Where Did I Put My July?

Where did July go?  


Hmm, that sort of sounds like a sixties peace song.  But ... I digress. Even before I actually begin.

"Well-begun is half done"

~Mary Poppins

(too late, for this post)


So ... I've been absent from my blog world.  Part of me feels like I really ought to chronicle the events that have taken place since I was here last, but another part says that's either too heavy or too boring and no one wants to read that, and the other part thinks I should just make up my mind and get on with it.


In summary, soon after my last post, I had a number of events throw into focus exactly how small and inconsequential I am, how small and inconsequential my life is, how small my gripes and issues are, and though I had a rather lengthy diatribe about the latest drama drafted, ready to post at the end of June, I saved it and just didn't return.  I couldn't post.  I had plenty of ideas, but they all seemed trite.


My topics are still trite.  Do I have to write something with meaning and feeling, a funnel, a thesis statement, and a life-changing conclusion, each and every time I sit down to the laptop?  That part of me that said before, the part about "boring" and "no one wanting to read," ... she says yes.


I'm sorry.  You'll find no meaning here.  Is it enough that The Spill Canvas is on my playlist right now?  Just one of their stanzas is dripping with enough dramatic, emotional poetics to compensate for my drivel.


Guess what!  I completed a number of projects in the past month!


HA, you may have thought I meant knitting projects.  Silly readers with your faith in me to follow through to completion anything involving yarn and needles.


Let me share with you my Three Season Room.  


I wish I had snapped a "before" picture.  It was once just a transition room, somewhere to get in out of the rain, a place to wipe your feet, and a link between "I'm heading out of work, Sweetie" and "Honey, I'm home!"  A storage compartment.  A path to the backyard.  You get my drift.


But a couple of weekends ago Mr. Pi and I got inspired and took it upon ourselves, and our Saturday, to clean out the 3-season room.  We relocated and repurposed some furniture from other places in the house, hung some pictures, took things out of storage that were previously unused.  And here is the result (my apologies for grainy iPhone pictures):

I know, the sheets-on-the-chairs look is oh-so-stylish.  These chairs were the first pieces of furniture I purchased for my first apartment, and I love love LOVE them.  However, my cats loved them too; more for the purpose of scratching than sitting.  So the chairs are atrocious and I need to get them reupholstered, but until then, makeshift covers will have to do.  


No, you're right, these aren't even makeshift covers.  Makeshift covers would mean that I took some muslin and quick-seamed up some pieces on the machines to loosely fit the chairs.  These are just sheets.  Hmm ... I also need to sew up some roman shades for the windows ... they look naked ... (End Tangent).

These pictures just don't do the room justice.  I should have waited for a nice sunny day.  And used a real camera.  Between the wall of windows and the overhead fan, it's just such a cozy and bright and happy place to be.


And yes, that's a ginormous, ancient t.v. we've got there.  I should have taken a picture of the contents of that cabinet.  The main part contains Rock Band stuff for the wii, and the bottom drawers contain masses of Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, and N64 paraphernalia.  What can I say?  I'm holding onto a simpler time in my life.


So is Mr. Pi.  Behind the rocker, there is a table, and on that table sits a record turntable and two very very old speakers.  I promise, though, we aren't hoarders.  We like ... old technology.

Ok, so the cement floor leaves something to be desired.  But it's sensible, and keeps the room nice and cool, even on hot days.  Plus, any updates we make have to be cleared with the landlord.  So we'll leave it for now.


And because I believe in full disclosure:

Here's the pile of boxes on the other side of the room, waiting for a trip to Goodwill.  Ugly.  But I don't want to paint the flaws out of my life for you.  It's dishonest.  A lie of omission.


I have literally spent hours in this room since we cleaned it out and set it up.  I point the chairs toward each other, put my feet up, pop a dvd into my laptop, and knit.  Mr. Pi calls this set-up my "nest" ... I often forget to put the chairs back the way they were.  If I could just buy a papazan or chaise lounge, I wouldn't need to use my chairs this way.  But that's neither here nor there.


Yes, it's rather cluttered at the moment.  That's because - and you may have noticed - quite a bit of space is dominated by this:

I inherited a rigid heddle loom and warping board from my Grandma!  I also got her thread spools and holder:

I love the look of these pieces.  There's history here.  Those spools on top, the dusty, shabby ones?  I have no idea how old those are.  And that's precisely why I love them.  


The other new addition from Grandma:

A spinning wheel!  I'm afraid to use it.  Mostly because it's an antique, but also because spinning intimidates me.


But weaving does not.  I read up on it, and I'm ready to dive right in.  Mostly because I heard a rumor that rigid heddle weaving is stash-busting for knitters.  Busting the stash means getting to buy new yarn.  It's a no-brainer.


The only (minor) setback came with the realization that the heddle for the loom is missing.  But I sent a nice, sweet, pleading email to the (family-owned) manufacturer, who discontinued this particular size loom ... and they said I could special-order heddles when I was ready.  YAY!  Call me a Luddite, but I fear the day when small, mom-and-pop shops will go the way of the 8-track.


No, I don't own any 8-tracks.  Ok, so Mr. Pi's turntable actually has an 8-track slot in the front.


Wow.


We're weird.


Before I close, to provide context to the very first picture in this post - I had the joy of participating in a Knit Along with some of my new twitter-knitter-friends.  I'm almost finished with the KAL (a couple of weeks late, par for my course), so when it's done and washed and blocked, I'll share the details.  


Then, there's also a CAL (Crochet Along) coming up, but I'll keep that one a mystery.  It needs a post all of its own.


Have you ever inherited a family heirloom?  Is there a story to go along with it?


(I particularly enjoy the play on words there ... heirLOOM ... ok, yes, I'm a dork.)


Mrs. Pi