Fiber Cafe

A new nephew

2010-09-16T13:04:00.000-04:00

Look at those little blue elephant buttons!

...and a new sweater. The Jasper Diamond Hoodie (Rav link) from Vintage Baby Knits. Size 6 -9 months, knit in Plymouth Jeannee DK. I love pretty much everything about this sweater, except that the largest size is too small for Jamie. I've resized patterns before, though, so I guess I could do it again.

Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law on their third child, born yesterday. I can't wait to meet him!

Guess what I'm doing!

2010-09-14T13:52:00.000-04:00

At the end of August, my friend Rachel and I spent a weekend in west Michigan and attended the Michigan Fiber Festival.

I bought a spindle!

Madder-dyed Coopworth

My first ball of singles

I had a terrible sore throat and was weak with a fever, and had no resistance against the wily spinner/vendor from Handspun by Stefania. He asked me if I was interested in a demonstration and before I knew it, I was carrying this beautiful spindle and a ball of red/pink wool out of the booth.

I also somehow ended up with this gorgeously smooshy skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Peru.

Alpaca, merino, and silk. Purrrrrr...

Colorway is "In The Navy" and I intend it to become a Gretel, and there's enough yarn in this skein for me to make a second hat or even a matching neckwarmer or mittens.

In the meantime, I'm loving the change of seasons. Fall and the start of a new school year always make me feel like a fresh start, and maybe that feeling will even inspire me to blog more!

Monthly post

2010-06-09T15:42:00.001-04:00

Ha ha, just kidding. Mostly.

I've been sidetracked from the Hey Teach sweater by these darling washcloths.

Sorry about the lousy light, it was raining and gloomy but I couldn't wait to take the pic. Now, as I write, it's sunny and bright out (of course).

The pattern is Reverse-Bloom flower washcloth from Weekend Knitting. I decided to knit three before the end of the school year: one for Rose's preschool teacher, one for the secretary, and one for the program director. The recommended yarn is Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, and I was actually able to find it (on clearance!) at City Knits. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've knit a pattern with the suggested yarn. I'll tell you one thing, this yarn is perfect for a washcloth. The fabric comes out exactly like terrycloth. It's so soft and mushy and it's also 100% cotton, nice.

The only problem is, each petal is knit first, separately, then joined and the center is knit in a spiral. All those ends to weave in!

Look at all that dangling yarn!

A cast-on end for each petal, a cast-off end for four of the five (the working yarn of the last petal starts the joining round), then the last bit after the center is worked. Ten ends, ugh.

I figured out early on that I could work each cast-off end into the knitting by knitting it with the working yarn as I knit the first round of the center. So that took care of four.

On the very last petal of the very last flower, I realized I could also work the cast-on end into stitches as I knit them without it showing very much. Why, oh, why did I not realize this before?

But that's all in the past now. I'm knitting the center of the third washcloth, and it will be done tonight. I'm including a bit of handmade soap and a Panera gift card with each washcloth. Rose's preschool graduation ceremony is tonight, and Friday is her last day. Then we'll give each person her gift and I hope they enjoy them.

Works in progress, May 2010

2010-05-04T15:23:00.001-04:00

So, okay. I've been working on this sock, which I am now thinking of as "the Spring Sock," now and again, mostly when I'm out of the house, because I keep it in my purse.

I love it. I love the colors, I love how it feels (100% Merino from Cherry Tree Hill Yarns, purrrrr), and I love working on a plain ol' plain ol' sock just to keep the fingers busy when the mind is elsewhere.

I finally got over my Arwen dilemma and decided to just go with the seamless yoke construction like I did for Rose's hoodie. I knit the cuff first, grafted it into a ring, then picked up stitches along one side to continue the sleeve. This is also my swatch, but I think it really will become the sleeve for real.

It's on an Options cable/stitch holder because then I was distracted by the gorgeous weather we've been having, and realized that if I was going to knit Hey Teach, I'd better do it now, so I maybe could wear it this year. And I needed the #7 needles I was using for Arwen.

This is the front left (or maybe the front right, I'll decide later), but it is also a swatch. It's the second front I've knit. I ripped back the first because I was getting too many stitches per inch. I do think I'm going to stick with the needles that I'm currently using. I'm getting the right measurements, and I like the fabric better, too.

I've never been a big fan of spring/summer knits, but this is a pattern I've wanted to knit (and wear) since I saw it two years ago. The yarn, Cotton Fleece, is a 80% cotton, 20% wool blend that feels lovely on the skin. I used this exact yarn for another sweater that was really too big on me, but I loved the feel of it so much that I frogged the entire sweater and am re-using the yarn for this one. It feels cool and soft on the skin, but the wool content makes it springy and easy to knit with.

Speaking of spring/summer knits, I am also drooling over Marigold. Cute, cute, cute, cute vintage-looking summery sweater that just came out in Interweave Knits. In fact, if I hadn't already started Hey Teach, I would have cast on for this one immediately. Love it!

Socks and kids

2010-04-10T08:04:00.002-04:00

So I left off last time saying there would be more socks next time. I had some free time this week, since Andy was home for Easter break. I decided to put together some sock kits for myself, in the way that the Yarn Harlot did. Now, I don't intend to knit a pair a month, because I wouldn't get anything else knit that way. But I've matched sock yarn to pattern and now when I'm ready for a fresh pair, the decision making has already been done.

Really what I wanted to show you today are some more recent pictures of the kids. I realized that it's been quite a while since I've written about much else besides knitting, and I just love these kids, so...

Jamie applauds himself after a little piano tune. One of these days I'll get a non-blurry picture of this kid.

Rose in the sunshine.

Rose shows Jamie how to play dollhouse.

I think I'm done updating the look of the blog now. I spent some time yesterday editing a picture of sock yarn on my piano I had taken a couple of years ago and turning it into a banner. I'm really happy with how it turned out, so I think this one is going to be around for a while. I've been using Blogger in draft, and I really like some things about it, but the formatting for new posts is taking some getting used to.

Darn.

2010-04-08T15:44:00.004-04:00

So a couple of weeks ago I discovered I'd finally walked through one of my oldest, most favorite pairs of handknit socks. It was pretty hard to take. I wasn't about to throw away a pair of socks that had taken me a month to knit. But I had no idea how to darn. Google to the rescue! I used this tutorial, and two hours later...

I had to do the heels of both socks, and while it's not a perfectly neat job, I think the repair will hold for a few years. Thank goodness I held on to the leftover yarn!

This is the sock I started last week. The picture is horrible, but when we get some more sunlight around here, I'll take another. It's a lovely colorway that makes me think of spring: lavender, green, yellow, peach.

Next time, more sock stuff!

Saying Hello

2010-03-31T10:23:00.000-04:00

Something I really like: when people say "hello". Or "good morning." Or acknowledge you in some kind way. Jamie and I were out for a walk this morning to the post office and drugstore. It was a lovely morning, cool and bright, and others were out walking, too. I love that in our town, you can make eye contact with someone, say "hello" and get a smile or a "hello" in return. In my case, two folks said "good morning" to me first, and I answered. I'll admit, that's actually usually what happens. Mine is not an outgoing personality. Friendly, yes, extroverted, no. I leave that to Andrew. But still, it's a really great feeling to have that momentary connection. I understand that this is not the case everywhere, which makes me even more grateful.

At loose ends

2010-03-29T13:21:00.005-04:00

The anklets are done! Finally!

I gave them to my grandmother yesterday, and she liked them very much, although she felt she had to give me a hard time about not getting them at Christmastime.

They were finished Wednesday, five days ago, and I haven't been knitting since then. Not because I didn't want to, but because I wasn't sure what to do. I mean, I really want to get started on my Cardigan for Arwen, but I'm not certain how I feel about the construction that the pattern calls for. Basically, you knit a square for the back. Then each of the fronts are knit from the bottom up, with the sleeve stitches cast on as part of and extending from the front, then bound off after the entire sleeve is knit horizontally, then half the hood is knit. All in one continuous piece for each front. The way I made Rose's version was much simpler (to me): bottom up seamless yoke construction with the hood growing organically out of the neck. The only problem with doing it that way is that the cabled cuffs can't be knit in line with the sleeve. I left the cuffs out of Rose's sweater -- they would have gone up to her elbow in the gauge her sweater was in. I guess I will knit the cuff, then pick up stitches for the sleeve from the side of the cable. I was also toying with the idea of a drop-shoulder construction.

So while I was playing around with ideas for an alternate construction for my sweater, I started playing around with the blog design. I don't think I like it as much as my old design, but I'm going to keep trying some other things. Then I thought I might like a quick little project to tide me over in the meantime. I have a handful of hats in my queue, and thought one of those might be nice. But I didn't have anything in my stash that would work with any of them, so I tabled that idea and wound this up.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in colorway "Water." I think just a pair of plain socks to show off all the colors. For me. Then maybe I'll be ready for the sweater.

Baby cardi

2010-03-16T15:19:00.003-04:00

It's the Audrey Hoodie from Vintage Baby Knits. What a fun little project. Machine washable and dryable, too, for the new mom's convenience. I found the button in my button box. This is the exact shade of red/dark pink I had envisioned, and I can't tell you how excited I was to find it, and that it actually fits through the stitches. Most of the sweater is knit, but the scalloped border is crochet. I just put the button between the double crochet - chain 1 - double crochet that makes up the center of the scallop instead of creating a buttonhole. I love having a button box.

I got about an inch of my Nana's second sock done this morning. I am going to knit nothing else until this pair of socks is done! Hmph!

Tonight my church music department is celebrating the eve of St. Patrick's day with a prelude of traditional Irish music and a Mass. We've practiced well and I'm getting excited about it. I was hoping to record some of it, but now I'm thinking that's something I should have delegated. We'll see how busy I get, getting ready. If I remember to push "record," then it'll happen.

Monogamy and guilt

2010-03-11T10:13:00.002-05:00

It was really amazing to me to discover that if I only work on one project, I can actually finish it in a timely manner. I mean, granted, Rose's hoodie was a 28" finished chest in bulky yarn on large needles, but I would never have expected to be done with it in 10 days. My usual habit is to have 3 or 4 projects going at the same time, so if I get bored with one I have some alternatives. But it was so rewarding to be monogamous to one sweater that I think I may have to do it more often.

Since I finished Rose's cardi I've resumed work on this, the Audrey Hoodie from Vintage Baby Knits. It's for my cousin's baby, and the shower is next Saturday. I'm going to only knit this until its done, and I'm sure it'll be ready by then.

Then. I've been feeling very guilty about how long it's taken me to get through these.

I really don't know what my problem is with these. I just haven't wanted to knit them. But they're for my Grandmother. I wanted her to have them for Christmas, then when they weren't done I wanted her to have them by the end of winter. Now they're still not done, and she might have them for Mother's Day. I hope. I feel so bad about this. Must be monogamous to the socks after the baby hoodie is done.

Knitting Olympics: Results

2010-03-08T12:52:00.002-05:00

A Cardigan for Rose

I started this during the opening ceremonies on February 12, then ended up unraveling a week's worth of work and starting over again on February 20. I'm really glad I just bit the bullet and re-started it in the smaller size on larger needles, not only because I then had just enough yarn to finish it, but also because the resulting fabric was much more wearable, with a much better feel and drape.

I finished the knitting and grafted the hood and underarms and wove in all the ends on March 3. I had to go out and buy a single wooden toggle and knit an i-cord loop to fasten the cardigan at the neck and I finally did that on Saturday the 6th.

So yeah, if I had started out at the beginning of the Olympics with the needles and size I ended up with, I would have certainly had this thing done by the closing and had my medal. Lesson learned: swatching is good.

Now I really can't wait to start one for myself!

Knitting Olympic Update: Closing Ceremony

2010-03-01T07:44:00.002-05:00

This is how far I was last night when I decided to take a break for the sake of my right hand. The entire body and eight rows of the hood. I'm pretty proud that I made it that far by last night, I have to say, considering I had to completely start over a week ago.

I'm so geeked by how this project is turning out. I've had to do some major mathematical thinking on this one, and it's been quite a challenge, but it all seems to be working out. And it's really getting me excited to start an Arwen for myself.

So, no Knitting Olympic medal, but I'm still happy with my hard work. Next post: finished sweater!

Knitting Olympic update: Major setback

2010-02-22T12:17:00.002-05:00

Well, I was afraid of this. I suspected that when I had to join the second of four balls of yarn at the 6 inch mark that I wouldn't have enough yarn to finish the thing. I was right.

I can't just go and get some more, either, this was yarn from a mill up north and it didn't even have a label or dye lot. There's no way I could find the exact same yarn.

The body was finished up to the underarms, one sleeve was completed and the second begun and I had to face reality. If the sweater weren't hooded, I could have made it. If the sweater didn't have yarn-eating cables, I could have made it. If I weren't knitting on too-small needles which were creating a jacket-like fabric as opposed to a sweater-like fabric ... no, I still wouldn't have made it, then.

Anyhow, I ended up ripping out the entire sweater (gripe, sob) Saturday night and starting over again with larger needles and fewer stitches. Andy and I both wanted the sweater to be oversized so she could wear it for a few years, but there just isn't the yarn. So it's going to be a few inches smaller, the fabric will be looser, and I'm just praying the yarn holds out.

I'm about four inches up the body, and I don't expect to finish it before the torch is extinguished, but I'm going to keep working as if I thought I could. I'm going to finish this race, not walk off the track, even though I know there's no way I can win. Actually, when I think about it, at least Rose will have a sweater at the end of this project. If I had just keep going in denial, I really would have been upset when that last ball ran out.

