Mommy + Knitter

Random Tuesday

2012-01-31T10:35:00.000-08:00

1. I'm sewing together a baby sweater, and I find the seaming really stressful.

2. I still have no pictures of anything I'm knitting.

3. I have several blog comments to which I have not replied. Here are my replies:
a. I have no strong opinion about the yarn shop in Winchester, because I really didn't pay that much attention to the yarn that wasn't from the Plucky Knitter. The staff seemed super friendly though.
b. I'm not a member of Pinterest. I really don't know what it is, but hope to have time to figure it out soon.

4. My time is currently being taken up by my obsession with reading everything possible about Rhinebeck and backing up all the photos on the laptop.

5. I finished knitting the back of the CPH last night. I will cast on for a front tomorrow. It will take me the rest of the day to finish sewing up the baby sweater in #1.

Happy Knitting!

Time Warp

2012-01-27T18:23:00.001-08:00

I've been watching a friend's daughter the last couple of days. Today it was raining, so I took the girls to the indoor play place at Burger King so they could play and I could knit. I brought my CPH (you can see a picture that does not do the color justice here). The girls played for over 2 hours. Unfortunately, an hour and a half in, I realized I had a crossed a cable the wrong way. I tried to only drop down the 6 stitches involved and fix it, but I wasn't successful. I had to rip back.

So, I went into BK with 21.5" knit, and walked out of BK with only 21" knit.

Ugh.

Tomorrow's another knitting day.....

Stashed!

2012-01-25T15:34:00.000-08:00

As you can see from the right of the blog, I've created a Twitter account. I really don't know why, except it seemed like a better idea than dusting today. Although, Twitter and Firefox don't seem to get along very well, but if you're viewing this in IE, you should be able to see my Tweets.

As part of my "Plan for Rhinebeck" (yes, it has a title. I'm totally obsessed with planning this trip), I'm saving money. That means I'm not spending money. I'm particularly not spending money on yarn.Ergo, I must knit with the stash. Also, storage for my stash is limited to one dresser drawer, one medium-sized bin, and one under the bed bin. I don't have room for a lot more yarn, and I want to be able to buy a lot more yarn at the Sheep and Wool Festival. Ergo, same conclusion, knit with the stash.

Although I often have projects in mind for the yarn in my stash (almost exclusively single skeins), those projects often get pushed aside for "bigger" projects, and I go buy the yarn I need. Then, when the need for a "small" projects hits, I start to dig through my stash and knit something up. I've decided to be a bit more organized this year. Today, I put most of my stash up on Ravelry (I lost steam towards the end, and didn't feel like searching for the skeins of sock yarn hiding in my backpack), and I spent a little bit of time matching some of the yarn to specific projects in my queue (ain't Ravelry grand?).

I have two large projects to work on the rest of winter (my Viking Hoodie, which really, I will show a picture one of these days, and the Knitpicks Bohus-style sweater I started last year), at least three skeins of sock yarn, and a couple of nice one skein projects planned, I think I'll be able to keep myself busy until October.

At least, I hope so.

Happy Knitting!

Two Things

2012-01-22T05:27:00.000-08:00

Two things showed up in the Boston Area yesterday:

Winter
And the Plucky Knitter Trunk Show at Another Yarn Shop in Winchester.

Besides Plucky Knitter Yarns (and the Plucky Knitter herself!), Thea Coleman (aka BabyCocktails) was also there with samples of her patterns. I'm a HUGE fan of Dark and Stormy, and seeing it in person only makes me love it more. In fact, all of Thea's designs are gorgeous, and I have a few of them in my queue. Plucky yarns are just as gorgeous as you think they are, and I see why the shop sells out so quickly! Sadly, a sweater's worth of yarn was not in my budget yesterday (as it was, I had to break out my "Save for Rhinebeck" envelope, but I did snag one skein of Plucky Primo! Fingering in the color "Medieval".
I knew I would knit a hat or cowl with it, and I thought the gray was a good neutral to go with my various color coats and vests (purple, black, red, not sure about the light blue). I've already picked out this cowl, designed by the Plucky Knitter herself. But I have to wonder, is it wrong to knit Renaissance with Medieval?

Finishitis

2012-01-16T14:33:00.001-08:00

I'm sure most of you have read the Yarn Harlot's blog entry about the case of startitis that seems to hit her every January. This year, I'm the complete opposite and have gotten a mad case of finishitis. Projects that have been hanging out for weeks, or even months, are finding their way out into daylight again to be finished. It's not a bad way to start off the New Year, although it is infringing upon my Central Park Hoodie knitting. (Hmmmm, I don't think I've blogged about the CPH yet. Remind me to talk more about that in a minute).

First up, I finished Baby Girl's Christmas stocking.
(This picture was taken before I put her name on it. Her name is on it now. Little Boy's name is still not on his, but if this case of finishitis continues, that will be taken care of soon). Two more stockings to knit - one for my husband and one for me. Hopefully, they'll get done by December....

The Oriental Lily also made it out of the UFO pile. This was kind of ridiculous. All I had left to do was purl 20 stitches, bind off a sleeve, and weave it the ends. For some reason though, I just didn't enjoy knitting this. Too bad, because it is SO cute!
This was a knit for the 4th Trimester ministry at my church. Hopefully, some pretty new baby will get to wear it soon!

I also finished a pair of mittens for Little Boy (sadly, no picture). One mitten needed a thumb, and both needed the ends woven in. Strangely enough, they're totally not the same size, despite using the same directions for each of them. I'm pretty sure the size difference has to do with me not counting correctly. Since Little Boy loses mittens on a regular basis, I've decided not to worry about it. At least one of them will be lost before I have a chance to knit a match.

Besides the Anniversary Pi Shawl, I think my only other UFOs are a fair isle hat I started a couple of years ago. That's on hold until I can order more yarn (it was a kit, and totally did NOT come with enough black yarn to complete the hat), and a sweater I started for little girl right after I learned to knit. I'm in no hurry to finish that one, because I don't really have anyone for whom to finish it. Maybe I should just frog it and find another use for the yarn.....hmmm......

In the meantime, I had decided to knit the Viking version of the Central Park Hoodie to be my Rhinebeck sweater, and my mom so nicely bought me some lovely green Cascade 220 Superwash for Christmas. I had a rough time with the back ribbing, but seem to be on track now.

What are you knitting these days?

Milo

2012-01-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

I've had Milo in my favorites on Ravelry for a while now, but I just couldn't seem to find the right excuse to cast on.

Until I realized that my (excuse me while I take a deep breath) grandniece would be at my in-laws' house on Christmas Day. (Yes, you read that right. I'm a great aunt. There's an 18 year age difference in my husband's siblings, and his oldest nephew is only 2 years younger than me. This nephew has a one year old. We've already discussed that the only way this child is going to call me "great aunt" is to describe my awesomeness).

And so, I cast on for Milo using the Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere in my stash. (This was one of the best gifts ever! I received a bag and a half of this from a Ravelry friend, because she doesn't like purple and noticed that I knit a lot of purple. I love purple!)

This picture doesn't show off the pattern very well, but it does capture the color of the yarn much better than the other pictures.
I love this pattern! It's a seamless knit from the top down, and the designer provides several options for the cable down the front. I used this one:

(See, the color is totally off). I think it would be easy enough to swap in any cable or pattern that you liked. The pattern is sized for newborns through 6 year olds. I think I'm going to knit it in worsted weight yarn for Little Girl to make a slightly larger one for her. And honestly, I might even do the math to size one for me! I just think it's super cute. Here's a picture that shows off the final product:
Grandniece's mom really seemed to appreciate that the top was handmade, and even thanked me for including the wash and care instructions. I'm sure grandniece will be getting more handknit items in the future!

Celtic Knot Stole

2012-01-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

I had started this stole in the spring of 2008. I had hoped to make it for my best friend, and when she got engaged that Christmas, I was hoping to have it finished for her wedding.

HA!

It turns out it is impossible to knit with laceweight yarn, or white yarn, when one has a newborn. I've worked a row here, or a row there since then, but it was no where close to being completed. I had decided that 2011 would be the stole's final year on the needles. It had to get done!

It also turns out that 2011 was a year that sucked eggs for my friend. Sucked right up until the end, when she finally decided to wait for 2012 by hiding under the covers, praying that nothing else came along for her to deal with. The sucky part of all of this for me is that I live 8 hours away from her, and I have 4 kids, and it just isn't possible for me to drop everything and go hug her, no matter how many times I've wanted to do last year. And believe me, there's been a ton of times.

2012 holds a lot of questions for my friend, and there's still a lot to deal with, but now, she can wrap herself up in a knitted hug, whenever she needs to. It's not quite the same as having your best friend with you, but hopefully all the love and prayers knit into this stole will make a difference.

I'm actually glad it took me so long to knit this - my chart reading skills and ability to "read" my knitting have improved quite a bit since I began this project, and that made knitting the bulk of it a lot easier. I'm thrilled with the final product.

My friend seemed thrilled too, and I felt quite complimented when her husband exclaimed: "Wow! You're good!"

I hope it helps my friend to have a much happier 2012!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome, 2012!!

We've had a wonderful Christmas, and I'll post about it when we get home (we're at my parents' house until tomorrow.) My resolutions this year are short and simple:

1. Exercise more
I've lost about 20 pounds in the last 16 weeks. In fact, I lost or stayed the same every week except this one (and who doesn't gain a couple of pounds between Christmas and New Year's?) I'd like to lose a few more pounds, but really focus on getting in better shape this year.

2. Knit more
My mom and I have decided to attend the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck this year. I'd like to have one or two new sweaters wear, and I have some yarn for other designated projects I'd like to have knit up before the Festival in October.

3. Read more
This will be a lot easier, because my awesome husband bought me a Nook Color for Christmas! With the adjustable font, it's easy to knit and read at the same time!

Do you have any resolutions for 2012?

Post 366

2011-12-14T12:48:00.000-08:00

I just realized my last post was #365. I've posted a year's worth of posts! (In like, four years, but who's counting?)

I have no pictures, but I wanted to update. I'm still working on the Celtic Knot Stole, although finishing for Christmas still seems within the realm of possibility. Baby girl's stocking is also still in the realm of possibility, but barely.

All of the shopping and most of the wrapping is done. The kids have crafted for grandparents and teachers. They still need to make some cards. I've got 4 kinds of cookies down and 2 more to go.

I'm optimistic that I will be able to relax and enjoy next week. We'll see.....

Knitpicks

2011-11-16T16:52:00.000-08:00

Knitpicks is having a contest to win your wishlist.

In case you're curious, here's my wishlist.

I'm still working on the Celtic Knot Stole, I figured out what was wrong with the mittens, and I've started a new traveling project.

My Christmas shopping is almost done, and if all goes well, I'll be able to spend most of December baking, knitting, and basking in the glow of Christmas lights.

Weight Loss Update

2011-11-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting. I finished a Batman hat for little boy, have knit a mitten that doesn't look like a mitten, started a new mitten that will hopefully look like a mitten, and I've been working on the Celtic Knot Stole. (110 rows plus the border to go!)

I've spent a lot more time exercising and watching what I eat, and....

I'VE LOST 15 POUNDS!!!!

I'm quite excited.

Lace Medallion Socks

2011-10-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

This past summer, as in the two summers before, I participated in the Summer of Socks group on Ravelry. I have continued in my streak of not finishing any socks within the designated timeline, and failing to meet my own personal goal of socks knit during the summer.

This summer I did manage to knit one pair of socks before the summer ended, and today, I finished my second pair! The pattern is Medallion Lace Socks and I bought the yarn from the (now defunct) etsy shop Rainbow and Her Magic Dyes. I've had the yarn for a while and have just been waiting for the perfect sock pattern to go with it.

I think that this is the perfect combination of pattern and yarn. What do you think?

I just slid them onto the sock hangers to photograph them. I think once I wet block them, the lace pattern won't be so bumpy and the socks will be perfect! Here's a close up of the lace pattern (you can all share my amazement that my camera didn't go all blurry during the close-up)

I hope to work on the Celtic Knot Stole and a Christmas stocking for Baby Girl. I have to come up with a new traveling project. I'm thinking of this hat for Little Boy. And matching mittens. Because tonight, he asked me to make him some mittens!

Happy Knitting!

The Yarn Harlot

2011-10-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went to a book reading by the Yarn Harlot. As expected, I laughed so hard that I cried. Plus, it always helps to hang out with people who don't think you're weird for asking to pet their sweater.

I managed to start the foot of my second green sock. I have dreams of finishing it by the end of the week. We'll see....

I'm pretty tired today, and my annoying allergies have turned into a full-blown cold. Luckily, I had some leftover soup for lunch

Green is the Color....

2011-10-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

Of the sweatshirt I've been wearing

Cooler weather has finally settled in

Of the socks that I'm knitting

The August Summer of Socks socks are coming along slowly

Of Little Boy's Cast

He fractured his arm on the school playground by running into a pole

Of the Kitchener Stitch Key Chain my mom gave me

Will come in handy, since I have one of the Summer of Socks socks waiting to be kitchenered

And maybe of me - a little envious of all those attending the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend!

New Year Resolutions

2011-09-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

Since once upon a time, I was a teacher, and before I was a teacher I was a student, and I'm married to a teacher, and I have three kids in school, the start of a fresh new year is truly September. You've probably noticed that there hasn't been a lot of posting on the Mommy+Knitter blog lately, and you've probably noticed that there is even less knitting.

