The (Mostly) Fibery Adventures of Old Bean

Knitting again

2011-08-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

Back in February I took a class at the wonderful Knitche on how to knit continental to improve the speed of my knitting, because although I'm a good knitter, I am not at all fast. It was a good class and I decided to only knit with the yarn in my left hand after that, to practice and improve and pick up speed. Well, as it turns out, all it did was kill my desire to knit. Sure, for a while I dutifully knit with the yarn in my left hand, and while it wasn't slower than how I knit before, my knitting didn't have the same even tension. I knew the tension issues would resolve with practice, but instead, what happened is that slowly, I just stopped picking up my knitting. Instead, I spun and crocheted; I like doing those things, so it wasn't a hardship, but I have a lot of knitting projects on the needles and I missed the easy (if slow) relationship I had with knitting. So, yesterday, I decided, the heck with knitting faster eventually, I want to knit, period. So, I'm back to my slow but steady throwing technique, and I knit more yesterday than I have for months.

Point Reyes, North Beach

We went out to California at the beginning of June to visit my parents. Dave couldn't come due to too much work crap scheduled, but Margaret and Alice and I had a great time. They were even good on the plane.

Reading with Grandpa Brian

As you can see, we went to the beach. Had to rent a minivan to get us all there, two car seats and three adults do not fit into a Subaru Impreza Outback! But it was worth it, Margaret loved seeing the ocean again, and Alice got her first taste (literally) of sand. The first time we took Margaret to the ocean, she was crawling, and so when we set her on the sand, she tried to crawl, and because of, well, sand, her hands slipped out from under her and she face-planted. I suppose it's lucky that Alice wasn't yet crawling, because she sat there fascinated and then started trying to eat the sand. Didn't seem to hate it, thought it was interesting.

Rainbow across from my parents'

Swimming at Connie's

My mom has some really wonderful friends, and one of them had us over to swim in her pool. We had another offer from another friend, but it was our last day and Margaret was so tired she didn't even want to blow bubbles. Alice and Margaret both loved the pool! Margaret has been taking swimming lessons, and you could tell that she was much more comfortable with the water than last year. She even swam the length of the pool and back by herself with a couple noodles.

While we had the minivan, we also went to Fairytale Town. It is such a cute place and Margaret had a blast.
When we were at Point Reyes, Margaret kept asking to pet the cows we saw, so when she got a chance to pet this yearling, she was thrilled! She also spent a good amount of time petting a sheep.

One of the wonderful things about Fairytale Town is that everything is kid-powered. There are no rides, just things for kids to climb on and play on and slide down. To enjoy it, you have to be active. Also, adults aren't allowed in without children, unless they are attending a birthday party and are on the guest list, so you don't just have random people there... it's just for the kids.

@ de Young Sculpture Garden

One of the days, Margaret went to the Sacramento Zoo with my dad while my mom and I took Alice and went with one of my mom's friends into San Francisco. There we went to the de Young Museum to see their exhibit "Balenciaga and Spain" and to the Legion of Honor to see "Pulp Fashion". Nothing I say can really do justice to either exhibit. Amazing.

I also really enjoyed seeing some friends and their kids. I just wish I could have spent more time with them, too! Andrea and Jodi, bring the families out here!

We were in CA for 2.5 weeks, which was not enough time with friends and family, but a little too long to be out of our normal routine. Margaret was a little hesitant to return to school, especially since during the summer she has a new teacher in a new room. She got over her tears quickly, though and has been thoroughly enjoying herself.

Polwarth wool, color Hoarfrost.

Jen and Alice

The Friday after we returned, I went up to the Lake County Fairgrounds with Jen and Alice (Margaret spent Thursday night and Friday with her Grandma Kathy) to attend a class at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair. We took Photographing Your Fiber with the always wonderful Franklin Habit. I had a fangirl squee moment when we walked into the class and he knew that we had met before. The class was great; some of it was needed review, and some of it was new to me, but it was all fun and I got the nerve to play around with the settings on my camera. The picture above is one I took at the end of class. Although I would switch the lighting around a bit, the color is pretty true. It is a mostly worsted spun combed top that I enjoyed spinning.

As I was standing in line waiting to get into the fair to class, I saw Carol Sulcoski of Go Knit in Your Hat and Black Bunny Fibers walking into the building. When I happened to see her after class, I took the opportunity to say hi (even though I felt like an uberdork) and she was so friendly. My darling friend Nan was there, and since I hadn't seen her in far too long, that was wonderful. I also met up with a friend I only knew online, Diane, and had a blast hanging out with her. Diane and I introduced ourselves to Abby Franquemont. Now, I have wanted to take a spinning class with her for quite some time, but with Margaret and then Alice around, I thought it wasn't the best idea. Well, she basically double-dog dared me to take a class with her that weekend, so when I got home, I signed up for her Blended Fibers class that Sunday morning. Boy am I glad I did, I learned so much, including that I needed a new wheel. My Louet S-10 is wonderful, but it is not great for spinning fine yarns.

I will conclude with a few more California pictures. I haven't even hit July, that will be coming soon.

Blowing bubbles with Grandpa Brian, Grandma Lynn and Alice in the background.

At the Tempo Park playground

At the "chicken park" in Fair Oaks.

Checking out the horses at Orangevale Park

First ice cream cone. Strawberry.

One of the first few days when it was cold and rainy.

Long Day

2011-04-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

I started this by giving a detailed description of the past two days. Then I thought to myself, "Self, they don't need the gory details." I deleted it and you may thank me later (I like yarn and fiber to spin, I will wait by my mailbox). The upshot is that Margaret is sick and I feel really bad for her. She's been vomiting and we spent the morning in the ER and Zofran helps, but she had to take another dose before bed and I was really hoping the dose in the hospital would have gotten her over the hump and she would have been better by now.

In other news, I painted her nails for the first time on Wednesday. I got quick drying polish because if it took long to dry it wasn't going to stay on

Check out my awesome nails.

While she was feeling a little better today, we got our hair cut. I take her to the same woman who cuts my hair because she got a crappy cut at one of the kid places, and I really like the woman who cuts my hair and she does a great job with Margaret, too. I'll have to take a picture of her when she's feeling better.

I made the doll, AND the dress. Crazy.

Margaret with Petronella.

So, there is the doll in her dress. Rather proud. First time I believe I've sewn something on a machine that wasn't just a straight seam. When I showed my mom on Skype she thought it was nice, but thought my mother-in-law made it. She was much more appreciative of the awesomeness when she was informed that I made it (because it would have been no great shakes for either grandma to make because they both sew very well).

Pay no attention to the large drop of drool on my chin.

In other news, The Countess is getting bigger and stronger every day. She was also really good while we were in the ER. Started getting her to sleep in her own crib and room last Friday and so far it's going pretty well.

Figured out how to stop these entries from posting as notes in Facebook (really not at all intuitive). Next time I'll show you progress on my Polwarth fiber.

Housekeeping

2011-03-28T08:40:00.000-05:00

If you are reading this on Facebook, it might seem strange that I was talking about Alice as if I hadn't mentioned her before or posted pictures. However, I am actually writing this at oldbeanknits.blogspot.com, my blog, which I've been crap at updating recently. Somehow, a while ago, I linked things so these posts show up as FB notes, and I have no idea how to change it. So, there you have it. I'll have a real post again soon.

We've got a new addition

2011-03-26T18:14:00.000-05:00

Since my last post, Alice was born.

Hi, I'm here!

She was due December 3, and I had a C-section scheduled December 2. She came November 23. She was 9 lbs 1 oz and 21 inches.

Cuddling with Mommy.

Margaret checks out the new addition.

Margaret has been a good big sister and likes to help... when she feels like it.

Hanging out on the lovely blanket from Nan.

Alice had her 4 month check up on Wednesday and weighed 16 lbs and was 25". I can't believe she's only four months old, it seems like she's been here longer than that. She's a sweet kid and pretty easy, which is good. She loves Margaret and watches her like a hawk.

I can still get in a little spinning and knitting time, although there isn't much to show for it, yet. This is some BFL top I spun with a short woolen draw. Almost two hundred yards. It is a bit warmer and less grey in color than it photographs. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it. I loved spinning it, it was so silky. Right now I have a lovely Polwarth on the wheel, colorway Hoarfrost. I'm trying a worsted draft and hoping it will be about a heavy fingering weight when plied.

Oh, I did sew a dress for the Waldorf doll I made Margaret. I'm pretty impressed with myself since it is not my forte. I am planning on getting back to blogging a bit more often, so I'll post a picture next time. And more recent photos of the girls.

Oops

2010-11-04T11:49:00.000-05:00

Didn't think it had been that long since my last post. Let's see, still working on the Citron and the illusion scarf. Also still working on one of the cardigans from Vogue's early fall issue. Started a pair of the Octopus Mittens from 60 Quick Knits for Margaret.

Now for a quick summary of finished projects that have been photographed.

Pair of socks, owed for a couple years now. Finally finished, just need to actually get to the post to send them.

The beaded shawl from Vogue Knitting a few years ago. Yarn is Sophie's Toes in Crimson and I love it.

Easy Tweedy Cowl in a wool and silk blend that I spun myself.

Earwarmer headband in Queensland Collection Kathmandu Ultra with a flower in some of my wool/silk handspun. Just need a button to finish it off.

Margaret and her friend Emma trick-or-treating on Sunday. Such cute girls :) Margaret's costume was on sale at One Step Ahead. I got sparkly gold shoes at Target and black tights and a black turtleneck at Gymboree so she wouldn't freeze. Luckily it was warmer this Halloween than last, although by the end (and we weren't out that long) I was quite chilly, even with my Hallowig on.

This is a video of Margaret running around our backyard. She wanted me to take this video.

Sorry this is not a very inspired post, I just figured I should put something up here since it's been over a month. Oh, I did have my birthday October 24. Dragging Dave to a birthday movie this weekend. Do I force him to watch Easy A or The King's Speech or see Red, which I also want to see, but is more of a compromise. I wish Harry Potter were already out!

Shawl blocking and a silly face

2010-09-23T17:23:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm actively working on a Citron and an illusion scarf that I've designed. I'll talk more about those and post pictures when they are done, but so far, I am enjoying them. I mostly knit the Citron while waiting in the pick-up/drop-off lines at Margaret's school because except for 4 rows out of 20, it's just stockinette, so I don't have to think about it too much.

Today, I'm finally blocking a shawl I started about two years ago. It's the Beaded Shawl from Vogue Knitting's 2008 Holiday issue. I bought two skeins of Sophie's Toes yarn in Crimson and dark red glass beads to make the shawl. I loved working with the yarn and seeing it all come together, but after a repeat or so of the second chart section, it languished in UFO hell. I don't know why, there is no explanation, but there it sat. Until a couple months ago when I decided it was high time the shawl was finished. While working on it this time, however, I realized I would not have enough yarn to work the shawl full size. Considering the yarn is hand-dyed and two years old (even though Emily is marvelously talented), I didn't think there was a possibility of getting more yarn in the same dye lot. When I thought about it, though, the pattern calls for lace weight and I was using fingering weight and with all the beads, if I did make it full size, it would be huge and really heavy, so, I only did 5 total repeats of the second chart section. Also, instead of the bind-off in the pattern (which while ok-ish in lace weight, would have been far too bulky in fingering weight), I just did this simple beaded bind-off.

You can see the shawl in the background of the picture above (Margaret asked me to take a picture of her making a silly face), here are a couple others. None are great, as the sky outside is rather cloudy. I'll try to have a better photo shoot when it's dry.

I'm just glad I got around to blocking it, and took it out of the sink in the powder room before Dave got home and wanted to wash his hands.

Pictures will tell my story

2010-09-15T20:10:00.016-05:00

Yes, it's been a while. I don't even remember what I talked about last and I can't be arsed to go back and read it, so, here are some pictures

Margaret started at a Montessori school in March. The primary classes are for kids who are three, but luckily they have a class for younger children, too. During the spring and summer she was in the Stepping Stones I class from 1-3pm (two and then three days a week). Now she's in Stepping Stones II which is from 8:30-12:30. She eats lunch there and then comes home to take a nap. She LOVES it.

During the spring, Margaret figured out how to pedal her tricycle, but she's a little tall for it (not that she's stopped riding it). So, I got her a Strider bike. It's amazing how quickly they can pick it up. She gets going so fast and loves picking up her feet to coast along.

We went to California to visit my parents in July. The following are pictures from the trip.

Blowing bubbles in the backyard with "Baba Lynn".

Checking out the flamingos at the zoo.

Checking out a sea snail at Irish Beach. She seems to be really tactile and wanted to touch everything from the dead crab we found to every anemone ever created. She was a little unsure of the ocean the first time we went down to the beach, but had a lot of fun by the end.

This was the last day at the beach, it was the coldest.

With "Baba Lynn" and "Baba Brian".

Back in the valley it was much warmer and a couple of friends invited us to swim in their pools. She loved it. We're now taking swimming lessons through the park district (indoor pool, since it's getting to be fall).

She's a ham and likes to make "silly faces".

Here is the closest I have to a before of our front door and porch area. It is also a before of our garage door. The garage door and opener were replaced in February, the door is now white.

After: We ripped out the box shrubs which were looking pretty punk and put in Everlow yews. We also added the railing and the bench. And of course, the crowing glory is a door that is not mostly bare metal with a little green paint left after it bubbled and broke and then was scraped. Next summer I'll add some large pots with some plants to soften the look of the porch, but in the meantime, I am so please with the improvement.

The Knitting (details on my Ravelry page):

Back of a shrug I made for Margaret.

Dorky me, but cute sweater. I've been wearing this one quite a bit.

This picture does no justice to the color, which is a beautiful natural brown, not at all grey like it seems. Anyway, I actually wore this recently, too. I love the cool mornings we've been having.

Here's a vest/shrug I'll be able to wear once I can close it over my chest. I am looking forward to that day because it is soft and squishy and will be nice and warm.

Last, but not least (except in size). Baby booties for the new one coming. Did I mention I was pregnant? Having another girl :) Chicago area yarn stores had a yarn crawl recently (shop hop) and Margaret and I went to 17 stores. We had a great time and I picked up this yarn at Nina's on Division Street.

I've got lots on the needles (and one on a hook), but that's more than enough pictures for now, I'll let your eyes rest until I have something finished to show you... which, I will try to do before the new baby comes at the beginning of December.

New Post?

2010-04-06T20:58:00.012-05:00

I know, I haven't written in a while... I think the dashboard said November 2009. Quite honestly, the only times I really think of things to write are when I'm really tired, and it either seems like a lot of work to put together a post with pictures and crap, or I'm already in bed -- and I'm certainly not hauling my ass out of bed and downstairs to write a post. Ok, so my last post was November 18, three days after Margaret turned two.
I'm not even going to go into all the new things she does because you don't want to read it all; suffice it to say, I think she's wonderful and funny and smart. She started a toddler Montessori program this March and loves it. She is still going to a Children's Day Out program once a week through May. Also loves that. She's a pretty independent sprite. I love that she's interested in what's around her; the picture on the right is of her lying on the driveway (yes, in her dress and tights after Easter brunch) checking out a bug. She was rather upset when said bug decided to fly away. She also loves to wear sunglasses, has three pairs. If it is sunny outside, when she goes out she says, "Oh, is sunny. I need sunglasses." Cracks me up.
Ok, so, this is supposed to be a knitting blog, right? And, the last time I wrote, I was knee deep in my dad's Aran sweater (based on Na Craga) and hoping to finish it by Christmas. Well, shockingly, that didn't happen. It did get done before the end of February, though. And even though I had to knit the sleeves more times than I can count (that's what I get for changing a drop sleeve pattern in one gauge into a set-in sleeve pattern in a different gauge with a different fit), I really enjoyed it. And IT FITS HIM PERFECTLY!!!!! Yes, sorry for the yelling, but when he tried it on and showed me over Skype, well, proud just doesn't quite cut it. I don't yet have pictures of him wearing it, but here are a couple of the sweater before I sent it off:
After finishing this sweater, I immediately made two hats for myself; a response to the self-imposed 4 month project monogamy of the sweater.

After that, I fell into a bit of a knitting slump. Didn't know what to work on next... should I cast on something new, work on something old? Blah. However, what has mostly worked (the blahs aren't all gone, but I'm working through them) was following the path of Stephanie. I have a rather large stash of yarn, and in recent years have change my purchase habits. When I started, I would buy one or two skeins of a yarn instead of enough for a sweater because I didn't like making big projects. Now, I'm more likely to make fewer purchases, but containing a sweater quantity of a particular yarn. Some of these yarns had a sweater already designated, some didn't. Jen came over a couple Mondays ago and helped me kit up my sweaters-to-be. We made copies of patterns from books and magazines I own and put them with the required yarn into bags. We picked patterns for yarns that had no sweaters and did the same. She organized my Ravelry queue and made a designation for the Sweater Club of Awesomeness (I didn't even know you could organize your queue like that). So, anyway, I'm actually working on a couple of the smaller sweaters (a vest and a tank). I'm mixing the process and project goals for myself.