Knitting Olympic Update: 2/15

2010-02-15T14:27:00.003-05:00

Well, friends, as of this afternoon I'm 6 inches into the body of the sweater. I've just joined the second ball of yarn. I have only 4 balls. I'm a little worried that I won't have enough yarn to finish the hood. I thought 800 - 900 yards would be plenty, but I'm not sure now.

If I get further in and it starts to look like I really won't have enough, then I'll just have to rip it all back and start over again in a smaller size and/or larger needles. The size I'm knitting now will give Rose 7 inches of positive ease, which is a lot, but she's a kid, and I like to give kids lots of room to grow. I don't like working hard on a sweater only to find she's outgrown it in 3 months.

So. If I have to rip back and start over again, I won't succeed at my Knitting Olympics goal, but at least sooner or later Rose will have a complete sweater.

Vest, dishtowel, new projects

2010-02-11T14:38:00.003-05:00

So, I finished Andy's vest (finally).

He says he likes it a lot. I wish I had divided for the v-neck a few rows lower, and I'm not crazy about how the left seam turned out, but otherwise, I'm satisfied with it.

(There's wee Jamie playing with cups in his crib.)

Look what else I did!

My mom is teaching me to use a sewing machine, and how to prep and measure and cut and press cloth and follow a pattern. This was my first project, a cute dishtowel. It only took six hours. :\ But I like it, and surely I'll get better and faster at all the prep work. I hope.

I also started the Audrey Hoodie (Ravelry link)from Vintage Baby Knits. My cousin is due in April. I'm hoping to be done with this by the time she has her shower in March.

But! I have to put it on hold starting tomorrow night, because I've decided to challenge myself in the Knitting Olympics!

My event will be a hooded cardigan for Rose, modeled after A Cardigan for Arwen and A Cardigan for Merry. She's too small for the one and too big for the other, so I'm going to use my Ann Budd book and the cable chart as a jumping-off point and see how it goes!

This is the yarn I'm going to use.

I bought it at Zeilinger's Wool in Frankenmuth. It had no label, but I think it's a wool/alpaca blend. Pretty bulky, 4 stitches per inch, so it should work up quickly enough for me to finish by the time the torch is extinguished.

Whoo hoo! Let's hear that John Williams theme!

Did it!

2010-01-28T13:50:00.003-05:00

Cast on yesterday during coffee time, finished i-cord ties last night around 9pm.

Given to expectant mommy, along with the Baby Mine sweater and a box of diapers this morning!

Here's the little heart on the back -- isn't it adorable?

Baby Mine and a hat

2010-01-27T14:26:00.003-05:00

So I finished up the Baby Mine sweater. What a quick, cute little knit!

It looks a lot more complicated than it really is.

I decided at the very last minute to knit a bonnet out of the rest of the yarn.

It's Elizabeth Zimmerman's Heart Hat. By last minute, I mean that I decided last night to knit it, I cast on this morning, and I hope to give it to our friend tomorrow. morning.

So I'm going to stop typing and start knitting. Wish me luck!

What have I been doing?

2010-01-09T14:30:00.003-05:00

Working and making merry, mostly. But also knitting.

Apparently after my last post (from mid-November, sheesh, what have I been doing?) I was about to bind-off and block my Kiri shawlette. Well, here she is, unblocked:
Drying on the blocking board:

And finished!You may want to note that the decorations changed from fall finery in the first pic to Christmas greenery in the last. I have nothing to say about that.

Work proceeds slowly on the Rugged Vest. I have to say, I'm not really loving working with this wool. And I love wool. But this is some crunchy wool. It ought to be a handsome vest, though, if I ever knit more than an inch per week.

And here are my Nana's anklets. This project really should have taken 2 weeks, 3 at the most. But really. I hit a snag and immediately the project goes on the back burner. The snag, in this case, is that I'm trying to get a pair of anklets out of one skein of Koigu. So in my eagerness to save yarn, I started the toe of the first a little early. Nana and I have about the same size feet, even so, when I tried it on and it was a tad uncomfortable in the toe area, I thought, "It's very possible that her feet are, in fact, smaller than mine by just enough for this to feel okay for her." I clung to that until she tried it on herself and confirmed that yes, it was too small. Then it sat in my knitting bag until I finally, weeks later, picked out the grafting and ripped back the toe to just before the increases started. First toe is now being re-knit on dpns, second sock (on magic loop) is currently just past the heel turn. Please, please, please the yarn will last until both socks are done.

These, however, were a quick and delightful little knit. A little-girl-sized version of the Easy Legwarmers from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, a Christmas gift for my niece.

This is a beret for my mom, kind of a gag gift since I intend to put a pom-pom on top. I'm going to knit one for Rose, too.For some reason, Mom and Rose have a running joke about pom-poms. I can't explain it, because I don't understand it.

And last but not least, Baby Mine by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. A sweet little lace baby cardigan for a new girl, soon to be born to a dear friend. I love this sweater, and the pattern is very well written. I'm not crazy about the yarn. It's a cotton and acrylic blend, so it's quite inelastic, and it also happens to be very splitty. However, it's knitting up nicely, and the fabric feels good, and it's machine washable and dryable, so that is also a good thing.

So that's what I've been doing, knitting-wise! I hope I've learned my lesson: if I post more often, I won't have to upload umpteen pics and write and edit for an hour!

Flummoxed

2009-11-18T07:21:00.004-05:00

I am this close to finishing my Kiri shawl/shawlette. Yesterday I knit the last two pattern rows. I was getting very close to the end of the yarn, but I knew I had some more Kidsilk Haze in the closet, so I wasn't very worried. I checked out how much remaining yarn there was before I worked the last row, then checked it again after I finished it. Less than half, so I don't have enough for the bind-off. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. But, ha ha, knitting fates, I know I have two partial balls of that color left over from my fuzzy legwarmers, so there!

Except...

I came downstairs this morning and went to the closet where I keep my yarn. I have my "leftovers" in a very specific place. Dug through it all, emptied it. No Kidsilk Haze, except for the green KH I used for my sister's legwarmers. The shawl is grey. Went through the new yarn. Nada. The only place I haven't looked is in the basket of sock yarn, but I can't imagine I would have put it in there. Now where on earth could that yarn have gotten to? I could have been done with this shawl by now, it could be soaking in a nice tepid bath, getting ready to be blocked, but no!

All I have to do is freaking bind off, but I can't do it without the extra yarn. I may cry. Guess I better start talking to St. Anthony.

Update (3 hours later): Found it. It was with the acrylic yarns. Don't ask me why I put a silk/kid mohair blend in with the acrylics; I don't know. But I found it. *sigh of relief* Now to bind off!

Nuala's commentary on my WIP

2009-11-11T14:39:00.004-05:00

Yarn, what yarn? Oh, were you working on something? I'll help you. Ooh, soft... What do you mean, you can't knit if I'm pressing on the ball like this? Well, goodnight, then...

Tangled Yoke Cardigan and other stuff

2009-10-14T09:55:00.003-04:00

So, I finished the Tangled Yoke Cardigan last Wednesday. I have to say, I really love this sweater. The only thing I'm not satisfied with are the buttons and buttonholes. The buttons are not quite in the right places, so I may have to take them off and re-place them. Also, the buttonholes are a mite too large for the buttons I chose, so I will have to make them a touch smaller, somehow. Easy fixes, really. This cable is brilliant. Love. It.

In other knitting news, I have a dilemma regarding my Tilted Duster. Click on that link to see what it's supposed to look like. Then see below.Now, I will grant you that I am not pregnant anymore, as I was in this photo. But Jamie is now 15 months old, and the sweater still doesn't fit right. I think I needed more ease. The top just doesn't meet the way it's supposed to. So this is my dilemma: do I give it to a more willowy friend who may or may not want it or wear it? Or do I frog the entire thing and re-use the yarn?

Then I've got a pile of projects to think about. Andy's vest is about half done. I'm about to start a pair of socks for my grandmother, then I've promised hats to my daughter, my mom, and my aunt. Not to mention my entire Rav queue. I'd better start winding some yarn.

In the homestretch

2009-09-28T18:43:00.002-04:00

I just finished the "tangle" of the Tangled Yoke cardi! (Sorry about the poor photos, it's been too rainy for good pics, but I just couldn't wait for sunshine.)The construction of this cable is amazing and it was just magical to see it emerge from the needles. I hope I can keep the momentum going as the yoke grows smaller. I'd love to wear this soon!

Mini-post

2009-09-24T14:35:00.002-04:00

I just spent fifty-three minutes purling nearly 300 stitches, realizing I had missed some critical increases, and tinking those same 300 stitches. I may cry.

Now, can I re-work that row the correct way before Jamie wakes up from his nap?

Hello, the blog!

2009-09-23T13:38:00.004-04:00

"...last published on June 8, 2009." Yikes. I know it's been a long time, but I didn't realize it had been that long.

It was a great summer. Maybe the best one of my life. And I think it's because nothing really happened, the family just spent it together and enjoyed each other. Jamie's such a big boy now, and he is just so fun to be with. Rose, by comparison, is a little lady, and so entertaining. I think Robert Heinlein said, "Happy people don't keep diaries." I'm not sure that's necessarily true, but I know that when I wasn't playing or biking or going to the park or going to Greenfield Village, I was happy to just relax and not blog. I barely knitted, too. And it was fine.

So now that we're moving into fall and Andy's back at work, I am working on two items. First, the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, which I started ages ago and now am finally up to the eponymous tangled yoke. The rows, after I joined the sleeves and started the yoke, have been taking me upwards of a half-hour to finish. Each one. I've been happy to knit two rows a day. But now that the cabling has started, I can't seem to keep my hands off this sweater. It's so fun to see the lines emerging.

The other project is a vest for Andy, knit of some rugged yarn I found at Zeilinger's Wool in Frankenmuth. At first I wasn't sure this wool was going to work ("rugged" is a kind word to describe the feel), but after I washed the swatch, the yarn really softened up and bloomed. Always wash your swatches! This is the back, up to the arms. There's not much I can say about a rectangle of brown stockinette. The front will be a little more entertaining: I'm planning cables and ribs.

I can't believe

2009-06-08T21:15:00.003-04:00

I finally finished them.

This pair of socks, pattern Charade, took me a year to knit. Seriously, I started them on June 9, 2008. Usually socks take me about a month. I guess I've been a little busy.

A little story about these socks. I wanted to knit a pair of socks for my lovely mother-in-law. I let Andy know that I planned to do this, and he seemed to think it was a great idea. He helped me pick out a colorway she would like, and when I showed him this pattern, he agreed she'd probably like it very much.

I started knitting, and soon found that the yarn is quite splitty, and working the PSSOs that create the herringbone rib was such a headache that I thought I'd lose my mind. But I also quickly realized that I loved the colorway, and that the socks were quite handsome, despite all the troubles I was having.

And then I had a baby, two weeks early. So the whole house was in a bit of chaos for a few months, and I didn't get much knitting done.

When I got back into the socks, I was lucky if I got two rounds done at a sitting, but I was determined to get them done and present them to my MIL at Christmas. I kept asking Andy, "Are you sure she'll like them? Do you think she'll think they're too scratchy?" He kept reassuring me that she'd love them. Christmas came and went, and I only had one sock done, so I thought maybe they'd be a Mothers' Day gift. Also, I still wasn't convinced that she'd find them comfortable. I had put it on and worn it, and it felt fine to me, but I'm used to wearing wool.

As the second sock progressed, I started to think I might keep them for myself and knit her a pair from Koigu or some other super-super-soft wool. I mentioned this to Andy, and he hesitated a little, then said, "Well, she doesn't really wear socks, you know."

What?!

So now they are mine.

Baptism sweater

2009-06-01T14:29:00.003-04:00

A quickie because Jamie is waking up from his nap but I just can't put off posting these pictures any longer: Gabriel's Baptism sweater. (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Baby Yours in Berroco Comfort DK) Baptism booties (same yarn, Stay-on Booties with some mods) The man of the hour himself -- Look at all that hair!

Gabe, I'm honored to be your Godmother. I'm looking forward to getting to know you.

Work in progress

2009-04-30T10:06:00.003-04:00

It's another "Baby Yours" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, this time in white for my Godson's Baptism. I'm knitting the sleeves at the same time, which (now that I'm used to it) is a very handy method. Usually I'm counting and re-counting rows, or measuring and re-measuring, to make sure the second sleeve matches the first. This way I just knit, and I know they're both the same. Well, as long as I don't turn my work before I knit on both sleeves, which is what I was doing at first if my mind wandered.

Easter cuties

2009-04-24T10:26:00.002-04:00

Finally getting to post pics of the kids in their Easter finery:Jamie is in the sweater I knitted for him while I was pregnant. He's almost big enough for it. I didn't knit Rose's outfit; it was a gift from her Mimi.

Knitting on the Baptismal sweater continues, pictures of that soon!

7 Quick Takes Friday, 4/17

2009-04-17T07:22:00.004-04:00

1. I haven't been blogging much lately, and that's okay with me. I really curtailed my computer use over Lent and found I had a lot more time for a) knitting, b) caring for my family, c) caring for my home, and d) sleeping. So I feel the trend needs to continue for a little while. I'm cutting back on the blogs I read and not blogging myself as much, so I can be present in my real life.

