but after that...?