Posted in Misc on October 31, 2008| 6 Comments »
We started like this:
then before we knew it, we had this:
and this:
and this:
I got some pictures in the midst of the actual trick-or-treating, but they weren’t worthy of posting. The kids had a blast and we’re all exhausted.
Success!
I hope you all had as much fun as we did…
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Posted in Knitting on October 27, 2008| 3 Comments »
I was so excited, thinking I’d be able to show everyone the Christmas Tree Fairy I’d finished over the weekend. Turns out the skirt I knit for her is, at very minimum, doubly too big. Drats!
I’ve put her aside because I’m flustered. Knitting at such a tight gauge bothers my hands after a while and this skirt took what seemed like forever to knit. The last thing I want to do right now is knit it again! At least I have a little time before the kids’ Christmas Break to get her finished.
I made a little hat for my daughter’s best friend’s little sister:
Pattern: Ruffled Hat — free from Bernat website w/registration
Yarn: Moda Dea Washable Wool in #4431 Plum, .6 ball or ~2.10 ounces
Needle: US7
Started: October 23, 2008
Finished: October 24, 2008
I really do love the feel of this yarn. It’s super smooshy and comfy feeling. I tried washing and drying it because-according to the label and the name-it’s washable. Yeah…Not so much. It definitely felted. It’s not a complete loss, but if I ever knit anything using this yarn again I’ll be sticking with hand washing for sure! I also completely disagree with the cost of this stuff! $8 for a single ball of the stuff at a big box store? I only bought this because of the coupon discount I was able to use.
I can’t promise much in the way of knitting posts in the near future. I inadvertantly committed myself to a very large project for the school’s auction and within the next few days, the majority of my not-so-scheduled time will be taken up on that.
Posted in Knitting on October 17, 2008| 3 Comments »
I had been working away on my Twist Cardigan, but have completely lost interest in finishing it. So instead of finishing the sleeves, I decided to dye some wool for a gift I’ll knit for our school’s principal…
Jaggerspun Zephyr laceweight dyed with Jacquard acid dye #610, Burgundy
This will become a shawl for a great woman, hopefully in time for Christmas.
I also decided to knit up a couple of little gifts for doctors in our lives… First is for the kids’ dentist. I love her! She’s excellent with the kids and so is her staff. They’re always willing to work with us and I would recommend them to any parent with young kids in need of a pediatric dentist.
Pattern: Tooth Fairy Pillow [Rav Link] by MyFairKatie
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in White, very little
Needle: US4
Started and finished on October 15, 2008. Very fast knit. And very cute, too. He measures ~4.5″ tall and 3″ wide.
And for my Gyne, who has the best sense of humor…
Because who doesn’t need a bright pink uterus? The last time I saw the gyne, he asked the typical questions about type of contraception we’re using, etc and I reminded him that we had to do IVF to get the babies we have, so there is no contraception use, his reply was “Oh, the pull and pray method, huh?” Oh yeah. 🙂
Pattern: Womb from Knitty, Winter 2004
Yarn: Cascade 220 scrap, held double
Needle: US6
I finished this little thing during the second half of Survivor into CSI last night, making it a 1.5 hour gift knit. WOOHOO!
I’ve begun working on the very odd, but very fervently requested items to be knit for my daughter’s preschool teacher and her assistant. With luck I’ll be able to post on those very soon. Don’t go holding your breath on that… our school auction is Nov 14, so the frantic attempt to create lots of display boards will be getting underway very soon. I forsee a lack of knitting time in my near future.
Enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you back here soon!
Posted in Knitting on October 13, 2008| 6 Comments »
I can now claim that it’s always been this way and I’ve never actually made a mistake (and especially not more than once!) with the numbered candles. 🙂
Posted in Knitting on October 12, 2008| 4 Comments »
That’s not entirely true. I haven’t knit anything blog worthy, though. I’m still working on the Twist cardigan–finally on my first sleeve. Most of my time lately has been consumed by making the invitations and thank you cards for my oldest son’s party–which was today. I’ve also spent countless hours making the invitations for my daughter’s upcoming party. It’s crazy the stuff we try to do for our kids, isn’t it?
So first, a terrible picture of T’s invites… I don’t have any fancy photo editing software and I couldn’t figure out how to blur or otherwise erase his personal information, so you’ll have to envision what the whole card looks like, ok? While you’re at it, pretend I have some previous experience making cards!
The inside of the card has a funny little pirate-speak invitation with threats of walkin’ the plank and all that jazz.
His thank you cards took a bit longer to make because I could not, for the life of me, find the pirate dress up outfit for the Sizzix paper doll cutout. I finally ordered the thing online and almost 2 weeks later was able to finish the cards.
