Long ago FOs

I have quite a backlog of projects to blog about, what with the year and a half absence, plus the fact that I somehow didn’t post anything I’ve finished since, um, 2008. I won’t bore you with every. little. thing. - if you are really interested you can check things out on ravelry or flickr. But I’ll try to hit the highlights, starting with 2009. 


For Easter that year I knit her a little yellow cardigan. It is the Eyelet Ribbed Baby Cardigan  - a free pattern from Crystal Palace Yarns. I remember having a little confusion with the pattern - I thought it had the right side and wrong side reversed, but I couldn't tell from the photos. I also think either the fronts or the back was too short compared to the other side? I know I added length somewhere. I only had two balls of yarn, and even though I ordered a third, it didn't arrive in time. But it worked out great - it was a little cool that day, but not cold. And the sweet yellow echoed the yellow bits in her dress. 

Way back in 2009 I knit the Tulips sweater for Samantha. I used up a bunch of Knitpicks Merino Style that I have no idea why I ordered. It took much longer than it should have, but I was probably working on 10 things at once. I modified the distance between color changes and the number, based on the amount of yarn I had. I also didn’t do the i-cord edging around the bottom, because I thought I would run out of yarn. It turned out really cute! She didn’t get to wear it much, because she outgrew it before it got too cold, but she did wear it around Portland when we went to Sock Summit. And hopefully, Ellie (one of our new sweeties) will wear it sometime. 

I also made Samantha a cotton sundress that spring/summer. I used a pattern by Zoe Mellor and some leftover Rowan Cotton Glace that I had left after I made my striped vest. I did end up having to buy another ball of brown, but it was worth it. It turned out pretty short for Samantha, but it’s a baby dress, so length is not super important. I also made the mistake of not going down a needle size for the seed stitch edgings around the armholes, and that is not a mistake I will make again! But again, baby dress. Most folks won’t notice. One additional issue I had with the pattern, (besides the length) was the length of the straps at the shoulders. They should be lengthened - the dress would fit better and for longer. I worry that it rides up along the back neck because they are so short.  But Ellie is wearing it now, so win!

That winter I knit her a pink cardigan out of a Nashua pattern book (Bloom) with some Cascade 220. It turned out pretty cute and I added adorable silver elephant buttons! I knit the whole sweater while we were on vacation - it was super quick and the yoke pattern was very easy to memorize. She wore this one a lot - it’s not quite the same shade of pink anymore, but very well-loved. 

For Halloween that year she was a cow. I used a pattern out of Wacky Baby Knits for her costume. This was a great project because I had the yarn in stash and it turned out really cute! I had made a cow hat for her when I was pregnant, and it still fit. One major modification I made was to eliminate the button band along the inner thigh. She was only going to wear it for a few hours, so it was easier to take it off to change her diaper. And even then, it wasn’t a big deal. Buttonbands can be such a pain that I am sure it was not worth it in this case! This was one of the few intarsia projects I’ve done, and by far the largest, and I was surprised at how easy it was! Don’t get me wrong, I won’t start churning out intarsia-ed everything, but it was much less stressful than I thought it would be. 

And, in keeping with tradition, I knit her Christmas dress. I used the Little Sister’s Dress pattern and some stashed solid red Lorna’s Laces. I added sweet little Mary Englebreit buttons on the yoke. It was adorable, and I cannot wait until Ellie is big enough to wear it! The only mod I made was to use two buttons instead of three, and to use a piece of yarn for the button loop, when I think it called for a crochet chain (but it has been 1.5 years since I knit it, and I have been pregnant and given birth, two things that screw with my memory). 

Naptime is over, and someone is calling me. More soon!

This post has no coherency, and I can't think of a good title.

I'm starting to think that the universe is conspiring against me posting regularly. It seems  that as soon as I sit down to write, my kids need something/wake up from their nap. And when I do actually write a post, blogger won't upload the pictures for it! Gah! So here goes nothing - I'll write this and we'll see if the pictures will load. If not, it will join the recent pictureless posts, and feel right at home! :)
I am trying to post some of the fairly large backlog of finished items and general excitement, but since those posts are saved in draft without pictures, let's talk about the kids, eh?

Samantha just turned three, which seems impossible. She started school for the first time this year and loves it, though cried when I left her today, for the first time. Three has been a slightly less than delightful age so far - some attitude and general grunting and sighing when she doesn't get her way. And then there's the crybaby days, when she cries if I can't get something for her the second she asks, or the puzzle piece doesn't fit the first way she tries it. I'm hoping this is a quick phase!

The babies were five months old yesterday. I cannot believe how fast it is going. The speed seems multiplied because there are two of them, and because I have older siblings to deal with. It's hard when I feel like I barely get to spend any time with both of them, and they almost never get mom to themselves, unless they are nursing. But they are big, and adorable and giggle and roll over, and try to get toys, and are so much fun at this age. I would like them to stay about this age for a while as I am not looking forward to getting even less done as they become mobile and must be contained/chased all over the house.

B&E at three months old. 

I doesn't seem like fall will ever come here in Texas. I'm longing to wear jeans every day, and sleep with the windows open, and play outside without sweating. But, even thought it was 100 yesterday, I am planning some fall wardrobe items for the kiddos. Skirts for the girls, and pants for Ben. I'm also planning to embroider some onesies/shirts for everyone too.          

I'm also crazily knitting socks for my husband. Our 7th anniversary is rapidly approaching (in 10 days), and since the traditional 7th anniversary gift is wool, well, you can see where the socks come in. I planned 7 pairs of socks, and I didn't let myself start until after our 6th anniversary (for some reason that felt like cheating). And then about 3 weeks later we found out we were having twins, and my knitting output sharply declined. Add in all the Christmas/birthday/baby gifts for others in our family, and then all the baby knitting and sewing/quilting for our babies, and then the actual arrival and care of our babies, and, well, I'm not going to make it. I still hope to have one of each pair of socks done, but that means that I have to knit two whole and two half socks to make the deadline. Ha.

One thing this sock project has done was to remind me of how much I enjoy knitting simple socks. Round and round, no thought until you need to measure every so often. They are perfect for knitting while playing games with toddlers, sitting outside after school while the children burn off energy, watching playoff baseball, even in the movies, when you get to have that one date with your honey (thanks mom!). I think I'll be able to complete his pairs throughout the winter as we slow down and spend more time relaxing as a family.