And, in November, and again this spring I took jewelry classes at the Fine Line Creative Arts Center. I'm taking the class again starting Thursday. LOVE IT. I did some goldsmithing back in NJ, but hadn't really gotten a chance to do much out here, what with Homeowner's Insurance not looking fondly upon tanks of acetylene gas in the house. The classes are great because the instructor is great and helpful, but I can do what I want. Like make a star for the top of our Christmas tree, or a ring for a friend. Or earrings for my mom and friends. The only thing I've photographed so far is the ring. It's not perfect, but I think it's pretty cool.

And now, I've run out of stuff to say. I know, it's a lot, but here's a deal, I'll try to write less next time, but make it sooner than 4.5 months, if you still are actually reading this post, let alone the blog. Danke.

Long time coming

2009-11-18T08:18:00.008-06:00

That's my laughing birthday girl.

So, I realize it's been a while since I wrote; things have actually been going on, but I got behind and then intimidated by the catching up and, well, you can see where that's gotten me... nowhere. To rectify, we'll have bullets and pictures of Margaret.

Margaret had her second birthday on Sunday! Can you believe my little Lima Bean is 2? I can't.
Margaret 2 y.o. stats: 60th percentile weight, 92nd percentile height at 35.75" Loves her bears, music, trains, cars, dinosaurs, books, Nemo, climbing, jumping and pushing things. Doesn't really care about dolls. Really, actually loves most things, just doesn't care about dolls.
I'm taking a jewelry/silversmithing class at Fine Line Creative Arts Center. I haven't done this for years and I am loving every minute. Pictures of projects will come.
I've gotten my neighbor/friend Sally sucked into knitting. She knit in the past, but now she is becoming A Knitter. Fun stuff.
So close to being done with my dad's birthday sweater. Working on the sleeves. Past my elbow now. Granted, his arms are longer, but not much. I WILL get this done and mailed by Christmas.

I'm just going to end this with some Margaret pictures.

What can I say, she likes her animals.

Birthday girl in a dress my mom made for her. She really liked wearing it, too.

The artist at work. She told me she was painting snakes.

She was a monkey for Halloween. An adorable monkey.

Oh, and the socks have been put on the back burner while I'm working on my dad's sweater... and another something that is a surprise. But they'll be back.

Socks?!?

2009-09-01T17:10:00.000-05:00

If you can believe it (and if you've talked to me about this, you might not be able to believe it) I think I might not hate knitting socks.

...

...

...

I thought I'd give you a bit to let that sink in, because, well, it's a doozy, I know. I have owed a good friend of mine something knitted for quite a while. First it was going to be mittens, but then, because she has foot issues, we decided socks would be good. When I last saw her, I even had her pick yarn out of my stash from which to make said socks. And I started them. And, I did not enjoy them, because ... socks. When I finish one, I just have to make another. Phooey, I say. So, the socks went into the netherworld of my stash.

Let me just pause here to say that if any of this doesn't make much sense it's only because I've gotten two really bad nights of little sleep and I am so tired I can hardly see straight.

A few night ago, though, I decided I wanted to get the socks off my conscience and give my friend something to keep her tootsies warm. Since I was using sport weight yarn, I took out what I had made on size 1 needles and went to size 2.5 (3mm). It went so much quicker. And not only did the knitting go quicker, but it was more fun, too. I have finished the foot of one sock, put it on hold, and have started the second sock. I'm making them toe-up using one of Cat Bordhi's master constructions and it's fun! No one could be more surprised than I am that I am making socks, enjoying them, and even planning a pair for myself! I'm torn between using another Bordhi "pattern" or using the Knit One Below technique. No matter which, I'm using Little Freak Yarn! After that, who knows!

Went shopping last Thursday to get a few fall wardrobe staples, like pants that aren't highwaters. Got her these frog boots because she loves puddles. Here she is on the right testing them out.

Nothing to do with knitting

2009-08-28T11:01:00.003-05:00

As I have mentioned on Facebook, Margaret and I are both sick, she with a minor sinus infection, me with bronchitis bordering on pneumonia. Needless to say, we aren't doing much this week (don't worry, we're both on antibiotics), although I am actually working on a pair of socks. A note: if you don't want to read about potty training, stop now.

Anyway, she wanted to go outside today, so we walked around a bit (slowly) then, I had to run an errand, so we took off. At one point during the ride I got a whiff of something and asked her if she had pooed and she just laughed. So, when we got home, I changed her diaper... just pee. Anyway, after I changed it, she started saying, "Pobby, pobby, I wan' pobby." Took me a second to realize what she was asking for, but when she went to the bathroom door and said it again, I realized she wanted to go potty. I said no, I had just changed her diaper, and she flipped out. Then, I thought, "Well, that's silly, if she wants to go, why am I stopping her, it's not like we're busy," so, we went into the bathroom, took off her diaper and pants and she sat down on her potty. SHE PEED!!!!!

Ok, so that's really all, I was just really impressed that she new she needed to go, asked, and then, even held it when I stupidly said no. I guess I need to maybe try that whole potty training thing again. Did I mention I was proud? :)

Margaret tells me a joke

2009-08-20T08:01:00.005-05:00

This story requires a little set up. First, and most important, Margaret knows where hair grows and if you ask her will point to her head (or even lift up some hair) and say, "Hair," or her approximation of the word. Second:

So, the other day, Margaret and I were sitting on the couch in the evening (rather, I was sitting, she was running, jumping and climbing on it) and she came over to me, pulled up a few pieces of my hair on each side of my head and said (rather clearly), "Paghetti." I about had a coronary laughing.

On Saturday we went to the Brookfield Zoo. We got there for opening, but only stayed a couple hours. It was warm, Margaret started getting tired, and the stroller was a pain (can't take it into lots of the buildings and it's too low for her to see a bunch). But, I saw a couple there who had the hiking type child carriers with built in frames that looked like a much better option. So, I found a great one on Craigslist and am ready the next time we head to the zoo. The best part of picking up the carrier was that it was on the way to Nan's! So we got to hang out with the lovely Nan and head to The Fold! Tuesday was good.

Wednesday we got to hang out with the wonderful Jen and family!

In knitting news, I left my qiviut smoke ring outside in a camp chair while Margaret and I went on a walk with our neighbors. Later that day we had a torrential downpour, during which my knitting not only was soaked, but submerged. Luckily, Dave saved it (and squeezed, but did not wring the knitting -- good man) and I've been able to make progress since then.

The good part about the rain is the puddles:

The Owl That Ate Chicago!

2009-08-14T08:02:00.004-05:00

Rawr.

I finally finished it yesterday morning. Love it, it's so cute! And here are a couple pictures of the Hyrna Herborgar shawl I finished back at the beginning of June.

The one on the left is out of focus, but shows the color much better. I actually wore it out last night for a Stroller Fitness party, during which I stayed out too late, forgot I put my keys in the back pocket of my purse, talked too much and had a good time. The party was the end-of-the-contest party. The contest ran most of the summer; participants got points for classes attended, healthy recipes posts on the blog, trivia in class, weight and inches lost, etc. Even without taking a month and a half off due to foot surgery, I wouldn't have won, but I am proud to say I lost weight and 3 inches from my waist! Not that I'm done with any of it - as a matter of fact, even though I'd rather sleep (if Margaret would let me), I'm off to Stroller Fitness now.

This is not a post about Twittering

2009-08-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

I was going to write about how I don't Twitter, but it was stupid, so, I'll just say I don't. Except, that I read some, like Nathan Fillion's and Felicia Day's, for example, because they are good.

Anyway... as this is a knitting blog, I will make some knitting updates, because, yes, there have been some FOs recently! I know, try not to faint or anything. Thanks to Amy I had to make the Aestlight Shawl, especially when there are two sizes, one designed specifically with the yardage of Malabrigo Sock in mind. Did I write last summer about the free "sample" skein I got at Stitches Midwest (I put sample in quotes because while it wasn't in stores yet, and therefore was a sample, it was also the full 440 yards!)? Well, if I didn't, I got one just for the asking and the colorway was Solis and it is beautiful and had been waiting around for the perfect project and then that just hopped right onto my screen and bam. It is actually done. Oh, and my best friend growing up just had a baby girl (so cute!) and I made a hat for her, too. Two finished projects in a one month span! I might have my membership to the ADD club of America revoked. Except, probably not, because instead of working on some of the other projects I have started, I started a baby hat for a yet to be named recipient and a Flared Lace Smoke Ring in Royal Blue qiviut (so so yummy).

Today, we went to JoAnn's to pick up some safety eyes for the owl for Margaret and to take a bike ride to the Post Office to mail some stuff. My lovely neighbor sold us her bikes for very little, and I got an iBert seat for Margaret and now we can go riding. I had never seen a front mount seat before looking at options for child bike seats on Consumer Reports, but I love it. The balance is great and she can see what's going on and I can talk to her and hear her without turning around and crashing us both into a tree. In fact, on the ride home, she actually fell asleep.

When putting sunblock on Margaret today I accidentally sprayed some in her hair; that stuff is worse than hairspray. So, it's off to a bath. With foam letters and numbers, bath crayons, bubbles to blow, ducks, a book, and fill and spill cups she's loving her baths now!

Um.... yeah.

2009-07-13T16:38:00.001-05:00

I realize it has been quite a while since I've written anything here. The only time I can really think about what I want to say is when I'm trying to go to sleep at night, and well, the computer isn't near my bed ... therefore, no posting. So, this post is going to be a bullet post of stuff that's been going on, in no particular order.

My parents came to visit in June.
I had surgery on my right foot to remove a neuroma (that had been there for 15 years) while my parents were here. It made life so much easier to have their help with Margaret while I was immobilized!
A couple months ago I was putting sunscreen on Margaret, when she pointed to the D in the word KIDS on the tube and said, "D!"
Margaret recognizes D, I, M, O, E, P and sometimes T.
She also knows the numbers 1, 8, and sometimes 2, 4 and 5. Crazy!
My dad's sweater is stalled on the sleeves. When he came to visit, I had done some, and they were too narrow, so I frogged to the cuff (not too far) and started again from there. When I see him in a couple weeks I'll check my progress and continue.
My sister is getting married in less than 2 weeks and we're going to California for the wedding!
I knit most of the Short Jacket from Feminine Knits with some lovely brown wool my sister got me on the Aran Islands a few years ago. However, there is not enough for the collar, and I'm not sure there is enough of the dark green she got me, either, so it is on hold.
I got a cute Owl kit at Stitches last year and am finally working on it again after putting it down quite some time ago.
I started the Frost Flowers Jacket from Feminine Knits. I'm using Rowan's RYC Silk Wool DK and am in love. The pattern is the main reason I got the book, it is beautiful!
Margaret started the Children's Day Out Program at Knox Presbyterian this June. She has a fun time and likes to hug her friends.
We went to the Phillips Park Zoo today.
I want to shear the llama they have at the zoo. Do you think they get a lot of questions about how one could go about obtaining the hair?
We got a fence around our backyard July 1st! I love it, I can actually sit on the back deck and knit a bit while Margaret runs around and I don't have to worry that she'll run into the street.
We got Margaret a Grover doll that she is in love with. She walks around with "Gro-go" and talks to him. She also talks about him as we come downstairs first thing in the morning. She also likes The Count.
Dave and I got to go to a Cubs game with friends July 2nd. The friends live in So. Cal. and we hadn't seen them since they got married two years ago, so it was great to see them. The Cubs won that game with 4 HRs (including a grand slam by Derek Lee) so it was a really fun game to watch. And it was my first time at Wrigley. FUN!

Ok, so I think that was more than enough for now. I'd better go keep Margaret from climbing onto the kitchen table.

What is all this?

2009-05-14T10:27:00.008-05:00

What the heck am I doing with bamboo poles, newsprint, a yardstick and a print out to make a cone? Yup, I'm making Margaret a teepee. I looked online, but didn't see any patterns that were what I was looking for, so I'm making it up.

Here you can see the strips I'm cutting of rip-stop nylon. Those will be seamed lengthwise to make tubes to hold the bamboo poles. I've also make a pattern for the six sections of teepee. I've had this stuff for a few weeks, but this is the first time I've got up the nerve to cut the fabric. I tend to be a "cut first, figure it out as you go, sew on extra pieces if it's too small" kind of seamstress, but this time I'm planning ahead, and that makes me hesitant.

In knitting news, the sleeves for the sweater have been started, no pictures, it's boring, so far. But I now have photographic proof that the front and back are done, however, they are not blocked. In the close-up, you can see the braid cable on the right of the honeycomb is not quite as snug as the one on the left. The one on the right is the one I ripped back and worked back up. I am hoping with a little blocking you won't be able to tell. Now that I am looking at this picture, I can actually see how far I had to rip. It's the far right braid on the back. Knitters, I'll bet you can tell.

And now I've told you everything I can think of about any crafting I'm doing. I'll leave you with some Margaret chasing birds.

Recovery

2009-04-26T21:02:00.005-05:00

You can breathe now, the cable has been repaired. Needs a bit of blocking, but the back of the sweater has been fixed and bound off! Pictures to come.

In the meantime, have some Margaret fun.
Here she is trying to push one of the neighbor boys in her swing. He'd rather have his mom do it, though. No surprise, since Margaret isn't pushing him very high.

Here she is at the park before Stroller Fitness wearing an adorable dress my mom made for her; she's trying to figure out how to climb the "rock wall".

Jen was puppy-sitting this weekend, so we went to visit. Margaret loves dogs, cats, Jen and her daughters, so she was in hog heaven.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-21T10:34:00.006-05:00

Do you see it? To the right of the middle of the picture? "Maybe it's just a shadow," you think. A bit of fuzz?There it is. A miss-crossed cable. Way way way down. When did I notice it? Well, the only good thing was that it was before I bound off. RIGHT before I bound off. As in, I was counting some rows to make sure that I really was at the bind off row, and that's when I noticed.

So, what to do? I'm not about to leave it, so...

I am currently working the cable back up. Updates later. But in the meantime, I will leave you with a happy Margaret after playing with washable markers.

Yes, I put her full name. Why after all this time? Well, because I like her name and it's who she is and it's other places, so why not here?

There are reasons

2009-03-24T08:35:00.005-05:00

There are reasons I have posted much lately. This is ostensibly a knitting blog, yet there has been very little of that going on. Plus, M. had her first ear infection and I got sick and anyway, there you have it. She recovered quickly, I think I am getting sick again.

So, knitting. I've made some progress on my dad's sweater, and I will actually be going to knitting at Wool and Company this Friday because D.'s mom is going to come watch M. There might be visible progress for me to show you.

In M. news, she has cut some of her sixth tooth, and it's a molar. She going completely out of order, but she likes to do things her way. She also walked up a step for the first time a couple weeks ago. It was shallow, so that made it easier. She likes to walk around like Godzilla; I think she's practicing for steps on flat ground. First haircut was Sunday. Looks a bit less like a ragamuffin. She sat pretty still for it. My mom asked if I had cut it. Hahhahahaha. No.

She likes her hard hat.

Pre-haircut, notice the wisps at the ears.

Post-haircut. Shorter wisps.

Strange child

2009-03-03T18:08:00.002-06:00

Today, M. actually took two naps. She was tired enough after our trip to Trader Joe's to go down again, she just wasn't quite aware how tired she was, I think. She sat in her crib for a while sucking her thumb and cuddling her bear, and when she fell asleep, she just leaned forward. It didn't look comfy at all, but I don't disturb sleeping babies.

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-03-02T16:36:00.003-06:00

If she looks serious, it's because she's wishing her daddy a seriously happy birthday :)

Ok, maybe not every day

2009-02-27T15:07:00.003-06:00

If I wrote a new post everyday, you'd stop reading because it would get really dull. You don't want to hear the minute details of stroller fitness from yesterday and today or a word-for-word account of our playgroup. Suffice it to say we had fun at everything (except remembering to wear a sports bra today would have been good).
In this picture you can see all 5 of her teeth.

Car stuff sucks

2009-02-25T12:46:00.005-06:00

Suffice it to say, ugh. But, at least we're at home again instead of waiting for a few hours at the dealership. Although, in the shuttle back to our house, M. fell asleep, so it'll be a while before she takes a nap.