This is an accurate reflection of my life at the moment.

We had a great summer. I've had a spectacularly busy new school year.

1. Little Boy started kindergarten yesterday. He did great. He loves it. I'm sure he'll have a great year socially, and I hope he pays a little attention in class!

2. I signed up to get Flylady daily digests. Over the last year my house has become more and more disorganized, and I needed a plan. Over the last two weeks, things look a lot better, and that's making me a lot calmer.

3. I joined Weight Watchers. Over the last year I've gained about 20 pounds. That means I weight about 25 pounds too much, and the weight has to go. I've looked into WW before, but it was always too expensive. HOWEVER, right now they have a deal where they waive the registration fee and you get two months for the price of one. I've been working the program for one week, and I've lost 2.4 lbs. Yeah me!

4. I also bought a Zumba DVD set, since I really loved the Zumba class I took last spring, and realized a. my husband teaches the same night as the class and b. I need to exercise more than once a week. The set came with a 10-day drop a dress size plan. I'm sure that's contributed to my weight loss, but it also means I'm really stinkin' tired by the end of the day.

5. After dinner, I've been making an effort to spend good time with the kids, shine my kitchen sink (it's a flylady thing), make 4 lunches so they're all ready for the next day, read my Bible, and do assorted other things that just have to get done. You'll notice, knitting isn't anywhere on that list.

I'm hoping that after we settle into the kindergarten/grade school/middle school schedule, I'll be able to carve out some knitting time. In the meantime, I'm trying not to let it upset me. The yarn isn't going anywhere.

Happy knitting to you, if you have the time to do some!

Fairytale Dress

2011-08-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Last night, I finally finished Baby Girl's Fairytale Dress. Actually, I finished it yesterday afternoon, except for the flower, but I had some flower issues. I finally appealed to my neighbor, and she quickly crocheted a flower for me. I sewed it on last night, and Baby Girl wore the dress today!

Not only do I love it, but so does Baby Girl! As of today, it fits her perfectly! (Which her big sister's flip flops do not!)

The yarn is Bristol Yarn Gallery Lyndon Hill. I love this fingering weight cotton/silk blend. It's a dream to work with in the summer, and it washed really nicely in the machine on gentle cycle. (I used this same yarn to knit up Little Sister's Shirt last summer). I did make a few modifications to the dress. I don't like knitting i-cord, so instead I picked up stitches around the armseyes and did a few rows of seed stitch. I also picked up three stitches on each corner of the dress, and knit seed stitch straps.

The pattern does state that the outfit can last for several years, going from a dress to a tank top. The pattern cleverly inserts ribbing along the side of the dress to help facilitate the multiple sizes. I think this is brilliant! However, I didn't check gauge, and right now, the ribbing is pretty much stretched to its limit. I'm not sure how long this dress will fit my fast growing girl (who has skipped size 2T altogether, and is quickly growing out of her 3T clothes. And she's not even two and a half yet!), but I'll make sure she wears it often in the next few weeks!

I've been carrying around my August Summer of Socks socks this week, and I finally pulled the Birthday Pi out of hibernation. I'd love to get both of these projects done by the end of September, but we'll see how it goes.

Happy knitting!

Waiting for Irene

2011-08-28T12:19:00.001-07:00

We're hanging out inside today, periodically checking the basement for water, watching the wind, and waiting for the storm to blow over.

We spent most of yesterday getting ready for Irene - getting anything off the floor of the basement, stocking up on bread, peanut butter, and water. So far, it's rainy and windy, but all the trees are intact. We've had a little bit of water in the basement, but not much. Thankfully, the power is still on. We're hoping it stays that way!

Last night, I finished up the body of Baby Girl's Fairytale Dress, and today, I'm hoping to finish knitting the straps. I'm working on it now, while we watch The Sound of Music.

Happy knitting!

I'm an Idiot

2011-08-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting the Fairytale Dress for the baby. Today, I bound off the front of the dress, four different times. I had various problems with the give of the bind off, dropping some stitches, and running out of yarn. I eventually solved all those problem and managed to knit the back and bind that off too.

And then I went and read the directions, and realized I had a skipped a whole part of the dress.

I've put the dress in timeout, and will rip it out tomorrow.

How's your knitting going?

Vacation

2011-08-16T15:55:00.001-07:00

I know, I continue to be a bad blogger. But this time, my excuse is really good! We've been on vacation!

We headed up to my parents' house outside of Buffalo for a week. We went to the beach, visiting the county fair, and had a generally relaxing time as the kids ran around the yard. Even better though, DH and I left the kids with my parents for the weekend and headed to the Finger Lakes Wine Region.

We toured Fox Run Vineyards, during their annual garlic festival. Not only did we get to see how the grapes are grown
and how the wine is made,
we also got to taste some!Besides wine, we learned that there are a whole lot of garlic varieties, tasted some yummy maple sugar cotton candy, and I bought some really pretty beaded bracelets. In retrospect, we probably should have visited another vineyard, just to compare experiences. If you're really into wine and tastings, the Finger Lakes are a great place to go on the East Coast!

The weather wasn't the best, but didn't really interfere with our plans. We moved our picnic to the porch of our amazing Bed and Breakfast
and hiked Watkins Glen in the rain.
We also spent a lot of time on the porch playing Scrabble and Backgammon, walking around Geneva, and soaking in all the uninterrupted conversation time.

I can't say enough about what a treat our weekend was!

As an added treat, I won a contest over at Irisheyes Kathy's knitting blog! She sent me the most lovely skein of sock yarn! Thank you, Kathy!
I recently read something (on Knitting Daily maybe?) about pattern stitches designed specifically for self-striping yarn. Any ideas?

Happy Knitting!

Didn't This Used to Be a Knitting Blog?

2011-07-28T16:54:00.001-07:00

Photo0308, a photo by dorriejean on Flickr.

I know, I haven't blogged about anything in forever.

I've had a lot to talk about, but very little of it is knitting related. A lot of it is mommy related (or more accurately, step-mommy related), but not necessarily the kind of thoughts that I want to randomly throw out into the universe.

There has been a tiny bit of knitting going on. I finished my first pair of Summer of Socks socks, five days late, sadly. You can see them in the photo above. I knit them out of Maizy, a yarn made from corn!

I've done a lot more reading - Pilgrim's Progress, The Pillars of the Earth, and several beachy, romantic comedy type books, and this, a book I highly recommend to all stepmothers. I seem incapable of reading and knitting at the same time.

I hope to be a better knitter and blogger in the future, but we'll see how it goes.

Stanley Cup

2011-06-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

There was a rather large crowd in Boston today.
(Some of us got to hang out above the crowd, which was more pleasant than being in the middle of it.)
All to cheer for the Stanley Cup winning team!

My Lucky Month

2011-06-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty lucky lately.

The other week, I won a copy of the current Knitcircus.

Yesterday, we went to a healthy living event put on by our city. While there, I won a baseball through one of the many raffles that were held throughout the day. Now true, a baseball is not a huge thing, but I still won it!

Today, I received a phone call that I won a free week at a local gym, including a personal training session.

I think I should go buy a lottery ticket!

Tropical Dolly

2011-06-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

One of the Tropical Lily projects I had favorited on Ravelry was for a doll. Since I had some Cascade Luna left, and needed a no-thought project to take the park, I made one for Little Girl's Bitty Baby.

Bitty Baby seems to like it. We'll see if she holds on to it. The Bitty Twin hasn't seen it yet, and she might get jealous.

I altered the back to just have ties around the waist and neck. I thought about sewing on snaps or buttons, but this was much easier.

Little Boy tells me his doll, Baby Al, would like a boy version of this top. We'll see if it happens.

Happy knitting!

The Issue with Gauge

2011-05-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

I know, as you know, that a good knitter always knits a gauge swatch.

I also know, as you know, that sometimes (or a lot of times), a knitter doesn't bother to knit a gauge swatch, and that often, it doesn't matter.

This is not the case in this story.

I cast on last month for a Tropical Lily for Baby Girl, using some Cascade Luna that I bought on the North Shore Yarn Crawl. I really loved the blues and purples of the yarn, and totally imagined how the colors would bring out Baby Girl's bright blue eyes.

I cast on the appropriate number of stitches using a size 7 needle as called for in the pattern, and I knit. I realized as I was knitting that the pinafore would be a little wide, but I decided that Baby Girl could always wear it next summer. Too big is always better than too small when it comes to clothes for children.

I followed the pattern, except to make a button tab instead of ties at the back. (I just didn't like the bulk of knitted ties). And, instead of putting buttons on the ends of the strap, I put the buttons on the inside of the waistband, and made 4 buttonholes on each strap, so the size could be adjusted as needed. Feeling very clever, I blocked the top, being careful not to add any extra width, but hoping to add a little length.

And as expected, the top is too big for Baby Girl.

Unexpectedly, it is also ever so slightly too large for Little Girl. Thankfully, only slightly.

She wore it to school today.

The moral of the story: Sometimes, when you don't check gauge, it still turns out alright.

Happy Knitting!

Hello, Again.

2011-05-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

Despite its lack of appearance on this blog, there has been knitting going on.

I've knit two slouchy hats (that story is a blog post all its own):

I'm almost done with a Tropical Lily for baby girl:

And I'm on the start of Clue #4 out of 5 on the Birthday Pi Shawl:

Progress has been kind of slow because it's been pretty busy around here.

My cousin got married in Alexandria Bay, NY.

I made the kransekage, the traditional Norwegian Wedding Cake:

Alexandria Bay is a 7 hour drive through 4 states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York). I used knitmap to locate the yarn shops I would be passing, and stopped at three of them in Vermont on my way to New York. I bought a skein of sock yarn and a skein of worsted weight wool, but I haven't taken any pictures of them.

Little boy graduated from preschool the following Friday, and as a member of the parent board, I had a lot of running around to do to get ready for the graduation after-party. We're so proud of our little boy, and so glad that he had such a positive first school experience!

I've also been very busy meeting with brides and grooms whose weddings I'm coordinating at church. I had three weddings in May, and three more in June. I LOVE doing weddings, but it always makes for a busy weekend.

I'm hoping to make it to my knitting group tonight. I haven't been there in months!

Happy Knitting!

He is Risen!

2011-04-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

He is risen indeed!

Little Boy

2011-04-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Little Boy turned 5. 5!!! I can hardly believe it!!

My boy is a runner, and has been since he could walk. He hits the ground running in the morning, and runs all day. In fact, the only complaint we hear from his teachers is that he needs to use walking feet more, and running feet less. He is a natural athlete, and we can't wait to see what sports he will pick as his (although DH is hoping hockey and I'm hoping baseball. I have a feeling it might be track). Despite his athletic toughness, he's sensitive, and his feelings are easily hurt.

Of all the kids, Little Boy seems to have the best sense of humor. He's often "jokin' around". And he's lost a front tooth, and the other tooth is a little crooked, and when he smiles, oh my goodness, he lights up the whole room! Little boy is also a hug cuddlebug, and gives everyone a ton of hugs a day.

I know it's crazy, but his first word was "broom". This boy loves to clean! He's a huge help around the house, and loves that he can help out by vacuuming. (I usually give him a quarter to vacuum to the furniture. He love's using the upholstry brush). He's also a tremendous organizer, and has been known to disappear into the basement (storage central in our house), just to "make things neater."

Like most boys, Little boy aspires to be like his Daddy. He wanted a yellow cake this year, because that's what kind of cake Daddy has. He has recently acquired a toolbelt, and has been helping Daddy with a project to fix the bunk beds. He's so proud of himself!

Little boy is far from perfect. He has a hard time listening sometimes, and he can be really impulsive. And he insists on writing his name from the right to the left, which is impeding his ability to get his own library card (and he really wants his own card!) But he's sweet, and friendly, and so full of laughter. I am truly blessed to have been entrusted with this child.

Happy birthday my dear sweet boy. I love you!

Slump

2011-04-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed I haven't blogged much lately. And, you may also have noticed that I haven't really knit anything since the beginning of last month. I just haven't been feeling like it latley. This is not good news, as I have recently spent a lot of money on yarn. Some of the yarn has been bought in quantities to make baby girl things for this summer. Things that I cannot make it a larger size given the quantities of yarn that I bought.

I should really start knitting.

I have a few projects on the needles - Falling Stars, by Knitpicks. I enjoy the color work, but I find alternating both color and knit/purl stitches tedious, and the chart really requires focus, and I havne't had much of that lately. A top secret project which has been more ripping than knitting, and an Oriental Lily which is kind of boring. Plus, the forever-lasting Celtic Knot stole. Again, the whole chart/focus thing. I'm hoping that my desire/need to knit comes back, and soon. I'm assuming it's missing for any combination of the following reasons:

Legitimate family stress that just is, and the process of working through that stress is kind of draining. I think I regularly underestimate the stress of 4 kids. I don't like dwelling on it, but I have to admit that it tires out a mommy.
Lack of immediate interest in my OTN projects
Apparent inability to start a new project until at least one of the OTN projects is done. I keep reminding myself of what the Yarn Harlot says - "There are no knitting police"
Time. Housework can take up a lot of time. The weather is nicer so I'm outside with the kids a lot more, and I'm trying to be more active so I can lose a few pounds before my cousin's wedding next month. All of this takes up time that I could be knitting.
The possibility that my knitting mojo has gone on vacation without me.

