Blessingway Pics and One Monkey

I can see why people love to make Monkeys! These are super quick to knit and a lot of fun. I thought these were oh so pretty until I asked Chris his opinion and I could tell by the look on his face that he thought they were pretty much the ugliest socks ever. Oh well, not everyone can appreciate very loud striped lace socks. The mate to this one is on hold as I'm working on a vest for the Little Man as my Olympics project.







These three pics are from a Mother's Blessing that my friends threw for me on Saturday. It was lovely and I came out feeling very loved and strong. (I only had to wear the wreath for the pic.)

As I'm sure you can guess, no babe yet. Due date is tomorrow. I'm ready!

More Socks!

Exciting, eh? This pair is for me. Very comfy and a better fit than the last (sorry Mom! Hopefully yours fit you well.)



And here's a pair for Miss A. This pic was taken when one was smaller than the other but it's since been frogged and re-done to make an identical pair. She loves them. The yarn is the Felici from KnitPicks and while it's super soft I don't think they'll be long lasting. Still, very pretty and I'll be making myself a pair.

I've also made 4 dischcloths for gifts to the Little Man's Waldorf teachers and others. If there's anyone you can feel not guilty about giving a homemade gift its someone in Waldorf (at least that's how I'm convincing myself that I'm not just being cheap.)

I'm very very tired at this point in the pregnancy (6 weeks to go) so we haven't even being doing our normal running around like crazy. Instead we've been going to the pool in the AM for Little Man's swimming lessons (For a kid who had a lot of sensory issues he's doing great. I didn't expect for him to go under and he did it the second session.) And then visiting lots of storytimes at the local libraries and when I have a bunch of energy, hitting up park days with other young homeschoolers. When I'm not napping in the afternoon we've been doing some more formal lesson-y stuff loosely following the classical model outlined in A Well Trained Mind.

I also have a very part, part-time job doing the administrative part of Chris's web hosting business at http://www.dashCommerce.com. It only takes around 5 hours a week and gives me something to do besides mind small people.

On Wednesday the munchkins and I head to Baltimore for our annual summer visit. We are looking forward to it!

Toe-Up Love

I've never really understood the online knitters' fascination with socks. I've made a few pairs and all of them required me ripping back substantially. However as I do have a few skeins of sock yarn and I needed a Mama's Day present for my Mama, I tried again this time using a toe-up technique. I love it! Minus ripping back the Turkish cast-on a ton of times, the knitting itself was painless. And I love the short-row heel as I also am not a fan of picking up stitches. Since this pair only took one skein I'm now half-way through a pair for myself and I've switched to the much easier Magic Cast-on so no ripping at all.

In baby news, we now only have 11 weeks to go! While I am a little worried about Miss A's transition into a Big Sisterhood, otherwise I am rather unworried about the whole thing. My belly is huge and I feel I can't get much bigger (oh but wait!) even though I know there's still a lot of growing to go. I am in full-on nesting mode and have cleaned out all of the closets and made up a list of all of the things that need fixed around the house. Chris was groaning as I mentioned maybe we could spend his day off today painting things. :)

JCC's mittens from here


Trogdor the Burninator! from IK Holiday 07 a present for JCC

Above are some of the fun things I've cranked out over the last month. All in all I don't find pregnancy to be a terribly productive period of life. It reminds me of being 16 (and I hated being a teenager) -- I'm moody, introspective and all I want to do is sleep. About the only thing I find entertaining is a good book and I've been cranking through those this month.

With that in mind, I've really been enjoying a new website. Goodreads is a site where you can track what you're reading as well as see what other people are recommending. The hits for me this month have been Anne Lamott's "Blue Shoe" and Carson McCullers's "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". I'm waiting on some interlibrary loans to come through so I think next up is "Catch 22" or "The Kite Runner".

Other than some work on my Clapotis I haven't done much handwork. I really really need to make the little girl (who is now 2!) a baby book before the next one arrives but I find spreading all of the stuff out to messy for me to handle right now. I also have many months of Spunky Eclectic fiber club to spin but seem to lack the motivation in the evening to do so. I'm almost at the end of the first trimester so hopefully some energy will return soon.

Happy New Year!

I hope all of you are having a happy new year. 2007 went by in a flash and 2008 looks to do the same as we are expecting another munchkin in mid to late August! We'll be planning another homebirth and just continuing along with our homeschooling journey until then. I was looking forward to starting a bit more formal program in the fall (ok really I'm just itching to get a math curriculum as I think we'll have a lot of fun with it) but now that may get postponed until we all settle in to the new munchkin. While initially a bit put off by the idea, the Little Man is now excited to have another brother or sister. Carrying on the tradition of giving the gestating name (Miss A was Baby Cashew) he has decided on Baby Butter Crunch for this one. :)



Thanks to the lack of CTS I've been much more productive lately. I finally finished up the Drop Stitch Cardigan that I knitted in 2006. For almost all of 2007 it sat around without a collar and a wonky zipper (even though I installed both multiple times.) Finally I gave up on both and made a tie closure and crocheted around the neckline to finish it off. I've worn it multiple times since finishing it and I love it!



