How we kick it on my block

Things are really coming together. I did so much yesterday at knitting group despite the fact that my sister once again brought the baby over to distract me. What makes newborns smell so good, much better than Meat with his stinky feet, although Bird smells like Lucky Charms (she just finished breakfast). I finished seaming Mariposa. I finished seaming Sueete Suede. And I threw a block party see





That's Pork Chop's dress, Squeaky's bumble bee sweater and my Mariposa all blocking. Coming soon to a blog near you: ACTUAL FINISHED OBJECTS.

And because I'm incapable of sitting in front of the TV without knitting, last night while watching "Saw" I got this done on my clapotis.



That's eight inches baby. I'm knitting it with some cheap acrylic vegregated blue yarn I had in my stash. I can confirm that knitting it IS fun, and I haven't even gotten to the dropped stitch part. One you get in the rhythm of the pattern it is very mindless and soothing but with it's twisted stitches its more interesting that plain garter stitch or stockingnette. I may do a stole instead of a scarf. We'll see how the knitting goes.

No cute children stories. They're driving me crazy. Why are toddlers just designed to be so ornery?

I'm really motivated to get things done now. I finished the final knitting on the Sueete Suede handbag last night. I went to the store and got the fabric I need for the liner (red with tiny white polka dots). I've started seaming and weaving in end for Mariposa. But as motivated as I am I didn't get much done yesterday because my sister came over with this



She's such a pretty baby. It almost makes me want another one but then I see this



And this



And I know I don't have the kind of time on my hands it would take to protect a baby from them. I just can't keep another baby alive and knit at the same time. *

I have realized that when I'm all done I really will have nothing but Evil to work on. I can't let that happen. I'm thinking of doing Clapotis, even though I have no idea how to pronounce it. I never paid much attention to this pattern but it's going around all the blogs. I've been told its very fun to knit with it's intentional dropped stitches, and hey, I'm up for some fun. I'm also considering the One Skein Wonder. Again not something I would pick myself but everyone who has made one just loves it and I'm wondering what all the fuss is about. I'm also going to design a scarf soon. My Father approached me last night and was asking me questions about my knitting, and how I different things, different knitting techniques. He wants me to design him a scarf, and I'm actually really excited about working on this project with him. I think it's because my Father is a computer programmer. He is wicked smart with technology. I'm cursed and I break every techie type thing I touch (did I mention I somehow did a hard reset on my palm and lost everything, and I didn't have a back up on a computer because no one wants to let me touch their computers and install software on them because I'm cursed). But knitting is something I know, something I'm pretty good at, or at least I have a good time at. And if I can make a scarf per his specifications and it's wonderful he'll have tangible proof that I've got talents, just not techie ones. I know he loves me and he's proud of me in that ethereal way all parents love their children. This would be tangible, and making a scarf for him would be tangible love I have for him that he could hold. But since this tangible love looks to include intarsia or duplicate knit its going to be a PITA.

*I write things like that for comedy relief. When my sister goes back to work I'm going to start baby-sitting little Squeaky and I can't wait. We're gonna have fun.

One strap down, only one to go.



I'm getting quite a stack of knitted things that need finished.



I don't think I'll get much done today. Bird's voice is hoarse today and she's just not feeling well. She's been on my lap most of the morning and appears prepared to stay there all day. I'm actually very excited to have a huge finishing party this weekend, and just get all these projects done. But I'm afraid that when I get them done I'll have nothing but Evil left to knit and Evil has mysteriously been "lost" in the move. I'm sure its here somewhere, but I just can not find it anywhere.



Of course that's not a picture that I just took this morning with my digital camera. I can't believe you would suggest such a thing. I'm telling you Evil got misplaced in the move. (tee-hee)

And to add to the many reasons that I love summer, yesterday the city came through and flushed out the fire hydrants





The second picture was Pork Chop with two of her cousins. The water was freezing and there was enough pressure to knock the kids on their butts. All in all it was very entertaining to watch. I just love summer.

My new obsession

My knitting is coming along swimmingly. I've got the surprise knitting all knit. The pattern calls for some actual sewing, the kind that involves a sewing machine so I've set it aside for a while until I feel the urge to sew (oddly enough it is now sitting beside my Sueete Suede hand bag which is also waiting for a machine sewn liner. Maybe I'll finish them both together). Since the surprise knitting is knit I've returned to my Mariposa. I reknit the right side and have fallen back in love with it. We've quarreled, the pattern and I had a difference of opinion (mainly I thought the sweater should fit) but I've seen the true inner beauty of it and all if forgiven. Gaze upon her loveliness (forgive the unwoven ends and the fact that it is held together with straight pins)





Don't you hate it when you have your husband take a picture and later upon further reflection you realize that there are things like your son's potty chair, your husband's dirty towel, and your nursing bra that just ruin the magic? And let's not even talk about the bad lighting. My point is Mariposa is almost done. Just two straps to go.