There is my promised picture of my dad's sweater progress. It's coming along nicely, but I'll be glad to have it done.
M. loves to not only look at picture books, but flip through my books while talking. It's pretty hilarious. She's doing a lot of talking, most of it we can't understand, but occasionally she'll say a word or two that we understand. However, she doesn't repeat them too often. The other day she was nursing and I thought she was done, so I put her down and she started crying. I told her, "If you aren't done, just say, 'not done.'" So she kind of yelled/cried, "Not do-o-o-o-o-ne." It was pretty funny.Oh, and if anyone is interested, I'm doing a small destash (mostly cotton). It's nice stuff, but cotton and I have issues.

Fat Tuesday Fun

2009-02-24T10:58:00.003-06:00

Although I'm not really Catholic, for Lent this year I will be giving up a bit of nap time each day to bring you a new post. It won't be long, just whatever fits in 15 minutes. That way D. can get his daily M. update while he's at work.

I know it's been quite a while since I've written, so let me give you a quick update:

M. had surgery on February 12 to clear her blocked tear duct. It went really well and there have been no problems at all since then.
I started stroller fitness the week before that. I thought it would be mall speed walking. Um, no. It's a real workout, which I need. Nice people, too.
My parents and my sister came to visit last week. We didn't do too much exciting, just hung around playing with M. and organizing the house. It was wonderful to have them all here.
There is visible progress on my dad's sweater, I'll post a picture tomorrow.
I fixed a couple holes in a 2x2 ribbed hat for my mom. I've never mended my knitting before, so I was rather proud. If the yarn wasn't a slightly brighter red you never would have known there had been an issue. I also fixed a hole in the garter edging of a shawl of mine.

I'll end with a couple pictures of M. enjoying her (and my) books:

2009-01-15T12:19:00.017-06:00

Those are the mittens I knit dyeing in Kool-Aid.

Um, and if you tilt your head you can see M. wearing the finished product. Did I show you this already? No matter.

And that is the cowl I made for her to wear with her pink hat. The mitts are Eco-wool on small needles, the cowl is Malabrigo worsted.

The pink felt is the lining to one of the hats. Love that picture.

And here is is wearing the tall Seussian pink hat.

My Knuck.

The orange hat after being lined. Love this picture, too.

Here she is giving kisses from near the Christmas tree. She gives air kisses all the time. She also loves Eskimo kisses; she thinks they are pretty funny.

Here is Mirabelle, I finally finished her to put her under the tree for M. for Christmas. And M. seems to like her, although Mirabelle is a little bit for her to carry her around really easily.

Apparently we are raising a small Mussolini, hopefully without the raging Fascist tendencies. She likes to orate, throwing hands and fists in the air to punctuate the yells. Or, if in her high chair, she'll pound the tray for emphasis.

M. figured out her sippy cup the day after Christmas. She had been working on it a bit, but really got it then and as you can see, she was pretty happy with herself.

Also during the break, M. started giving me toys to hold (D. also, but only one of us at a time). She contemplates which toys to have us hold, will rearrange them on us, step back, take one or all away, put others back or start over. It's like you're an installation piece. Hilarious to watch.

Goodnight, "Goodnight Moon"

2009-01-12T15:30:00.000-06:00

This post was originally written 17 December 2008. Look for actual new stuff later this week. Thanks. And pictures, there will be pictures.

Last week, while D. was traveling for work, I realized that M. is now sick of "Goodnight Moon". While getting her ready for bed early in the week she got cranky when I grabbed the book off the shelf; so, I just recited it to her while she nursed. Well, on Thursday, during the diaper change/putting on pajamas part of bedtime, I was telling her that we were going to read a book, and she signed book and seemed really excited... but when I grabbed "Goodnight Moon" off the shelf she got cranky. So, I picked another book and she settled down and we read the new book. HOLY CRAP! I really had no idea that kids would get sick of things like that, let alone that she'd let me know. So, now we are reading an assortment of new books.

In knitting news that isn't (because it's sewing) I made the linings for her hats and sewed them in. I had to re-block the Dwarven Football helmet, because when I blocked it to make a pattern for the liner, I lined up the ear flaps, but that made a strange bump in the front.

In actual knitting news, I finished the first Knuck (except for the weaving in of ends). I really am enjoying making these! I wish I had started making these sooner, they are really great! I love the textured cuff. The only reason I haven't made these before was that I was afraid they'd be too fiddly with all the fingers and worried they wouldn't fit. The part that took the longest was the crab stitch to finish it off. Something about a small hook and dark yarn that got splitty (but wasn't splitty while knitting).

Knitted Christmas Stocking

2008-12-11T21:20:00.001-06:00

Last year, before the Bean was born, I decided to make him/her a stocking for Christmas. I was going to design it and it was going to be colorful Fair Isle with a corrugated rib cuff. I got as far as the cuff before I put it down. I couldn't quite figure out what I wanted to do, so I put it down. When M. came, there wasn't a whole lot of time for silly things like knitting, and since she was going to be not quite a month and a half old at Christmas, I didn't think she'd notice.

Skip forward to this fall. I started thinking about the stocking again. This time, however, I decided to make the Scandinavian Stocking with no variations (other than yarn substitution and color). To do a really nice Fair Isle from scratch would be much easier with some sort of knitting design software, to fool about with the colors. I could knit swatches, yes, but, no, not going to happen.

So, I started knitting and I thought a bit about yarn dominance. What that means is thinking about which color pops in two-color knitting. What you want is for the pattern to show up sharply against the background color, and it's just a matter of which yarn comes from below (since one will when you are knitting with two colors). This site has a great description and even has pictures. Since I hadn't checked out that site for a while, I had gotten which yarn would be dominant mixed up in my head. The great thing is, after only a couple rows I could tell my pattern didn't look great, so I came down to the computer to check, and sure enough, my pattern color was coming over the top of the background color (the wrong way). So, I ripped the couple rounds I did (without taking pictures) and worked them again, and what do you know ... it looks so much better. It was worth a few ripped rows to see the theory in action in my own work.

She still won't have a stocking this year, but I don't think she'll notice.

Checked out the new Knitty and was impressed, there were four patterns that I immediately put in my Ravelry queue. That doesn't even include the sock patterns, which I like, but who are we kidding.

I've finished knitting the Aethelwyne mittens for M., but now I can't find my needles to sew in the ends. Silly, I know, but as soon as I can get them sewn in, I can dye them with the lemon-lime Kool-Aid I bought.

I started a pair of Knucks for myself because as I was sitting at the computer, I realized I was cold, specifically my hands. A picture will come when there is something worth showing. I have finished the fingers and joined them. The next time I make a pair (I am enjoying them) I'm going to do the joining on two circular needles instead of two double points... it's rather akward.

Oh, and here's a fun thing, I won a contest on La's blog and got the prize in the mail on Saturday. What a way to perk up a day! Not only did she send a skein of her Dizzy Blonde yarn, which is deliciously soft and beautiful, but all sorts of other goodies! Yummy lavender rosemary soap, bath fizzies, a Dizzy Blonde tape measure, and a pretty card! And last but not least, a zombie sheep! Not only are the eyes a little odd, but it has a thing in it that is supposed to sound like a sheep "baa-ing" and is really creepy and I LOVE it! M. was a little creeped out at first, but as you can see, she has overcome her aversion to the zombie.
In other M. news, her signing is just improving by leaps and bounds! Just this morning she signed "banana". And she's walking amazingly well, even in the new size 5 (which is a little big) snowboots she has. The cutest thing (ok, they are all the cutest) is that she will give air kisses... making a little fish face and smacking. I melt.

UPDATE: I found my darning needles!

LP Cover Meme

2008-11-23T09:06:00.008-06:00

Saw this on Melissa's blog and thought it was too fun to pass up. To make the cover you need photo editing software... Or just list your results. The photo came from ~buzzybee~'s photos on Flicker.

Step 1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The name of the article is the name of your band.

Step 2
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the last quote is the name of your album.

Step 3
http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third image, from left to right, is your cover art.

Fun, eh? I might decide to have many bands and albums.

Ok, so here's the Ninja Bean:And here is her showing voting pride:
In knitting news, I'm making progress on the Beaded Shawl in the latest Vogue Knitting and on my dad's sweater. No pictures of either because unblocked lace is a mess, and the sweater hasn't changed except there is more of it to see. I also finished a scarf for my mom I started years ago. There was a limited amount of yarn (I dyed it at a fiber fair a couple years ago), so it's a short scarf that you'd wear under a coat. I'm hoping a wash will soften it, otherwise my mom might want to line one side of it, because it's not really soft (and considering she finds cashmere itchy...).

Really, a year?

2008-11-18T18:25:00.008-06:00

Saturday was a year.

She started out like this:
And now she's walking and signing and "talking".

Oh, and the birthday sweater? It got finished and blocked and she wore it and looked adorable.

(In the next post we'll go back and see her Halloween costume and what she wore to vote).

D'oh!

2008-10-30T09:05:00.001-05:00

Did I say something about a prize Monday? Yes? Well, ok, so it's Thursday and I PM'd Amy that she won. Guess her liking purple affected the random number generator.

Ok, not feeling very blog chatty, but wanted to give you that update and to thank everyone for their birthday wishes. Had a very nice weekend. Here are pictures.

Stay until the end, there will be a prize

2008-10-23T00:10:00.001-05:00

Holy moly! It's almost my birthday and I think this might be my first post in October. Where did the time go?

Ok, so quick recap:
Went to Yarn Con with Jen (it didn't rain!) and her youngest and had a great time. Got a great print from F ranklin (um, it's not on his Etsy site, but it's cool). Also got a couple of skeins of Sophie's T oes for Helena in Crimson for M's birthday (more on that later). Got a couple things for my Rubbernecker swap-ee.

Got great things from my Rubbernecker swapper (not the same person to whom I sent stuff). Don't believe me, check out all the goodies on the right. That beautiful Fiddlesticks pattern is just right for the laceweight she sent, but I need to find the perfect scarf pattern for the Peace Fleece sock yarn (because I just don't love doing socks).

What else? M is almost walking, she loves holding onto my (or anyone's) fingers and walking around. She can do "Touchdown" and loves to clap and point at things. For a while she seemed to forsake waving for clapping, but will now do both. She is also wearing hats again, which is good since it's getting colder here.

Ok, so this is (at least in theory) a knitting blog, right? And I think I mentioned above something about M's birthday sweater. Well, I bought Sophie's Toes to make it because, YUM! In doing so, however, I disregarded the yarn requirements of the pattern (Helena) which specifically stated DK weight... Sophie's Toes, being sock yarn (get it?) is fingering weight, so instead of 5.5 stitches per inch I was getting 7. Even if I had done the pattern in its largest size, it would have fit M now, and I want it to be a bit big so she can grow into it. So, after trying to work out the maths, D suggested that maybe I should just go get yarn that worked. So, without further ado, I headed up to Wool and Co. to get DK weight yarn. I looked at Jojoland Rhythm, but in the end, picked Artyarns Ultramerino 6 because it was a hot pink that was just too pretty to pass up (pictures later). The sweater is now coming along very nicely. And I'm thinking the Sophie's Toes might have to become the beaded shawl in the Fall 2008 Vogue Knitting.

I also made M. an earflap hat. I don't know what the yarn is, but it is soft. I didn't love it in the skein, but when it was wound into a ball, it got lots prettier... weird. Anyway, there is no pattern, I made it up as I went, lots of ripping on the crocheted part to get it how I wanted. I used a crochet cast-on where you crochet over a knitting needle; then I knit up a few rows. After I had given the edge a little room, I went back down and crocheted the bottom; then went back to the top to finish knitting. I think it turned out pretty cute and alternates between looking like an old-time football helmet and a dwarf battle helmet. Got some fleece to line it and a ribbon to sew to the earflaps so she keeps it on better. Haven't done that yet, though.

Started another earflap hat for her in Malabrigo... but I'm thinking I might start over with a different pattern because I don't feel like working worsted Malabrigo on size 4 needles. Will probably line that one, too.

I started knitting a small blanket from yarn left over from a baby project I started years ago (twice) but hated. I thought I just hated making baby pants, but now that I'm working the blanket, I realize I hate the yarn. Today, I decided, the heck with it, and I will be rescuing my needles from splitty, squeaky ass-crylic hell and throwing away the yarn.

Wow, I should really go to bed, but first, the prize. Since I'm turning 30 this Friday (technically tomorrow, now) I will give away some yarn. How about two skeins of Cascade Sassy Stripes sock yarn. That'll get you a cute kicky pair of socks. Or, if you like cotton, I have cotton yarn you can have, nice cotton, just cotton doesn't like me knitting with it. Your choice. Winner decided by random number pull. On Monday. I know it's not that exciting, but, a little free yarn never hurt, right?

A trip down the Fox

2008-09-22T11:35:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we went on a Knitting Cruisette up and down the Fox River with Wool and Company. If you'd like pictures, go see Lynette; I brought my camera, but forgot to take any pictures. Anyway, it was postponed from the previous Sunday because of the torrential rains we had. The river was still high, but it was a beautiful sunny and warm day; perfect day to be out on the river. And, it was M.'s first boat trip! She seemed to enjoy herself, although she wouldn't keep her sun hat on... she used to be good about it.

In knitting news, I am still working on my dad's birthday sweater. The back now has progressed beyond the first skein, so that is new progress. I'll take it up to the arm holes, then work on the front. Since I'm adjusting the pattern so much (making set-in sleeves where there were drop-shoulders) I think it's best if I do both sides at the same time.

In non-knitting news, please click on the dragon eggs in my sidebar... little guys need some love.

And, since it's been lovely out, here's a picture of M. on the swings at the park:

Time flies

2008-09-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

I happened to get a very nice comment on my last post today. Knifty Red gave me an award:

Isn't that sweet? It really made my day so much better! So, here are the rules:

Post the award on your blog (done)
Add a link to the person who gave you the award (done, go check out her blog!)
Nominate 4 others and leave comments on their blogs so they can pass it on.

So, here are my nominations:

KnitterSue is a prolific knitter Down Under with a couple of lovely children. Also a complete sweetheart.

Dyed in the Wool is a knitter and designer who battles M.E. and still produces beautiful things and is fun to read!

djennerosity is a knitter and spinner who I actually know in person and is a kick to hang out with (also fun are her adorable daughters). I love her posts.

Licensed2Knit is a knitter and sewer and I love reading her posts because I don't get to see her as much as I used to.

Now, I know I promised you Stitches fun. Well, it's been a while, so here is a short summary:

Shirtless men handed out little samples of SWTC and temporary tattoos.
Wool and Co. had a lovely booth, and were nice enough to let me sit in the corner to nurse M.
Webs had a huge booth with lots of goodies.
Toni from The Fold was there with a lot of goodies.
I got a free skein of Malabrigo's new sock yarn that will be available in the US in October, just for the asking.
Habu also had so many cool things.
I went with Jen and so it rained, of course. Just to warn you all, we will be going to Yarn Con on October 4, so it will rain then. It will be inside, though, so no worries.

We had a very nice time. Going to yarn events with Jen is guaranteed to be fun.

Speaking of rain, however, it can stop any time it would like. We've had a really rainy weekend... 6" in the Chicagoland area, which is a record for one day.

In M. news, she's practicing standing by standing up without support for a few And she's figured out how to get back down the steps into the family room on her own. And she's started pointing at the pictures of herself that come up on the screen saver. M. has also realized that if she holds something in her mouth, she can still bring it with her, but can crawl more easily than whenseconds at a time. it is in her hand... she looks a bit like Fido! She also loves to push the lid off the storage ottoman to rip out the diapers. As soon as I put them back in and put the lid on, she's back at them pulling them out and shaking them around!

We had a nice time at Wool and Co. this Friday. You can see her hanging out with the wonderfully funny Carol, who held her for a while so I could get some knitting in. She's been teething, but Jen and Nan were also able to calm her down.

Alrighty, that's all for now. Thanks for reading!

M. Likes Broccoli!

2008-08-27T11:25:00.004-05:00

I gave M. broccoli last night for the first time. I had steamed some and gave her little bits and not only did she try it, but she liked it and had seconds! I was truly amazed ... I only eat broccoli because I know I should because it is good for me. She also had some corn and brown rice. This morning it was Cheerios and cherries. I am so lucky that so far she is a very good eater.

Ok, so you'd like to know about my Olympic fail? Here goes:

For my dad's birthday, I decided to make Alice Starmore's Na Craga for him. We picked out the yarn (Cascade 220) before I found the right pattern, though, so the gauge wasn't the same. Also, the sweater, as designed, is drop shouldered and baggy, not the look my dad goes for... he's 5'8", baggy just isn't good. So, I figured with that in mind, I would just start knitting the smallest size and work up to the arm holes (where I was going to make a modified drop sleeve) and then see how that fit him when I went to visit in August. So, I worked on the sweater for a while. I started thinking, at some point, that it might be a little small. So, with a new ball of yarn, I started knitting again, but the next size up. I finished that skein of yarn and took both the pieces to California.