2. Rose has taken to calling me "Mother" for the last few days. I have no idea where that came from, but it's really cute.

3. We had our family portraits taken this week. Holy cow. I'm still getting over how expensive they are. But we got such cute shots of the kids, I think it was worth it.

4. A phrase I've been hearing a lot on TV and radio has really been bugging me: "really kind of." As in "I was really kind of surprised at his reaction." No. You were either really surprised, or you were kind of surprised. Not both.

5. We're going to Greenfield Village today! First trip of the year -- we're members and we go several times over the season. Can't wait!

6. I actually finished my legwarmers in time for the last (I hope!) cold blast of the lingering winter. They were so cozy and warm!

7. I've been asked by my Godson's mother to knit another Baby Yours in white for his Baptism! Isn't that sweet? I know the photo of the original looks white, but it's really an orange-tinged cream. Plus, Gabriel was such a big boy when he was born that the newborn size is probably already too small. I'm so excited -- off to knit a few more rows!

Remember me?

2009-03-18T10:27:00.004-04:00

Hi all. I'm here. It's been an interesting few weeks here at our house. I've been quite busy with church stuff and family stuff and I just haven't been at the computer the way I used to. And I'm finding that I actually don't need to be at the computer the way I used to. But I have missed sharing through this blog, so now that I've got a bit of time to myself, I'm going to use it to post.

Anyone remember this?

No? I didn't think so. It's the Kiri Shawl. I started it in June of 2007 and it's been hibernating since probably October or November of 2007. I really like it. It's not a difficult lace pattern, and the yarn is Madil Kid Seta, which is pretty lovely. I just was getting to a point (pregnant, sick, exhausted) where I couldn't face how long the rows were getting, then I was worn out by a newborn and a preschooler, and now that I might like to work on it again, I just can't seem to find a chunk of time long enough to complete a row, let alone a pattern repeat.

Plus I was getting antsy to make a pair of legwarmers for myself like I made for my sister, and as I had the Kid Seta on hand (intended for the shawl), all I needed was some worsted wool to get started, and so... This one is already finished. I'll get started on the second one today. Yes, I know spring seems to be here. Yes, I realize I probably won't get to wear these until November. But if I don't do it now, I'm afraid it won't get done before I need it. Also, I live in Michigan. We could have a gorgeous warm day followed immediately by a blizzard the next. We don't trust the weather in Michigan, and we like it that way.

Now, you may be wondering, if that Kid Seta was intended for the shawl, and I've used it up in a pair of legwarmers, what am I going to do about Kiri? Well, I've decided I'm just going to finish the Kiri with the yarn I have remaining and make it a mini-Kiri! I can wear it as a jaunty neckwarmer, or maybe a lacy headscarf. The possibilities are endless! Now I just have to find the time to actually work on it.

7 quick takes 2/27

2009-02-27T15:49:00.003-05:00

Sigh. It's been quite a couple of weeks, and while I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I'm still pretty busy and pretty tired. But here's some news headlines.

1. Went to my first Friday Night Knit Night at my LYS last week and enjoyed it a great deal. Had snacks, finished Shannon's second legwarmer, and met a kindred spirit. I hope to make it again tonight.

2. Started a legwarmer for myself. Love it, love it, love it, and can't wait to wear the pair.

3. Jamie is going through a frustrating day-time sleep pattern right now. Gets all tired and fussy and eye-rubby after being awake for less than two hours, so I nurse him and put him down for a nap, then he jabbers in his crib for the next hour before finally quieting down. Don't tell me to keep him up longer, either, because I've tried and it doesn't change anything. It just makes him more miserable. But the one thing this kid has taught me is that he'll be different in a week. So I'm just biding my time.

4. Had an amazing rehearsal last night for a Taize prayer service. I can't even describe how serene and uplifting it was. I can only hope the actual service is as amazing.

5. My dentist tells me I have beautiful gums. "When we make dentures, this is what we try to make the gums look like," he says.

6. Andy: Rose, do you know who that is singing?
Rose: No, who is it?
Andy: It's Dinah Shore.
Rose (flabbergasted): What? Dinosaur?

7. More from Rose: "When we were at Applebee's, the Red Wings were on, and that's why Papa [my dad, her grandfather] was sooo quiet."

Can't believe I actually came up with seven. I actually have a knitting story to share, but I wanted photos first. Maybe next week. In the meantime, Jen's got her Quick Takes and all the rest here.

What?!?

2009-02-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

This is crazy. Cool, but crazy.

7 Quick Takes Friday, 2/13

2009-02-13T06:41:00.003-05:00

With thanks to Jen for letting me participate... links to some much better thought out and written Quick Takes here.

-1-

I finished legwarmer number one yesterday. I cannot get over how much I love this pattern. I mean, they're just 26 inches of 1x1 ribbing knit in the round. I really think it's the combination of that no-nonsense wool with that fuzzy, soft, lovely silk and super kid mohair. Yarn choice really can make the difference in how much I enjoy a project.

-2-

By the way, if you'd have told me even a year ago that I'd enjoy knitting that much 1x1 rib (let alone tolerate it without pulling my hair out), I'd have laughed out loud. It's hard to explain, but I used to purl "funny." The stitches themselves looked fine in the finished product, but my style of execution was dead awkward. So switching back and forth between knit and purl that often was torture. Then I watched a video at KnittingHelp.com and *ping* a light went on. Yay internet!

-3-

James is feeling better, no fever since Monday. He still doesn't have much of an appetite, though. I offered him some pureed carrots, which he seemed to love a few days ago. He gave me a look like I was feeding him rat poison. It was so comical I wish I had had my camera with me.

-4-

Yesterday Andy couldn't get his key into the ignition of his car. It just wouldn't go in. It was the strangest thing. So he took my car to work, and I Googled "Ford Focus key won't go in" and apparently it's a very common problem with the Focus. He's had his for nearly ten years, so I guess we're lucky this is the first time it's happened. I called a locksmith (seemed to be the most common solution among others with the problem) and he replaced the cylinder with the tumblers. It's working now, I hope it doesn't happen again.

-5-

So I had plans to take Jamie to his sitter's house, run a couple of errands, and clean the house from top to bottom yesterday morning. Needless to say, the first two items didn't happen, and the third was seriously hampered by himself. I do a pretty good job keeping the house tidy while still caring for the kids, but I wanted to do some heavy-duty stuff yesterday, and it just wasn't going to happen. Maybe this morning...

-6-

I got the spring issue of Interweave Knits in the mail yesterday. I'm always so excited when that magazine arrives. But I was a little disappointed in this one. It has some cute patterns, but with the exeption of the Diminishing Ribs Cardigan, nothing that I would actually want to knit and wear. Well, I also liked the sleeves of the St. John's Wort Cardigan, so that may be an inspiration for something.

-7-

Andy's taking the youth group to CYO Rainbow this weekend. I always dread this weekend alone with the kids, but it always turns out fine. And it makes me very very grateful that it's really only this one time a year that he's away, not multiple times like husbands with jobs that require regular travel.

Poor baby, more green

2009-02-10T10:16:00.003-05:00

Poor baby James is sick with a little fever. Besides being incredibly crabby, he has no other symptoms, so the doctor said to ride it out with some Baby Tylenol. He's sleeping now, I hope the rest helps.

So I've started yet another green project. These are the Super-Easy Leg Warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. My sister asked for legwarmers, and I love to knit for my family. They are super easy, super cushy, super soft, and I can't wait to knit a pair for myself.

This pattern book is great. The photography is gorgeous and the patterns are lovely. It's arranged in chapters entitled "Less than two hours," "Two to four hours," etc. The legwarmers are in the "Two to four hours" chapter, but I already know it's going to take longer than that, I think maybe because I'm using magic loop instead of a 12" circular. Or maybe I'm just slow! :P I'm averaging 4" of length per hour, so two legwarmers at 26" each will be about 13 hours of work. I don't even care, though, because these are so luscious!

They're knit holding a strand of Cascade 220 and a strand of Rowan KidSilk Haze together. Purrrrr. Smooshy gooshy goodness.

Daddy-Daughter Dance and an FO (finally)

2009-02-09T06:18:00.006-05:00

As I mentioned on Friday, Andy and Rose were off that evening to their first Daddy-Daughter Dance. It was held at the school where Andy teaches. Rose was the littlest one there, which Andy just loved because lately it seems she's just so big. She told me exactly three things about it: First, "It was really loud music, Mommy!" Second, "There were blue lights, and lello lights, and green lights, and red lights!" And third, "I like the Chicken Dance!" And I finally finished the border on this Christmas gift. It was for Andy's parents. His mom had been hinting for a green granny square blanket for a while. Andy and I both worked on the squares. They were all done and seamed, and I had done one round of the border before we got together with them for Christmas, so we decided to give it to them as is, with the explanation that it wasn't quite done, but I'd finish the border pretty soon. "Pretty soon" turned out to be this past weekend, but at least it's finally done. I was just going to do a round of green half double and a round of single, a round of half double, and a round of single in black. Rachel suggested using Crab stitch instead of the final round of single crochet, and I tried it, and I'm so glad I did. I think it makes it look very finished. It looks almost like roping. I like how this project turned out. It's been a long time since I've crocheted, and it was fun. Grandma and Jamie

7 Quick Takes Friday, 2/6

2009-02-06T10:18:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it's already Friday again! Time for my 7 Quick Takes -- don't forget to visit Jen at Conversion Diary for hers and the rest.

-1-

Yesterday I taught a song I learned at my grade school to the school choir at the same grade school. That particular layering of memories was a very interesting experience.

-2-

With the encouragement of my friend Jazmyn, I'm trying out Twitter. So far I'm reserving judgement, but I have enjoyed reading "tweets" from fellow bloggers and real life friends. And the idea of "microblogging" is very appealing. Here's my page, if you'd like to read my very random thoughts and what I had for dinner (mushroom ravioli, yum!).

-3-

I wish I could go back in time and make all my usernames the same on all the sites I frequent. Not only so my friends from different sites would recognize from site to site, but also so I would feel more like just one person!

-4-

Andy and Rose are attending a Daddy-Daughter Dance at the school where he teaches tonight. It will be their first, and both are so excited about their "date," they could hardly talk about anything else at dinner last night. It's going to be so sweet.

-5-

However, because of #4, we will have to miss the Annual Alumni Concert at our high school. It's a great tradition. The current choir students present pieces from their repetoire, an alumnus or group of alumni perform, and then at the end, all alumni attending are invited up to the stage to sing two pieces that have been sung for decades by the choir. Andy and I met through the choir, so there's that added level of specialness. We haven't been able to go for the last few years, but I was really hoping to go this year since I've reconnected with a lot of choir friends through Facebook. I just didn't feel like arranging for a babysitter for Jamie just to go by myself. Oh well, maybe next year.

-6-

My little James is sitting up better and better. I know you're not supposed to compare your children, so I won't. I'm just glad he's finally doing it. Look how hard he's working to get at that toy! And here he is, not too schlumped over.
-7-

I get to have some "me" time tomorrow morning with my best friend Rachel. We're going to shop and have lunch together. I can't wait!

An award? For me?

2009-02-04T09:48:00.004-05:00

This is from Debbie, a fellow "7 Quick Takes"-er and knitter. I'm honored, really, as I don't feel particularly creative most days, but I will graciously accept it.

Here are the official rules:

Copy the award to your site
Link to the person from whom you received the award
Nominate 7 other bloggers
Link to those on your blog
Leave a message on the blogs you nominated

And two addenda from me:

If you just want to accept and not tag anyone, I have no problem with that.
I'm only nominating the crafting blogs I actually comment to and who have commented to me. No "big names" here, just friends. :)

Here are my nominations:

Jo from freestylefibre (blog) and limegreenjelly (etsy shop, check it out!). Jo and I "met" through a knitting swap and she is an artist in many media, but particularly dyeing and spinning.
Amanda at OldFashionedGirl. I love her escapades into sewing and baking, and am slightly envious of both.
My friend Jazmyn. She also has an etsy shop, and is a mad crocheter and jewelry maker!
Katherine at FuzzyLove, a fellow Raveler and mom. I enjoy her posts a great deal.

On Resolutions and Goals

2009-01-31T07:27:00.003-05:00

I don't usually make New Year Resolutions. If I discover I should be doing something in my life differently, I try to make that change when I notice it, or when it becomes appropriate, not just because the calendar says I need to. For example, I started going to Curves after my O.B. gave me the okay to exercise when James was 6 weeks old. I could have waited until January, with a resolution to "lose weight," but I started in August -- and not to lose weight, but to get healthy and strong.

But even though I don't usually do the whole New Year thing, this year I was thinking about why it's so common for people to fail their resolutions, to lose momentum by February, if not to give up on them altogether. And the best I could come up with is the difference between "resolutions" and "goals." What I mean is something like this --

Resolution: to lose weight
Goal: to exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes
Resolution: to get organized
Goal: to spend 15 minutes per day in one room decluttering
Resolution: to save more money
Goal: to put away $100 in a savings account each pay

See, resolutions tend to be big, vague, and overwhelming, while goals are small, concrete, and achievable. A person could certainly have a big resolution, but if she doesn't break it down into measureable goals, it's too easy to flounder around and then give up.