I also finally made a hat to match a cape I picked up while pregnant with Miss A. I've had the yarn for a while but was set on crocheting a pattern that is way beyond my skill set. Deciding I didn't care that much I made the Urchin pattern from Knitty and I am quite content with the results, though I don't look nearly as cute in it as Miss A.



Lastly here's a cute pick of the Little Man in his Joseph Coat. He wears it frequently even if the zipper is starting to loosen and look ridiculous.

For my current knitting I've started Miss Marigold though by the time I finish it I won't be able to fit into it. I've also been cranking out on my Clapotis. It's perfect for football playoffs knitting! Next I need to make the boy some mittens to match his hat and then I'll start on Petal.

Inspired by a brand new notebook gifted by PCR last Christmas, in 2007 I started a book of all the things I wanted to knit, read, do over the year. One of the best habits I formed was keeping a list of all the books I read. Highlights include a variety of cooking inspired books, all the Ruth Reichl ones; Bonnie Wolf's "Talking with My Mouth Full"; and "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell; as well as Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love"; "Fun House" by Alison Bechdel; "Survival of the Sickest" by Sharon Moalem; "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini; "Bankok Haunts" by John Burdett; and lastly "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. Forgive me for not linking. I'd love it if anyone has some of their favorites to recommend.

Finally. . .A Sweater

Details:
A Simple Knitted Bodice by Stefanie Japel
Started in March, finished in November
Size 3 & 5 KnitPicks Options Needles
Tess's Designer Yarns Silk/Merino (awesome!)

I'm pretty happy with this -- I really would love it if the neckline was narrower which it would have been if I had been able to do it as written. Instead I did one purl ridge and then bound off. The sleeves are also not as belled as written and also only have one purl ridge. Why? Only about 5 yds of yarn leftover!

As for that oh so much smaller Jaywalker, it has been frogged. Apparently now that I'm knitting again I'm knitting at a much more normal gauge. Which is kinda nice, I guess, but really throws off existing projects. Thank goodness I didn't screw up the above sweater.

Goofy Children Pics



Wearing his Joseph Coat!



In small children news, Miss A is talking up a storm and Mr J is in the middle of one of his watershed times (he never learns just one thing at a time) and is learning to read, tell time and do some math. Lot's fun!

Woo Hoo! A Handspun Hat

I finally ripped back and added some rows to Mr. J's hat -- I love it! The pattern is the Earwarmer Hat from LTK. I am very happy with how my spinning is progressing. It's taken long enough!



And now the sock. . . notice the size difference. Any suggestions? I am loathe to rip out a finished sock.

Update with Cute Pics

Still here. Still not knitting. Actually that was true until the other night when I couldn't stand watching another game without something on the needles. For fear of being cursed if I worked on my Jaywalkers (sox you know) I started this cute little baby hat for a friend's three week old daughter. I think this is my 5th or so baby hat out of the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. My gosh is that nice yarn. The pattern is a cute little cable that's not so easy to see in this pic.




Halloween is sure to be cute this year!



Finished Jaywalker. The mate due sometime next year, sigh.

And in exciting news, I'm going back to work. Well, not really, but sorta. I'll be working a few hours a week for Chris over here DashCommerce. I'll mainly be on the forums and working support. There has been talk of database work but I'm not sure if that's just a carrot to get me over to the dark side. :)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome be Dammned

I'm knitting. And it hurts. My arm aches and aches. Which really sucks as I have a whole lot of work to do. I've taken to wearing a splint while online and knitting and hopefully this will provide some relief. I had taken a summer break hoping the pain would go away with some rest but it's back in full force.



I'm halfway done one sleeve on the SKB.



I'm progressing down my Jaywalker again -- this is going to be a 3-balls of yarn pair of socks. Luckily the LYS had another ball and in the same dyelot too. I swear these are the slowest going socks ever. I knit and I knit and I always have two more inches until I can start the toe decreases. If I were not so in love with the colors and striping I would rip out and start something else.



Next I've started a pair of sidewinders. I've only knit the first part and it is remarkably unremarkable. These will be fun just to see how the sock takes shape.


This morning I cast on for another dishcloth. One can never have enough of these. Knitting on size 6 needles feels like quite a treat after the 0s and 1s for the socks. Even the SKB is on a 4.

Lastly I'm going to cast on a pair of longies out of the Mystic Creations yarn from a few years ago. A friend has asked me to be at her birth (a homebirth) and as they're a cloth diapering family I'm thinking these will be a nice addition to the babe's winter wardrobe.



Little Man is turning 5 this week and on Saturday we're having our last party of the season. They don't really stress me out too much anymore but it will be nice to have it out of the way. Next week begins our Waldorf class (We need more kids! If you're in the area and know of anyone interested please let me know) and I'm hoping to get the Enki curriculum in the next few months with any birthday money I can scrape together.