This leads me to my next point. I've got a new obsession. It's dangerous and stealing my knitting time. It's the pool. At first it was just a way to keep the kids from killing one another. A way to keep them distracted so they would stop fighting for five minutes and keep me from killing them. Then this amazing thing started happening to me. My skin is changing. It's getting darker and starting to glow. I feel almost luminescent. I think I remember this. It's called a tan isn't it? Years of working in a cold office building have rendered this condition a mere memory. Then I had children, and for the past two years I've had babies too small to expose to the harmful daylight. But this year we're out, almost every day, sitting poolside. It used to be about the children, but now I'm afraid I'll lose my glow and just turn kinda yellow, the ugly yellow of a fading tan. I've gotta keep my tan. But I'm conflicted because it's eating up valuable knitting time. I've tried but it's so hard to knit in the humidity of the poolside, not to mention what would happen if I dropped my yarn in the water. So I sit knitless, guilty and glowing. I wish I could show you a picture of my butt. It's so white it glows in the dark. But this isn't that kind of blog.

Maybe he should expand his operation

Old Macdonald Courtesy of Meaty

Me:Old Macdonald had a farm
Meaty: E-I-E-I-O
Me: And on that farm he had a
Meaty: Pig
Both: E-I-E-I-O
Me: With an Oink Oink here
And an Oink Oink there
Here an Oink there an Oink
Everywhere an Oink Oink
Old Macdonald had a farm
Meaty: E-I-E-I-O
Me: And on that farm he had a
Meaty: Pig
Both: E-I-E-I-O
Me: With an Oink Oink here
And an Oink Oink there
Here an Oink there an Oink
Everywhere an Oink Oink
Old Macdonald had a farm
Meaty: E-I-E-I-O
Me: And on that farm he had a
Meaty: Pig
Both: E-I-E-I-O
Me: With an Oink Oink here
And an Oink Oink there
Here an Oink there an Oink
Everywhere an Oink Oink
Old Macdonald had a farm
Meaty: E-I-E-I-O
Me: And on that farm he had a
Meaty: Pig
Me: Don't you think he had a cow
Meaty: No, Pig Farm

Random things from my brain

I know, I know, I know. I promised to make some actual finished objects at knitting group Wednesday, but then I realized that I am unable to finish something unless I have at least three objects in the near finish stage. And as you can see from my progress charts on the left I only have two in the nearly done stage. So you'll just have to wait until the surprise knitting is nearly done. Then I'll just whip them all out in one evening and amaze everyone with my prolific knitting.

But just in case you need a knitting fix, here's a never before seen on my blog picture of the natural disaster that is Mariposa



Sure the knitting looks nice and the seed stitch band turned out well, and the colors are just, well they're fabulous beyond belief, but none of that matters since the shirt doesn't wrap the way it should. I'm going to try again when I stop hating the sweater and remember how great I'm going to look wearing the finished object (maybe I can get it knit in the next week and finish it with the bumble bee sweater, Pork Chop's dress, and the surprise knitting).

In the meantime I had a very unusual day yesterday. I didn't knit at all. I know that sounds strange, but I knit everyday. I once had someone (another stay at home mom) ask me how much I knit a day, and after thinking for a moment I realized it's usually a few hours. I knit for an hour or so when the kids go to bed at night, and if they nap during the day I might pick up my needles, or when I take a phone call I usually knit. I always knit when I watch TV. These random moments add up. She just looked at me and said "There's never a minute when I'm not doing something, I'm just to busy to do things like that." Can we just say snarky? But that's neither here nor there. The point is I didn't knit yesterday at all. I did my housework in the morning (That's the time of day that the children are most likely to entertain themselves so I can do housework. Then we have to whole day to undo it so that by the time The Greatest comes home it looks like I haven't done anything all day), then the kids were fighting, then the fighting wore them out so they all took a nap (prime time for knitting but I balanced the checkbook instead). Then I HAD to take them to the pool so they could work off all their nap energy swimming (it was that or just build them a deathmatch ring and let them have at each other once and for all). We came home, had dinner, put the kids to bed, and then I went on a date. Woo Hoo! We just ran around the corner and shot pool at a bowling alley. But we had the best time. I used to play pool at keg parties in college. The Greatest used to play pool when he was single and in the military. But for some unknown reason we've never played pool together. That also means that neither of us have played pool in almost eight years. We were both pretty bad, not that I was ever any good to begin with. How good can you get when you always play drunk? We spent fifteen minutes chasing the 13 ball around at the end of one game. But we had a great time. It was so nice to go out without the children (don't worry we didn't just put them in bed and leave, we made sure they fell asleep first). It felt like dating again. Even after seven and a half years of marriage you need that once in a while. It was worth losing a night of knitting for that. The Greatest had such a good time he wants to go see a movie tonight after we put the kids to bed. I'm not sure I can go two days without knitting. Do you think I need professional help?

