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A Week of False Starts

October 3, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 2 Comments

It’s been a long week.

Oh, it’s been two weeks? Well, yes, that would explain it.

We’ve had to travel, we’ve had sick kiddos, knitting and crocheting have not gone as planned and I’m so irritable I can barely stand to be around myself.

But I made a pie.

A really beautiful, tasty apple pie.

We’ve had sick kiddos around. I got a call Wednesday morning, before I even left the driveway to go to work, that Jellybean was sick. He got through the stomach issues, took him back on Thursday and I got a call about an hour later that he had a rash. Friday morning, the rash was worse and he had a fever. That afternoon we left the doctor’s office with a positive Flu test, positive strep test, flu shot for me, a prescription for antibiotics and a diagnosis of Scarlet Fever. Jellybean never had a sore throat, the only indication of strep was the rash and fever. We’re convinced the flu test was a false positive. Of course by Saturday morning, he as acting like nothing was ever wrong, but he still had to be out of daycare for more than a week.

Lollypop got to stay home this past Monday, too. He has this habit of not napping well on the weekends. On the one hand, I get it, he’s excited to see his family and doesn’t want to miss any action. But on the other hand, holy moly it makes it tough when he loses his mind along about 4pm. He’d been coughing quite a bit on Sunday night and was congested with runny nose and watery eyes. So, out of an abundance of caution, we all stayed home Monday. I did manage to get a 2-hour nap out of him and a 1-hour nap out of Jellybean that day, so at least I was able to work a bit and he was feeling much better the next day.

Lollypop is starting to get mobile and sit up on his own better. I’m excited about this – he’s less reliant on me for his every need. But it also means I can’t just lay him somewhere and expect him to stay there. We’ve started feeding him rice cereal from a spoon and he LOVES that! Our next step is trying some purees. I think I’ll get some peaches and see if he likes those mixed in with his cereal. He’s curious about everything, and thinks his big brother hung the moon. Jellybean is being so sweet to him, too. They’re starting to play together and JB will read LP books and hug on him. It’s really wonderful to watch their relationship grow.

It’s impossible to get a non-blurry picture of them.

On the knitting side, I’ve cast on and ripped out so many times I’ve lost count.

I started a Christmas present in crochet. I have no clue about gauge in crochet, so I just had to restart that one three times until I got the size right. That one’s a lap-sized afghan, so it was a bit of work to rip out. Of course I can’t show you yet, it’s that time of the year!

I also made a hat. I used instructions for a hat made with worsted weight yarn, but I was using bulky weight yarn. I ripped that one out once and I’m afraid it still might be too big.

I’ve redone Jellybean’s sweater at least twice. I’m on the last try. I’m not ripping it out again. He’ll just have to wear it the way it ends up. (It’ll be fine.)

I’m working along on the sweater last evening and I’m thinking about how I’m going to do the pockets. My original thought was to double-knit them so I could easily enclose the side next to the zipper. I checked the pattern to see where to start the pockets and I realize I’ve passed the spot. By about two inches. *sigh* (It’ll be fine.)

The pattern’s original design has one pouch pocket on the front of the sweater. You knit up the body to the top of where the pocket would be, pick up stitches near the ribbing and knit the pocket up. Then you work the pocket and sweater stitches together on the next row to close the top. If I had read the pattern fully before starting, I would have known this. I am not ripping out two inches of stockinette. (It’ll be fine.)

Note to self: Read the pattern before beginning!

I am NOT ripping out two inches of stockinette!

IT WILL BE FINE!

There.

I will just pick up stitches for the pockets, knit the pockets and figure out how to close the pocket next to the zipper later. I can use mattress stitch, but it won’t have the same stretch as the rest of the sweater. I can probably do a single crochet or slip stitch crochet thing on the inside of the pocket that would stretch some, but I’m not sure how that will look on the outside. I’ll have to think on that one. Do you have any suggestions?

