knitting4grace

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

2011-02-14T12:03:00.000-06:00

I'm ususally the one behind the camera...this is Jack and me on a walk.

Our 1st Snow in December will have to do.

Shopping @ Ikea is most recent but again I'm behind the camera.

15 Interesting facts about Jen:

My husband asked me out for our first date on Feb 16 because he thought it was too cliche to have our first date on Valentines Day.
Since we moved to Chicago, my dear husband has been out of town on Valentines Day for business EVERY YEAR! (Thankfully my kids make sweet Valentines)
I think this is more funny than tragic, since we enjoy showing our love for each other all year round.
We have been married for 8 years
and have 3 children.
We have fish for pets because of allergies to cats, our home is too small for a dog, and the kids are too small for a hamster/guinea pig/rabbit yet.
The year I graduated high school, my school did Senior shirts with everyone's name printed on the back. My shirt has my name as Jennifer Moretti - when they fit the names to the graphic my last name and the next student's first name got cut. I was rather bummed by it at the time.
On our first date I happened to ask John if I could see his license because I have a thing about out of state licenses.
When I saw his last name, it was a strange moment when I saw Moretti. (we met at church, fairly casual, so we hadn't exchanged last names)
My initials did not change when I got married.
Reading and knitting compete as my top free-time fillers - I am always super excited when I find a good audiobook so I can enjoy both at the same time.
Reading has been my escape when life gets to be too much since I was seven.
It physically pains me when I hear someone does not like to read because I have yet to encounter a movie adaptation that can come close to the stories brought to life by my imagination at work with a great author.
I love that knitting allows me to be creative and practical.
My word for this year is Simplify. (or KISS = Keep It Simple Silly)

Happy Valentines Day!

Hoping yours is full of LOVE, HAPPINESS, and CHOCOLATE!

30 Day Blog Challenge!

2011-02-14T09:47:00.000-06:00

Saw this here (another mommyblog), looks like fun, maybe it will kick my blog back into action.

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind your blog name
day 3- a picture of you and your friends
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you've been to
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you're proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- another picture of you and your friends
day 12- how you found out about blogger and why you have one
day 13- a letter to someone
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- another picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- nicknames you have and why you have them
day 20- someone you love
day 21- a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave for a lot
day 24- your last five facebook status'
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- what do you think about your friends
day 27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge
day 28- a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?
day 29- in this past month, what have you learned
day 30- your favorite song

001:365

2011-01-21T12:25:00.000-06:00

Icy Snow 1/20/2011 - 001:365

I was waiting for my new camera, and the day after it arrived I caught this one on my BlackBerry...

I'm looking forward to a photo journey this year; I didn't get very far last year but I had a frustrating camera. Now that I've improved my equipment this should be more fun.

Penelope Cobblestone Scarf

2010-11-05T15:20:00.006-05:00

At last, I have written up my first pattern. I hope you enjoy knitting this scarf as much as I did ~ Happy Holidays!

Penelope Cobblestone Scarf by Jennifer Moretti

Inspired by the 2006 movie Penelope starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy. My niece requested a scarf like Penelope's to make her Halloween costume complete last year and a really cute, cozy scarf was born. This is my first pattern write up ever, it has not been test knit, gentle input is greatly appreciated.

Size: 8 inches wide and just over 60 inches long - shown in movie approx 80 inches long
Yarn: Lion Brand Baby Soft Solid (60% Acrylic/40% Nylon; 459yd/141g) in 2 colors: [MC1] Pistachio and [MC2] Violet. Red Heart Ltd Designer Sport (100% Acrylic; 270 yr/85g) [CC] Black Note: I used approx three quarters of each of all three skeins for a scarf just over 60 inches - approx 345 yds of each MC, and approx 210 yards of CC.
Needle: US 5 [3.75mm] 16" circular needle or double pointed needles (magic loop would work too)
Gauge: oops, lost my notes - I did go down one needle size than recommended on yarn label to get a slightly denser fabric.
Notions: tapestry needle
Stitch pattern:

Cobblestone Stitch [Multiple of 8 sts] (revised 11/13/10)

Row 1: With CC, knit.

Rows 2-9: With MC1, knit every row

Row 10: With CC, * k7, drop next stitch off needle and unravel 8 rows down, picking up CC from row 1 below; insert needle into this stitch and under the 8 loose strands of MC1, and knit, catching the loose strands behind stitch; * repeat for round.

Row 11: With CC, knit

Rows 12-19: With MC2, knit every row.

Row 20: With CC, knit 3, *drop next st, unravel, and knit CC st from 9th row below as in Row 10; k7 * repeat for round; last repeat end k4.

Repeat Rows 1-20

(adapted from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Blister Check, or Coin Stitch pg 69)

Scarf Pattern:

Begin with CC, CO 80 sts, join to work in round careful not to twist.

Work 3 - 7 rounds stockinette stitch (or desired length for rolled edge).

Continue in Cobblestone Stitch pattern for desired length.

Then, with CC, work 3 - 7 rounds in stockinette stitch (or desired length for rolled edge).

To finish, knot off or weave in ends inside tube, may sew tube closed or leave open.

A pictorial tutorial for the Cobblestone Stitch pattern Row 10:

A look at the back

You are welcome to print this pattern, teach this pattern, and sell items made with this pattern to your hearts desire, all I ask is that you please give me credit where credit is due and not represent as your own. Thank you!

ChiClone

2010-10-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

Today we are supposed to have the worst storm in 70 years. It was a windy night all right and there are twigs and branches all over outside. Thankfully it seems that the storm has not hit us with as much vengeance as anticipated. As usual, a lovely name has been given to this storm - ChiClone.

My favorite slimline bible I got at Spirit West Coast 2000 has spontaneously gone ragged at the edges. I have been using it more, but goodness. I would rather not use a zipper cover for this bible so I popped on Ravelry to see if I could knit a cover. I fell in love with a free pattern, but alas the website is no longer and the wayback machine had no archive. Upon further look I found two more candidates that will require a trip to the library.

Journal Cover with Ribbon Ties from Ready, Set, Knit Cables
Vampire Diary Protector (I know, but it's cute) from Vampire Knits

In the meantime I have fashioned a lovely paper cover to hopefully slow the disintegration until I can knit the new long term cover.

I have really been enjoying my bible study and the small group on Tuesdays. I am so thankful I remembered to sign up just in time. The study we are using, Cynthia Heald's Becoming a Woman of Simplicity, is exactly what I needed right now. And the group of women in my small group are such a blessing to me and each other.

Here's a Halloween sneak peek:

Starring: Jessa as Snow White, and Gracie as Rapunzel

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!

2010-10-14T09:28:00.002-05:00

[warning: I have a bee in my bonnet today and have to get this off my chest, I likely just need more sleep but I'm trying to blog more frequently so here goes]

All three of my kids love The Cat in the Hat... on PBS. I really love that the Cat has the kids ask their mother before they go on their learning adventures. I want to love that the mom repeats back where they say they are going and to be back soon, I just wish she'd pop her head out the door/window and see the kids standing with a man sized cat first.

Perhaps I'm looking too deep into a cartoon, but it happens every episode and I spent the first few of them being so happy the show reinforces asking before doing. Slowly it has just been nagging at me with each additional show that these kids are standing there with this huge cat and they actually are going somewhere because they keep coming back with stuff (otherwise how did Sally come back with silk from the silkworm?) This is where the show is different than say, The Backyardigans, where their adventures really were the work of imagination.

Just please, look your child in the face and see who s/he is with before you give permission. Before you know it s/he'll be 15 and it wont be the Cat in the Hat anymore.

A New School Year

2010-08-19T12:43:00.000-05:00

Guess who is very excited to go back to school!

Another school year has begun. And I have one very happy 1st grader. She loves her teacher, a few friends from last year are in her class this year and the rest she can play with at lunch. The first day was a half day so I'm looking forward to hearing all about how fun lunch and recess are. I should not be so surprised but this little girl is so excited to be at school all day now and is looking forward to a great school year.

Now I get to figure out what to do with the other two and work out our new schedule. I'm seeing Thursday playdates with the cousins and a checking of Library Storytime schedules in the future. As for today, I have some running around to do to get ready to pamper daddy this weekend. He's going to deserve it.

Found it!

2010-03-10T22:19:00.001-06:00

Ahem...er sorry about the blog silence. My camera went missing so it was hard to get motivated to post picture less posts (the kids being so cute and all). I was trying to keep up by taking pics with my phone...but then couldn't find the data transfer cable specific to my phone. Someone has seriously got to universalize this stuff! Anyway, I found the camera today, so I'm back :)

So LOTS has happened since January -
We got a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan! My sweet husband who is madly in love with me finally gave in and got his wife a minivan. I am in heaven! I love it so much it is as wonderful as I hoped and so nice to have all the room we need. Also, I'm finally back to an automatic transmission - I truly appreciate my 5 years of experience driving a manual transmission vehicle, and am glad that I will never have to worry about being in a situation where I cannot drive a vehicle. But I've put my time in and am relieved to be back to letting the car do the work.
Jack is a big one year old now - can you say FASTEST YEAR EVER! He now shares bedtime with his sisters instead of having to wait until they are already asleep before he can go down. This has exponentially improved our evenings. He has five teeth, is still a contender for fastest crawler, now walks along furniture, and occasionally you can catch him standing without support. You can make his day by holding his fingers so he can walk. Oh! and with the recent warm up, the LOVES the park and likes sliding on his belly (feet first) down the slide.

On the knitting front:
I knit Ang a shawlette and fingerless mitts and she loves them :) Now I'm working on a bright green Ishbel for myself and I'm so excited it may be ready by St Patrick's day!

...and I renewed our Costco membership.

Exciting stuff!

I also have a new cookbook and so far it's awesome! The taste of home simple & delicious cookbook is my new friend. It has 12 weeks of dinner main dishes, plus many of add-on options for sides, salads, soups & desserts. The first recipe we tried is very similar to this one. And then I made the chicken dish from week 1 and this book is a keeper. If you stick to the week's menu it even gives you a shopping list!

Glad to be back!

<3 Jen

PS: Tonight I cooked with wine after a long break of cooking from bags and boxes and I forgot how nice it is to sip a glass of wine while cooking. Definitely going to enjoy that more often.

A sunshine day!

2010-01-28T11:55:00.000-06:00

The baby is teething/not sleeping/needing constant contact with me and that greatly reduces the number of things I can do in a day. Plus, it's really hard to type with an 11 month old on your lap - oooh! buttons!!!Yep, I took a vacation on you and I'm blaming the baby.

The sun decided to shine for us today and I'm loving the crystal blue sky.

I finished the dog sweater and did not take a picture before I sent it off. Hopefully mom will share one of Delila modeling and that will be more fun than a lumpy piece of knitting laid out anyway.

But I did upgrade Jessa to a booster seat - it's Pink and totally Jessa.

AND I cleaned out the car (too cold to vacuum, but got all the junk out)!
Now of course Gracie is jealous of the beautiful pink booster seat so I need to

ignore her til she gets over it --or--

make/buy her a replacement cover --or--

buy her the cute one with flowers and save the boring black one in the attic for Jack

On the knitting front I am now working on a Twirly Skirt [found under Free Patterns] for Gracie. She and I are hoping it is ready for her Valentines Party at school, if not, it will still be a fun skirt. I was making the Lil Sister Dress [see side bar], but I had to take it back a few rows and disaster struck and I ended up at the very beginning. The yarn was not a great match for this pattern anyway - it looks much better already as the skirt.

I'm also about to start Jack's birthday hat - I cant believe he's nearly one! This year has FLOWN by!

Oh My Darling....

2010-01-15T17:04:00.001-06:00

This little boy LOVES clementines.

He's mostly an orange "vampire" - sucks the juice out of each wedge and then spits the pulpy remains back out. It's not really quite a spit, but more of an ejection. He just opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue and lets the orange fall from his mouth. For added comedy he will often store a wedge in one or both cheeks chipmunk style and then attempt a smile. The orange above by the way is being licked, not ejected. Oranges make him so happy. His whole face will light up and he will either wave both hands at your or clap if you show him one. Jack ate two clementines at lunch today. The one I peeled for him, and then the one Gracie slipped to him wedge by wedge as I was eating my sandwich.

We had a small lapse in posting this week... you cannot tell from the picture above, but this darling boy is seriously working on more teeth - he only has the bottom two thus far. So he is a lovely roller coaster ride of happiest boy ever to cranky pants, to I just need my momma to hold me. So that is what we have been doing (and not much else is getting done).

The girls put together their Barbie puzzle today

Gracie did it a few times and then Jessa took over.

Gracie has a four day weekend so we are trying to fill it with fun. We started with Princess and the Frog yesterday. Today we watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Tomorrow we are hoping to play with cousins and mommy & daddy are going to see Avatar!!! Sunday we are going to watch the Chargers win ;) And Monday we have a playdate with some good friends.

TGIF! (due to random headaches & the teething boy, you may not see me til Monday)

Love,

Jen & Co

So close!

2010-01-11T23:01:00.001-06:00

Miss Delila's sweater is nearly ready to fly home. Just a few ends to weave in and some hook and loop tape to sew on and we are finished! I hope she likes it (it's a bit brighter than I anticipated).

Somehow it's ended up looking like a fluorescent pink bumblebee...Mom said to not spend too much and please make it girly. Hee hee, I think girly is definitely covered here.

Love,

Jen

Icicles

2010-01-10T22:56:00.000-06:00

one of the wonders of Midwest living

Progress...

2010-01-09T23:31:00.002-06:00

Miss Delila's sweater is at that lovely point where I knit and knit and measure to discover I have only gained an inch.

It is very pink, no?

There will be no question that Delila is a lassie at doggy playgroup.

Happy Weekend, Hope you are having a good one!

Kid's Pix Fridays

2010-01-08T12:19:00.001-06:00

The girls each got VTech Kidizoom Cameras for Christmas. Their ability to take their own pictures of what they want, when they want has been a great addition to our family - and with the addition of rechargeable batteries, it's affordable fun :)
Gracie was giving Grandma her "tour of Christmas" on the phone (listing everything everyone got and did for Christmas in great detail); and Grandma asked her to put them online so everyone could see their pictures.

Jessa pix:

Gracie pix:

Hope you enjoy!
Love,
Jen & Co

2010-01-07T11:14:00.002-06:00

I used a power tool today!

And what is that under the cart?

Why yes, it is our new floor!

John and I finished up the floor last night. I'm very pleased with this floor. It is laminate & we purchased it at HOBO* for .99/sq ft!

John had really wanted to try laminate in the kitchen and I was not thrilled with the ceramic tile laminate he kept showing me at the store where he did the laminate install class, so I was still pushing for a vinyl floating floor. Then we happened to come across this uneven tile laminate at HOBO for an incredible price and now we have a new floor!

The laminate install was very simple. I'm very impressed and would not hesitate to do it again.

Because I seem to be joining everything this year. I'm also participating in K-Love's Love Dare. Day 1 was yesterday and it was a call for patience. The Dare was to not say anything negative to your spouse. Last night's install was one of the most peaceful projects we've ever done and I was the only one holding my tongue...

*Home Owners Bargain Outlet - I think this store is only in our Chicagoland area (I just checked and there are two stores in Wisconsin as well)

Knock my socks off.

2010-01-06T17:22:00.000-06:00

This is my on-the-go project. I figure it's about time I have a few more pairs of socks - for me or possibly for gifts throughout the year. My hope is to knock out a pair a month, my realistic goal is 10 pairs for 2010.

I'm rather impressed with this Heart & Sole by Red Heart - it is made of 70% superwash wool (30% Nylon), and the added Aloe makes it very nice to handle. I cannot wait to see how these feel on my feet.

And the Toasted Almond colorway is working up very nicely. My diaper bag is hiding at the moment or I'd show my progress. Since this is a work a few stitches as I can sock, I'm following A Good, Plain Sock Recipe from Knitting Rules!

