Friday, May 30, 2014

Friday, May 23, 2014

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Friday, May 16, 2014

Thursday, May 15, 2014

One, Just One

Don't you hate it when you have 287 stitches on the needles,

And the pattern says you should have 288.

And you know you had 288 stitches 12 rows ago.

And your knitting OCD won't let you just live with it.  The missing stitch MUST be discovered and restored.

Knitting isn't as relaxing as advertised.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Mother's Day Recap

I had a lovely Mother's Day.

Mother's Day is always a little bittersweet for me.  I miss my Mom.  I miss her so much.  Especially this past year.  I could have really used her.  Sometimes a girl just needs her Mom.

*sigh*

Such is life.  Not much to be done about that but deal with it.

The fact remains my children HAVE their Mom and they would like to honor that.

My day started by being woken up at 5:30 by Sweet Pea.  Even though she had instructions to go downstairs and watch TV and to NOT WAKE ANYONE if she got up first, somewhere between bed time and the crack of unearthly dawn she forgot those instructions.

She did not wish me Happy Mother's Day.

Ungrateful brat.  Doesn't she know I gave her life?

But waking up at 5:30 means Squishy DIDN'T wake me up at 2 for our feeding/pumping schedule.

This little girl

slept through the night for the first time.  A feat she repeated Sunday night, but has since decided is over rated (after all, she usually takes a hard anti-sleep stance) and she is back to getting up sometime between 2 and 3 am.

*le sigh*

When I went down stairs I discovered this by my pumping stuff



My crafty Pork Chop had made me duct tape flower pens.  I love them!  The most impressive part is she used her baby sitting money to buy the supplies to make my present.  I love that she didn't use her money to buy me something outright.  She used her money to buy supplies and she MADE me something.  She rocks.

The Greatest came home from his long night bearing presents


Roses, doughnuts, and dark chocolate hot chocolate with french vanilla creamer.  What more can a girl ask for.  He truly knows the way to my heart.  If not through yarn, you can access my love with doughnuts.

My day was rounded out with a penguin from Bird...



(She told me his arms are extra long for giving hugs)

And the obligatory hand print from Sweet Pea


Meaty may have given me a nod and said "Hi Mom."  Which is practically a declaration for his undying love and admiration for me as his role model of what womanhood should look like.  In boy language it's the same thing.

I managed to steal a few minutes to sit and knit


So overall not too bad a day.

Friday, May 09, 2014

Thursday, May 08, 2014

This And That



My pretty blue knit has reached the pre-blocking phase.  Taking a luxurious soak in anticipation of blocking.  No project previously attempted with this yarn has ever danced so close to completion.  You will notice that I am not confident enough in the finished object to actually cut the yarn.  The tiny ball of remaining yarn is still attached just in case I decide to return this knit to its former state of smooshy yarny goodness.  Scarf or Skein.  Only blocking will enable a final determination.

I do have some yarny socky goodness to show off,


Pattern:  Naive Socks

Yarn:  Knitpicks Stroll Tweed Sock Yarn

Needles:  I started with my Knitpicks Harmony circular needles, but then they broke.  So I finished them on my blue metal dpns.  I can't tell you what size either one was.  I do think my mental needles are a size larger than my Harmony circs, but it does not appear to have affected the size of the finished socks.

Modifications:  I used these instructions for the heel turn.

Review:  This is a gorgeous sock.


See all those different cables twisting at different intervals.  The knitting felt fast as you anticipated the next cross.  Almost like how stripes go fast because you're looking forward to the next color change.  But if you're going to knit this pattern do yourself a favor and write out a cheat sheet for the different cable crosses.  The pattern only charts out the first forty eight rows.  After that you're on your own.

I wish I had better, more awesome pictures of the sock to share.  But alas, the socks weren't knit for me.  This was all the photographic proof I was able to capture of their existence before I slipped the sock into the gentle care of the U.S. Postal Service, bound for their true home.

Sometimes I am a very bad blogger.

As penance for my bad blogging I offer you this picture of baby cuteness.


I hope it is enough to earn forgiveness.

Sunday, May 04, 2014

Sunday Night Random


I love knitting tiny baby things.  They knit up so quickly.

I know I should be working on Squishy's quilt.  I should do it.  I should just do it.  I love pretty quilts.  I love having pretty quilt that I have made.  But the process of creating the quilts just isn't as exciting for me as the owning of the quilts.

So instead of quilting as I should, I've cast on for something new.


This is my very favorite yarn in the whole wide world.  It was handspun by a beloved friend of mine.  I love everything about this yarn.  I love the smooshy feel.  I love the colors.  It reminds me of the beach and mermaids.  I love how the colors twist around one another.  I've tried knitting this into something several different times, but it always ends half way through with a trip to the frog pond.  I've never been able to create a finished object that I love as much as I love the yarn.  I'm not sure this version is going to be "IT" but I'm trying.  I think I just love this yarn and love the maker so much that no pattern can live up to my expectations.  That is a lot of pressure to put on one little pattern.  We'll just have to wait and see where my fickle mind takes us.

In random cuteness


Sweet Pea was serenading Squishy with her own rendition of "Let It Go."  I think all children ages 2-13 are now legally obligated to sing this song at least four times a day.  Sweet Pea was just belting it out double time when I hear her joyously sing "I'm never going back, the past is in the a$$."  I asked her to repeat it and sure enough, that is exactly what she sang.  I assured her that wasn't how the song went and the words were "the past is in the past."  She is pretty sure I'm wrong, and even if I'm not, she wants to sing it her way.  I'm all for artistic interpretation, but just this once I think it is important for her to get this one right.

But not until I get a chance to get her version of film.

Friday, May 02, 2014