Oh, I started at the very beginning with a sleeve, but the increases were too rapid in the pattern, so instead of dealing with it, I decided to wait to do the sleeves until the front and back were done.

Apparently, I think my dad is about the size of a 16 year old boy. Maybe I think he's 18. Anyway, the point is that both the smaller and medium sized "swatches" I did were too small. By a lot. Ugh. So, I did some figuring and some calculating based on these pieces I did. I decided I would just add more side panel repeats since they were not so dense and would be more flattering than adding more cable-y repeats. Figured out what I should be casting on and started knitting, ripping out the medium size as I knit.

I should point out that somewhere in there the Ravelympics sign ups happened and I signed up for WIP (Work in Progress) Wrestling for Team Rubberneckers. The rules stated that for other projects the only thing you could knit of your item before the opening ceremonies was a gauge swatch. It was around the time of the opening ceremonies that I discovered that what I had knit really was just a gauge swatch, and the WIP Wrestling wasn't really where I belonged, but that was ok, I would plow forward.

So, I knit and knit the new size. As I was knitting, I took a look at it and thought, gee, it's kind of big. But, considering I had thought the other size was just fine and it was too small, I thought I just had a skewed idea of size; I continued knitting. When I almost finished that first skein (again), I still thought it might be a little big, so I got out the tape measure and lo and behold, it was too big. In my calculations, I had forgotten that the side panels that had fewer stitches to the inch, which is precisely why they were less dense. I needed to drop a repeat on each side. Grrr.

Once again, I casted on and knit; this time there was enough of the skein left that I could do a couple repeats of the ribbing before taking the old panel off the needles and ripping back. There was a little more fussing and such, but now, well after the Olympics are over, I'm on my way to a sweater of the right size.

The Na Craga is a drop saddle shoulder, which, as I have mentioned was not ideal. I had planned on doing a modified-drop saddle, however, in Ann Budd's book of sweater patterns, her saddle shoulder is worked on a set in sleeve! It is perfect, and the side panels will be easy to make work with a set in sleeve.

Sorry, I don't even know if that made sense. Here's a picture of the Bean to make up for it:

And Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Yarn Stores in California

2008-08-25T13:35:00.003-05:00

I know I'm behind on posts, because after this one, I've got to post about Stitches Midwest. Also, I've been back from California for a week and a half.

We got out to my parents' on a Saturday, and the next Saturday, M. and I went with my mom on her usual trip to the Farmers' Market. We met up with friends my mom meets there most Saturdays and headed to La Bou for breakfast and chatting. When I mentioned yarn shops, one of them said to go to Babetta's Yarn and Gifts, that it was really nice. So, of course I had to go.

My mom and I went on a Monday afternoon and noticed a sign that announced that Babetta's coffee shop would be coming soon. A coffee shop in the same corner shops that had been there for many years had recently closed and she was getting the permitting required to help fill the void, not just for knitters, but everyone, which I thought was not only a good business idea, but very nice. Anyway, the store: SO MUCH YARN!!! Now, as I have mentioned, Wool and Company is my favorite LYS. They have a really large selection, which is only one of the reasons I like it so much. Babetta's has more. Lots. They have more room and just tons of yarn, and even fiber to make yarn. And books. And did I mention the yarn? Babetta herself is such a kind person, if I lived near there, it would be my LYS of choice. The only criticism I had, and it is minor, is that is was a bit disheveled; although I have to say, that considering she is trying to make room for a coffee shop, it wasn't bad. There is yarn everywhere, and a nice seating area for you to peruse the books or sit and knit. I only ended up getting a little fiber, though. I got this beautiful blue mix of wool, silk, alpaca, Angelina and who knows what else, hand carded by a woman in Nebraska (I couldn't get a picture that showed the depth of the color). But, it is not for me. I also got this cultivated silk... look at that sheen. So pretty.

That Wednesday we all took a trip up to Grass Valley. Fibers gave out a free bag pattern on Earth Day, and I wanted to see the shop it came from. It's in the downtown of Grass Valley, which is quite cute. The shop itself isn't very big, but it has nice yarn and the woman helping me was really very sweet. She had a hard copy of the pattern and showed me what yarns would be good for it. It is actually three string bag patterns on one page, and the best thing (having been to the Farmers' Market in Naperville) is the bags have two handles. I got some K1C2 2nd-Time Cotton to make at least one of the bags. I have two beige skeins, so I might do a two color thing. I also got four skeins of Frog Tre e sport weight alpaca. Loved the color, thought M. needed some sort of sweater/dress out of this yarn. The last purchase was a little itty-bitty hand-dyed, handspun souvenir skein as a goody for someone.

After Fibers, we went to Fabrics on Mill Street, which, in case you are there and do any sort of sewing, is a beautiful open bright shop with great customer service, lots of patterns, and a good selection of fabrics, including fashion fabrics.

Before we went home, we had lunch, but I can't remember the name of the restaurant. We ate outside on the patio, which was great, except for the flies. M. liked my french fries (and my dad's avacado and chicken), and even at the lemon we gave her.
She did make the shivery-body-lemon-face, but continued eating it. Silly girl :)

Oh, and here is the family portrait of the animals that did not come to California with us, but did follow us home:
And I just realized that I still didn't tell you about my Olympic fail. Tomorrow. Really. Then Stitches.

Happy Flu

2008-08-23T13:17:00.001-05:00

Saw it on Rabbitch's site...

Long time no see

2008-08-20T22:49:00.002-05:00

I know, I've neglected this poor blog. I have reasons, though. Well, I have a reason: we were on vacation. I didn't want to say anything ahead of time ... nothing like announcing, "Hey, our house will be empty!" Not that there are a lot of thieves reading this, let alone thieves who can tell where I live; but I decided it might be best, anyway.

So, where were we? California! We went out to visit my parents, D. and M. and I all flew first class (thank you for the four trips to Alaska he had to make for work) . First class is the way to go, especially with a child in your lap. D. stayed a week, M. and I stayed almost a week longer, even though I had to fly back with her by myself. Although, she was amazing on the planes. She was happy and hardly noticed the pressure changes.

We pretty much took it easy while we were there, D. was able to relax and even had time to read a couple books. We went to a couple wineries up in the foothills one of the days. The Friday we were there, my mom watched the Bean and D. and I actually went to see a movie! The last movie we saw in the theater was the Harry Potter movie that came out last summer. We went to see The Dark Knight. Very good, creepy, but well done. Violent, but not bloody. I quite enjoyed it.

We also took a trip to the Sacramento Zoo. For a small zoo, it's nice. M. liked the tigers; we were able to see them up close. She also enjoyed the lemurs and monkeys. The orangutan at the zoo is hilarious; it was sitting around for a while, then got up and got a burlap sac of sorts and started playing around with it, as if, "Well, guess it's time for the 11am show." My dad took some pretty great pictures of it. The zoo no longer has elephants (I think they decided the elephants needed more room than they had), but they do have red pandas. The last time D. and I were they they were quite active, this time they were sleeping, but you can see one over her shoulder in the picture below of M. as an intrepid nature photographer.

We also took M. to the beach at Point Reyes. I have no pictures, only video, and not much of that because M. was tired and when trying to crawl in the sand, took a face plant. This did not amuse her and she was annoyed at the sand after that. My dad, on assignment from me, dipped her toes into the Pacific. She wasn't fond of that either, I blame her needing a nap ... and more time at the beach to learn to love it. It was a beautiful day, though, and a lot of people brought their horses to ride around Point Reyes, so she did enjoy seeing the horses. After getting back home, she crawled over to her high chair and stood up holding it for 15 minutes, just happy not to be in her car seat.

Since getting back, she has turned 9 months: 28.5 inches tall, 19 lbs 3 oz, and as of today 2 teeth!

Next installment will include my two yarn store trips and my Ravelry Olympic fail.

Thursday already!?

2008-07-24T20:33:00.001-05:00

Saturday started early... like leaving the house at 6:30am early. I know that is not a time most people would consider leaving on a Saturday, and usually, I would agree, but this was a special occasion. The second annual Midwest Folk & Fiber Fair was the ultimate destination, and we all know, fiber is worth it.

So, we got up and left and got to Jen's just after 7am, picked up Jen and her lovely daughters and headed up to Nan's. At the house of Nan, we had some really yummy sticky buns made by her husband, met Carla and headed over to the fair around 9am.

Now, last year, the fair was held outside at a park. There were three big tents and one small tent with all the vendors. It opened on Friday morning. I guess there was stuff going on inside a park building, but I didn't go to that part. This year, it was held on McHenry County College campus, so it was only open Friday from 6-9pm because the school had classes during the day. This year the vendors were not in one location, but all over, from a gym, to the hallways, to an area outside. I preferred the feel and the set up of the previous year, I also liked being able to go during the day Friday. However, I did have a nice time with my friends... we got to eat lunch with Dee and Kimberly, and saw a lot of other friends, some of whom I met through Ravelry! And, the one bonus, this year they had alpacas, but I forgot my camera, so go to Dee's blog to see pictures. They sounded just like M when she babbles, and when she heard them "talking" she "talked" back!

But, what did I get? I'll tell you this upfront, I got no yarn. I went the fiber route and only got stuff to spin, and earrings. And I took pictures of that! On the right here we have the earring. The woman who made them is super nice, and she makes some really cool jewelry using old knitting needles. Nan got a lovely bracelet. You can find her on Etsy here. I figure I can wear these earrings in a year or two, whenever M stops playing with my ears.

In the same booth, Gale Evans of Gale's Art was selling her fiber. I got three 4oz ... skeins? bundles? whatever of her fiber. She had her normal colorways, and then potluck colors, which are dyed with the leftovers from the regulars. Up first, my two potluck grabs:

Both the potlucks are Corridale Cross rovings. I just think they are so pretty.

I also got this:
This is Black Bluefaced Leicester wool dyed in the Deep Blue Sea Colorway.The colors just look so deep on black wool. Jen got the same colorway over white wool and it's a completely different look... much more like my second potluck "skein".

When we got to the fair, my plan was to look at everything first, then go back to buy my goodies after seeing it all... after all, I had a budget and was trying to be good. Here is what broke that plan:It is 4 oz of a 50/50 silk/wool blend by Creatively Dyed Yarn. The dyer is on Ravelry, but I can't remember her name or anything. I do remember she was really really nice and had lots of really pretty stuff. I just couldn't let anyone else get this while I was still checking out other things.

My last fiber purchase was a Blue Face Leicester top at Miss Babs Hand-dyed Fiber Goods. She had all sorts of beautiful yarns, but when I saw this top, I knew it must be mine. It looks like an iris and is so soft!

The only other thing I got was a Wraps Per Inch gauge at the Weaver's Loft. If I'm going to be spinning all this stuff, I need to know a bit about the finished product, right?

I can't start spinning any of it until I finish up what is on the wheel... it could be a while.

In other news, did I mention the inkle loom my mom sent me? Well, I finally got it out and got a book at the library, and last night, I warped it with EL Cotton Patine. I started weaving, but haven't gotten far and will take out what I've done and start over. I'm going to use my WPI gauge as a beater. I think I'll use it as a bag strap on an as yet to be made bag. It's fun stuff. I've wanted to do this for at least a decade.

Yesterday we had Jen and her great girls over for a tea party. I got out the teacups from my grandmothers and baked scones and cookies. Um, diet? Where did you go? Come back now. Anyway, Jen helped me get started on the head of the doll for M. That's the head stuffing in one of the teacups. It's now at the required 10.5 inches, so, I guess another tea party is in order to work on the rest of the body! I'd better abstain from eating this time. Now, Jen has made many of these Waldorf-style dolls, so her wool heads are firm just with wrapping the wool around. Mine, not so much, so I used needle felting to help achieve proper firmness. You don't want the head to get squished... that's just disturbing.

I know, long post, and where's M?
Sleeping.

In which we visit My Eclectic Mess

2008-07-17T21:01:00.001-05:00

I won! A couple posts down I mentioned that Working Mom Knits was having a drawing ... well, I won! I never win things, so this was most exciting! What did I win? Thank you for asking:
This lovely little package came in the mail:and it contained:
Isn't that cute? And it has all sorts of 3-D elements, like the flowers and rocks by the front door, etc. It is fun and bright and I'm going to put it up in M's room.

Tuesday was M's 8 month birthday! And Monday, her first tooth popped through the gum! It's funny to watch her move her tongue around feeling this new thing in her mouth. She hasn't stopped chewing things, but seems to be less intense about it for the moment.

So, our house (or at the very least family room and kitchen) have become gate central. We put a gate up across the front of the family room, and because she can crawl up the stairs, a gate in each kitchen exit (without its own door). She loves following me into the kitchen, and although she made it down the stairs twice in one day, she hasn't attempted it since. She will instead "pace" like a caged tiger in front of the step. She loves having new territory to explore. Luckily, we haven't had to do too much baby proofing to the kitchen, there were two little boys who lived here before, and their parents had done most of it and left it. All I've had to do is keep the floor clean.

She seems to have figured out the eating thing. She swallows most of what she puts in her mouth now, and it is so fun to watch her eat. Today she tried cherries and grapes for the first time. D actually asked if I had removed the pits. Silly, of course I did. And I didn't give her whole grapes, either. I'm giving her chunks of food, but I'm not trying to choke her or anything. She really liked the cherries. I got them at the new Whole Foods near us; went today to have samples for lunch!

Oh, and speaking of going to new places, if you are in the Chicago-land area, you must visit My Eclectic Mess. Beth has a great shop in a cute old house. It has all sorts of fun goodies from fabric and patterns, to unusual scrapbooking supplies to needle felting kits. She has classes there, as well. M enjoyed crawling around there and hanging with Beth and her adorable daughter E, and I enjoyed myself immensely, as well. Seriously, get your tush over there.

This weekend we're going to the Midwest Folk and Fiber Fair. I was hoping to go Friday like I did last year, but this year they open Friday at 6pm, so instead, we are getting up at dawn to head up there with Jen and her lovely daughters. I hope it's as fun as last year!

Almost forgot, thanks to Jen, I was inspired to make a Waldorf-type doll for M, so I got a kit and have been hand-sewing the pieces of the body. It's not perfect stitching, but it's been nice, and I think M will enjoy it (she seemed to like the one Jen was working on).

House rattling thunder

2008-07-10T15:58:00.002-05:00

M. and I have been enjoying our outings with the Meetup group of moms we joined. Today we headed to a park in downtown Naperville. It was overcast and warm and humid, but M. had fun in the swings and we had a nice time. I'm just glad it was a morning thing, because now ... we've got major thunder and rain. We need the rain, though. It got a little dry last week, D. didn't even need to mow the lawn over the weekend. And my new bushes could use the help. I just wish rain would wash away mosquitoes.

I've been working on knitting. I didn't finish the front of the Na Craga for my dad, but I started the back, in the next size up. My gauge wasn't the same as called for in the pattern (and never would be with the yarn I'm using), and my dad wouldn't wear a sweater as baggy as the picture, so I chose the smallest size to start. However, after working on it, I think the next size up might be better, after all, he wouldn't wear a muscle sweater, either. But, before ripping the smaller front, we're trying out the next size with another piece. I like to think of it as working a really large gauge swatch.

Oh, and if you look at my buttons to the right, you will see that I joined the Ravelry Olympics for Team Rubbernecker. Awesome group of (mostly) ladies. My event is the WIP Wrestling in which I will be wrestling Na Craga into (with luck) submission.

Anyway, I don't have pictures of the Na Craga because there isn't anything really picture-worthy going on. But, I do have pictures of some little ducks/chicks I've made for M. It's a cute pattern by MarjorieCrochets on Craftster. On the right is the first one I did, in a bulky leftover baby-melting acrylic. I did the beak as suggested, and it is more duck-like. I did french knots for the eyes because I didn't want to mess with even safety eyes for M. Also, I crocheted it so tightly that I wouldn't be able to fit the posts of the eyes in through the fabric. I stuffed it with plastic bags so it would make noise when she squished it ... it only makes a little itty-bitty bit of noise. The one on the left is made with various small amounts of yarn from a yarn tasting we did at Dee's last retreat. I modified the beak to be more chick-like, but kept the french knot eyes. There wasn't as much light when I took that picture, hence the "You caught me red-handed" look of the whole thing.