Powerful Pink

2010-01-05T23:38:00.001-06:00

Delila's Sweater looks a bit different today. The prior model was double stranded and, well, stiff. So this is the new and improved version and it's really growing on me.

Early mods: double stranding on US 10 1/2 needles in [k1, p1] rib. I could have gone up in needle size for more drape but this method was gobbling up yarn and I would have had to buy more to finish

New mods: alternating bright and light pink every 2 rows in garter stitch on US 8 needles. Because pattern was written for k1, p1 the garter stitch spreads out and is giving more coverage without needing to alter number of stitches given for size Large.
I'm at approx 13" now, about 10" more to go before dividing for neck and working straps.

We had a busy day around here, we had two friends over today so there was lots of games and giggles. They were being particularly cute at one point so I grabbed my camera, turned it on and it promptly turned itself back off! So no photos of girls having fun...I was almost scrambling to get a picture up for today until I rubbed my last two awake brain cells together and borrowed from another device while I figure out where my camera's rechargeable batteries have found a new home. [I've been using a set of lithium batteries since Jack's delivery day - they almost made it a year!]

It was fitting that I had a pink project to share today as my uncle just shared a YouTube video that deserves further sharing:

Please spread this video as you feel moved, it's for a good cause - and entertaining :)

Love,

Jen & fam

I can do this.

2010-01-04T09:34:00.001-06:00

On the next to last day of December last year, Julie launched her 2010 project. Pick 12 rooms/areas in your home to work on each month. I was intrigued, but then decided to work on our clutter in general first and I'll get to decorating eventually. Then Theresa popped up too (of course, they are friends) and I really cannot ignore them both because I was already thinking that now all the baby making is done, it's time we make this place more ours.

So here are my 12 rooms/areas (in no particular order - I too will follow the "what do I want to work on this month" order):

Entry
Kitchen
Dining Room
Living Room
Playroom (den)
Kid's Bathroom
Kid's Room
Our Bedroom
Our Bathroom
Laundry
Craft area
Backyard

So January 2010 is the month of Operation Kitchen.

(baby gate up to keep kiddos out until the floor is finished)

We did a lot of work here last August with the cabinet refacing, new counter/sink, and paint. Last night John & I laid most of the new laminate flooring & last week we bought a kitchen cart so I can get everything - except the knife rack & coffee maker - off the counters. The things left are to decide on the shelf going up, I want something new to hold my cooking spoons, spatulas, etc., and perhaps I'll do one seasonal towel a month this year just to perk things up a bit.

I'm really excited about finally making our house a home!

Day 3 of 365

2010-01-03T21:41:00.002-06:00

He saw his momma & nothing was going to stop him.

Even if the flash took too long to warm up...

A boy needs his momma.

Bon Appetit!

2010-01-02T20:28:00.004-06:00

Baby, it's cold outside today! I am so thankful John put up that storm door - I cannot believe how much money we've likely flushed under that door up until a few months ago...

So I'm thankful to be inside.

Cozy on my couch, knitting and watching Julie & Julia.

On my lap you spy my mom's dog's new sweater in progress (my mom and sister let me do Christmas late for them because they love me). I'd love to tell you more about it, but a certain little boy is on my lap trying to start a competition for who is the best typist and

Jessa says it's time to read stories for bedtime!

Love,
Jen & Co.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T16:33:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

...sometimes it's hard to get everyone on the same plan...

Gracie's excited school is almost back in session

Jessa's 3 yrs old now!

and Jack's excited that the floor in the kitchen is about to be replaced!

And thus we launch my attempt to blog every day this year. Happy New Year ALL, while 2009 certainly had some highlights...I'm glad it's behind us. Here's to a better 2010!

Love,

Jen and family

Little Bird

2009-11-12T17:03:00.006-06:00

A cozy little nest

A precious little egg

A sweet little bird

with a trick up his sleeve

The reversible toys in Itty Bitty Toys are what made this book irresistable to me. This was really fun to make but entering "get knitted gifts done now" season. So I see many of these popping up next year ;)

Project details on Ravelry.

Turkeys

2009-11-10T17:39:00.006-06:00

As anyone who spends time around children knows, we have our ups and downs by the day/minute/hour.

This morning at Borders another shopper had to come around and see Jessa because she was just melting this woman's heart with her cuteness as Jessa was conversing with me about what a good job she was doing in moving the beads around on the bead play-thingy (yes, that's the formal name for it).

Yesterday at her well-check she wasnt done playing in the waiting room so we had to really coax her to follow us. Which she eventually grudgingly did with her arms crossed and stomping and a frown so big on her face that the nurse called all the other nurses out as we walked by to see her pouty face. I shared with the nurse that John and I have had many moments in parenting her where we have had a very hard time holding back the laughter until we've made it clear she needs to follow the rules and were able to escape to laugh out of sight.

Jessa is my extreme child, nearly everything she does is done with her whole heart and I love her for that.

A few hours ago, the girls were arguing about one thing after another and I was about to snap. Thankfully as I was counting backwards one more time "Turkeys!" popped into my mind. So I grabbed some paper and a marker and told Gracie to get all the other coloring stuff. And we had a lovely afternoon of coloring :)

Gracie's Turkey

Jessa's Turkey

Jessa is not a huge fan of coloring books or coloring things in she is definitely a free-form artist:

This one is [Auntie] "Angela" (I love the heart that snuck into her doodle - on the right)

And this one is "Mommy and Daddy"

I think she used the grey because that was the one I used to trace their hands plus it was the only dual tipped marker so that makes it extra special. She had one other that was all pink called "Rainbow" and another that was much more grey than the two above and she said it was "the sky" - yes, November skies in IL are grey...

Itty Bitty Toys joined my library today and it has got to be one of the most fun books I've bought. Gracie wants one of everything. My first project is going to be the reversible Egg to Bluebird and a Little Nest, Too (Ravelry link)

The beginning of the egg.

And now my turkeys say:

"zzzzz" coloring is exhausting!

Our kitchen makeover (Late Aug 2009)

2009-11-09T12:46:00.003-06:00

Our Condo was built in 1978 and our kitchen was in need of a makeover.

So we called in Sears and decided to replace the doors and resurface the cabinet bases with a Cherry finish.

The sink cabinet was pretty bad, so they built us a new one.

In the background you can see a shorter cabinet that was built so we could raise the microwave a few inches.

In the foreground we have the 1970's spindles that serve no function other than to make our kitchen feel more closed in.

Goodbye spindles!!!

Hello countertops (Corian in Pepper Ivory) and breakfast bar!

My clowns having their first meal at our new breakfast bar - they eat nearly every meal here now.

And now we have paint. We used a Wagner Paint Mate Plus for the big spaces and a combination of mini-roller and paint brush for detail and smaller spaces. While the Paint Mate was nice in that I didnt have to repeatedly get more paint on the roller - it was heavy (duh - it had a few gallons of paint in it). I made many more oopsies on the ceiling than I did later when I painted the soffit with the mini roller.

The wall color is Victorian Falls and the soffit is Stonehenge Griege, both by Dutch Boy.

We got a free upgrade to an awesome sink and I'm in love with this screw in drain catcher - you screw it in just a bit to keep it in place and it'll catch all the big stuff (we dont have a garbage disposal, this is a scrape your plate first house) and if you screw it in all the way when you want a sink full of water. This is where Jack gets most of his baths, but I cant share photographic evidence since my hands are rather full then...

and my final favorite thing in my new kitchen is this tilt drawer so I can hide (and always find) my sponge!

Hope you enjoyed our kitchen makeover adventure!

If you want to see more the full album is here.

More knitting and kiddo adventures tomorrow :)

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-07T17:54:00.003-06:00

Jack was our little Yoda Baby for Halloween this year

Baby Yoda Sweater & Felted Baby Yoda Hat project details on Ravelry

All the Jedi's were happy Master Yoda made it :)

Jessa was a Fairy Princess

Gracie was a Fairy Princess too (their choice).

Jessa is wondering why we're not getting candy yet...

And this is what happens when big sisters share with their baby brother

He was only upset because I took the chocolate away...

He doesnt stay upset for long!

Hope you had a wonderful Halloween too!!!

Thankful

2009-11-05T17:49:00.007-06:00

This little guy joined us late February this year (2009). He's been my best excuse ever for blog silence & if anyone is still following...thanks for keeping me in your feed/checking in again :)
I've been knitting quite a bit lately & am excited to get blogging again - I'm joining the party a few days late but I'm going to attempt a Blog-vember & we'll get all caught up.
We've had a rather cold year here in Chicagoland, so I've been cranking out head & hand coverings lately. I gotta say I am loving fingerless mitts for the girls - they actually keep their hands rather warm & no fiddling with getting fingers in the holes & the girls keep them on because they can still use their hands! Victory!! Of course we'll have to step up the coverage soon, but these will remain a good layer.
A Calorimetry just jumped off my needles in time for Trick-or-Treating with the kiddos. And was even recognized while we were out! That was fun :) I love being able to keep my hair up and my ears are still warm w/out the unsightly pony/bun hump in the back of my hat.

Tune in tomorrow for my Halloween catch up post - all the kiddos wore knit accents to their costumes & we all had fun!

Vote!

2008-11-04T09:40:00.003-06:00

We are just about to head out to vote - waiting for the "on the way to work" crowd to clear through. PLEASE VOTE TODAY!

more later...

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T23:45:00.008-05:00

My peeps are knitting for me today - I popped in to share that our family had an excellent Easter family gathering today and even though there was snow(!!!) on the ground this was definitely one of my favorite family days...ever.

the girls were a lot of fun today - it was Jess' first egg hunt, Gracie and their cousin were very good about not snatching the eggs we were pointing out for Jess, and we all just had a very pleasant day overall.

Since I became a mother, I've been having a hard time enjoying family gatherings. My sweet adorable firstborn is rather attached to me and wouldnt (until recently) play without me playing with her. So I always ended up with all the kids and wouldnt get any adult time and well, I was really getting drained. But today it finally wasnt an ordeal for me. I did actually get a bit of a break thanks to my awesome FIL. But even when I did end up downstairs with the kids, just me and the kids, we had so much fun this time! We raced matchbox cars and played with the play kitchen and there was lots of laughing and giggling and smiles and happiness. True happiness I sometimes think you can only see in children.

When we were driving home I was reflecting on my holiday memories growing up and it clicked that today I got to be the "cool aunt" you know, that random family member who got down on the floor with you to color, or pulled out a game, or just stepped away from the "adults" and really concentrated on having fun with the kids...

I am just so completely happy with today - very tired too, but a good tired. As this year has been developing I've been finally looking up and around at all the goodness that is in my life. It's funny how as this goodness is becoming more into my awareness, the more goodness I'm finding. And I feel I'm becoming a better wife and mommy as I work toward adjusting my focus.

Hope you had a very Happy Easter too!

Peek a boo!

2008-02-28T12:14:00.005-06:00

I should be cleaning the house right now...but you know how that goes.

Just popping up to share that I've got monkeys and wings on my mind these days, and I keep getting distracted by Jessica's birth record/announcement in cross stitch...and books...and oh my goodness The Other Boleyn Girl opens tomorrow and I will see it by the end of this weekend, with or without hubby (I'm actually kinda hoping to sneak out alone - as much as I love him, it'd be nice to get some "me" time).

I'll have more for you tomorrow ;)

Crossing the Finish Line

2007-10-24T01:21:00.003-05:00

Phew, all the ponchos are done! Well, I've got to weave in a few ends and attempt to block them. I say attempt because of course these were made of Homespun, but from what I've been seeing as I continue to work with acrylic I feel that anything that was knit needs a good soak to show it's true beauty and work out some of the wonks.

I'm halfway through the wing on MS3. I'm a bit bummed I didnt get it finished before Mystic Waters KAL launched. I've been a busy girl. At least I'm not in a funk :)

I have a favor to ask of anyone stopping by, please take a minute to pray/send good thoughts toward my hometown - San Diego. My sister, an uncle & his fam, an aunt & her dh, and too many friends have been evacuated. So far their homes are all still standing - but they were good and are following orders. The aunt and uncle plus their respective families are all at my dad's so I'm sure things are interesting over there. And my sister is staying with friends and thankfully she's in an area that doesnt have much of the smoke/debris fallout (her asthma was acting up). I'm also very thankful that my mom's place is next to an evacuation center so I can easily check on her safety without calling her all day ;) And a super big thank you to the local ABC station out there for streaming live news on http://www.10news.com/ The Santa Ana winds will hopefully break Wednesday and finally give everyone some relief!

I love you guys!

Poncho Come Back?

2007-10-14T13:06:00.003-05:00

Reviving poncho fever? I dont know if it will - or should - return to poncho fever. But I do like the poncho. Maybe because I'm a mom of small kids and dont have time to keep up with a shawl behaving. Or maybe because I'm in the midwest and appreciate the often more substantial fabric more often seen in a hearty poncho versus a whispy shawl - and yes, I have made a few wraps that are out of worsted so yes they are more substantial. For some reason, when I think of shawl I think of the floaty beauties I'm dying to work on but I've got to get this poncho project finished first.

Along with joining the 3 mystery shawls running right now - and omg, are they all so pretty! - my MIL has paid me to knit up her son's family ponchos for Christmas presents. I was feeling pretty nervous about ponchos now that the fever has died down. But wouldnt you know, I was at the book store Friday and saw a poncho in the Holiday Vogue Knitting Magazine! I feel much better now somehow.

So I'm making a mommy - daughter - doggie version and have started teaching my MIL to knit so she can knit her son a scarf for Christmas! Isnt that so cute!!! It has been so much fun getting together with her and her friend (who is also learning from me) for coffee and teaching them.

And now the Bears need more attention from me as they keep trying to give up their lead - come on Bears!!! you can do it!

2007-10-06T21:53:00.004-05:00

I am so excited, I've started the wing on MS3! It gets more beautiful every row I add and I'm so glad I'm sticking with it :)

I have yet to cast on for my new mystery lace partly because

I've been busy running around - my BIL is a HS Football coach and a trip to see his game this morning turned into an all day play with the cousins event - also, it was 90 (f) today in CHICAGO! in OCTOBER!!! we are all slightly sunburnt and sun fatigued but it felt great to get our bones warm one more time ;)
I've picked up another commisioned project - my MIL wants me to knit capes for her DIL and Grand-daughter and she's knitting her son a scarf because...
I just taught my MIL and her best friend to knit! (that was really fun)
technical difficulties...I've discovered the yarn I bought for Chrysopolis is not very evenly spun. Since this is a "mystery" I dont know how well that will work for this project, so I will just have to repurpose it. So I placed an order with Knit Picks, and it came in the mail today - I got my Campfire!

Ok, well back to work
sorry for no pics, too busy...

Coffee Question

2007-10-03T08:49:00.001-05:00

As I was pouring my morning cup of life - 2 kids under 4 = must. drink. coffee. around here.
actually, it's my NEED to have some "me" time that keeps me up til 12:30 and Jess generally wanting a feeding at some point between 12:30 and 6:30 that has necessitated coffee in my life. Before then, it was a casual enjoyment.

I emptied the carafe into my mug. I poured the water into the reservoir for 3 cups, and my mug accepted it all. Now, I don't drink a tankard by any means. And I generally feel that my cup is avg sized.

So the question arose: When people say they drink 2-3 cups a day, do they mean what was measured into the coffee maker? or how many "cups" they poured?

If it's the latter, boy is that a lot of coffee y'all.

Now, mind you, this is my musing as I'm fueling up, so thank you for staying with me here.

Speaking of coffee, I have got to get myself over to Starbucks soon - I hear the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back.

So the lace addiction is being more than properly fed. I am an excited member of Secret of Chrysopolis (in German - and yes, Google Translate is my friend as I do not know German), Secret of the Stole, and Mystic Waters KAL - and am still finishing off MS3.