The backs of these will have a base writing with spaces for my son to fill in blanks of what was given, etc. Now that today’s party is behind us, we can get started on those.
We chose to have a water park party at the local athletic center because we figured it’d be cold by now and we wouldn’t be able to do any outdoor activities. Yeah. It was upwards of 86 degrees. It was downright hot. Anyway… This is the best picture to depict the party:
There’s a limit on the number of guests allowed for the party and T has a large school class, so we couldn’t invite the whole class…I’m not one to pick and choose friends, so we opted for a boys only party. The party was an overall success, but not without some drama.
My daughter can swim well enough to not drown, but still panics if she’s pushed underwater at all. She fell off the floaty things pictured above and freaked out a little. A good hug from mom (who was wearing regular clothing, not swim gear, oops!) and she was off to play more. The biggest dramatic moment was when my youngest was done wearing his life jacket and took it off to put it away. As he was walking over to do just that, he wasn’t looking where he was going and walked right into the 5′ deep water. It was amazing how quickly he sank down! It was odd, though… I was standing right there and was thinking that he was going to do exactly what he did, so I just kinda stepped over, pulled him out, got a bit more soaked, and calmed him down. It was oddly uneventful, if that makes any sense. I’m just super thankful that I was standing right there. I trust lifeguards, but I still believe my kids’ lives are my own responsibility and try to keep a hawk’s eye on them.
Anyhow, T got lots of things he was really wanting as well as some stuff he wouldn’t normally choose. He’s happy and tired. What more could a mom ask for?
All the kiddos are asleep now, so I’m signing off for some quiet time! Enjoy your holiday tomorrow, if you have it. 🙂
Posted in Knitting on October 1, 2008| 7 Comments »
I mentioned in the last post that my friend had her first baby, a boy named Connor. Upon learning the gender of the baby, I had to make something more specific than I had already, so I looked to Elizabeth Zimmermann. She hasn’t let me down yet!
Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February) from Knitter’s Almanac
Yarn: some old Lion Brand Wool Ease Sportweight in Blue Mist… ~.5 ball
Needles: US5
Started: September 17, 2008
Finished: September 20, 2008… should have been sooner, but distractions got the best of me.
I bought these JHB buttons (#1438, if you’re interested) at Joann because I thought they were boyish and because it was one of the select few buttons they actually had 6 of. Hrumph. If you click on the picture of them, you can get a better idea of the colors found in this yarn.
I know there are lots of so-called fiber snobs out there, and I suppose if I weren’t lazy and if my husband wouldn’t have a coronary from the amount I could spend on wool, I’d probably be one myself, and I’d never have found Wool Ease. I’m glad I’m frugal. I’m glad the hubby is cheap. 😉 I love this yarn. LOVE. It’s always gotten softer and smoother for me after I wash and dry it and it’s cheap as heck. I have started yet another sweater using this yarn (some more I found in my stash that’s almost been a sweater more than once) and have no doubt I’ll make a few more when it goes on sale again.
I’ve also been working on Twist…
I’m finished with the back and about 2/3 through the left front. Seemed like prime time to cast on for my Gathered Pullover… Apparently I’ll never be free of distractions.
I forgot to mention the Hogwarts Scarf I knit for the school auction coming in November. This will be paired with the book set and, with luck, will draw some decent bids!
Pattern: Hogwarts Scarf
Yarn: What else? Wool Ease in Gold and Cranberry, 2 balls each
Needles: US8
Measurement: including fringe, 7.5″ x 70″, 62″ without fringe
I’ve also been trying to be crafty in other areas… My oldest son’s birthday party is coming faster than anticipated and I wanted to make his invitations. This turned into a fiasco of sorts when I couldn’t find the die I really wanted to use. I was able to find everything eventually, but not without a little drama! I’ll try to get a photo uploaded soon to show you.
And finally, I’ll leave you with our silly birthday story:
My youngest son turned 3 on September 24. I needed to buy a cake because I’m a terrible mom and didn’t make the time to bake one for him. While I was at the store buying said cake (with the birthday boy in tow, no less) I wondered if I needed to buy a candle. A number 2 candle. I assured myself there was one at home and went on my way.
Fast forward to cake time. I placed the candle on the cake, lit it, and placed it in front of my son. My husband was giving me some odd looks, so I asked “What?!” He reminded me that our son is 3, not 2.
Um. Yeah.
You’re probably laughing, but still thinking to yourself “that’s not too bad…” And you’d be right. Except for one thing: I did the same thing for my daughter’s birthday last year:
Anybody want to guess which numbers my oldest will end up with on the 13th? 🙂
knitting elephant 