Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Another Addition

I had another baby 4 weeks ago. Another little boy of mine was born at home on November 22, 2013. We named him Jack. He's a wonderful baby, as all babies are. I wish I could easily post a picture, but I am attempting this post from yet another new android phone. I've been thinking about the blog, so we'll see if there is more to come (I blame Ravelry for me dropping out of blogging.)

Monday, August 1, 2011

Did I tell you?




Our oldest daughter got married? In June? Well, she did. :-)

She was beautiful. She is beautiful. And now, I have a son-in-law. Weird. :P

Sunday, July 31, 2011

FO Nathair Mitts



Can you see the picture? I hope so. I am coming in and testing photo uploading via Android phone.

It seems since I have gotten this phone many websites have "updated" their compatibility with this phone. Or my phone has updated it's compatibility. Either way, it would make blogging more interesting again if I can share pictures. :)

This is a photo of my Flower, almost 5 years old, modeling a pair of Nathair Mitts that I knit for a commission. I was paid for the knitting with yarn...which is awesome. This pair of mitts is knit out of Malabrigo worsted in Forest. Not my favorite colorway, but they were a delight to knit and deliciously soft.

I have knit this pattern a few more times and I love it. The cabling makes them look elegant and complicated with minimal effort if you can cable without a cable needle.

I knit the first pair (in this picture) to the letter of the pattern. I have modified it only slightly for the next pairs. In the photos on the pattern, it is obvious the ribbing is twisted rib, so I have changed that and the look is better. I also moved the thumb over one stitch from the center panel. This keeps the panel more centered on the hand when the mitts are in use. (As written, the panel is centered GREAT as long as you keep your thumbs outstretched to the sides of your hand at all times. Not so much if you grab a steering wheel or move you thumbs at all.) I tried moving it over 3 stitches at first and that was too many. Also, when I knit them *again* (and I will knit them again) for ME, I will lengthen them too.

Overall a great pattern. Well written and worth the price. (I think it's only 2 or 3 dollars. It was gifted to me by the commissioner of the first pair so I am not totally sure.)

Friday, July 22, 2011

Random comeback post 3

Today we are watching the Lion King. Can you believe my kids have only seen this one time? It's amazing when they are watching something brand new. They are quiet, except when asking questions of course. "Is that the mommy lion?" "Look Mama, it's a baby!" "Is that the bad guy Lion?" "Look at that monkey!" "Is that the good lion?" My kids are so cute, if I do say so myself.

This morning, I also have a smurf baby. She loves blueberries and we tend to have the frozen variety. Once thawed, There is quite a lot of blueberry watery goodness to spread around. Sometimes I wonder why I bathe them at all......

The 11 year old....oh how I love him. He is currently on a mission to find the lid to a Tupperware cereal container. He is *angry*. He has looked in 1 place and it's not there so he should BE DONE. But, **I** insist he use his powers of -reasoning- (he has them, even if he doesn't want to nlbelieve it) and KEEP LOOKING throughout the kitchen. I am just soooooo mean. Lol.

He can be awfully sweet too. The other night there was a.magical "homeschool paycheck" moment here. I was trying to get the house tidied up (and by trying, I mean knitting and staring at the mess *thinking* about how I *should* tidy up). I looked over and there was the Wobbers, with a toddler, an almost kindergartner, and a baby, all huddled in his lap intently listening to the story he was reading aloud to them. ::swoon:: I love watching my children in impromptu moments like that.

Did you hear me say, "almost a kindergartner"? Did you hear the shaking in my voice? She's almost 5. I am going to be completely responsible for teaching a child to read, write and all that other stuff. I purchase some good reading material when the tax refund came in - Sonlight P4/5 curriculum. I hope she loves it as much as I have loved perusing it. I am sure the 3 year old will love the books too. Wobbs was a little jealous that his books weren't as "cool" as the little kid books.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Hello again!

Two days in a row! Will it never end?!

My baby girl is 10 months old today. She is so different from her siblings and fits so well in our family.