Cleveland is a great town for local eating this summer. Between our CSA share, the City Fresh share and the farmer's market we've had pretty much all local produce this season. As I mainly cook vegan we're doing pretty good on keeping our food money close to home. I'm not sure how the fall/winter scene is going to look as I haven't canned (next year!) but hopefully Whole Foods won't consume too much of our food budget. Tonight I'm going to try this tomato sauce recipe in hopes of making a ton next week and freezing it for winter.

Unfortunately the running has not been so great. With the mugginess of August I decided it would be best to run in the morning before the kids awake. Unfortunately almost every time I wake so does wee girl. Here's hoping the coolness of fall will let me run in the evening. Now I have to go knit. . .

Mail Call!

On Monday I received my June Spunky Club shipment and it is wonderful! She has such great colors. This one is called Tulip (and indeed resembles its namesake) but also works as good firefighter colors. I spun up more than half of it last night and I think it will be the yarn for Little Man's winter mittens. One random discovery I figured out while putting away my wheel is that I can spin my much desired thin yarn if I'm standing up. I do have a single treadle so this is possible but not really a comfortable option for long-term -- any suggestions? I'm thinking it's the room to pull out a longer draw that is letting met get down to the thinner gauge.

SCOUTs SWAG SPOILER AHEAD

Today's mail brought the June Scout's Swag shipment. A beautiful teal blue almost solid BFL and a cabled Cookie sock pattern. I'm sure it will be December before I have the two of them done but they will be stunning. I'm still intending on making a pair of Monkey socks out of the April selection. My camera battery is DOA so here's someone else's pic and here's a closeup of the pattern.

In WIP news, I should be casting off the body of the SKB today. I checked and I have two more skeins of yarn (one hidden benefit of losing weight is using less yarn) so I'm going to do the long sleeve version. Which means this will be done sometime this fall, knowing me. Clapotis is coming along as well. I just started the straight section after doing a few extra repeats of the increases.

Tuesday was my 30th birthday and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Sergio's Sarava. We had the full works (drink, apps, soup, entree, dessert and wine) and it was a wonderful birthday present. Wee children were with our new babysitter and it felt like old times. Yesterday we had wonderful weather for a birthday party and it was a great time as well. A friend gave me some scrumptious Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in electrified sherbet colors that will be the most awesome Melinda socks of all time. She also included some beautiful blue stitch markers which are my first non-utilitarian markers. I will enjoy them Melissa, thank you!

Now I am off to pack, tomorrow we leave for a week in Baltimore.

JCC's Self Portrait and a Tended Yard

No knitting updates (it continues on much the same) but we did get our brush pile ground up this week and I am thrilled with the results. JCC had to take some pics after I did mine and his are priceless.





These are the after photos -- just imagine piles of brush throughout the ravine and you'll appreciate my joy at their absence.



The epitome of a 4.5 year old boy.

Knitting on the SNB (and it's huge size 5 needles) has wounded me -- I have a hole in my finger. Ouch. So instead of knitting I am spending my evening uploading pics of my stash. Fun fun.

In a Knitting Mood

Finally the urge to knit has struck again and I am busy cranking out the stitches. I picked the Simple Knitted Bodice back up and have just finished the lace band. Working the lace on size 3 needles with a worsted weight yarn leaves my wrist sore but the result is lovely.



Next for easy knitting in the company of others I've started another Clapotis. This time in a sport weight silk/merino named Tokyo by Interlacements on size 4 needles. Both of these projects were ones I decided on last summer and bought the yarn for at Stitches Midwest. I figure I can't responsibly visit another fiber festival until I've caught up with those purchases so I'm hoping to get these finished up over the next month.

Making Up for Lost Time (pic intensive)

Apparently 4.5 years is the age of a rechargeable battery -- in the last few months we've had to replace both the video camera battery and now the digital camera. So, here are a few posts worth of pics.



Chris kindly made me these raised beds for some veggies! They are all planted in the square-foot gardening method and we now have lots of seedlings popping through. I'll go more in depth later.



Close-up of Nasturium growing in above bed.




We put down 15 yards of mulch two weeks ago. It makes everything really stand out.



The new hammock was my Mother's Day gift along with a latte and iTunes card!



The pansies are trying to rally after they were deer lunch.



The tree peony was stunning this year.



This is the tree peony I bought at last year's super end of season sale. Just one beautiful bloom this year.



Bleeding hearts are always pretty.



My mother brought me up the stunning hosta. I Love it!



A kind neighbor let us dig up a bunch of ostrich ferns last year but we thought they had died. Turns out that the first year you move ferns they put all of their energy into their roots.





And finally some knitting! I lucked out a few months ago and got a spot in the Scout's Swag Sign-up. Here is the beautiful yarn (named Lavender Mint) posing with the bluebells. Anyone have any ideas for a non-boring sock pattern that won't take forever? I love the Jaywalkers but it is not a speedy sock for me (have to look at it.) The next pic is one of the finished socks for my father. They were intended for his birthday but as that was in February, I'm now aiming for Father's Day. It's mate is half-way done.



It was close to 90 yesterday and we scoured the local stores for a rigid kiddy pool (the inflatable ones don't last long with outdoor kitties) wee girl enjoyed scooping water onto the plants.