Ick

My family has been battling a stomach bug and then a cold. Ick! I haven't had a chance to podcast, but I have been knitting! Until we meet again...

to hold you over

I have heard from many of you that Annika was missed on the last podcast.

Hopefully these pictures will help.

;)

A Day In My Life

My little guy is starting preschool next month. Just one morning a week for 2 hours. It will be the first time he has ever been in anyone's care other than family.

It is a VERY big deal for me . . . I mean him.

In some ways I am really looking forward to it and am excited about the next phase of his life. And in some ways I would like to hold on to my little guy and not let him grow up.

He needs a backpack and Kohl's is having big sales plus I got a coupon in the mail. So, this morning we picked out a really cool Cars backpack. Both Lightening McQueen and Mater are on it. Does it get any better than that??? Not when you are a car & truck obsessed little boy!

All of this came out of the garden today. That's a baby eggplant, a green pepper, and several tomatoes. That yellow tomato is actually a variety of a gold tomato. The garden is doing really well and I am very proud of my green thumb!

And tonight is my weekly Knit Knite where I'll continue working on my Citron. I'm almost done with section 4! I love this pattern and the yarn. I am thinking that some of my sock yarn may turn into a Citron or three.

FO: Bunny Tail Hat

Here is yet another finished object!  Seriously, this is totally a record for me!! :)

This is the Bunny Tail Hat from Itty Bitty Hats.  Except, I did short ears like a bear and sans tail.  I made the 1-2 year size and it is quite big on my little guy.  I went down a needle size, but it is still too big.  I am sensing a theme here.  Are you? :)

Ravelry link here.  My little guy turned 16 months.  It is going too quick!!

I have yet another finished object to blog and I'll be finishing another one tonight.  Seriously, this is unbelievable!!

FO: Quilt Medallion Scarf

He is 16 months today!  

Can you believe it?  Another finished object!

Quilt Medallion Scarf from Interweave Crochet Magazine.  I took a class at Saratoga Needle Arts with the wonderful Cookie.  I used several different colors of Mission Falls Cotton.
If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have used the white yarn.  It doesn't look as stark white in person.
It could use a steam blocking before I wear it.  I'm not sure I will though.  I'm a rebel like that! :)

Quilt Medallion Scarf

I am crocheting again.  It really does seem to go faster and it really does seem to eat more yarn.  I am taking a class at Saratoga Needle Arts 

It is an Interweave Crochet pattern called Quilt Medallion Scarf.  I have 11 of the motifs done so far.  The pattern calls for 69, but with a much finer yarn and gauge.  The teacher's sample used 36 so that's what I am aiming for.

Here is the 11 I have done.

And the 9 in progress.

The one on the left shows one round done, the middle is two rounds done, and the one on the right is three rounds done.
Then, on Saturday I will be taking the second class and learning how to connect them all together.  I am using Mission Falls 1824 cotton.  My wrists are killing me.  I don't know if it is because I am using different movements with crochet or if it is the cotton.  I am trying to take a break and rest my wrists, but I soooo want to be crocheting!  It is addicting!!!!

FO: Sweetheart Washcloth

I made a Sweetheart Washcloth by Susan B Anderson for my son for Valentine's Day.  I am a HUGE fan of Susan and her Itty Bitty Hats.

I used Cotton Chenille yarn on size 5 needles.  I tried the picot crochet edging but I was struggling so I gave up and made up my own edging.  I am currently making another one in Sugar n Cream and I may give the picot edging another shot.

Photo shoots with a toddler are always an adventure!

Crocheted Wave Scarf

This is my crocheting project.  Dog nose included for scale. :)  Not really, she just was super close to me all day that day.  The light blue in the middle is actually two different shades, but it is really hard to tell.  London's coat is navy and red.  I'm thinking of trying to find a crocheted hat pattern to make a set.
I had the second class today which is where we learned the "wave" part of the scarf.  It is probably too short for London.  Ah well.  It was a good learning project.  I can now do a chain, single crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, and something else that I can't remember the name of.  I signed up for a scarf class at the end of February.  It is an Interweave Crochet pattern.  I think I also conjured up some interest for the Larger Than Life Bag.  I'm hoping it will be a class in the spring.  It would be a cute spring/summer tote.