She just learned how to crawl up onto the ottoman in front of my chair yesterday. I will never have an empty lap, even for a few moments, again! She walks all over the place holding onto furniture. She hops along the ground using her arms to pull her along and one leg to push. The other leg in un-involved in her "crawling". Lol.

She loves to play with Flower and Lovey. She wants to do whatever her big sister is doing. She is always trying to get the Barbies, and her face lights up when she actually finds one unattended that she can get (before Flower figures it out).

These children are growing too fast for me!!! In the next two months, they will turn 5, 3, and 1. Wow. And Wobbers is 11.

And....it's an odd number year. That would make this the "get pregnant" year, if history repeats itself. I have mixed feelings about this. Some days I am so overwhelmed at 3 kids under the age of 4.....can't imagine 4 kids under the age of 5 or 6. And then I look at the joy on their faces, and the beautiful tender moments we share together and I can't imagine not adding to that. God will work it all out, I know. (I still am going to hate being pregnant, because it just sucks, lol.) I don't know if we are gong to be discerning pregnancy or not pregnancy, or what we're going to to. I know that December is "the" month, so I suppose I am good for now.

What are you guys up to?? I am going to go peek back out into bloggy land today and see what's happening. I stopped by Abigail's Alcove the other day and saw they got a house!!! Which is a wonderful blessing and so amazing. Now I have to read back through her archives to see how that happened. :)

Is this thing still on?

I have been knitting. And living. This android phone thing has upped my access to Ravelry and thus, the blog kind of died.

I have felt sad ignoring the blog. I don't think I'll be able to do any pictures. Maybe I can try slurping them from the web.

I have ignored many of my bloggy friends too. I am sorry.

I started swapping yarn on Ravelry. It is fun and I Have found a group of ladies there who are pretty cool. A friend of mine on the boards lost her husband last week. I told her to start a blog, which got me thinking about mine.

You can find me on Ravelry. Same username......

Later

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Operation Diaper Covers

Title blatantly stolen from my friend Shelly at Wool and Chocolate..... I have a small admission to make. I have not been using wool on my baby. There. I said it. Yes, she has been wearing wooly tops, hats, boots, and pants. But I have not been using said longies as diaper covers. Why? Well, I got lazy. PUL is sooooo much "easier" to deal with. No damp feeling. No lanolizing. Everything goes in the wash. I've been putting longies over the PUL to keep her warm. It's still dang cute. But it has come to bite me in the @$$. Or rather, it has gotten Rose on the legs. Her legs have a nice, scaly rash all over where the diaper wraps have been rubbing. It was just a little bit. But now it has fully encompassed each thigh. It's obvious what it's from and it cannot be ignored any more. Back to wool. In an interesting twist.....I do not have enough wool knit up in the correct size for diaper cover use. So, I am knitting like mad. I have planned and started some scrappy longies, made from some Paton's and my own handdyed WoTA and Fisherman's wool. I hope they are really, really cute. I also am like this close to buying the Sheepy Skirty Pattern. The other Sheepy Time Knits patterns are around $6.....but this one is $12. Twelve. So, I am hesitant. I mean, I know how to knit a soaker. Attaching a skirt cannot be THAT hard, right? Although, in an effort to not have to think much, having a pattern is nice. But really, it's knitting. I can get through a skirt (read "tube of fabric flaring or pleating to the other end) without a pattern, right? Then I start thinking "Do I even want her to wear a skirt at this point?", because diaper soaker/skirts tend to be on the short side. So, yeah. It's complicated. Oh - and all that Malabrigo I have for scrappies? I think it's going to be a Tomten Jacket. So, no pants from those for now. And switching back gears again - I think I should at some point knit some shorties. I mean, AT SOME POINT, spring/summer has to show up. Right? Right? It can't stay COLD AND SNOWY forever, can it? Seriously. There was a day last week where it was 60. 6-0 (F). And then, there was a thunderstorm that resulted in 4 inches of snow. A thunderstorm. I am not kidding. And now it's below freezing again. Sheesh. Oh, yeah. You want pictures. Um, I am working on that. Really, I am. Sorry none today. :(

Monday, March 21, 2011

Moving Right Along

I am trucking right on my Tomten Jacket. I love this design. Another thumbs up for Elizabeth. I should be starting the hood today. Isaac's birthday isn't until the end of April, so I am good on time. This jacket is so cute I will definitely go the the library so I can upload a photo when it's done.