I’ve paused on the Evenstar shawl for a bit. Fall weather is here this week and I decided I needed to focus on cold-weather wear. I still need to finish Lollypop’s stocking, sew up his sweater and find the perfect buttons for it. I have had to add a few new projects to my list, too. Jellybean came out of his room crying this week because his felted slippers don’t fit anymore. He was so very sad. He said, “Mama, make it go on my foot!” He got really upset with me when I told him they don’t fit anymore, but was better when I told him I would make him a new pair. And a new pair of mittens. Also, Jellybean and Lollypop need winter hats. These kids just keep growing!!

Let’s hope this next week goes better than the last two and I get some projects finished. We all need a break from the craziness!

Back At It

September 19, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 4 Comments

My first trip out of town was a success, I think. I got quite a bit of work done and even got the chance to sleep through the night for several nights in a row. I know my husband had a rough night or two, and we were both ready for me to come home, but everybody survived.

I called home to talk to Jellybean on Tuesday night. He told me all about playing with his friends at preschool, singing songs and mentioned something about dada and a new dishwasher. I thought it was odd that he would mention a dishwasher, but I thought he might be talking about a play kitchen. I asked hubby about it later. He got really quiet. Surprise! We really do have a new dishwasher! Haha, Jellybean spilled the beans. It was still a surprise, though, because I had no idea hubby would replace our dishwasher while I was our of town. The new one is SO quiet and doesn’t leak, hang up, smell like a smelting plant or squeal like a banshee.

I got in Thursday night after the boys had gone to bed. Lollypop woke up at about 415, so I got up with him. I turned on the light to change his diaper and the look on his face when he realized it was me was just awesome. He had a big grin and was SO excited! We were up for quite a while longer than normal as he patted my face, chattered at me and hugged my neck. I didn’t mind it.

Jellybean woke up the next morning and said, “Oh hey, you’re back.” as if it was no big deal that I was gone. That’s my laid-back kiddo for you. Later, when I picked them up from daycare, he did tell me that he was glad I was home.

I got quite a bit of work done on the stocking, but didn’t finish it during the trip. I got the heel halfway done in the airport before the flight home, missed a stitch somewhere, and just put it away. I could have pulled the heel out, put in waste yarn and continued down the foot, but at that point, I was so exhausted and brain-fried I didn’t even want to think about it. Heels and toes should be done when I have time to concentrate. I found that time Friday night and I’m ready to continue on.

I started to cast on for Jellybean’s 2016 Winter Sweater, but I didn’t bring the whole pattern with me. I made copies of the pertinent pages, or so I thought. I didn’t think to copy the measurement page. I cast on the 100 stitches, and it just felt like it was going to be really small. I didn’t want to waste time on it and I really felt like I would be ripping it out if I kept going. So, I undid the cast on and decided start it again when I can make sure I’m making the right size. Well, it turns out that there is no measurement page. I did the calculations for the gauge and I was definitely on track to make it too small. The stitch gauge is 9 stitches over 2 inches, so the size 4 sweater would be almost 25 inches around. After I got home, I measured last year’s sweater…. it was 28 inches. I’m so glad I didn’t keep going. I’ll be making the size 6 instead.

Cast on for JB's sweater. — Cast on for JB’s sweater.

I will also be changing the pattern to be a zip-front sweater rather than a pullover. I’m using the Wonderful Wallaby pattern. I guess the pattern will be more of a guide, though. Changing it to have a zipper rather than being worked in one piece is a significant difference. I will have to make the pouch into two pockets, but I have an idea on how to manage that.

Before I left, I did manage to finish knitting on Lollypop’s winter sweater. I need to sew it up and get buttons for it, but it’s still 90 degrees daily, so I have some time.

LP's sweater, nearly finished. — LP’s sweater, nearly finished.

There’s not been much else going on this week. Just the happy homecoming and trying to get back into the groove after the trip. I have quite a bit to do for work, but I hope I’ll get some good knitting time, too.

I’ll leave you with this little gem. This was artwork that was in the hotel room. Can you spot the problem?

The Wait is Over

September 12, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 4 Comments

It’s been a long few months since my last post and so much has happened!

First of all, Lollypop is here!

After a long and hard labor (much, much love to my husband who coached me through it) Lollypop was born on Saturday April 23rd.

