Mommy Knits

B is for Babies

The lord has blessed me with what I will with complete honesty say are the three most wonderful, sweet and beautiful babies in the world.  They are little for such a short time and as much as I try to hold onto the memories of each of their little heads or the way that J smiled in his sleep, or K would snort like a little piggy when she was hungry, it feels like I'm trying to hold onto a handful of sand.  So now while M is still little I have resolved to just enjoy her and to try to imprint those sweet memories in my mind forever.

Left to Right. J, K an M all at 4 months old.

Sockapaloooza Here I Come!

I'm in! Go here to join yourself, you have till tonight at midnight (Eastern Time).

I really wanted to participate last time but life was getting so crazy and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to finish in time.  This time I know that I can handle the deadline.  I am so excited!!!

A little Catch up

Last summer, the one and only Kay posted a picture of a little dress that she had knit for a friend (scroll down to June 22).  It had a knit top and fabric sewn on for the skirt.  I emailed her and the wonderful person that she is she sent me the working copy of her pattern.  Well at the time I was pregnant, planning a Change of Command and my In-laws were descending.  So I played around with the idea a bit but it never materialized.  Fast forward a few months.  I was mapping out all the Christmas knitting I wanted to do and I decided that I wanted to knit the kiddos Christmas outfits.  J (aka the human inferno) was easy, a sweater vest is about all the wool he can handle.  But the girls were a problem, I didn't have the time or desire to knit them whole dresses but I didn't want to do sweaters.  (You can see where this is going can't you?)  So the idea of Kay's dress seemed the perfect fit to my problem.  I pulled up the e-mail she had sent and searched the archives to find the pics she had posted.  The only problem was her version was a sleeveless tank top,  I needed sleeves.  So out came Ann Budd's Book of Sweater Patterns.  I made them short sleeved so they wouldn't swelter, and my Grandmother sewed the skirts on.  They turned out really nice I think.  K's was a bit big, the girl is growing like a weed, I was going for grow room but I overshot it a bit.  M's fit just perfect. 

I have to say that it was great Christmas Eve standing there with all the offspring covered in my hand-knit love.

Of course we also had to march down to Ye Olde Mall and get the pics with Santa.  I love all the expressions on their faces.  K, my ham, will smile for any camera in a ten mile radius,  M,  wondering what Santa's "elf" is doing, and J, who absolutely refuses to smile his real smile when there is a camera in the room.  (OK and who was the genius who decided Santa needed a red chair?  He and half the kids in line were all wearing red!)

Only one more update from last year and we should be good to go for the new year.  I should also have a FO this weekend, I love me a quick knit!

FOs and Insanity

It's done!  Jayme I win your sweater is done!

This photo was taken by J!  He's only 5 and this was the first time he's been allowed to use this camera.  I think he did a really good job.

Pattern Notes:

Fiery Bolero from IK Summer '05,  knit in Frog Tree Merino.  This is a neat yarn but it is very sticky.  I used my Denise interchangeables and that was a mistake I should have used Addi's but I was a way into it when I made that realization and I was worried that switching needles would change my gauge.  I knew my stitch gauge was off and I had made accommodations for that but I never checked my row gauge, big mistake, big, huge*.   I had to rip one front and half the back a tedious chore let me tell you.  I said this yarn was sticky remember?  But I pushed on and less then a month after Christmas it's done.  And if she doesn't want it or she doesn't wear it then I will reposes it.  It is so soft, definitely next to skin yarn and it's really reasonably priced too (137 yards for less then 6 dollars).  I would definitely use this yarn again.  In fact I already have.

These are the fingerless mitts from Weekend Knitting.  I think I will have just enough yarn to make the next one. 

I worked on Honeysuckle on Saturday when the SEAHAWKS WON!!!!  Yes I'm yelling and dancing a jig!  I'll spare you the progress shot but I'm pacing myself in case they make it to the Superbowl.  (Jayme, who are you going to cheer for if it's Seahawks v. Steelers?  Remember I haven't sent the sweater yet...)

Now the insanity, I signed up for the Harlot's Olympic Along and now I'm wondering if I'm totally insane.  I have no idea what I'm going to knit.

On a happy note all these photos were taken this afternoon in real actual sunlight!!!  It makes me so happy to see the sun!

*Can you name the movie?  I use this quote all the time.

Actual Knitting Content

So there has been actual knitting going on at Chez Mommy!  For your viewing pleasure we have one Jaywalker sock in progress. 

I know that just about everybody in blog land is making these but there's a reason for that, it's a great pattern!  It's super easy to memorize and keep track of and it looks great too.  The yarn is some Knitpicks dye your own sock yarn.  My sister and I had a play date with some yarn a some Wilton food coloring over the Christmas break.  If you can believe it this was just purple.  All those colors were in the purple.  I really like it and so far it's not pooling at all.

Next we have the only Christmas present left.  My sister's Bolero.