Three cute kiddos

I also have several baby sweaters that are in various stages of completion, and if it ever cools off, my children will need them, as we don't have much use for heavy winter coats down here, but a wool sweater is mighty handy. I've barely started Samantha's and since it's the biggest, I best get moving. I've also got sweaters on the needles for my niece and nephew, and since they live in Colorado where it will be cold soon, I need to get those finished. But nothing gets worked on until I get as much done on those socks as I can by next Sunday. Speaking of those socks, I should go work on them for a few minutes until it is school pickup time, since the littles are napping.

So...

It's been awhile. I have tons of excuses for not blogging, but it really comes down my lack of motivation. With ravelry and flickr, I found myself just posting there, so I still had my visual record of finished items. However, I was bad about remembering when I had started, if I had frogged/swatched, etc. That was the upside to the blog.

And I started sewing again, and felt unsure as to whether or not that had a place on my 'knitting' blog.

And work was crazy.

And I had a toddler.

And, and, and....

And then I got pregnant again. And, surprise, surprise, it was a little more than we had bargained for.....two babies!!! And I was exhausted. And then I was making millions of tiny things for my babies and the babies of my friends and family. And then the babies came. And I was exhausted.

But I'm staying home from school this year to be with the kiddos. And some days, I get tired of talking to myself. So I'm going to talk to whomever is still out there. And some days it will be about knitting. And some days it will be about sewing. And some days it will be about my kids. And who knows what else.

Is there anybody out there?

Knitting Olympics

I'll have more to say about goals for this year in a few days. For now, the important decision looms - what to knit for the Knitting Olympics?

This year's contenders:

Must-Have Cardigan: Pros: Yarn in stash (yay!), Has been in queue FOREVER. Cons: That's a LOT of cables.

Fair Isle Cardigan: (I know there's no picture - apparently no one has ever made this!) Pros: No one has made this yet!, I like the side-to-side construction, it is fair isle. Cons: No one has made this (yikes!), I'd have to order yarn, I'd like to lengthen it.

Abstract Leaves Vest: Pros: So pretty. Fair Isle. Cons: Have to order yarn. Steek!

Rowan Fair Isle Cardigan: Pros: Very cute. Have 1/2 the yarn. Cons: Need 1/2 the yarn, would like to convert it to be knit in the round which equals steek. Yikes.

Thoughts? I cannot decide. I really want to use up stash, but I know cables take me longer than fair isle. What to do?

Returning?

Hello and happy new year to any readers I still have left! :) I, like many of you, am making my "resolutions" and plans for the new year (and the new decade!)

The "00s" were big years for me - I'm going to take a minute to document them for my own memory.

2000- graduated from college in December, got my first "real" job as a manager at a local bookstore.

2001 - Started dating Kent, got a different job at the bookstore. Adopted Rocky

2002 - started graduate school, quit my job, got engaged, started teaching ballet,

2003 - bought a house! Decided to go to a different graduate school and a different program, quit another job, started 2 more jobs. Adopted Cocoa

2004 - My brother got married. I got married! Went to Tahiti on our honeymoon.

2005 - Student teaching, graduated with my M.Ed. Knit a lot. Adopted Miles.

2006 - Got my first teaching job, had to move schools and grade levels. My sister got married. Knit some more.

2007 - Knit a lot. Started teaching another new grade. Adopted Otis. Remodeled Kitchen. Started working at yarn store.

2008- Found out we were pregnant, installed new windows. Had Samantha in September.

2009 - Changed grade levels again! Started more graduate classes. Went on lots of trips. Went to Sock Summit. Started quilting.


Whew! I am looking forward to what these next ten years will bring!

In knitting terms, I knit 35 items (way down from my usual production levels), and started to sew a lot. I sewed 20 items, and made 5 quilts.

In stash numbers, in January of 2007 I had 604 balls of yarn. In January 2008 I had 821 balls and 166,195 yards. In January 2009 I had 900 balls of yarn and 193, 453 yards. I used 97 balls and 17, 004 yards. This year I have 966 balls/skeins of yarn and 206,156 yards. I used approximately 10,800 yards.

I didn't finish nearly as many things as I wanted/planned. But I'm OK with that. I wanted to finish more things at the last minute, but I just didn't make it. Maybe this year!

I'm starting out with a few plans - I've tagged a bunch of things in my ravelry queue for 2010, we'll see if I can get them finished! And I really want to finish up a bunch of WIPs. Maybe I'll write more about them tomorrow!

Blah

So, we survived Sock Summit, and had a good time in Portland. I wish I had signed up for more classes, and taken several shorter classes instead of 2 long ones. Next time....I did buy some yarn, but was overall pretty good (the yarn purchases were my birthday present from hubby, so yay!). I would promise pictures, but we all know how that would turn out! :)

I did finish some socks for hubby's birthday, and I've seamed up several sweaters lately - pretty exciting huh? Not much knitting going on in the past few days, as we're getting ready for school to start tomorrow. I've been under a great deal of stress lately, since I got assigned a new classroom on Thursday night and had to set it all up by Friday at 7 for Meet the Teacher. Yikes. Still not all done. I also didn't find out what grade I was teaching until 5:30 Friday night. I'm a wee bit stressed. I'm not able to perform my usual stress relief (casting on 5 million projects) as I have no time for knitting (or blogging, but here we are).

I've been feeling a bit cranky lately about my knitting - lacking inspiration I think. I was fired up about Sock Summit, but then sad when I realized that I had no one to talk to who I thought would really "get" it. I love my knitting group, but that kind of experience doesn't translate well. I also have been really missing have a local yarn shop. I am still buying yarn here and there (mostly on trips this summer), but nothing compares to walking in and seeing what's new, what someone's just finished, etc. And I really really miss the people. I miss seeing folks I only knew through the store, or people I only saw every once in a while. I miss the vast variety of projects and colors and yarn choices. Ravelry is great, but it's not the same as seeing some things in person.

OK, that's enough crankiness for now - must go clean while the bambino is sleeping so we can play for a bit before bedtime - and then, more schoolwork!

Sock Summit

Clearly, I don't have the blogging mojo lately. I think it's because I haven't been taking many pictures, and I think a blog without pictures is boring. We've been up to lots, and I've actually finished some things, which I hope to show you soon, but I have a more pressing matter!

We leave for Sock Summit first thing Wednesday morning. I am so excited! I'm taking classes with Nancy Bush and Anne Hanson!

All this is to say - if you're reading this and you'll be there, leave me a comment (or email me at knitnlit AT gmail DOT com. I'd love to meet you!

Who knows, maybe this will rekindle the blog mojo? One can hope.

Five on Friday

Knock knock? Anybody still out there?

Just a wee bit of a filler post while I get some pictures together.