He (yes, he!) was 9lbs 10oz, 20 1/4 inches long.

Jellybean thinks his little brother is nice. He’s so sweet to his little brother – giving him hugs and kisses all the time. Thankfully he pretty much tunes out most of the crying!

We’re all adjusting to our life as a family of four. It’s been tough – Lollypop has been colicky with reflux and an apparent dairy allergy so he had a hard time gaining weight in the beginning. That made things a little rough, but we’ve found a solution that’s been working and he’s getting positively chunky! He’s doing all the things a healthy 4-month old should do: rolling over, chewing on everything in sight, sitting up with support and growing his first tooth! I feel like it’s too early for the first tooth to be here, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Next thing you know, he’ll be walking out the door to go to college! It makes me a little sad because this is my last first tooth bringing an end to my last toothless smile. (I get a little sappy about that sort of thing.)

We’ve found a rhythm to life, and I’m even starting to find time to knit a row or two occasionally. I’ve finished a Citron shawl which was easy, but just lovely. I’m working on winter sweaters for my boys and a new Christmas stocking for Lollypop! I’ve gotten a head start on my Christmas gift knitting, too!

Lollypop's Winter Sweater. — Lollypop’s Winter Sweater in progress.

The beginning of Lollypop's Christmas Stocking. — The beginning of Lollypop’s Christmas Stocking.

We’ve had lots of big changes these last few months, including me going back to work full time. It’s been exciting and worrysome at the same time. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to get right back into my field of Information Security and I pretty much picked up where I left off after Jellybean was born. I’m doing IT and Information Security audit this time around, rather than being on the implementation side. It means a bit of travel, especially in the fall, but mostly I’ll be working from home.

Jellybean and Lollypop are in full time daycare. I was feeling worried and guilty for sending them off to someone else 5 days a week, but it’s working out pretty well. We’ve found a great preschool and Jellybean has made lots of fast friends there. He looks forward to going every day and that makes me happy. He’s such an outgoing kiddo and needs the time to interact with his peers. He’s learning lots of new things, too. He comes home singing a new song just about every day and he can recite the Pledge of Allegiance (which is TOTES ADORBS coming from a three year old!)

I was really worried about leaving Lollypop, with him being so young and having so many issues, but it turns out that he’s a hardy kiddo and the girls at the preschool just love on him so much. It’s a great feeling to know your kids are in safe, loving hands every day.

I’m on my first overnight trip for my job this week. I am excited about it, but I’m nervous and sad, too. I’ve only been away from my husband a handful of nights since we married and I’ve only been away from Jellybean three nights (including when Lollypop was born). I’m glad we moved to be closer to family, so my husband will have some help nearby if he needs it. I know it’ll be OK, but until I’m back home, I’ll be a little worried and nervous.

Speaking of my first business trip, I definitely over packed the knitting. I brought Lollypop’s stocking to knit on the plane and I brought two other projects to work on in the evening. Because, you know, I might get bored. I haven’t flown in more than 6 years and the rules have changed a bit since then, so I had to plan what I can knit on the plane and put the rest in my checked bag. I have a bag of knitting accessories, which holds my scissors, stitch markers, ruler, needle point protectors, etc. I won’t need all of that for this trip, so I pared that down to just the essentials in case it got taken away at security. There were no issues, though, and I got to spend the flight knitting away on the stocking.

I have managed to get a bit done on the stocking today, with the flying and driving. There will be more driving and flying before the trip is over and I should be able to get a significant chunk finished.

And with that, I will finish this rambling post and try to relax before another busy day tomorrow. Have a great week, friends!

Still Waiting

April 11, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 2 Comments

38 weeks, now and we’re still just waiting on Lollypop to choose a birthday.

I’ve not been doing much. For some reason, I don’t want to knit right now. I’ve been working on a cross stitch project, just as I feel like it.

I’m just trying to rest, as much as is possible with a wild 3 year old, and keep up with the housework.

