Seattle Yogini

Where?

(To the Tune of "Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone")

Oh Where
Oh Where
Has my DPN gone?

Oh Where
Oh Where
Could it be?

If you
Have something
Small, sharp and pointy

Please send
It over
To me.

*********
Sigh.  I can't find one of my US1 DPNs (double-pointed needle, for the non-knitters out there).  While right now I only need the four I have to finish up the cuff of this sock,

  I'd like to have all five when I start its partner.  This isn't really a big deal, but considering the state of my house (re-modeling blues) I've half a mind to give up the search before it begins and just buy another set.  Then I'd have four spares!

Doula Training

Doula training is amazing!  We started on Friday morning (at 8 am - a schedule to which I am unaccustomed).  There are about 20 women in the class, form all around the region.  Some are embarking on major life changes, others of us are interested in the education and unsure of what we will do with it.  Still others are doing the course as a prerequisite for the midwifery program.  It is a powerful experience to be in a group of women focused on improving the way in which women (and families, really) experience birth.  It feels like a real grassroots movement to reclaim birthing, for the benefit of everyone involved.

This is one of those fields that is as old as birth itself, and yet our modern culture is only recently becoming reacquainted with it.  Numerous studies show that having a woman present, supporting the mother, throughout labor greatly decreases the frequency of interventions, C-sections, length of labor, and perception of pain.  Labor support increases overall satisfaction with the experience, as reported in post-partum meetings and check-ups.

Doulas in no way usurp the partner's role of supporting the laboring woman.  Instead, the doula's job is to function as an advocate for communication, and to be an objective support person (whereas the partner is much more emotionally involved in the process of birth).  Overall, both partners tend to be very happy to have had the extra pair of hands, not to mention the doula's expertise in translating medical terminology, implementing comfort measures, and greater experience with birth.

There are many ways in which I could put this training to use, and I have not yet decided what I will do.  I initially signed up for the course because I wanted the specialized education to augment my pre- and post-natal yoga teaching.  Now that I'm in it, I'm recognizing a calling...how I will rise to meet it is still unclear.  In our area, there is a great need for bilingual doulas, and since I am bilingual (Spanish & English), and have been searching for a way in which I can be of service to the growing Hispanic population in the region, I may volunteer to serve as doula in one or two births a year.  Right now, I don't know how I could build a doula practice (for profit) and run my yoga studio at the same time - at least, not without an extensive substitute teacher list!

Anyway, I feel really good about the course, and the possibilities it has opened up for me - and for all the women I already work with.  Most of my prenatal yoga moms have never heard of a doula, and now I can speak from an educated perspective about the benefits of having one - so that they can be supported during labor and experience the benefits of that support, should they choose it.  Next week we finish the course, so perhaps I'll have more to say about it then.  For now, though, I am quite content to process the large amount of information I have received in the last two days, and proceed into the rest of my week.

Weekend Update

I'm attending a Labor Support (a.k.a. Doula) class at Seattle Midwifery School this weekend.  I have tomorrow (Sunday) off, so hopefully I'll get a chance to sit down, digest two days' worth of information and videos (!), and tell you about it.  The short version:  it is very powerful.

Anouk! Finalement!

Behold, Anouk:

and her sweet little intarsia pockets (my first intarsia!):

They aren't sewn on yet, so I turned over the right pocket so you could have a view of the back.  :-)

Project Specs:
Pattern:  Anouk by Kate Gilbert, for Knitty Spring 2004
Yarn:  I substituted what the pattern called for, and used what was comparable & available at my LYS:  King Tut cotton.   There is a LOT leftover in all but the red.
Time Investment:  I started this in mid-February, shortly after returning from Hawaii.  I blocked it last week, so two and a half months.  (I still have to attach the pocket and find buttons, but I'm calling it done [for now]).  I did not work on Anouk exclusively (there's a big surprise - wink, wink), otherwise it would've been done weeks ago.
Mods:  Other than the yarn swap, I made a few other modifications.  First, I decided to make the collar and the tabs from colors other than the dress itself, as I like the "pop" of color.  I made the two-buttonhole tabs, and decided to make the back of the left shoulder strap longer than the front, so that the button will be seen from the front when it's done up.
Comments:  I believe that this pattern needs some refining.  The concept is good, but I didn't find the writing clear enough.  I am a very visual learner, and need more pictures in order to understand what the end result should be.  Therefore, I would have found a back view of the dress - on the baby - very helpful in conceptualizing the "pinafore" look.  When I started knitting this, I honestly did not realize that I had to make a front and a back separately - I thought that it was one piece that would button on one side.  Once I got to the skirt decreases I realized that there was no way this would wrap around a diapered bum!  Though it may seem obvious to some, I think that a simple "Make two" instruction would be helpful (the pattern just says:  "Front and Back Skirt".  This was my first attempt at intarsia, and while I wouldn't want to make a lot of stuff using this color technique, I didn't have any problems.  Overall I liked the outcome, and after blocking the parts that were pulling worked themselves out.
Next time:  If I do it again, I may follow some other people's idea and make it into an actual dress.  Just knit the thing in the round and be done with it.  On the other hand, there's very little sewing up with the pinafore, and I do like the fact that it can "grow" with the baby...