1. School's out for summer. Unfortunately, I agreed to tutor during summer school, so I'm not out yet.

2. While I don't have to teach, I am taking two graduate classes this summer. Will I never learn?

3. The Bug will be 9 months old in a week. Where has the time gone? She is adorable (of course), and really interested in toys - she likes to take things out of and put back into her basket. She likes to spin wheels on toys, she loves to talk to her toys. She loves being outside, especially in the swing. Her hair has taken on a tendency to stand straight up (a la faux hawk). She loves to eat (maybe not vegetables so much).

4. I've been working on quilting The Girl's birthday quilt (birthday was in March. Shutup). It may kill me. Remind me not to take on huge projects when it's only my second quilt, ok?

5. I'm trying to finish up a bunch of lingering projects this month, with the intent to start working on Christmas gifts next month. Yikes, that seems early, but I know that with school, two grad classes and a one-year old, my time will be precious.

Hopefully I can be around here more this summer! Hope to "see" you soon!

Two posts in one month!

Who could believe it! Well, when you're up at 1 am due to nursing/storm, it works. I keep joking about how much more I could get done if I didn't need to sleep - here's my chance!

Things here are good - The Bug was 7 months old last Sunday - where does the time go? She can sit up unsupported, though she likes to throw herself backwards, so we have to be near (wood floors are killer for your wee little head - ask me how I know). She likes most foods - yogurt, applesauce and bananas are favorites. This week we're trying peas and mango. She sleeps pretty well - most nights only up once to nurse, but when things don't go well she's up twice (like tonight - she was up past her bedroom due to The Girl's spring church musical). She has favorite toys now, and loves to play. We hung a swing outside for her and she loves it.

I've been bitten hard by the sewing bug - I have made several things in the past, but I want to sew all.the.time. now. Which has led to some fabric purchases. Ahem. Let's just say that perhaps I'm running into the arms of my LQS (local quilt shop) now that my LYS is (almost) gone. Last day for LYS is Thursday. Sob. Sewing heals all wounds, right?

I'm actually knitting again - wanting to rush home and knit, working on several different things. It feels good.

My spring classes are over, and I have a month off until summer classes start - two days before I'm out of school. Of course. But I'll take it where I can get it.

I have jury duty next week, and I'm actually looking forward to it, for the break from school it provides, since I have no sick/personal days to take. OH, and knitting time!

I'm starting to feel sleepy again, and the wind has died down, so I'm going to see if I can get back to sleep. More here soon, including pictures!

I'm back (hopefully)

OK - making an effort here to really recommit to the blog, not just talk about it. We'll see how long it lasts. :)

What The Bug has been up to:

*Eating solid food - sweet potatoes and rice cereal are favorites. Makes me a little sad that she is so grown up now!

*We can roll over, but we're not sure about sitting up - we like to throw ourselves backwards.

*She babbles and giggles all the time now - it is so cute!

What we've been up to:

*We spent our spring break sprucing up the house (as has become tradition). We painted the living room, put together some new furniture, and hubby resodded the front yard. Busy, busy, busy.

What I've been up to:

*Teaching my brains out.

*Trying not to be too frustrated with the master's classes I'm taking and their dumb assignments.

*Knitting - only a little - lately a cardigan for The Bug for Easter - back is done.

*Trying to get back into pre-baby shape

*Sewing - piecing quilt tops, cutting fabric for skirts (for me), trying to resist buying all the fabric I love

Hopefully I'll get my act together and post some pictures. No promises! And maybe I'll have more exciting things to say. Maybe.

Still breathing

But barely sometimes. We're still alive. Just incredibly busy. Barely knitting. Barely making through the day due to work stress. And this week our house decided to start falling down around us. Fantastic.

But next week is Spring Break (or, as one of my coworkers pointed out, spring break starts today at 3:10), and we have big home projects planned (as is traditional around here), and one of mine is to sew/knit/photo/blog. Hopefully my plan will work. Stay tuned for more, including 6 month pictures of The Bug (next Thursday - where has the time gone?).

Out of touch

I'm feeling out of touch with the blog. Ever since I found out I was pregnant (just over a year ago), the blog has been low on my list of priorities (rightly so, I think). But I miss the blog. I miss the conversations. I miss sharing what's going on in my life, beyond the knitting. 

So I'm taking back the blog. 

What's new? 

The Bug turned four months old last week (where has the time gone!?). She loves to laugh and giggle, she tries to put her whole hand in her mouth, she loves to nudge her socks off. She is really looking at and manipulating her toys now. She loves to "talk" to you and will roll from her back to her side over and over again. She holds herself up well on her tummy, but hates being there for more than a few minutes. She's still not sleeping "well" according to almost everyone, but we're getting there. Mommy going back to work and colds haven't helped. 

I told my principal today that I want to move back down to a lower grade and she took the news well. Hopefully there is a place for me still at my school - I would hate to leave. I also (because I'm nuts) started some graduate classes in reading this past week. I'm just getting a certificate, but it's 27 hours of graduate work. Two classes to start, and while I'm a little nervous about getting all the work done, I'm unreasonably excited to read my textbooks! Dork!

I haven't been knitting much this month, but I've had a terrible cold with lots of sinus pressure and ear pain that I can't shake (no medicine since I'm nursing). I am feeling better, so hopefully next month will be better for the knitting progress. 

I did decide that my LYS closing could be good for the stash - I'm much less likely to order yarn than to pick it up in a shop, so hopefully I can knit down the stash a bit this year. The only problem with that plan is that I want to make baby things and they don't use up much yarn! 

I did spend an hour or two in front of the sewing machine a few weeks ago trying to piece the quilt pieces I cut before The Bug was born. I'm just doing nine patch blocks, but I'm loving it. Hopefully I can successfully turn my pile of pieces into a quilt, as I may have already bought fabric for another. 

I made Christmas pjs for my girls this year and they were super cute, which has led me to want to sew more. I've got a pile of fabric for skirts for me, dresses for The Bug and more flannel for pjs. 

One thing I want to accomplish this year is to embroider and cross stitch more - I still need to post pictures of my cute kitchen curtains.

And finally, I put my first pattern in my ravelry store this week.  It is the Loopy Laces pattern that was my first design for the Ewenique Feet sock club last year. It's $5.00 and available through ravelry here:

Have a great weekend! Thanks for the daring egg suggestions - I hope to get one soon! 

Darn it!

So, a pictureless post, again. 

Last week was a bad week for socks - my embossed leaves socks, worn for the first time, blew out the toe (I knew I should have kitchenered it!). Grrr. 

And then hubby announced that he had holes in the bottoms of not one but two socks (separate pairs)!!! 

I find myself in need of a darning egg - any resources? I found a grand total of one on etsy and my googlefu must not be good today, as I can't find any. 