Jellybean is really enjoying his PDO class and made an instant friend on day one. The teachers are wonderful: very kind and patient, and of course he’s showing them his very best side in these early days. I’m glad we were able to find this class for him – I think having the routine will help us all after Lollypop gets here.

Yesterday, my new friends held a Blessingway ceremony for me. It was wonderful and I left there feeling very loved and supported. I even had an old friend drive 2 1/2 hours to participate. Talk about feeling loved!

I wrote out my fears and we talked about those. I got so much support and advice and reassurance. Then I tossed the papers that gave my fears a voice into a fire. It felt like a weight lifting off me as I watched them burn.

Then my friends and mother-in-law read blessings for me that they wrote while I was writing my fears. Their words were beautiful as they washed over me. One blessing in particular stood out to me. “May you have the courage and voice and wisdom to ask for exactly what you need.” Isn’t that one we all need to hear and take to heart?

I was also given tokens with words of encouragement, to use during labor, or any time really. Single words of inspiration and motivation for when I might think I can’t go any further.

My new friends have known me less than a month, but have welcomed me with open arms and lots of love. I’m so thankful to have these ladies along for the journey as our family grows.

We have everything we need. All my critical tasks are done, now I am just trying to relax and enjoy these last few days (or weeks, maybe) of being a family of three.

Lots of Lollypop Things

March 21, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 5 Comments

During my unintentional blogging hiatus, I was busy knitting things for Lollypop.

First up, I made a very sweet little hat, cardigan and soaker set. I am showing it here sans buttons because it took me forever to find buttons that would work and even longer to get them sewn on. The hat is Basic Baby Hat by Heather Tucker. The cardigan is the Puerperium Cardigan by Heather Brooker. And the wool soaker is the Wool Diaper Cover by Cynthia Combs in the newborn size (there’s a crochet version of that one!) I love this little trio and I hope Lollypop isn’t too big to fit into it!

The hat and cardigan are made with Knit Picks CotLin yarn in white and celery. The cotton and linen blend will be enough to take the chill off, but won’t overheat the baby. Even though Lollypop will be a spring baby, there’s at least blackberry winter (and possibly dogwood winter) in which a sweater will be necessary.

The soaker is made from Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. That’s a wonderful, economical choice for 100% wool and I use it in a lot of different types of projects.

Since we’ll be doing cloth diapers, wool is a really great choice for a cover. It wicks moisture away from the skin and unless it gets soiled, it can be used for a long period without leaking. If it starts to feel damp, you just let it air dry and reuse it. When it’s dirty, it does require hand washing and occasionally needs re-lanolizing, but that doesn’t scare me. 🙂

I’ve been rather inspired and I made several covers in two sizes to get us going.

Size small in Pumpkin and Creme brulee. My favorite so far!

The are five sizes to the soaker pattern, and I really want to get a good stash of soakers going that will cover us until I feel like knitting again. (It took a few months to even have the desire to knit after Jellybean was born.) That means I need to make at least two more in the medium size before Lollypop’s arrival.

There are also the booties I made when I first got pregnant. Did I not share those? Oh my.

Baby Booties - Gansey — Gansey Booties by Lorraine Goddard

I’ve got baby covered from head to toe!

Worn Out, But Still Going!

February 22, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 2 Comments

Sorry for the radio silence last week, friends. We had a week full of birthdays and birthday celebrations. First, Jellybean turned 3, then later in the week was my birthday and my Mom’s the day after! We had the big party for Jellybean on Saturday and I spent the week prior making cupcakes and getting prepared.

I tried four different cupcake recipes before I found one that worked well enough that I was happy with it. The recipe I really wanted to make is my favorite chocolate cake – rich, moist and very very chocolaty – but it did NOT translate into cupcakes.

I may try those again sometime and not fill the cups so much. That recipe had a cup of boiling water, so I tried just leaving that out for the next batch.

Looks promising, if a little overfilled.

After scraping all the bits off the cupcake pan. At least this will still taste good on ice cream!

The third recipe was Alton Brown’s fudge cake recipe from I’m Just Here For More Food. I liked it pretty well, good flavor, nice texture, but there were chunks of chocolate throughout the cupcake, which was distracting.