For myself, just for fun, I decided at the end of December that my resolution would be "to blog more," with the immediate goal "to post each day in January, except Sundays." Really, I was just curious to see if I could do it. I decided that I would regroup at the end of January to see if I could continue with that goal, or if I should modify it. This is what I learned from this experiment:

That I could, indeed, post every day (except Sundays) for a month.
That it was tricky -- okay, not possible -- for me to come up with intereresting posts that often.
That I enjoy blogging more when I'm not putting myself under pressure to do it.

So for the next month, I'm modifying my goal. I plan to post no less than twice a week for the month of February. That way I'm still accountable to myself to be out there regularly, but I don't have to kill myself coming up with ideas every single day. We'll see what happens this month!

7 Quick Takes Friday, 1/30

2009-01-30T06:20:00.004-05:00

-1-

I've never been so grateful for coffee as I am this morning. I've definitely come down with something.

-2-

What is Twitter? I've been through the little "What is Twitter" show they have on their homepage, and I've looked at people's pages, but I just don't get it. It seems to be akin to the status updates on Facebook. Do any of you do this, and what's the difference from Facebook? And what's the appeal, for you?

-3-

The Yarn Harlot apparently just started Twittering. And apparently, she follows Wil Wheaton. Who knew?

-4-

The hand is still painin' me a bit. I may have to go see the doctor. I really don't want to.

-5-

Because of #4, I haven't been knitting as much, and I've actually been watching TV instead of just listening to it and glancing up from time to time. I finally saw a commercial I've heard about a hundred times, and there was a kitty in it, and I never knew -- I love cats. (oy, can you tell I have no brain this morning?)

-6-

People, if you buy something you had no intention of buying, but buy it only because it is on sale or you have a coupon, you're not really saving any money.

-7-

Jamie is 7 months old today! I can't believe how quickly the time has flown.

I can't believe I was able to put this together this morning. I feel so lousy. Please visit the originator of 7 Quick Takes for a much better post, and links to others who participate in 7 Quick Takes Friday.

The bright side?

2009-01-29T06:11:00.002-05:00

I have nothing good to write about today.

You know those lists that say things like, "I am grateful for piles of laundry to do, because it means my family has clothes to wear" and "I am grateful to clean up dishes and a cluttered kitchen because it means I fed a house full of friends" and stuff like that? I usually can talk myself into thinking that way, most of the time. But right now I'm trying to see the bright side of not being able to see the top of my desk. And I just can't see figure out how to be grateful for a headache and sore throat.

So instead of me complaining, please enjoy:

This always cracks me up.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-28T15:55:00.001-05:00

St. Patrick, Wyandotte Michigan
Parish established 1857, current building built 1870

Knitting Update

2009-01-27T14:19:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm back to knitting, as much as my hand will let me. It's not constantly sore like it was a few days ago, and the only activities that bother it now are washing dishes and knitting. It doesn't hurt to knit, exactly, it just gets a bit achy in the base of the middle and ring fingers, and in my palm just below those fingers after a few rows.

So I stop when it starts to ache, and that seems to be working fine.

Both of my current projects are on fairly small needles. I wonder if I cast on a project in larger yarn on larger needles if that would be more comfortable?

This is the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, so far. I'm almost done with the main body portion. It has a fake seam in it, which I think adds a nice tailored effect while still letting it be knit in one piece. Nice.

I love this

2009-01-26T14:22:00.003-05:00

One of the items I brought home from my trip to IKEA was an easel for Rose. I set it up just before dinner and she could barely eat, knowing that a fresh white piece of paper was waiting for her in our family room. As soon as she was done, she asked if she could go draw. She didn't even want dessert! So we let her go, and enjoyed a leisurely cup of decaf with some homemade coffee cake (not mine; there had been a bake sale at church). Jamie had already gone to bed for the night, so it was so very pleasant just to sit at the dinner table and not have to tell anyone to sit back down in her chair for the 983rd time, or to shovel in the vittles while jiggling a crabby baby on my lap. Later, we heard her coming back up from the basement, saying in that delightful sing-song voice, "Come see what I drew-ew!" I was so delighted by this on so many levels. I love that her people have bodies and legs and arms and hands and feet now. I love that Jamie is horizontal, and I love that she gave our cat Nuala a big grin, even though Nuala just runs away everytime she sees Rose. I love that she signed it, and I love the finishing touch of the curliques all the way around the portrait. When I miss my baby girl, these are the kinds of fun big girl things I have to remind myself about.

Sweater quiz

2009-01-24T06:47:00.001-05:00

I pretty much agree with the summary... but dude, that photo? Come on.

You Are a Cardigan

You are traditional, old-fashioned, and even a little conservative.

More than anything else, you are a creature of habit. You haven't changed much over the years.

You shy away from flashy ideas, people, fashion, and foods.

You have simple tastes. You go for established quality and longevity every time.

What Kind of Sweater Are You?

7 Quick Takes, 1/23

2009-01-23T07:15:00.000-05:00

-1-

I've been awfully weepy this past week. Probably just a combination of hormones and the season, but still tough.

-2-

One of my comforts in this cold spell has been to wear my flannel nightgown with a pair of handknit socks and this wrap I knit. It's so Louisa May Alcott/Laura Ingalls Wilder that I want to bake bread or something. Oh wait, I did!

-3-

Today I will treat myself to a massage after I play the school Mass. It's something I like to do every other month or so. I'm so grateful I have the time and the extra money to do it.

-4-

What is it with cats and paper? Nuala has never been a lap-sitting kitty, but put a piece of paper down and that's where she wants to be. Even if it's on a lap.

-5-

Since I read The Green Beauty Guide and learned how the terrible stuff we put on our skin gets into our bodies and into our environment, I've been slowly replacing the old stuff I use up with greener options, and trying some of the easier "recipes" from the book. The first thing I replaced was the kids' shampoo and soap. Then I bought cleanser and moisturizer for myself from Aubrey Organics. Because I'm a cheapskate at heart, I really wanted to finish up my old cleanser and moisturizer. So I used the old stuff in the evening and the new stuff in the morning. Well, the difference in how the Aubrey products smell, and feel going on, and make my face feel throughout the day compared to how the other products do got clearer and clearer over the last couple of weeks, until last night I couldn't take it anymore and I just tossed the old product. The miserly part of me was groaning, but the rest of me is very glad.

-6-

James has graduated to Rose's old car seat. And as much of a pain as getting Jamie in a snowsuit and putting him in a regular car seat is, I'm so very happy that Rose has moved up to her booster. It's so much easier than buckling her into a harness, and she loves being a big girl who can use the car's seat belt.

-7-

Real Simple magazine's question of the month was "How do you alleviate stress?" and not one, but two of the readers' answers included knitting! There was even a lovely photograph of a basket of red yarn. Nice.

More 7 Quick Takes can be found at Jen's place!

Cutie pie

2009-01-22T07:02:00.002-05:00

It's been so cold in our drafty old house this winter. Jamie pretty much just wears sleepers all day, but when we go hang out in the basement, where the family room is, I put a thicker bunting or a baby track suit on over his sleeper.

Yesterday, I wondered if that sweater I knit when I was pregnant would fit him yet. Almost. It's still a bit big. But doesn't he look quite the little man in it?

Yesterday

2009-01-21T06:53:00.004-05:00

I profoundly hate to talk or write about politics, so this will probably be the last time.

I didn't vote for Barack Obama. I think he is an amazing, intelligent man, but I disagree with him in one fundamental matter.

That said, I was very, very moved yesterday. I was proud to live in a country that could come so far in just half a century, that, as President Obama said, "...a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. "

Andy was watching the ceremonies with one of the kindergarten classes. A little boy was leaning on the teacher of the class, watching intently, and at one point piped up in wonder, "He looks like me." Pause. "Hey, I could be president one day!" Andy said he and the teacher just about burst into proud tears.

I also appreciated his call to service and responsibility, that each of us must work and serve.

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

Yes. Let's do it.

Baking bread and an unfortunate hand

2009-01-20T06:55:00.000-05:00

I made bread from scratch yesterday! I'd been following Amanda's adventures in bread and this recipe finally made me tell myself, yes, you can at least try this.

There was a point in the dough mixing where I wasn't sure if it was all going to come together right, because I was sifting and mixing and sifting and mixing and it felt like it was taking forever, and I had remembered hearing on Food Network or somewhere that over-mixing would make bread tough and dense, or maybe that was pancakes, anyway, I started to get worried. Then the kneading wasn't going very well, and I was waiting for that lovely, smooth, elastic ball of dough that you always see on the cooking shows, and it just wasn't happening. I thought I'd better quit while I was ahead and let it rise.

That part was so cool! I left this ball of dough in a covered bowl, and went to get Jamie out of his crib (great timing on his part, he woke up from his nap just as I decided I'd better be finished kneading). He sat pleasantly in his high chair as I cleaned up my floury mess, and then we played a while, and after about an hour I peeked in the bowl, and the ball of dough was twice as big! I know this is what is supposed to happen, but to see it actually happen was just too neat. Then I formed it into two loaves (I had halved the recipe) and let them rise in their pans. I think I could have let them rise a bit more, but all in all, I think they were okay. And Amanda? I don't know about that "hollow sound," either. I thumped them, but I couldn't tell.

But, man! When the loaves had cooled and I cut off that first slice of warm bread and put real butter on it and put a bite in my mouth -- well. I will be making bread again. Amanda, thank you for the annotations. I think they made a world of difference.

In other news, I have injured my right hand. Not badly enough that I can't get things done, or type, but knitting is fairly uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough that I need to take a break from it for a week, then re-evaluate whether I need to see a doctor or not. I was trying to put Rose's old car seat in the trunk, and it slipped out of my hands and fell into the trunk, and it all happened so quick I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I think my fingers got yanked backward by the strap as the seat fell. There was no bruising or swelling, but it's painful when I squeeze my hand into a fist or try to grasp anything firmly, especially in my ring finger and palm just below my ring finger. Anyhow, it hurt right away, as soon as the seat yanked my hand, so I know that's how I hurt it, and not through some repetitive injury issue. That's a bit of a comfort. :/

The bright side is, I've had books piling up because, as much as I love to read, most days I pick up the knitting first when I've got a moment free. These are the books I've currently got in my pile: A Meeting At Corvallis by S. M. Stirling, Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, The Shop On Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber, and The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. So I figure I can make my way through at least two of them while my hand is healing.

A wee aran sweater

2009-01-19T06:49:00.004-05:00

This is the project I've been working on. "Baby Yours" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee in STR Mediumweight. It's for my newest Godson, who is due in March. His mom Heather is one of our oldest and dearest friends, and as soon as she asked me to be Gabriel's Godmother, I knew exactly what I wanted to knit for him. The shower was yesterday, and I wanted it to be a surprise. Knowing that Heather occasionally peeks in (Hi, if you're there!), I had to be quiet about this little project as it came together. It was so hard to wait to share this! I'm really pleased with the pattern, the way it was written, and the way it turned out. There's only one little thing I'd change if I could, and I might be able to. When I blocked the pieces, they blocked to measurements exactly. When I blocked the entire sweater after seaming (and what a lot of seaming, ugh! but it was worth it), I didn't have the schematics with me and blocked it too wide and too short. But, I should be able to fix that with another good blocking -- it just means I'll have to ask for it back for a couple of days. Now I've got the bug to knit sweaters for my other two Godsons!

Boring

2009-01-17T13:03:00.003-05:00

I spent most of my free time yesterday dealing with this computer. It was running s-o s-l-o-w-l-y. It was so slow that the weekly virus scan, which is set up to run at 4 am Fridays, was still running when I got to the computer at 6:30, and not only that, it had only checked seven files. So I cancelled it and tried to write my blog entry for yesterday, which took more than an hour because it was so link heavy. Each time I opened a new tab to open a page I wanted to link, it took literally a minute or more to open. Frustrating.

I ran Spybot and Disk Cleanup, then realized that a print job I had cancelled the day before was still in the process of deleting. After more than 15 hours. Nothing I did would make this print job go away, so I uninstalled the printer software and reinstalled it. Now everything is running as well as before. Yay! But pretty much every free moment was spent in front of the computer, and not doing anything fun, either. Boo!

The good news? While waiting for scans and uninstalls and installs to run, I finished seaming and weaving in all the ends of the ... whoops, almost spilled the beans! ;)

7 Quick Takes Friday, 1/16

2009-01-16T06:43:00.004-05:00

With thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for letting us play along!

-1-

I bought myself Stephanie Pearl McPhee's Page-A-Day Calendar, Never Not Knitting, just after Christmas. It came with an offer for a free online page-a-day calendar that comes in your e-mail. There were a number of choices, including Cats and Brain Teasers, and I chose 365 New Words a Year. It's been a lot of fun to open the e-mails, scroll down just far enough to see the word, and quiz myself before checking the definition. Then, there's always a link to click for more information on the history and etymology of the word. Yes, I'm a word geek.

-2-

Living right across the Detroit River from Canada, I'd come to enjoy CBC Radio 2 for classical music and great programs like Vinyl Cafe. So I'm sad that they seem to have changed formats from nearly all classical to more eclectic. I have nothing against eclectic, but it was nice to have an option in addition to Detroit's WRCJ for classical. At least there's classical in the afternoon, and Vinyl Cafe is still on Saturday mornings.

-3-

I made a dastardly treat yesterday. But next time I need to make sure the butter is super soft and mix the ice cream in quicker. It was still pretty yummy (For those of you worried about Jamie, we didn't have it until after he was in bed since he sleeps most of the night, and I only used a splash of rum).

-4-

Is it just me, or are people using the phrase "It is what it is" an awful lot lately? I have nothing against the phrase in particular, but I'm getting tired of hearing it.

