Robin Hood

Ravely links:
Mittens
and
Scarf

Dude, knitting with worsted weight yarn is so much more rewarding right now. I whipped up a scarf and mitten combo for a trade with a fellow homeschooler mama for a Robin Hood Costume. As the Little Man and I do not do well with candy, there is no standard Easter basket. Instead the Eoaster Bunny arranges a treasure hunt of sorts for the children. This year Miss A got a tea set, Little Man the costume and they both got modeling beeswax to share. Candy would be ever so much cheaper and easier. Oh well.



She did a great job on the costume! The hat is adorable and has a bright red feather on the side.



Chris's parents bought the children some new clothes (the kids picked them all out) and the Little Man has been walking around as a cross between his Pepaw (my father) and a member of the Young Republicans ever since.

Easy Peasy Projects

In lieu of working on my Clapotis (really should have doubled up the fingering weight yarn) I've been having fun making little things out of my handspun. I joined the Spunky Eclectic's Fiber Club last summer and it's a treat to get a little bag (4oz) of fiber at the end of every month. One of the fun things about the club is that the colors are not ones I'd normally choose but I do like finding uses for them. Every once and a while there's a luxury fiber that comes in smaller amounts and this fall it was a tencel merino blend named Aspen that was just gorgeous. Knowing that 2oz of an aran weight wouldn't make much, I settled on using the Yarn Harlot's One Row Scarf stitch pattern for a simple headband.





Next I made the Corrugate Hat from Teva Durham's Loop-d-loop book. I love Teva's patterns even if bulky knits are not the most flattering to a top-heavy figure. I was hoping to make a hat for me but couldn't locate the second ball of yarn that I spun up from the July offering of the above fiber club, so instead it became a hat for the Little Lady. She looks quite cute in it and was in need of a hat that covered her ears. Of course I located the second ball of yarn a bit ago while I was cleaning off my desk.



The Little Man has been begging to knit for years now but just doesn't quite have the fine motor skills quite yet but finally we found some good directions for finger knitting and he had a great time creating this scarf for his dinosaur.



Last week we attended a birthday party where there was face painting. Here's JCC as a lion.

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.

The Candy Fairy Visits

In our house the Candy Fairy visits Halloween night and removes all candy and leaves a present for each child. This year they each got a cape plus one wee one for a dolly. A local homeschooling mama made them and while they weren't cheap I am happy to support her and not have to worry about the conditions in which they were made or when they're going to fall apart.


My own bit of happiness -- Hanna Andersson Mary-Janes

There has been a bit of knitting. I'm working on a hat for Little Man out of some of my handspun. I finished the hat but it is a little too small (Is there anyone who can just knit a project without having to rip back? I am envious!) However this is my first project with my handspun that looks good! I'm so happy. And then today I did some spinning and was able to get a nice lace weight that I could ply. Little Man also spun his first lumpy bumpy skein. Sniff sniff. Hopefully the first of many. Pics of the hat coming soon.

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. :)

Another Great Mail Day

Here in the land of no knitting and very little emailing (hurts to do either -- chiro appt scheduled for Friday) today (as well as Saturday) was a great mail today. I have won two blog contests of late, one from the lovely Tamara and one from the lovely Diane. Due to a twist of fate involving irregular mail carriers and taking a trip across the Atlantic they both arrived today. What loveliness! Thank you both!



Diane sent a large skein of fingering weight silk in an amethyst and sage colorway along with a sample of brightly dyed synthetic fiber. The fiber feels awesome and I love the colors. As for the silk, the new Magknits came out today and maybe Blossom would be a good use for this?


Tamara sent 2 braids of fiber. The burgundy one is superwash and the magenta one is merino. Both are nice and squishy. I'm sure I'll try and spin up some sock yarn with the superwash. I'll have to ponder what to do with the magenta.



On Saturday I received my 3rd installment of Scout's Swag. This time it was dyed by Yarn Nerd. Not my favorite colorway (Chuck T's) but the GoKnit pouch made it all better. I've been coveting one of these for a while. I think it should make knitting while trailing children much easier.

Little Boy turned 5 on Sunday. The party on Saturday was quite fun. On Sunday we continued the celebration by going out to a coffee shop (his request) and opening gifts. It is amazingly hard to find toys NOT made in China. I was even at our local toy store that tries to stock the not so commercial toys. He did well anyway and we've been enjoying the new playthings.

Hopefully some knitting FOs to show next post!

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. . .

July??

I can't believe July is over -- I'm not sure I've even knit more than a row or two. No spinning at all. Instead we visited my family in Baltimore, I exercised a ton and read quite a few books. I'm organizing a Waldorf class to meet one day a week in the fall if you know of anyone that's interested.

Now that Ohio's farms are finally churning out the food we've been spending our weekends eating our way through the local veggies. On Saturdays the kids and I hit our local farmer's market for produce, on Sunday we get our CSA pick-up and the rest of the week I cook it all up. I'm looking to add in one other CSA in the hopes that I can stop the need to visit Whole Foods mid way through the week. While we've been doing many of these things for years, my passion to use the food well has been spurned on by reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I think it presents farming in a pretty idealistic manner, however it was still enjoyable and thought provoking. Last week's lesson -- okra does not work well roasted. Bleh! Tough as leather.

Unfortunately, my own garden has not done well. I think I got everything in too late and then our local groundhog ate many things. Now I'm just waiting for my tomatoes to ripen.



The daylillies are almost over but here are three pretty ones:







Now the missing pics from last post:


Spunky Club Handspun


Cherry Tree Hill Sock Yarn from Melissa


Cascade Sierra bought from a yarn store gift cert. from my brother! Destined to be a Tomato.



On Sunday we did haircuts! This is his Robby (my brother) in training cut.



Muffin batter bowl licking!

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.

Finished Just in Time

Just in time for Father's Day, 4 months late for his birthday. (Those are socks hanging there in case you can't tell.)






And here are JCC and I in the jungle posing by the ferns. I'm laughing as he's trying to get me to sniff the ferns (I have him trained to sniff flowers for photos). Yeah, I know he's cuter.



Lastly I have a drop stitch scarf out of my Forecast handspun. I was running late to my SnB and needed something requiring little thought to work on. This seemed to fit the bill. I can't wait for my next Spunky Club fiber to arrive. It's fun seeing what great colors she creates.