Pretty, and tasty, but not quite what I'm looking for. — Pretty, and tasty, but not quite what I’m looking for.

At the 11th hour, I decided to try this recipe. They turned out pretty good. They are a bit on the dry side but they taste good and are firm and have a nice shape.

Almost perfect, and that's good enough! — Almost perfect, and that’s good enough!

We have cupcakes and cupcake bits galore in our freezer. Since we only eat dessert two nights a week, we’ll be eating chocolate cupcakes for a while.

Anyway, the party was fun for everyone. (Even the little girl who got a door shut on her foot while playing… ouch!) It may not be Pinterest worthy, but I am pretty proud of what I managed.

Yes, we're paw patrol fanatics around here. — Yes, we’re paw patrol fanatics around here.

Anyway, yes this is a knitting blog and I did manage to get some knitting done, too, thanks to a couple of snow days.

I finished Jellybean’s birthday present. It’s Rory from Huge And Huggable Mochi Mochi. It was so fun and fast to knit. The only problem was getting the final touches on it after stuffing it. I didn’t want Jellybean to see it, so I had to work only at night.

He doesn't have a name yet, but Jellybean insists his tongue be sticking out at all times. Ha! — He doesn’t have a name yet, but Jellybean insists his tongue be sticking out at all times. Ha!

I finished the Maeve hat. I’m planning on the mittens, too, but I will definitely have to use a smaller gauge. The hat is warm, but I would like the mittens to actually fit.

Yes, it's that huge! — Yes, it’s that huge!

I made myself another pair of felted slippers. My old pair are worn to death. They are fixable, (I’ll show you how I fix them later) but I wanted to try a new style, too.

Old and Definitely busted. — Old and definitely busted.

I’ve been getting a head start on Christmas gifts, too. I decided to make my nieces and nephew toys from Huge And Huggable Mochi Mochi by Anna Hrachovec. Those are going really great, just like the dinosaur, but I’m stuck on them until the eyes are delivered. I sewed the eyes on the dinosaur, since I know we’ve got a new baby on the way, but I think safety eyes will be just fine for theirs.

Thanks to the weather and timing, I still don’t have a photo of hubby in his new sweater. Hopefully he’ll get a chance to wear it this winter. Hey, there’s a chance of snow on Thursday. Perhaps I can convince him to put it on.

Other than that, I’m nesting. I’ve got about two more months before Lollypop’s estimated arrival date. I’ve started washing the tiny clothes and prepping the cloth diapers. I’m digging it all out of boxes and trying to figure out where to put it. We bought the new car seat, I’m searching for a new babywearing wrap, and trying to get all my breastfeeding supplies in order. We sold a few crucial items (bassinet, swing, bouncy seat, to name a few) to a neighbor after Jellybean outgrew them, so we’re trying to find new (or gently used) ones for Lollypop. I am excited to have a new baby around, but a little nervous about the changes that will happen around here. Thankfully Jellybean is a pretty easygoing kiddo. I think he’ll be a really awesome big brother.

I’m going to go knit on some toys, now. I hope you have a great week, friends!

Knitting Hangover

February 8, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c Leave a comment

After finishing a big project, I often feel like I’m hungover from knitting. I’ve worked so hard on the one project and now that it’s finished, I don’t know what to do with myself.

On Friday night, I finished the knitting part on Hubby’s sweater. I wanted to wash and block the pieces this time before I seamed them together. We were watching a movie when I finished, so I couldn’t just get up and start washing without interrupting the movie. I didn’t expect the last bit of work to go so fast and I panicked a little, wondering how I was going to pass the time.

(I could just sit and watch the movie, right? Ha ha. It’s so hard for me to just sit and watch TV at home. I feel like I should be doing something productive with that time, too.)

I went digging in my knitting nest, as quietly as I could. I found a hat that needed repairing and a pair of gloves that were finished, except for the ends weaving in. I finished the hat quickly and wove in all the ends of the gloves and the movie was still going on. (It was the first half of the Lord Of The Rings: Two Towers, if you must know.)

