Category: Family

Happy New Year!

This holiday season did not turn out at all as I expected it to, but it did manage to be pretty good. As it usually happens, the closer we get to Christmas, things start dropping off my to-do list. Add in the illnesses and I just had to draw a line on Christmas Eve with what I already finished and forget the rest.

I usually bake a whole bunch of stuff for Christmas gifts, but I wasn’t able to do that this year. No bread, no cookies, no sweet breads… Hubby did get to make his annual scones for his family and we ended up giving out jams and apple butter and a few things of hot cocoa mix (which is awesome and so much better than the storebought stuff!) I also made some lotion bars that I gave to all the womenfolk in our families. I’ve gotten some positive response to that, so I think I may run with that for the Etsy shop.

We got to have our Christmas gathering with my in-laws this past weekend. Jellybean was so excited to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa. We didn’t get to see GiGi, who wasn’t able to travel, but we’re planning on seeing her sometime this month.

I’ll go ahead and share GiGi’s gift with you, though. She got a pair of Susie Rogers’ Reading Mitts made with Debbie Bliss BFL DK. These were a really quick and satisfying project to make. I did change the pattern, of course. I started with a picot cast on and finished with a picot bind off, instead of the folded over hem that Susie writes in the pattern. They needed a good blocking to keep the picot from flipping up at the ends, which may be an issue when they’re being worn, and I expect that’s why the pattern is written with a folded hem instead, but I think they’ll be lovely and warm for GiGi.

Next up, we have Grandpa’s hat. This is the full version of the Cinioch by Lucy Hague. I mentioned last time that I LOVE this pattern. I also really love the yarn – Zelana Rimu. This yarn is from New Zealand and is made from Common Brushtail Possum and merino wool. I know what you’re thinking… POSSUM?!? (especially if you’re from the Southeastern US,) but it’s cool, I promise. There are a few things about the possum fur that make it really awesome:

1. It’s really soft
2. It’s really warm
3. It’s not itchy
4. It’s not from the possums that are around here.

The possum’s fur is hollow, which makes it lightweight and warm. The merino wool adds bulk, warmth and probably something for the possum to hold on to during the spinning process. I made my husband a Cinioch hat out of this same yarn a couple of years ago and it’s his favorite for at least three of those reasons listed above.

Finally, I made Grandma a really lovely lace cowl. This is one of those projects that has been in my Ravelry queue for a while, and one of the best ways to find projects for gifts is to go looking through your queue. I used Zealana Rimu Fingering to make her a Shallows cowl. This project was really fun to work on. It went quickly, and the lace pattern is simple, but it looks so elegant.

So that’s what I’ve spent the last couple of months working on. I worked on a few personal projects between Christmas and now, which I’ll be able to show you soon. I have lots of ideas for my shop that I want to work on now and I’m considering looking into some craft shows, if I can manage to get some inventory built up. It’s tough with a toddler, but I work on stuff when I can and I surprise myself sometimes.

Keep an eye out for a special post on Thursday and have a great week!

I don’t even know where to begin on this one.

First of all, it’s a day late. This “vacation” has really messed up my sense of time.

You know that Chinese fortune/curse, “May you live in interesting times”? It kind of feels like that here lately. We’ve had some major things go wrong this month – Hubby’s laptop died, we both got sick the week of Christmas, the water heater had to be replaced thanks to a leak that had been going on for I don’t know how long, and I’ve busted another phone screen.

We’ve had to reschedule the Christmas get-together with my in-laws twice now, and we will have to go see Gigi separately, but it did mean that we got to spend Christmas day at home. We spent half the day Christmas Eve at the clinic (strep throat for me, flu for hubby,) and Jellybean didn’t nap, so we laid around and watched a lot of Winnie the Pooh, Kipper the Dog and Pocoyo cartoons. (Jellybean is also growing his 2-year molars, so sleeping can be difficult.) On Christmas Eve, I was so sick, and so tired and so… just… OVER IT.

But Christmas morning came and Hubs was feeling much better, I was feeling a bit better and Jellybean still wasn’t sick. We opened gifts, had breakfast and spent the day lounging together. We had our traditional Christmas Eve lasagna dinner for Christmas dinner instead and it was awesome.