I've made a terrible mistake

I know I promised more knitting content, but with the unshowable surprise knitting I just can't right now. But when I was fiddling with my sidebar (don't you just love the knitting progress bars) I realized how close two of my projects are to completion. Maybe I'll whip those suckers out today at knitting group and have actual Finished Objects to show tomorrow.

In the meantime I've made a terrible discovery. A hideous life altering one. It started out as an ordinary evening. I took the kids to the city pool yesterday. We had a wonderful time. Being me I remembered hats, snacks, water, small floaty toys, little swimmers, towels, a sheet to sit on. Almost everything a person could need, everything except sunscreen that is. Rather than pack everything back up and lose our sitting spot and our parking spot I just borrowed some from the nice lady on the sheet next to us. Now I don't mind borrowing for my children. I got all three in a nice thick coat of sunscreen and turned them loose on the lifeguards. But I didn't think it would be nice to sunscreen myself. Her bottle wasn't that full to begin with and I think sunscreening me would have been the end of it. No big deal I've only burned twice in my life. Well make that three times. When I came home did anyone admire how great I looked in my new finally lost the baby weight-did more Pilates that I can stand-do you know how much ice cream I DIDN'T EAT to wear this bikini. No. I was greeted with
"What happened to your back" obviously it got sunburned
"Didn't you wear sunscreen" obviously not
And my favorite "That's gonna hurt tomorrow" no kidding.

So all this helpfulness had me in a pretty annoyed mood. Knowing this The Greatest decided to try to diffuse the situation by running out to get dinner. He changed out of his work clothes and got ready to go. My Father decided to go along with him, so my Dad changed out of his work clothes and got ready to go. This is what they looked like



And just in case you missed it, this is what their shirts say



Nice isn't it. So as I was looking at the pair of them I realized my mistake. I married my father. Somehow I managed to marry a man just like my father. I swear he didn't start out that way. He was a perfectly nice ordinary guy when I met him. But the older he gets the more he becomes like my father. I thought he was supposed to turn into HIS father as he got older. But in some cruel twist of fate he turned into MY father. I've gotta get out of this marriage before I turn into my Mother-in-Law.

Recent lack of knitting content

All my posts lately have been about my adorable children, and as much as I love my children I understand that they can be a bit boring to people who don't know them and a bit annoying to the people who do. The thing is I started this blog to showcase my wonderful knitting to the world. And for the most part I thought my knitting was extrodinarily wonderful. I taught myself from a book and while it was merely a distraction at first it has grown to an obsession (I really think I might need professional help). My baby hats were cute, my baby sweaters all turned out. I rarely had to frog things. I even had success fiddling with patterns to make them more my style or to make them fit better (I was especially proud of my Gothic Lace Sweater and My Fuzzy Valentine). But that was all beginners luck. Lately I've had a streak of extrodinarily bad knitting. Too bad to even talk about. I'm so ashamed. I got overconfident, cocky even, that I knew how to knit. Hey I even started a blog to showcase my extrodinarily wonderful knitting. I rarely knit patterns as written, and when I felt uninspired by any pattern I decided I could design my own. And the Gods of Knitting were displeased with my growning arrogance. So they sent me beautiful yarn to make a shapely tank that was completely see through and unfit for actual public wearing. They sent me the Belle Paquita with its imposible yet stunning lace design and an unusual bust fitting, I tried and frogged, and tried and frogged, then I hid the yarn from the Greatest so he would forget about that project. They sent me Belle Epoque which is beautiful, I labor for two months making endless rounds of pattern knitting but only to discover upon finishing that it was too maternity looking for a woman who is finally neither pregnant nor breastfeeding. They reassigned my knitting Muse, so when I tried to design my own pattern the neckline failed, and I realized it too was going to look like maternity clothing. And finally to add insult to injury they sent me Mariposa, a beautiful tank top that isn't intended to fit a small busted woman (again the problem is my boobs, I think I need a bust enhancement to improve my knitting). But being unobservant and not realizing the pattern of knitting failure I decided I could alter the lovely Mariposa and make it fit my unendowed chest. That was a waste of a week of my life. You can find the entire story of Mariposa here I'm too grieved to tell it again. I have repented and returned to my knitting roots. I am knitting from patterns again, and not altering them. I am humbled and prostrate before the Gods of Knitting. I hope they are pleased and will send some alpaca to heal my wounded soul.