Tech Socks

These have been finished (and worn) for several days/weeks now. Apologies for the dirty sock picture, but let's face it, it was this or nothing.

Pattern: Basic sock pattern

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Sport in Team Spirit Colorway from the Loopy Ewe

Needles: Chiagoo 2.75mm

Dates: December 2008-January 2 2009

Mods: none

Thoughts: Knit up very quickly. Feels a little too skinny to be "sport" weight. Hubby loves them - has declared all future socks must be knit with Lorna's Laces 'cause they are so soft. :) 

Hope

It was such an amazing experience to watch the inauguration today with my students. I don't remember watching any other inauguration, other than the oath of office on the news.

 It was going to be special to me no matter what, but to see it through the eyes of a 9 year old...they clapped each time the people on TV clapped, they chanted "Obama" along with the crowd, they cheered each time they saw Obama's beautiful daughters. What a neat day for them - a day I hope they will remember when they are my age. 

I teared up a bit, but managed to keep it in control. What a powerful day for our country. Good things to come, I'm sure.

Obama...Obama....Obama.

President Obama. Pinch me. 

Bad week

I really had good intentions about blogging more. I was waylaid by lack of pictures (darn that winter early darkness!) last week, and by sickness of The Bug and myself. (Luckily, she's getting better, while I'm getting worse - lovely).

But the real blow to the week was the news late Saturday night that my second home and part of my heart, my LYS was closing. 

Hubby walked in after putting The Bug down for the night to find me crying. When I told him the news he said "I thought someone had died." And I do feel like something has died. The shop was a refuge for me, a place where I have made some amazing friendships. A place where I learned more about knitting, taking risks, being confident, than I had before it existed. Where I learned that my heart really lies in teaching - teaching knitting. I have missed working so dearly while on maternity leave these past few months. And now I won't work there again. It is heartbreaking. And while my close friendships will remain, and there will still be a knitting group somewhere else, all the people I knew as casual friends, and folks I saw every once in a while, will probably be gone. And that crushes me. I'm sure many of you can relate - the shop was a home for me. I was always comfortable there, from the first day I went in. I felt loved, welcomed, accepted. The Bug was showered with love, and gifts from these wonderful people. And to think that she won't grow up in that store breaks my heart. 

Tears are falling as I write this. And I know EZ said to knit on, through all crises. But what if the crisis is that I may run out of yarn to knit with? 

January Goals

January Goals:

Finish Tech socks

Finish Ribbed socks

Finish small project 

Finish plain jane socks

Finish shawl collar sweater

Work on Smoke Socks

Start Stocking for The Bug

Start sweater for The Bug

Start slippers for me

Finish Isotope

Finish Clappy Scarf

Finish Anemoi mittens

As always, very ambitious. 

Looking forward and looking back

It's that time of year again - looking at where I've been and where I'm going. First, a look back at 2008:

I knit the following things:

5 sweaters

10 pairs of socks

7 scarves

3 blankets

2 toys

2 adult hats

3 pairs of slippers

2 ornaments

1 shawl

2 dish/wash cloths

1 pair fingerless gloves

1 shrug 

and 34! baby items!

It's easy to see where my priorities where in my knitting last year! 

I wanted to knit from these books:

Kid's Knits -Heads Hands and Toes - done - Teddy Bear Hood, Inca Hat, Duck Hat, Ladybug Hat

Jo Sharp Knit Issue 1 - started - shawl collar sweater

Ella Rae Book 7 - not done

Handknit Holidays - done - Snowy Triangle Scarf

Greetings from the Knit Cafe - not done

Knit 2 Together - done - slippers

Folk Mittens - not done

Vintage Knits - done - Salina

Favorite Socks - done - Embossed Leaves

Knitting Vintage socks - done - Child's First Sock

Opinionated Knitter - done - Baby Surprise Jacket

Knitter's Almanac - done - February Baby Sweater

Pretty good! 

In keeping with this theme, I've found these books I'd like to knit from this year:

Treasury of Rowan Knits - Carpenter

Vintage Knits (Sarah Dallas) - short sleeved striped sweater

Adorable Knits for Tots - hearts and stars blanket

Special Knits - ribbed baby jacket

Celtic Knits - lace alpaca scarf

Simply Baby - pompom beret

Knitted Toys (McTague) - cheeky monkey

Itty Bitty Nursery - Flower Cardigan

Mason Dixon Outside the Lines - felted trees

Irresistible Gifts to Knit - Gnome

Street Smart (Patons) - cabled hoodie

I did not make my goal of reading my knitting books  - maybe I'll try that some this year. 

Let's look at the numbers - in January of 2007 I had 604 balls of yarn. In January 2008 I had 821 balls and 166,195 yards. This January I have 900 balls of yarn and 193, 453 yards. I used 97 balls and 17, 004 yards. To be fair to myself (and my efforts to knit up the stash) I did really go through and analyze and add a lot of partial balls to the stash. I also "inherited" some yarn - leftovers from The Bug's feet blanket and some leftovers from mom. Even so, I knit 11% of my stash. I knit almost 10 miles of yarn! That's pretty impressive, for feeling like I wasn't getting any knitting accomplished for much of the year. 

Obviously, I want to knit more from the stash this year. To accomplish that, I've set up some little "plans" for myself. 

I haven't officially joined NaKniSweMoDo (or whatever it's called), but I would like to knit 12 sweaters this year (same goal as last year). I've got several started (almost enough to count for all 12!), and I have a few gift sweaters to work on.

 

I have also bagged up a few small projects (yarn and patterns) and plan to pick one each month to knit up, to get some odd balls out of my stash. 

And I have 12 "plain" socks worth of yarn bagged up, some stuff I've been holding onto for a while that I want to be socks already! 

And I have my 12 "fancy" socks picked out. I'll be (hopefully) knitting these, in no particular order: 

Cider Moon - Bellatrix

Vesper - Groovy Socks

Jitterbug - Vinnland

Firebird (STR) - Firestarter

Chewy Spaghetti - Aquaphobia

Fleece Artist - Flicker

Malabrigo - Knitty Twist

Wollmeise - Brigit

Shibu - Conwy

Madelinetosh - Little Child's Sock

Zen Yarn Garden - Charade

Hazelknits - Hourglass

And then there's the laundry list of other things I want to knit, gifts and such, including stockings for the girls and sweaters for next winter for The Bug. 

One big thing I want to do is clear out the WIP pile. Some of these knits have been hanging around for over a year now, and they need to be finished! I ripped two sweaters (Ariann and Buttony) and both will be reborn, possibly this year. To work on other things, I've made a plan: I assigned a number to each project, and each  night I'll draw a number and work on that project for at least 30 minutes. I can work on any of them at any time, but this way they should all get worked on at least once a month. I've got 34 active WIPs (and a few that will stay hibernating for the near future), and I'd like to end the year with no more than 5 still on the needles (my sock yarn blanket is one that won't be finished this year for sure). 