Well, since I didn’t want to interrupt the movie, I had to stop there. It was so strange to just sit without any work to do with my hands, but I managed it! Ha ha.

I had to wash and block the sweater parts in stages. I did the front and back on Saturday, then the sleeves on Sunday. Then I ripped out the remaining part of the old sweater, wound it into a hank of yarn and it’s been washed and is drying now. I want to use the used yarn to seam up the sweater, but I needed to wash it in order to get all the kinks out. Trying to seam up the sweater with kinky yarn would just drive me bonkers. I would constantly be undoing knots, so it’s best to wait for that yarn to dry before continuing.

I was hoping to have the sweater finished by today. We’re expecting a bit of snow tonight and tomorrow, and I wanted Hubby to be able to wear his new sweater when we knew it would still be cold. It’ll likely be tomorrow before I get to work on finishing it, though.

In the mean time, I made a list of projects I want to work on in the near future. I’m getting a very early head start on a few Christmas presents for my nieces and nephew. There are a few toys from Huge & Huggable MochiMochi that I think they’ll love. The book is so awesome and the toys are lots of fun to make. I made one of them for Jellybean’s 3rd birthday (I can’t believe it either, yes, he’s 3!) which I’ll show you next week.

I need to make myself new slippers, since I’m wearing holes in the soles of mine. I have several different balls of sock yarn, so socks are always an option (although I usually keep those for the car.) I also have a pattern I need to knit again to make sure my pattern is right, so I can get that published.

In my latest yarn order, I also included some conductive thread. Remember these gloves?

Hubby really likes them, but he has to take them off to mess with his phone. I’m going to run some of the conductive thread along the thumbs and index fingers. The thread will make his smartphone usable without having to get his hands cold. Win!

As I was looking at things to work on while I wait on sweater parts to dry and yarn to come in, I ran across a hat that I had started a couple of years ago. The Maeve hat is really beautiful! It was the first colorwork project I’d ever done. I ripped it out several times, never quite getting it right, and not being satisfied with my color choices. I made some changes to my color choices and I’m almost finished with it. There’s a mitten set, too.

The first iteration of Maeve. I swapped out the bright purple for green.

I’m nearly done with the hat, then I’ll decide whether to do the earflaps and mittens.

I’m also trying to decide what to knit for Lollypop. A Late April baby probably won’t need a wool sweater, although I could knit a 9- or 12-month size for next winter. I thought about a light cotton jacket, but it won’t be worn for long. I will definitely do a hat or two, and I have the little booties already. I thought about crocheting a blanket. I could definitely get that done before the birth, but what pattern? and what colors? I know Mimi is already making a Lollypop blanket, although the color and pattern are a surprise to me. So, what to do? What to do? Any suggestions?

Reclaiming Yarn

February 1, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 6 Comments

Have you ever made a project that you thought you’d love, but when you got it finished, it just wasn’t anything you wanted anymore?

These days, when I’m knitting for myself, I try really hard to make things I think I’ll wear. That seems obvious, doesn’t it? So why, if I’m not a vest person, do I have three vests that I’ve made, but never worn? It boggles my mind, for sure.

One vest has been reclaimed for yarn for my Merle Sweater. Another one has been put in the yard sale pile. (It’s not worth it to me to reclaim that yarn.) The third is one is waiting for a project to come along that will be perfect for the yarn. There’s also a shawl or two that I don’t really care for. These projects all took time and effort to make, but they’re just sitting, not being used.

I’ve gifted projects that I don’t like for myself to people who I think might like them. These purple socks went to my mom as soon as I finished them. I expected the yarn to knit up as purple with just hints of the bright colors, but it turned out way too bright for me. She loved them (and they did happen to match the shirt she was wearing that day.) We’re both lucky we have the same size foot!

There’s this one

I bought a whole bunch of sport-weight yarn for that, cast on a million stitches (actually, I think it was only 300-something, but still) and actually made two sections like the above, then joined them with a cable down the middle. The trouble is with that lace part you see right there. I just can’t get past the phallic-ness of it.