I'm hopeful that this slump ends soon. I'm hopeful that the Red Sox' slump ends soon too, but I'm not holding my breath.

We'll see how things go.

I do hope that you're happily knitting!

Nothing to Post....

2011-03-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

I mean literally, nothing.

Haven't knit at all in the last three days, and not much for the week before that. In fact, last week disappeared in about three minutes.

I'm spring cleaning, I'm tired, and I'm grumpy.

Hopefully, I'll have knitting content sometime next week.

North Shore Yarn Crawl

2011-03-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Part I: How to Prepare for a Yarn Crawl

Save every dollar you can for two months leading up the crawl. Stop buying treats for the kids, look under the couch cushions for quarters, and maniacally clip coupons, pocketing the savings
Print out Ravelry queue and relevant yarn information
Analyze map, planning out most efficient route
Assemble queue printout, crawl passport, and map in one place

Assemble assorted snacks and prizes to hand out to small children who will be dragged to too many stores in one day.

Part II: Go on Crawl

Hit 5 stores in one day with two small children in tow.
Bribe children at each store to behave by promising various snacks/treats/lunch*
Regularly consult queue and budget and compare to stock at various shops.
Repeatedly remind children not to run through various stores.
Continually find gorgeous yarn that you love but cannot afford.
Buy yarn and yarn related items, almost all related to the queue:

Purchases:

Knitting Lace Triangles, by Evelyn Clark. Purchased at Cranberry Fiber Arts, and an item I was actively looking for on the crawl.
Louet Euroflax purchased at Loom with a View, designated for a secret project
Cascade Yarns Luna, purchased at Sit 'n Knit to knit Baby Girl a Tropical Lily
Little Box of Knitted Gifts purchased at The Village Stitchery (for $2!!!). Impulse purchase.
3 skeins of purple Lyndon Hill purchased at Butterfly Knits to make a Fairy Tale Dress for baby girl. I also got the pink tape measure there as a gift with purchase.
1 skein of pink Lyndon Hill purchased at Toni Lee's Knitting Nook to make flowers for the Fairy Tale Dress
1 skein of Malabrigo lace purchased at Coveted Yarns, impulse buy.

Overall, I'm really pleased with my purchases, and I had a great time checking out all the stores. Now, I'm hoping that I've won one of the great raffle prizes!

Part III: Exhaustion

Spend two days recovering from fiber overload

Part IV: Knit!

*Before you judge me on the bribery thing, cut me some slack. The kids are 4 and 2. One store, I just expect them to behave. 5 stores, one day, it's a little much. Believe me, they were SO good! Well worth the Fruit Loops, Cheez Its, Candy Store stop, and lunch at MacDonald's.

Six

2011-03-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

This morning, at 8:18 a.m., Little Girl turned 6 years old.

Her birthdays always affects me the most; I'm sure because she's my first. I still remember being scared on my way to the hospital, and the days it took to sink in that I was really a mother. I remember how strange it felt, to hold this little creature in my arms, who for so long had been a part of me. I feel like she was so patient with me, as I learned how to take care of her.

I wish you could all meet my Little Girl. She's wicked smart. She loves to learn just for learning's sake, and she asks questions all the time, but really well thought out ones. She's very artistic, and loves that, in kindergarten, she gets to paint a little bit every day. Little Girl is attentive to everyone. I never need to tell her to make someone a card for their birthday or a holiday. She naturally thinks of others. She almost always says "please" and "thank you" without being reminded.

Sometimes it's hard to watch her navigate the kindergarten social scene. She's not always sure how to handle it when a friend doesn't want to do what she wants to do, or wants to play with someone else. She takes these things rather personally, and has a hard time recognizing that it's often not about her. Thankfully, she gets over things pretty quickly. She seems to have a definite sense of self, and I pray that this helps her to resist peer pressures as she gets older. For now though, I'm thankful for all the moments I get to share with her.

Bamboo/Silk

2011-03-07T10:13:00.001-08:00

Last summer, I bought one skein of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk. I bought it on the day we drove out to Ipswich to eat at The Clam Box (we go once a year. We often go with my parents. It's just one of those things we do in the summer). It's pretty, and soft, and felt like a nice end to vacation yarn buying.

Last week, I finally wound the skein into a ball, and knit this:
The pattern is Fern Lace Cowl. It's a pretty pattern, although this is a perfect example of how much blocking can do for lace. The yarn is also pretty, and all knit up, it looks nice. Until you put it around your neck. And then, it just hangs there, looking like a bunch of red yarn hanging around your neck. There's no body, and no style. The only word to describe it is "whatever".

I knew that bamboo would have a lot of drape. I had several conversations with knitters well acquainted with bamboo, and they all thought a cowl would be a lovely thing to make from the scant 99 yards of yarn that I had. I'm wondering now if I should have done something with a little cable, or just a solid textured stitch, something to give it some body.

What do you think? What would you do with the cowl now? Would you frog it? Or just hide it a drawer? If you had one skein of 99 yards of bamboo/silk, what would you make?

11 and 2

2011-03-02T14:34:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Big Boy's birthday. He turned 11. Today, Baby Girl turned 2. They were dangerously close to sharing a birthday, but we worked it out so they each have their own day. Some thoughts on my children....

Big Boy - never, in a million years, did I think that step-parenting would be oh so challenging. I didn't expect it to be perfect, but I wasn't expecting to become your full-time mom, and I certainly didn't expect the plethora and layers of emotions this would entail. All of this compounded by two personalities that do not exactly.....mesh. Well, it's not picture perfect. But, oh, my Big Boy, I'm so glad to have you. You challenge me every day to be more loving, more compassionate, more easy-going, and just plain, better. I've learned to accept that I will never be everything you want, but I strive each and every day to be what you need. I know I fail often, but I hope you know that I intend to keep trying, and hope to get it right more often than I get it wrong. I'm so proud of you. I'm proud of how hard you try in school, and I'm proud of your improvement this year in hockey (and SO proud that I got to see that game winning goal!) I love that you are so your own person, and it's great to see you developing friendships on your own terms. I love your attention to details, and your efforts to perfect all your referee motions. Most importantly, I love you!

Baby Girl - I can't believe you're already two! You are so independent and opinionated! Despite your lack of words, my little Curious George sound-alike, you are marvelously adept at getting your point across. Your unique combination of persistance, sweetness, tenaciousness, and fearlessness makes you the belle of the playground. I love when you sing with me, especially when you do the motions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider". I love that you cuddle with me in the morning, and give lots of hugs and kisses during the day. Your beautiful face is a constant bright spot in my days, and I am more thankful than you will ever know for these days home with you. It's a whole different world parenting with experience, and I hope the lessons I've learned from the other kids make me a better mom to you. I love you, and I can't wait to watch you take the next steps away from babyhood. You are, thus far, a most interesting and fun individual. I love you.

Knitting content to come......

The Oscars

2011-02-27T17:48:00.001-08:00

I'm watching the Oscars. I love the Oscars. I love seeing what everyone on the red carpet is wearing, and I love hearing the acceptance speeches, and I really just enjoy the whole show.

I tend to enjoy the show more when I've actually seen a couple of the movies that are nominated. I don't know about the rest of you, but since I've had kids, seeing movies happens pretty rarely. This year, after many years of seeing none of the referenced movies, I've seen two of them. I took my MIL to see The King's Speech for her birthday. She loves the movies. The last movie she saw in the theater was The Lake House, and that's kind of crazy. I also went out by myself a couple of weekends ago and saw Black Swan. I didn't really like the movie, but it deserves its nominations. I was hoping to have a date with my husband to see The Fighter, but we haven't been able to make it happen yet.

One of the things they don't tell you when you have kids is that movie dates are difficult to make happen. Evening showtimes start at 4, and the babysitter is never available before then. Tickets and popcorn (because what's a movie without popcorn) and soda (because popcorn makes you thirsty), and the babysitter cost a small fortune, and that's if you can find a night that both you and your husband are free from other obligations to go. It's rough. It's really rough if you love going to the movies as much as I do.

I just realized that I've seen another nominated movie: Toy Story 3. My MIL gave it to the kids for Valentine's Day. It's super cute!

I love going to the movies. I love sitting right in the middle of the theater, eating popcorn without extra butter, and a large diet coke. If I'm going all out, I'll include a bag of peanut M&Ms. I try to pay attention to the previews, and make note of movies I would really like to see in the theater. I don't mind going to the movies by myself. In fact, I even kind of like it. Maybe next year I'll do a better job of seeing more movies.

And so, I'm watching the Oscars, making a list of movies to watch when they become available on DVD, and the public library or Red Box has them in stock.

What do you think of my list? What movies should I add? Any past Oscar nominees I shouldn't overlook?

The Fighter
True Grit
The Social Network
The Kids are Alright
The Postman (I think. It's movie from a few years ago. The actor won an Oscar and walked across the seats).
Gone With the Wind (I've seen it. I own it. It's hard to find enough time without kids roaming around to watch it.
Rabbit Hole
That movie Jeff Bridges was in last year
Winter's Bone (what is that movie about anyway?)
Blue Valentine (I like that Ryan Gosling)

BTW - I'm not knitting. I'm eating popcorn.

Take and Replace Swap

2011-02-18T16:09:00.001-08:00

I was fortunate to take part in IrishEyes Kathy's Take and Replace Swap. The concept is brilliant - a box of knitterly fun arrives at your door, you take out of it what you want, replacing each item with some other knitterly item. I've been feeling the need to take part in a swap, and this one seemed ideal for me. I used it as an excuse to go through and organize my stash, and came up with more than a few items I would be willing to trade.

Here's my take:

Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles by Cat Bordhi, Start Spinning by Maggie Casey, an Ashford Drop Spindle (much lighter than the one I already have), Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the first knitting book I ever read - I borrowed it from the library. I love having my own copy!), and cute "Knit with Love" gift cards.

I can't show you what I put in. Not only would it ruin the surprises for the next person, I never thought to take a picture of it.

Sadly, I haven't done much knitting lately. I have been watching the second season of Thirtysomething. Do you know this show from the late '80s? I watched it in reruns as a teenager. My friends and I dreamed of growing up and marrying someone Michael Steadman-like - responsible, loving husband and father, and ridiculously good looking. You know what? I totally married someone just like that!

Happy knitting!

Princess Mitts

2011-02-11T06:48:00.000-08:00

I finished the Princess Mitts last week, but just got around to snapping a photo of them:

The yarn is Aslan Trends Royal Alpaca, and it is SO soft and warm! Overall, I'm pleased with the mitts. I found the pattern to be really satisfying to knit, especially in the nice yarn. However, I do have a few issues with them:

1. I wish they were tighter. If I were to knit them again, I think I would go down a needle size.

2. On Wednesday, I realized that I knit the thumb gussets differently. On one of the mitts I correctly kept the 2x2 rib. On the other one, I did the gusset in stockinette stitch. As it took me four days of wearing them to realize the problem, I'm not going to worry about it too much, but it does irk me a bit.

3. On the right-handed mitt, I bound off in the 2x2 rib. On the left mitt, I bound off knitwise. The right mitt is stretchier at the top, but it doesn't lay as nicely as the left. The left feels like if I stretched my hand enough, I could snap the stitches. If I were to do these again, I'd bind off all stitches knitwise.

None of these issues are significant enough for me to go back and fix them. I don't think anyone else will notice them while I'm wearing them at hockey practice, so I can knit on other things.

Right now, those other things include a mitten, and a sweater swatch. They're both going slow, as knitting time has been limited. The kids have very busy lives, and I have to keep up!

Happy knitting!

Lia

2011-02-02T11:04:00.001-08:00

I finished Lia last night. Monday night, I sewed in the sleeves, which was kind of tense for me, but I think they look alright. However, when I put the sweater on, I found that the neckline was MUCH too wide and deep for me. I was kind of bummed, because I expected to love this sweater once it was on. Thankfully, this problem was easily solved by adding some ribbing around the neckline. What do you think?
I'm pleased with the length of the sleeves, and the body length is fine, but I think another inch would have been slightly more fine. Here is a close-up of the cable detail:
Overall, I'm really pleased with the sweater, and very proud of myself for blocking the pieces and successfully sewing in the sleeves. Of the three sweaters I've knit myself so far, this one is my favorite and will probably see the most use.

Here are the details: The pattern is Lia, from Knitty Deep Fall 2010. The yarn is Knitpicks Wool of the Andes. I ordered 7 skeins and used less than 5. (Note to self: I have yet to knit a sweater using the amount of yarn called for in the pattern). Also, the pattern called for size 11 needles, but I got gauge with size 13 needles.

I'm hoping to finish up my Princess Mitts and than move on to some other projects.....

Today was another snow day, but it's sleeting so there's no playing outside. The neighborhood little kids were here earlier making Valentine's Day cards. Things ended a little early though, because ALL of the kids were super whiny. So, it's rest time now. I'm thinking about taking a nap myself.

Happy knitting (or napping!) to you!

Blocking

2011-01-30T06:19:00.001-08:00

Little girl is a little under the weather, so she and I stayed home from church today. So, I used the time to block Lia!

My camera doesn't really pick up the cabling detail on the black, but trust me, it's there!

Knitting Updates

2011-01-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

Here (finally) is a picture of the 5 hour Baby Sweater:
I'm really pleased with it, especially in this yarn! I hope it makes some new mommy happy.