Congratulations all around!

Such a busy weekend.

My sister gave birth to her second child. Allow me to introduce Squeaky to the world.



We couldn't be happier. They made us wait an hour and a half at the hospital before they let us see the baby. When they finally let us back in there we had quite a party.




At Six pounds Four ounces she isn't the smallest baby born in our family, but she is a tiny peanut (Bird holds the record at nine pounds six ounces, ouch). Her big sister couldn't be prouder (and check out the hair on that baby)



Then if that wasn't enough excitment my little Brother graduated from college on Saturday. See how happy he is holding his diploma surrounded by people he doesn't know.



And here's happy Brother surrounded by people he does know.



Again we couldn't be prouder of him, even if he cap did give him bad hair



Oh when bad hair happens to good people. Congratulations You worked so hard to earn this. Hooray for You!

I did get some knitting done during all this, but it's a surprize for someone, so the story of that will have to come later.

Random Thoughts

First of all do you think this is child abuse?




Secondly, and this has nothing to do with anything, I watched this show last night 30 Days and it really disturbed me. The whole premise was he and his girlfriend moved to Columbus, Ohio with nothing and tried to live off minimum wage for 30 days. I wasn't upset by how hard it was for them. I was more iritated by how cavalier they were about it. At the end of the day they knew they would have their normal life back when the month was over, and that knowledge changed the way they did things. I don't think it was a true representation of what life is like without money. One case in point his girlfriend got a UTI, they had no medical insurance so they went to the emergency room rationalizing that they would find a way to pay for it later. For them later meant at the end of the month when they went back to their normal lives. I can tell you from experience when you have no medical insurance and you have a UTI you drink as much cranberry juice as you can afford and gallons of water for a week until you flush it out. Later that same day they went back to the emergency room because the man had a sprained wrist. And again when you have no medical insuarnce and a very small limited income you don't go to the emergency room for something like that. You wrap it and keep working. They got their furniture from a local charity. But they were only borrowing it for a month. They didn't feel the true shame of not being able to provide their family with the basic necessities of life. The soul crushing feeling of relying of the charity of others. They weren't able to pay all their bills from their minimum wage income, but at the end of the month they went back to their normal lives and were able to pay their debts. They didn't know the true pressure of too many bills and not enough money. Sometimes it's hard to breath. For them this was an experiment with an end date. But a real life lived paycheck to paycheck has no expiration date. There is no end in sight. When you are only a month from being homeless, I can't describe it. But these people did not really live what it is like to work at minimum wage. But the fact that they so arrogantly think they have, that it is that simple, that at the end of the month when the bills aren't paid you can just go back to your regular life and it will all be alright, it really upset me. And the fact that other people who haven't been there will watch the show and also conclude that it is that easy disturbs me. He made this show to promote awareness. But I think he isn't making people aware of the true reality. He showed his reality, but for people who don't have a normal life to go back to at the end of the month, for people who actually live this reality every day, I think he did them a great disservice.

Happy Birthday Pork Chop

Happy Birthday Princess.



I don't think I have the words to tell you how loved you are but I'll try.

You were such a beautiful baby



The world's cutest baby.



Daddy and I wanted you so much. There were times I thought I was going to break in two I just wanted a baby so badly. And you were the worst baby. Oh so pretty, and oh so unhappy. Why did you have to cry for six months straight. You were to cute to be so diabolical, so angelic to be so sadistic. I couldn't have loved you more but there were times I contemplated throwing you out a window.

And oh how you've grown.



So tall and graceful. So athletic and light on your feet. You are so smart. You amaze me everyday with your thirst for knowledge and how quickly you absorb new things. You can't wait to go to school this fall, and I can't wait for you to go. Make no mistake I'm going to miss you, and I might cry a bit that first day. But I'm anxious to see you spread your wings and grow into your own a little bit. I'm excited for you because I know all the new things you're going to get to learn and do. And I know how happy you're going to be doing them. Above all I just want you to be happy.