It’s sitting in a bag, and the ends haven’t even been woven in. It’s been sitting like that for almost 3 years. It’s obvious I am not going to wear it, so I think it’s time to frog so I can use the yarn for something else.

My project page says I used 4 skeins for a total of 580 yards. I’m not sure if that’s what I used in the entire thing or if that’s just what I bought initially. I know I went back and bought more yarn after I decided to do something different than the pattern called for. I know I have at least that much, though, so I can work from there. So, off to the frog-pond it goes.

There’s this one, too:

That’s the start of an Evening Shrug in Berroco Bonsai yarn. The yarn is Bamboo and nylon and it is so slippery! It’s very shiny, but it’s very hard to work with. It makes knitting a cuss-fest. I couldn’t even get it to stay in a center-pull ball. I don’t even know what I could stand to make with it. I think this yarn is going to the for-sale pile.

When I first started knitting, I picked up my knit stitches the wrong way. This made all my knit stitches twisted. I purled correctly, but the knitting was just wrong. I discovered this when I was taking a class learning to knit socks. I was probably halfway through with the pair, and I decided to just finish them out the wrong way then figure out how to knit right. This was 5 years ago, and I’ve never worn the socks. I never even wove in the ends. They’ve been sitting, unused and unloved for that long.

When the first snow of the year hit, I realized Jellybean didn’t have mittens that fit. He has a mismatched pair, but they’re too small. I offered to make him more. I dug through my stash and found a really great superwash yarn in yellow.

“What about yellow mittens?” I asked him.
“No!”
“Well, what color would you like?” (I knew the answer already.)
“Red!!”

And I came across the first socks. They were knit with Crystal Palace Yarns Merino 5 Print. Red with hints of orange, yellow and magenta. Worsted weight, so they’ll knit up fast. Superwash for easy care. Perfect!

I had no reservations about ripping out the socks to make mittens. I wasn’t going to wear the socks, so I’m happy the yarn gets some good use. I used Dulaan Easy-On Mittens for the pattern. They took an afternoon to knit and as you can see, they’re great for snowball fights with daddy.

The sweater I made for my husband is also being reclaimed to make him a sweater that actually fits. Yarn can also be reclaimed from thrift store sweaters! It’s fun to find a beautiful cashmere sweater for $5, then rip it out to make something new.

It may seem frustrating to make something, then just rip out all that work. However, I would rather rip out a project to make something useful than to just let it sit there, not being used at all.

Have you ever undone a project to make something new?

Finished Project Parade!

January 25, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 1 Comment

I’ve been quiet these last few weeks. It’s been cold and rainy and snowy around here. Jellybean and I are adjusting to life in a much smaller town. It’s been tough at times – we’re used to playdates and Mother’s day out and and being able to go to the zoo or the science museum or any one of several BIG playgrounds whenever the fancy strikes us. There are a couple of parks here, and he thinks they’re fun, but it’s been so cold and wet, we haven’t had many opportunities to go and when we have gone, we’ve been the only people there.

I spent several days looking for a MDO or preschool program in the area and that turned out to be a disappointing. The one program that takes kids younger than 3 is full and he’s not eligible for the others until the fall. So, we’re having to find other things to do. He’s a very social kiddo and needs time with other people his age to play with, so I’ve been looking for other ways to keep him (and us) occupied.

We’ve made a habit of going to the local library’s story hour and he just loves that. I also signed him up for gymnastics again. He’s in a more advanced class, now, so I am not out on the gym floor with him. We had our first class last Monday and I was a little nervous about how he would do with the differently structured setting, but I was pleasantly surprised and very proud of him! He really enjoyed the class, too, so that one’s a winner! I’m still looking for maybe one more regular thing to do, but we’re both doing better now that we’re getting a routine settled.

Anyway, on to the topic of this post! I’ve finished several things in the last month that I would like to share with you.

First of all, I need to show you guys the stockings I finished this year. First up is the one I made for Ashley’s new baby boy. I love the way these look together.

Ashley stockings - all four by the fireplace — All four stockings by the fireplace. So sweet!