In all of the chaos, though, we’ve been able to spend some time as a family. Thanks to the water heater, and a very fun Christmas present for Jellybean, Hubs and I got to have some actual conversation while doing the dishes. We’ve all spent hours in the floor running a little hippo, lion, monkey and elephant down a long track, building duplo trains and working puzzles. Jellybean has figured out all kinds of stuff, no doubt due in part to watching his cousins play and be crazy Saturday.

I did get to finish all my Christmas gifts on time. Since we haven’t had all our gatherings, I can’t show you details on everything, but I can show you a few things. Look at that stack of knitting!

Last year, my sister-in-law and I had this discussion over what to do for their kids. They have two girls and a boy, and they all love Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I ended up making the girls Minnie hats and a Mickey hat for my nephew. They loved them. So much so that I was asked to make larger ones this year since they had outgrown last years’ hats. Well, with my tendency to over do everything, I made hats for all five of them. They do a family costume for Halloween every year, so I knew my brother and sister-in-law are team-players, and I knew they would enjoy having a family of hats.

I do love making things people will enjoy and will use, but having made a total of 8 Mickey and Minnie hats, we need to come up with something else next year. I’m sick of making all those ears! Ha ha!

I used Repeat Crafter Me’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse Crochet Hat Pattern for the basic idea, but I just realized that I didn’t follow any of that pattern at all. I used her Crochet Owl Hat in Newborn – Adult Sizes for the base hat. The instructions for the ears didn’t work out after about 3 rounds, so I changed those, then I had to make larger bows and I made a crochet chain for each of the earflap ties.

Next up are hats for my teenage cousins. I made a slouchy version of Jared Flood’s Turn a Square hat in their school colors. Now, I know how teenagers are and I know that these hats may not get much use, but I feel like gift giving is as much for the giver as it is for the recipient and I wanted to make them something they could use if they choose. I have watched these two grow up from tiny babies and I have to say that they have really grown into fine young people.

I also made head covers for my Aunt and Uncle. Last year, my uncle was the only one in his family that DIDN’T get a hat, and he made sure I knew it. His was the first Christmas gift I finished this year – I made it in July. It’s also a Turn a Square hat. My Aunt got a headband from Lucy Hague’s Cinioch pattern (which I just LOVE, let me tell you!) and I may have to make myself one of those, too.

Then that leaves my Mom and Dad. When I made myself the felted slippers, Mom commented on the blog post and (not-so-subtly) hinted that she might like a pair. How can I not oblige? I know my Dad has cold feet, too, so this was the perfect gift for them. I made Mom’s in red and yellow, her favorite colors, and I made Dad’s in a perfectly manly black and gray. I got each of them to sneak a look at the other’s shoe size and managed to felt them just right. I admit, after the felting disaster for Jellybean’s slippers, I was more than a little nervous, but I stopped the machine and measured the inside of the foot every 5 minutes and I got it just right enough.

The pattern is Fiber Trends Felt Clogs. This pattern is so genius in the way it’s constructed. I love it and haven’t minded making 5 pairs.

Mom loves her shoes and has worn them every day. I’ve been told that Dad loves his shoes, too. THAT is just about the best compliment I could possibly get.

I still have three more things to show you, but that will have to wait until after our next family gathering. We are currently planning that for the weekend, so I should be able to show you those next week.

Of course, the two people who got left out of all this holiday knitting are Hubby and Jellybean. I felt really guilty about that until I remembered that I made stockings. Oh yeah, I did make them something for Christmas, they just don’t get to open a knitted surprise this year.

After I finished all the bits & pieces of everyone else’s gifts, I got right to work on Jellybean’s winter sweater. I cast on Christmas day and last night I bound off on the first sleeve. (That’s why this post is late, actually, I spent yesterday’s naptime knitting instead of blogging.) I have one more sleeve, then the collar and button bands to do and he’ll have a new sweater. It’s looking very handsome and I’m very excited about it. It’s about time to get it done, too, since it’s getting colder these days.

I am using a pattern for this year’s sweater. It’s from the book The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters by Ann Budd. In a fit of level-headed-ness I’m doing a basic stockinette body with ribbed edgings, mostly like the pattern says. I want to see how the basic pattern looks and works before making changes to the design (although I am making the body and sleeves a bit longer to accommodate my lanky boy.)