I'm getting to the home stretch with Lia. As of right now, I'm two-thirds of the way through the second sleeve. I'm pretty sure I should block it before I sew the sleeves in. I think. I don't really know, since I've never sewn sleeves into a sweater before, and I've never blocked anything in the round. I'll be doing some research on that later.

After Lia is done, I'll be finishing up my Princess Mitts and finding a new traveling project. I think it will be an Oriental Lily for 4th Trimester, but we'll see. I also have a new part of my secret project to work on, another sweater for myself to swatch, and I'd really like to start on the Carmen Banana kit my husband bought me last year.

I have very few thoughts about the mountains of housework that should be getting done, and should probably try to readjust my priorities.

It's really hard.

Happy Knitting!

Olympic Hat

2011-01-23T16:34:00.001-08:00

I finally finished the Olympic Hat that I knit my aunt for Christmas. I actually finished duplicate stitching the moose two weeks ago, but I was avoiding weaving in all the ends and making the tassels. I'm pretty pleased with the end result:

It is a little bigger than I would have liked, but it fits my husband nicely. If I were to make it again, I would omit some of the white rows before and after the moose. The good news is, if it's really cold, my aunt could fold the brim under and have an extra warm, still pretty hat.

I started a 5-hour baby sweater the other week at church. I'm pretty sure it's taken me 10 hours to finish. I still have to weave in the ends (do you notice a theme to my procrastination), but hopefully I'll get to post pictures later this week. I hope to start the first sleeve for Lia tonight. We'll see how it goes.

Tomorrow we're back to the grindstone - drop-off, drop-off, errands, pick-up, clean up stuff, pick-up, make dinner, cycle everyone to bed......I'm hoping to actually make it the knitting group I was attending before the holidays. Again, we'll see how it goes.

Happy knitting!

Eyelet Scarf

2011-01-20T14:59:00.001-08:00

For my birthday, my SIL gave me the book 60 Quick Knits and a skein of Cascade 220. My first project from the book is the Eyelet Scarf. it's a one skein scarf, so it's not as long as I would like. If I ever make this again, I will simply buy another skein to make it longer.

The pattern is REALLY pretty, and easy to memorize. I love the bubblegum pink color, and am thinking about making a matching hat (someday).

(That's Buster posing with the scarf)

I really like this book, and hope to make the monkey hat and a pair of mittens from it this year.

I've also finished the front of Lia, and hope to finish the back neck shaping tonight.

In other news, we still have snow here in New England, and there's talk of school being closed tomorrow. The little kids and I have been ice skating a couple of times a week (our city has AWESOME free skating hours! 9-11 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays). Baby girl has double-bladed skates that fit over her boots (please don't comment telling me how double-bladed skates aren't good for kids. She's not even two yet. Just be impressed she's on the ice). She tends to wear them for about 20 minutes, and then kicks off her boots. However, since there's usually only about 5 people on the ice (including us), I just take the skates off and let her walk around on the ice. Little Boy's skating skills are improving dramatically, and he spends his time playing imaginary games as he skates around. Usually, the games are between the Bruins and Sabres, but sometimes the Rangers show up to play too.

I hope you're enjoying whatever winter weather has come your way!

Happy knitting!

Snow Sky

2011-01-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

This is the view I saw today after sledding down a decently steep hill, hitting a bump, losing the sled, and rolling down the rest of the hill.

We've had two great snow days!

I have been regularly composing blog posts in my head, but actually sitting down and typing them has felt like a lot of work, so it hasn't been happening. I've decided I'm okay with that.

I've been knitting - finished a scarf, am halfway through a 5-hour baby sweater, and just finished the chart of the body of Lia. Maybe you'll see pictures soon.

Happy knitting!

2011 - FO #1

2011-01-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

Last night, I had my first finished object of 2011 - a Drawstring Hat. I've wanted to knit this hat since I bought the Knitsimple Holiday Issue of 2008, but kept putting it off to knit more urgently needed or "important" things. In this year of knitting what I feel like knitting, and the fact that Little Girl was complaining about last year's hat falling in her eyes, and the fact that last year's hat is hot pink and this year's coat is purple, I decided that I wanted to knit this hat now.

Actually, I started the hat last year. December 26th to be exact. But, I had already decided upon this knitting resolution, and I need something that I could knit in the dark in the car on the way to my parents' house. I used Encore worsted, and adjusted the number of cast-on stitches for the heavier yarn and larger needles (I believe I cast on 88 stitches). I worked the 2X2 rib in the car once it got too dark to work on my aunt's Olympic Hat. I worked the 2x2 rib in the evenings at my parents' when I sat in the dark trying to keep Baby Girl from climbing out of her pack 'n play and go to sleep. I also got some significant length by knitting my way through "Yogi Bear" at the movie theater (thanks to my other aunt, who sent us a check and note telling us to "take the kids to the movies." I got enough time to finish the ribbing yesterday when I took Big Boy to his hockey game.

I started to crochet the edging at the game as well (I used some Marble Chunky left over from my cabled sweater). I didn't get very far - crocheting edging takes me a while. In fact, I only edged the top of the hat, because I was afraid my bad crochet skills would stop the hat from being stretchy enough to fit to Little Girl's head. I crocheted a chain to cinch the top and spent most of last night trying to make pompoms. I settled for the ones you see in the picture, but they're not as nice as the ones my mom would have made. I'll have to add pompom making to my list of skills on which to improve.

Have you finished anything yet?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Although I didn't get to do all of the family things I like to do at Christmas (family craft night? Nope. Family sleep out in front of the tree? Nope. Baking cookies with the kids? Not so much), I did have all the gifts wrapped and bought early enough in the month that there wasn't a lot of stress the days before Christmas.

I love going to church on Christmas Eve - I love the lights, and the music, and the focus on the true meaning of Christmas. After church we go to my brother-in-law's house for a wonderful seafood feast. This year's menu included octopus. It was tasty, but I had a rough time eating the pieces with the little suction cup things.

Both my husband and my mom took care of my yarn needs this Christmas - I have enough yarn to knit two sweaters for myself. The kids seem pretty happy with their gifts, and my brother and SIL seem to like the socks I made them. However, the highlight of my knitting Christmas came yesterday. On the way home from my parents', we had dinner with my aunt and her husband. I made them both hats. I made my aunt the Olympic Hat (although, it's not done. I still have some duplicate stitching to do. But, I let her unwrap it anyway), and I made her husband two plain guy hats. He LOVED them! He told me the last time he had received a handmade hat he was 12. When I talked to my mom later that night, she told me he was wearing one of the hats around the house. Obviously, I'll knit for him anytime!

As always, I have some knitting resolutions for the New Year. This year, I resolve the following:

1. To finish the Celtic Knot Stole (because really, it's getting ridiculous).

2. To knit for myself. I don't mean I'm only knitting items for me to keep (although, there will be a lot of that), but I'm going to knit what I want to knit, and not get bogged down by knitting deadlines or knitting things I'm not super excited about because I think I need to. I'm going to focus on the projects I already have yarn for and keep meaning to get to, and on the things in my queue.

3. To get serious on my secret knitting project.

What are your 2011 Knitting Resolutions?

Just Not Feelin' It

2010-12-12T03:45:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed, I haven't been blogging lately. No particular reason, except I just haven't felt like it. I was feeling a little bit guilty about it, but I've let that feeling go.

I've been knitting a little. I finished my SIL's socks:
And, I finished socks for my brother (although, I still have to weave in the ends and block them). I've finished knitting slippers for our babysitter, but they still have to be seamed and felted. I've started a super-quick cowl for a last minute gift (literally, this thing is going to take less than 5 hours to finish).

I'm still tracking down yarn to finish Little Boy's stocking, and have to wind the yarn for the Olympic hat my aunt wants. I've given up on the idea of finishing the Celtic Knot Stole, but am putting it on high priority for 2011. I've also given up any thought of korknisse, or any other ornament. I've found a Batman hat I much rather knit for Little Boy.

Thankfully, all my Christmas shopping is done. I'm hoping to get to addressing my cards early this week, and will do a little baking each day. With a bit of extra effort this week, I'll finish up almost everything this week and spend next week semi-relaxing.

We'll see how it goes.

The Holiday Season Begins!

2010-11-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! My family had a blast! Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the kids to show you - Superheros have to protect their true identity you know. Big boy went as "An Army Guy", but the little kids all went with a bat theme. We had Bat Girl, Sidekick Robin, and Bat Baby. I made their costumes out of t-shirts, cotton fabric, and heat 'n bond. Couldn't have been easier, more affordable, or I think, more cute!
Today marks the beginning of serious holiday preparations. I've already bought some gifts for Christmas, but I'm starting to form definite ideas and will be looking for sales and specials between now and the week before Christmas. If all goes well, everything will be bought, if not wrapped, by then.

Christmas knitting seems to be going well. I've been working on my sister's-in-law socks. Last night I turned the heel of the first sock, and hoping to kitchner the toe by the end of the week.
Little boy's stocking is on hiatus until I get some more green yarn.

In case you're interested, Cat Borhdi has come up with a cool way to spin and exercise at the same time. Check it out!

Slippers

2010-10-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

We've had another busy week here. Big Boy's hockey season is in full swing, and the little kids started a learn to skate program. Plus, my parent were here! There was a lot of sewing and running around to get Halloween costumes done. The kids are all set and are very excited for the weekend.

I made us a goat cheese and tomato tart one day for lunch:

It was SO GOOD! (And easy! You can find the recipe here).

My Dad and I went to see the movie "Red" with Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich. If the cast alone doesn't make you want to go see it, it's a really fun action movie. I love going to the movies, and I don't treat myself to them nearly enough!

There was a little bit of knitting this week. I knit up a pair of slippers for Little Girl:

The pattern is from Fiber Trends. I used Patons Classic Wool and some fun fur I had in my stash. The slippers knit up really quickly, and I hope to make a pair for just about everyone in the house. I'm a little nervous about the fit. The first time I felted them and had Little Girl try them on, they were a bit big and slipped off her feet. I put them through the washer a second time, and now Little Girl says they're a little tight. I'm hoping they'll stretch with wear.

I've also knit a bit on my sister's-in-law sock, and started Little Boy's Christmas stocking last night at my knitting group. It looks like the Christmas knitting is on track.

Happy Knitting!

Progress

2010-10-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad to report that I've made Christmas knitting progress! I just finished kitchner stitching the toe for Little Girl's stocking. I still have to weave in the ends, and put on Little Girl's name, but it feels good to be done with the knitting! (I actually can't remember which side of the stocking I put Big Boy's name on last year, so I won't do that until we unpack the Christmas decorations).

I have a wedding to coordinate at church this weekend, so I'll be casting on for my sister's-in-law socks. I would really rather do my brother's sock, since one is already done, but I still haven't managed to wind the second skein of yarn that I need.

On the mommy side of life, things are...challenging. Hopefully, I'm growing through this process, but right now, I would rather stamp my feet, hide under my covers, and eat ice cream. Nobody ever said being a mature grown-up would be easy, or fun. I'm praying that an attitude of perseverance will carry us through this time.

Happy knitting!

Christmas To-Do List

2010-10-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's what I hope to have done by December 23rd (because I don't want to feel stressed on the 24th, and I REALLY don't want to be knitting Christmas gifts AFTER Christmas).

Stocking for Little Girl (already started)
Stocking for Little Boy
Olympic Hat for my aunt
Celtic Knot Stole for BFF (started a couple of years ago. Really getting ridiculous that it's not done yet)
Socks for my brother (one sock is already finished)
Socks for my sister-in-law
Ridiculous flip-flop socks for our babysitter
Scarf for someone (I have the pattern and the yarn. It might be a teacher gift, or an in-law gift)
A bunch of korkinesse for random people
Slippers for the kids

Okay, honestly, 9 and 10 are not as important as 1-7. I think that it's an ambitious list, but not impossible. I'll keep you updated.

What's on your Christmas knitting list?

On blogging

2010-10-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

I know that I've been neglecting this blog lately. I know that my posts are written quickly, without a lot of thought, and seem half-hearted at best. I don't know what to say. My posts are rarely as polished as I want them to be. Once upon a time, in a former life, I wrote really well, and I wrote things that other people actually enjoyed reading.

I want this blog to be well written, and I want to document my knitting progress, and my parenting struggles, and the lessons that I learn from both.

That being said, life is pretty stinkin' busy around here. Kindergarten drop-off, preschool drop-off, laundry, dishes, preschool pick-up, lunch, naps, time with the kids, kindergarten pick-up, homework, after-school snacks, more laundry, more dishes, cleaning up the house - it all cuts into my knitting time, and it doesn't leave me a lot of energy for maintaining a well-written blog, not that I have a lot of knitting to report on anyway.

So, I guess, this is an apology for writing a half-hearted, not very interesting blog. I'll try to do better, but I make no promises.

I have done a little knitting here and there the last two weeks. First, some Christmas knitting (a list of Christmas to-do to follow later this week):

A stocking for little girl.

I've also worked a bit on phase two of my secret knitting project:

I hope to have a finished object soon.

Perfect Day

2010-10-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I was sitting here:

listening to these:

knitting on a Christmas gift.

The kids played in my parents' backyard, enjoying the sunshine and the light breeze.

We all slept really well that night.

Montego Bay

2010-09-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been a bad blogger. The end of summer, the start of school, and life in general has not left much time for knitting or blogging or much of anything not related to the kids and the house.