-5-

My little project is almost done (Ravelry link, because I believe the recipient occasionally checks in on this blog). I knit it up in four days, and it's taken me the last three to seam it. I hate seaming, but for this one, it's worth it. All will be revealed on Monday.

-6-

Last night I was mulling over ideas for this post as I was putting Jamie to bed, then came downstairs to jot down a list to remind myself this morning. Of course, my mind blanked out before I remembered them all. I was thinking and thinking about the last one, willing it to come back into conscious memory, and then it did! And then I clicked my pen with gusto! And then I realized that I was holding the pen upside down and the ball point was already out! And then I said "OW ow ow ow ow" and forgot what I had remembered.

-7-

I know Christmas is over, even for us Catholics, but I had to share one last picture of the season (the plants are fake):

Isn't he the cutest thing?

One reason I love the internet

2009-01-15T13:47:00.003-05:00

I just read Sarah's review of a parenting book by Dr. Ray Guarendi. The book is called You're a Better Parent Than You Think!: A Guide to Common-sense Parenting. The review was a good one, and very timely, as I'm starting to find myself reacting to some of Rose's behaviors with frustration and anger. She and I are a great deal alike, which I know adds to the frustration. I'm hoping that the book will give me some insights into how I can react appropriately to her, or better yet, be proactive in what I do and say to help her act better. Sarah points out that in the text of the book, Dr. Ray uses the term "good sense" rather than "common sense," which I like very much since it seems common sense isn't really all that common!

Anyway, back to why I love the internet. First, the whole concept of blogging as a means of "regular people" sharing information and opinions. Next, as soon as I had read her post, I went to The Library Network for my area, checked to see if it is available, and it is, at a couple of the libraries. I placed a hold on it, and I'll receive an e-mail in a day or two, as soon as it's been delivered to my local library. All within a matter of minutes! I love the internet.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-14T07:26:00.001-05:00

"Mommy, I want a brother and sister picture. Please?"

With much thanks to Sarah for the idea, because I have no brain today.

Bad Timing

2009-01-13T11:10:00.003-05:00

Well, James had his six-month checkup this morning, and as I had expected, he's now too long for his infant carrier/car seat. It's just as well, since the combined weight of him and the carrier has started to be too much. But I love being able to bundle him up into that cozy cocoon while still indoors and the way throwing a blanket over it makes a warm little tent, protecting him from the weather we've been having.

So now, just in time for the most bitter weather of the season -- highs of 8 degrees F (-13 degrees C) later this week -- I must move James into a regular car seat. Poor little kid. At least we've got lots of warm clothes for bundling up, not to mention plenty of knit and crocheted blankies!

Well, it is my favorite color

2009-01-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

Your Blog Should Be Blue

Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.

You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant.

From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Update alert

2009-01-10T14:41:00.002-05:00

The name will stay. See item #5 here for details.

Fiber Cafe

2009-01-10T06:41:00.002-05:00

So, why "Fiber Cafe?"

After Rachel had taught me to knit, and I started to really get into it, I started wishing there was a yarn shop closer to me than downtown Detroit. Now, I love City Knits, and I love Ewe-Nique Knits, up by where Rachel lives, but either way I was going to be in the car for at least an hour getting there and back, not to mention the time spent petting and ogling the yarn. So I spent a lot of time daydreaming about opening a yarn shop in my town. I knew it would never happen, with my non-existent business sense, but it was so fun to imagine "the perfect yarn shop."

First of all, it would be in downtown Wyandotte, because I love our little downtown. Not to mention it would be nearby.

It would be cozy, but not too small. I would carry all my favorite yarns, and have a running "wish list" on the counter so customers could request their favorites, too.

There would be comfy seating, warm lighting, and coffee and tea available around the clock.

I wanted a clever name, and thought "Fiber Cafe" was a cute pun on "Cyber Cafe." Of course, those who knit and those who don't probably have different connotations of fiber. For me, "fiber" = wool or cotton or alpaca, etc. For most of my friends, "fiber" = bran muffins. Come to the Fiber Cafe, have a bran muffin with your coffee! Hee hee.

Anyhow, when Rachel and I started this blog together a couple years ago, we went through a whole list of names, all of which had been taken by other people in Blogger land. The only one which hadn't was the name of my imaginary yarn shop, so we went with that. It was only after we started that I thought to Google "Fiber Cafe," wondering if we had stepped on anyone's toes. I found an alpaca farm, a couple of clubs, and something about fiber optics, but no shops and no other blogs by this name.

The happy ending is that there really is finally a yarn shop here in Wyandotte, yay! It is indeed cozy, there's comfy seating, it's downtown, and while there's not coffee, every Friday night there's a knit night with food for only $5. The name is also a clever one -- "Miles and Miles of Yarn," after the owner, Diana Miles. I'm so glad she's here.

7 Quick Takes Friday, 1/9

2009-01-09T06:07:00.003-05:00

With thanks to Jen for letting us share the fun. Hers and all the rest can be found here.

-1-

It's been really fun to discover new (to me) blogs through the 7 Quick Takes project. A couple of them I've enjoyed enough to follow and add to my sidebar. And I love that many participating bloggers have been kind enough to leave comments. Thank you!

-2-

I probably shouldn't put this in writing since, if I do, it'll all change tomorrow, but for the last 5 nights my little James has only awakened once, at 5am, to nurse, then slept again until his normal wake-up time. I'm trying not to get too excited, but it's the first real consistent nighttime sleeping pattern he's had. Also, having had a good night's sleep myself, I don't mind just getting up for the day and getting started, in fact, it's been quite enjoyable to have an extra hour to myself every morning.

-3-

Maybe I should use the extra time to start writing in his baby book. He's already 6 months old and I've filled out maybe a page and a half. Ugh.

-4-

I have my virus scan to run early Friday mornings. Looks like I'm going to have to change that time now that I'm hoping to actually use the computer at that time. It makes everything run so frustratingly slow.

-5-

Speaking of frustrating, my town's marching band (of which I was a member) has been getting pressure to change its name before they go march in the Inaugural Parade later this month. They are the Wyandotte Marching Chiefs, in homage to the Wyandot tribe that once lived here. Now a professor in Wisconsin, who as far as I know has never been here and probably doesn't know much about our town or its history, thinks they need to change the name of the band, and all the uniforms. In two weeks. *sigh* I do want to be sensitive. Can anyone out there give me some gentle insight into how "Chiefs" is disrespectful? I hate to be glib, but it's certainly more respectful than "Fighting Irish!"

Update, 1/10: I got word from a mom of one of the band kids that the Chief of the Wyandotte Nation actually flew in from Oklahoma yesterday, visited with the band, said he was very proud of them and fully endorsed their name. Yeah!

-6-

I figured out my Blogger sign-in problem. I had bookmarked the start page instead of the Dashboard page. Once I replaced my bookmark, I didn't have to sign in every time.

-7-

I have to replace my kitchen faucet. I don't want to, I don't know when I'm going to have time, but I have to.

I think she likes it.

2009-01-08T11:56:00.004-05:00

My darling Rose, modeling her blue hat. It's about time I got around to it. She's had her little blue mittens and scarf for a year and a half (although the scarf is AWOL at the moment, grr). She'd been very patient with me during my pregnancy-induced aversion to knitting and the exhaustion that followed.

I wish the speckling had come out more random, but I think I know why it happened, and when I knit another, I think it'll turn out better. Yes, despite the wicked k3togs, I'm probably going to knit this pattern again. We both like it a lot.

Finishing the hat

2009-01-07T15:09:00.003-05:00

Some of you out there will get that title. I really did finish the blue hat last night, then forgot to get a pic of Rose in it before her nap. Tomorrow.

Also, (sings) guess what came today! I balled it up right away and am about to cast on. Sorry, can't tell you what it is yet.

Some actual knitting content

2009-01-06T06:13:00.006-05:00

...since this is, after all, a knitblog. Mostly.

I'm working on the Brioche Helmet Hat from Interweave Knits Fall 2005 for Rose. It's such a sweet little hat, and once I finally got going on it, it seemed to fly along. Until last night, but more on that later.

It's knit with two strands of sport or DK weight yarn held together, and you change one of the strands to a different color after an inch or so to get the speckled effect. I wish my speckles were more random, but I think that lighter stripe happened because I was not sure I wanted to change from solid blue. So I threaded a lifeline in case I didn't like the color change and tried a few rows without cutting either strand of dark blue. Brioche stitch is not difficult, but, for me, it was nearly impossible (no, it was impossible) to get the doubled strands back on the needle after frogging a row or two on my first attempts at this hat. I didn't even want to face that fiasco again, so a lifeline was necessary. When I decided I liked the color change, I snipped the unused strand of dark blue and took out the lifeline. Apparently, something about having that other strand attached affected how I held the doubled strands and made the light blue stand out more. You can totally see where I made that change. I've decided I'm fine with it. It's a design element, yeah, that's the ticket.

So last night I made it to the decrease rounds. The pattern tells you to knit 3 together. The 3 stitches it's referring to are a stitch with a yarnover straddling it, a regular stitch, and another stitch with a yarnover straddling it. That's how brioche stitch works. There's a lot of slipped stitches with yarnovers over them, and it makes for a very cushy, thick fabric. Very nice for a warm hat. But the problem is, with these straddling stitches and the fact that the yarn is held doubled, for the k3tog, you have to actually get your needle through and knit 10 strands of yarn. Can you imaging knitting 10 together? It's terrible. It was killing my hands. I ended up having to use a crochet hook to pull the yarn through and replace it on the other needle.

Otherwise, I love this pattern and now that I've figured out the crochet hook trick, I'll be likely to make it again.

Here's another story. I ordered some mediumweight Socks That Rock to make something that I can't share quite yet. I wanted the Narikama colorway, but they sent me the Nyame colorway. It's absolutely gorgeous, but it's not what I wanted. I e-mailed them, and got a very quick response apologizing, letting me know that the Narikama was already in the mail, and telling me I could keep the Nyame! I am so amazed, and excited! Blue Moon Fiber Arts rocks!

Birthday Report

2009-01-05T07:01:00.003-05:00

Well, a good time was had by all. Our birthday girl loved her cake, playing and singing and shouting with her cousins, and all her presents.

I was a little worried, though. You see, for a couple of weeks before her birthday, I was feeling wistful about my first baby turning four and really becoming a little girl. Occasionally I'd say something to that effect out loud, and I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when she picked up on it. When am I going to remember that she remembers everything she hears, even when she doesn't act like she's listening?

So in the day or two before her birthday, she started saying, "I don't want to turn four. I want to stay three," almost tearfully. I had to reassure her several times that it was okay to be four, and I had just been being silly. Finally, by the time of the party, she seemed okay. And afterward, as we were taking her up to bed, she said, "Am I four now?" and I said, "Yeah, isn't it great?" and she said, "I think so."

Another funny thing was, she had been saying for the last few weeks that she'd need new shoes and new clothes after her birthday. At first I was really surprised that she'd be that interested in clothes, I thought toys would be more appealing as presents. Then, the more she talked about it, the more I came to realize that she thought she would suddenly be too big for her current shoes and clothes the instant she turned four. What a funny girl!

Her little brother had a good time, too. He is turning into such a "people person." He's a funny, engaging little guy. Not that I'm biased. ;)

It's hard to believe...

2009-01-03T07:53:00.001-05:00

...we have a four-year-old in the house.

Happy Birthday, Rose!

7 Quick Takes Friday

2009-01-02T06:19:00.005-05:00

With thanks again to Jen, for letting me participate.

-1-

I started a hat yesterday. Twice. I have to start it a third time this morning. Here's to hoping it goes better today.

-2-

I have to keep a notepad nearby to jot down any thoughts throughout the week that I may use for 7 Quick Takes Friday. My mind seems to go absolutely blank when I sit down in front of the computer to write. The same thing happens on Facebook when I go to fill out my profile information. "Interests? What are my interests? Do I have any?" Ridiculous.

-3-

Blogger won't remember me. When I check the remember me box, I still have to enter my e-mail and password the next time I come back to make a post or check my blogs. Google remembers me just fine, so what's wrong with Blogger? If anyone has any insight, please share.

-4-

I've been following Flylady for about 3 years now, on and off. Lately it's been off, what with the expected disruptions to our routine that a newborn brought. But now that we're settling into a new normal around the house, I've been re-incorporating some of her ideas back into my housekeeping. I don't follow to the letter, but I can really live with the idea that a little bit of work every day is better than killing yourself cleaning like a crazy woman a couple times a month.

-5-

I want to strongly recommend this book: The Green Beauty Guide (here's a good review). Even if you're not heavily into organic buying (I'm not) and even if you just check it out of the library (I did, but I'm going to buy it soon), it has some very important information about how the beauty items you use can affect your health. If you are a parent, I must even more strongly recommend reading it.

-6-

Our little downtown bakery closed earlier this fall, and I'm still sad about it. They were so wonderful there, they knew us by name, and their breads were simply beautiful. Someone has since taken over who doesn't even bake, they have all their breads and pastries shipped in. I went in once since this new management and haven't gone back. It smelled like smoke in there, cigarette smoke! and he didn't even know what pumpernickel bread was! I said, "Brown bread, dark brown bread." "This is brown," he said, motioning to the wheat bread. Wheat! Wheat is nothing like pumpernickel and you run a bakery? Argh!