Secret of Chrysopolis is amazingly beautiful so far - membership closes this Friday; we get clue 1 of Secret of the Stole this Friday - membership closes midnight Thursday!!! and Mystic Waters will be underway starting the 24th - this one releases clues on Wednesdays :)

For anyone stopping by who hasn't tried lace yet - I highly suggest finding a lace KAL. The members go above and beyond to help. If you do a mystery lace KAL, you get the pattern only pieces at a time so you don't feel overwhelmed. And everyone else shares where they struggled and what helped them get through it, and often times I've found myself very surprised at how many people struggle with the same parts I do.

OK, well I'm off to wind some hanks into balls and then the girls and I are off to story time!

Stash Enhancing

2007-09-03T23:54:00.004-05:00

I wrote this last night. As I attempted to add photos my browser crashed on me and said it was time for me to go to bed. The natives have been restless today so this was my first chance to finish this up :)

As I've been attempting to catalogue what stash I do have (when the kiddos give me literally a second), I have been chastising myself that I need to do a better job at waiting to buy nicer yarn instead of instant gratification cheapo yarn.

My DH continually nags at me about the bins of yarn I have when I tell him I'd like to get more yarn. He doesn't get that 80% of what I have I got off a freecycler 2 years ago, and 19% I got when I went crazy at a Joann clearance sale - who can resist half off clearance price? There is very little in my stash that is high quality. I keep trying to get rid of this yarn, but I just cant. For the most part it's great for afghans, charity, and kids wear so I'm afraid I'll miss it if I let it go. I'm a work in progress on the pack rat tendency.

The biggest problem I have is that I keep spending money first on patterns and magazines and I need to start waiting to be able to afford the yarn for the projects I really want to knit instead of trying to force Caron Simply Soft to be my "go to" yarn for every project. Not that there is anything wrong with Simply Soft - I rather like it and for the most part it has behaved as well as could be expected.

Today I finally placed my first order with Knitpicks - I KNOW!!! I cant believe it has taken me so long either. I'm oddly phobic about paying for shipping if I don't have to so I was always trying to put together the $45 order and I finally realized today that paying $3 to ship is not the end of my world. So I ordered 3 skeins of Shadow in Sunset, 4 skeins of Essential, 2 skeins Riverbed and 2 skeins of Tuscany Multi. I just got paid for those blankets so I figured why not get started on Christmas socks too?

So what is the Sunset for? Well, I'm in on the Secret. Will you come join us? Sign up closes Oct 4 and first hint is whispered Oct 5 (2007).

Warning: the group is really bad at enabling further purchasing of lace weight. I am barely resisting ordering more Shadow in Campfire and Oregon Coast. I don't think I'll last much longer, both are very pretty and calling to me.

Also, I must admit that the siren that is Joann got me again today with her Labor Day Sale. I came home today with Bernat Handicrafter Cotton for fall dishcloths,

4 skeins of Patons Classic Merino (2 in rosewood and 2 in regency) for scarves,

and some novelty Caron Simply Soft Boucle for a scarf for Grace - she picked it out and it was clearanced for .97/skein!

this is pretty true to color - she is 3 yrs old after all, pink rules!

And I nearly shopped at Wool & Company today too, but darn it, they were closed for Labor Day!

MS3 Progress

2007-09-02T22:46:00.004-05:00

I forgot to add my current place for MS3 earlier today. I'm on row 225 - mid Chart E. I haven't really reached decision time yet, but it is looming near. I find the idea of an asymmetrical stole very appealing, but am not sure if this particular design is something that will work for me. It would be great to make and drape on a mannequin and call art. I could probably wear it a few times. I just don't know...some of the ones I've seen make me want to really try the wing and then there are a few of the symmetrical one that are just as appealing. I think I have 100 rows to figure it out.

I have a feeling I'm going to go with how it was designed and see if it pleasantly surprises me. I really like the feather pattern in the wing and wont get to enjoy it if I make it symmetrical. I may still do the lifeline so I have a reference point to decide after I work it up. The Skacel Merino Lace weight has not been very finicky with me so far, so I think it will handle being worked up and pulled back if need be w/out showing wear.

next time I'll get a picture with better contrast for background ;)

Sweet, sleeping babies

2007-09-02T15:55:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness, my kiddos are sleeping - at the same time! Hooray!!!

I just got to spend an unheard of amount of time on Ravelry - how do I love thee.

Just thought I'd pop in - since they are still asleep - before I get a few rows in on the library book bag and share the progress photo:

Hope you are enjoying your Labor Day Weekend!

September?!

2007-09-01T17:55:00.003-05:00

That was fast...I could swear it was just Grace's birthday (you know, back in June (11))! Well, I guess there is no fighting it, so I'll roll with it. Boy does life exponentially escalate as you add children!

Ok, so time for August wrap up. My awesome MS3 progress was greatly delayed by a commissioned project (sorry, still no pics). I picked up crochet again - and I'm in love. It is really nice to switch back and forth between knit and crochet. Before when a project was getting to me, I wasnt able to shake it off so well because I was still knitting and sometimes I'd feel like the bad mojo would transfer to the other project(s). Since crochet is just different enough, I feel like I'm shaking it off much better. Now I just need to figure out how to read and knit/crochet at the same time - like I'm not already doing too much at once already ;)

I finished 2 toddler size blankets. My own design. And nearly designed a library book bag (I've re-thought the original pattern - yarn matchup).

Jess started also started crawling this month.

Now for September Goals:

1. get pics of gwankies (blankets)

2. finish library bag

3. get patterns written up

4. post patterns and remember to ask for corrections if found (since didnt write up as worked like you planned).

5. finish MS3

6. get some scarves running off the needles/hook to pair with gloves for sale on eBay

7. figure out if should open etsy acct - if do get scarves up there as well.

I think thats enough for one month ;)

Roadtrip!

2007-08-30T00:07:00.002-05:00

We had a little roadtrip today so I got much more knitting done than I would have otherwise. I've nearly finished the back side of the Princess Tote. Yes, I've promised a pattern for a project that I have yet to complete. As I was nearing the end of the back side, I was reconsidering what I've done for the front. The stitch pattern on the front is not the problem as much as the yarn I chose.

I picked cotton-tots for this project (in Grape Berry). It's from my stash, from a binge at Joann's during a clearance sale - the yarn was half off the clearance price! I used cotton-tots to make my dishwashing apron and I really like it there because my apron is like a large dishcloth and I like that. But I'm not sure how well the texture of this yarn is fitting the pattern I chose.

The front panel right now features the gingerbread castle from Barbara Walkers 2nd Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Which is lovely (and honestly kind of fun) to work, but I'm just not as thrilled with the "finished" look so far - maybe I need to *gasp* block it? Yes, I think I will block it before it eats flies in the frog pond.

I'm off to bed for a fresh start tomorrow :)

Woo hoo! I'm in!!!

2007-08-26T23:28:00.002-05:00

Hooray - I got my invite today! I'm knitting4grace on Ravelry :) I'm so excited, Brianne found me within seconds of accepting my invite - it was cool to see we were on at the same time, and it was awesome to be welcomed by someone I've known for so long (we've known each other since middle school - I have pictures around here somewhere...)

I'm super-duper excited and have had much fun tinkering around. This site is so cool and totally worth the weight. I have a lot of picture taking and inventory to do. Yes I should have started while I was so impatiently waiting...I've been distracted by the blankets I was making and just now realized that they've gone to their new home w/out a picture getting taken! oops!!! This has been a crazy few weeks - a teething nearly 8 month old who's crawling and testing walking along furniture already has been a handful. Along with finishing the two blankets and trying to knit up a tote bag for a birthday present, it's amazing I'm still in one piece ;) I'll try to get a photo from their mom - I cant believe I did that.

By the way, the patterns were all mine for these recent projects...I'm finally converting stitches into patterns of my own!!! Hooray for me :) In celebration of getting my invite, I'll get them written up - well 1 blanket, with 2 finishing options, and then the princess book bag coming soon to this blog!

Until next time - knit something...

Getting Antsy

2007-08-23T11:39:00.004-05:00

Yes, I'm talking about Ravelry, and yes I'm very upset with myself that I didnt sign up forever ago before the buzz got so loud. I think I was intimidated by thinking it was for a richer knitter than myself. And since then I've realized that was just silly of me. I also think I didnt fully get the idea until so many people were telling exactly what it does - I blame it on sleep deprivation. So, at least there are only 385 ahead of me (I think that means I should get my invite next round, hooray!).

...and, yep, I disappeared again. Just as thing were getting exciting with MS3, a friend called me with a blankie emergency. What started as high alert that her kids' gwankies were falling apart, went to emergency level when her youngest's gwankie mysteriously disappeared.

I've finally completed my first pieces for pay, and I think I'm going to go ahead and get my feet in the water and actively look for more projects. I'm going to try to keep it simple to start. So we'll see. I'm not turning it into a "job" yet though ;) For starters we bought a wholesale lot of Italian leather gloves and I'm going to knit/crochet up some scarves to bundle with and see if that helps them move.

Aside from that, I'm back to MS3. I think I'm about halfway through, in the pas de chat section. The wing was nearly what I expected of Melanie. I was cautious about it, and it does look interesting when it is just laid out, but I really like how it looks once worn - and that's where it matters in my book. I'm not creating artwork for may walls/furniture with this one.

Til next time - knit something :)

MS3 pulls me out of hiding!

2007-07-17T11:13:00.001-05:00

Yep, I'm part of the MS3 phenomenon that is raging through the knitting community! But I do want to point out that I have taken part in this adventure from the beginning. Leda's Dream was my first lace adventure and Sheherazade (sp?) was my first zephyr adventure...unfortunately, neither made it all the way for whatever reason, I cannibalized the projects for other lace (in fact I'm using my Leda's Dream choice for MS3). I think sometimes yarn just wants to be something other than what you are trying to mold it into.

In this case for example, the Skacel Merino Laceweight I bought for MS1 was just looking "flat" and I just want happy with it, but now in MS3 where it is being accented with beads...oh, I'm in love again!

It is funny how I'm finding that yarn can be like children, no matter how much you want it to do something "your" way, their way just might be ok too...and sometimes even better.

I am very much loving MS3, I finished clue 2 last night and even found my camera and got some ok pics this morning (we are having a t-storm/flood watch right now, so the lighting isnt the best). As Clue 1 grew to Clue 2, I was still trying to figure out the shape and finally it hit me that it's a taper - which I wouldnt have considered until now as I'm seeing this grow - the taper is really growing on me.

I am so excited that this project got me into incorporating beads in my knitting! I love how it makes this design "pop" and it's kinda fun too :)

I must also confess that I've recently picked up crocheting again! I'm finding it to be a nice change of pace. And is something I can do with both girls up and not have to think to hard about what I'm doing or worry about losing my place. So far I've stitched up a couple bibs for Jess and I'm also working on some dishcloths for my kitchen!

My first adventures with yarn were with a crochet hook in hand, but it used to irritate my wrist and elbow. Apparently all the conditioning those joints got through knitting have made them more ready for crochet again. I just picked up the latest Interweave Crochet and am now in search of the Fall issue with the Josephine pattern. I'm really excited about the possibilities in combining knit and crochet!

So, yes I'm still around. We're just very busy lately with 2 kiddos and Jess still isnt quite sleeping through the night yet...so to cope I've had to let a few of my extra things slide. I think we are finally working things out and I'm getting more "me" time so hopefully I can get back to blogging - I miss it so!

Off to put in a lifeline and start on Clue 3!

3 in one day?

2007-03-25T21:04:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's me again...just cant get enough of you today ;)

I just wanted to take a moment to share that I absolutely LOVE being a mom, and I love my girls very much. Sometimes I read back and see my tone may be read as a bit "down" or "unappreciative" of my girls, and that is absolutely not the case. I guess I just use this medium to vent more than applaud lately and I'm going to try to adjust that ~ I'm also a bit tired lately so I'm not watching my tone like I should. I think it is very important to focus on your blessings.

Jess is the most adorable baby and a real lovebug/cuddlebug, and she's hilarious already! She must know that she's going to be the middle child because she's already going out of her way to crack me up. On top of that she's a talker! I cant quite understand what she's telling me, but we've already had many extensive conversations ;)

And Grace of course has always been my sweetheart and she is an incredible helper. She has adjusted to being a "big sister" much better than I could have ever hoped. We've had a few rough spots of course - she is only 2 yrs old... Still she just absolutely amazes me every day with what she comes up with.

I love my family :)

Ok, I feel better now, Good Night!

Celebrated too soon...oh well

2007-03-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

So, UNC let me down...I've dropped to fifth place, but I'm still having fun! Go Ohio!!!

I think I'm getting bit by the Fantasy Sports Bug...this is a lot of fun :)

Sickness - be gone from my house!

2007-03-25T17:05:00.000-05:00

So we've gotten better and worse over and over throughout this month - I think we went back to playgroup too soon - but the cabin fever would have killed us otherwise anyway. It has been a long winter in Chicagoland for a 2yr old. With the latest bout, only Grace got it, and not nearly as bad as anyone in the playgroup. The girl's got some good genes from her daddy!

The bummer part of Jess getting sick was she was a monster for nearly a week - would not sleep on her own and dont even think about putting her in either her swing or bouncy chair! Thankfully she's better now and back to smiling and talking to her toy bar on both above mentioned diversions. (or I dont think I'd have any hair left)

Since Jess has been attached to me, I dont have much knitterly progress to speak of although I am 3/4 through the 3rd edge of Grace's blankie so that means I'm nearly there! Hooray!!! Hopefully the blackhole of knitting wont find me on this project.

Oh! I've come across a little "extra" money by being a good girl and I think I'm going to sneak in a trip to my LYS to grab some pretty yarn for Argosy, I'm so excited!

I was all excited to join Nona's Pick em tournament so I could hopefully get lots of knitting time in - foolish me, my 2 month old has other ideas so far. However, I am VERY excited to be in first place right now - who'd of thunk for all the red on my bracket? It's also been fun to see how my picks have stacked against my hubby's - he's not so happy right now (thanks to Oregon), so I'm trying not to celebrate too much ;)

in lieu of a knitting pic, I'll share my littlest one who is getting so big so fast:

Ohio State better keep on winning or my mommy will be bummed!

Please? (Actually she was saying cheese) I cant leave the big one out ;)

Happy St Patty's Day!

2007-03-17T13:01:00.000-05:00

So, I spoke too soon. Jess mutated the virus to include viral pinkeye...she was a handful the next few days and then was so sweet and shared it with me! I've been down for the count since and aside from still feeling like I'm hearing the world from underwater, most of my symptoms are finally gone.

Since today is the first day in a week that both eyes are clear, I havent gotten much knitting in. I have turned the 2nd corner on the edging to Gracie's blankie and since I'm babysitting (after the kiddos go to sleep) tonight, if Jess cooperates I may at least turn the 3rd corner if not finish!

So what's next? I'd like to wear Pebble Beach 2.o soon, so I guess I should work in earnest on that one next. However, I'm being lured by the Argosy Shawl. The yarn I want to use is worsted however, instead of sport weight, so I may have some figuring out to do (or stash enhancement) in my future. And Icarus is gathering dust and crying for attention so maybe I'll get some more work in there as well.

Well, enjoy green beer, corned beef sandwiches, and basketball!

Inching along

2007-03-06T21:42:00.002-06:00

Well, I think I've managed to kick the bug before it got me too bad - hooray!!! Grace and Jess still have a bit of a cough but it diminishes daily so hopefully we are out of the woods. I've also decided no playgroup this week to see if we can finally fully kick it.

We did get out today to play with a friend and had a great time...we had too much fun and spent all day there so there was no knitting today (well I may slip a few more inches of border in later). Over the weekend I finished the last section and started the border; yesterday I finished the first whole edge of the blanket border, hopefully I'll find time for a picture tomorrow.

John's hosting poker night here Thursday night so tomorrow will be a cleaning day (but I'm sure to slip a few rows in here and there) - I'm crossing my fingers that the kiddos cooperate so I can get a lot done and not have to stress too much on Thursday. I'm getting so much closer to a daily clean house and I'm working on a Spring resolution to almost always have my house visitor ready on a daily basis - I'm so sick of clutter!

Batteries down!