Oh, and I hope all my American readers had a really lovely Fourth (and I hope my international ones did, as well, even though you weren't celebrating). We had a great time with D.'s family. His brother came in from Seattle and we all watched M. crawl around. We all walked to the park in their neighborhood and watched her swing, which she loved. Best of all, none of the fireworks in our neighborhood woke her up! So I leave you with a picture of her enjoying the day in her patriotic (and it must be said), cute little dress. Too bad you can't see the little red and blue heart on it in this picture.

Walking to stop Breast Cancer

2008-07-02T17:04:00.003-05:00

In a previous post I mentioned Homesteadmom (Ravelry) is walking in the Philidelphia 3-Day to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I would like to mention another wonderful lady, the vicious chicken who is walking the Bristol SunWalk for Walk the Walk: Uniting Against Breast Cancer. Give to one, give to both, please, give what you can so we can stop losing wonderful people. I thank you, and M. thanks you:

And if that isn't enough... Homesteadmom is raffling yarn prizes (1 entry for every $5 donated) and Working Mom Knits is giving away prizes, as well.

Crawling --> Climbing --> ?

2008-07-01T09:27:00.003-05:00

So, last week she started to crawl. I could tell from the beginning that this was not enough for her. She kept putting one foot on the ground in a first sort of attempt to stand. It made her a little off balance when she crawled along, but this did not deter her. On Sunday, she decided she needed to actually stand. She decided that the baby piano would be the perfect thing to use to pull up on. It is not very heavy and not built for it at all, but she did it anyway. As a reward for her hard work, she found something new to chew on. Then, Sunday, as D and I watched (and I hovered behind to make sure she didn't fall backwards) she crawled up the two steps from the family room to the kitchen. It was so exciting to watch her figure out that she needed to get her knee up. "It's like watching evolution!" said D. The next step is to keep the floors of the kitchen immaculate and get gates for the doorways out of the kitchen. I just wish we could replace the tile floors in the kitchen with cork floors.

In knitting news, I'm almost done with a test knit and I finished Odessa. I think my head form is in the basement, so Harold did the modeling duties. I did not add the beads because this is a chemo cap for Sue's SIL. It is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, so it should be nice and soft. I purchased a second skein as insurance, and as I did not need it, that will become another Odessa chemo cap, this time for one of my mom's friends. Some day I will make an Odessa with beads, it is a lovely hat and works up quite quickly and easily.

I will leave you with a happy note:

The Harlot made it to Chicago!

2008-06-26T09:31:00.005-05:00

ETA: Support this worthy cause: a fellow knitter, Raveler, and all around awesome woman is walking the Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-Day. Please help if you can!

Yes, that would be the Bean (thanks to Nan for the picture since I'm a bad blogger and forgot my camera). She's wearing a little onesie I made for her that says "Knit Happens" And shoes that are too big for her feet, but fit around the ankles. You can see her second outfit of the day on Stephanie's blog (scroll down). I had a wonderful time, drove down with Jen and her wonderful daughter, C. We met the irrepressible Nan at Nana's to hang out. Tricia and her daughter Corey run such a welcoming store. And who was there early (besides Stephanie) but Franklin, who is such a sweet guy... M was fascinated by him. I convinced him (wasn't to hard) to get the Sirdar pattern book that I used to make the short-sleeved wrap front sweater (Ravelry link) for M. Since each pattern is sized up to seven years I told him it would be perfect for cute patterns for his darling niece, Abigail. I also got to meet some really cool Ravelers, so, it must be said, Nana's puts on a hell of a party.

M is now officially crawling. She's getting quicker by the second, but also uses scooting and rolling to get her where she needs to go.

You can see she has one leg up in this picture. She very often seems as though she would rather be walking than crawling. D was an early walker and so was his brother. I'm hoping M settles into the crawling and decides its enough for quite a while. She can get into enough trouble that way. Our family room has become a "safe zone" with a gate from wall to wall blocking off the computer and TV. Of course, all this means is that instead of redirecting her away from the various electronics, we are redirecting her away from the gate. We'll see how long it takes before she's able to pull it down.

If you are thinking there isn't much knitting going on, you are right. I am working on a chemo cap for a relative of a friend, and have other things (which you've seen) going, but need to redouble my efforts.

So, to distract you some more...

A day at the park

2008-06-17T17:05:00.004-05:00

Once again, we went to the Riverwalk Park in Naperville for a show. Today it was Little Nashville, a country-style group. We had a nice time with one of the other meet-up moms we know, and it was fun seeing the older kids really get into the show. It was a lovely day, sunny and breezy and 75 degrees.

Sunday M turned 7 months old, and while visiting my in-laws for Father's Day, she crawled her first two steps! She hasn't crawled since then, but she does get up on her hands and knees a lot. Saturday we had her first swim lessons (really more water acclimation at this point) and she really enjoyed being in the water. Was so comfortable floating on her back (with my arms supporting her head and upper back) that she pulled her feet up and chewed on her toes. She is a silly kid. She has also really started sticking her tongue out while making noises. Pretty funny stuff to see. As I type this, she is on her side/back, holding one foot in each hand, sticking her tongue out, grunting and smiling.

This weekend we are putting up a gate across the front of the family room to keep her from all the computer cords and the audio/visual goodies. She may not be crawling, but she can still move around a room!

The Cute Ninja hasn't made any progress recently... it is still stuck in finger puppet mode. I just need to stuff the body and sew the feet in, but I have been trying to make more progress on my dad's sweater. I have finished one skein of Cascade 220. Love that stuff. Anyway, I love the way the sweater looks, I just hope it fits. I am now going to start the back other side (front or back, whichever this one isn't) and work up so that when we go visit I can see if it fits. If it doesn't, I make the next size up, if it does fit, I continue as is and just make the modifications planned. The mods are so that it isn't so baggy, and has a v-neck.

My other plan for the weekend is to really get busy getting my basement organized... I want it M-proof so we can spend some time down there when it gets hot and stays hot this summer.

Friday night

2008-06-13T22:13:00.005-05:00

We have been busy getting out and about, and I haven't been knitting a ton. A Bean on the move means less knitting time. She's not crawling quite yet (up on hand and knees and rocking), but she does scoot and roll.
We joined a local "playgroup" online the other week and have gone to two meet-ups. This is M at the second one. Nice moms and kids, and M loves seeing other kids. And, as you can see, she loves swings.
Good thing, then, that we got her a swing for the set in our backyard. I think she could spend hours just swinging away. Her little feet kick and her left ankle goes around in circles and she laughs and laughs.

Speaking of the backyard, our peonies bloomed and they are so pretty. We also have this light green/yellow plant that sprouted these three petaled purple flowers that is just so pretty. I have no idea what it is. I suppose I could Google it or something, but heck, why take away the mystery? Apparently the rabbits like it, whatever it is, because down near the ground, whatever bits of the leaves stick out of the "cage" get eaten by the bunnies.

Finished the tortoise for M. As with her other wool toys, she enjoys chewing it. Not a bad little crochet project, not my favorite because I didn't like sewing it together. The legs went in a little wonky and the bottom sewed onto the top a bit strangely, but, all in all, not too bad. I did not add the eyes or the felt to the inside of the mouth since M just chews on it. Maybe later ... but then again, maybe not.

Sewed the head and arms onto the body of the first Ninja. It makes a great finger puppet, so that's what I'm doing with the next one.

Oh, and we got the Bean a baby piano. She loves it, and it is so fun to hear her play.

A beautiful Monday

2008-06-02T16:27:00.002-05:00

That would be M. enjoying a banana the other week. This morning she enjoyed blueberry, raspberry, banana, strawberry, peach, and Cheerios. She's getting better at swallowing and not just pushing it all back out of her mouth with her tongue.

It's been nice out, so we have been able to take some walks. I just have to remember to put sunblock on me when I put it on M., as I burn easily, too.

No pictures of any knitting because I've been crocheting toys... and haven't finished one yet... just part of a foot left to make for the first ninja, then the fun of sewing it up. I'm also working on a tortoise.

I realize this isn't an entirely interesting post, but I thought if I gave you a few M. pics, you wouldn't fault me too much ;)

In which I am a bigger dork than usual

2008-05-21T13:46:00.003-05:00

That's Miss M hanging with Donald the Dragon. It's a slightly older picture, the swing is no longer there because the last time she was in it, she grabbed the front left upright while swinging. Um, no.

Anyway, the real point of this is that I stood in line outside Best Buy today and got a piece of paper that said I was number 10 and I went in and got my Wii Fit. Um, yes, I am a dork. It is quite fun to track things and I am looking forward to seeing improvement.

Crocheting with black fingering weight yarn at night is not easy. Especially when you crochet as tightly as I do. To make the ninja's body (pictures when there is a point), you chain 18 and then have to join in a circle and let me tell you, joining 18 small chains in a non-twisty circle and then working into them... not easy. I ended up putting a stitch marker through the back loop of each of the 18 chains and taking them out one by one as I worked into that chain. I was glad I wasn't in public.

Solid food!

2008-05-20T14:00:00.000-05:00

That would be M. enjoying her solids. I'm going the baby-led weaning (BLW) route for introducing solids, however, we aren't stopping the breast-feeding. One of the people in a BLW forum I belong to said, in regard to food: before one, it's just for fun. So even though there is very little actually getting swallowed, she's learning about foods and getting her nutrition from me. She seems to be enjoying herself, nonetheless. Up top she bathed in banana, the middle picture is blackberries, and the bottom is peach. She also liked baby carrot -- it's a good teether. She wasn't too sure about yellow squash, zucchini and broccoli, and really didn't like the piece of green onion that she swallowed. This is just so fun for me. We made a video of her first banana, but it's a bit long to post here.

M had her six-month check-up yesterday. I was able to truthfully answer yes to all the milestone questions, which is a good feeling. D and I laughed last night because one of the questions was, "Does she reach for things?" and a couple seconds after he sat her up on the floor, she dove forward reaching for something beyond her grasp. She is still in the 90th percentile height at 27" and is in the 75th percentile for weight at 17 lbs 6 oz.

Went to knitting at Wool and Company as usual on Friday. This time, I brought M's highchair so she could sit up with the ladies. It was a success! I was able to knit without impeding the knitting of others, which was nice.

Over the weekend I made a bracelet with M's name. I'm not going to bother fuzzing it because it's not that visible, and if you were industrious, you could find out what her name is, but I'm still not going to write it out here. Anyway, the bracelet is a bit long, but the first go-round was a bit short and I don't feel like wasting anymore of the beading wire and it works... we'll see if I think I can salvage the wire.

I've stalled on the DNA I'm knitting because making the second half isn't as interesting, but I will finish. I've also started a couple crochet ninjas and have made progress on my dad's sweater... pictures later.

FOs for M

2008-05-15T17:11:00.000-05:00

M happily posed in the storage footstool with her new hat. I think she looks like a little pixie, or flower fairy. The hat is the Emli Bonnet by Alison Hansel. It's a great little pattern. I used Sirdar Calypso, 100% cotton, so it will be nice for the summer. I used one ball and just the littlest bit of a second (had to add the second ball during the picot bind-off). As you can see, she is sucking in that bottom lip, still working on her first tooth.

Had a very nice Mother's Day weekend. I hope all the mothers out there did, too. Spun a little, knit a little and crocheted a bit. I finished up the Baby Snow Dragon on Monday. The only modification I made was to add two more spikes because I sewed the tail a little lower down on the body, which made only three spikes look a little weak. Fun toy for M. I've started Baby's First DNA for her, too. I've found so many toys I want to make for her. She'll be drowning in wool toys.

Today M is 6 months old!?! In some ways I can't believe she is already that old, and in most other ways, I can't believe she hasn't always been here. She is sitting up so well and started rolling from her stomach onto her back.

We had a nice outing with her Grandma W today, the purpose of which was toys. We got some, and a couple other goodies, as well. M fell asleep right before we got ready to go home and didn't even wake up while I buckled her into her seat. Tomorrow we go back to Wool and Co. for Friday knitting. We were there while I nursed M today, and I scouted a new sweater for her. Something else from the Sirdar booklet.

This isn't actually a garden blog

2008-05-07T14:11:00.006-05:00

Although you are forgiven if you've thought so, recently. It's just been really fun seeing what's come up. Since we didn't really move in until September and I didn't spend a lot of time outside checking out the yard, I didn't really know what we had, so it's great to see the tulips blooming in different colors and there is more hyacinth coming up, and hostas, etc. Last week I got the last of the tree/shrubs out, so both azaleas are planted! And check out the lilac!

Just after planting a couple weeks ago.

Now.

See how much it's filled in and leafed out? And the daffodils around it have bloomed and it's all just so pretty!

In other news, I'm pretty sure M is teething for real now. She is chewing on everything, including hats:

She also seems to have a bump where the bottom teeth should come in, is sucking her bottom lip a ton and is a little fussier than usual (which still isn't bad). I think by her 6 month birthday, she just might have a tooth. She's also sitting up quite well with just a little aid from the boppy pillow, and pushing up on her arms a lot when she gets on her stomach (which is often). And she is enjoying chewing on everything, did I mention that? She seems to like Myrtle, a little turtle I crocheted her from leftover Cascade 220. It is such a quick and easy pattern, I might make more, especially as she seems to be felting this one!

I have an Emli Bonnet in the works for her, too, out of Some Sirdar Calypso I've had in my stash (don't remember why it's there). The color of the hat in the picture is actually prettier than real life; the yarn is more of a dull minty green. But, I like the pattern and know that Bean here will look good in it. On the right we have a Hemlock Ring out of Blue Sky Organic Cotton. I'm attempting to make a tam, but will have to rip back a few rounds to change it a bit. There is also spinning and Na Craga progress being made, but no pictures.

Oh, and the Wii is fun, but I missed my chance to pre-order Wii Fit, so I am going to have to stalk Best Buy.

A Wii for me!

2008-04-29T10:45:00.002-05:00

I asked for a Wii for Mother's Day, and today Best Buy got a shipment in and I actually got one! Um, that's really all.

Edited to add: Much fun is being had by all... if by all you mean me. Wii Sports came with the console and I played them all, except I did quit the baseball after a bit because, well, baseball... I'm hoping if I play against D it won't be quite so bad. Now I'm going to try Super Mario Galaxy!

The Un-Harloting of Chicago

2008-04-27T13:29:00.010-05:00

From 2007 event at Borders in Oak Brook

The plan:
Jen and Mook (her Thai exchange daughter) and Nan were going to come down to my house and from here we would zip off to Oak Lawn for a quick bite at Millie's before we headed to the Hilton to see the Yarn Harlot (sponsored by Nana's Knitting Shop). Lesley said she'd try to save us some seats.

What actually happened:
Jen and Mook came and played with M while I got ready. Nan came, I finished getting ready and packed the car. We left a little before 4pm. It was a little later than I hoped, but trying to sew on the ribbon of the sweater for M took longer than I had hoped... I didn't end up using the silk ribbon because it was not strong enough. I used a pink ribbon I had, but I'm going to try to find a blue ribbon later this week.

Once we got going, traffic wasn't too bad, surprising for a Friday late afternoon. The only time it was bad was trying to exit the Tri-State at 95th St. We got to Millie's (I don't remember exactly when) to get some dinner. Jen met someone she recognized who told us the Harlot would be late. I, of course, forgot my camera in the car, so I missed getting some cute pictures of Jen and Mook and Nan holding M. Dinner was really yummy (they make their own bread) and the apple cobbler I had for dessert was even better. It was a good thing the Harlot was running late, though, because while the service was friendly, it was not fast and we didn't make it to the Hilton until around 6:45pm.

When we got to the Grand Ballroom, Lesley and her group had saved us some seats, but I didn't give her an accurate count, so they pulled a couple chairs up to the side for us. I spread out a quilt my mom made for M and let her roll around.

We weren't there more than 15 minutes or so when Tricia got up to let us know that due to the craptastic weather, Stephanie was still in Toronto and wouldn't make it. We were disappointed, but were having and had had fun. Someone shouted out "Can we stay here?" Tricia said, sure since they had the place until 11. M got some cuddles from Lesley and then I nursed her because she wasn't going to last until we got home. She then got some cuddles from Jesse, who has an adorable boy of her own. She was having fun checking herself out in the mirror. And as you can see, the sweater is a little big on her, which it should be, considering I made the 1-2 year size. Underneath the soft girly blue sweater is the heart of a rocker, she wore her Metallica onesie.

I took her over to see Corey (Tricia's daughter) to show her the sweater, and she got even more cuddles and mirror time.

The heavens opened up while we drove home, but everyone made it ok. I hope she reschedules because I had a great time and would love to do it again.

On the right you see spinning. I moved Peggy up from the basement so I would get more spinning done, and although the picture on the right is from last year, it's the same thing I'm spinning now. When there is progress that is visible I will show you.