-7-

The good news is, we kept in touch with the lovely woman who made the cakes there. We've always gotten Rose's birthday cakes from that bakery, and when we learned they were closing, we made sure we asked Amy for her number. She is going to make Rose a blue cake. Rose has been hoping for a blue cake since right after her last birthday (her favorite color is blue). So it's going to be blue frosting with four white roses and some holly. I'm so glad.

Christmas Past

2009-01-01T14:11:00.003-05:00

Since my camera is still at my parents' house, please let me share some images from Christmases past with you.

This is me holding my baby sister Shannon, Christmas 1975. She's very happy with me.

The late great Dermot, enjoying the season. "Where's my dinner?"

Our sweet Rose, almost one year old in this picture. Note the crocheted popcorn in the foreground. We bought it at a craft show one year. I have to learn to do that.

Herself just a year later. Crazy how they grow.

Couldn't leave out our other cat, Nuala, who is most certainly still with us.She lends a great deal to the scene, don't you think?

Hope everyone's New Year is off to a peaceful start! More up-to-date pictures soon, I promise.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T16:31:00.003-05:00

I decided I needed to post today, the last day of the year. I've put off posting because I have no pictures to share. I have no pictures because we left our camera at Mom and Dad's house on Christmas Day and I haven't made it back there to pick it up. I'll probably go tomorrow to pick it up, but in the meantime:

We almost finished the secret gift. It was a green granny square afghan for my parents-in-law that Andy and I both worked on, making the squares and seaming them together. I got one round of border done before we went over there for Christmas celebrations on Saturday, and we gave it to them like that, promising it would be finished soon.

This was the first Christmas Rose really understood about presents and she was quite excited that the one gift she had been hoping for was under the tree. "I got my Christmas Wish!" she said. Jamie didn't care about presents, much, but stared and stared at the lights and the shiny paper.

I've been cleaning the house one baby step at a time all week, and it should be ready for Rose's birthday on Saturday. I'm not sure I'm ready for her to be four. She won't be a baby anymore, for real. At least at 3 I could pretend she's still a little one. Four means she'll be a girl. Sigh.

I hope everyone has a fantastic night doing whatever you like -- staying in or going out. Please be safe, and please have a wonderful New Year!

7 Quick Takes

2008-12-19T13:13:00.008-05:00

I finished a Christmas gift this morning.

***

I finished this a few weeks ago. Can you guess what it is? Is it a Batty Bat?

Nope, it's a cute little hat!

Unfortunately, everytime I've put it on him, it's made his eczema flare up. :( Maybe his skin will clear up by next winter, and he can wear it then. There's certainly enough room for growth.

***

It's a snow day today. I love being married to a teacher. We're supposed to go carolling downtown tonight, but if things don't clear up, well, I wouldn't complain if we got to have a night at home.

***

Rose had her very first Christmas program last night.

Her class did great! They recited a little piece about Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay, and then they sang a song about Santa.

***

Some geek jokes:

How can you tell that a mathematician is an extrovert? When he talks to you, he looks at your shoes and not his own.

A neutron walks into a bar and asks the bartender, “How much for a martini?” The bartender says, “For you? No charge.”

If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate.

***

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately. I don't know if it's the season, or if it's because I've reconnected with some good friends on Facebook that I never thought I'd be able to find again, but I've been thinking a lot about how I used to be, how my life was, and how my life has turned out. It's a strange sensation, not unpleasant, but strange.

***

I always seem to forget in December that there's another month and more activities to follow after the holidays. In the past it hasn't been such a big deal. But Rose's birthday is on January 3, and having the family over is something that I don't like to throw together at the last minute. Somehow this year I have to start getting ready for that sooner.

Green things

2008-11-21T14:31:00.005-05:00

I am currently working on four green projects. It wasn't on purpose; it just happened that way. The Charade socks are green.

This gift project is green (Ravelry link -- I'm pretty sure the recipient doesn't read this blog, but just in case, I'm not posting a pic -- I know she's not on Ravelry).

This little hat is greenish.
I know it doesn't look like a hat, but trust me. It's a clever little design.

This wristwarmer is green.
Also a gift, but not a surprise. They're for my sister, who specifically requested the pair and picked out the pattern. I'm also going to have to make her try on the first one. It might be too big.

The yarn I have set aside for my next sweater is also green. I hope that gets me over this green kick so I can move on to some other colors.

So, four green projects and the Tangled Yoke cardi. That's two more projects than I usually like to have on the needles at once. I guess I better get off the computer and get knitting!

This 'n' that, part III

2008-11-12T14:55:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite bloggers occasionally has posts entitled "7 Quick Takes," and basically lists things that are on her mind as an exercise to post even when she doesn't feel she has material for a longer post. She's a brilliant writer, and her longer essays can be very thought-provoking or very funny, and often they are both. But I love her Quick Takes, and thought I'd borrow the idea for today.

Then I realized that I'd done it before, and called it "This 'n' that." Well, no wonder I liked the idea so much. So, while not as entertaining or well-written as Jen's, here's today's "This 'n' that."

...
I bought a new cordless phone yesterday. The old one had had it's battery replaced several times and the current battery (bought quite recently) was just not holding its charge for more than, oh, two minutes. It was a great source of exercise since when it would ring, I'd try in vain to press the answer button as the display flashed LOW BATTERY, drop it and dash up the stairs to the corded phone and, usually, miss the call. This happened at least four times a day. So the new one has charged for the recommended 20 hours and is all hooked in... and I'm sitting here waiting like a loser for someone to call me so I can try out my new phone. Why don't I call someone, you ask? Because I want to hear it ring!
...
Jamie has eczema and I feel so bad for the little guy, partly because of the itching, and partly because it took three visits to the doctor to nail down what the rash is. Poor little dude.
...
I am having a crazy busy week, but I think I've gotten done all the little tasks that I can get done at home. Everything else has to be done at church or school. Tomorrow happens to be the zenith (or nadir, if you will) of the activity -- a funeral, rehearsal with the school choir, and a harp gig all within 5 hours -- and guess what else? The moon will also be full. I'll be so glad when it's Friday night and Rachel and I are chowing down on Indian food.
...
I've been on Facebook for about a month now and I still am a little perplexed by it. I enjoy keeping up with my old friends, but I just don't understand a lot of the other things that go on in that site. I like the games, though.
...
I've been sneezing my head off today. I hope it's just allergies, as in addition to the funeral and harp gig, there's school Mass Friday and a wedding, too. I told you, crazy week.
...
Rose starts gymnastics tonight. I hope it helps her to become less clumsy than her mother.

Halloween and more

2008-11-04T13:41:00.005-05:00

Halloween pictures!
Rose as Annie from "Little Einsteins."
The actual Annie from "Little Einsteins." Pretty close, yes? I only wish we had been able to find pink high-tops for her. Also, it was so warm on Halloween that she could have worn a short-sleeved t-shirt like Annie.
Jamie was a little vampire.
Or, as Rose kept saying, "bamfire."

Then Lena came over to play the next day.

Yay for autumn!

Cheese!

The Tangled Yoke cardigan is coming along really well, considering I can really only work two rows a day. Jo, I do like the grey. It really is a nice color. And to answer your other question, I'm knitting the 38" size, but because of gauge differences, it's going to end up being 40"(that is, if I did my math right!), which will be perfect for me. The socks on the other hand, ugh. I'm not loving the yarn and pattern together. The only thing that's keeping me going is I really like the end result. I like it enough to consider keeping them for myself, if only the recipient's feet weren't an inch longer than mine.

Tangled Yoke Cardigan

2008-10-28T10:25:00.005-04:00

It's the Tangled Yoke Cardigan from Interweave Knits Fall '07. I've been dying to knit this one since I saw it a year ago, and it's finally on the needles. I bought the yarn -- Silky Wool -- on sale (40% off, not too shabby), so the color choices were limited. I thought grey would be a good neutral and go with a lot of my clothes, but looking over the project gallery on Ravelry, I was just drooling over the reds and roses and greens that others had used for this sweater. *sigh* Oh, well. Guess I'll have to knit a red sweater soon! ;D

Mosaic

2008-10-14T14:11:00.003-04:00

I've been wanting to do this project since I saw Jo's in July. I tried a few weeks ago, but one of the photographers had restrictions on his/her photos and so the mosaic had one empty box in it, and I had to start all over again but couldn't find the time. Well, now that Jamie's napping more reliably, I thought I'd give it another go.

Here’s how you do it:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

These are the questions, and my answers (and commentary):
1. What is your first name? Kim
2. What is your favorite food? Sushi (this was a hard one -- how do you pick one favorite food?)
3. What high school did you go to? Theodore Roosevelt
4. What is your favorite color? Blue
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Connor Trinneer
6. Favorite drink? Coffee
7. Dream vacation? Ireland (Also hard. There are so many places I want to go.)
8. Favorite dessert? Hazelnut mousse (from Richter's Chalet in Dearborn, yum!)
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Content
10. What do you love most in life? Cats (again, seriously? It could have easily been music, yarn, books...)
11. One Word to describe you. Competent
12. Your flickr name. Nualacat (I had to cheat and enter Nuala cat as two words because I got no results for my user name as it is.)

It's got to get better

2008-10-11T21:26:00.004-04:00

Just a note, added later: Upon rereading this post, I'm noticing that it's very "me, me, me" -- especially the parts about the funeral. I just want to mention that the family was very gracious when I spoke with them and apologized (profusely) afterward.

So I've had a hacking cough for a few days now, enough to be annoying during the day and keep me awake at night (as if having Jamie in the house wasn't enough).

Yesterday I started to lose my voice after playing and singing (and coughing through) weekly Mass with the parochial school kids and a funeral immediately after.

There's a hole in the knee of my favorite jeans.

This morning I had to play another funeral at a neighboring parish. I thought it was at 11:00. When I got there at 10:20, the priest was already singing the Gospel Acclamation. Without accompaniment. Because the organist (me!) was late. Because the funeral apparently started at 10:00.

I dashed up the stairs to the choir loft and proceeded to announce my presence by dropping a hymnal on the keyboard as I was frantically trying to set up for the next song. I am not kidding. I dropped a freaking hymnal on the freaking keyboard. Can you imagine the lovely sound that reverberated through the nave? It's a good thing Fr. Mike likes me.

I croaked my way through the rest of the service, and redeemed myself fairly well until ... well, let's see if I can explain what happened next. I was to play a lovely song called "Eye Has Not Seen." The accompaniment books at this other church do not have the full organ arrangements, they only have the melody and chords. But "Eye Has Not Seen" has a beautiful introduction, and I've played it enough that I know it by heart. So I started playing the intro, then realized that I was not playing the intro to "Eye Has Not Seen," I was playing the intro to a completely different song, and not only that, but this completely different song was in a completely different key than "Eye Has Not Seen." So it went kinda like this: play play play play (me: oh, this is great, I'm so glad I'm remembering this beautiful introduction) play play play play, start singing (me: oh crap, this song is in two sharps, why am I playing in three flats, oh NO that was the intro to "We Have Been Told" guess I better just start playing the right song) complete tonal shift play sing play sing. What a train wreck.

Then I grafted the toe of my first Charade sock knit purl knit purl instead of knit purl purl knit so instead of a lovely invisible seam, it's got a row of purl bumps across the toe. I could scream.

But this morning Jamie laughed out loud for the first time, and hearing that after a sleepless night was like a tonic, and hearing it again this evening before his bedtime routine got started made the whole day go away.

It sounds like I'm complaining and I'm really not. The day just got to a point where it was just ridiculous how wrong things were going. I just had to laugh and list them all down because it truly was unreal. I'm grateful for these little problems, especially when I realize that if a few sleepless nights and embarrassing moments are all I have to worry about right now, then I am truly blessed.

Some cute kids

2008-10-03T14:06:00.001-04:00

If I do say so myself...

Done and done

2008-10-01T06:27:00.005-04:00

So I finished both the Garter Mitts and the Chevron Scarf last week, Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, respectively. It took all weekend to get the pictures taken, and then this long to have a half an hour to myself at the computer. I'm disappointed by the color in this photo; it's not quite accurate. The photos in my last post show the purply-greeny-bluey blend a lot better.

They're lovely, mooshy, smooshy, comfy mitts and I can't wait until it's cool enough to wear them. Actually, I could have used them last night!

I did have to frog the scarf back a bit to finish up the mitts, but it still ended up being 70 inches long. The pattern called for a 77 1/2 inch scarf. I think it's quite long enough, though.

It really blocked out well. I love the changing waves of color. This pattern was an absolute pleasure to knit, especially in the current state of my life. It was just interesting enough to keep me coming back to it, but mindless enough so that I could set it down at anytime and come back to it at anytime. I could have kept knitting this for a while, which is really saying something for a scarf made from fingering weight yarn.

It's likely I'd use this pattern again; I liked knitting it that much.

So I've started swatching for the Tangled Yoke Cardigan -- so excited! And still slogging along on the Charade socks, sigh.

Hey, Happy October! I love the Fall!

One of my WIPs

2008-09-17T11:11:00.002-04:00

So here's the half-done first Garter Mitt. The project is similar to Ann Budd's wristwarmers from Weekend Knitting in the sideways construction with short rows, but Ysolda Teague adds an ingeniously constructed thumb. The pattern is written for sport weight yarn, but I wanted to use Jo's handspun so they would be in the same yarn as my scarf. The yarn is fingering weight, so I doubled it and I was getting pretty close to the pattern's gauge, but the resulting fabric was too dense, and using up the yarn too fast.