2007-03-01T23:11:00.001-06:00

So yesterday was an interesting day - both girls were out of sorts which equals mommy getting no knitting time. We have been fighting off a virus spreading through our playgroup and now hubby must have blended an office virus with what we're carrying and he was down for the count Mon night through Wed and now it looks like I may be losing the battle but I still refuse to surrender. Thankfully Jessica is still hanging tough aside from random congestion.

Today I finally got Grace down for a nap and Jessica is happy in her swing for the moment so I hurried up and laid out G's Log Cabin blanket and had to use the flash since we are having yet another snow day here in the midwest - the snow is "falling" sideways by the way because of the wind.

This is the only shot you get because it is the only shot I got between the battery low indicator coming on and the camera shutting itself off. Oh well, you'll see more of it very soon as I'm nearly done. Yes that little bit of pink signifies the last wedge being worked and all that's left is the border, blocking, and weaving in the ends. And yes, the green looks a bit wonky because it was salvaged from another project and I was too much in a rush to see how it looked to properly reset it, hopefully it will block out after it has been washed.

Nothing much planned for this weekend aside from lots of decongestants, kleenex, movies, and hopefully plenty of knitting and recovery. With a 2 month old I have no way to plan my knitting time, but I do plan to recover as best I can ;)

What I've been up to lately

2007-02-28T19:56:00.002-06:00

Knitting (and blogging) has been a bit neglected since the arrival of this:
Jessica Leanna was born Dec 28, 2006 at 6:59pm she was 7lbs even. She's a wonderful, healthy, sweet baby, and her big sis has really enjoyed her so far and we are all adjusting very well.
And yes, I realize I havent blogged since July, and I never really shared my wonderful news and just sort of sprung her on you...but the new condo, chasing a 2 yr old, and being pregnant really took a toll on me. Plus my camera was really bugging me and I finally got a new one for Christmas - silly excuse, but that's all I have to offer. I'm back now for real! My life was just a bit too much for me in 2006 and was just not a good year for blogging.
Obviously, she is a wonderful reason to not have much knitting to show. I'm slowly working more knitting into my days finally, but I have to be careful to not plan on having knitting time as those days seem to be the days she needs me all day long.
I do have a pic to share today of Jessica's log cabin blankie:

Tomorrow I'll share progress on Gracie's log cabin blanket since she wanted one too ;)

Pictures soon I promise!

2006-07-11T10:05:00.000-05:00

So, I've decided this week that I am going to finally give up the soaps I was watching. I'm willing to admit that I was an avid abc daytime watcher since I stopped working for maternity leave/raising Gracie, and lately I've decided that I'm tired of retarded storylines and bad writing, so no more soaps for me!

My new hope is that I will now do a better job of blogging since I *should* have more uninterupted time - we'll see how well that works out. I am also going to try to turn off the TV during that time since I'm beginning to realize I watch way to much television.

On to knitting news, I joined the Mystery Stole Along 2 - the first clue was released last Friday and membership will be closed as of this Friday, so join now or miss out on the fun! I have really enjoyed the pattern so far and am really into this lace project - like I said, pics soon, I promise!
I kinda went easy on myself during the swatch phase (I really did swatch, I swear, but I should have tried the next size up just to see and I didnt) and after I had finished 1/2 of the 1st clue (one whole chart repeat - 50 rows) I decided my fabric was too dense and have bravely started over with the next size up and am liking the results much better.

Previously I was working on JenLa's Fiber Crack baby blanket pattern, which has been the most enjoyable baby blanket I've worked on, and will get back to it as soon as I finish this week's clue for the Mystery Stole.

Now that we are nearing Mid-July, I'm beginning to think along the lines of who's getting what knit for them for Christmas, but I'm not ready to pick up wool yet...so I guess I'll just stick to the planning stage for now - I just have to remember to write my ideas down this year ;)

well, happy knitting! I'll be back soon with pics!

Yet another picture free post

2006-06-15T21:29:00.000-05:00

Sorry guys, been too busy to set up photo ops lately - I will try to do better soon!

Not a whole lot of knitting progress lately, my newly 2 yr old has been very demanding lately and I've had too much to do in my "free time" to get much progress done on any of my current projects.

We went on vacation a few weeks ago to a historical town in IL called Galena, it was absolutely beautiful and it almost felt like a time portal back to when President Ulysses S Grant walked the cobblestone streets. While there I of course hit up the LYS - Fiber Wild - it was a lovely shop and I could have spent all day there, however my DH brough my DD in with him and she started trying to climb the loom and grab at the expensive yarn (of course) so I had to grab the laceweight alpaca silk blend I had in my hand, pay for it and run before I had to buy more than we could afford ;)

The intended project for my new yummy purchase is the Icarus Shawl in the latest (summer 06) issue of Interweave Knits. This was the first shawl I saw that I "had" to knit now...so we'll see how it goes, I didnt make it much past clue 3 of the Mystery Shawl before the lace got to me. This project looks pretty straight forward until you reach the edging so hopefully by then I'll have enough time invested to work my way around wanting to stick my Size US3 needle in my eye when the charts attempt to get the best of me later on.

A surprising development lately is that I've recently returned to cross stitching. I had 2 projects nearly finished when Gracie arrived and then burnt out. One is a blanket with alphabet patches that just needs the back put on and the other was a birth record that just needed the finishing touches - read miles and miles of back stitch with a few french knots thrown in for variety ;) I finally finished the stitching of that one the other night and now just have to clean, press and frame it! I'm really into stitching right now and am working on starting another project with her name...so yes, I have a wandering eye lately - forgive me knitting!

That's about all I have in me tonight - hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later, thanks for hanging in there with me!

Could it be?

2006-05-04T21:18:00.000-05:00

A new post from me?

We are finally home owners!!! It is very exciting for us to finally "own" the place we call home - we've started with a condo which we will either sell or turn into rental property in a few years and move on up to a house. Babysteps are fine with me.

My knitting unfortunately has become a victim of my preoccupation with the whole homesearch, closing, packing/moving/unpacking so I dont have much to show you...

I miss knitting, hopefully I can return full swing back to my passion now that things are calming down a bit. I'm just a bit scatterbrained right now. I sit down and get halfway through a row and see a box/mess out of the corner of my eye and have to go take care of it. I'm tired of living with boxes/clutter and I am a woman on a mission.

There are some other things going on that are distracting me as well, but I'm going to have to keep that secret a little longer - with any luck by the time anyone gets around to checking to see if I've decided to blog again I'll be ready to share anyway ;)

To my once upon a time readers, I miss you and am sorry I disappeared. Now that my desk/computer is back out in common space instead of our bedroom hopefully I will be posting more frequently. At minimum I should be posting every Thursday night - otherwise I'll do my best. I love blogging so I should get back into the swing soon.

On the needles: sitcom chick - I know, I'm a little late to the game, but that cardigan has caught my eye from the first time I saw it, and now I'm finally getting around to it
Also working on finishing another baby blanket for Warm the World.

An Adorable Knitter...how sweet :)

2006-02-14T23:56:00.000-06:00

You're a cutsie knitter! Knit anything for kids or
babies, it doesn't matter what yarn or
needles as long as the end result is
*ADORABLE*!

Are you a knitter?
brought to you by Quizilla

Happy Love Day!

2006-02-14T23:33:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...I disappeared again, so much for getting back into blogging this year. But I have been otherwise busy for good reason, we are neck deep into the "buying our first home" adventure, so when I have time to be online I'm scouting out places and setting up meetings with the realtor to see places as well as researching all I can on aid for first time buyers...

I also jetted off to San Diego with Gracie for 3 weeks to visit my family while John was sent to Australia for business and was simply too busy doing "other" things to find my way here.

So...silly me, I thought today was my 1 year blogging anniversary, but it isnt, I started blogging on Feb 6, 2005, and added my site meter on Feb 14...oh well, its not like I had anything to offer as a fun anniversary contest anyways - sorry! Maybe I can come up with something next year :)

Also, as I was researching my first blog entry, I discovered that John was out of town last year for Valentine's Day too! Yes, Gracie was my Valentine again this year, John is in Vegas on yet another trip but at least he'll be home for a long weekend soon :)

Not a whole lot going on knitting-wise lately, I managed to finish Ang's sweater at my moms, and of course didnt take a picture. But it looks amazingly similar to the one on the pattern, maybe I'll get a pic of her in it next time I see her. She absolutely loves it, when she first tried it on, she was thankful and appreciative, but once she got home and saw it in the mirror (I gave it to her when we were out to dinner) she called me absolutely raving about how much she loves it - yeah!!!

Other than that, I was plugging away at my mom's top and then I came across a work at home data entry opportunity that has consumed any free time I had for the last few weeks, and then found another sewing at home job that may be long term so I've been doing some research on purchasing a serger (not required, but I've been wanting one). And now I'm feeling nipped by the sewing bug - so much so that when I got my Joann's flyer, I jumped to the sewing section first and then looked at the yarn sale - gasp! I'm sure it will wear off after the novelty fades.

Oh, and at my mom's I came across this adorable hand knit dress that I wore as a toddler and Gracie is just adorable in. So I brought it home with me and I think I'm going to try to deconstruct it in my head so I can make her another one that is a bit bigger. I think that would make a suitable attempt at designing from inspiration. My mom couldnt remember where she got it, either my grandmother made it or it was bought from a place that didnt install tags as there are no markings whatsoever inside and it is not "professionally" finished.

Well, Happy Love Day! [that's what they called today on Blue's Clues :hee, hee:]

Black Cavern Knitting

2006-01-03T21:34:00.001-06:00

So I'm working on the Cavern cardigan right now, and I'm loving it! Thank you so much Lisa for mentioning this pattern! I see a few of them in my future. This is a top-down seamless raglan in worsted weight, I'm using Caron's Simply Soft in Black.
Here's where I am so far (3/4 through raglan shaping):

And a keen(e) eye may notice her stitch markers in action...Thank You!!! I love them, and I get to think about you whenever I knit now :D I'm going to have a hard time going back to my hack plastic markers ;) And I think you have repaid my getting you into knitting by getting me into making stitch markers - that has just soared to the top of my "I'm gonna..." list.

I also have a finished object that I managed to capture before gifting:
Pattern:Creative Knitting Magazine (Nov 2005), Precious Baby Jacket, p 46
~beware check the website there is an important revision on the front(s) shaping.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Bright Ombre and Bernat Softee Baby in White
Needle: Size 6 (4mm)
Time: Honestly I was in such a holidaze and Gracie was in rare form for most of the month so my best guess is 4-5 sittings at approx 2 hrs each so not much more than 10 hrs and it would have been quicker if I'd checked the website before I started and if I didnt have a toddler who tried to throw her schedule out the window ;)
Notes: Other than the revision in the pattern this was a great knit, the pattern is interesting enough to not be boring, but I was still able to watch TV/movies throughout. I love baby knits, quick, simple and oh so cute! DH wants me to make one for Gracie :)

As well as one of my lovely Christmas gifts from my in-laws:

That is Lion Brand Jiffy in El Paso and a pattern book from Leisure Arts Touchable Knits.
I think I like the cardigan on the front, and the shell on the back cover, but I really feel this yarn is destined for Hot Lava unless I get a few more skeins and make the ballet wrap cardigan on the cover of the current Interweave Knits (Winter 2005).
But that project will have to wait as I am madly finishing 2 more gifts (this was planned to be late, I promise!) before I head to CA Jan 21 :)

Happy New Year!

2006-01-01T13:27:00.000-06:00

Yeah!!! 2006 is here!!!

I'm excited about this because I'm very glad to have 2005 behind me. It wasnt a horrible year, but it wasnt the best year either so I'm very happy to have a fresh start.

Good thing #1 ~ I am no longer horribly home sick. I do still miss my family and friends very much, but I dont want to throw up anymore when I think about how much I miss them.

Good thing #2 ~ Gracie got a potty chair for Christmas...which means the end is in sight of diaper duty. I would very much like to not have 2 children in diapers at once and we do plan on baking her a sibling in the near future. Which brings me to...

Good thing #3 ~ We will decide this year when to make our family grow. As much as I am a little nervous about this because I didnt take the hormonal fluxes very well last time, I really want a sibling for Gracie and I'm holding out hope for a better pregnancy this time around.

Good thing #4 ~ I am very comfortable with my knitting now, it is like breathing to me, so I am very much looking forward to what my hands/mind will create this year. I hope to get braver with designing my own patterns this year. I've already started tweaking other's patterns and I'm starting to get the math and structure down :)

Good thing #5 ~ I've finally met some moms in the area and I look forward to our playdates and mommy night outs. The best part is we get to chat everyday online and then get together when our schedules allow, so it is very flexible and just what I need right now. Plus I really want Gracie to start working on her social skills. I'm also realizing that I really need this myself and have already become much happier with myself now that I've found this outlet.

Here are some things I am going to accomplish this year (goals, not resolutions, because resolutions are broken too easily ;))

Goal #1 I will pause before I speak this year. I keep interrupting and/or talking over others, and I dont want to do that anymore. I am hoping this will also help me clean up my mouth - when I get tired/frustrated I curse (shocking I know) and lets just say I've been rather tired/frustrated lately and that paired with Gracie expanding her vocabulary is not good.
This "pause" will also hopefully stop/reduce the amount of hot-headed rudeness that I express towards my hubby (and unfortunately from time to time Gracie) by allowing me to realize what I'm saying before I say it.
~penalty - 10 cents for every curse word, I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do about the other stuff, just try real hard for now, I'll update when I come up with something.

Goal #2 I will do at least one fair isle/intarsia project by summer. I am very intrigued by colorwork, the biggest thing holding me back so far is probably budget because if I'm going to put that much work in a project I dont want it in acrylic. So I'll probably be placing my 1st order with KnitPicks this year :)
~penalty - havent come up with one yet...other than if not done by summer, I will have to purchase project for my birthday and not allow myselft to work on anything else until it gets rolling. may update later

Goal #3 I will design something that I can share on this site for free. I want to show my appreciation for other blogger's free patterns by offering one of my own. I will also appreciate any feedback generated by the project.
~ penalty - this one will either happen or not

Goal #4 I will blog at least once a week, with an aim for getting back to every/every other day. I really have a passion for blogging, I enjoy this outlet and love "meeting" other knitbloggers. Lately my very mobile toddler and my knitting obsession have just gotten in the way of making it to the keyboard (I am a loyal reader of many though - but I need to comment more).
~ penalty - I will have to blog before I can read my bloglines if I fall behind.

Goal #5 I will do better at keeping in touch with my friends. I get "too involved" in my own life and let too many weeks/months pass without emails/calls and I need to do a better job of letting my friends know how much they mean to me.
~ penalty - If I dont naturally get better at this I'm going to have to make "dates" on the calendar and hope this gets the ball rolling for it to become more frequent and not "required"

So that's what I have going so far, I also hope to read more books this year, and get some non-fiction in there, but I've always read a lot so that isnt much of a goal, it is more an effort towards intentionally reading instead of reverting to old habit.

Happy New Year! Knit something!

And the pie was just fine...

2005-11-26T23:16:00.000-06:00

...actually, it was rather good! I'm very proud of my first pumpkin pie, my ever trusty mini cheesecakes werent so great, but that's because I neglected to specially buy 2% milk instead of the skim milk DH prefers, so they didnt set so well, everyone was too full anyway to miss them ~ and the pumpkin pie was a hit.

Didnt really bother messing with the "black friday" deals...this is going to be a "light" Christmas with my family any way because of everyone's financial situation, so there really was no need to get bumped and bruised in order to save a few bucks - plus, I think most everyone is expecting handknits anyway ~at least they should be ;)

I am making incredible progress on child cardigan #1, this is my first major branching off from a pattern, I'm only very loosely following the structure of a cardigan shape I really liked, but changed the stitch pattern, I'm pretty excited about it, but the colors are "jumping" off it differently than I'd planned so now it looks more peach than pink. Then followed the debate whether to continue the striping pattern onto the sleeves, but I really wanted something to "pull" the pink back into attention, so I think I'm leaving the sleeves just pink stockinette, which I think will do the trick. Now to decide if child cardigan #2 will be purple, purple/white, purple/varigated, or purple/pink...tune in next time to find out :)

Easy as...Pumpkin Pie?