I think I now have London's cold.  Some moments I feel like death and then some moments I feel pretty good.  Hopefully it doesn't get too bad.  London is feeling and acting much better.  Still coughing and a runny nose, but I think the worst of it is behind him.

First Halloween

Two of my favorite Halloween pics.  

I hope you don't get tired of baby pics.  I don't think I will ever tire of posting them.  

Rhinebeck Part 1

Rhinebeck was wonderful!!  I am sure you are shocked!!! :)

London and I posed with a very friendly sheep.  London was VERY brave and studied her carefully.

I bought a needle felting kit for my niece for Christmas.  I also bought two pumpkin kits for myself.

I bought these super cute sheep buttons for London's BSJ.

In another post, I'll reveal my Blue Moon stash enhancement.  I also have a BSJ updates for you!

Where did the summer go?

OK, so how did it get to be Labor Day weekend?

We have been spending a lot of time practicing our "raspberry" skills with and without tongue.

I spent a chunk of the day loading a bunch of my stash yarn into ravelry.  Most of it is for trade/sell.  If anything looks appealing, please let me know!

I've done some knitting on London's Christmas stocking and my Clapotis.  I am delusional and think I will have my Clapotis done in time to wear to a wedding on Saturday night.  Exactly one week away.  I am less than half way through part 2.  Yes, I know I am delusional.  But somehow I think it will be accomplished.  I feel like I am channeling the Yarn Harlot and her delusional deadline knitting.  :)

Happy and safe Labor Day!!

Pictures!

Hello!

Here are the promised pictures! :)

This is my son's EZ Baby Surprise Jacket.  I fibonachi striped some Cascade 220 Superwash.  He also has a crocheted stroller blanket that shares three of these colors.

This is the start of the Itty Bitty Hats Sailboat Hat.  Very cute.

Close up of my Clapotis.  I love, love, love this yarn.  Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Seduction in Puck's Mischeif.  YUM.

London's Christmas Stocking.  I have been working on this.

London's Log Cabin Blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting.  This isn't part of my WIP Wrestling, but I thought I would take a pic as long as I was updating my WIPs.
Alright, back to knitting Christmas Trees and watching all of those naked, wet bodies . . . I mean men's swimming.

Itty Bitty Football Hat

Another Itty Bitty hat.  Oh, how I LOVE these hats!!  Susan B. Anderson is awesome, awesome, awesome.  This is London in his coming home outfit on the day he left the hospital.  I also made the Upside Down Daisy hat in case he was a she.  Once he was a little bit bigger and the hat was just a tiny bit big on him, he would turn his head and the hat would stay still but his head would move inside of the hat.  It was very funny to watch!  Then eventually the ear flap would end up over his face and he would whimper until we fixed it for him.  Too cute!  

London's first tooth made an appearance on Monday.  Where does the time go?

Garden

I have some more photos for you!!


I love how the daffodils are taking over one of our flower beds.











The raspberry plants are actually starting to produce. We were gifted them two years ago.











My husband has re-done our flowerbeds along our walkway. We bought pressure treated lumber which hasn't been installed yet because we need to borrow a saw that will cut all the way through them. He laid down this really cool recycled rubber mulch. It should last for years and years instead of having to be replaced every season. Plus it is good for the environment!





See the ceramic bunny? My mother-in-law gave me two that she made. Too cute!

Portia and Bentley want to remind you to take some time to sniff the flowers!

Lisa left a comment about my Chevron Scarf and picking colors. I looked at lots of scarves on blogs and flickr before making my choice. I found that light and dark combos seemed to work the best. The monsoon has a dark purple and dark green while the watermelon tourmaline has a light purple and a light green. Good luck!

Snow, Irish Oatmeal, and a FO

Happy St Patrick's Day! I celebrated by eating some Irish oatmeal for breakfast after spending two hours digging out from this ridiculous snowstorm. We got about a foot. I have big knitting plans for the rest of the day. Warm beverages, blankets, wool and DVR. Perfection! :)

OK, so I finally have pictures of my finished felted hat to share.