So I went up two needle sizes and the fabric was much nicer -- still firm enough to keep out wind and precipitation, but drapey enough to be comfortable. Unfortunately, the stitch count was now off, which I expected, but I didn't adjust for it enough (hand was too short, wrist/arm was too long). Frog! So the third time I was very careful and, except for having to tink and reknit the thumb a couple of times, it's worked out much better.

Have I mentioned how yummy this yarn is? The colors are so rich and deep, and the garter stitch makes it feel even smooshier and lovlier.

I've taken a break from the scarf to knit these up, since I don't know how much yarn I'll need. If I run out before the pair is finished, I'll rip back the scarf a little. It's plenty long already, so loosing a few inches won't hurt it.

I'm so glad the weather is cooling off and it will soon be time to wrap myself in wooly goodness!

Quote of the week, from Rose. She said to me yesterday morning, "It's Fall now!" I said, "Yes, Fall is coming soon." "No," she said, "Fall is when the children go back to school, and I'm going back to school today [after the weekend], so it's Fall today." :) According to Rose logic, we'll have Fall once a week until June.

Fall Startitis

2008-09-15T09:11:00.006-04:00

It got cool for a couple of days and I got a pretty bad case (for me) of Startitis.

To wit:

One pair of Christine's Baby Booties for Jamie's baptism (nearly finished).

Mom made my nephew Noah's baptism outfit, and now Jamie is going to wear it. She told me she couldn't find the bonnet or booties, though. Luckily, we were gifted with a hanky bonnet, and, well, booties are never a problem for a crazy knitter! I love the pair Jo sent me so much I used the same pattern with some white yarn I had left over from Jamie's sweater.

I also started a pair of Garter Mitts. No photo since I've started over about four times to make various adjustments for gauge. Also since it's been raining and the light is lousy for picture taking anyway. I think I've finally figured out what needles and stitch count are going to work for the yarn I'm using, so there should be a photo or two in the next post.

I also bought enough yarn (and then some) for the Tangled Yoke Cardigan from IK Fall 2007.

Rachel and I attended Ewe-Nique Knits annual Fall sale and I promised myself I'd only buy yarn if I had an actual project in mind for it. I've known that I needed to knit this sweater since I first saw it a year ago, but I was waiting to start until I was wearing pre-pregnancy clothes again. Then to find all this Silky Wool on sale! The only thing keeping me from casting on is I have four projects on the needles, which is one more than I normally like to have. I can't wait (but I'm going to)!

My Big Girl

2008-09-03T09:38:00.004-04:00

Rose started preschool yesterday.

She was so excited. We'd visited many times (the preschool is in the same building as our church offices) and she never wanted to leave after we peeked in. Finally, she was there to stay for the whole morning!

When we went in, her teacher asked if she'd like to paint. Boy howdy, you'd have thought she offered her a million chocolate chip cookies.

My last words to Rose as I left: "'Bye, baby. I love you."

Her last words to me? "'Bye, mommy. Have fun." No tears, no hesitation, no glance back, nothing. She was too busy painting.

When Andy and I went to take her home at noon, she didn't want to leave. After we had lunch, she was ready to go back. We had to tell her she had to wait until the next morning. I think she had a good time.

Oh my goodness

2008-09-02T13:48:00.002-04:00

Two weird yarn-related items:

#1 The Bizarre Case of the Exploding Knitting Needle Old news, but who ever said I was on top of current events?

#2 Crocheted Mythbusters I can think of no better reason than this to pick up my crochet hook again. :D

And look, I've made it past the heel of my first Charade!

I may yet finish this pair of socks this year.

Hot fun in the Summertime

2008-08-31T20:40:00.010-04:00

We've had some August fun in the sprinkler. Last summer Rose wasn't so sure that standing in the spraying water and getting wet was a great idea, but now she loves it.

She and I had a great time acting silly in the sprinkler. We ran around and jumped over it and had lots of fun until I landed on it after a jump. I wasn't hurt, but I cracked the base of the sprinkler. Whoops! At least it still works.

Then I had to wrap her up like a little baby ('cause she is still my baby!).

In the last couple of weeks, Jamie has really become a baby, rather than a newborn. He's started smiling, and he's gotten very interested in the world around him.

He just gets cuter every day. Sleeping is slowly getting better -- his longest stretch of sleep is at night, around 5 or 6 hours, and it's pretty easy to get him to go back down after a late night nursing session. So Andy and I are finally starting to feel more human. In the daytime he's still not so much with the sleeping alone thing, but I'm not worrying about that yet. We'll get the nighttime going well, then worry about the day.

So the blog is two years old! It's funny -- at the beginning, I thought it would be great for keeping track of progress and projects. Now I use Ravelry for more of that and I'm finding that blogging is becoming more and more about journaling and making friends. There was a point I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep it up, but I miss it when I don't get to do it, and I'm always thinking, "That would be great for the blog." I'm glad I'm here.

So, the first picture I ever posted:

Rose riding the train at Greenfield Village.

Here she is, just this past month, drawing Red the Fire Engine. My, how time flies.

A post about nothing much

2008-08-27T13:04:00.005-04:00

Okay, first of all, I realize I did not spell the plural of "scarf" properly in the title of the last post. I feel I must apologize to my fourth grade teacher and offer a correction: "Two Scarves." Sorry. :P

But the big news is that Andy has been back at work for two days and I haven't completely lost my mind trying to wrangle both children through nursing and meal times and playing and crying and (scariest of all) putting each down for naps by myself, especially when little Jamie still hasn't quite gotten the hang of falling asleep on his own.

All is well right now -- each is actually asleep in their own place, and I hardly know what to do with myself. I'm not sure how long Jamie will make it, but I'm trying to just enjoy this alone time while it lasts.

I've had about eleven brilliant ideas for blog posts over the last week. An idea will pop into my head, and I'll tell myself to blog about it, then forget it as soon as I get near the computer. Isn't sleep deprivation wonderful? I guess I could jot myself notes, but that would mean I'd need a hand free, and that hasn't happened much lately. :)

So I'm praying Jamie's new trend of actually sleeping in his crib for more than 12 minutes at a time continues. Right now I'm going to stop talking and start knitting!

Two scarfs

2008-08-14T12:04:00.005-04:00

My dear Andrew has taken both of our children to his parents' house and given me a morning off. I spent it paying bills and writing thank you cards while listening to loud music. I know there were about a billion more fun things I could have done, but I really feel better for having taken care of those tasks. Now I'm making my monthy blog post. I don't want my posts to be this far apart, but I'm afraid that for the time being, it's just got to be that way.

Here is the Chevron Scarf again, now halfway complete. I love Jo's yarn, love the feel, love the colors, love everything about it. And the pattern is so easy that I can work a row or two here and there and put it down when Jamie fusses or Rose wants to play.

I was thinking about the first scarf I knit, which, stereotypically, was my first project. The yarn was a skein of jewel-toned acrylic. Just one skein. I knitted it up in seed stitch on needles that were probably two sizes too small for the yarn (they were all I had), so I ended up with this very dense, cardboard-like, too short scarf. I gave it to my mother, who praised me sincerely then proceeded to never wear it. Not that I blame her; she probably couldn't make it bend around her neck! Fortunately or not, I have no photo of that poor project.

What a far cry this beautiful, wooly, soft, drapey scarf is from that first one! I'm not giving it to Mom, though, this one's for me!

Jamie's booties

2008-07-29T11:17:00.004-04:00

When Jo mailed me the yarn I had bought from her Etsy shop, she also included some surprises: a sweet card of congratulations on Jamie's arrival, a coloring book and markers for Rose, and these adorable baby booties! I know this is not the greatest photo, but you can see them better here.

I'm typing this one-handed because someone just won't settle down unless he's in his mama's arms. :) So it's another brief post, but I couldn't go another day without showing Jo how the booties look on his little bitty feet!

Briefly

2008-07-23T08:01:00.002-04:00

I'm stealing a few moments for a family and knitting update. Sleep has been much more valuable to me than computer and knitting time lately, but I've managed to get in a few stitches and a little browsing here and there. I need the escape and reminder of "normal" life.

This is one of my two current projects:

The Chevron Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, knitted up in a beautiful yarn I bought from my friend Jo at her Etsy shop. The colors are blending so subtly and gorgeously together. I'm also knitting the Charade socks, but it's a slow go. I'm only halfway down the leg of the first sock and I've been working on it for more than a month now. Usually I'm done with an entire pair in a month. Of course, I've had other stuff going on, haven't I?

My dear Andrew and our son. As the days go by, Jamie looks more and more like his Daddy. Andy says "poor thing" every time I say that, but I think Andy's pretty cute, so of course I think Jamie's a living doll.

An early arrival

2008-07-04T10:30:00.002-04:00

Our family would like to welcome Jamie. He was due the 13th of July, but born last Monday, June 30 at 8:30 am.
He weighed 6 lbs, 1 oz, and measured 18 1/2 inches.
We are glad he's here, even though we weren't quite ready.

More soon.

For fun and profit

2008-06-20T21:42:00.003-04:00

Friends of ours from church were cleaning out the home of a recently deceased parent and found an amazing collection of needlework magazines from the 1950s. Knowing my, ah, interest in knitting as well as the affection my husband and I both have for vintage items, they knew exactly who to give this treasure to.

Just a small sampling:

"The Workbasket," from May 1952, featuring patterns for a crochet doily and a "shoulderette."

Another issue, dated August 1954, with patterns for booties and knit edging among other articles. I love how pleased the model seems with her lace collar.

The third one I scanned is from September 1956. I really like the rug on the cover. Another project from this issue is a "TV scarf," which is a runner to place over your television. I'm not sure how that would fly today.

Looking through these has been so much fun. One thing that struck me was the emphasis on "fun and profit" in both the articles and the advertisements. Here's a small sampling:

"Earn extra money making artificial flowers at home! In spare time!"
"Turn cooking talent into cash at home!"
"Make big money at home -- Be an invisible reweaver"
"Ladies! If you have spare or full time you'd like to turn into money, here is a wonderful new idea. Show latest dress styles to friends and neighbors and take the fast orders they will give you ... "
"I'll pay you to 'give away' nylons at 49 cents!"

There's more to share, but I'm getting tired again. :-)

If I get more time to scan more covers or some of the articles or ads, I will. With at least thirty magazines, there's a lot to share here.

Just don't feel like blogging

2008-06-16T17:36:00.005-04:00

But I finished a little sweater last night, and I think I like it very much.

It's for Peanut, knit in a 6 month size (I hope). It's not blue because the baby is a boy -- we don't know that yet, and we don't want to -- it's blue because a) my favorite color is blue, b) I feel blue looks beautiful on a boy or a girl, and c) the other colors I noticed in this yarn were lime green and coral and other tropical colors, which I also like a lot, but not for Norwegian-style colorwork.

Wow, how was that for a run-on sentence?

The yarn is Schoeller + Stahl Baby Micro, a superwash wool and microfiber blend. It's fingering weight and very, very soft. I really loved knitting with it and I'm almost -- almost -- tempted to make myself something with it, except I just can't imagine knitting an adult sized sweater at 7 stitches to the inch.

I bought it at a new yarn store in Wyandotte. Yes, a yarn store here in my own town! I didn't have to drive 30 minutes to buy a #3 16" circular needle when I needed it, I just headed downtown and had it in my hand! The store is fairly small and the selection is still limited to mostly basic "workhorse" yarns (and sock yarn, yay!), but the owner is very friendly and open to requests from her customers. She's getting more yarns in this August (one is a camel/merino blend, yum!), so here's to hoping the shop will keep growing.

In the meantime, I'm getting bigger and tireder, and haven't felt much like blogging. Andy's home for summer vacation now; that is such a blessing. We have 3-4 weeks to get the baby's room done. I hope it happens sooner than later.

A little meme

2008-06-05T07:48:00.003-04:00

This meme is courtesy of my friend Jo. I'm quite grateful since I needed some blog fodder. (My life is very good lately, but very boring!)

1. What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was 25, living in a little house with two kittens, working at Bon Secours Nursing Care Center as a Music Therapist and commuting 50 minutes each way -- boy am I glad I don't have to do that any more. And dating Andrew Kilburn and waiting (somewhat) patiently for him to ask me to marry him!

2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
Pay bills
Take Rose to the park if it doesn't rain
Go to an OB appointment
Buy a #3 16" circular needle
Attend a surprise retirement dinner

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Peanut butter with apple, Tagalog (Girl Scout) cookies, Combos, candy corn, peanut butter M&Ms

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Set up accounts for us and our families to live as comfortably as possible for the rest of our lives; support our parish; buy a building for the local community theatre; go to Disney World every winter; go to Nova Scotia; go everywhere we've always wanted to go.

5. Places I have lived:
Wyandotte
Kalamazoo
Delaware
Caro
Wyandotte

My Winnie-the-Pooh quiz results

2008-04-27T12:52:00.000-04:00

Your Score: Kanga

You scored 13 Ego, 14 Anxiety, and 14 Agency!

"I am not Roo," said Piglet loudly. "I am Piglet!"

"Yes, dear, yes," said Kanga soothingly. "And imitating Piglet's voice too! So clever of him," she went on, as she took a large bar of yellow soap out of the cupboard. "What will he be doing next"

"Can't you see?" shouted Piglet "Haven't you got eyes? Look at me!"