You as such a joy to have for a daughter. You are helpful and funny. I just enjoy being with you. As you grow we're only going to have more fun doing all those great Mother/Daughter things (yes I know you'll hate me as a teenager, but I've got atleast six or seven years of love before you get too much attitude).

You are a kind big sister.



You're so happy to play with your sister. You're always calling her "Baby" and trying to share with her. You're also wonderful with your brother. You'll fix his train for him, and help color. They're lucky to have you.



The other day you asked me "When I grow up will I have a daughter just like me?" I replied "I sure hope so". And I really do.

Hypnotized by her cuteness

Who can resist this face?



I can't. Her pony will be here Friday.

Future Blackmail

I love my kids. I really do. But there are things that are just too good not to use. Stories I want to remember for future blackmail.

Pork Chop- She has a tiny butt. It's little and cute. But don't for the love of all that's holy tell her so. She will throw a full on tantrum insisting that she is a big girl with a big butt. She also loves public bathrooms. One day she will realize how gross the bathroom at Wal-mart really is and be completely repulsed at the thought that she used to wait until she got there to go pee. In fact she may claim that I am making this story up. But I'm not.

Meat- He opens his mouth as wide as he can and lets the dogs lick the inside of it. GROSS.

Bird- She feels everyone up. This first started when I weaned her. She would stick her hand down my shirt in an attempt to let me know she wanted to nurse. Now I think she does it for comfort. Only she no longer limits herself to me. First it was me, then Daddy, then the grandparents, then my friends (did I mention she felt up everyone at her birthday party). Now she does it to complete strangers at church. She too may later claim I'm making this up, but I'm not. Just ask the nice lady who was sitting behind us yesterday. Bird crawled under the pew. When this nice lady picked her up to hand her back Bird snuch her hand down the neck of her dress. I may have to find a new church.

Watch out for the leopard

We had a productive day at knitting group yesterday. I knit 35 rows of my Mariposa



Then I realized my math for sizing down the sweater was off somewhere and the sweater is still two inches too wide for me. So I frogged it and knit 57 rows of it.



Bird is thinking of taking up knitting.



She just can't decide if she wants to make the bunny hat or the lil devil pants first.

Meaty was content to be leopard.



And scare the pretty girls.



He made one cry.



Bad leopard.

Birthday Party Highlights

Over the weekend we had a joint party for the girls. Bird turned one last month, and Pork Chop will be five next week. It was a fairly big party. I decorated everything that stood still with crepe paper and balloons.





The dog was scared to take a nap. Who knows what she would have looked like when she woke up.

Big friends came.



And little friends came.



There were only a few tantrums.



We had cake.



And another cake.



Really good cake.



And presents



Too many presents



Despite the fact that I gave whistles as party favors I think a good time was had by all.

Summer is Officially Here

Summer is finally here. It was mid 80's yesterday. It's supposed to be in the lower 90's today. Summer is FINALLY here. And nothing screams summer more than a slip-n-slide.



She finally got the swimsuit wet. Check out her form.



Even the Bird got in on the action.



Meat prefered to lounge in the splash pool.



Pork Chop got two slip-n-slides at her birthday party. I'm contemplating laying them end to end to make a giant 40 foot slide. But that might be over the top.

We spent most of the afternoon yesterday outside sliding,and swinging on the swingset, and blowing bubbles until I thought I was going to pass out. It was a perfect afternoon. Then we came inside. Meaty and Bird promptly passed out over their snack and slept until six. They were then up until 10. Yet they still managed to get up at the crack of dawn. Go figure.

While they were taking their ill timed nap I finished this.



I've been working on this dress for Pork Chop for about two weeks. I got bored designing my own sweater (or is discouraged the word I'm looking for). Anyways I saw this pattern and thought she would look so cute wearing this to school this fall I had to make it. I'm excited for her to go to school. I keep picking up outfits saying "oh, she'd be so cute wearing this to school." It's like I have my own living "Life Size Barbie" to dress. I still need to block it so the ribbing will be stretched and the dress will flair, but isn't it cute?

I finally bought yarn for the Mariposa Along that started last week.



It's going to be bright blue with lime green trim. I need to change the pattern. The smallest size will still be too big for me. I've just been too lazy to work out the math yet. Maybe I'll do that this afternoon while the kids slip-n-slide. I wonder how many days in a row they can play on it before they get bored. For the record Pork Chop wore her swim suit four days in a row before she decided it needed washed. I'm gonna guess five days for the slip-n-slide.