Thankfully, the Montego Bay Scarf is a pretty mindless knit and travels well. It took a couple of weeks to finish, but it's the perfect warm weather scarf, knit out of the bamboo yarn I bought on vacation.

I've also finally gotten around to practicing with my spindle. I've been told if I practice 15 minutes a day, eventually there will be some consistency in my tension.
(Sorry for the awful picture). I haven't found 15 minutes on a daily basis yet, but I'll get there.

I'm leaving for Buffalo right after school gets out today. I have a retirement dinner to go to on Saturday. I'll explain more about that later.

Happy knitting!

1st Day of Kindergarten

2010-09-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we've gone from this:
to this:

so soon.

Painted Skirts

2010-09-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

Dollar Store crafts posted this project for making skirts out of flour sack towels. I know two little girls who love to be crafty and love to wear skirts, so I had to try it out. Basically, you cut a flour sack towel in half, seam the halves together in the other direction, paint, decorate, seam into a tube and add some elastic. Couldn't be easier!

To be on the safe side, I did a sample one for baby girl:

I did use permanent markers from the dollar store, but they ran when I painted over them. Also, I used tempra paint instead of acrylic by mistake. So, the colors really ran when I soaked the skirt. I bought fabric markers for little girl and her little friend to use, and we had fabric paint on hand that I watered down. That worked much better. Here are the finished results:

The girls are SO proud of their pretty skirts! Little boy was also around. Since he doesn't wear skirts, he painted a shirt:

I've been knitting here and there on the Montego Bay Scarf with my bamboo. School starts this week, so hopefully I'll be able to schedule some consistent knitting time.

Happy Labor Day and Happy knitting!

Striped Socks

2010-08-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

I decided to participate in the Summer of Socks again this year, despite the fact that I did not achieve my goal in either of the other years I played. This year, I made it really easy on myself. I wanted to knit one pair of socks. Just one. Nothing fancy. Just some socks.

I cast on for these socks on August 1st, while hanging around Connecticut, waiting for the Lilith Fair to start. (I did not bring them into the concert, although a number of other people were sitting on the grass and knitting. Blows my mind that knitting needles got in, but my M&Ms didn't). I kitchenered the toe to the second sock a few minutes ago while watching the Emmy Awards. Here they are:

I'm quite pleased with the way the stripes are lining up. I was a little bit nervous about that part. I thought the yarn (Plymouth Sockotta) was fair isle effect, but it seems I bought the striped effect instead. I just knit a basic sock with a 2x2 rib throughout. They feel a little on the large side, but I think a washing or two will help with that.

We are back home, safe and sound from a great visit with my parents. We visited the Genesee Country Museum (where I neglected to take pictures of the handspun yarn), went rock climbing, and ate most of my favorite WNY foods (Mighty Taco, fish fry, DQ, Tim Horton's doughnuts and pizza and wings). One more week of summer vacation, and then DH and the oldest are back to school, and little girl is starting kindergarten. Sigh. I'm not quite prepared for that, but I'm trying.

The beginning of school also signifies the beginning of the Christmas knitting frenzy.

I'll keep you updated.

Visiting my Parents, Again

2010-08-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

I randomly wound up reading this blog tonight. Is it weird that I've been to all those family vacation spots too? Including Carson City, which no longer exists. Nor, by the way, does the Catskill Game Farm, which was pretty much next door to Carson City. (We won't talk about how much it hurts me that my kids won't have those experiences).

We're in Buffalo, visiting my parents for a week. I've been knitting on a sock, started a scarf with the bamboo I bought in Fort Ticonderoga, and learning to sew skirts for Little Girl. I've been to my favorite LYS, gotten my hair cut and colored, and the three little kids and I have all been to the BEST dentist ever (no cavities!).

On Sunday, we visited the Buffalo Museum of Science, which currently has robotic dinosaurs on display. There is a hanging dinosaur in the lobby. This exchange took place between my dad and little girl:

Dad: "Little girl, that's a pterodactyl."
Little girl looks at the dinosaur for a moment and replies: "I think it's a pteranodon."

We're pretty sure she was right.

Happy knitting!

Have You Done It Yet?

2010-08-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

I signed up for Dish Rag Tag 2010. Have you?

Little Sister

2010-08-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

I finished the "dress" for Baby Girl the other day. However, it's now a shirt, and not a dress. I'm glad the pattern is worked top down, so it was easy just to end when it seemed like I was running short on yarn. I can't get a good picture of the color. It's a beautiful, bright teal that really highlights Baby's blue eyes. I also couldn't get a good picture of the buttons (someday, I'll get a better camera), but they're really cute little flowers. What do you think?

I have to thank my neighbor Darlene. She's a lifelong knitter and crocheter, and I had to seek her help in the little bit of crochet edging that is around the neck opening. I didn't have the right sized hook, and I just could not remember how to do a crochet edging. I brought it across the street, and Darlene showed me how to do it, and then proceeded to do it for me (which is totally the kind of help I needed at that moment). I did crochet the loops for the buttons and attach them to the shirt.

I'm really pleased with this project. The pattern is well written, and it knits up beautifully. However, I really do need to take the time to learn a more invisible method of M1 besides kfb. Do you have a favorite method?

Currently, I'm working on a pillow for a friend. She was visiting the States from Sudan, and had bought some fabric in a market there to be made into curtains. Her mom just happened to have perfectly coordinating yarn in her stash, and my friend brought it to me and asked me to make a pillow for the couch. I opted for a log cabin style. Here it is so far:

I'm working on the backside now. It won't be log cabin, but rather a flap of the green and a flap of the pink that will button together to form a pocket. I wish I hadn't used the darkest color as the most predominant, but by the time I thought of that it was way too late. I'm hoping to make coordinating Dorset buttons for the pocket, but we'll see. (I've never made Dorset buttons before).

Christmas is approaching much too quickly for the knitter in me. I really have to start to prioritize the projects on my to do list. Once again, joining the monthly Christmas knitalong group has not actually prompted me to do any Christmas knitting. So far, all I have done is one sock! I'll have to make a list after this pillow is done, or start neglecting everything else I have to do except knitting.

How's your Christmas knitting coming?

Yarn Shop Run-Down

2010-08-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

I took the opportunity to visit a few yarn shops while I was on vacation. First, I visited The Crafty Ewe in Ticonderoga, following our visit to the Fort. The shop has a nice variety of yarns, a lot of notions and books (including some handmade shawl pins, buttons, and stitch markers), and a "customer computer" so customers can access Ravelry for ideas, or check on yarn requirements. I bought a couple of gifts (shawl pin, stitch markers) and two skeins of MeiMei Bamboo. The yarn is destined to become a scarf or shawlette as a memento of our vacation.

(Sorry, the picture is sideways).

That was the only yarn shop I visited in New York, but I got to three different shops on my way to and from and Connecticut on Sunday.

First, I visited Mt. Laurel Yarn Boutique in Sturbridge, MA. This was a quick jump off the highway (maybe 3 minutes?) They stock a ton of yarns and books, and there are a lot of samples around the store. Nothing really tempted me enough to buy though.

Once I arrived in Connecticut, I still two hours before I could check into the motel, so I visited Creative Fibers. I am IN LOVE with this store. Their stock is enormous! I spent an hour just looking at all the different yarns, including many yarns I've read about, but never actually seen in person. The store also had a clearance section, where I picked up this kit for less than the price of a skein of yarn. I also picked up this pattern. I have an adult felted clog pattern, but I know a couple of little girls who love all things pink and novelty. There were many other things I could have willingly purchased, but I didn't want to spend too much money before the concert. I hoped to get back to the store the next day, but it just didn't happen. :(

On the way home, I stopped in Natick to visit The Iron Horse. I have to say, this shop was a disappointment. They do have a lot of handspun yarn, and a variety of other crafty notions, but nothing really grabbed me. (In fairness, I was operating on less sleep than normal, and had spent an inordinate amount of time in the car over the last three days).

Finally, on our way to the Clambox for dinner, we made a quick stop at the Loom 'n Shuttle. This shop has a lot more fabric than yarn, but the yarn they have is very nice yarn, including a big variety of Noro. I brought home this one skein of Ella Rae bamboo silk in a very pretty color.

I'm not quite sure what this one 99 yard skein will be yet, but the yarn and I are having fun bonding.

Tonight, I'm finishing up Baby Girl's Little Sister Dress. I hope to get to buy buttons tomorrow.

Happy Knitting!

8 Random Things

2010-08-07T17:22:00.001-07:00

1. We drove to Ipswich today to eat at the Clam Box. The food was worth the hour long wait from the time we got in line to the time we got our food. We stopped at Loom 'N Shuttle on the way. Does anyone else feel obligated to buy a little something when visiting a yarn store, just because you walked in?

2. Yesterday, I biked 18 miles on the Minuteman Bike Path. According to my new heart rate monitor watch, I burned almost 1800 calories. I celebrated by eating a Snickers bar. Also of note, Wild 'n Woolly is located right next to the bike path in Lexington. I could bike and buy yarn - does a better exercise exist?

3. Last night, DH and I put the kids to bed early and had a quiet dinner. Lobster was $4.99/lb, so I bought one. I bought haddock for DH. We ate well, and for under $20. Way cheaper than a real date.

4. I've been trying to focus more on knitting, because I have a lot of projects I want to do. To name a few: Twirly skirt for little girl, Carmen the Monkey from Knitpicks, a couple of hats for winter for the family, at least one, if not two Christmas stockings, and three pairs of socks.

5. My allergies have been causing problems with focusing on anything.

6. Last night I dreamt that I had dinner with three girlfriends - women from my past who I haven't seen in person in years, although we keep up through emails and blogs and stuff. I dreamt the dinner bill was over $1,000. At some point, in the dream, I realized we hadn't actually eaten anything, so I must be dreaming. And then I decided, in my dream, that we would still have to pay the restaurant bill because they had made the food. Does anyone else have these kind of dream problems?

7. Have you seen this Knitmare? It just makes me laugh.

8. I really hope to tell you about the yarn shops I've been visiting, but I haven't had time to take pictures of my stash additions yet.

Happy knitting!

Lilith Fair

2010-08-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Before my birthday this year, I was telling my best friend how I really wanted to celebrate by doing what I did before I moved to Boston - eating breakfast at The Original Pancake House (Dutch Baby for me please), going to the Allentown Art Festival (a Buffalo event conveniently held the weekend of my birthday), and going out to dinner and dancing with friends. Alternatively, I would skip the dinner and see the Indigo Girls in concert. (Which is how I spent my birthday in 1997).

Being a resourceful, smart person, Lisa did a little research and discovered that the Girls were joining the Lilith Fair for some of their concert dates, including playing in Hartford, CT, a scant two hours from me and four and a half from Buffalo. Lawn tickets were ridiculously inexpensive and we found an equally inexpensive motel, and so the plan was hatched, husbands approved, and I left Sunday morning for one night in Hartford.

The Indigo Girls are the only non-Christian band I've ever paid to see more than once*. There was a time in my life when I felt their songs were very meaningful to me. I'm mature enough now to not look for validation from secular works, but I do still enjoy listening to their music. (Disclaimer: I enjoy their music. I do not support the majority of their politics). Since most of you have probably never heard of them, I've included this video clip of their song Ghost.

Lisa and I had a great time! We met up at the motel and had a late lunch/early supper of turkey sandwiches, chips and salsa (chips and salsa being a requirement for most of our get-togethers). The motel was in easy walking distance of the concert venue (saving us $30 in parking fees) and we arrived about half an hour after the gates opened. I opted not to bring knitting, because I had heard the gate people were pretty strict about what was going in. Silly me, since at least four other people on the lawn were knitting away. Sadly, my M&Ms did NOT make it through the gate (although the cookies did!) We visited all the random tents of vendors (thank you Apple for the free iTunes downloads) and then parked ourselves on the lawn, chatting our way through the opening acts.

The concert tickets must not have sold as well as expected, because the venue was selling upgrades from the lawn for $30, and the price went down to $20 halfway through the event. Finally, the Indigo Girls came on! We were excited, and got up to dance and sing along. At this point, we were approached by an employee of the venue (complete with ID badge) who offered us FREE upgrades to seats! (I guess they wanted the final performers to see a packed audience, and not just empty seats in front of the lawn). Lisa and I literally ran down the lawn to get to our seats before the next song. Slowly, more people began to fill the seats around us as the upgrade fairy visited them too. We enjoyed the Indigo Girls and Sarah McLachlan from our seats, and for the finale, all of the artists joined in a rendition of Because the Night (and no, Natalie Merchant was not there. It's a Bruce Springsteen song. DH was very proud that I knew that). GREAT concert!

We walked home, ate some more chips and salsa, watched a girlie movie, and got to bed. We were tired!

This was the first time I'd been away from the kids overnight, except for the nights I was in the hospital after giving birth. You know what? It wasn't all that traumatic for them, and I had a great time. Plus, I came home to extra big hugs! Lisa and I hope we can get away once every other year or so together. (She's taken up knitting in the last couple of years. Maybe a Rhinebeck trip is in our future!)

I did visit a handful of yarn shops over this vacation week, but I'll save those details for another day. I'm trying to knit more and spend less time on the computer and doing housework so that I can start to feel caught up with my knitting to do list!

Happy Knitting!