"I am looking, Roo, dear," said Kanga rather severely. "And you know what I told you yesterday about making faces. If you go on making faces like Piglet's, you will grow up to look like Piglet -- and then think how sorry you will be. Now then, into the bath, and don't let me have to speak to you about it again."

You scored as Kanga!

ABOUT KANGA: Kanga is Roo's mother and Tigger's foster mother. While she is a kind and motherly sort of person, the other inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood suspect that underneath, she is a Fierce Animal. Her hobbies involve talking about Roo's health and development, watching Roo while he practices jumping, and making Roo and Tigger take their strengthening medicine.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are the kind of person who takes on other people's worries. You are efficient and a person of action - the type of person who Gets Things Done. Your friends tend to rely on you to get them moving and keep things running.

The problem is that you tend to forget about yourself in all of this. You need to remember that you are an important and worthwhile person, and sometimes it is okay to say "no" to people's constant requests and demands. Give yourself some time off.

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test written by wolfcaroling on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test
View My Profile(wolfcaroling)

Peanut's blanket

2008-04-23T15:37:00.002-04:00

We've taken to calling the little one on the way "Peanut." We haven't found out the sex of the baby and we don't want to know until the birth. We did it that way with Rose and it was a lot a fun to hear the doctor say, "It's a girl!" So even though we have a name chosen for a boy and for a girl, since we don't know who's coming, its name is Peanut. Rose loves this, and talks to my belly all the time.

The other day the conversation went something like this.
Rose: "Peanut, when you come out, we'll go to the park and swing on the swings."
Me: "Peanut will love that, but at first he [note: I choose a pronoun at random when talking about the baby to Rose. I hope it doesn't mess her up.] won't be big enough to ride the swing.
Rose: "Oh."
Me: "But I know Peanut would love to watch while you ride the swing."
Rose: "Okay. Peanut, you can sit on the bench and watch me swing."
Me (trying not to laugh): "Well, he might not be able to sit on the bench, either. Maybe Peanut can sit in your stroller and watch you."
Rose: "My stroller?"
Me (thinking "uh-oh"): "Yes, you're so big you almost never need to ride in the stroller anymore. So maybe Peanut can use it when we go to the park."
Rose (thinking for a moment): "Okay, Peanut, I guess I can share my stroller with you."
Whew!

So I've started this Moderne Baby Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting and it's going pretty well.

I decided to use a heavy worsted weight yarn to help all that garter stitch go faster, and bought some cotton from Blue Sky Alpacas in these great warm shades. I did a little math to figure out what number of stitches would give me color blocks in the same dimensions as the original DK weight blanket. Well, my math was just a teensy bit off, because I'm only halfway through this blanket and it already measures 30" by 34" -- the pattern says the finished blanket should measure 28" by 38"! Whoops!

I don't care; I like big blankets, and this one will last Peanut for a while. But I did need to get more yarn.

Rose's Lullaby

2008-04-20T14:43:00.002-04:00

Rose has lately become very fond of tucking me in at bedtime. I lie in my bed and she "reads" me a story then sings me a song or two. She loves to pull the chain on my bedside lamp to turn it off and tells me "Have a good sleep, Mommy." Then she goes to her room and Daddy reads her a story and sings a song while I sneak out of my bed and go do whatever I was going to do that evening.

Here is a sample of one of her lullabyes:
Rock-a-bye, Mommy,
Don't go away.
(unintelligible)
And Rocket flies away.

Alrighty then...

2008-04-16T07:03:00.005-04:00

I'm going to give it a go, and we'll see what happens. I thought to myself, it's 12 1/2 weeks until my due date; I may not be able to do much for a few weeks after that, but I'll try to get back into the swing of blogging until then.

My knitting mojo is definitely back. For a few months there, I didn't even want to see my knitting bag, let alone get anything out of it. But now, let's see...

I've finished this,

in which the zipper is not great, but not absolutely horrible, either;

and this, too:

The Tilted Duster from Interweave Knits, fall 2007. I made it to my pre-pregnancy bust size, so it gapes a bit in front, but I hope it will look nicer after the baby is weaned. Otherwise, I'm very pleased with it.

Then, just for fun (and perhaps for a warmer second cup of tea):

A quick little knit -- a tea cozy in trinity stitch.

There, now. I guess that wasn't so bad. :)

I'm thinking that since I've got Ravelry, more of this blog will end up being daily life and random thoughts. Be warned!

Is anyone still out there?

2008-03-26T17:06:00.003-04:00

Dear friends,

I'm guessing that the answer to the above is "probably not." But, just in case, if you are reading this, would you please leave a comment and let me know? I'm feeling much better and have even finished two projects in the last month, but blogging has fallen very far down the list of priorities.

So I'm trying to figure out if I want to resume blogging or just use Ravelry to post progress notes and log finished projects (which is why I started this blog in the first place). What will help me decide is if anyone answers my plea. :) Just a little comment, please.

Thanks,

Kim

Here I Am

2008-01-07T07:51:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh, two months? I'm so very sorry. I do have a good excuse, however: constant nausea and fatigue. Yes, Andrew and I are expecting again.

We are very excited, and as I move into my second trimester, I really, really hope (please God!) that I will start feeling better. It's not so much that I've been throwing up, because, thankfully, I haven't been. It's just that with a two-year-old (oh my gosh, she's three now!) -- a three-year-old in the house, my little remaining energy goes toward her, and not toward knitting, web-surfing, or blogging. When she's asleep, or when Andy gets home, I'm much more likely to assume a horizontal position somewhere than to knit.

I just haven't wanted to knit. At all. And I know that will change soon -- at least it did when I was expecting Rose. I didn't even want to touch yarn until I was around 5 months along. So I'm hopeful. In the meantime, this is how I've been and what I've been doing, and when knitting resumes, so will more regular blogging.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year!

Real Life

2007-11-05T06:21:00.001-05:00

There has been a lot going on around here. Sometimes real life gets in the way of internet life, but you know, that's how it's supposed to be. And I know the four of you who check in to my blog understand that. :)

Our parish has been celebrating its 150th Anniversary this year.

The big culmination of the year was over the weekend of the 27th and 28th. We had a big dinner dance on Saturday night.
The next day, we had a big Mass at noon, with the cardinal celebrating.

The choir did very well; I was very proud of how all their hard work turned out.

Then I had jury duty the next day. Thankfully, I was dismissed shortly after noon.

Hallowe'en was also this week. Rose wanted to be "a black kitty." My mom recycled a skunk costume that her cousin (Rose's, not my mom's) had worn a couple of years earlier. She looked a little like a Monchichi. :)

I have also been knitting -- I decided to start the Tilted Duster. After a lot of swatching and many false starts, I finally started the back on the 31st. I just finished the first sleeve last night, and hope to have the second sleeve done soon. I'm washing and blocking each piece as I finish it, and so far it looks like it's going to work out.

See, I'm using Cascade 220, and it's my first time using it. Now, since the Tilted Duster should not be overly baggy, I wanted to make sure I was getting gauge (I've learned my lesson). I knit my first swatch on size 9 needles, and got 17 st./in., as the pattern calls for. Perfect, right? Well, no. I washed and blocked that swatch. I did not stretch it in any way, shape, or form, and it measured 15 st./in. after washing. Ah HA! See, I would have knit another baggy, unflattering sweater, and there would have been much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Unfortunately, it didn't bloom as much on size 8s, and I was having a really hard time getting stitch gauge before or after washing, and row gauge was way off. So I ended up sticking with the 9s, but knitting the 36" size. The fronts and backs blocked out perfectly to fit my 38" bust with just about 1" of ease. Which is exactly what I was looking for, yay swatching!

Another silly internet quiz

2007-10-19T14:57:00.000-04:00

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Literate Good Citizen
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

ARGH!

2007-10-16T13:24:00.000-04:00

I tried to sew the zipper in. I used a sewing machine. It's JUST AWFUL!!! :(

The top of the zipper is sticking up above the knit fabric at the collar. At the hem, one side of the cardigan is at least an inch lower than the other. None of the colorwork is lining up.

Now I have to take all these blasted machine stitches out with a seam ripper and it's taking FOREVER!! I may throw myself bonelessly to the floor like a two-year-old and scream.

I've moved Samus to the VERY BOTTOM of my queue now, because it has a ZIPPER!!

breathe
breathe
breathe

Okay. Okay. It really is not the end of the world. I finished the pair of mittens, and they look great. I've cast on for a mindless little scarf for Rose, and I'm still considering recreating the J.C. Penney sweater, though I may do the Tilted Duster instead. I'll eventually get the zipper out of the little cardigan, and it will go back in better.

Sorry about that tantrum. I feel better now.

Sweater ideas

2007-10-11T07:29:00.000-04:00

So I was at J.C. Penney the other evening, picking up a packet of Rose's photos from their portait studio, and I saw this sweater:

And I loved it right away.

So did I buy it?

No. I picked it up, laid it out, noticed the set-in sleeves and the ribbing across the bust area, the angle of the a-line as it increased from the empire waist, and said those famous words: "I could totally knit this."

Now, Knitty's Rosebud is very much like this (although a pullover instead of a cardigan), but I'm not as crazy about it. I'm not sure why. Perhaps I'll use Rosebud as a jumping-off point for re-creating this sweater.

P.S. The first mitten is done, and it fits!

This yarn hates me

2007-10-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

I don't know why. I like it an awful lot.The background:

I cast on, using the same needles I used for the hat I made with the same yarn. Knowing the troubles I had had with the hat, I very carefully checked gauge in several places. I cast on for a women's size medium, the same size I knitted my first mittens. Which fit.

I started noticing almost immediately that the cuff seemed "a little loose," yet I kept knitting until I was past the thumb gusset, when I realized that I could probably manage to get both my hands in the mitten.

Frogged and cast on again, this time in the women's size small. Decided to do a twisted rib for the cuff. Hated how it looked in this yarn and frogged it.

Cast on again, and had a fantastic gap in the join which I could not fix. Frogged.

Cast on again, and managed to twist the cast on round when I joined, which of course I didn't notice for 2 1/2 rounds. Threw the mitten in the knitting bag for a long time out.

Anyhow, now I've calmed down and started over again. Fifth time's the charm, I guess, or maybe it learned it's lesson from the time-out because now it's going swimmingly and I think I'm going to end up liking these mittens very much. Good thing I'm stubborn.

Also, I got the zipper pinned to the little Norwegian sweater. I'm not much of a seamstress, but with the help of this post and this post, I feel that I may be able to fumble my way through this one. Next I will baste the zipper and take the pins out and turn it right side out to see how it looks from that side, then sew it in for good. I might even use a sewing machine (no!).

Amazed at myself

2007-10-04T13:37:00.000-04:00

Dear Rachel,

When you taught me how to knit and purl 4(5?) years ago, I don't think either of us ever expected I'd try colorwork, let alone steeking it.

Here is the little sweater as a pullover. The steek is a bridge of 5 extra stitches, marked by stripes where there is colorwork.
The crocheted reinforcement "ties" one leg of the center steek stitch to the leg of the stitch next to it, from the hem all the way up to the neckline.
One side done.

Then the other leg of the center stitch is crocheted to the stitch on the other side, from the neck back down to the hem.
Both sides done.
Between the legs of the crocheted center stitch is a ladder of horizontal purl stitches.

Those are the stitches that are very carefully, one at a time, snipped.

After a lot of breath-holding...

Viola! (Again, I must thank Eunny Jang for her exhaustive steeking tutorials, especially part 5.)

Now I just have to sew the edges under neatly and find a zipper that separates at the bottom! Then I will have a pretty little FO to show you!

Fiber Cafe

A new nephew

Guess what I'm doing!

Monthly post

Works in progress, May 2010

Socks and kids

Darn.

Saying Hello

At loose ends

Baby cardi

Monogamy and guilt

Knitting Olympics: Results

Knitting Olympic Update: Closing Ceremony

Knitting Olympic update: Major setback

Knitting Olympic Update: 2/15

Vest, dishtowel, new projects

Did it!

Baby Mine and a hat

What have I been doing?

Flummoxed

Nuala's commentary on my WIP

Tangled Yoke Cardigan and other stuff

In the homestretch

Mini-post

Hello, the blog!

I can't believe

Baptism sweater

Work in progress

Easter cuties

7 Quick Takes Friday, 4/17

Remember me?

7 quick takes 2/27

What?!?

7 Quick Takes Friday, 2/13

Poor baby, more green

Daddy-Daughter Dance and an FO (finally)

7 Quick Takes Friday, 2/6

An award? For me?

On Resolutions and Goals

7 Quick Takes Friday, 1/30

The bright side?

Wordless Wednesday

Knitting Update

I love this

Sweater quiz

7 Quick Takes, 1/23

Cutie pie

Yesterday

Baking bread and an unfortunate hand

A wee aran sweater

Boring

7 Quick Takes Friday, 1/16

One reason I love the internet

Wordless Wednesday

Bad Timing

Well, it *is* my favorite color

Update alert

Fiber Cafe

7 Quick Takes Friday, 1/9

I think she likes it.

Finishing the hat

Some actual knitting content

Birthday Report

It's hard to believe...

7 Quick Takes Friday

Christmas Past

Happy New Year!

7 Quick Takes

Green things

This 'n' that, part III

Halloween and more

Tangled Yoke Cardigan

Mosaic

It's got to get better

Some cute kids

Done and done

One of my WIPs

Fall Startitis

My Big Girl

Oh my goodness

Well, it is my favorite color