~Oh. And our March choices for the yarn club are in. To die for. I am trying to decide how much I want (I already figured out which color I want).

Friday, March 18, 2011

Knitting Geekiness (yes, that is a word)

I am über-excited tonight.

I bought a new fabric shaver.

I plan on shaving pills off my woolies for hours on end tonight!

If you don't knit, you wont get it.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

I try to smile......

when, as I am washing dishes, my toddler picks clean dishes out of the rack and places them back in the water in the sink.

Thanks buddy.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Problem With Socks

I like sock yarn. I like socks. I like knitting socks. I like heels and toes and all the different ways you can knit them. (I am learning the short-row heel right now, pics later this week if I can.)

The problem?

The intense let down when said sock does not fit right.

It seems like I just can't win. I even tried knitting little baby socks for Rose. The sock just isn't right. I always seem to mess up the foot length and end up ripping back the toe like 5 or 6 times. Or the leg is too tight and the ankle too loose. And how the #%&@ do you do calf shaping (or any kind of.paired decreases in 2x2 rib?!

Anyhow. I really do like knitting socks. I just wish I could get a comfortable and well fitting finished object from it.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Some Random Thoughts Floating Around In My Head

~God made 11 year olds to give us the opportunity to practice patience.

Or to bring us closer to Him in our suffering. I haven't decided yet.

~I am sick of sleeping with my 2 year old. He is disruptive at night. It is annoying. I am an attachment parent at heart, so I am not really sure what to do about this and I also feel a little guilty for saying it.

On the bright side, my annoyance paid off tonight and everyone was asleep and in the(ir) bed(s) at a normal hour: 2 year old at 8 and the 4 year old at 9. Feels good.

~If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I hate HATE Daylight Savings Time. I will spare you my semi-annual rant and instead share a good joke I saw about DST on Facebook:

I was talking with an old indian about the reasons for Daylight Savings Time. He thought for a moment and replied, "Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it on the bottom, and have a longer blanket."

Brilliant.

~Cleaning the house is much easier if you (a) have a schedule and (b) treat it like a job.

A schedule means I don't have to worry everyday about vacuuming. I can worry about it on Tuesday because that is when I will vacuum (unless an entire box of cereal gets dumped on the floor, then I'll vacuum today). It also means the crappiest job of the week gets done on Monday - the bathroom. Oh how I loathe cleaning the bathroom.

Which brings me to point (b). If I want the house to get clean I have to treat it like I would if I were employed and had a supervisor. Only, my supervisor is God because I don't see anybody else around here holding me accountable. It is easy to get, I don't want to say lazy because that's not true, but distracted would be true. There is no one hanging over my shoulder all day to make sure I Get Things Done. Now, when I'm not getting things done, I am not eating bon bons and getting a massage. Generally me being distracted involves nursing the baby and getting stuck under said sleeping baby while being forced to watch "Barbie Mermaidia" on repeat for a few hours while I demand reheated leftovers from my 11 year old because I am starving trying to tandem nurse all day.

If you're wondering what brought on my thoughts for cleaning......it was my husband nicely asking me when the last time I vacuumed was and why he is always doing the laundry on his nights off. (I am still letting him do the laundry sometimes.)

And for kicks......here's my cleaning schedule:

Monday: Bathroom (counter, sink, tub, toilet, floor, wash rugs)
Tuesday: Vacuum and swifter upstairs (living/dining room, bedrooms)
Wednesday: Kitchen Floor (scrub)
Thursday: wash kitchen rugs
Friday: Vacuum downstairs (TV room, woodstove area)
Saturday: Vacuum stairs and entryway (husband or the boy does this)
Sunday: Laundry catch up day

These are just the "big" things. Stuff like laundry, dishes, kitchen counters, etc get done (I'd like to believe) everyday.