2005-11-23T23:09:00.000-06:00

I decided to be industrious this year, and instead of buying the Pumpkin Pie I'm supposed to bring to the feast tomorrow, I would make one...easy enough right? Just follow the directions...

Well, I'm proud to say that I followed the filling directions to the "t" and it smells and looks quite yummy ~ I merely neglected to follow the pie crust suggestion (really should be a rule) to use a glass pie dish (because I wanted to be able to leave the pie at my SIL's if they want it - I'm making another one just for us...shh) So, I bought the ever trusty foil pie tins...now I should have caught on as I was pouring in the evaporated milk that this is a "soupy" situation, not to be entrusted in foil; but no, I have to learn the hard way...

Thankfully, I'm (and my floor/counter) only wearing a small portion of my pie filling, I was humble enough to admit defeat before complete disaster, and discovered that the foil tin fits snuggly inside my glass pie dish - disaster avoided and I'm doing my best to not cry over spilt pie filling ~ I'll just tell the "world" about it instead :)

The other good news is that I decided to wait to make the 2nd pie until after we saw the finished result of the 1st one (just in case I need backup). Also, the other dessert I'm making I can do in my sleep, so no worries there :yay: So, tonight I'll finish up my mini cheesecakes, and tomorrow morning I'll do the green bean casserole, and then put on some "big pants" and gorge ;)

I am pretty excited as this will be Gracie's 1st Thanksgiving where she gets to actually take part in the spoils (and not just get it 2nd hand through me), it should be fun watching how she responds to all the hub-bub.
On to knitting news, ***hold on, gotta put the foil around the crust ~ ouch!!! why didnt I understand how necessary a pie shield is? A good number of my fingers are now overly toasty from trying to figure out how to get the foil around the crust now that I'm using the stupid pie dish with handles...ugh, at least the mission is nearly accomplished and hopefully my crust wont get too burnt *** I got my latest issue of Creative Knitting in the mail yesterday and there are quite a few new additions to my "to-do" list thanks to their latest publication ;) The good news is I have enough yarn stashed away to get me started on quite a few of them before I need to go say "honey, ..."
I also have most of my Holiday knitting settled, I cant disclose who gets what yet because I have random family members who drop by here, but I may play a little "guess what I finished" and if they want to figure it out that's their problem ;) (I will do a final project break down- after the Holidays - and who got what ~ because I know you care)
I'll try to get some pictures up this weekend, I'm just not motivated right now to take pictures because I'm so darn busy knitting when the toddler's napping...and she is very demanding right now when she is awake (we have already entered tantrum mode and she's only 17 months) I think most of the problem is due to the fact that she doesnt speak (understandable) english yet, so we have a communication barrier.
Well, I'd better get back to one of my various UFO's (I truly have them scattered all about, in very random stages, and my sanity is basically being held together by the index cards each project is assigned (thanks Mel)).

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I'm a Squib !?!

2005-11-08T21:33:00.000-06:00

***to jump to knitting content, look for the bold print***
So, I came across one of the various "Sorting Hats" (from Harry Potter) and the one at okcupid declared me a Squib.
Squib
You scored 8% Slytherin, 44% Ravenclaw, 44% Gryffindor, and 28% Hufflepuff!
Are you sure that you belong at Hogwarts? You show no defined personal characteristics and therefore no house preference. Perhaps you should seriously consider a lucrative career in dentistry or tax preparation -- or allow the Sorting Hat to redetermine your place at a later date.

Once I recovered from my shock, and actually read the results...I find it hard to deny. I really do equally identify with Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, am ambivalent about Hufflepuff, and dont care much for Slytherin...and Hagrid's not too bad off, he still got to stay at Hogwarts ;) Although I dont get how a less than 50% identification with a house makes me a squib...
The funniest part is that just before I met DH, I had finally gotten my college career on track to be an accountant (which is on hold and/or I will pursue real estate once the kids are in school).
Later on, I came across another Sorting Hat, and it placed me in Gryffindor...so who knows. I am excited about the new movie, and my muggle hubby even said he wants to see this one ~ so I may not have to see it alone after all.
**********************************************************

On to knitting...well, I'm actually avoiding my knitting right now, I started working on Fall (05) Vogue #4 this afternoon, but felt guilty for not finishing the last mitten and seaming up the ensemble, so I finished the other sleeve/side seam during House, and then the poop hit the fan when I started seaming the first mitten. I tried to just backstitch the seam, but it looks HORRIBLE, and my efforts to pull out this seam ended in the mitten flying across the room and me escaping to the computer, hoping for a distraction while my blood pressure resumes normal levels. I used the blue yarn for the "finger-tip" portion of the mitten, and if you noticed in yesterday's pictures, the pink and blue are speckled with the cream color and now I cannot "find" the seam I just put in. So I'm going to either have to wait for better light tomorrow or just give up and redo what I did manage to pull out and figure no one else will notice the goofy seam anyway, Gracie moves too fast.

Well, I feel better now, I'm off to watch Beyond the Sea, and either work on mitten 2 or Vogue #4.

Coordinating set in progress...

2005-11-07T22:41:00.000-06:00

I am finally in the home stretch of finishing Grace's Cardigan/Hat/Mitten set...what started as just her new fall sweater has turned into an ensemble. This wasnt necessarily planned, the yarn just keeps stretching into each new project. I still cannot get over how I had 2 coordinating yarns in my stash...finally I have succeeded in knitting a project without having to run out to a store ~ oh shoot, I still have to go get a zipper for the cardigan (or I could alter the pattern, add a button band, and finally have a complete stash buster) ...hmm, I'll have to think on that one - if anyone who stops by has an opinion on this, please share.

I dont think I've shared the prospective stats on this project, I'm doing the Accordion pattern from knitty, with the yarn I was RAOK'd by Stephanie as the main color and stash busted my way through the contrasting colors (perfectly). As I realized there was going to be plenty of yarn left over, I began a hat from adorable knits for tots (earflap hat pg 120) and then flipped over a few pages (as there was still certainly a sufficient amount of yarn) to work up some mittens (pg 130). If there is still yarn left over, I may have to finish with a scarf, but I'm not counting on it.

Here are some [not very artistic] in progress photos:

1st The Ensemble

The "original" project

Her Earflap Hat

And, finally, one lonely nearly finished mitten

Well, I'm off to see what I can get done on the last mitten before my eyes/patience send me to bed ;) Hope your week is off to a good start!

Hoppy Halloween!

2005-11-03T23:45:00.000-06:00

I know its not Halloween any more, but I can only use the computer (at night) on Thursday nights, when hubby is distracted at poker.
So...without further ado, here's my little baby bunny:

Here's her close-up:

A view from the rear:

Just the 2 of us:

And, not to be left out, our pumpkin:

Why yes, that is a hand knit bunny suit for my little girl. The pattern can be found here, because the yarn is discontinued, I used Lionbrand Woolease Thick & Quick in Pewter that I got on clearance at Joann's (can you say stash-buster?) It took me about 4 days to complete...its hard to say because I gave up multiple times worrying that the woolblend suit would be too warm and settled with leaving the arms off for ventilation (which worked quite well, and of course we had a cold spell which really helped). I also did not enclose the feet because we had considered actually trick-or-treating and I needed her feet to fit in her shoes. It ended up raining so that made up my mind to stay inside (she doesnt know any better).
The pumpkin was expertly carved by the hubby, he did a pretty darn good job. We did have 2 pumpkins, there was a baby one too, but it was too little for the candle and was trying to burn up so I blew it out before we got a pic.
Well, that's all for now :)

Gracie's sweater

2005-10-21T17:35:00.000-05:00

Someday I'll get those pictures [I keep promising] uploaded...just been too busy, busy, busy lately. I started Gracie's sweater yesterday (and it's more than 1/2 done!) I love knitting for babies/toddlers, talk about instant gratification knitting ;) The main color is done in the creme colored wool blend yarn RAOK'd by Stephanie, and the 1st contrasting color (the one you see more of) is pink, and the second contrasting color is denim blue. I will see what I can do about carving out some time this weekend to get those pics up.

Hope you have a great weekend, we'll be rooting on the Sox, and tonight we are eating out at Panda Express, yum!

**I edited out the blogthing-a-palooza, there's something funny going on in my blog and I'm trying to figure out the culprit**

Yummy, yummy, gummy goodness

2005-10-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

Gummy Bears

You may be smooshie and taste unnatural, but you're so darn cute.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

I love gummy bears!!! So you can guess I'm pretty excited about this match :D

And my favorite childhood candy led me to checking how happy my inner child is...

Your Inner Child Is Happy

You see life as simple, and simple is a very good thing.You're cheerful and upbeat, taking everything as it comes.And you decide not to worry, even when things look bad.You figure there's just so many great things to look forward to.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Apparently, she's doing just fine.

Onto the knitting front, I'm over 2/3 completed on the charity blanket...which means I've got to get cracking on choosing which pattern I want to be Gracie's new cardigan. [and be more disciplined with keeping a blanket on the back burner for "brain dead" nights] But really, I'm very happy that I've made so much progress this week. I really do like this ruffled garter baby blanket , not quite as brain draining as the diagonal blanket, for me anyways. I think the next one will be this very nice basketweave pattern a friend shared with me...we'll see.

We made it to the pumkin patch today! Very neat!!! I'm hoping that we can make this return event every year because the set up is wonderful, free admission and you just have to buy tickets for what you want to do (they have hay rides, pony rides, a few carnival rides, a petting zoo, and a haunted house). Because Gracie is just 16 months old, we just went to the petting zoo and she had a blast! I'll get the pics up tomorrow, I'm too exhausted tonight ~ had a little too much fun I guess ;) Oh, and speaking of yummy, we got some cotton candy (it's been awhile since either my DH or myself indulged) and it was good ~ Gracie couldnt quite figure it out, so her daddy ate her share ;)

~off to get a few more rows in on that blanket :)

Finished a project, but no photo, sorry :(

2005-10-13T23:53:00.000-05:00

So, once again I've gifted a project without getting the picture first, I was working so furiously I didnt even catch an "in progress" photo. Maybe this will have to be my excuse to get myself over to their place and check out their nest they've been working so hard on.

"what on earth is she talking about?" ~ well, as I mentioned previously, I was furiously knitting away on a wedding present for my dear best friend who got married Oct 1st, this present happened to be an afghan - well, lapghan, but it blocked bigger than I'd anticipated - and I bravely conquered it in 2 weeks. Some would ask "why the last minute?" well...first I was going to make her a shawl/shrug, but had a hard time selecting a pattern/yarn combination that I liked (could afford) and I was so very close to making her I Do that I bought the yarn in the right quantity and then did the gauge swatch and then it hit me...would she really like this or am I just trying to knit her something...so now I had some beautiful yarn and nearly gave up knitting anything and then I remembered a pattern I had come across in Creative Knitting, The Rosebuds Throw, and it was just perfect. I really wish I had a picture to share, I will remedy this as soon as I can, but she lives 3 hrs away so I cant exactly "just swing by". They returned from their honeymoon today, I hope they had a wonderful time.

My immediate project is cranking out a charity blanket, I feel bad that I havent been more diligent...I was soo excited to find this opportunity and then all these (personal) gifts keep popping out of me. I'm trying to work a better rotation in my knitting goals so I can get more done since I seem to slow down as I lose excitement in a project. Once I get my new housekeeping schedule down better, I think I'm going to add a monthly knitting goals series (but I'm not ready for that much structure all at once right now). Anyway, I have the latest blanket over half done, so I'm almost there and can return to getting a sweater for Gracie done.

Well, off to finish a few rows before hitting the pillow!

I belong in Rome :D

2005-09-23T17:26:00.000-05:00

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city girl with a small town heart
Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome
Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand
And gorgeous Italian men - could life get any better?
What City Do You Belong in? Take This Quiz :-)
Find the Love of Your Life (and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.

I absolutely love this one!!! Of course I already have my gorgeous Italian, so this one is an easy fit ;)

Mom's in town, so I've been enjoying her company, loving that she gets to play with Grace and give me some time to knit :happy dance: I'm busy plugging away on a gift for a friend...details and pics to follow in a few weeks - surprise gift and all, you know how it goes.

Got my hair shaped today (fancy term for hair cut) and I love it! I havent had a hair cut since a month before my baby was born - yes, way too long. But it was less stressful to just throw it in a pony tail than try to find a decent salon out here (still feel new in town) My mom was a willing guinea pig for me and tried one salon...they did ok on her, but she recommended I try somewhere else, so I finally stopped by Elegante and I love this place...they do nails and massages too [guess what's going on my Christmas list]. FYI: Elegante can only be found in the Chicago area.

OTN: Surprise Gift, Smartly Shaped Tank, Grace's Blankie, Grace's Cardigan

Technical [photo] Difficulties

2005-09-02T21:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm having an issue right now with my photos...no, I'm not stealing bandwidth, but I did just merge my flickr and Yahoo account and that may have changed something...if you click on any of the "blank" photos, it will take you to the flickr photo so it is half working, hopefully it some snafu at the moment and will be fixed shortly. I am too tired to investigate any further at this very moment. Any suggestions are welcome, otherwise I'll wait it out/figure it out later :)

~back to knitting, g'nite :)

Hmmm...

2005-09-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

still dont have photos for you...keep forgetting to get the batteries out of Gracie's room when she is awake. Not that it matters too much, the progress I made on the Honeymoon Cami is about to visit the lily pad as my gauge is way off. Does anyone else have the problem that their gauge swatch and actual knitted piece dont necessarily match? I use the exact same yarn and exact same needles for both and I'm generally in the same mood whenever I pick up this project - I have baby blankets to knit when I'm feeling stressed and need to relax, or when I'm too tired; I just dont get why my gauge swatch seems to be different...I guess I'll figure it out some day ;)

I am so unsettled over the Katrina disaster I dont know what to say...I am thankful that I have no family in the region and I have been praying for the survivors and the families affected by the situation. I wish I could do more...

Well, I'm off to get a few rows in before sleep takes over - have you seen the new version of the Tivoli? here's the Picovoli! I am so glad that I have been too busy to get to starting the Tivoli, I like the updated version so much better!

I have a few pictures for you

2005-08-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

Because my digital camera needs new batteries again, I dont have an update on my latest endeavor. But I have a few pics of my ~~little monster~~ sweet daughter, and I just cant remember if I showed you where I left off with my now stalled lace project; since I'm so proud of both here you go:

My sweet little girl striking a pose.

Quite a mouthful of animal circus cookies, not sure how many animals she's crammed in there...half the circus probably

Must have been a lion or two, now she's roaring :)

She really likes having her picture taken.

And here is some knitting content for you, I'm actually starting to want to get back to this one, now that I've looked at the pictures again...

I'll try to get some pics of my newest project up...soon

Oh, I nearly forgot! Thank You Brianne!!! I love the pattern book you sent, I cant wait to check my stash and make Gracie one of those beautiful dresses - they are soo cute! (I'll get a pic of this up soon too)

I'm off to knit some!

Just cant resist these

2005-08-29T14:37:00.000-05:00

You're Jane Eyre of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte!

Which Classic Female Literary Character Are you?

[sorry about the broken credit to quizzilla, I tried to fix it and lost it]

This one actually fits me to a tee, so now you know just a bit more about me :)
Good read too, by the way.

I have no excuses this time...

2005-08-25T21:01:00.000-05:00

No more promises either...

The funny thing is I really do like blogging, I like clearing my head of whatever happens to be rattling around in there, and I like the sound of the keyboard doing its thing while I think - it's actually been doing a better job of obeying my desires lately too :)

So I guess I should start where I left off ~ we had a fabulous time at my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary. I am so glad that we were able to make it after all (even if we couldnt afford it - it is one of those "once in a lifetime" events after all). Just about the whole family made it and a few friends from California, and Grace (as if on cue) took her 1st steps that evening back at their place. [For those new here, or who may not have a calendar marking each of Grace's landmarks ;) she crawled for the first time there too when we visited back in March - at least her daddy was there for this one] I really loved seeing everyone, I miss my family very much and cannot wait to visit San Diego again - this is the longest I've EVER been away.