So, now I'll put on the pockets, get some buttons, and mail her away to the baby who will not be big enough to wear her for a few more months.  If I get pictures (and permission) I'll post them.

What Makes You Think?

Seattle Yogini has been nominated as a Thinking Blog!  On Thursday, April 19, Duchess included me in her list of five blogs that make her think.  This was a wonderful surprise to me, and was also very heartwarming.  I am glad to find that this blog provokes introspection, and sincerely intend to keep it that way!

Thinking Blogger is something called a meme.  I don't really know much about these, except that they tend to be lists of information (favorite movies, five things you didn't know about me, etc.) and, much like chain e-mails, one gets "tagged" by another to fill out the list and post it on their blog, at which point they "tag" others.  In the case of Thinking Blogger, I am happy to be tagged, as I find it an honor and hope that those I tag do, too!

Please note that I have only been reading blogs for a little longer than I've been writing one, which is since December 2006.  You will notice from my list that many are knitting or craft-related, and you'll find out why when you read number 2 (below).  So, from my regular reads, here are the five that I find most thought-provoking:

1.  The Daily Headache is a valuable blog for everyone, whether they live with headache or not!  It provides insight into the life of a woman (my friend, Kerrie) who lives - courageously, kindly, and optimistically (but never sugar-coated) - with chronic daily headache.  She is a patient advocate who freely shares her own experiences, along with a good dose of research linking, so that headache patients can feel less alone and more empowered.

2.  The Yarn Harlot is a well-known blog to most (if not all) knitters, and it was the first knitting blog I ever read.  I am enchanted by the Harlot's antics, but it is her writing style that makes me think.  She is passionate and candid, and I greatly appreciate her honesty about the "real-ness" of her life.  Looking back, I believe that I used her approach as a guide when starting my own blog.  Her knitting chatter has been invaluable and inspirational.  Her generous use of links has led me to other wonderful knitting blogs, too.

3.  Housekeeper Liberation Front is a blog maintained by a woman (my friend, SMS) who has a true gift for writing.  She crafts lovely posts that bring a great joy back to the written word - for me, at least.  It feels like she is really telling me a story...as much for her own pleasure as for mine.  Read this posting ("Irony, Wearing Snowpants") to get a sense of her style and manner.  As with the Yarn Harlot, it is the way she writes that makes me think, just as much as any of her topics do.  SMS doesn't post often, but her posts are always worth reading!

4.  A Dress A Day sneaked under my skin shortly after clicking the link on the Duchess' blogroll.  As a fellow crafty feminist homemaker professional woman with an affinity for girl-geekiness, I *get* Erin's posts and feel included in a larger community each time I read.  This post, in particular, got me thinking, and even commenting, as I pondered the issue at hand...along with its bigger implications regarding sexism in the workplace, and how much what women wear still seams to matter to their coworkers.

5.  Sew Green is a new addition to my bloglines list, but one that I check everyday.  It is maintained by eleven women from around the world, who want to inform and inspire readers to become better stewards of the earth and all of her inhabitants.  With links to research and other resources (such as the common ingredients in your average bottle of make-up - eek!).  Even their bios are thought-provoking (start at the bottom and work your way up).  These ladies demonstrate that you can find ways to live more conscientiously without feeling that you've "given up" something.  After all, learning to live more gently upon the earth is a win-win situation!

So, the rules of this award are as follows:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote

Some of the blogs I listed have already been nominated by others, so go check out the five that make them think, and have fun!

What a week!

Sorry I've been "away" for awhile...we had plumbing emergencies on Thursday and Friday.  We decided to take it easy on Saturday and Sunday, then all of a sudden it was, well, now:  10pm on Tuesday.  Time slips away.  I was going to write about the comments from "Detail Oriented", but I think that they speak for themselves, so go have a look!

Aargh!  For the record, I have tried to write a post three times so far, and nothing of particular interest or impact is coming to me.  I get a few sentences into this paragraph and realize that I don't have a point.  Sigh.  Rather than babbling on and on, I'll just leave it at this for now:  tomorrow I plan to (finally) fulfill my "thinking blogger" duties, and post photos of Anouk (who only needs buttons).