Shh... secret knitting...

I've been silent for good reason. I've taken on a secret knitting project. Adorable... and I mean SERIOUSLY adorable pictures to follow... hopefully by weeks end if my wrists hold out.

Toe is feeling better. Still not 100%, but returning to normal color. Miss N checks on it every day because she is reminded about 20 times a day to not be "so rowdy" around Mommy because my toe hurts.

I made a list today, yes, so many orders I had to make a list. Lots of yarny goodness on it's way to me. Embarrassing amounts really. Well, for me anyway. But hey... had paypal - did a little shopping... then knit happens went and had such a sale and to celebrate losing all my Miss E weight (that's 30lbs folks!) I bought yarn to make my first sweater... and one for Hub too. And sock yarn... well, I have a problem with that so throw some of that into the mix too. And they didn't have the pattern I wanted, nor did LYS, so I went to WEBS... and more sock yarn followed... Not to mention birthday blanket yarn and a toddler poncho... And then there's the fabric for a special order... and snaps because I previously stocked up on the wrong snaps in a co-op... (doh!) Oh my. I will be busy for a while my friends... busy busy!

It has been brought to my attention that I might provide some information here on Chickie Pads... which obviously is still not open. Can I get a volunteer? lol! I'll be updating the blog soon with some info.

Ouch!

I got a lot of knitting time this weekend... wondering how? Well, I seem to be blessed with the gift of "clutz". I managed to ram my foot into Miss E's closet doors while trying to avoid stepping on her. So I have one toe that is red and purple and now today green as well. Oh so lovely. So I'm gimping around a bit. I don't think it's broken, but... ouch. I did a good job! I thought about taking a picture, but really... I like to show you pretty things. This is not pretty.

The two colors for my French Market Bag came in on Saturday. I took this picture to show not only you, but to remind myself of the order I'd like to go in. I am excited to get this one done now!


And the major progress is shown here. Block 5 is complete on my "mirror image Mod log baby blanket". I shorted myself on the green yarn though... more is on the way. It'll be a nice break though. You can just knit and knit and knit in garter stitch and it feels like you are going NOWHERE!


I ripped out the green peace longies I did a while back. My first for Miss E. They really were horribly sized. They were making me crazy... so I ripped them apart last week. Then I rewound and washed the yarn and hung it to dry. It still has a some kinks, but not much. Should be ok I think. An odd choice maybe... but... I plan to knit them back up in much better shape. The only weird part is that I think I'll need to use some of the yarn I had originally had leftover. So some will be new and some reclaimed. I'm not sure how that'll work out.

So anyhow... that's my weekend update! Off to sit down and put my toe up!

I've been commented by a celebrity!

lol! Hi Ann! Thanks for stopping by!

Hub gets a call

This is a funny little story... Hub comes home from work and says...

"I got a funny call today... I answer the phone and this guy says "This is Bob from Mason Dixon." Hub thinks Hmm... why is a yarn place calling me (note: slight ignorance about what MDK is but whatever...) Then thinks... hmm... this guy sure is grouchy for a knitter. Guy proceeds to ask Hub what day he wants load picked up from construction site next week... Hub figures out it's a trucking company.

I heart hub.

Expectations

I think it's possible that I expect a little too much out of myself sometimes. I seem to feel like I'm "never getting anything done". But let's take this week's knitting as an example of how I am not connected to reality here...

Complete! Spring Capri's! Cute eh? It's my "diapering ultimate" combo. BFL from WWBN for the trim and Peace Fleece for the body (this one was handdyed by Bungalow Buns). A week ago I was just done with the waistband.




My model seems happy with them. Excuse the ends. I wanted to try them on her before naptime.

Then comes the sock... hub's BearFoot sock #1... nearly complete heelflap.


Oh, and did I mention I started E's blanket too? Hub convinced me she wouldn't know the difference if I don't complete it before her birthday. But I'll still try. Moderne Log Cabin Baby Blanket. I'm doing it on 7's instead of 6's and using Swish Superwash. Oddly I got a new Knit Picks' catalog in the mail yesterday and they had a boyish version done in Swish on 6's. They should have waited for me! Mine will be much cuter! Although... if you're looking closely... you might notice I picked up on the opposite side for block #3. Whoops. I don't want to rip though. So... it's going to have to be a mirror image of the actual pattern.


So yes, I think I might have gotten a little bit of knitting done. Best give it a rest eh?

In another interesting note, I listened to a talk about Gluttony last night. I have never heard the sin of Gluttony addressed. It was perhaps one of the most interesting things I've listened to in a long time. I know the woman who is speaking and she is a very dear sweet woman. Kudos to her for speaking up so bravely. Can be found here... in the Theology for Women Section if interested.

Alright, I'm off... Miss N says I have a ticket... wonder where I'm going?

Sale? What Sale? At my LYS?!