*Actually, now that I think about it, that's not true. I've paid cover charges more than once to see the Nickel City Pimp Choir, but Silky J is a good friend of mine from high school. I've also paid to see the Canadian band Sloan a number of times. But they've also only played at smaller venues, and I'm pretty sure it's never cost me more than $11. So, I'll revise my statement to say that the Indigo Girls are the only secular band I've paid more than $11 to see more than once.

Vacation Recap

2010-08-03T06:45:00.001-07:00

A week ago Saturday, I packed three little kids into the van, along with a whole lotta stuff, and took off for the Adirondacks. DH and Big Boy left later in the day, packed into the other car with a whole lotta other stuff.

After about a 4 hour drive, we met up with a Ravelry friend of mine, Beachsideknitter.

(Little Girl took this picture). We met up at a local park, and the kids behaved AMAZINGLY well, playing on the playground and enjoying snacks. Mary and I had a great visit. She brought some of her knitting, sewing, and quilting projects to show me, and we talked about all kinds of things. Mary is a Christian, so we prayed together before we left the park. I am so blessed by a particular group on Ravelry, and it was a double blessing to see one of my friends in person!

After our visit, the kids and I headed to our cabin. Initially, I was a little disappointed. The cabins are all situated around a giant parking lot, and obviously used to be on motel. However, once inside, all disappointment vanished. The cabin was gorgeous and clean! There was plenty of space for everyone (including my parents, who joined us on Sunday). We spent Saturday night getting settled in, and DH took the kids to Stewart's for ice cream. (I know, those of you who know the area know that Stewart's for ice cream is no big deal. But when I was a kid, we used to walk from my grandfather's house in Nelliston to Fort Plain to make a sundae at Stewart's and I have great memories of that).

Sunday morning we got up early and took the kids hiking up Severance Mountain. This is the longest hike we've done with the kids. We hiked a total of 2.8 miles in just under 2 hours. The kids are good little hikers
and the baby hung out in her new backpack carrier. Although it was a little cloudy, the view from the top was still pretty good.
I loved that the hike was a bit of a challenge, and the kids obviously felt a sense of accomplishment when we finished. On the ride home, we saw the biggest chair EVER.
When we got back to the cabin, we ate lunch and took a nap, and then my parents arrived! We spent the rest of the day and evening visiting with them, making s'mores in the fire pit and finalizing plans for the week.

Monday, my aunt came up from Fort Plain to spend the day with us, and we drove to Lake George and walked around. The kids all got new cap gun rifles (little girl's is pink) and we ate lunch at a restaurant on the water. We spent the remainder of the afternoon at the beach across from our cabin, and had another nice evening of visiting.

On Tuesday, we left the baby with my parents and went to the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. This was more of a leisurely walk than a hike, and we very much enjoyed the beauty of God's creation.
Tuesday afternoon my aunt and uncle (not technically, but close family friends) came up from Speculator and spent the evening with us. I haven't seen them in a few years, so it was great to get to introduce them to all the kids.

On Wednesday we visited Fort Ticonderoga, thus passing on a family tradition of visiting forts and battlefields on vacation.
The kids took part in a militia drill, which thrilled Big Boy to no end. He's been running drills with the little kids and their new cap guns ever since. Little girl was quite taken with the Fife and Drum corps
and although all the kids enjoyed the gun and cannon firing demonstration, it was a bit loud.
Despite the busy day, my dad and I stayed up extra late to go to the Painted Pony Rodeo. I've never been to a rodeo before, but it was fascinating! Unfortunately, I didn't get any good action shots of the riders, but my dad and I snagged this picture together. Do you like my new hat?
We spent the next two days at the cabin, relaxing, fishing, canoeing, swimming, and playing in the sand. After all those busy days, we needed it!

I drove home with the kids on Saturday after a lovely breakfast at Suzy Q's. We already have plans to go to Buffalo at the end of August, so it was too hard to say goodbye to my parents (I really hate living so far away from them.)

After we got home, I did laundry and then packed up again. I went on a little overnight trip on Sunday. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

Until then, happy knitting!

Summer Flies

2010-07-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

The July KAL for the Beginning Lace Knitters group on Ravelry was Summer Flies, a worsted weight shawlette. Given all the other knitting I have on my to-do list, I (as usual) wasn't going to participate this month. But, I couldn't resist. I have some Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere in my stash, and cast on on the way to Buffalo for the 4th of July. I worked on it again on the way home from Buffalo and started the bind off 2 days later. 2 days after that, I finished binding off. (Picot bind offs of 400 stitches take a long time.)

I blocked it last week, and finally got around to taking pictures the other days. What do you think?

(I have a better post-blocking picture, but blogger keeps turning it around).

Little girl was thrilled to model for me:

(And she just happened to be wearing her tank top made from the same yarn).

I really enjoyed knitting this. A number of people in the KAL have started a second one, but I'm fighting that urge. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy it as much the second time around, and my have-to list isn't getting any smaller.

This week, I'm working on a log cabin style pillow for a friend. She brought her mom some fabric to make her curtains, and her mom happened to have coordinating yarn in her stash. The yarn got brought to me, and I'll hoping to finish the pillow the first week of August. There will be no working on it next week, because we're going vacation!

On Saturday, we're driving to the Adirondacks to spend a week with my parents, do some hiking and canoeing, and start the kids on a long family tradition of visiting forts on vacation. (We'll be going to Fort Ticonderoga. We could also go to Fort William Henry, but I think that's too much fort for one week at this stage of their fort visiting career.)

Unfortunately, we have to take two cars because my husband has to work on Thursday night. That's about 10 hours (5 hours there and back) of knitting time lost to driving. :(

Happy knitting!

25 Things I've Learned As A Parent

2010-07-18T18:52:00.001-07:00

I saw this on a blog I read, and thought I'd play along.

1. Lunch rarely gets more easy than PB&J.

2. Poop becomes far more important that one could ever dream.

3. Kids need WAY less stuff than the registry at Babies 'R Us would have you believe.

4. Kids accumulate stuff at an astounding rate.

5. Chores can be taught really early. If the kid can walk, he can throw away his own diaper.

6. Never underestimate the power of counting.

7. Most days may start off with the thought "How can I exhaust them so they'll take a nap?"

8. As much as I love them, God loves them even more.

9. Praying for their safety becomes as natural and often as breathing.

10. Eventually, listening to the baby say "Mama" becomes tiresome.

11. Nothing is better than the sweaty baby smell after a nap in warm weather.

12. Sometimes, the baby sleeps in your bed just because you want her there.

13. When it's 9 p.m., and you put your son to bed 2 hours ago, and he comes into the living room to tell you about the moon, you go out on the porch and look at the moon with him.

14. Caffeine can get you through a lot.

15. Sometimes, it's really hard to be patient.

16. It's healthy and normal to do things without your children attached to you.

17. A pedicure can go a long way in boosting morale.

18. You understand why your mom gave you two choices for dinner - Take it or leave it. And you give your kids the same choices.

19. Sometimes, it's okay to bribe your kids so you can do what you want to do (like browse in a yarn shop....)

20. Your spouse will never be able to keep up with all the nuances of your schedule with the kids.

21. The kids survive anyway.

22. Breakfast for dinner once in a while stretches the food budget.

23. Not all moms can leave their husbands to put the kids to bed. Try not to hold it against them.

24. I'm really blessed that my husband can be left at any time with the kids, and I hardly have to think about it.

25. There are never too many hugs and kisses.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-07-12T03:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a VERY busy week and a half at the Mommy's house. In the beginning of July, we drove to Buffalo for the Fourth of July weekend. Although we always have fun on the 4th - swimming in my brother's pool, cooking out with the whole family, and relaxing - it's really July 3rd that we love! Every year, the Buffalo Bisons play a baseball game on the 3rd, followed by a performance by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by fireworks. And for our family, all of that is followed by an early breakfast. The kids love being able to stay up so late, and I love passing on family traditions.

I started a worsted weight lace project in the car on the way to my parents. I knit on it some more on the way home.

We got home on Monday night, after stopping for a nice sit down dinner. Tuesday, I did laundry, unpacked all our stuff, and tried to get organized. Tuesday night our Bible Study hosted good friends who are missionaries in Africa. It was great to hear all about the work our friends are doing to bring the message of Christ's love to another culture.

Wednesday morning, we packed up the car again and headed to Cape Cod to visit with my brother-in-law and his wife (her family owns a cottage on the Cape). What a great time for the all of us! The cottage is about a minute from a private beach. The beach has a dock out in the water, and on that dock is a diving board and water slide! Needless to say, the kids (and the adults too!) had a blast jumping, sliding, and swimming. We spent the night at the cottage, and my husband and I got up extra early to enjoy coffee on the beach (him) and go for an early swim (me). We brought the kids back to the beach after breakfast, and then headed home after lunch.

We spent the next three days trying to get extra naps and resting. We were exhausted!

I started to bind off the lace project on Wednesday night. I finished on Friday night. Those picot bind offs can take a lot of extra time! I still have to weave in the ends and block the project, and then I'll tell you all about it.

We have two weeks at home, and then we'll be off for our vacation in the Adirondacks.

Hopefully, August will be more relaxing. And hopefully, we're building great memories for our kids.

Resolution Check-In

2010-07-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

1. Knit more for myself. I finished Gail and I love it. I'm hoping to knit at least one, if not two, pairs of socks for myself this summer.

2. Knit 4 baby sweaters. I finished the smooshy sweater last week, so I'm right on target here.

3. Knit more lace. The exact goal was to knit something for myself and finish the Celtic Knot Stole. I finished Gail, but I'm hoping to start back up on the Celtic Knot Stole very soon!

4. Knit 3 Squares for the Great American Afghan. I started one, but then got distracted by my new secret project. I have a feeling this goal is getting unofficially dropped from the list.

5. Assemble Lovefest Squares. I look at them. I admire them. I think about blocking them. Really, there's no excuse for not making progress on this goal.

The Difference Between 3 and 5

2010-06-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

Our city has a pond with a beach. It's not the ocean - there's no salt water and no waves. Thus, it's the PERFECT place to take little kids.

We didn't make it to the pond at all last summer, so that last time we were there, Little Girl was 3 and Little Boy was 2. Let me tell you the difference two years can make. The kids are taller, and that means they can venture a little farther away from the sand. Also, they're smart enough to just stand up if they fall down and their heads go under water. When we went yesterday, Baby Girl stayed home with Daddy, and that meant that I got to do something I've never really done at the beach before.

I sat and knit.

I'm working on dress for Baby Girl using a yarn called Lyndon by Bristol Yarns. The yarn is a fingering weight blend of pima cotton and silk - perfect for knitting with at the beach. The picture does not do the color of the yarn justice. The blue really pops, and I know it's going to bring out Baby Girl's blue eyes.

Also, I've finished the first part of my top secret project. This is all you get to see for now, but I'll try to show you glimpses of more when I can.

Happy Knitting!

Knitting Actually Happens

2010-06-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

It may seem like no knitting has been going on over in Mommy land, but it has actually happened.

I knit a dishcloth*
.and started another.

And I even finished a baby sweater for Fourth Trimester (although it still needs buttons).

The pattern is from the Sweater Wizard, and the yarn is Marble Chunky. The sweater was originally for Baby Girl, but I didn't finish it before it was too small. It's supposed to be sized for 9-12 months, but I think it's a little smaller than that. The sweater called for one ball of the yarn, and was knit on size 10 and 10.5 needles. Really, it's crazy that I took 8 months to finish it. There's something a little off about the collar - and I know it's my failure to grasp directions. I'm going to pretend it's a design element.

I've gotten some significant work done on Top Secret Project Part A, and hope to finish this part by Monday. I'm not so sure if/when I'll be able to share the Top Secret Project with you, but I'm pretty excited about it.

*Here is the dishcloth pattern, and I found it through this blog. I liked the title. I taught archery at summer camp, and was surprisingly good at it.

Happy knitting!

Trifecta

2010-06-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing weekend. The kind of weekend that parents of four young kids should not rightfully have. I scored a trifecta - three nights out in a row, without the kids. Friday night, a friend watched the kids and the husband and I went to a local pizza place and had a meal uninterrupted by a constant stream of little kid chatter (Mama! Mama! Do I have to eat that? Daddy! No! He looked at me! She touched my plate! Mama! MAAAAAMAAA! Why are carrots orange? How many bites of this do I have to eat to get dessert?). We had hoped for a fancier meal to celebrate our birthdays, but various elements in the universe conspired against us. We settled for an hour at the pizza place (with REALLY good pizza!)

But, we still wanted to go somewhere kind of fancy for our birthdays. We looked at our schedule, we consulted with the babysitter, and she was free on Saturday, and so off to a fancy dinner we went. I got to wear a dress and everything! Dinner was delicious and slow, and it felt like a real live date!

Father's Day, we took the kids to the Boston Public Garden after church. We saw lots of pretty flowers.

We rode the Swan Boat.

And we even saw some real live swans.

The kids and the Dad had a great time. We stopped by my in-law's house for lunch, and then, my weekend went off the charts. My BIL is in the ticket business, and he had a pair of tickets to see James Taylor and Carole King that he couldn't get rid of, and he GAVE THEM TO ME!!!! DH was hiking today, and didn't want to be out late, so I called a friend and she came with me.

I SAW JAMES TAYLOR AND CAROLE KING IN CONCERT!!!!

The seats were great, the concert was amazing, and I can't remember the last time I went out three nights in a row.

I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen again for quite a long time. Trifectas are special because they're rare.