The top I made for my sister came out much to small (as I figured), so I got to bring it back with me and play with it some more (Dr. Frankenstein time)...a few tries later, and after sitting down with a calculator I think I've come up with the closest formula that I can get without corrupting the design - I wanted to try short row shaping, but dont know how that works in a lace pattern yet, but all is well now I think :) I'm quite proud of myself, actually. And big props to Paton's Grace yarn - it has been through the wringer with me lots of visits to the frog pond and still looks good to me!

Now I'm juggling attempting the Honeymoon Cami from knitty.com with the Sirdar Duet yarn my mom got me for my birthday - I am going to attemt a striping pattern in peacock (blue) and lime (green). I'll keep you posted on that progress...so far I'm finding the yarn really likes to snag on the shiny part, so I'm having to really be diligent during those sections, otherwise, I really like it and I think it will have a very nice drape.

OH, last weekend we were watching the Bears game, and they did the 85 Super Bowl flash-back and I noticed Mike Ditka's sweater vest and casually mentioned if DH would like something like that and he got totally excited about it!!! So far, when I've brought up making something for him, he's been like "nah, I dont need anything, make something for yourself" but I finally found something he wants! I am sooo excited, now I just have to figure out what I've gotten myself into: am I ready to employ fair isle in my knitting or should I just duplicate stitch B-E-A-R-S across the front, I think I've figured out the basic shape and styling, but I'm still looking around.
Now I just have to get more yarn ;) - I certainly dont have any Orange just sitting around, and of course the other colors will need to coordinate, Knitpicks Wool of the Andes is a little "thin" but I gues I could double strand or look for a base pattern that will be happy with that gauge...

Things are definately looking up around here, Grace is a tornado, but she's having fun and that's what she's supposed to do at this age so I guess I'll hold on tight for now :)

Of to get a couple rows in, unti next time, Happy Knitting!

Hooray!

2005-08-04T19:27:00.000-05:00

Hooray for Brianne!!! Knitting has finally clicked for her!!! I am very proud of her as she is one of my long time friends who I didnt know until recently was addicted to yarn too! I have successfully wooed her over from crochet only land and now she has two crafts to satisfy her yarn cravings :) Go over and congratulate her!

It is so humid/muggy/hot out here I am literally melting. And I just bought a bunch of wool yarn to make a cute sweater, but I cannot go near it, I must wait for the heat to subside :(

We also just got our first full summer month electricity bill, yikes! is all I have to say about that one...

I just finished the shawl I made for my Grandma just in time to take it to her as the family is all congregating in TX this weekend for their 50th Wedding Anniversary! Very exciting!!! The family is also stoked to get to see Gracie...she has grown so much since she's seen my family last.

I am also on the last row of my "potato chip" scarf...I'm not sure how I feel about linking this pattern with the copyright hullabaloo going on, so if you want it, go find it at www.knitpicks.com under their free patterns. I'm not sure if I'll be doing any more of these, cramming all those stitches in really made my hands hurt...and that's after extending my longest cord with the 2nd longest cord - I do not know how anyone does this pattern on straight needles, I wouldnt recommend trying it.

Now down to the final countdown to recieving my copy of The Half Blood Prince, my sister was so kind to buy it for me (she of course read it first...had to make sure all the pages were there and what not) I promise this will be a spoiler free zone.

Well, off to pack for TX, I've never been good at packing earlier than the night before ;)
Happy knitting, and I'll see you when I see you :)

Ha! I didnt forget you after all...

2005-07-28T01:01:00.000-05:00

Gee, I really wrote a lot yesterday...sometimes it looks more intimidating because of the layout... but, you can tell I didnt get to talk to any "adults" yesterday - sorry about that :) Oh, and I hope I didnt hurt anyone's feelings that I'd rather knit than blog, I really care about anyone who happens upon my blog and hope to work out the regular blogging thing soon :)

Today was a lovely day, when Grace and I got back from our outing yesterday, I found a UPS tag on the door ~ not that it would matter if I'd been home anyway, our doorbell has only worked once since we moved in. So today I walked on over to the rental office to pick up the package - for John - and didnt think to put Grace in her stroller so it was fun trying to balance the baby and the box. Thankfully everyone made it home in one piece and now John has a bunch of cigars to keep him happy on the golf course. Oh, and while at the office, I mentioned the door bell situation (I'm tired of missing pkgs and we have Poker tomorrow night, so it was time to remedy the situation) and an hour later the maintenance guy had everything fixed - the connectors were dirty outside [like you really needed to know]
I took this latest arrival [John's cigars] as my "sign" that I do deserve to aquire the Denise set, so I finally made it to Kool Knits (my new fav LYS) and managed to resist scooping up some more yarn - very yummy stuff, but I was already pushing it - and I really love the set, I think I like the resin better than I like bamboo...I know blasphemy to some, but I love how light, slippery, and silent these are to work with.
While we were out, we made a quick stop at Trader Joes, and discovered Gracie loves blueberries! She is such a healthy girl, I'm very proud of her :)
Well, I'm off to dream about knitting ;)

Thought I Disappeared Again?

2005-07-27T01:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess I did disappear again, sort of...it is amazing to me how much harder it is to blog during the summer. It probably doesn't help that the desk and computer are now in our bedroom in the new place, so I don't get much of a chance to be a late-night blogger anymore. Now you've found my secret, I prefer sneaking in knitting time to blogging, I'm sorry.

Honestly, I think the summer days just aren't as conducive to desperately seeking connection with others. Between the sun being out in all its glory, and all the vacations tucked in here and there, I've noticed many a blogger go MIA, I'm sure we will all be back to our regular posting once the weather locks us back inside ;)

Lots of knitting has gone on, along with some fidgeting with our "stuff" to try to get it to "fit" better into this place. When we 1st moved out here last year (yes, Grace and I have officially been out here in Chicago-land for a year now) I had no choice but to pull the "1st time mom" card, so we just dealt with our stuff being all around us at the old place and since the baby couldn't get into things, that worked out ok as long as we didn't really want to move around ourselves very much. Now with our 1 year old tornado, I devote much time every day trying to keep up with the wreckage in the wake of her fury of discovery as well as try to find "better" places to put things - ie: out of her reach, ha! Plus, we of course have poker night this week, and since they were the guys who helped us move, I want to show that I am making better use of this place than we were able to get out of the last one.
~but I digress again...

I finished the 2nd attempt at the Lace Up Camisole from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 05, and I'm not sure if I knit tighter than my swatch - honestly I swatched this time! - or if the pattern just wasn't written for a body that is not "flat chested" the measurements had me wondering in the first place, but I figured I was just not reading it right or it was a typo or something...and I'm still not sure, I now have a very pretty lace top that might fit if I had the proper "propping" undergarments ~ the intended victim does however, so I'm trying to be patient, figure I'll let her try it on and then go from there instead of rashly frogging something that may be just fine after all. My biggest concern came as I finished with a skein and a half left over. I had to re-read everything a couple times to make sure I didn't miss something somewhere, but nothing has popped out yet...so I guess time will have to tell.

Joann's is having a pretty awesome run of clearance yarn (in store) so I am finally accumulating quite a stash of cotton yarn...I have the rest of the week to decide if I'm going back to snatch up some more - if only I can find the justification for it, it is pretty hard to resist $2 skeins.

I've also recently become quite torn in the debate of continue to buy needles on an "as needed" basis (especially since my Grandma did help out greatly in the accumulation process), or whether to jump in on an interchangeable needles set which adds the great debate Denise Interchangeable vs Boye Needlemaster. There are so many pluses and minuses for both, I had nearly given up until I got home tonight, and got excited about starting Tempting or Lelah, and discovered that my size 8 circs are too long and I don't have either of the needles Lelah requires. Oh, what do I do, what do I do?

I'm really considering just working on some baby blankets and getting over myself - but that is no fun :)

I guess I'll just have to sleep on it - again! - and will probably wake up just as confused. I think I'm going to go to my LYS tomorrow and see what she suggests/and if maybe they have a Denise set that I can touch and feel and maybe then I'll be a little more comfortable with this decision...I've really been reading as much as I can find on both since I heard of them - well, first I was saving up for the Needlemaster set, and then I heard about the Denise set and that's when the frustration over the "right" choice set in. I am not much of a product snob, as long as I get the quality I expect for the price I spent I am happy, so the aluminum/plastic debate doesn't sway me much - my biggest deal is why did the Denise come up with non-conforming metric sizes, will this make much of a difference, and do I really need the convenience of interchangeability for my needles less than size 5 US?

ugh, well it is way too late (yes it is after 1am - DH is on a short business trip), I'm gonna get some much needed sleep so I can keep up with my tornado tomorrow.

Until next time, happy knitting! :)

I've been RAOK'd!!!

2005-07-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

So, my mail carrier was late yesterday, and I didnt get my mail before DH came home so I havent had the chance to share my barely contained excitement until now...

Yesterday was just a normal day, running lots of errands and fairly tired, until my mail finally came and I found this on top of the pile:

~sorry it's blury, our camera doesnt have zoom - but the sticker says "Canada Post".

Now who could I possibly know from Canada?

no one other than the Yarn Harlot!!! I was so excited I floated all night - for multiple reasons, really:

I lovelovelove reading her blog, I may not comment, but that is generally because it takes me far longer (and in a very disjointed fashion) to do anything these days as Grace gets more mobile every ~~day~~ minute.
I of course (just like everyone else) love getting packages.
Inside this package was yarn - I am enabled to start yet another project!!!
This yarn is destined to be Grace's winter sweater...which I've been plotting for lately, and this neutral color is just what I'd be looking for if I was ready (and had the $$) right now.
I was real happy to get a birthday present :)

~By the way, there are 2 skeins, very exciting, I will probably add a bit of a "girly" color just for fun.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Stephanie!!!

---more knitting news to follow, but Gracie just woke up, Happy Knitting!

Quickie

2005-07-05T17:32:00.000-05:00

...no, not that kind ;) Just had a chance to pop in real quick.

I almost have the 'swing' of keeping up with the charts for the Mystery Stole, instead of dealing with sticking and unsticking post its, I am just using paperclips to hold another page in place over the chart for where I'm working - and I have Chart B memorized. But, I am still only 18 rows in and have over 1,000 to go...yippee! I am also liking the color again, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to attempt dying it once this was done, but I think it was the lighting playing tricks on me. So now the big debate is whether this will be gifted or mine...I have plenty of time to figure this out, but I have compelling feelings both ways - so I guess we shall see [if I havent figured it out by the time I finish, I'll probably put it up for a vote].

I finally found a pattern that works for me right now for another baby blanket, I'd tried a few ripple patterns, but kept losing my count - I think one of them had some design flaws...oh the joys! So, I wandered online upon another near brainless pattern with just enough counting to keep me awake [;)] so this should be good.

We didnt end up seeing any fireworks this weekend...we were waiting until the 4th and then the drought decided to ease up a bit and we had some rain, which further dampened my mood re: the debate over whether Gracie would be up for fireworks this year since she is so deathly afraid of loud noises - the vaccum, drill, lanscaping equipment - when the festivities were beginning on Friday night, I took her out with me to see if we could see anything from our parking lot and she clung to me like she thought the sky was falling. So I took the rain as a sign to call it a night and we'll try again next year. There will be plenty more fireworks shows to come!

Gracie was so glad to have her daddy back home this weekend, 2 week long trips back to back were taking their toll on the little girl - she was missin' her daddy. We all had a pretty good weekend, and DH helped get our room put together, so things are really coming together in the new place - I can definately handle staying here as long as we need to.

Well, I gotta go find the baby, she's been out of sight and quiet too long ;) Hope you had a great weekend, and knit some!

I'll be 26 tomorrow!

2005-06-30T23:22:00.000-05:00

How did that happen? I'm already on the "short side" to 30....all I can say is - you are only as old as you choose to be/feel - and boy does that become more and more evident the older you get. Some days I feel like I should still be in high school or at least college, and other days I just feel ancient and beat up. I do have a fair share of feeling how I 'should' and I'm trying to do a better job of enjoying the present, since I'm realizing how quickly your future starts to sneak up on you ;) ~especially once you have a child

I would love to show you my knitting progress, but the project I'm concentrating on right now is under cover (I'll let you see it when it's done and in the possession of the owner).
I was focused on the Mystery Stole, and totally addicted to lace knitting. Unfortunately knitting lace requires much more attention than I am able to provide right now [with the move and settling in], and I tried to push it this evening and now the project is frogged back to the lifeline and may be going back to scratch after a little more of a "time-out". I am also considering looking into getting some better needles for it, but that may be me just not wanting to take responsibility for messing it up tonight when the needles were working just fine before I gave in and tried to work on it again before I was "ready". ~bad knitter, bad, bad knitter, you know better!

DH didnt make it back from his trip tonight, hopefully he will get in tomorrow morning - he said he should at least make it in by dinner time, so we shall see. We may go check out Ribfest this weekend, it's a huge bbq picnic gathering with some nationally know bands performing and what-not. We are still debating whether we are ready to attempt staying out for fireworks on the 4th; I'm just not sure yet how open to the whole thing Miss Gracie will be so I guess we will play it by ear. She is currently scared to death of the vaccum and now a bicycle pump has been added (I'm not sure how that freaked her out), and I'm not sure how she will do with the loud bangs not to mention being out past 10pm (fireworks start at 9:30ish)

No exciting plans yet for the birthday...if DH gets home early enough, we'll all go out to dinner. If he hasnt gotten me anything yet, I may talk him into going by a bookstore to get A Gathering of Lace, or maybe I'll just wait til Saturday and get some yarn...I guess I'll have to wait to see what he has up his sleeve ;)

Well, I'm off to enjoy [sleep] the last 30 min of being 25. Good Night!

The yucky "bug"

2005-06-29T17:32:00.000-05:00

I went online to see if I could discover the identity of the multi-legged creature that tried to get me last night. And of course, my mom was right, it was a centipede, rather a House Centipede.
[if you want to see one, click here]

If you would like to read up on House Centipedes you can do so courtesy of the University of Arkansas ARTHROPOD MUSEUM NOTES . They were the first one I clicked on when I googled "centipede". The other sources say about the same thing, that this is a scary looking creature, but harmless to humans and beneficial in that they eat spiders and small insects. I'm still not thrilled about seeing it, but hopefully it will hide better from now on - or better yet, move out ;)

Well, TTFN, just figured I'd update on my creepy crawly find :)

Want to take part in science?

2005-06-29T09:16:00.000-05:00

I came across this [below] on Snooze's blog

This little boredom diversion device at least serves a purpose for education...so if you have some time, check it out...its not too painful I promise [you are on your personal keyboard, so they cant shock you with electrodes or anything - unless you put them there ;)]

Have fun, and until next time, knit something!

My Thumb Hurts

2005-06-28T23:19:00.000-05:00

So here's the latest and greatest, I was at JoAnn's looking for yarn for yet another project and I discovered that TLC's Cara Mia was on sale/clearance for $5/skein (it was normally $7.99). I have been eyeing/petting this yarn for many potential projects, but it was always just out of my budget - sad but true. Needless to say, at this price, my search was over, the "perfect" color was even available and so I scooped up what I needed, made my purchase and found that the one of the few good things about it being so terribly hot/humid outside is that Grace went right down for a nap when we got home.

Now here is where you get to know a few random facts about me:

~ I am very sensitive/allergic to latex, in H.S. during my senior year, my hands would be beet red for nearly an hour after my science labs (yes plural, I took Genetics and Chemistry as electives). I have to go to Wal-mart to find Nyplex gloves to wash dishes/for housework.

~ I get "itchy" and sneeze if angora fibers touch my body - which is really too bad because angora is soo soft and yummy.