I suppose that could have been its own post.

~I am part of the Reductio Sock swap again on Ravelry. I have knit my mini sock but still need to knit another mini item. This round's theme is Ministry of Magic. I am stuck. Any ideas?

~I finally got the right size needles to knit my club yarn and started a hat for Rose. Because it's March. In Wisconsin. And its cold. At least, I am telling myself that even though I should probably just wait and knit it for next year.

~I think I might be able to use this android phone as a modem after all. There is an app on the phone called "wireless.modem". It has directions to use it. I am going to give it a go this week and see if I can load some photos onto Ye Olde Blog.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Celebrities on Ravelry

I haven't posted in a while. This touch screen keyboard is not as comforting to type on as a real keyboard. I love the click-clickety sound of the keys as I speed along able to type as fast as I can think. With this thing it's all thumbs and auto-correct and, well, it doesn't encourage me to blog. But because I love all of you soooo (auto correct there turned my soooo into Solo then sloop, wtf?) much and love reading your blogs, here I am.

Oh. Was I supposed to actually discuss my title?

Yes. Celebrities on Ravelry. I have been meaning to posy about this. Warning, I am using all caps here because it's just that exciting and cool.

MEG SWANSON TALKED TO ME ON RAVELRY. WHEN I FRIENDED HER SHE FRIENDED ME BACK. I AM FRIENDS WITH MEG SWANSON! REALLY! MEG SWANSON TALKED TO ME IN A FORUM ON RAVELRY! I KNOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER!

Ok. Seriously though, it was soo cool I almost peed my pants. I am sure I embarrassed her because I couldn't help but shout out to her about how great it is to see real knitting legends interacting with us regular folk and the fact the she really is just nice regular folk too. (If you are a knitter and you don't know who Meg Swanson is.....well.....I just can't help you.)

I keep thinking one year I'd like to go to Knitting Camp. I can't link to it but you can find details on the Schoolhouse Press website. It is actually geographically not a difficult place for me to get to. And I'd get TO MEET MEG SWANSON FOR REALZ. Sorry, giddy excitement got the best of me again. I hear at Knitting Camp they have actual garments that EZ and Meg have knit out for you to see, touch, and feel - no armored guards around or anything, right out in the open. Wow.

Yes. I am a geek. I am ok with this.

So that is my little bit of knitting celebrity stuff.

In other knitting news: the Tomten Jacket was knitting up too loose and too large. After completing appx. half of it, I frogged the whole thing and started over. I changed from size US 5 (3.75mm, I think) to US 3 (3.25mm). Much better. Yes, I am a very relaxed knitter.

I also never posted about getting my February yarn shipment, or at least never posted pictures. I can't do pictures now, but the yarn is nice. I thought it would be more of a worsted weight, but it is definitely heavier, aran weight for sure (just like Mandie (yarn pusher) said it was, duh). It is a beautiful deep saturated purple color with a little magenta called "Grapes of Wrath" on a base called "Fleckity" which is 1 strand of superwash plied with 2 strands of non-superwash. Very interesting. (If I already blogged about this, I apologize for the redundancy.) I actually had to buy some needles in order to knit with it. The size 6 needles were giving me a far too dense fabric (and those are HUGE for me to knit with, I am used to smaller gauge needles and worsted weight yarn, my standard needle is a 5) and the size 8 needles are far too flimsy fabric. So I stopped by JoAnns after grocery shopping and ran in for some 7s, a size I was sure I would never need to own. They only had straights (bleh) or double points in 7s, so I bought the double points. I really wanted a 16 inch circular but I must have seen those at Michael's. The plan is to knit a gnomey hat and pullover for Rose.

I will get the hang of this phone and hopefully post more.