Poor Neglected Blog (A Hiaku)

2010-06-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

Busy With Kids' Fun

Secret Projects Can't Be Blogged

Lacking Post Ideas

Hiatus

2010-05-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

I've been on a bit of a knitting hiatus the past two weeks. No particular reason, just busy doing other things. Here's a brief update of things we've been doing:

Little girl graduated from preschool last week. She was so excited the night before graduation she couldn't sleep.
Baby girl has been sleeping through the night pretty consistently.
This means I have more energy during the day, and I have been trying to exercise every day during nap time.
The weather has been beautiful and we've been outside a lot.
Baby girl is getting more and more brave at the playground.
Little boy runs everywhere, no matter how hot it is.
I'm almost done with my Lelah top, but progress is slow.
My top secret project is starting to take shape.

I hope to have a more coherent, knitting related post for you soon!

Happy knitting!

It's Raining, It's Pouring

2010-05-12T09:42:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, we went up to the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival. Although it was raining when we left, the weather people said it would only be cloudy in New Hampshire. Umm, not so much. It wasn't even just raining. IT WAS POURING! We were in and out of the festival grounds in 30 minutes. We saw some sheep, and some rabbits, and left.

Although, I did buy one skein of yarn for my top secret project.

Moral of the story? Leave the family at home, and go to the Sheep and Wool Festival by myself.

I don't mind getting wet.

P.S. Shawnee is having a giveaway on her blog. 101 One Yard Wonders. My favorite knitting series applied to my new sewing machine! What could be better????

Final Pictures

2010-05-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Gail after I unpinned her yesterday.

I totally wore the shawl all day today, even though it's almost 80 degrees, just so people could tell me how great it looks.

Productivity

2010-05-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Most days, I feel like a work a lot without actually getting a lot done. Laundry, dishes, kids....these chores seem to fill up most of my day, but rarely leave me feeling productive. Today, was not that kind of day.

No, I didn't hang up flip flops. But apparently, Little Boy did.

I spent the morning blocking Gail. I'm sure I was quite a sight, kneeling on the bed in my nightgown, pinning away. I found this a lot easier to block than my last lace shawl. I think the pattern with center lines helped, plus I used my new lace blocking wires that I received for Christmas. I LOVE the way blocking alters the lace to the perfect shape. I feel so smart and accomplished!

Last week, I got a new sewing machine. Today, I made a valence for the front door. It's not quite as wide as it probably should be, but this is my first sewing project ever done without my mom nearby. (Somewhere, generations of Tellefsens and Jorgensens are breathing sighs of relief. I belong with them.)

A blocked shawl, a new valence, dishes, two loads of laundry, and a trip to the library. One productive day.

Yarn

2010-05-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

I never really thought I'd become so fascinated by yarn. I have a hard time passing it up in a store. I'm on a budget though, and I rarely fare well if I buy yarn without a project in mind, so that helps me keep my fascination from an addiction. (I don't deny having a knitting addiciton. But I'm not addicted to yarn. I know, because I went to a fiber related festival last week and didn't buy any yarn.)

I really loved knitting with the Baby Alpaca yarn I used for the cool hat (see previous post). And I really enjoyed knitting with the sock yarn I bought from Rainbow Stitches. The 100% silk I used for the Oriel lace scarf was quite nice. But, honestly, although these stand out, I'm also pretty darn happy knitting away with Patons Wool. For me, the yarn fascination is in the feel of it before I bring it home, and appreciating it for just being yarn. Once a project is started though, I'm usually far more interested in what the yarn will become. As long as it doesn't hurt my minds to knit with it, I'm pretty happy.

I'm easy like that.

The Cool Hat

2010-05-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Today's post is supposed to document the current life of a finished project. Before Christmas, I finished this hat:

You remember, the cool hat. The super cool hat. The hat that made me more likable and more popular just by putting it on. Alas, I am not meant to be cool. I brought the hat to my parents' house for the holidays, unpacked it when we returned home, and then, it just disappeared. I was pretty sad about, but kept hoping it would turn up. And you know what? In March, it showed up! It turns out the hat had hidden in a pile of hand-me-downs and wound up with spring small children clothes in a box in the basement. I was so excited! And, it was a cold day, so I wore the hat out to run errands. I got home, carried in my packages, and ran around getting dinner ready.

I haven't seen the hat since.

I'm just not meant to be cool.

Gail (aka Nightsongs)

2010-04-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last night, I finished Gail (aka Nightstongs). I am so very excited and very pleased with the end product! It's knit with 640ish yards of 2-ply, 100% lace handspun by Jane of Colours From Chaos. I used a size 4 needle and knit 9 repeats and the edging. This makes a shawlette sized piece and I have about 3 yards of yarn left.

I was a little bit nervous starting out, because the chart felt challenging to me. And truthfully, the chart included with the pattern requires a certain level of familiarity with lace. Thankfully, lots of people on Ravelry take pity on those of us less capable. I used this chart to complete the pattern. The shawl is worked from the top down. Honestly, I just didn't get this until I was on the last few rows of the edging. I started with one leaf, so it felt like that should have been the tip of the bottom. Who knew you could knit a triangle by starting in the middle of an edge?

This shawl was an absolute joy to knit. I felt so blessed to be knitting on a project with yarn handspun by the designer. What a wonderful gift! I also know for whom this shawl was named, and she was a great encouragement to me during a rough time last year. There's nothing like counting your blessings with each stitch. And I loved watching how the colors in the yarn change. I loved watching each leaf grow. I can't wait to see how it looks after I block it (sometime this weekend, I hope!) I'm a little sad to see this project go; its become a good friend. Familiar, and comforting. Have you ever had that kind of relationship with a project?

I'm embarking on a top secret, very exciting project. It will be quite a while before I can post details, but know that in the midst of everything, I have a secret project. :)

Happy knitting!

Places to Knit

2010-04-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

1. The armchair in the living room, preferably with my feet up on the ottoman.

2. The back porch.

3. In bed, before I go to sleep.

4. In the van, waiting for little boy to get out of speech. Or in the van, while hubby is driving.

5. At the park, while the kids are playing.

6. During playdates, talking to my friends.

7. In waiting rooms, before appointments.

8. Anywhere else it's convenient, I'm bored, or there's nothing else to do.

New Skills

2010-04-29T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well, there are plenty of skills I would like to acquire. I'd like to do some entrelac, and I'm under the impression it's a lot easier if you can knit backwards. I'm still pretty fuzzy on the provisional cast-on. I've never attempted intarsia (although, I think I could pick that up easy enough). And, as previously mentioned this week, I think steeking is in my future. The wonderful thing about knitting is it can be as easy or as compicated as you want, and there are always new skills to acquire!

In actual knitting news, I have 4 rows left of Gail. I may be able to cast off tonight!

Admiration

2010-04-27T15:22:00.001-07:00

I admire a number of knitters. I check in on about a dozen or so blogs a day. (I know, I could subscribe to them and get emails when there are new posts, but that's just not all that fun.) Some of these blogs I read because of the actual knitting. Some I read because of the writing. Some because the writers are moms like me, and knit for kids about the size of the kids I have. Occasionally, I just feel like the writer and I could be friends, if we lived near each other. To pick just one is really difficult.

I finally settled on Jane. Jane is an AMAZING knitter! (Check out this post on her blog. Not only did she knit that shawl, she designed it!) Take a quick look at her projects page on Ravelry, and you'll see further evidence of her talent. Jane is also one of the most kind and generous Internet friends I have. She is more than willing to help out lace knitters tackling her gorgeous designs, and always has an encouraging word. She also gifted me with some of her gorgeous handspun yarn (I'm using it to knit up Gail). We came oh so close to meeting in person last summer, but traffic and time limits got in the way. (Hopefully, someday....)

I feel so blessed to have such a talented and generous knitting friend.

Aspirations

2010-04-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

There are many, many patterns that I would like to knit that are just out there for another time. Some of them are time consuming, some of them require yarn that I just can't afford right now, and a few of them are beyond my skills. The skill thing isn't much of a thing though. I consider myself reasonably intelligent, and firmly believe that there isn't much I can't learn, given enough time and resources.

Up until last week, I thought I could live my whole knitting life without steeking. I just wasn't interested. But then, we bought my mom this book for her birthday, and my husband found a sweater he thinks he would like. My husband has never asked me for a knitted garment. I'll learn to steek.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about designing my own patterns. I know I need a better understanding of garment construction, a much wider base of stitch patterns, but in time, I think it's something I can do.

To what patterns do you aspire?

Knitting/Crochet Blog Week

2010-04-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

Eskimimi has created a knitting and crochet blog week (Thanks, Joan, for pointing me to it!).

I learned to knit in October, 2006 from Linda at Have Ewe Any Wool? My mom comes from a long line of knitters, and took knitting up again when she became a grandmother. I remember her trying to teach me when I was young, but like a lot of crafty things, I just didn't have the patience. After having kids though, and watching my mom knit, I decided I might like to give it a try. So, mom watched the kids and I went to her knitting class in her place.

Linda is a terrific teacher, and had me knitting and purling in no time. I bought some brown Galway wool, and made my husband a seed stitch scarf for Christmas. I made another scarf a couple of toddler sized ponchos (two scarves stitched together), and then graduated to more complex things. I can't imagine my life without knitting now. What would I do with myself?

Who taught you to knit?

Sheepshearing Festival

2010-04-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, the boys and I went to Walthams Sheepshearing Festival. The whole family was supposed to go, but Little Girl got a tummy bug. So, the boys and I had some Mommy/Son time.

We saw alpaca, (aren't they cute?)

And llamas,

And horses,

Little boy was particularly enamored by the horses, and spent a lot of time hanging on the fence just staring at them. We went back at least three times.

There were only a few fiber vendors, and I resisted the urge to buy anything. I'm not technically on a yarn diet, but I know I don't really need any yarn right now. I did buy some pretty smelling soap and some local honey (did you know local honey can help with seasonal allergies? We're hoping it will help Big boy.) The weather was beautiful, the boys enjoyed themselves, and we had a great time!

Little girl, however, is very sad that she missed the sheep. So, we've decided to go the NH Sheep and Wool Festival next month. It's a nice day trip and there are a lot more animals. But, the yarn resisting may be downright impossible. I'll try to go with a few one skein projects in mind.....

Happy Knitting!

Little Boy is 4!

2010-04-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Little Boy turned 4 years old. His favorite thing to do these days is wear his Batman Halloween Costume, and pretend to be Bruce Wayne/Batman. He's watched the old Adam West series with his Dad, and just loves to fight the bad guys. So, I made him a Batman cake. I think it turned out pretty nice.

I'm so proud of my big 4 year old. He has this wonderful imagination that shows in his play. He's very into how things work and putting things together. He wakes up with a bundle of energy - little boy hits the ground running and doesn't stop until nap and bedtime. And, he's incredibly sweet. We feel so blessed to have a boy so full of life and personality!

I haven't posted knitting pictures in a while, but I am knitting away every day. I'm finished with the lace bottom of the Lelah tank top, and have to figure out how I'm going to do the top. I have some ideas, but have to write the shaping down for myself. I've also started a pair of socks to give my brother for Christmas. That's been my out-and-about project.

And of course, I'm still working on Gail. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying knitting up this shawl. The yarn is such gorgeous colors, and making each stitch just makes me happy. The purl sides are getting longer and longer though. I finished the 8th repeat last night. I'm thinking I need to do 11 or 12 repeats, but I'm sure if I'll have enough yarn. I promise to post pictures soon.

Tomorrow, we're going to the Sheepshearing Festival at Gore Place. We haven't been, but it's only about 20 minutes from our house and it looks like there will be lots of enjoyable things for the kids to do and see. I'm looking forward to another fun, family day.

Happy knitting!

Yarn Contest

2010-04-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Lost City Knits is giving away a skein of laceweight or cobweb weight yarn to one lucky winner in the color scheme "On a Clear Day."

On a clear day, I would love to sit in the sunshine, amongst some flowers, and enjoy some quiet reading and knitting time. Which really means, someone else will be somewhere else with my children. I love them, but they're not exactly quiet. :)

We've had a really great few days around here though. My parents visited us for the weekend, and we visited the Boott Cotton Mills in Lowell. The kids handled the musuem really well, and we even got to ride in a trolley! Yesterday, we went to the beach and played in the sand. I even dug up some clams! (I returned them to the sea, because I'm not really sure what the rules/regulations are for clamming in these parts. Or in any parts, really.)

I've been working on the Lelah top, and hope to be finished with the bottom section tonight. I should post pictures of something, but the kids are calling me outside.

Happy knitting!

Princess Cruise

2010-04-14T12:43:00.001-07:00

Hey - if you're in the Boston area and have a little princess, you can win a Princess Luncheon Cruise on the Spirit of Boston for Saturday, April 24th. Check out easypeasyblog.com for details!

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again

2010-04-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ways to go from this:

To this:

1. Join a KAL for Lelah with the beginning lace knitters group on Ravelry, despite having other plans for April knitting. Decide to join along because I'm basically absent from this group, but I don't want to be. And because my new year's resolution was to knit more for myself, and Lelah is in my queue. And I'm knitting it in Cotton TLC, so it's pretty darn inexpensive.

2. Measure and calculate according to the directions.

3. Cast on 220 stitches, knit the first round and discover you have one extra stitch. Drop the extra stitch, and midway through the second round realize it wasn't an extra stitch, you just skipped a stitch in the pattern.