As usual, I'm being way over ambitious about the number of things I can get done. But that's OK - shoot for the moon and all that. 

I'm off to get started! Wish me luck!

2008 Wrap Up

I'm a little late finishing up my 2008 FO posts, but I had to wait for hubby's sweater to finish drying to take his pictures. Anyway, here are my last 4 FOs for the year. 

Pattern: Salina by Kim Hargraves, from Rowan Vintage Knits

Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed - 7 balls

Needles: 5 US

Dates: Feb 2007-December 2008

Mods: My gauge was off, so I knit the largest size to get a 36"

Thoughts: Needs to be blocked. Could be a smidge longer. The yarn was crap to seam with. Didn't really take a year and a half to knit - back was finished in Jan or Feb of '08, other pieces knit this summer, waited until Dec (post xmas knitting) to seam. I think after blocking it will be the sweater I wear the most, after my Central Park Hoodie. Will be knitting it again, as my sister wants one too!

Pattern: Cambridge Jacket by Ann Budd, from Interweave Knits

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Evergreen - 10 balls

Needles: US 7 Clover bamboo

Dates: um, 2006 sometime? to December 2008. Sat unworked on for most of that time.

Mods: Knit a tighter gauge to get a smaller size for skinny minny hubby. Didn't do the crocheted edging. 

Thoughts: Fits him really well after blocking - an amazing difference. He asked for no edging, and it's not flipping up too much. Zipper is put in much better than the zipper I used for my Ribby Cardi (which I need to redo). 

Pattern: Superlong Wrap by Kris Percival from Knitting to go box

Yarn: Baby Alpaca (no brand)

Needles: 10.5 US Clover bamboo

Dates: Sept 2008-Dec 2008

Mods: smaller gauge to make scarf instead of wrap.

Thoughts: can't decide if I should block it or not - I kind of like the curling quality of it unblocked. 

Pattern: Korknisse 

Yarn: scraps

Needle: US 6 or 7

Dates: Dec 2007-Dec 2008

Mods: none

Thoughts: knit all of the pieces last December. Got forgotten in a purse pocket. Found and bells attached for the girls' xmas ornaments this year. Will make more - they are so cute!

There were also 2 pairs of longies and a soaker knit for The Bug, but they are not super exciting blog fodder - they are in my flickr and ravelry, if you really want to see them. 

Now that my 2008 slate is clear, I can tell you about my 2009 plans. Tomorrow. 

Favorite FO of 2008

Aren't you surprise that The Bug was my favorite thing about this year? It's been quite a year for us - we found out in mid-January that we were pregnant, and now we have this beautiful 3 1/2 month old angel. She is the sweetest thing I've ever seen, and I can't believe how big she is already. I'm sure she'll keep us on our toes in 2009!

More gifts

A few more gifts for your viewing pleasure.

Pattern: Generic - 20 stitches (i think) 

Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande - 1 skein

Needles: Sz 15 Clover bamboo 

Dates: ?

Mods: n/a

Thoughts: soft and squishy. A gift for Hubby's best friend's wife - her first knitted gift!

Pattern: Teddy Bear Hood from Kid's Knits for Heads Hands and Toes by Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK - almost 1 skein

Needles: Sz 4 and 6 

Dates: December

Mods: no inner lining for ears. 

Thoughts: cute! 

Pattern: Football Hat from Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson

Yarn: Berroco Comfort and Sirdar Snuggly (football)

Needles: Sz 7 Clover bamboo

Dates: December

Mods: color change

Thoughts: Looks super cute on - will have to make this again. 

These two hats were made for our neighbor's boys and she told me today that the football hat has gotten several compliments - yay!

I also made three pairs of slippers (from Knit 2 together), but I don't have pictures of them - hopefully soon!

I finished seaming hubby's sweater last night - it needs a good blocking and a zipper. I'm off to seam Salina for me - the knitting has been finished since August - I had no motivation to seam it while I was still pregnant and no time after The Bug was born. It is sweater weather now, so I want to finish it!

Christmas Knits

Well, I didn't make it, of course. I did wrap up hubby's sweater (I had all the pieces done) and told him that some assembly was required for it. I'm almost done seaming it now - hopefully will finish tonight. I also wrapped his two single socks that were finished and I'm hoping to finish the second socks this week. 

I did finish The Bug's outfit - weeks before Christmas, thankfully.

Pattern: #32 from Katia Bebe No 10

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool

Needles: Sz 8 Clover Bamboo

Dates: ?

Mods: Added buttonhole on straps, eliminated bias tape at bottom and fake pockets

Thoughts: Very cute!

Pattern: #31 from Katia Bebe No 10

Yarn: Filtes King Colors Baby 2 skeins

Needles: 3 mm Addi Turbos

Dates: ?

Mods: none

Thoughts: Looks teeny, but fit her fine. Very soft yarn, quick and easy knit

Pattern: Reindeer Booties from Family Circle Easy Knitting Holiday 2004

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly - .25 skeins

Needles: US 4 Susan Bates

Mods: no nostrils

Thoughts: Cute! Though I forgot to put them on her Christmas day. Gah.

 
Pattern: Snowman Hat from Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson

Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK (white and orange), Lion Brand Microspun (black and red)

Needles: US 7 Clover Bamboo

Dates: ?

Mods: Duplicate stitched on the eyes

Thoughts: Cute! Little tight around the noggin due to the hem. 

There are more gift knits to share coming up soon!

Merry Christmas!

I'm not going to make it

I knew it was a little crazy to think I could get everything done. But I've done it in the past. I knew I had a baby - that's why I had a short list this year. But still, not going to happen. I have finished all of the gifts for anyone who is not my husband though, so that has to count for something. And he doesn't mind getting things on the 27th, or the 27th of December 2009. I might squeeze out the sweater and maybe the 1/2 sock left of one of the pairs. And one of the other socks is done, so I'll wrap it up and finish the pair this weekend. Again, my xmas sweater is not finished (the same one I had hoped to finish for last year). Perhaps it will be a priority in January. And it looks like  The Bug will not have a stocking this year, much to my dismay. Ah well, she's too little to know, and I have nothing for her stocking anyway. 

A sleeve cap, seaming, a zipper (agh!) and half a sock. I can do it. Right?

Winner! And Christmas Knitting!

Congrats to cthulhulovesme - winner of the sock contest. Email me your snail mail address and I'll get your goodies in the mail!