I am so annoyed right now. It is the middle of the day and a house that is nearly a full block away is playing music so loud that my kids can't sleep. Don't worry... already talked to the police, but not sure they can do anything mid-day. But that is ridiculous! GRR...

Last night I went to knit night at ye ole' LYS. It was my first time. It was pretty fun. It's such a lovely atmosphere you can't help but enjoy yourself. They are also have a (gasp!) SALE this week. Of course it's progressive... the more you buy the more you save... dangerous.

I came out alright. I picked up a set of 5" size 1 Brittany DPN's and a hank of some purdy sock yarn for Hub. And some Debbie Bliss Cathay to make Miss E a birthday bolero. But I think I'm going to take the Cathay back. First off... because I wanted to make it "little girl pink". And it's rose. They didn't have that baby girl pink that looks so good on little E. AND... because it's just not very washable. I'm going to go poke around Michaels and see if I can find something. The Cathay is lovely, but... maybe not quite right. I dont't know... I've only got 4-1/2 weeks. Maybe it's too late anyways... I'll just take the Cathay back and start stocking up on yarn for my parents anniversary log cabin. I fully plan on it taking me a year to complete. I've got until fall to stock up on yarn and then get started.

SO... here's some progress on E's Capri's that I took with me to work on last night. Very cute! I finally did a swatch "in the round" and guess what... my gauge... is actually working out. Whew.


And here is the gorgeous sock yarn I picked up for Hub. (Side note: see that lovely new scratch Miss N put in the table... just saw that when I took this pic. Ugh!) It's called Mountain Colors Bearfoot Sock Yarn and is the Redhawk Tail colorway. It's really pretty. Goes from Black to Browns into Reds and Oranges. Quite lovely. It made me think of Hub since it comes from Montana. He's been doing a lot of business travel into Montana lately.


And yes, I picked up some new DPN's to work them on too. They are soo tiny. I feel like I'm knitting with toothpicks. I can see that should you be prone to leaving your knitting where it could be sat upon... you would break a lot of these. But I think I like them. It's a little odd that they have "give" in them. I like the shortness... we'll see. I'm working them on a set of five. I'm going to use a Seed Rib Stitch.

So last night... while at knit night... Ms H the manager and woman I've come to know there says "Have you ever heard of a site called the Diaper Pin?". For ya'll that know me... you know how funny this was. I didn't mention how many posts I have there... But I did tell her ya'll sort of "taught" me to knit!

Squaw no getting Snackie. Squaw going to bed.

What's better than one pair, well two of course. I did these ones in ribbing to hopefully help them stay up a little better. Overall they are a bit big on her. I think if I decide to make more I'll size down my needles. I made them a tiny bit long so she can grow a bit. She still loves the pink ones more.



After the Blushing Violet debacles, I decided that that yarn is cursed. So I put it away. I'm going to make a pair of capri's out of this springy colorway. I have some lavendar BFL for the trim and this is peace fleece. I swatched it last night. So I'll probably cast on during naptime.


The plague has hit our house. My throat feels like it has gravel in it at the moment. I had one day I was so sick I didn't even knit! Still feeling cruddy, but well enough to sit up and be productive. I've been overdoing it a bit this morning though... need to sit and rest during naptime.

Miss N has now watched Peter Pan at least 10 times in the past 3-4 days. It's got her "hooked". Which is good for her sick parents. She has picked up an English accent though... calling it "Pe-tah Paaan" like Wendy. I think she thinks she is Wendy.

Oh, and the Yarn Harlot has kept me amused during her bedroom remodel. I imagine that her body hurts possibly worse than mine! And oh my... Kay has linked us all to a wonderful land of Argosy goodness... I will be frequenting this Happy Camper! I think I'll do the dishcloth and see what I think... I love the look of that stitch pattern.

No, she's not watching it, she's crocheting...

Agh! No I wasn't! I was KNITTING. Have you ever seen anyone crochet a sock?! But no, I was not watching Curious George on the TV in the waiting room. Heaven knows I see that enough at home. And when I'm not watching it, I'm reading a book about that little monkey.

Anyhoo... finally got my eyes checked today. Turns out... not much wrong with them. Pretty much the same as they were 7 years ago when I last had them checked. Apparently the "delicacy" of the "work" I'm doing is at the root of the headaches I have been having now and then. I have to admit... that little two week headache was put to rest by a couple days of pilates. Remind me of that next time I complain of an unending headache would ya?! There is a slight problem with my distance vision, but not enough to get glasses just for that he said. They dilated my pupils! I've never had that before. I'd rather not do it again either. It was horrible! Yuck!

But I did knit a heel flap while we were all waiting for my eyes to dilate... note... I said knitting a sock, not crocheting it.