These 2 items are of interest to this post because I also picked up some of those highly acclaimed tiny elastic pony tail holders to use as stitch markers [my husband will go crazy if I take up making my own stitch markers right now]. And it wasnt until I was home and really read the yarn label that I find that there is a wee Angora content (13%) in this long coveted yarn. I am unsure if it was one or both combined but now my right thumb is red and burns and I havent touched the elastic bands since 10 am or the blasted yarn since 11:30am when I gave up and took the yarn back because my thumb and fingers were really burning.

So, until my thumb recovers and/or I get brave again, I will not go near the ponytail holders (unless someone can confirm that elastic isnt necessarily latex based - these ones are clear and I am hoping nylon based), and I managed to research that Microspun is the perfect gauge and Michaels had the color I wanted (and it cost less - yeah for saving money). So, I get to start from scratch but that is better than having my thumb leave me from abuse.

Oh, and I made my 1st trek into Hobby Lobby today (I'm originally from the West Coast), and boy if I had money I could do some real damage there! I didnt buy anything this trip, but I know where I'm going if I have some home decor money burning a hole in my pocket.

Well, I'm off to knit some, you do the same! [by the way, I'm posting this from Bloglines for the first time so wish me luck]
Update:So apparently I have a bloglines blog as well as this one...I was trying to figure out why the post never made it here and then I actually read the details on the Bloglines page and discovered that I created a bloglines post not a remote post, the things you learn...good night! I hope I can sleep, one of the wierd "really long skinny bugs with many legs" just nearly crawled over my foot[I am now typing leaning over from my bed with no extemity touching the ground], I had never seen this bug where I came from, and dont know what it is - hopefully it will not figure out how to crawl up my bed frame, and it hid too quickly for me to get rid of it.

Chipmunks and Fireflies

2005-06-24T23:04:00.000-05:00

We are finally moved in and we are back on-line. I am very excited to have access to all of you again...I was just beginning to go through "withdrawls". I say 'just beginning' because I have honestly been busy enough to not really be sure that it is already Friday! The good news is that I've got this place nearly completely operational and it is almost in better shape now than I ever had the old place.
I really like this place, the floor plan is very open and flows very nicely - and I'm also glad to have everything on one level (no more lugging the baby and whatever I forgot up and down stairs anymore). We have a lovely pond/fountain to gaze upon out our slider and the pool is no more than 50 paces away - well, I guess I havent counted yet, but it's real close. This place will definately "do" until we can afford to buy a house.

I finished my 1st charity baby blanket today, and am just about to cast-on for the next one. This has been my distraction from the Mystery Stole Along that I have been too busy/tired to work on ~ which has been killing me, but I dont want to mess it up and get too frustrated since I'm already worn out.

Our little girl is simply amazingly cute! This morning she woke up and had a long conversation will all of her stuffed animals in her bed...I look forward to the day I can understand what she is saying - earlier this week she told me a joke (I'm guessing here, since only she understood what she said) she was soo silly, she was walking around in circles supported by her IncrediBlock, talking with animated inflection and then she laughed and waited expectantly for me to laugh with her...that's my Amazing Grace!

Oh yeah, I taunted you with a title that I havent fulfilled yet didnt I? The first night as I came in with the "last load" some chipmunks scampered by as I walked up to the door and then I noticed some fireflies off to the side. For those of you who see this all the time, this is a huge dream come true for me...it was in all the books I read growing up [and movies, too] and we just didnt have chipmunks or fireflies where I grew up in Southern CA. Especially the fireflies, there is just something magical about them, they were always a highlight of our visits out here, and now I can see them all the time [for some reason, I didnt see many at our old place, but there are plenty here]:)

Quick Update

2005-06-17T15:11:00.000-05:00

Hello, just wanted to let you know that I will not have an internet connection as of Monday morning until hopefully Friday, but possibly the next Monday. So I'm not really a bad blogger on purpose :)

I hope all is well in your knitting/personal goings on.

At least without internet I have no excuse to not get the new place settled in (around knitting of course ;))

I look forward to being back on-line Friday (6/24) and will be sure to let you know when it happens!

Happy knitting!

Moving Week!!!

2005-06-15T10:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, so Miss Gracie is 1 now, yeah!!! I cannot believe I didnt have time to post on her b-day...well, I guess I can...but more about that some other day...

We are entrenched in the move now, today I move all of the kitchen over and we will no longer "eat here" so that will be interesting [ok, so I'll leave some munchies and breakfast stuff]. Thankfully DH took tomorrow and Friday off, so we will be all set to move the big stuff on Sat, then I'll scrub and say Good-bye to this place that was nice and sucked at the same time.

~~oh ya, gotta keep this short, mucho work to do~~

So, not much knitting this week, which is killing me because I just started the Lace Mystery Stole and I'm totally addicted to knitting lace now. I think I can hold out until next Monday...tempting to pick it up Sunday night, but that will depend on my exhausted factor ;)

Hope to be back to regular blogging once we are moved in [and figure out if SBC has DSL at the new place or if we get to figure out the situation with the cable company...wish me luck as I am afraid I may have to go through internet withdrawls again soon as all this comes together]. So, if I do "disappear" again, it will be because we may not have an internet connection immediatly at our new humble abode.

On that note, I will leave you with this:

You are Acrylic.While you are very versatile, your plasticky
countenance can be offputting. You are very
good with children but can become a pill if
left alone with them too long. You are very
flexible but don't give in to manipulation.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you byQuizilla

There's Something About Gracie

2005-06-06T12:28:00.000-05:00

Miss Gracie has reached that lovely age where you'd better wear full body armor, a face shield, tarp the floor, and strip her down to preserve her clothing...

...notice her hair..."there's something about Gracie"...

...thankfully in this case it is butter from her pasta ;)

Here's a sweeter picture of my sweet-baby ~

yes, a little over exposed, we dont have zoom and John got a little too close ;)

and speaking of the Man of the House

here he is playing on the floor with Gracie, trying (nearly succeeding) to get a pic of the 2 of them...I of course was too busy knitting to help [honestly he was just challenging himself, this was 1 of 2 of the best from nearly 10 tries - the next best one needs a little crop that I'll get to later]

well, I hear Miss Gracie stirring...we're off to get some yarn for the Mystery Stole :)

2005-06-06T12:23:00.000-05:00

Here is my current WIP ~ a baby blankie in the "big dishcloth" pattern. This pattern is great for mindless knitting, but not an exciting choice for a quick knit...although now that I am past the grueling increase section, it does seem to be shrinking quite quickly for me.

At least this is distracting me from ordering yarn for the Mystery Stole...I just got off the phone with my LYS, so Gracie needs to wake up so we can dash on over and support my neighbor ;) I am no good at waiting for items to ship.

Catch you again soon! In the meantime, happy knitting :)

My 1st Pair of Socks!!!

2005-06-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

My 1st sock

The 1st pair together, comfy and cozy.

This pattern is called Curvy Lace, and it can be found in the March 2005 issue of Creative Knitting

I love knitting socks!!!

French Market Bag Update

2005-06-06T11:51:00.000-05:00

My 1st French Market Bag ~ pre-felted

My 1st French Market Bag ~ post-felting

My 1st French Market Bag ~ felted detail

This project was incredibly fun, fast, and addicting...just gotta get some more wool!

Clapotis Est Finis!

2005-06-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

My Clapotis has been done for quite a while...it was a lovely knit, I would really like to work another one in if I have the chance/yarn :)

My Goodness!

2005-06-05T21:49:00.000-05:00

Oye! Ok, so first of all, I lied before about getting better...that last post was my last bit of cognizant thought before my brain was completely invaded by mucus - I apologize if that was too graphic, but it's the truth. By the time I was finally released from the mucus prison, my hubby came down with it, and of course it was "the worst thing that ever happened to him", but he is better now too. This was the first cold that managed to attack the whole family. I have been unusually healthy since delivering Grace (I earned it from being soo sick while pregnant), Gracie has been fortified by the Super Powers of nursing, and John simply never gets sick (honestly - even the flu is generally eradicated from his system within 24 hrs). He was so bad that we almost cancelled our trip to Atlanta, and then by the time he got back from work the next day he was greatly improved and the trip was back on - I tell you, if it wasnt such a good thing, I'd be disgusted at how well his immune system works. So he really only had it bad for 3-4 days, and I was out for at least a week...oh, well.

And I do have many pictorial updates, but am not yet properly motivated to sync the camera, so I apologize deeply, and I will get to that soon I promise.

The Atlanta trip was pretty neat, we left at 9pm to theoretically beat the sun (we dont have A/C in the car we took) but then we stopped at a motel at 4 in the morning - maybe it was 3-3:30, i wasnt very there as I really had to use the Ladies room - so we started again from Kentucky at 9am the next morning and we were making great time until the Yahoo directions ditched us in Cartersville (I think) GA, about 1/2 way between the TN border and Atlanta. My DH's Granny lives in a town a few miles West of Atlanta, so we were trying to avoid Atlanta traffic. By the way, I love TN...it looks beautiful! Granted, we didnt get out of the car (until the ride back when we stopped in Lynchburg at (you guessed it) The Jack Daniel's Distillery! Way fun! The funniest part of that adventure is that the distillery is located in a "dry" county, so they can make it, but you cant drink it there. --Ok, back on track, thankfully we had a good Atlas with us, and faked our way down there, and after a few lucky turns made it to Granny's house. We were happy to finally be there, but I was bummed that our shoddy directions made us miss DH's sister's Graduation from H.S. It was real neat to finally meet more of DH's family, it's been a long time coming and I really hope to keep in touch now.

One more thing about the trip back - Kentucky was Beautiful too! We came up the I-65 (I think, I wasnt driving and was distracted by the scenery most the time), and saw the most amazing farms, pastures, hills, flowers, etc...I want to go back! Except, we did get "caught" by the largest scale speed trap I've ever seen (and I'm from San Diego) there were at least 20 patrol cars waiting besides the min 10 that had people pulled over and there was even a guy on the overpass with a radar gun who radioed down the vehicle info - and of all times too, we were in the middle lane, going with the flow - the flow just happened to be going 82 in a 65 zone...

I did bring some of my Warm the World yarn with me so I started my first blankie for them, and thankfully Gracie napped and went down pretty well each night, so I made quite a bit of progress! I also finished my first pair of socks! I did the Curvy Lace pattern from a Creative Knitting back issue (I think March) and I absolutely love them! I wore them all day...of course!

On Friday, I was checking KnitSteph's blog, and found out about the Mystery Stole Along, which seems real neat...now I just have to get the yarn ;) The clues began June 3rd, so anyone interested should still have time to catch up (the 1st clue seems to be a quick knit). By the way, this is a lace project - my 1st big lace project, but the socks gave the the lace bug.

So, no promises of frequent updates this time...I will try, but from here until the 20th we are in full scale moving process - packing now, new keys on the 13th, big stuff goes on 17/18th, scrub down 18/19th, drop old keys in box at office when done. We will come up for air on the 11th for Gracie's 1st Birthday! and I have a baby shower to distract me the next day, but otherwise these were my last gasps of free air (j/k) I'll take a break every now and then...I gotta share those pictures, right?

Happy knitting!

Finally feeling better!

2005-05-20T08:20:00.000-05:00

Yeah! I think most of my cold is over now...the worst part at least. I have not been that congested in a long time! I couldnt even knit because I always had a kleenex in my hand, not very fun.

Before getting real sick, I did finish my French Market Bag - just need to felt it! Oh, and the other day I found a K-mart closer to us and got a zippered pillowcase for $4! I was very excited about that. I was contemplating just using an old pillowcase and just rubberband/tie it real tight; but I couldnt pass up the $4 one.

Oh, and I checked out the charity Mel signed up for - Warm The World, and it sounds like an awesome opportunity to help babies, so I signed up too, and my yarn is on its way! I've been wanting to do something to help others, and this org does all the legwork for you - all you have to do is knit up the yarn they provide! How awesome is that! You can also crochet and/or quilt for them too!

Looking forward to the weekend, especially since I almost feel better! And yes, Gracie is much better herself now, she is like a day and a half ahead of me, so yesterday she was full of energy - and I had to catch every mini-nap I could ;)

Happy knitting!

Yucky Allergies

2005-05-12T14:19:00.000-05:00

Ugggh...this is not the time for me to feel like I just want to sleep all day!!! I have things to do! Tomorrow starts the BIG COUNTDOWN to MOVING! Well, at least I get the keys a month from tomorrow; so I can begin the endless back and forth trips in my Focus of whatever I can stuff my car with ~ without burying Gracie. That's it, tomorrow I am getting some more Claritin.

I have been making incredible progress on my French Market Bag. I'm just not sure how much I'm liking the striping pattern I ended up working out. I tried to plan it, and then ended up winging it. I'm trying to be less of a control freak ;) I'll let you know how I do on that. I'll try to get some pics up. I just have to get the motivation up to get my camera out of the diaper bag, plug it into the pc, delete the excess photos, upload the ones I want to flickr, and then post them here - and my gallery for some finished photos. I must admit I was remiss in catching a photo of my mom's b-day present before she took it with her to Cali, I'll have to snag a photo if/when we visit there or make her bring it back in Oct.

The other bummer I'm dealing with is my Focus is ready to be picked up...which normally would be a victory, but I'm really going to miss cruisin' in the Jeep ~ I dont recall if I mentioned that the insurance for the semi that rear-ended John gave us a Grand Cherokee Laredo as a rental until our car was done at the body shop. Boy did we enjoy that vehicle...I cannot wait until we demolish our debt, buy a house, and then get my larger vehicle - may be as small as the Escape Hybrid, or we may get a diesel SUV... jury is still out on that one, but the SUV has finally won me away from the mini-van (for now at least - a woman is entitled to change her mind), and we definately will not be getting anything much bigger than what we just drove - I have no interest in being "tank girl". And I'm crossing my fingers that my car is really and truly ok! I dont care so much about the body work, my concern is whether it still drives the same...

Well, I believe I hear the baby calling...happy knitting!

Progress!

2005-05-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

I am so happy and excited about my French Market Bag. I have finished the base and have finally started my 1st color - now to decide how/when to switch to the contrasting color. I have a ways to go before I have to decide, but I am really digging working in the round!

Miss Gracie is feeling much better today, but she's in that "coming out of the cold" hot/cold stage. She'll be giggling and having a good time with me and then the next second she's yelling and throwing her body around, and signaling she wants to nurse. So far each day is still getting better, so this should be over soon :)

I had started a blankie for Gracie with Homespun I had purchased when I was first pregnant and debating crocheting or learning to knit. I was too sick/unmotivated to crochet/scared to knit so it sat and sat until I caught the knitting bug, and I used 1/2 of the stash for a ponchette. But now I'm looking at this other yarn that I was going to attempt IK's Isis Wrap with, and I think I'll do the blankie with this stuff and get some yummy/more appropriate yarn for Isis after/for my birthday - that homespun can just sit for a little while longer ;)

I happened to be on-line long enough last night for an old friend to find me, it is often neat to catch up with someone from another "era" of your life...at least for me, generally. I had lost his contact info, so I was taken by surprise when he IM'd me. So, thanks, Daniel for saying hello! I look forward to keeping in touch with you! If I find Marie before you do, I'll let you know ;)

Sleep is pulling at me...I guess I'm turning in early tonight....Happy Knitting! ~ and I'll get those update photos up soon, I promise!

What a Mother's Day!