I still have finished knits to blog about, but I'm taking a break to talk about my Christmas knitting, 'cause let's face it, if I don't do it now, it'll be January that I'm showing you this stuff. Actually, I can't even show it to you today, since I haven't taken any pictures yet.....anyway...

I've got several things finished that I can't show you (nosy blog readers, ya know!), but there are a few we can talk about. 

Our lovely new neighbors moved down from Chicago last winter, and have two boys - I'm knitting the football hat from Itty Bitty Hats and the Teddy Bear Hood from Kid's Knits for Heads Hands and Toes - they'll both have bears hats! :) 

And I've got this nutzo idea that I can finish two pairs of socks and a sweater for hubby in less than two weeks. One pair of socks has 1 1/2 socks complete and one only has 1/2 sock done. The sweater has the back, two fronts and 1/2 a sleeve done - I think it's doable! 

And then there's my Bristow sweater that I would love to have done to wear on Christmas - we'll see.....

And they're not gifts, but I'm finishing up the Snowman hat from Itty Bitty hats for The Bug (bambino) and some Reindeer booties. I have her Christmas dress and sweater done, I'll show those next time.

And I've matched socks to patterns, and I'll talk more about them soon (hopefully). Off to knit!

Project Ideas and a contest!

I've got more FOs to post, but tonight I need your thoughts. I really, really, really want to do the whole knit a sweater a month for a year, but that's probably just a smidge unrealistic since I have a baby who might demand some attention. I may however, still try, 'cause I'm nothing if not a follower and I have the yarn for at least 40 sweaters in my stash. Yikes. 

But, to "console" myself, I'm going to take on two other projects. For the first project I'll be pulling single balls (or two) of yarn out of the stash, matching it with projects, and bagging up 12 projects, (one for each month) to open the first of the month and knit up. I have the yarns and projects chosen for this venture. 

The second nutzo project will be 12 months of socks. I'm narrowing down my list of sock yarn, but I have too many projects in my ravelry queue to choose. So I need your input.  The yarns I'm considering are listed below. Choose one yarn and pick a sock pattern to go with it. Leave your suggestions in the comments and I'll randomly choose a winner. And no plain old socks - I knit plenty of those. I want patterns, people! Contest closes at midnight CST Friday night. Thanks for your help!

Yarns: 

Socks that Rock Lightweight - varigated

Chewy Spaghetti - varigated

Cider Moon Icicle - varigated

Colinette Jitterbug - solid

Fleece Artist - varigated

Hazel Knits - solid

Knitterly Things Vesper - striping

Koigu - varigated

Madelinetosh - solid

Malabrigo sock - solid

ShibuiKnits - solid

Wollmeise - varigated

Yartini - varigated/striping

Zen Yarn Garden - varigated

Lots 'o knits

I'm sick of feeling like I have 10 tons of unblogged FOs to show you, and I miss blogging in "real time" so I'm going to play super catch up. Hold on....

Leftovers Hat

Pattern: Simple Baby Cap #2 from Itty Bitty Hats

Yarn: Sublime Organic Cotton

Needles US 7

Mods: Made it shorter (5") before crown decreases as all of bambino's hats are too tall and fall down in her eyes, which makes her scream.

Thoughts: Love it. Super soft, fits great, cute!
Pattern: Upside Down Daisy Hat from Itty Bitty Hats

Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton

Needles US 7

Mods: none

Thoughts: This is the largest size (for a shop sample) and I think the petals would look better if they were bigger. 

Pattern: Bessie from Pick Up Sticks

Yarn: Lamb's Pride (white), Paton's Classic Merino (black)

Needles: US 10.5

Mods: none

Thoughts: This is super cute, and knit up super fast, even with the intarsia and the seaming. I knit it in two nights watching the Olympics back in August. Love it. 

Pattern: Jive Turkey Baby Hat

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK (brown), Berroco Comfort DK (white)

Needles: US 7

Mods: Knit with dk weight to size it down for bambino

Thoughts: Very Cute! Everyone loved it, so it was worth the knitting for something she barely wore. 

Pattern: Baby Kimono from Summer 2005 Interweave (the very first knitting magazine I ever bought!)

Yarn: Mirasol Yarns Samp'a 3.1 skeins

Needles: US 5

Mods: none

Thoughts: Love this. This is the knit bambino is wearing most these days. Goes with everything, fits great, love the sheepy ribbon. Apologies for the tiny picture again. Will be knitting this again for future babies. Garter stitch, yum.....

There are a few more FOs to catch up on, and then actual knitting content, that I'm knitting right now! Shocking!

Turkey Lurkey Dee

Things I'm thankful for this year:

1. Cute babies

2, Silly hats

3. Cute babies in silly hats

4. Knitting silly hats

5. Having a husband who sees a silly hat on ravelry, and says "You have to make that!"

Happy Thanksgiving from a bunch of turkeys!

Stopping by the Woods

My last pattern for the Yarns Ewenique Sock Club, Ewenique Feet, comes out today.

Pattern: Stopping by the Woods

Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot

Needles: 2.75mm

Dates: Last winter-November 22, 2008

The design features a row of candy canes at the top, then snow falling on pine trees. The foot is plain.

The sock also features a picot edge and an eye of partridge heel flap. 

I really like this pattern, though the red yarn was a PITA to photograph. It will be available here and in my Ravelry store next year. 

Second Sock Syndrome Slayed (for now)

Apologies first of all, for the tiny pictures. I tried to steal them from my flickr account, and they turned out tiny. I buckled down before bambino arrived and finished up two long-suffering pairs of socks.

Pattern: Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt (who is my baby twin, almost!) from Interweave Winter 2005 and Favorite Socks

Yarn: Sweet Georgia in Life Aquatic (I hoarded this yarn for a long time)

Needles: 2.75mm Chiagoo DPNs

Dates: September 2007 (cast on itis land)-August 2008. But each sock was knit super fast when I worked on them

Mods: Regular ribbing at the top, slip stitch heel

Thoughts: Love them. Can't wait to wear them! The yarn is fab - very soft and so pretty. The pattern is great - just enough to keep you interested without having to consult the chart every row. Love it!
Pattern: Child's First Sock by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks

Yarn: Rio de la Plata Merino Sock

Needles: 2.25mm Chiagoo DPNs

Dates: June 2007-August 2008

Mods: I added a repeat to make them larger around, and eliminated the pattern on the foot due to my inability to figure out how to make it work with that extra pattern repeat. 

Thoughts: Love them too! The yarn is so nice - unbelievably soft and so nice to knit with. The pattern again here was great - just enough to keep my interest without being too complicated. 