A Garden Tour

2008-04-23T13:29:00.004-05:00

M will now lead us on a tour of some of the yard. Now, mind you, most of this came "pre-installed". Oh, and that rain that was supposed to come? Didn't. Maybe it went on down to Sue instead (I hope)? I tried to send the sunshine to Sharon... did that work?

This is a lilac that took the place of one of the wicked roses. I can't remember what kind it is; I didn't realize there were so many types of lilac. I think it will be purple.

These next two are rhododendrons, one will have purple-y-pink flowers, and the other will (I think) have hot pink flowers. They took the place of the rest of the roses, which I dug out all by myself. Yup, I am pretty proud. Makes me feel all homeowner-y. As you can see, I need to get more mulch, but that's the easy part.

One reason I chose rhododendrons is that they are evergreens, so when everything else is brown and leafless, there will still be a bit of green. Also, they are fast growers, and a little privacy around the deck will be nice. Oh, and the flowers are pretty, too.

This is that raft of dwarf iris that had two blossoms on Sunday! It just went mad and I love it! So vibrant. There are a few of these scattered elsewhere in the yard, such a treat. I don't know what the flowers are behind them, but they are pretty and delicate.

Just next to the dwarf iris is this tulip that somehow escaped the rabbits. Looks to be red, can't wait to see!

On the south side of the house I have this hot pink azalea ready to plant, just as soon as the tree that should have been a shrub is out. It's getting there, just have to get M to agree to hang outside and watch me dig and cut roots.

These tulips have decided to give us multiple blooms. Why these and not the others? Don't know. Why haven't the bunnies eaten them? Don't know that, either.

And, while this isn't the garden, it is very evocative of spring. I love the short sleeves on it. I'm working on sewing the sides now. Went to Joann's this morning and picked up some snaps to sew on (the inside "flap" gets snapped instead of buttoned). I promise not to post another picture until I have it on M.

Beautiful weekend

2008-04-20T10:36:00.005-05:00

It's been such a nice weekend, even yesterday, when it was supposed to be rainy the whole day (rained a bit off and on, but not too much). We got outside to do yard work, yesterday and today -- don't want to be "those" neighbors, you know, the ones who never mow or trim hedges. That's the hedge out front after I worked on it yesterday. I couldn't finish it because M started to get cranky, and it started to sprinkle. Don't worry, it's finished now. In addition to the daffodils that are blooming, we have some small iris. Two of the iris have actually bloomed, but there is a raft of them and there are more buds just waiting to pop open. There are also ~~other flowers that I can't identify~~ hyacinth that are blooming. The trees and bushes are starting to bud, it is just wonderful! The only pathetic thing is that it isn't even noon and I'm rather beat. Oh, and it was adorable, M took a short nap on the quilt while I was trimming the hedge. Nice life, eh?

I'm almost done with the cardigan for M. I love the way the wrap front/kimono sweaters look, but I keep forgetting how much I loathe picking up stitches along that shaped edge. I actually finished the front right edge, then ripped it out because I didn't like it (this after many starts and re-tries already). The Baby Bamboo holds up pretty well to the abuse it gets from the process. But, someone, next time I see a cute wrap front sweater, remind me how much I hate the edging, and if I still say I want to do it, knock me out and drag the pattern out of my hands, please, for the love of all that's holy, don't let me do this again. In addition to my issues with picking up stitches evenly along a shaped edge, the directions for the edging weren't very good. If you were a new knitter, you might get very confused. However, it looks cute and I am almost done. The left front edge needs to be finished, the sleeves sewn in and the sleeve and side seams sewn; then after the ends are sewn in, I'll be done, in time for M to wear to the Harlot, which was the plan. Wow!

Sweater progress shots

2008-04-17T17:40:00.003-05:00

In the summer of 2006 when I went to visit my parents, we stayed at a beach house owned by one of their friends. My mom and I took the opportunity to hang out on the deck and dye silk ribbon. I've chosen this teal as the side tie for the sweater. I like it -- I might have like one of the pinker ones, but all those are raw-edged, and I think for a baby sweater that is not the best idea.

This is what I'm dealing with as I write this. She is cute, but OW!!

Springy spring spring spring

2008-04-17T16:21:00.005-05:00

It's spring! The daffodils are blooming! Still waiting on the tulips and iris, but hey, I can be patient (Mom, D, don't laugh).

Near these daffodils are two "bushes" that had turned into trees -- leggy and tall. They hadn't been pruned in a few years, which is weird, because the former owners of our house seemed to keep everything else trimmed and well kept. So, anyway, a few weeks ago, I cut them way back, but I don't think they'll bush out at this point, so they need to go. I got some pretty azaleas (one white, one pink) at Costco to replace them, now it's a matter of digging out the old stuff, which I have discovered is way easier said than done. I've transplanted some daffodils that were in the way, but this is not going to be easy. It's so nice out, I actually got sweaty doing yard work. But after this winter, I'm really not complaining... yet.

The wrap front sweater from Little Sweet Peas is almost done. I'd show you, but Blogger is being aggravating and not letting me post any more pictures. Promise I'll show you soon.

5 Months?

2008-04-16T13:41:00.002-05:00

I realize I haven't posted much these past couple of weeks, but it's not been because nothing has been happening. M and I have been quite busy, actually. A week ago Tuesday, Jen came down to visit, and we drove out to Nana's Knitting Shop to pick up our Harlot books and our tickets for her talk April 25th. Nana's is a nice little store with a good selection of quality yarns. Included in the yarns is a good selection of colors of Cascade 220, which Jen and I agree is a wonderful, versatile yarn workhorse. After driving back from Oak Lawn, we went to lunch at Blueberry Hill Pancake House near my house, and had some yummy breakfast. I love me some pancakes anytime of the day or night. M sat with us in her bumbo seat quite nicely, until she didn't, and then one of us held her. Considering how long she was in her car seat, I'm surprized she wasn't screaming to get out.

Then, we missed blogless Carla's birthday celebration at Wool and Co. because my mom came into town! We picked her up at the airport, then went directly to the IQA's quilt show at the Rosemont Convention Center. Two years ago my mom came out for it and we were overwhelmed and unprepared for the vastness, so this year we planned for two days. M came with us and was proclaimed by many to be adorable, and we were told that it was good to start her quilting early. She was amazingly good, but about midway through the second day, she was annoyed, so I went to the edge of the vendors, and while my mom checked out a quilting machine, I spread a blanket on the floor and let M roll around a bit. The carrier is great, but after a while, she wants to move around. Can't say I blame her. I saw a couple people with strollers, but it would have been hell trying to see the vendors with it; the vendors are packed in there pretty tight. On Saturday, I actually saw someone I knew -- or rather, someone I knew saw me! Emily was there checking things out (go check out her periwinkle sweater, it's gorgeous) and happened to see me. If you go to her blog, on the right is a link to her quilts, she's amazing. It was great to have my mom out, even if only for a long weekend. If only the weather the whole weekend was as nice as Monday (and Tuesday and today).

So, knitting? you ask. Well, I've been knitting a bit. My mom's birthday was the Monday before she came, so when she got here I gave her a pair of Irish Hiking Wrist Warmers made from Dream in Color Classy. They are great when she's at work and it's just a little chilly. And the yarn is nice and soft, but not get-in-your-nose fuzzy. And I started a new sweater for M. When I saw the pattern I couldn't resist. It's in Sirdar's Little Sweet Peas pattern booklet. I love the whole booklet and can't wait to make more from it. I'm using their Baby Bamboo in Sleepy Blue to match M's eyes. I really love the yarn, it is drapey and soft with a lovely sheen. It can be a little splitty, but I've seen much worse. The picture lies, because I have finished the back and left front and am almost done with the right front. Then the short sleeves and the edging, then I'm done. Although M just turned 5 months yesterday, I'm making the 1-2 year size so she can wear it a while. My plan was to have her wear it for her first Harlot trip, I hope it's not too too big. I've made a bit of progress on Na Craga, but I need to step it up.

Oh, if you want to see a silly picture of M (and a cute one) go here, to Wool and Co's blog. And I leave you with three generations of artsy craftsy women.

My Princess

2008-04-09T09:48:00.003-05:00

This is the smiling face for which I love to knit.

How many of me?

2008-04-06T19:51:00.004-05:00

Saw this on Sandy's site and this is how many of me there are with my name as it is now:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
8
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

This is how many are left of me with my maiden name:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
3
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

There are 36,454 people with the first name Laurel in the USA and it is the 941st most popular name.

Friday already?

2008-04-02T13:59:00.005-05:00

We've had a fun week here at the Bean House. It's been a nice week weather-wise and we are taking advantage of it with walks and trips to the neighborhood park (not that M. can do anything there yet). We've walked around downtown Naperville and celebrated Neil's birthday at Wool and Company. It's been quite wonderful to see spring is on its way/here.

I even knit a little bit! I started the front of Na Craga for my dad, mostly to make sure I'm doing the right size. I've made a bit of progress on the Lorna's Laces socks for my friend. I'm in the process of designing a pair of baby booties... nothing major, just a whim.

So, that's really all. Have a great weekend!

Is it Monday again?

2008-03-31T14:54:00.002-05:00

This was a big weekend for Miss M. She got a convertible car seat since she's now too big for her infant seat and she also got a high chair. No solid foods yet (we're waiting until 6 mo.), but this way she can hang with me in the kitchen and see what's going on up higher. We got the bead and wire maze from a shop through Amazon and she really likes it. It has four suction cups on the bottom of it that really work (I've read reviews of toys with one suction cup that say the toy is great but the suction cup, not so much), so she can play with it without pushing it off the tray. She really likes playing with the beads. The other toy is a Haba frog that we got from Assembly Line Toys in Geneva. It is a really cool store, and they are going to expand the line of Haba toys they carry, which is cool, because I think I want them all... for M., of course. Two other Haba toys came today that we ordered though Amazon, as well. Pretty fun stuff, if you ask me.

I've finished up a secret project, can't show it yet, but soon. I've also made some progress on my dad's birthday sweater. Did I discuss this already? Modified drop shoulder and v-neck. And I am making a smaller size so it won't be so baggy. I hope it looks alright. If not, I'll rip it and start over. What's the point of a present if he won't wear it, right?

Got to go to knitting at Wool and Co. Friday. Fun as always.

When going out for walks with M., I bundle her according to the weather, but since I don't take her out in the stroller when it's below freezing, I put a cotton hat on her so she doesn't get too hot. The hat I made to match the Harvey sweater is perfect for this, and she's grown enough that I don't have to fold the brim up. What we get is Brunhilda... our little champion German swimmer.

2008-03-24T11:33:00.003-05:00

Sleeping off that Easter end of Lent bender? Yeah, M.'s a wild one, but not that wild :)

I've been reading the Knitting Daily blog since it started, and at some point, Sandi asked people what they were afraid of, knitting-wise. She then suggested this be the year of knitting fearlessly. I thought there was nothing I was afraid of, I did cables, lace, Fair Isle, entrelac, intarsia... it's all just the same stitches in different combinations, of what should I be afraid? Then, I read the introduction to Sweater Design in Plain English by Maggie Righetti and I realized, that like a great many people, many of us knitters, I am afraid of failure. This really shouldn't have been a surprise. Growing up I was a perfectionist, and though I had convinced myself that I've outgrown that, I know that instead of doing something and taking forever making it perfect, I either stop partway through or don't start at all, or do "research" on the project forever, eventually stalling out. This, of course, is its own type of failure.

What is the point? I have a swatch, and now measurements and I am ready to start my dad's birthday sweater. I just have to measure the gauge and start. Am I nervous? Yes, but I'm hoping that it will turn out ok.

Having said all that, why am I having such issues with a little secret project? I've done the first part, and the second is the same, so why the issues? Good thing the yarn is pretty forgiving of the ripping and re-knitting.

Comments

2008-03-21T12:24:00.002-05:00

That smile shows how M. feels about comments. I would like to thank everyone who has commented, and ask a favor of those using Blogger. How do I reply to their comments in email? With my old blog, I just had to reply to the email I got telling me about their comment, but that doesn't work here. And when I click on their name, I get their Blogger About Me page, but that doesn't necessarily give me their email. Thank you.

Yo.

Sleeping Beauty's Brambles

2008-03-20T09:46:00.004-05:00

That's my sweet pea. At her four month peds. appointment she weighed 15 lbs 9 oz and was 25.5 inches. I can't believe how big she's getting and how much she is growing up!

On Tuesday, the stroller we ordered for her arrived! I pushed her around the house and she really enjoyed it. Yesterday, I bundled her up and we went for a walk outside with our lovely neighbor. It was a little chilly, but M. grinned the whole time. She really had a great time getting to see everything. The carrier I have is great for shopping and getting stuff done around the house, but she loves to see what's going on around her, so for walks, it's the stroller. The only reason she's not smiling in this picture is because it was after the walk was over and she was worn out. Today I'll actually take the camera with us to try to capture a bit of her enthusiasm.

I've done almost four repeats of the pattern on the second Evangeline. There are 10 total in the mitt.

Now, on to the frightening portion of our programming. If you have children, they should look away. On Tuesday, I decided to do an itty-bitty (Hi, Holly!) bit of landscaping: cutting back the rose bushes. I took the garden shears outside into the mist to begin. I had obviously not taken a close look at these bushes before. On the left is the bush that I mostly left alone. The two bushes I attacked were that size. Now they are much smaller, but not before they ripped up my hands and the back of my leg. I've never seen roses with so many deadly thorns. They caught on my clothes and other branches, making the branches I cut difficult to separate from the bushes. Granted, it might have been easier if I had been wearing some gloves, but still, I felt as though I were doing battle with the deadly brambles that grew around Sleeping Beauty's castle. So, the roses have to go. They are just off the back deck, and when M. starts playing out there, I don't want her to trip and fall into their wicked branches. I'm thinking that lilacs would be really pretty, and would be a nice way to make the deck a bit more private. And then I'll get a rosebush that doesn't have so many thorns everywhere, and plant it under my kitchen window where it will get great western exposure.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2008-03-17T15:21:00.003-05:00

M. turned 4 months on Saturday, and picked that day to roll over from her back to her front! We also had a reunion with our Bradley class that day. It was so much fun to see the other babies and hear how birth went! The only downside was that it was in Naperville, just after the St. Paddy's Day parade... a drive that should have taken 15 minutes took an hour. Ugh. But it was worth it.

Friday, since it was beautiful outside, after knitting M. and I went on a little hunt for sunglasses in Geneva.

In knitting, I'm working on the sock for my friend. It's coming along, slowly but surely. I'm using Cat Bordhi's new book and making the Master Upstream sock. Since you get to choose your toes and heels separately from the sock architecture, I've chosen the pontoon toe just for something a little different. I'll choose the heel when I get to it. I'm using the Magic Loop method and am pretty happy with it. I tried once before, but I was trying to do two socks at once with it, and it was so freaking fiddly that I quit. Just doing one sock, though is working out quite nicely. When my friend was here I did the measuring I needed, then I swatched. Then, with a pad of paper, a pen and the book, I plugged in the info and checked the tables to get the "master" numbers for the sock I was making. D. accused me of writing a dissertation, guess I looked pretty serious about it all. After all this, I hope they fit.

I have to remember to get my mom to measure my dad for his sweater so I can start that, but I should finish the Evangeline mitts before I start. Something to wear next winter, as I am hopeful that it is almost done here.Oh, and a little bragging... I was asked by one of the volunteers editors on Ravelry if they could use my picture as the main one for the Cable Braid hat from Vickie Square's Folk Hats book! Granted, I think 2 or 3 people have it listed in projects, so it's not like there are a lot to chose from, but still, I felt a little proud.

Schedule? We don't need no stinking schedule

2008-03-13T09:38:00.003-05:00

Progress on the knitting front! Obviously some ends need to be woven in, but other than that, the first Evangeline is done! The second one has even been started. It's the kind of pattern that keeps me going... just one more round, just one more round, so the second should go pretty quickly, as well.

We had a couple of college friends (who are married -- I introduced them! go me!) stay over this weekend and we all had lots of fun, including M. who was quite entertained. Anyway, I've got to hurry up and finish the Evangeline because I promised S. that I would make her a pair of socks. I know I don't like to make socks that much, but she has circulation issues in her feet, and really, what's better than a nice pair of handmade socks? I had promised her mittens years ago, but I think socks will be better. I've even swatched some Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport for the pair. Seriously, two swatches recently? What could be coming to this world of mine?