Next, the four stockings I made for Amanda. These were the ones that pushed me out of my comfort zone and I’m so glad they did! Projects like this help me learn new skills, polish up old skills and are a real boost to the confidence!

I also finished a sweater. Not the one I told you about, but one for Jellybean. It’s been difficult to get him to actually WEAR it, so I have no cute photos of him in it yet, but I love the way it turned out and it fits him well (at least as far as I could tell for the two minutes he had it on!)

He wasn’t fond of wearing last year’s sweater, either, but I thought that might have been because it was wool. This sweater is made with Knit Picks’s Mighty Stitch, which is 80% acrylic and 20% wool. It’s soft and has a silky feel to it. But he still doesn’t want to wear it. 🙁

We’ve had a round of snow this past week. With the snow came the realization that my kiddo had no mittens that fit. Luckily, mittens are fast and easy, especially for little hands. I used the pattern Dulaan Easy-On Mittens by Julia Farewell-Clay and I made these in an afternoon.

They’re awesome, but he won’t wear them. He puts on his old mittens that barely cover his hands to go out and play in the snow. *sigh* I really thought I had a few more years before he refused to wear the hand knits I made for him.

He needs a new hat, and he asked for a Mickey Mouse hat. Maybe he’ll actually wear that one if I make it.

In between these projects, I have still been working away on the re-knit of Hubby’s sweater. I’ve finished the sleeves and I’m working on the back, now. I’m also working on a birthday gift for my soon-to-be three year-old (THREE?! yes, three.) I’m looking forward to showing that to you, too.

Enjoy your week and stay warm and cozy!

New Year!

January 11, 2016 blogtest_2q7z6c 6 Comments

Howdy, folks!

I’m a little belated with my New Year’s greetings, but I’ve been busy!

I hope you had a great holiday season. We had much going on, but since we moved closer to ALL our family, the traveling was not as bad this year. We’re in the same town as my in-laws, so it’s about 10 minutes to their house and we’re an hour or an hour and a half closer to everyone else. I hope this means that we’ll be able to visit our families more often.

After my disappointing finish with Hubby’s sweater, I went ahead and took all the seams apart so I could easily get it unraveled to remake it. I decided to do both sleeves at once, so they’re coming along, but I needed a little break from it.

Sweater try 2 — Yes, it sort of resembles a bra, right now.

So I started Jellybean’s winter sweater. I’m using a wool and acrylic blend yarn and it’s got a very nice sheen to it. It’s very soft when knitted up, too. I hope he’ll want to wear this one more than he wanted to wear last year’s. He’s totally his father’s kid, though. He doesn’t want to wear a jacket at all in the car, so for quick trips or errand runs, when he’s in and out of the car a lot, I’ve been known to ask him not to wear one.

This one, seems to be a winner, so far. I asked him to try it on before I started the collar and button bands and he said, “Oh, my new sweater!” and put it on happily then started to run off with it, but it was still attached to the yarn ball!

It’s been washed and blocked, but I still need to find my button jar and I have no idea which box that’s in. I may have to just go find some new buttons especially for this sweater.

Now that the knitting is finished on Jellybean’s sweater, I’ve picked Hubby’s sweater back up. Doing both sleeves at once is not such a great idea after all. It’s a great technique to get two of something done quickly, but it takes a bit of concentration. I’ve made several mistakes this time around just because I’m so distracted with a toddler running around. These mistakes aren’t the game-over type, though, and they’ve been easily fixed.

It’s been a little easier to get more actual knitting done since we moved and got settled. This house is all one level, where the old house was two. My knitting was downstairs in the old house and it took some planning to go down there with the kiddo awake. Here, however, my knitting is still beside the couch, but the couch is in the main living area, so I can knit a few rows here and there throughout the day without having to cajole Jellybean into going downstairs (and staying out of everything that was down there!)

We’re enjoying our new digs very much. We’re still getting things just so, but it’s coming along. Jellybean and I are starting to find some fun things to do around here, too. He really enjoys the library’s story hour.

I hope you’ve had a great new year so far. Tell me, do you craft? What are you working on right now?