Would you believe that I have 3 socks sitting in the heel flap and 2 nearly there? I've got to get those heels turned and end the year finishing up some socks! In my baby knitting frenzy this summer I forgot how nice plain vanilla socks are - I'm trying to remedy that now!

Knitted Gifties

Finally! A post showing (most of) the cute handmade gifts bambino received from my sweet friends. 

My mom knit her first socks! Yippee for her! They will look very cute with bambino's xmas dress!
Blanket from my LYS lovelies - the color is way off, but lord knows how long it would take me to post this if I wait to take another picture. :) Each square has tiny footprints on it, and the colors are the same as the nursery colors - we love it!
Cutest crocheted dress I've ever seen! From my sweet friend Debora. Can't wait until spring when she can wear this! (Color is off here too a bit.)
Adorable sweater from my friend Angel - her first knitted garment! This is hubby's favorite gift, which I find amusing, since he hates froo-froo stuff. There is a cute hood back there too. 
And a sweet, sweet dress, knitted by the Longhorn Diva herself! Adorable dress, booties and hairband. Can't wait to dress her up in this this winter! 

I'm totally spoiled, as there are more blankets (knitted and crocheted), bibs, a cute clock, a quilt..... I love how I've discovered all these talented people just by having a baby! Many of my friends and co-workers have gifted us handcrafted things, and I just treasure them. Knowing how special these things are to me, makes it worth all the effort I put into gifts. 

More knitting from my needles soon!

Happy Halloween!

Here's my little duckie! Quack quack!

5 weeks

Bambino is 5 weeks old - how did this happen already? She already seems so much bigger/older than she did when we brought her home. She holds her head up really well and likes to look at everything. She moves her arms and legs constantly when she's lying down. She still wants to be held all.the.time when she's sleeping, but we have gotten her to sleep with us at night. 

I'm still knitting, as much as possible, usually balancing her on my chest. Her duck booties are done, and I'll share her costume on Friday or Saturday. I've started some new projects and I'll share those soon. I've also finally taken new pictures of the knitted gifts she's received, so I'll get those up too. But for now, baby love!

Baby, oh baby!

I actually have a free minute, and two free hands to type this - a miracle!

Bambino (who needs a good internet nickname) was born Friday, September 19th, at 10:20 pm. She was 9 lbs, 1 oz and 21.5 inches long. 

Quick birth story - on Tuesday the 16th, I was sent for a sono by my doctor. Sono showed baby weighed around 9 lbs. I was a bit nervous, since they had earlier said that she'd be 7.5 lbs. Big difference.

Dr. visit on Wednesday - doctor walked into the exam room and said "How about tonight?" Yikes. So not prepared for that. We opted to wait until Friday morning (when I said "How much bigger could she get in two days? Haha" doctor didn't reply. Gulp). 

Spent most of (OK, all of) Wednesday night and Thursday freaking out. Put hubby in charge of telling/talking to everyone so I could freak out. 

Friday, 3 am - called hospital to see if a bed was free. No room in the inn. Back to bed.

Friday, 6:30 am - called again. C'mon down! 

Friday 7:30 am - arrive hospital. Sign forms, get IV.

Friday 9 am - Pitocin started. 1 cm dilated, 75% effaced. Can see contractions on the monitor, but wouldn't know I was having them if I wasn't watching the screen. They just feel like baby trying to force her way out butt first through my belly button.

Friday 2 pm - Dr. comes in  - still at 1 cm - and breaks water (bizarre feeling!) to "get things moving." Now I can feel contractions and they don't feel nice

Friday 4:30ish - ask for pain relief (to my dismay). We decide to do epidural as dr is going into a c-section and won't be able to do it later soon. Hurts like heck. Epidural does not stop pain. Dr. returns to up dosage. About 30 minutes later pain relief kicks in. I'm at 2 cm.

Friday 5:30ish - my doctor leaves, I meet on-call doctor. I'm at nearly 3 cm. I get told to take a nap. Haha.

Friday 8 ish - They put in an internal monitor to see if the pitocin is making me contract "effectively." Still at 3cm.

Friday 9:30 - I'm contracting "right", but my body does not want baby coming out the "right" way. Doctor says I can stay on the pitocin and keep waiting, but I've been on the drugs for 12 hours, and I've only advanced 2 cm. We discuss  c-section and decide that it is what is best for baby, to reduce the chance of an emergency c-section later. I cry a lot. I'm scared and upset that this hasn't gone the way I planned. 

Friday 10 pm - I'm whisked off to the OR. It is VERY cold in the OR. Hubby arrives about 10:15. 

Friday 10:20 - She's out! 10 fingers and toes. Beautiful.

In the end, we had a healthy baby, regardless of how I wanted things to go. The doctors and nurses were great, very sweet and patient with me. When the doctor opened me up she said "She is a big one!" We're pretty sure she was the biggest baby in the nursery. Everyone who came into our room said "So you're the one who had the 9 pounder!" It was a bit like being a celebrity, in a bizarre way. 

We stayed in the hospital until Sunday night. I was very sore and very frustrated that I needed so much help when we got home. Nursing was tough for several days, but we seem to have it down now. She's not sleeping unless she's being held, hence the lack of blog post. But we took her to bed with us, and we all slept last night, even if it wasn't through the night. Praise the lord. 

More pictures will trickle in, I'm sure, and I still have several unblogged FOs, and more projects started. No knitting for now though, until she'll let me put her down. 

Oh, and my momma won the contest, so mom, you need to think about what you want your prize to be. Thanks to all who entered. Must go relieve dad of holding duty and get ready for bed. Thank you for all your good wishes and thoughts. I'll try not to be a stranger around here!

Where's the baby?

I've got lots to share, but I wanted to get the baby contest posted, before she arrives! Leave a comment with your guess of date, weight, and length and the winner will receive a prize (knitters and non-knitters are free to enter - I can come up with separate prizes!). Just to be fair - my due date is September 20, and I am not dilated yet.
So - enter away! More to come this week - so long as baby holds off!

Random Wednesday

1. Computer is still broken. Pictures are still inside it. I do have some that I already uploaded to flickr (finished knits), so I will have some photo content at some point. Soon I hope.

2. Teachers reported back on Monday. Boo Hiss, summer is over.

3. My classroom, which I spent hours setting up in June, as I knew I wouldn't be able to move furniture in August, had EVERYTHING removed and then dumped back into the room. And two tables, my rocking chair and a bookcase are missing. Another bookcase is broken. Grrr.

4. It is taking me FOREVER to set up my room, due to #3, my hugeness/slowness, and the fact that hubbo now works on the other side of town and can't just run over after school to help.