In M. news, she's getting better and better with her tummy time, lasting longer and longer without getting cranky. And now that we have a good routine down -- nursing about every three hours, last one at 8:30pm and then once in the night -- we hit the 4 month craziness. Last night she nursed twice and then wanted to nurse first thing in the morning, which is also not what's been up. According to the reading I've done, around 4 months there is a bundle of development happening all at once and it takes your nice schedules and throws them in the air, just like 52-card pickup. She is, however, the same cute, sweet girl, so I can't really complain too much.

I ordered a stroller the other week, I'm still waiting for it to ship. I'm not fond of strollers in stores, but I got a jogging one for taking walks around the neighborhood. I'm really hoping it ships soon because it's been absolutely beautiful the past three days! I'm sure once the stroller comes we'll have a blizzard or five. Although, I'm not waiting for the stroller, today it's so nice I'm going to strap her on me and get out there.

Rings 'n things

2008-03-10T22:15:00.004-05:00

From early on, M. would grab my hair, and even on our ride home from the hospital she held my finger. However, in the last week, she is reaching out more and grabbing things, like the rings in the video. In the last couple days she has started shoving these things into her mouth to chomp on. It's wild, one day she's half-heartedly playing with the rings, the next she's actively playing with them and putting them in her mouth. It is so much fun watching her figure things out.

In knitting, I'm working on Evangeline, and have almost finished the first one. Dream in Color Classy in a beautiful purple. I am making the long pair. Pictures later.

In the meantime, I should go to bed since the Bean is asleep ... a sleeping update later.

Quizzes and Washcloths?

2008-03-05T08:40:00.005-06:00

20
I saw this on Dr. Mel's site and of course, had to take the quiz. I could take more if I were willing to go all out against them, but, call me a sucker, I will only fight as hard as I have to to win.

Now, if there were a zombie apocalypse... some quizzes give me a fifty percent survival rate, but some give me higher. I've watched enough "documentaries" to know that it's a double-tap to the head and if your friend gets bit, they've got to go, sorry.

So, by now you are saying, "Laurel, what's going on? Where is the Bean picture? What did you mean by washcloth? Should I start worrying about the end of the world with zombies and roaming packs of rabid 5 year olds? " Don't fret. The picture to your left explains about the washcloths, at least. Except, that it is not a washcloth... it's a gauge swatch! "What!?!" you exclaim, "A gauge swatch? But you don't knit those! That's weirder than you knitting a washcloth!" It's okay, you can calm down. Since I am knitting my dad a sweater for his birthday this year, I thought it would behoove me to make sure it actually fits, and therefore, I am pulling out all the stops: not only knitting a gauge swatch, but I will even be measuring it before and after washing and blocking it. Try not to faint. And I would just like to express my love of Cascade 220. It is such a workhorse yarn and felt nice and soft while I was knitting it. So versatile, I love it.

And lest you think I forgot... the Bean. She's really paying attention to everything around her, and starting to use her hands more to examine it all. She was really interested in this penguin today. It's an Eric Carle penguin that was a gift from her grandmother for Christmas, the wings make crinkly noises, the feet are perfect to chew on, and the fish in the mouth wiggles back up when you pull on it, and there is a bell inside... it's pretty awesome. Anyway, today, M. started batting it around on purpose and noticing that it made noise when she did. And she's got the cutest little mouth :)

An F.O. Ripped from the Pile of Hibernating Projects

2008-03-04T15:01:00.006-06:00

Up first we have M. "pumping up". Or, rather, just practicing grabbing things that aren't my hair. This is something I can very much get behind.
Then we have the Bean looking adorable in a turtleneck hanging out in her doorway jumper. She really gets a kick out of this thing, and she gets a work out keeping her torso upright. She's even better at it today than she was yesterday. She's not jumping yet, but she does pivot and turn (when I even think the word pivot, I think of the Friends episode).

And in knitting, last night I finally finished this hat on the left. It's the Cable Braid hat from Folk Hats, just done in multiple colors. I had it mostly done for a long time, but was afraid I'd somehow screw it up when sewing it together, so I let it sit forever. Finally, last night I finished it. It may not be the perfect sewing job (there is a reason I'm not showing you the inside), but it works and I'm glad it's done. It's a warm and comfy hat to wear, and I don't care that I look more than a bit silly wearing it. Next in my pile of almost F.O.s is a bag that needs its handles sewn on. After that, I think most of the hibernating projects require quite a bit of actual knitting, so those will have to wait until I finish Ragna or Na Craga (for which I still have to swatch).

Happy Birthday D.!

2008-03-02T17:08:00.002-06:00

M. calls a meeting of the board to wish her daddy a very Happy Birthday!
I second her motion.

Happy Leap Day!

2008-02-29T15:16:00.003-06:00

How could you not feel better with a face like that? I am getting better, still hacking phlegm, but definitely improving. Well enough to take Miss M. to Babies R Us yesterday for a little shopping trip. We came back with a mobile for her crib, a doorway hanging jumper -- which she is a little young to master, but loves nonetheless -- and this Bumbo sitter and tray. I figured since she keeps trying to sit up in her swing and bouncy chair, this would be good.

So, while we were hanging out, M. in the Bumbo, me on the floor, I decided to knit on Ragna for a bit. The yarn was sort of in my way so I threw it aside and... it stuck to the wall. Weird, eh? As you can not really see from the second picture, a really thin fiber caught on some tiny piece of the wall and it all hung until it moved too much when I knit. I just had to show you the yarn that tried to become wall art.

One of M.'s newer tricks is laughing. She started this while my parents were here, and she does it more and more. It is just too cute. She laughs when I blow raspberries on her belly or bounce her in her new jumper (pictures later). I am really very lucky because she is such a joy to be around.

Sick

2008-02-27T08:45:00.003-06:00

Two pictures of our little princess. One the left we have her at about 3 days old. On the right is a picture of her I just took. Somehow I thought there would be more of a difference when I saw the two side-by-side because she has grown up so much. She is awake and interactive now, and it's just wild. D. and I still haven't gotten over the fact that we have a baby!? A Bean who plays with her hands, watches me knit, and vocalizes like a tiny tyrannosaur. And when she smiles at me when I get her up in the morning? Best thing ever.

On the night of the 19th, while my parents were here, I decided to move M. from the portable crib next to my bed into her "big girl crib" in her own room. Partly because I think my restless sleep was disturbing her a bit, and partly because her sleep was disturbing me ... who knew a cute little girl could be so noisy while sleeping? Luckily (and knock on wood) she did just fine, and if she wakes up and I'm not there, she just hangs out making little cooing noises to herself.

Now, you are starting to wonder, "Laurel, why the title 'Sick'?" That's because it's what I am ... sick. M. is not sick, at least, that would make things so much worse (Yay! for antibodies from breastfeeding!). But last night, when I especially needed to get sleep, she wouldn't go down in her crib, or the floor for a second, or the changing table to get a new diaper. She just made her super sad face and started wailing. Normally I have her swaddled because when I started putting her in her portable crib instead of the bed next to me, she slept longer while swaddled, keeping her startle reflex from waking her up. Well, last night I tried a sleep sack instead, and while it didn't work immediately, D. was able to walk her for a little while, get her to sleep and brought her back up at 3, which was great because I needed the sleep. And after her 3am nursing, I kept her in the sleep sack and she slept great until the morning. Of course, I won't say she's grown out of needing her swaddle just yet, but we are certainly on the way to that.

In knitting news, I have decided to make a slightly modified Na Craga (in Alice Starmore's Aran Knitting) for my dad for his birthday. And, in my attempt to finish or frog hibernating projects, I have pulled out Ragna from Elsebeth Lavold's Viking Patterns for Knitting. I'm using a yarn that I got free back in New Jersey, a 100% wool tweed. It's a little rough, but the fabric is softer than the yarn and I am hoping with a wash or two it will be even better.

In addition, I'm working on Elephante for M. Only 3 active projects at once (and Na Craga doesn't count yet because I haven't even swatched)? It's pretty amazing. I am really working on this whole idea of working something from start to finish in a reasonable amount of time. And finishing up at least one old thing on the needles before starting something new. So far, so good.

Oh, and now I'm rambling more than usual, I know, but crap crap crap! Why? Because the lovely Nan's daughter is coming for a visit and will be at Friday Knitting and I don't think I can go because I don't want to get everyone sick. I really wanted to meet her. Grrrr.

Well, time to give the Bean another dose of those mommy antibodies.

I was born in the wrong decade

2008-02-25T11:09:00.003-06:00

You Belong in 1958

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

I saw this on Sandy's blog, then on Dr. Mel's blog. D. has always said I am more 50s ...

Now I am going to complain, but there will be a picture of M. at the bottom :)

I feel like ass. I'm past the runny drippy part of being sick, I'm now in the stuffed head and chest, pain all over part. And my throat hurts. All I want to do is sleep.

In other M. news, she is going to break her swing... she keeps trying to sit up farther and it disrupts the swinging, dear child is going to strip the gears.

Grey, grey Monday

2008-02-25T09:52:00.003-06:00

Mondays? Yuck.

We've been pretty busy here, my mom and dad came to visit last week and we had a great time. There was some shopping done and lots of the M. cuddling. I brought M. and my parents to Friday Knitting at Wool and Co. My mom sat and chatted and my dad and I picked out yarn so I could make him a sweater for his birthday -- it's not until August, but I'm starting early so I might finish this year. I'm making an Aran-type sweater, so we ended up getting the off-white Cascade 220.

Saturday we all smooshed into the car (getting four adults plus a baby in a car seat into an Outback is doable, just not ideal) to go into Chicago to the Art Institute. We bought tickets to see the Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper exhibits. They were fantastic. We saw a little of the rest of the place, but not much. It's rather overwhelming and there is only so much you can absorb at one time. I am already planning a return trip during the week. This February (which is almost over?) the museum has free admission, which is great, but oh my, it was getting really crowded by the time we left. I am glad we came a bit early, I don't do well with crowds. M. on the other hand was great, when she was awake she was quite, and mostly she slept. I carried her around in our Ergo carrier for quite a while, then D. carried her. I was more overwhelmed with all the people than she was.

So, anyway, our great week last week with grandparents and fun is why this Monday is especially sucky. And due to car issues, D. took "my" car to work today, so M. and I are without transportation. Not that I want to go anywhere or had plans to go, it's just that when I can't go anywhere, I feel like maybe I want to go. But I wouldn't want to today, it's supposed to snow 3-6 inches starting this afternoon.

The hat in both the pictures was finished last evening. It is a Sirdar pattern (not in Ravelry yet) that I've had for years. I made a store sample for Accents on Knits back when we lived in New Jersey and I pretty much lived at that shop. I started this hat with the left over Sirdar yarn and it's been sitting on a 12 inch size 3 needle with the ribbing done for years. Well, a week and a half ago, in my attempt to finish "lost" projects, I ripped and started over. I decided to do one of the bigger sizes and I didn't know how much yarn I had, so I did a provisional crochet cast-on and started with the pink above the ribbing. I knit the loops until I ran out of pink, which, as luck would have it, was at the start of the decreases. I had used a green cotton for the cast on and liked the color combination, and was lucky enough to find a green Cascade (Cherub Collection D.K.) of the right weight and fiber to finish it. I used a tubular bind off on the bottom of the ribbing. With the green and pink combination my mom thought it looked like a clover flower, and I agree.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T08:12:00.003-06:00

M. sends her Valentine wishes, as well. That's her posing with her first Valentine, a Heart from Jodee. She (Jodee, not the Bean) was making many of them last week at Friday Knitting. I really admired her perseverance, although they are really cute, so maybe I'd find it hard to stop, too. Plus, she says they are easy to do.

Since of course you could want nothing more than a parade of M. photos for Valentine's Day, here is a multitude of hats:
First up we have a hat from Monica and Polly. Polly knitted it from sock yarn and the seed stitch really shows off the yarn. It is nice and soft and warm.

Next is a tomato hat that I made long, long ago, well before I was pregnant. It is one of the Ann Norling Fruit Hats made from Cleckheaton's Country 8 Ply. I really like that yarn, it's pretty soft and knits up nicely. I used to have quite a bit of it.

Next up, we have another hat I made, this one just before M. was born. Made up the pattern out of Skacel's Vacation. It was a quick knit and I like the way it turned out.
And last, but certainly not least, we have a crazy Seussian hat by Julie. It's a Dream in Color yarn and is very soft. I love this hat and can't wait until it's not quite so big on her. I love the color combination and I want one of my own (although I would promise not to wear it at the same time M.'s wearing hers).

I am so close to being done with the Baby Bobbi Bear I'm making, however, I am no closer than I was Sunday evening when I ran out of yarn. Grrr. I had the 3 skeins the pattern said it would require, and yet, I still have left to do: the end of the second arm, the ears, and the duplicate stitching around the neck. So close, but even if I had left shorter tails at the end of skeins, I still wouldn't have quite enough. I'll pick up another skein at Wool and Co. tomorrow when I go for knitting. I'm sure I can convince someone to cuddle M. while I finish up the bear :)

In the meantime, I've been knitting a pair of booties... I used up a little sample skein of Mountain Color's Twizzle which I love, love, love and another yarn that was one of the first yarns I bought that wasn't box store acrylic, so of course, the label is long gone. What I find interesting about the yarns is that they are constructed the same way, 4-ply with three plies the same color and 1 contrast color, but the unidentified yarn is both spun and plied quite loosely. I started by following a pattern, but made some modifications. I would have made the cuff longer but I got bored with the K1,P1 ribbing.

I hope all of you have a great day!

Finished Project Frenzy Provided by Elizabeth Zimmerman

2008-02-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's amazing what you can do when you stick to one project at a time. Here is Bean modeling my completed Pi Shawl. I made it from yarn I spun on my wheel Peggy. The yarn is my attempt at a consistent bulky weight; it's bulky and sort of consistent. 85% Coopworth wool and 15% mohair, it's not really soft, but it is very warm. With a diameter of about 90 centimeters it's not very big, but works well as a lap blanket. It's very exciting to knit a project with yarn I actually made. I have some alpaca/merino languishing on Peggy now, I need to pick up the spinning again, not just for finished yarn, but because it really is fun to do. And if I just work on one knitting project at a time, I should be able to finish them in a reasonable amount of time and still devote some time to spinning when M. sleeps.

And here on the right we have the finished February Sweater. And I think she might even be able to wear it for a few weeks. I have a button that I liked on it, a "pearl" dome with a shank, but I couldn't find any like it at Joann's, so when I went to Wool and Company for Friday Knitting, I got these buttons, which I really like with the sweater. Gives her a bit a sparkle and dresses up the sweater. Somehow the "pearl" button really made it look more like a 1940s bed jacket, but that look is diminished with these buttons.

Last, but not least in the finishing parade is actually the first started, another Zimmerman classic, the Baby Surprise Jacket. I finished the knitting on this well before M. was born and bought the buttons (again at Wool and Co.) a couple months ago, but didn't sew them on until this week. You can't see them too well in this picture, but the buttons are gold roses, very sweet and girly to counter-balance the somewhat more masculine colors. The sweater fits her well right now, but also gives her some room to grow.

And while I don't have pictures of it, my current project is the Baby Bobbi Bear out of Blue Sky Alpaca Sport in a periwinkle color. I like the way it is constructed, you knit the body in the round, split the front and back for the arms, pick up and knit the legs, knit the head up from the body, and then pick up and knit the arms. The only parts you have to sew on are the ears and then embroider the face. And it is a really cute bear. I am half-way through the head now. Since I don't have a picture of it to show you (and really, it wouldn't show you too much anyway), I will end with a rockin' picture of the Bean:

Super Tuesday

2008-02-05T07:50:00.000-06:00

M. says, "Don't forget to vote!"

Happy Groundhog Day!

2008-02-02T15:15:00.000-06:00

I know it is also The Feast of St. Brigid and is celebrated by bloggers with an annual Silent Poetry reading (I won't point out any specific one, but many of the blogs in my sidebar have poems up). I, however, am not doing the poetry thing... not because I think it is bad, in fact, I think it is a lovely idea... I just don't have the mental energy to go find a poem I like. Instead I will play the movie Groundhog Day in my head... we don't have it on DVD which I think is a great and mournful shame; I love Bill Murray.

Since I didn't go to knitting yesterday, I also didn't sew up the February Sweater. But, I did start a Pi Shawl with a bulky yarn that I spun on my wheel last year. I'm knitting it on size 13 needles; I started with size 10.5 but there wasn't enough drape. It's not going to be very lacy, I'm just doing the concentric circles of yarn overs, it will be a nice warm cozy shawl/lap blanket. I'll take a picture at some point. It is a perfect knit for me right now, easy to pick up and put down, not a lot of time is wasted figuring out where the heck I am.