I'm using the Fiery Bolero Pattern from the Summer 05 Interweave.  But of course I'm not using the Cathay that it calls for and of course I'm not getting gauge.  So after reworking it a bit, it will be a bit longer and have 3/4 length sleeves but it does fit.   I've finished the body now I just have to seam the second sleeve and pick up about a million stitches around the whole body.  The yarn is Frog Tree's Merino (The link tells the story of the yarn, it's pretty cool.) and it is so soft, but I warn you do not try to seam with this stuff, it's a barely spun single and with any sort of strong tug it stretches and then breaks. 

And lastly we have Honeysuckle.

The pattern is from a Jane Ellison Book that I love and the yarn is Rowan's Cashsoft DK.  (It's hard to tell in this picture but the color is a dark burgundy.) It is great mindless knitting and this yarn is so soft that it is just a dream to knit with.  I am going to change the pattern a little.  The sleeves are really long in the pattern and that just isn't practical with little people and I want this as Mommy Chic type sweater.  Right now I'm almost to the armhole shaping on the back.  I'm a little worried about having enough yarn so I may do the sleeves top down.  If I run out of yarn they'll be 3/4 sleeves,  and I won't have to rip quite as much, I hope!

We are now on day 23 of measurable rain!  This is really starting to get to me.  I just need one sunny afternoon or a good snow storm where everything gets all sparkly.  Anything but this gray blah wet muddy mess that we have now.  I think I need soup for dinner.

Yea! New Magknits!

The new MagKnits just came out!  I've been stalking the site for the past 4 days waiting for all the great new kids patterns and they didn't disappoint.  The ones that I LOVE are for K, Swing Thing,  this is such a good shape for little girls with little Buddha bellies.  I'm a little worried about the sizes, she's only 3 but in the 95th percentile and the last sweater I knit her she outgrew in a month!  For M I love Blossom how cute is that!  And I have been dying to try Rowan's WoolCotton this might be my chance.  For J nothing really jumped out at me, he's 5 now and has some very definite opinions about what he will and will not wear.  Although Charlie's Cap did give me an idea.  He is totally crazy into horses and cowboys right now I may use the shape and then embellish it like a horse pasture.  I got some great horse buttons when I was at Weaving Works last year.  Well I need to go take down all the Christmas Decorations so DH can get the tree out of here.  I really love putting it all up but I really hate taking it all down.  There's an idea for a business, The reverse elves!

Clapotis

Up close and personal...

         

So this is probobly like the hundred and tenth clapotis that you've seen but here it is anyways.  I got the yarn last year at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  It's from Kiparoo Farms but I don't remember the name of the yarn.  It was actually two strands that were knit together, one black and one white and the white one had slubs every few inches.  I used all the yarn I had so it is big but I love it.  I wear it as a scarf with my jean jacket and also as a wrap when we go out.  It's mostly cotton so it's a little heavy but it's not bad.  Now I really want to make a soft wool or wool blend one.  And since the only thing better then a finished clapotis is a finished clapotis with a baby.

         

She was having so much fun watching the flash go off that I had to get one with her in it too.

When If the weather clears up this weekend* I'll try to get DH to get a picture of me in the bolero that I designed and knit just before Christmas.

*It has rained for 20 days straight now.  I know it's the Pacific Northwest but really I'm starting to doubt the existance of the sun at all.

A is for Angel

A is for angel,

This angel sits up on my tree and has every year that I've had my own tree.  My grandmother made it for me when I got married and I just love it. 

I love this ABC along now I just have to remember how to do the buttons thing.

Good, Bad, Bad, Good

When I was at school back in my sorority days during rush we would have to talk about the girls that wanted to join our house (Chi-O).  We would always start with a good thing, then the bad stuff and end with another good thing.  It was our way of giving our opinion while staying positive, or at least trying to.  So here is my good, bad, bad, good for 2005...

Good

(The happy faces are to protect DH.  He has his own blog and the opinions that he shares are not necessarily those of the Navy.)

DH had his Change of Command and it went really well.  I didn't go into labor in the middle and the BBQ after was a big hit.  The yard was done in time and we had enough food for the entire Navy!

Bad

A custody battle the DH's ex in California.  We have spent the whole year trying to be reasonable with a very unreasonable woman and it isn't working so now the courts are going to have to get involved.

Bad

My fathers new business isn't going as well as we had hoped it would, and it is causing a lot of family stress, especially for my mom.  She's not dealing well with the uncertainty of the situation.  So while Dad's at work I'm trying to help her as best I can.  It's hard when you see some of the traditional roles being reversed.

Good Best

M joined us on Aug. 2 weighing in at 7 lbs. 14oz.  She is a great baby!  Really mellow except when she wants to eat.  She nurses well and sleeps through the night, but at 5 months now she only weighs 11 lbs!  Our newest little one was definitely the highlight of the year!

Here's hoping that everyone has a happy, healthy and hopeful New Year!