5. My principal is making me team teach and I don't want to. :(

6. Baby is head-down! And there was much rejoicing!

7. Baby's room is nearly ready - all we really need is a mattress for the crib, and some pictures hung on the wall. Two showers this weekend should take care of the little odds and ends we're still missing.

8. Saved 30 cents/gallon today thanks to my MILs Tom Thumb card. Yippee!

9. Knit my dishrag, mailed it off the next day for dishrag tag. Haven't knit a stitch since, and won't probably until knitting tomorrow night.

10. Have a baby sweater and a sweater for me waiting for finishing. Don't want to seam.

11. Have fabric washed and ready to sew a baby dress and cloth wipes. No time to sew.

I'm sure there is more I wanted to share, but I'm exhausted. So glad there is no more gymnastics or swimming - I can go to bed early tonight!

Grrr

My f***** computer is on the fritz again - and it wouldn't be such a big deal if the pictures from the shower and the sock pattern that is due tomorrow weren't locked inside it. And this is after we paid over $1000 to have it fixed two separate times last year. Cross your fingers - we can't afford a new computer right now, and I'm not paying to have it fixed again.

Sweet Baby Sweaters

The finishing roll continues around here with two new sweaters for the bean.


Pattern: February Baby Sweater from EZ's Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Mirasol Contani - just over 3 skeins
Needles: Sz 8 Clover bamboo circulars and dpns
Dates: Um, May-July 2008
Mods: I put the stitches for the sleeves on waste yarn, finished knitting the body and went back and knit the sleeves in the round - much better!
Thoughts: This seemed to drag for a while, but it went very fast when I actually worked on it. It is very cute and has adorable sheepy buttons too!




Pattern: Provence Baby Cardigan from Classic Elite
Yarn: Classic Elite Provence
Needles: Sz 6 Clover bamboo circulars
Dates: May or June-July 2008
Mods: none
Thoughts: I did pick up too many stitches for the button bands, so they flare a bit, but I can live with it. This is very cute, and will hopefully fit the babe around Easter time.

I've nearly finished another sweater (needs ribbon) and one that just needs a sleeve, so more are on their way! I've also got two pairs of socks almost done and a pair of slippers. And an adult sweater that just needs one sleeve and finishing.

I debated joining the Ravelypics (or however they are spelling it), in WIP wrestling, but I don't want to commit, 'cause then I won't get anything done! I don't think I can get the WIPs down to 10 before the babe's arrival, but it will be close.

I've got very cute baby gifts to post pictures of - the sweeties at my LYS threw me a shower on Sunday, and I was spoiled. I hopefully will get pictures of them tomorrow, if it doesn't rain. (But I am hoping for rain, so fingers crossed!)

Things here are good beyond that - the nursery is nearly done (pics when it is), we bought a new car - pictures soon. I have my 33.5 week check-up tomorrow - everything has been fine so far - she's not headdown yet, so I'm nervous about getting her turned around so I don't have to have a c-section. I know I have a few weeks yet, but I'll be talking to the doctor about when she needs to be ready to go before we have to make that decision. I'm trying not to melt (It has been 100-107 here the last 17 days or something crazy like that), and I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row for the first few weeks of school, and then having stuff ready for the sub. Crazy!

OK, this has turned into a novel - oh, but for those who have been asking - she is due September 20. More knitting soon!

Scarves and booties

More FOs on parade today!



Pattern: Isobel (can't remember the link)
Yarn: 1 skein Claudia Hand Painted Sport
Needles: sz US 8 DPNs
Dates: sometime last fall-July 2008
Mods: no fringe
Thoughts: edges curl under even with severe blocking. Oh well - it is still pretty. The repeat was easy to memorize and went quickly when I worked on it!


Pattern: Branching Out from Knitty
Yarn: 1 skein Claudia Hand Painted Sport
Needles: sz US 8 DPNs
Dates: sometime last fall-July 2008
Mods: none
Thoughts: very pretty - even hubby commented on it. Also went quickly when worked on.



Pattern: Magic Slippers
Yarn: Hill Country Yarns Sweet Feet
Needles: Sz US 3 DPNs
Dates: July 2008
Mods: um, none that I remember
Thoughts: They seem really small. And this picture of them sucks - they are cuter in real life.


Pattern: Saartje's Bootees
Yarn: leftover Mirasol Hacho
Needles: I think size 3.....
Dates: June 2008 - buttons sewn on in July
Mods: none
Thoughts: not sure I like the white buttons - I may switch them for some yellow ones. And this picture is the worst of the bunch, but I know if I wait to retake it, I'll never get this posted.

The finishing continues, though I sorely want to cast on for a February Lady Sweater - I think it would be great for the fall when I'm nursing. However, I am showing great restraint, since I'm excited about the numbers of things getting done around here. Maybe I'll start it when school starts, and try to finish it up before the bean gets here. At any rate, I'm off to try to finish a sleeve today, and maybe a baby sweater!

Again with the friggin sideways pictures! I don't think it's a blogger issue, I think it has to do with my iphoto program and my camera, but I don't know how to fix it, and I don't know they are going to be sideways until I upload them, and frankly, once they're uploaded, I'm out of blogging time, so I don't want to mess with them. My apologies - they were crappy pictures anyway.

Socks!

It is summer, and that means socks. To help me finish up some pairs, I ripped out 3 pairs that weren't working - my Solstice Slip socks - couldn't get into the pattern, my Diagonal Rib socks - again, couldn't get into the pattern, and a pair for hubbo that were turning out too big.

This week I finished one pair, and I can show you a pair I finished a few weeks ago.



Pattern: Reversai from Sock Madness
Yarn: BMFA Lightweight in Watermelon Tourmaline (my first skein of STR ever!)
Needles: 2.25 Chiagoo DPNs
Dates: March-July 2008
Mods: longer cuff (not really a mod, but most folks seemed to make the shorter one.)
Thoughts: I enjoyed the stitch pattern and the overall construction of the sock - I was just too lazy to finish it!


Pattern: Up the Down Staircase (MY pattern! for the Yarns Ewenique Sock Club)
Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Fingering
Needles: 2.5 Chaigoo DPNs
Dates: sometime last year (to get gauge and figure out the stitch pattern) to July 2008
Mods: n/a
Thoughts: I love them, of course!

I've also managed to finish up the first sock for hubbo (2x2 ribbing may kill me), and the first sock of a plain set for me. I've got the second sock of my Child's First Sock pair through the heel, so that should be done soon, and I want to finish the second Embossed Leaves sock.

The finishing train continues to hang out here - I have a crazy goal of having 10 active WIPs by the time the baby is born (it's around 26 now) - we'll see if I can make it - I have 8 weeks!