The stockinette is a chore, for sure, but it’s easy to do while watching TV or having a conversation and it’s really gone quickly. I already have ideas on what I will do for next year’s winter sweater. Cables and seed stitch and ribbing, oh my! Hopefully I can plan better and get started on it earlier.

Have a great week and a very Happy (and safe!) New Year!

I have only three hats to sew pieces onto and two things to felt. We have two family celebrations, one with my husband’s family on Christmas day and then one with my family on the Saturday after. In the past, I’ve had to finish up stuff for the later celebration AFTER Christmas, but this year, I plan to be knitting for myself that last week of the year.

Except…. I don’t feel well.

I was talking to Mom yesterday, and telling her that I just hoped we were all well for Christmas. Pretty sure I jinxed myself. Yesterday evening I started getting achy – first my lower back, then my hips, knees, shoulders, elbows and so on. I spent the night trying to sleep with the heated mattress pad turned way up and still hurting and shivering. I don’t have a fever (I may have had one last night, though) and Ibuprofen is helping with the aches, so Jellybean and  I were able to get some errands and a quick park trip done this morning.

Hopefully the aches will remain at bay long enough for me to get everything finished and hopefully I don’t get any worse.

The next two days will be spent gathering last minute gifts and putting the final touches on everything.  I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with all my family.

I’m excited to stack up all my holiday hand-knits and take a photo. It’ll be great to see everything in one spot. Gotta do that soon, though, so I can get them all wrapped up!

And with that, dear readers, I must go work on finishing up the last few details.

I wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas.

Those fuzzy slippers I knitted and felted for my Jellybean?

Yeah.

I felted too far.

Woops.

Mama fail.

He was sitting RIGHT THERE while I was felting them, too. I tried to try them on him, but I can’t blame him for not wanting wet wool put on his feet.

Maybe he just grew out of them in the three days it took for them to dry??

Maybe.

Meanwhile, planning for the new sweater is in progress. Last year’s coat was made just off the cuff. (ha ha.) I cast on some stitches, did some raglan increases, put the sleeves on stitch holders, knitted the body, came back and knitted the sleeves, then did the button band. It was so easy…. and such a wrong size in the wrong yarn. I also made it in May, so there was no pressure to make it fast.

Even with all the issues, last year’s sweater has been very well loved. The poor thing looks like a sheep, now. It’s fuzzy, pilled and felted in places. The neck has stretched out and felted in place so it looks more like a boat neck sweater than a crew neck cardigan, but at least that makes the sleeves seem longer. It doesn’t even bother me that it’s in such rough shape. It was meant to be used, and it’s definitely served it’s purpose.

I used a single-ply, worsted weight wool and that’s why it pilled and fuzzed up so badly and so quickly. I read about single ply not being good for heard-wearing garments shortly after I finished the sweater… of course it was too late, then.

Jellybean is still wearing last year’s sweater because it’s what we’ve got, and it’s cold. I’ve been several places that I could have bought a new coat for this winter, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking, “Oh, we don’t need to buy one because I’m going to make one.” HELLO, MAMA! It’s November, temperatures are below freezing on a regular basis now. If you’re going to make it, get on it!

Well, I am, but I want it to go a little better this time around. Last night, I swatched (don’t look at me like that…. gauge is important here) and  today I washed and blocked the swatches. I am waiting for them to dry to see which I like, but I may have to do another swatch, because I don’t think I’m going to hit the gauge I was aiming for (4 sts per inch, in case you’re wondering). I’m planning to use Wool of the Andes Tweed for this sweater. I had ordered the Autumn Heather colorway, but it’s redder in person than it looks on the website and he already gets called a girl. I’m trying to decide between the Prussian Heather or the Flagstone Heather now.

For the pattern, I’ll be using instructions from The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd. I plan on a crew neck cardigan with raglan increases (again) but this time with a better starting point.

It’s a little late in the game to be making a sweater for a rapidly growing toddler, but sweaters for little humans work up very quickly. If he gets some good use out of it this winter, I will be happy and if he doesn’t… well, it’s practice for next year’s sweater…

Which I should probably start thinking about.