So... now... what to do... get "old lady" reading glasses or fork out for a prescription? Is there any difference? Does anyone really know. My little script' sheet says +1. And if I do... should I go for the invisible bifocals so I can knit/tv watch at the same time without perching glasses on my nose or getting dizzy from looking through magnifing glasses? It would also have the benefit of me not losing or forgetting them as I could just wear them. And they wouldn't go flying when I run after some child in peril either... hmm... I don't know. Sometimes I wish there was someone to tell me what to do. Perhaps I should ask how much they'd be and then figure out how much yarn that would equate to... that might be a scary thought.

Hub's going next week. He needs new glasses. He can't see. But I'm the one with headaches... go figure.

Pink Socks... going on 48+ hours now. They did come off briefly for some dancing with the Wiggles... then went straight back on. I tried to sneak them away to the laundry, but as soon as I touched them she was on me. Tomorrow I'll force her outside... they won't fit in shoes... she'll have to take them off!

When Socks are loved...

You cast on another pair straight away.


The child has been wearing the pink socks for going on 30+ hours. She refuses to let me wash them. This is the child who is naked all the time! Right now she's dancing to the wiggles with the socks on and her underwear. lol! Ah... isn't it fun to be a 3YO? As you can see they've gotten really fuzzy. I totally expected them to be this way. It's super soft springy yarn. Defiantly not a sock yarn per say. But I was going for soft and cozy and sleepable. Apparently they are a little too comfy!

Oh, and I did another of these...



So when I asked Miss N if I should make her another pair of socks. She says "OH yes!" "Let me go get the ya-ren I know where it is." I thought hmm... should be interesting... she goes into my room... rifles the stash and finds, yes, exactly the yarn I was going to use. Between her vast ya-ren knowledge and the way she knits with three q-tips (used to be two then she saw me with DPN's and upped it to three.) I think I've got a protege on my hands!

Oh, and in case you noticed... yes, those are wood needles I'm knitting them on. Shocking I know. But my nickle ones are far too long and drove me batty so I thought what the hey... and you know what... I actually like it. Gasp!

"Mama, will you make me some ni-night sockies?"

And thus we have... pink ni-night sockies. Isn't it cute? Yes, it needs a mate. Will do that straight away. Just too cute not to post a pic of the first one. The picture on the pattern had hearts in another color, but I took the easy route and made them in purls. However, this makes them slouchy. Oops. Live and learn. Oh well... they're just ni-night sockies. My girlies sleep in long john style pj's so they need to wear socks to bed.

Anyhoo... here it is. Ann Norling Baby and Toddler socks pattern. Swish Superwash on 7's. This is the toddler size.



And, here is a delayed pic. These are fingerless mitt's for my MIL. She was here visiting this weekend, so now that she has them I can post them! They are very much in her style. Which as you can probably guess isn't really mine. But I wanted her to love them.




And in other news. The Blushing Violet soaker and I are going another round. I finished it sans leg cuffs. Tried it on Miss E and it was horrid. My gauge was on so I guess it's the pattern I hate. So, ripping that out and trying another. The yarn is too expensive not to put it to good use!

AND... I now have the pattern so Missy T and I can start our Roza socks!

AND... I need yarn for some socks for Hub. Hub is a rock star and deserves some socks. Hub took his very expensive Christmas present... returned it... and bought a rockin' light for our dining room. It's really cool. My pic's of it are horrible, so sorry, no pic's. But it's cool. And SOOOOOO much better than the 1970's ceiling fan that previous owners thought "fit". Hmm... their decor was uh... UGLY! So anyhoo... hub needs socks. Need yarn.

Ok, must run. Now that MIL is gone I have some things to do.

What? No Knitting?

Nope, no knitting for the past few days. I had to hand over the kids to Hub and head down to the basement for some serious sewing!

These are Chickie Pads! I've been attempting, a sorry attempt, to open up a store selling the cloth pads I make. But... as you can see from my HC store... nothing has much happened. Trying to do this about the same time as a baby begins to walk, is not good thinking. So it's taking a while. However, the lovely ladies on the Pin were doing a congo co-op. I offered myself up and they were gracious enough to take me up on my offer. This is their order. I had to take some pretty pic's of the loot before sending them off.


Now, what have I learned? Well, I learned that knitting is a heck of a lot easier to do with children running around. I mean you just can't sew a pad while you wait for a 3YO to finish her breakfast! But you can knit! All this had to be done when the kids were sleeping. Which is no small task since we all know how much there is to do when the kids sleep! I might have gotten a bit more done with them awake had I cleaned the rec room... however, I hauled all the clothes the girls are not wearing down there to sort them. The movers took my neat and tidy sorted stacks out of the closet at our old place and just threw them into boxes. I've been procrastinating sorting them back out but Miss E is growing so I needed to find her next size up... and well, I didn't exactly finish my task. Will get to it now though! We have a visitor coming tomorrow! It's housecleaning day!

THEN I will sit and blissfully knit again... I missed it. How sick is that?! ha!

After tomorrow I'll have another knitting FO for you. The gift will be given and I can then share with all of you!