Onward knitting.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Wake Up New Technology

Well. The charging port on that old phone *did* break. A repair was $300. A new phone was less than half of that. So here I am on an Android phone. Who knew that super advanced blackberry was obsolete? Certainly not me.

I am adjusting to this new technology. It is strange. I cannot figure out how to load picture from my phone either here or on ravelry. I also cannot tether this phone to my laptop unless I want to pay extra. So no pics for a while. :(

But - it's like a whole new internet! The browser applicaition on this thing pulls up the while, real internet pages/website(s). For many of the blogs I read this means I feel like I am seeing them for the first time. It's pretty cool. I can even get on ravelry From My Phone. Really. And yes, that wasted a lot of time the other night when I should have been knitting.

I am also learning this new touch screen thing. Also weird. But OK. It has auto correct. Some of the words it picks out to correct and replace are hilarious. On ravelry today I typed "longies" and it correctes it once to linties and once to loonies. Hahaha.

I also can pull up the comment pages on all of my favorite blogger blogs now! I am sure that has to do with Google owning the Android market. :) I love being able to comment and not lurk. So if you are all of a sudden hearing from me it's because of this phone.

Hopefully, I will be a able to make minor changes to the layout and blogroll without to many problems.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Knitting Retreat

Or, "What I did this weekend."

I visited my knitting buddy. If you remember she now lives 3 hours north of me. We have made a pact to visit each other every other month. In October, I drove to her place. In December, she drove here. And, being February, I drove to her place again. Of course, I should say that my husband drove me there since the whole family went and her whole family comes here too.

We had a fabulous visit. Our 4 year old daughters have known each other since they were born and miss each other terribly throughout our times apart, which is ya know always except for the 1 Saturday every other month. The kids (ok, her kid so far) write each other letters and send pictures in between and always ask when we are going to visit.

I brought an entire bin of yarn and knitting paraphernalia to her house. Yes, a big rubbermaid type storage bin. Yes, just for a one day visit. No, that's not weird.

I had Malabrigo scraps to share and divide up, yarn to wind, and projects to share.

Can I just say it is sooooo wonderful to have a knitting buddy. It's nice for when you are trying to match up yarns to patterns, see if a certain pattern even fits a yarn, or if the gauge seems appropriate or not. It helps when you have projects that are ho-hum or you don't know quite what you feel about them or just want some general input to improve, or knit on, or whatever.

A few things happened with some of my WIP over this weekend and also for future projects.

After joint counseling with my knitting buddy, my Effortless Cardigan has been put on time out. I was thinking the gauges was a little tight on US size 3 needles (3.25mm) and she agreed. I had brought an extra skein of the lovely yarn, so we wound it up. I am going to restart this project on size 4 needles (3.5) and see how I like it then. I am not frogging the size 3 since it is already to the armholes. I am just going to knit a new one and then compare and frog the one that isn't right.

The February Lady Sweater has been frogged. Really, it was too small. How do I know this? Well, she measured me and then to confirm I tried it on. I was knitting a chest size 41. My chest is, in fact, 50 (!) inches around. No wonder it was small. I do not own enough yarn to go up to that size (only 5 skeins, looks like it needs about 7 to do that size). I also don't love the yarn color. I do love the yarn, Malabrigo Worsted, but the color is kind of ho-hum. I now have 5 skeins of this yarn to do something with. I think I might put four of them up for sale on ravelry and keep one for scraps, etc. Unless anyone wants to trade something, especially anyone on a stash diet?

We wound yarn. We petted yarn. We loved the yarn. I brought my two shipments from the Speshul Snowflakes Yarn Club for her to see and touch. She thinks the DK is also quite lovely. nice taste.

We both are going to be working up scrappy Tomten Jackets in Malabrigo.

I have suddenly run out of things to discuss. Weird how that happens.

I just love, love, love seeing her and sharing this craft, and kids, and homeschooling stuff.

Oh! That's it.

Have any of you used Sonlight Curicculum? What did you think of it's style? Cost? Were you able to use it with multiple children? Did you buy the books or get them from the library?

I hope you are all having a great time knitting.