I got the pattern from the class and I'm not really sure where it is from. But, I had intended to knit up a cloche style hat. Picture 1920's style with the brim that kind of flares out. It took two skeins of manos and I had to start on the third skein while I was on the decreases. Well, the hat ended up waaay too long and after the fact I realized that their was no shaping for the brim, so it probably wouldn't flare out the way I had anticipated. Plus, when I put it on pre-felted it was past my shoulders. I probably could have ripped back and did the decreases with the second skein and avoided buying the third skein. Manos is pricey. Although I LOVE it!

After felting, I put it over an upside down mixing bowl to keep its shape. It took several days to dry on the outside and about a week for the inside. I flipped up the brim because it was waaaay too long.

The second day of the class was beading and embroidery. It took me forever to figure out what I wanted to do. I finally decided to do blanket stitch around the brim to make it stand out a little bit. Then I did little flowers with yarn and beads. It is a very, very warm hat. I wore it all weekend at Lake Placid when we went away in January. That was before I did all of the embroidery, so not quite as pretty but still very functional.

As usual, the lighting isn't the best but the colors are truer in the second pic.

I finished knitting the Fiber Trends Gelato Bag and felted it. I haven't yet lined it and put on the pretty button. Here is the picture of it pre-felted (remote control for size reference).

I made the handles longer than the pattern stated on the advice of my classmates. They had theirs' finished and wished their handles were longer. There are benefits to being a slower knitter! It is a fun little pattern and the next time I would use a cheaper wool like Cascade 220 or even Paton's. Some people in class used Paton's to make their second, third, fourth, and fifth bags. Yes, one woman had done five and I hadn't even started the handles on my first one. Anyhoo, I used a strand of Cascade Pastaza with a strand of some kind of tweed. I can't remember which one. But I didn't really like the feel of the Pastaza. I'm looking forward to seeing it finished and nervous about doing the lining. My mom is helping me with another sewing project next weekend and I think I will wait until I feel a little more comfortable with sewing before tackling this one.

Did you read the Yarn Harlot's blog (March 16th entry) about her Socks That Rock Club sock? It is hysterical. I am also in the club and was thinking of doing a basic pattern instead of the free patttern. There has been a lot of talk about how hard the patterm is, but Stephanie has inspired me and now I want to knit the pattern. I can't wait until my husband asks what I am knitting! :)

My Beautiful Babies

This is Bentley curled up between Portia's feet in the morning sunlight on Christmas Eve. This is one of my absolutely favorite pictures and it is currently the wallpaper on our computer.

On Monday night I was going to audit a 2 hand 2 color class that I took last winter. I never finished the project and now I have forgotten the technique. By the end of my work day I was too tired and cranky and I just wanted to go home. I am hoping I can find the technique as a tutorial and refresh my memory.

On Wednesday night I took a class for a little felted purse called Gelato by Fiber Trends. I chose a lime green yarn in Cascade Pastaza and Donegal Tweed as the pattern calls for a double strand. The first 12 rows take some thinking and paying attention. I got through row 11 in class and last night started to finish the 12th row. My numbers just wouldn't work out and I had some wonky looking stitches. So, I ripped it all out and started again. I kept telling myself that I would felt it so it didn't really matter, but it kept bugging me. I think that now that I am a better knitter I don't mind ripping back as much because I know I am capable of having a very nice finished result. I just don't want to settle anymore. This is now my front-burner knitting project because my next class is in two weeks. I want to be as far along as I can get.

Yesterday I was talking to my friend that made her first scarf. She said that she blocked it and was thrilled with the results. She sounded pleasantly surprised by the effects of blocking. She talked about wanting to start another project and I offered to help her get started on Saturday. The really interesting thing she said was "When I am watching TV, I feel like I should be knitting something." Well ladies and gentlemen, I think we converted another one. Mwah!!

Just Can't Get Warm . . .

I just can't get warm today. I am working 3:30pm-11:30pm as the Shift Supervisor which means that I drive from group home to group home while answering a pager. Sounds like fun, eh? I am going to go cuddle up under a blanket and watch my DVRed Grey's Anatomy before I have to go get ready for work.

Picture: our lilac tree during an ice stom taken by my husband