2005-05-08T23:34:00.000-05:00

***Disclaimer: there is baby diaper content in this post, so consider yourself warned!***
So, as I was in the bathroom rinsing one of Gracie's baby dolls of the poop that leaked from her diaper; it occurred to me that this truly was an example of a true Mother's Day. Retail wants you to believe its about beautiful cards and bouquets of flowers, a lovely meal surrounded by family (that you do not have to clean up after), and your children are simply angels all day in honor of their mother. But in reality, your husband is randomly [and apparently honestly not on purpose] rude, your children make a mess, and you are lucky to eat your meal while it is warm [not that you know anymore what a warm meal tastes like]. I'm not bitter, I promise :), I am just a mom who has discovered that this is just another part of our "job". We will not get peace and quiet, or a warm meal, until we escape on one of those coveted Mom's Retreats - which I plan to sign up for the 1st one I hear of after Gracie is weaned ;)

Now, in Gracie's defense, she came down with a cold on Wednesday, started with a fever and ended with upset stomach and diarrhea. The interesting part is since she nurses, and once she got sick she would no longer eat solids - so now she's solely nursing - her stools have become an often indiscernible concoction of possibly diarrhea/possibly just returned to what she had before we introduced solids. The unfortunate part is, we just switched from the diapers that were 99% effective in capturing this sort of mess, to another variety (on sale) that is more suited to capturing what we had become used to from our solid foods eater. Thankfully, tonight her daddy was able to get her to eat a variety of solid foods, so this little adventure is hopefully soon to be over...if not, I may have to go pick up some of the "better" diapers before I go cuckoo.

In John's defense, he probably wasn't as rude as I was just sensitive today. Plus, we grew up a little different (my family made the most of the little things - his wasn't always conducive of "warm fuzzies"). So he "fairly" may not know yet how to allow days to be special...we (I) have been working on that, and he is improving.

I guess today was just a "landmark" day for me - my 1st Mother's Day - not that I was expecting angels trumpeting from the sky or anything, I just didn't want today to feel so much like any other day...
I did get a rose from our church this morning, that was pretty neat. And Gracie did wake up from her second nap almost back to her happy, healthy self; she also really enjoyed herself when we went for a walk and then made a last stop at the swing-set at the playground. That was my biggest most precious gift today...I moved behind Grace on the swing and John took over pushing, and to see them interact and laugh with each other nearly melted me to a crying blob right there on the wood chips [I managed to just beam at them and smile the misting up away instead - I didn't want to ruin the moment by concerning John]

So, now that I have a "truer" perspective on Mother's Day, I am ready to bask in the reality of it. I would much rather have my day blessed with my husband and daughter bonding than just about any material thing...if only we hadn't had the diaper incident, today wasn't so bad after all.
Now, my friend Melanie really had a day that makes my diaper episode pale in comparison!
Not that we are having a bad Mother's Day competition, but this mom's day was truly yucky, and she could really use a vacation about now!

Quick knitting tidbit: I have nearly completed the base of my French Market Bag! I have moved the project from my lovely, life saving bamboo double pointed needles to my trusty circular needle and I am ready to get rolling on this baby!

Happy Knitting! and Happy Mother's Day! I hope a few of you had a good restful one!

Being a Mommy...

2005-05-06T22:11:00.000-05:00

What an awesome and amazing experience it is to be a mommy. It is amazing what we are able to do with what we have been given to do it with. I have never been more fulfilled and exhausted at the same time in my life before. I love my daughter more than anything, but those first few days are nothing I'm excited to repeat yet...time is fading those early days, so I'm sure she will get a sibling some day, but not in the near future if I can help it ;) It simply amazed me how tired I was at at time when I felt I needed to be the most rested and level headed. It also was the wierdest feeling to get in the elevator at the hospital and leave with our tiny precious baby, and no one was going to make us quantify our readiness to be parents. It seems to be assumed that if you can make a baby, you can take care of it.
Thankfully, there is instinct that kicks in...and thankfully I only had to get through a minor dose of "the baby blues" (mostly I was upset that we were going to be leaving my family a few weeks after she was born). I am thankful every day that my husband and my family loves me enough and is supportive enough to fill in wherever I am lacking, and that my daughter is young enough and trusting enough to not give me a hard time for all the little things that dont go as well as they could...of course we are in a learning process...and thankfully I have been blessed with a healthy baby, so we have not had to wade through any major crises yet.

I really think though that most of my strength comes from my trust in my Heavenly Father, who has truly been there to hold me when no one else knew I needed to be held, or how to hold me. As a new mother, I now no longer think it is a "fluke" that many moms and dads feel driven to get their children to church. There is something about the responsibility for my little one, that makes me desire to be closer to the only Truth I know. Especially in this day and age when there are at least two books for "every stituation a parent/child unit could encounter" and advice everywhere you look...it seems that this input overload sends me running to the only constant Truth I've ever known.

I also know that I owe a lot to my mom, who has been an awesome example of loving with all that you have. My mom is my other constant. Her steadfast love and support has gotten us through many valleys, and she has always helped us find the sun (and the Son). I am so thankful to have been brought up in a manner that I am able to appreciate the small things in life. To have a true appreciation for what we do have, and not be constantly focused on what we do not have. I hope that I am able to instill the same grounded sense in my children.

Well...I better get to bed, just had to share a few thoughts before I turned in :)

Happy Birthday Jolasoni!

2005-05-03T23:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my lil sis! I hope you have [had] a wonderful birthday!

Have a lovely lobster dinner and enjoy every delectable bite you lucky girl! I got a bunny for you, but she has to live on my blog (at least for now). Her name is Lila the Wonder Bunny and I will take good care of her for you here until you decide you may want to join us in blog-land.

Onto other news, I finished my Clapotis tonight and I am very excited about it. There is no reason for this project to have taken this long other than I am a new mother and we have lots going on around here lateley. Everyone is right, the dec section seems to go by very fast, which was fun and rewarding. I found that for myself the pattern as written makes a lovely shawl that isnt too bulky or in the way for my liking...in fact I am wearing/enjoying it right now! [I was too lazy to weave in the ends yet...I'll get to that tomorrow...I needed some instant gratification first ;)]
My next project should be the Isis wrap from IK Summer '05, as soon as I saw it in the preview I knew I had to make it...now to just find the yarn! This will be my treat as I make progress in moving; to take a break and dig into a pattern just difficult enough to keep me on my toes without wanting to stick my needle in my eye! (here's hoping anyways)

I have to let out an ugg on the moving front...apparently you need boxes to move - honestly I knew this already, having just unpacked 8 months ago. But we had planned on staying here at least 2 years. So, when my SIL asked if we had boxes when they were moving I gladly offered them and now have found out that she just gave all MY boxes to a friend of hers who is moving cross-country! So, now we are stuck potentially having to buy more boxes if the local stores (chains dont give boxes very freely) or freecycle don't come through for me (gotta love freecycle by the way) The good news [always gotta look for the bright side] is that since we are only moving about 7 miles down the road, and I will be moving all the small stuff throughout the week before the big guns move the large items, I am hoping to get away with using trash bags for items that dont require the structure of a box. So enough grumbling....I need to get to bed so I will be rested enough to handle weeding through our junk tomorrow ~ at least we have the freecycle outlet now for those things you cant stand throwing away but don't have the time to make it to a donation center.
Happy knitting! And I'll get some pics of my clappy up soon!

I'm back!

2005-05-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

Ok, so sorry, hopefully I wont have to apologize much more any time soon...

For starters, I had a great visit with my mom. I REALLY wish she could have stayed longer, we were so busy with preparations for other things while she was here and now things have calmed down and she is gone :( Miss Gracie may be having a hard time with this goodbye. I dont think she really understands why Grandma is gone. Hopefully she will get through this quickly (I know this will depend on how quickly I process the end of her visit myself) but it nearly broke my heart when we got out of the car and she quickly looked over my shoulder and giggled for Grandma and the confusion crossed her face as she looked all around us and couldnt find her Grandma. Even when we got upstairs to our door, she looked back down waiting for Grandma to "catch up"....I must be strong, if not for me, then for my baby girl. I'm just trying to get through today, and then when I put her down I have a glass of wine with my name on it, I will relax and know that we can get through this, we have every visit before, and there are many visits to come! At least we will see her again in Oct for my best friends wedding, and I may get to go to CA this summer if finances allow....so here's hoping that I see her sooner, and at least Oct isnt that far away if not - my mom always taught me that it is easier to enjoy life if you do your best to see the glass half full.

Yesterday Grace was dedicated at our church, and we had some of our extended family there; then everyone came to our place for lunch. My first meal served to John's family went over pretty well. At least everyone was well fed and seemed to enjoy themselves. It was really nice to have everyone at church with us for the service, I'm so glad my mom was able to make it out for this.

The big news is that we are moving, yet again...thankfully not half-way across the country this time ;)

We got notice at the beginning of the year that our apartment complex was sold. And then the 1st week of April we were notified that we the option to buy our unit or move within 180 days. Although we rather liked living here, we were not interested in buying this place [too many problems] so we've been tossing around the eternal question of do we buy now or rent a while longer. As much as we'd like to be home-owners, the timing is not very good right now, and we'd have to get real lucky to find a place that we could afford/like/move into quickly. So, the apartment hunt began in earnest. We found one we could deal with, but the time-line had us rushing to check out our other options to make it by their deal "dead-line" and in the eleventh hour John found one more place just outside of our previous search zone and we love it!!!

This place is just a little futher south than we had planned, but the travel time difference should be negligible. It has a little less square feet, but a much more open floorplan and LOTS of closets! I will have storage for all our stuff now!!! Also, since we arent moving until mid-June I will have time before this move to purge all the junk so things should be much better around here after the move. Gracie will really have a room (right now her room is more like storage) with all her toys having a place and we can get her stuff out of the living room when she's not playing with it! I am very excited about that :D

Also, our bedroom will now have enough space for the desk to go in there instead of in the middle of traffic central (and no more presents for Gracie from the tower - she really cannot resist playing with the buttons and wires hanging in the back)

And did I mention that our kitchen is so big it has an island? Oh, I fell in love at first sight of the kitchen...so I'm hoping that everthing will work out once we move in, and come close to what I hope for. We will also now have a pool and a catch and release fish pond :)

On the knitting front I barely finished my mom's top before she left - far too many things going on around here for me to even think about knitting, how scary was that? And now I need to get going on something for my sister since her b-day is tomorrow...my how time flies! I cannot believe that Grace is nearly 1 year old and that we will be nearing our 1 year anniversary of living in Illinois!

Well, I better get organizing/packing, catch ya later! Happy knitting!!!

Why I'm Lacking in Posting

2005-04-27T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hello, just wanted to remind those of you read what I share that I have not disappeared...my mom is in town and we have been having too much fun! I promise to be back soon and update on all the exciting news that has happened in the last week; but until then TTFN!

I love bamboo

2005-04-17T23:24:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I was just going to be money smart and try to make my alum dpns work, either by using needle protectors or rubberbands to "stop" the other end. But I remembered that I had a coupon for Joann's for 40% off, and since I've come across enough patterns to know that I will be using size US 7 dpns again in the near future...I went ahead, squeezed a few pennies out of the budget, and got them today.

I am in love...they are so nice :) Bamboo is my friend. I didnt have a single problem, the bottom of my French Market Bag is just flowing from my needles - it's already 1/2 done!

So now I have hope of finishing this bag in the near future and my mom's top is 3/4 done, too! Very productive, very nice weekend, my Spring is definately off to a good start (aside from the bloomin' trees). Now to just get the grumpy, teething toddler who is getting into everything back to happy baby land....at least Grandma's coming to town this week!

Happy Knitting!

Yesterday & Today

2005-04-16T13:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday: Alum DPN Trouble
So, some knitting-chicks and I are doing our own Felted Bag KAL (quickly becoming a whatever bag you want to knit-along ;) for those not wool inclined). Anyway, our "launch date" was yesterday to celebrate tax day; so I go to cast on - I've never done a bag before - and I quickly realized how much of a slippery monster aluminum double pointed needles could be! I couldnt make it past 3 rows...and those three looked pretty darn twisted and ugly... So today, after DH returns to watch kiddo, I'm gonna have to get myself some bamboo dpns, because I wanna do this bag without exploding my brain or going crazy. My only alternative...if I try and fail again...is to see if somehow I could do the pattern "upside down" I've done many a hat now and had no trouble working with alum dpns before; but starting with just a few stitches seems to be different then working down to a few stitches. I dont know, maybe yesterday just wasnt my day.

Today has been awesome, so far! I'm back in touch with my DH's little sister, and I'll spare you the details, but it looks like he's going to be able to reconnect with his mom and sister sooner than we'd ever hoped for! We just got reconnected this week via e-mail and I even got to chat with her early this afternoon! Happy Birthday Katie!!! We will get to see them Memorial Day weekend, and I am so excited and hopeful! It is way too bad when family conflicts explode a family, and life is way to short to let things get in the way of family, so it will be nice to see this family "knit" back together (sorry, couldnt resist).

Well, off to get a few rows in before Gracie wakes up. Happy knitting! And Happy 18th Birtday Katie!!! (again)

Same Blog - New Look

2005-04-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

Didnt mean to scare you...just changing things around a little on you - keeping you on your toes! >^..^<

I am sooo tired today. Dont know what the deal is; I didnt stay up too late last night. Got a few rows in in Clappy last night and today, so I'm happy about that.

But I have a long way to go to have the place ready for Chris' visit...I think I'm dragging because hubby makes plans without helping me get the place ready. I've broken myself too many times already getting the place ready for Poker Night w/out much assistance (if any) from him...and I think I'm in one of those "non-confrontational funks" I tend to fall in.

BTW, I've been trying to decide if I'm motivated enough to maintain 2 blogs - you know another "life in general" deal - but I think I keep coming down to the realization that knitting is such an integral portion of my life it wouldnt be worth the trouble. That is part of the wonder of knitting anyway isnt it; that while you knit it seems the puzzle of your life begins to fit together. And why SnB groups have been around forever too - you know, hash out the junk in your life while you get to be productive otherwise.

Oh boy, I'm about to start really rambling...I better spare y'all and make my way back to my knitting - and maybe try to get to bed a little earlier tonight.

~Since my BIL is just out of college he wont mind that my house isnt spotless right? I mean I do have a little tornado who follows my path and destroys whatever neatness I can assemble anyways, right? ;o)

Hola, Como Esta?

2005-04-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I admit I've been a bad blogger lately...I'm very sorry. Things have just gotten a little hectic now that Gracie is an established crawler and already threatening to walk - I've got my money on her walking before my mom leaves May 2nd.

I have the back finished of my mom's top...I'll try to post a pic in my not yet linked FO Gallery and let you all have a sneak peek (mom looks in here every now and then and I dont want to ruin the surprise - she wont peek in the gallery if I tell her not to) so I'll let you know when that is up.

Trying to figure out what to make for Ang so mom can take it back with her; its looking more and more like I'll....oh shoot she reads this, well you'll just have to wait in suspense for the unveiling.

My poor clappy is nearly to the decrease section, but I've been madly knitting away on my mom's project, so clappy is feeling a little neglected - I'll get back to you soon, I promise!

Well, I gotta get to cleaning the place up, my brother-in-law (not the one who just had the baby) is coming to visit this weekend; so I gotta get the place spiffy for our visitor.

Final Thought: I'm Andie Walsh!

You are Andie Walsh (from Pretty In Pink)!
Misunderstood and full of angst, you are
intelligent, talented and will probably go on
to do great things...once you're out of the
hell of high school.

Which John Hughes Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

My hubby will be thrilled with this...he had a major crush on her when he was younger - ok, he still does kinda, but I can handle that competition ;)

My Momma's Comin to Town!

2005-04-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

So my mom called last night while we were watching House M.D. - which isnt generally a good idea because that is one of the few enjoyable shows that catches my attention [*gasp* even from knitting] However, she was relating her booking info and I am so excited [I just cant hide it :) (hee, hee)] She'll be coming in on Apr 20th, and leaving May 2nd; so we will have 11 wonderful days of her actually being here! Hooray!

I figured since she already has a general idea of what I'm making her, I'll relieve the suspense for some of you...it is another short sleeve top that has raglan shaped sleeves, it can be found in the Creative Knitting Magazine May issue, it is called "Upbeat Top". DH thinks it may be "too young" for her...but I think it is just that he 1st saw it on a young model...I guess we'll see once it is finished. - mom doesnt get this magazine, so she'd have to go out of her way to see the design (and the website is still showing the previous issue, I just checked) The project is coming along fine now! Now that I finally bit the bullet and settled on this pattern - this will be the 2nd time I use the actual yarn called for in a pattern!

Well, Gracie's calling! Happy Knitting!