And, as a celebration of Groundhog Day, I give you a sleeping Bean -- it means winter will be over soon, right?

Frak!!! +Edit

2008-02-01T08:44:00.000-06:00

I was soooo looking forward to getting to Wool and Co. this morning, but it's snowed a ton and it's still snowing and the roads are crap. If it were just me, I'd go anyway, but I'm not about to drive Princess M. around in this.

And last night at 9pm one of our neighbors decided he needed to snowblow his frakking driveway (mind you, it was still coming down pretty good, then) and it took 45 minutes. I was trying to get the Bean to sleep and just as she finally got used to the racket and fell asleep, he stopped, which woke her up crying. THEN, after she calmed down, he started AGAIN and blew the sidewalks of our court for another 45 minutes!!! WTF!!!! I was close to going out and giving him a piece of my mind, but didn't want to A) leave the Bean alone, or B) bring her with me into the cold. Yes, I'm still livid. 6am would have been better (although still sucky), at least it's more reasonable to think lots of people are getting up for work.

Edited to add: Even if the roads were OK I still wouldn't be able to get out in time. I just spent a decent amount of time shoveling the driveway, and I only got a strip down and one back up shoveled, plus the extra build up at the bottom where they plowed (and only between the strips). I'm bushed. But I've got to at least get one side shoveled by the time D. gets back from the airport. Too bad I can't get the blower to start.

A chance to do a little good

2008-01-27T09:32:00.001-06:00

I love this picture. It looks like she just got done telling a joke, eh? And if you can't see it, her onesie has a goose and two ducks and they are labeled... duck, duck, goose!

She could also be saying, "Good on ya," for going to this site: http://www.thehousethatyarnbuilt.com/

I found it through Rabbitch's blog and if you like yarn, you can give your name and get entered to win a prize. If you don't like yarn, you probably know someone who does and can still enter your name. And even if you don't know anyone who likes yarn (you probably do but don't know it), give anyway, even a dollar helps.

So, in my last post I began showing some of the beautiful things that have been knitted for my darling Bean. Yesterday, we were honored by a visit from Jodee (blogless, which is too bad for the rest of us because it would no doubt be a fun blog to read) and she brought these adorable booties. They are shaped like a duck's foot and knit from the softest prettiest yarn. I think there must be some angora in it, the fuzziness is not just my inability to get the Bean to be still for photos. In any case, they are pretty and warm.

And this beauty is Haiku and knit by the dear Nan. It is still a little big for M., but the way she's growing, it won't be for long. So, what do you think, is she about to land a knock-out punch (don't laugh, she's got a wicked right cross) or is she dancing the night away? She probably told me, I just can't understand her, yet.

In knitting that I've done for her, the knitting on the February Sweater is done! Yay! Really, a great knit, I highly recommend it. I now just have to block it, weave in the ends and seam the arms and get buttons for it. And I will get buttons tomorrow at Wool and Co., because unless the snow that we're supposed to get reaches to the top of the door, I'm bundling her up and we're going to Friday knitting because I've missed 2 Fridays in a row and goodness, that's just too many. And while she looks adorable in this coat (not that I'm biased or anything), it's not quite hardcore enough for this weather... don't worry, you will see neither hide nor hair of her while outside.

Sweatered baby

2008-01-26T09:08:00.000-06:00

This is Miss M. in a cuddly warm sweater made for her by Monica. I love the hood on it, too cute. And it is so soft. It's a perfect sweater to wear when it is so cold. We keep the heat up in the house, but near the windows it gets colder... manufacturer grade windows don't really cut it. Some day we'll upgrade, but until then, we just keep her bundled. See, warm enough and cozy enough to fall asleep.

She's growing so quickly, I tried to put a three month size footie outfit on her and it was too small! She'll be three months on February 15. It's so fun to watch her grow, though. She's really transitioning from "newborn" to "baby". I have some other really beautiful knitted presents from friends that I will share when she grows into them, which could be tomorrow!

I've finished the sleeves on the Feb. Sweater and started down the body. It's looking good. I should finish it soon. After I'm done I think I'll work more on my laceweight Malabrigo shawl. And oh, here is a picture of the unfelted felted clogs for my dad:
If you are on Ravelry, you've seen them. I didn't put them up here before because the green inner sole was a surprize. My dad wanted grey or black slipper because he has grey sweats he wears around the house, but holy crap, that was boring, I thought... so, bright green sole, but only on the inside. I changed to black for the last couple rows of the inner sole and stitched the soles together in black so that no green would show on the outside. I'm interested in seeing how the black shows up inside when they're felted. My parents got their slippers this week and are planning on felting them today.

I hope everyone is staying warm and healthy!

Bears, bears and more bears!

2008-01-24T09:35:00.001-06:00

Bear Power!

Sitting with Miss M. is George B. Pinkus Jr. I had Pink George when I was growing up, a pink (surprize!) bear that I loved and had forever until on my way back from college he fell in the mud and the attempt to clean him left him with a rust ring on his stomach (don't ask). My dad thought M. needed her own Pink George, so he searched high and low for a pink teddy bear and found one that I think fits the bill perfectly. And then he named the bear and sent it with it's own name tag.

George Jr. is not M.'s first bear, however. My dad got her her first bear last summer when he and my mom took their annual trip to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. When I talked to them, he told me that the Bean had it's first teddy bear. He found it at Jackson Lake Lodge; there was another bear there, too, that he didn't buy... he seemed to regret that decision for the next few months, so I'm guessing he might buy it for her during their trip this year (along with a park ranger outfit that they thought was adorable).

In the picture on the left, the first bear is in the back on the left. Next to it is Grey Bear... another of my bears growing up. Well, my dad thought that the baby should have it's own Grey Bear, too... that bear is the one behind the rock light on the right. My parents also got her the Border's polar bear in the center and the little bear carrying the littler bear in the back. The clothed bear came from the baby shower my mother-in-law gave me and the center bear in front came from one of my mom's friends. The bear at front right is a "boo bear" with a plastic ice cube in it from Monica and Polly. I think we're going to need a bigger shelf for all the bears.

In knitting news, I have finished one sleeve and started the second on the February sweater. I switched back to the yoke color for the garter stitch edging at the bottom and I like the way it ties it together. I am really enjoying the sweater. The pattern stitch is easy to memorize, knits up quickly and is nice looking, to boot. I should probably go knit it up instead of blogging here since she's sleeping for a bit.

I wish it would warm up; I'm going to miss Wool and Co. Friday morning knitting again because it's freaking cold out! :(

I hate Mondays

2008-01-13T10:40:00.001-06:00

That's how I feel this morning.

Silly girl spent most of the night "talking" and grunting in her sleep. I'm still trying to work on blocking out the non-essential noises since for now at least she sleeps in a crib next to the bed. Eventually, she'll sleep in her crib in the nursery (knock on wood), but for now, I hear everything. Not that I won't later... we bought a monitor that will stay with me everywhere.

The other reasons Mondays suck is that D. goes back to work for the week. I don't feel like I see him enough on the weekends, and then during the week I see him for an hour or two before I go up to bed to sleep while he takes the Bean for a few hours between feedings. But, then again, if he didn't work... well, none of this would be possible, so I can't really complain.

You can't tell in this picture (which over a month old) but the onesie she's wearing says, "Nothing's wrong, just testing you".

The other day I was talking to my mom and dad, telling them that I'm trying to be more loyal to my knitting projects, by which I mean, I'm trying to work on just one (maybe two) at a time. Since I don't get as much knitting time now, the way I jump around usually would mean nothing would ever get finished, so I am trying to focus more. I read on Dee's blog that she's doing the same thing. It feels good to get things done... like, my dad's felted clogs. My mom's and his clogs are going out to them in the mail today with felting instructions. Then, when they come visit next month, they'll bring them back nice and felted and ready for pictures!

One of my 2007 finished knits was the Harvey Kimono from Natural Knits for Moms and Babies.
I made the "boy" version because we didn't know if we were having a girl or boy, and I think she looks cute in it, but a boy would have looked silly in pink with a picot edge.

I also made a matching hat to go with it.

I might be a little biased, but I think she's just so cute. D. loves the hat on her; I have to agree.

The yarn is Lavold's Cotton Patine. It is soft, but made with many plies, so it is splitty. Also, it being cotton, does not hide woven in ends well. But, I think it looks pretty good.

No new pictures of the EZ February Sweater. There is progress, I'm working on the first sleeve, but it is not interesting looking, really. It is coming along pretty quickly, which is good, because if I don't finish it soon, the only thing it will fit is a large teddy bear.

Today is M.'s two-month appointment with the pediatrician. I'll be able to answer the "how much does she weight now" question. I wish I didn't have to take her out in this cold. I didn't even go to Wool and Company Friday because it was too cold to take her out. If the forecasts are correct, I don't even think I'll be able to go this Friday. I sure hope it warms up soon!

Wool and Company, Buttons and a Picture

2008-01-11T15:22:00.000-06:00

Friday morning knitting at Wool and Company is the main indulgence I have not given up since having The Princess. She seems pretty comfortable there, and after all, she's heard the sounds of the group since she was in the womb, which is good, because if she were unhappy and I couldn't go, the week would be so much longer. Neil and Lesley run such a nice shop and I've met such wonderful people there. And one thing that I really appreciate is that I can nurse Miss M. there without having to leave the group. Now, granted, I use a really cute nursing cover, so nothing is "out there", but it's still nice that no one gets weird about it, since it is a perfectly natural thing.

Stepping off the soapbox... I am going to step on the stage and brag a little. See those buttons over on the side? The ones below the Fearless, Ravelry and Blogging Without Obligation? I "made" them myself! Ok, so I didn't design the logos, but I did figure out how to put them onto my blog and link to the websites, and it wasn't even hard. I looked at the html of the first buttons and used it as my template for the others. I realize it's not a really big deal, but it made me feel good that I could figure it out, because computer things tend to intimidate me. I have a fear (probably a bit irrational) that I might do something that will blow up the computer or render it completely useless. How would I do that by trying to add a button to my blog? I don't know, and if I don't know, I don't know that what I'm doing wouldn't ruin it all.

In knitting, I finished up the inner sole of Dad's second clog and have started the upper portion. What I love about the Ergo carrier is that even when M. is strapped to the front of me, I can sit and knit and she's comfy.

And speaking of the Bean...

Goody M. is ready to churn butter.

Yum!

2008-01-07T19:52:00.001-06:00

These pants crack me up! I think that babies are the only people who should wear words across their bottoms.

So, I thought I was pretty proud of my two-color February Sweater idea... um, not so much. After showing you this blog, I actually scrolled down it's page and looked at some of the pictures and saw that, I am not actually very inventive. But, at least I saw that I was not wrong in my idea and it looked pretty cute when other people did it.

I like the way these colors look together, the yellow has a bit of the peach in it, so it flows nicely. I am also enjoying knitting with this yarn; the name Smooshy fits well. The yarn is soft and sproingy and slides along the needles nicely. And, there isn't a color they dye that I don't like. I should have enough to make another two-color sweater, just opposite. I saw some of these sweaters that people had modified with a raglan-increase stockinette stitch yoke, and I think I will try that option on the next one.

In other baby news, I ordered the Ergo Baby Carrier last Thursday evening and it came today. I love it! I was using a Baby Bjorn and it was killing my back (although it did help me get more done than if I hadn't used it). The Ergo straps around the waist in addition to the shoulders which really helps balance the weight. And her legs go out to the side more than hang down, so riding the exercise bike in the basement is easier... my legs don't hit hers as I pedal, now. I am looking forward to getting out and walking with her in this carrier, although we seemed to have missed the ridiculously warm weather. It did get up to 36 degrees today, but that's a little cold to be doing more than walking to and from a car with her. But the new carrier makes getting out with her more appealing.

And back to knitting... while riding the recumbent bike in the basement, I'm making progress on both my dad's second felted clog and a ribbed scarf I started years and years ago.

Now, books... one per post. One of the books I bought was The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes. It has so much information on yarn and how it's made and what from and how it all affects what it does. And there are patterns, too. She has designers like Teva Durham and Norah Gaughan (and many more), so you know there are some great projects, but I think I really truly decided to get the book when I came upon the felted Calla Lily Bag designed by the incomparable Cat Bordhi. I will post pictures when I make this bag... someday.

Last, but not least, I wanted to thank those of you who have left kind comments about my return to blogging. I missed keeping up with you all :)

Baby fingers

2008-01-03T19:38:00.001-06:00

Here we have Miss M. Bean's hand. I love the knuckle dimples. Her fingers are pretty long, I'm not sure where that comes from, it's not me, I know that. I've been trying to keep her nails short by filing them, but she is not fond of that process.

My life is now so baby-fied that apparently if I wear pants and a shirt (that aren't my usual black knit pants and old fraternity rush t-shirt of D.'s that I wear around the house) I am deemed "fancy" by D.

In yarn and knitting news, last Monday I went to Fringe to check out their going out of business sale. In addition two books, (I know I promised I'd talk about books, but that will have to wait) I bought some Dream in Color seconds. I bought four skeins of the sock yarn Smooshy -- one each of colors Giant Peach and Butter Peeps and two skeins of a teal that I don't see represented on their site (which I guess explains why they are seconds) -- and two skeins of the worsted Classy in a beautiful purple color. I just bought them because they were pretty, not because I had a plan for them... I've got to stop that.

Anyway, the peach and yellow would make a very pretty sweater for Miss M., but I didn't know what pattern to use -- I just knew I wanted something lacy. This is where Ravelry totally rocks. I was able to search for projects done in Smooshy and sort it to find the baby projects people had made, and by doing that, found the perfect sweater: Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Sweater from Knitter's Almanac. You can see a picture here. I think I might make the yoke a different color from the patterned section. The crazy part is that I've actually made a gauge swatch! I want to make sure I make something that the little girl can actually wear.

In other knitting news, I have finished the knitting on my dad's first felted clog; I just need to sew up the outer sole and stitch the two soles together. I have already started knitting the inner sole of the second clog.

Thanks for reading, when I get a bit more time (hahahaha) I'll write a bit about the books I got.

Baby toes

2008-01-02T09:37:00.001-06:00

Here is Bean's perfect baby foot.
D. might allow pictures at some point; he is rather protective of both of us. When telling his college friends about Princess M. he asked for donations to a shotgun fund. We would have had a shotgun couriered to us from one of his friends if Illinois did not have such strict gun laws. All I have to say is any boy wanting to date the Bean better watch out.

Last Friday I had my six-week post-partum appointment with the midwife and I was given the go ahead to exercise. I had gotten back down to pre-baby weight, but since that was much higher than I was comfortable with already, I wanted to get moving. I discovered that if I put the Bean in the Baby Bjorn and ride the recumbent bike, I can get some knitting done at the same time. I'm a multi-tasking fiend!

Speaking of knitting...

Here are clogs I made for my mom, pre-felting. I will be sending them to her in this condition for her to felt. A front-loading washing machine came with our house, and because they are more gentle on clothes it makes felting more difficult; also, if she felts them, she can get them to the perfect size for her more easily than I can 2,000 miles away. Before I send them, I have to finish a pair for my dad, too. I'm interested to see how the Andean varigated yarn felts up -- I hope it doesn't get too muddy looking.

Thank you for your support of this new blog, up next, fingers... and an overview of some knitting books I have recently purchased.

New Year, New Blog

2008-01-01T07:40:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

Since this is my first post on this blog, let me introduce myself. I am Laurel, formerly of Laurel's Pirate Knitting. The last you might have heard from me, D. and I were about to buy our first house and I was a couple months away from giving birth to The Bean. We have now been in our house for a few months, and The Bean turned out to be a beautiful baby girl who is now almost 7 weeks old. Sorry, no pictures of her will be posted on this blog. However, if you would like to see one and I "know" you, leave a comment and I will email you one :).

So, 2007 had some really crappy parts, but it finished up quite nicely (to say the least) and 2008 looks to be even better.

As far as knitting goes, I am getting a little done, but not too much right now... Bean likes to be held a lot, and I have yet to figure out how to knit while holding her or nursing. So, I knit if she'll sit in her bouncy chair or D. is holding her. D. however, has to go back to work tomorrow, so that time will decrease by a lot.

I did, however, start and finish a pair of felted clogs in December. They are for my mom, and I'm letting her do the felting. I also started a pair for my dad.

On Ravelry, I am Oldbean, and have been sucked in and am finding way to many things I want to knit, and I want to knit all of them RIGHT NOW. But, before I start a ton of new things, my goal is to finish a lot of what I have on the needles. My knitting time being so precious these days, if anything is ever to get done, I need to be faithful to projects I start. This will not be easy, but I am nothing if not stubborn.

I promise pictures in my next post.