4. Frog and cast on 220 stitches again. Repeat step 3. Tell yourself you're an idiot, and pay extra careful attention to step 5.

5. Cast on 220 stitches, and VERY carefully, checking often, knit the first round.

6. Congratulate yourself on completing the first round, and keep on knitting.

7. Realize your first ball of yarn is almost gone, and yet you don't have much knitted. Worry a little bit, because you bought 4 balls of yarn, and you thought that was about one whole extra ball.

8. Go back to the pattern and your measurements. Begin to realize you made a big erro in your mathematical reasoning, and realize your shirt is about 10" too big around the hem.

9. Congratulate yourself for being a math genius, and then tell yourself you're pretty stupid for not catching this problem way earlier. Like, before you cast on the second or third time.

10. Frog again, and wind up yarn. Place project in bottom of current project bag until it learns to behave itself.

Impromptu Knitting Class

2010-04-06T09:46:00.001-07:00

On Monday, I took Little Girl and Big Boy to karate. Big Boy has been going since September, and Little Girl is just starting. The classes are offered at our local Boys' and Girls' Club, and is INCREDIBLY priced. Big Boy really enjoys it, and it has done wonders for his self-confidence.

None of that has anything to do with this post, except to explain where I was.

Anyway, I was sitting on the gym floor during Little Girl's class, knitting away on a hat, when a little 9 year old girl ran across the floor, and slid to a halt right in front of me. "Wow!" she said, "Knitting! That's cool! How do you do that?" And so, I taught her how to knit. She's got the knit stitch down, but has a rough time with the purls. Next week, I'll try to bring her some yarn and needles she can keep.

The bigger question - how to convince the Boys' and Girls' Club they need a knitting instructor on staff?

Daddy Crafts

2010-04-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

This year, my husband took charge of dyeing Easter eggs. Instead of hardboiling a dozen eggs, he poked a small hole in each end of the eggs, broke up the yolk, and then the kids used a straw to blow the egg out. I was a little nervous about the mess, but DH did a phenomenal job of keeping order.

We dyed the eggs with a regular Easter Egg dyeing kit from the grocery store, and after they were dried, we suspended them from the chandelier. Don't they look great?

Traveling

2010-04-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

visited 16 states (32%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Someone had this up on Ravelry, so I filled it out for fun. I've been very much dreaming of the beach lately, but I'd like to go without the kids. It's much easier to lose yourself in a book when you're not worrying about small children wandering off. :)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Christ the LORD is risen today!

He is risen indeed!

Amen!!!

Resolution Check In

2010-03-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

As of today, 2010 is one quarter over. I thought I should check in with my knitting new year's resolutions.

Resolution #1: Knit more for myself
Well, I spent most of January and February knitting myself a sweater. I'd like to knit another top for the spring/summer for myself, and maybe a sweater for the fall/winter too. I'm also working on a lace shawl for myself.

Resolution #2: Knit 4 baby sweaters for Fourth Trimester
I've finished one sweater, and have a second one on the needles.

Resolution #3: Knit More Lace
Well, I'm working on Gail. It's slow going, but I'm working on it.

Resolution #4: Knit 3 Squares for the Great American Afghan
I've cast on for the first square. I plan on using them as wall decorations. I think they'll be pretty!

Resolution #5: Assemble Lovefest Squares
No progress on this one.

I'm also behind (as usual) on my Christmas knitting. The good news is, my January and February projects were no big deal. The March project though, is a hat I actually need to make. Hopefully, I'll catch up in April.

How are your resolutions going?

Eyelet Trimmed Tank Top

2010-03-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

Little Girl asked me for a purple tank top. I had some purple yarn, so I set out to make this.

But, as I was working my way up from the bottom, my mind started working, and it turned into this:

I can't tell you how proud I am of this top. It's the first time I've attempted to design anything (even if it's only the top of a shirt), and it looks perfect on Little Girl.

Here's the details:

Gauge: 5 stitches/inch (I used size 6 needles).

Approximately 330 yards of DK weight yarn (I used Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere).

Size 4/5 tank top

Cast on 172 stitches and join, being careful not to twist the stitches.

Row 1:Knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: YO, K2tog* Repeat around

Row 4: Purl

Knit in stockinette stitch until piece measures 9". Decrease 30 stitches evenly. (I used this calculator). Repeat rows 2-4. Decrease another 30 stitches evenly. Knit in moss stitch, until piece measures 11". BO 6 stitches in pattern, work 50 stitches in pattern, BO 12 stitches, work 44 stitches in pattern. Turn work. BO 6 stitches. Finish row in pattern.

Turn work. Work back and forth in moss stitch until back measures 11.5" ending on a right side row.

Row 1 (RS): SSK, work in moss stitch to last two stitches, K2tog.

Row 2 (WS): Work in moss stitch

Repeat these two rows until 30 stitches remain. Work first 5 stitches and leave on holder, BO 20 stitches, work last 5 stitches and leave on a holder.

Reattach yarn to front on WS. Work across in pattern.

Next row (RS): SSK, work to last two stitches, K2tog

Next row (WS): Work across in pattern

Repeat these two rows until 32 stitches remain. Work decrease row one more time (30 stitches). Next row (WS) Work 5 stitches, place on holder, BO 20 stitches in pattern, work last 5 stitches.

Work strap on these 5 stitches.

Row 1 & 2: Knit

Row 3: K2tog, YO, K1, YO, K2tog

Row 4: Knit

Repeat until strap measures 5", graft to corresponding 5 stitches on the back.

Reattach yarn to other strap. Repeat. Weave in ends, block, and make some little girl happy!

North Shore Yarn Crawl - Part II

2010-03-15T05:00:00.001-07:00

Saturday I hit two more stores on the North Shore Yarn Crawl - the Sit 'n Knit in Melrose and Butterfly Yarns in Wakefield. These are the two stores closest to my house, and I've been to them both a number of times.

The Sit 'n Knit is manned by two very nice and helpful ladies. I'm always a little disappointed that every time I'm in there, no one seems to realize I've been there before, especially since I always have at least one beautiful child in tow who is wearing something I've knit. It's an art - remembering your customers - but I particularly appreciate salespeople who do this. The store itself is great for "workhorse yarns" - Rowan, Cascade, Encore, etc. I never feel like there is anything different or amazing, and unlike most stores, there aren't a lot of samples hanging around to give you ideas. Since I use a lot of workhorse yarns, I'm glad that this store is close to me!

I've had mixed experiences at Butterfly Yarns. Actually, most of them have been really good except once. I went in with a friend right when they opened, and the person working was far more interested in doing whatever she was doing than helping us. I almost never went back. The kicker is, two of the salespeople are twins. I have no idea which twin was so unhelpful. The other times I've been there though, the sales staff has been attentive without being overbearing, and have been more than helpful. I bought some fingering weight cotton/silk yarn to make a dress for Baby Girl. I'm super excited because I found something that I'm sure will work perfectly and was much less expensive than the options I had seen at other stores.

Overall, I enjoyed the North Shore Yarn Crawl. It was a great excuse to see some yarn shops that are only a little out of my way. I was a little disappointed in the lack of in-store specials related to the crawl. I did receive some free patterns from Abbott Yarns, and Seed Stitch had an advertised special of buy six skeins get one free, but I didn't see any of the other promotions mentioned on the yarn crawl website. And really, I just expect stores to have sales, especially during such an event. I know this is the first year that the stores have done this. I hope they do it again and that they have some more promotions.

And now, I'm off to knit and wait for a phone call that I've won one of the raffles!!

Happy Knitting!

North Shore Yarn Crawl

2010-03-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

The North Shore Yarn Crawl started today. I thought it was a good excuse to check out some shops within driving distance that I have never visited. So, I packed up the kids, promised them lunch and some time at the beach, and took off this morning.

Our first stop was Seed Stitch Fine Yarn in Salem. The shop is gorgeous, and the two women who worked there were very helpful. I had the kids bring coloring books and crayons, and they sat a nice big table and colored for a little while, and then played with some of the toys the shop has in the corner (I love shops that have decent toys for the kids to use.) There are a lot of things being raffled off for the crawl on display - I want them ALL! I wound up buying one skein of Blue Sky Organic Cotton. I had made a mistake in my notes, and thought I only needed 100 yards for a project I had in mind for Little Girl. I didn't think much about it at the time, but on the way home, I realized that just didn't make sense. So, now I have to decide to use the yarn for something else, or to buy another skein. I've decided not to worry about it this week.

Next stop of Yarns in the Farms in Beverly. Actually, that's not true. The next stop was Prides Crossing Confections, the cutest little candy store you can imagine. I just happened to notice it as we drove by and we stopped. The kids got some chocolate bunny pops, and I got some fudge. YUM! Then we went to Yarns in the Farms. I was a little disappointed in this store. It's really small, and there's hardly room to manuever an umbrella stroller. They have some nice yarns, but nothing that felt really special. However, I would be very interested in visiting again without the kids. They were hungry, and little boy was getting hyper, so I can't say I felt like I was at liberty to really browse. The proprietor was really nice, and tried to engage the kids a little bit, which I really appreciated. It's kind of a hike for me, but I'd make it once more without kids to see if I get a different feel.

The last yarn shop stop was Abott Yarn Shop, also in Beverly. This shop doesn't have a website, so I wasn't sure if it would be worth stopping. But, it happened to be two minutes away from Burger King, and I promised the kids I would be no more than 5 minutes. This shop was also small, and I didn't get to look at too much, but the proprietor can only be described as lovely. I only bought one skein of Happy Feet sock yarn (to make my brother a pair of ankle socks for Christmas), but I walked away with several free patterns, an idea for a sweater (the proprietor was wearing it) and directions to the beach. I would totally go back there!

Here's the yarn:

Here are some pictures of the kids at the beach. It was kind of chilly, but they had a good time! I promised them we would go back on a sunny day, when we could stay longer.

Baby girl was tickled with the sand (although I was not so tickled that she kept trying to eat it.) My mom made her hat.

I have lots and lots of knitting to do! Happy knitting to you!

Cabled Turtleneck Sweater

2010-03-05T17:46:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, I finished my sweater. I bound off the turtleneck and wove in the ends. I neglected the laundry, the dishes, and the children (a little bit). I was starting to get nervous that I wouldn't get a chance to wear it before the weather got warmer.

My husband took these pictures, and I realize you can't see the cable all that well. I'm really pleased with the sweater though. It fits well, it's warm, and it has a striped turtleneck thing that I LOVE!!!

Here's the information:

The pattern is published by James C. Brett. (Don't you think that my sweater looks like the one on the cover of the pattern?)

I used the Marble Chunky yarn called for in the pattern. I think I used about 3 1/2 skeins, but it might have been a little more or a little less. The only modification I made was to knit the turtleneck part in the round, instead of knitting it flat and seaming it.

I'm hoping to enjoy this sweater for a few winters!

I should have immediately resumed work on the Fourth Trimester sweater or Gail. But, little girl requested a purple tank top, and I just happen to have a stash of some purple yarn.......so, yup, I cast on for a tank top. It's hard to turn Little Girl down.

Happy knitting!

Lovin' Wool

2010-03-03T12:12:00.001-08:00

IMG_3545
Originally uploaded by dorriejean

I know, I know - you've seen this picture before!

I wore these mittens sledding last week. I was a bit nervous - they're not waterproof, they're a little big, and they're just handknit mittens. At least, that's what I thought.

Through two hours of sledding, my hands stayed warm and dry. Warm is an understatment - my hands were SWEATING. Now, I walked to school all through high school, and more often than not, my fingers would be bright red with cold by the time I arrived in school. If only I had known how to knit then.....

I love my mittens. They're still soft, and they've felted everso slightly, which makes them fit even better. My hands have never been so happy to play in the snow.

I'm seriously considering knitting myself some wool longjohns for next winter.

Happy knitting!

I'm Not a Medal Contender...

2010-03-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't finish my Knitting Olympics project. I also didn't finish my sweater (although it's all sewn together - thanks Mom!). I was doing alright the first week, but then I took the little kids to my parents' for the week, and the knitting time just wasn't there. I had fun competing, but I had way more fun watching the Olympic Athletes.

We had a great visit though (despite a little tummy bug the beginning of the week.) Western New York had a decent amount of snow, and that meant lots of outside time for the kids. We even went sledding a couple of times! (I can't seem to move the picture, so it's above.) I love telling myself that all that fun counts as exercise.

If all goes well, March will be a month of significant knitting.

Olympic Progress

2010-02-16T14:20:00.000-08:00

Here is my Olympic Progress so far:

I wish I had a better camera and better light to capture the colors. This yarn is SO beautiful, and each color change makes me happy! So far, I've done 3 repeats. The pattern calls for 7 repeats, but it also calls for fingering weight yarn. I'm using lace weight. Based on similar projects on Ravelry, I'll be doing between 10 and 12 repeats. I'm not at all confident that I'll finish before Closing Ceremonies, but I'm going to try!

DH and I have been watching the games every night. He's on vacation this week, so we've been able to catch up on lost sleep with naps during the day. Depending on which event is on, I'm either working on Gail or on my sweater sleeves. Last night, during Pairs Figure Skating, I totally only did stockinette work!

Speaking of the skating - I was a little disappointed. Overall, I found the skating less than inspiring. Thankfully, the snowboarders, cross-country skiers, and downhill skiers are helping me keep that Olympic spirit alive!

Mommy + Knitter

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