Happy Holidays from the frozen tundra!!

I can't believe this year is almost over b/c it's gone by so fast and SO many things have happened to us as a family. First and most important . . .E was concieved and born this year. I'm still in awe at his adorable-ness (is that a word?) He's eating like a champ and is tipping the scales at 15lbs at 11wks!!! He's a big little boy! Here's the best smile ever (I'm a bit bias!!)He's a talker like his brother and loves to watch big bro play. I also can't get over the fac that at 11wks, he's laughing out loud. It's the sweetest sound I've ever heard. He laughs at S so much that he starts to hiccup. I love it when they play together and S really plays with E!! Being the mom two boys is the most fulfilling role I've ever had.

I've been knitting a lot thanks to a semi-established nap schedule! I'm a mom that lets the baby determine the feedings and naps, so my knitting has suffered a bit. Of course if he didn't sleep and eat like a champ, I might be a bit more strict on the sleep schedule.

So one Monkey is finished! I love SpaceDust. It's the most beautiful colorway. I can't get over how lovely it is in the Monkey pattern. I'm about 25% done with sock #2. I luckily don't suffer from SSS b/c I love the sock too much not to have a pair. I'm currently wearing my Solstice Slip from Rockin' Sock Club. It is the most comfortable thing I've ever had on my feet. As a fairly new sock knitter, I never realized how fantastic handknit socks are!! I'm sold . . . .

Now, Felix is finally done and S is just itching to wear it. I blocked it on Christmas day and it's currently rack drying. I let it go to about 75% dry and then threw it on the rack b/c S is starting to bug me about wearing it. Of course the 6inches of snow we're due today will keep us indoors for many days. I'm hoping he can wear it at some point this weekend. I want to take pictures of it on him. I think his loggerhead might be growing since I started it in August and I'm afraid that E will get the most wear. E might be in the 95th percentile for weight, but his head is only 59th!!! He's got the tiny head and buddha belly where S has the skinny body and HUGE freakin' head!!! So opposite in every way!!

Here's the Felix blocking:

Let the blogging begin . . . again

Okay, we're here! All of us! The 3.5 year old who just might be posted on Ebay, the 9wk old that has just stolen my heart (check back when he's 3), and me!! We're braving the winter months in Wisconsin. I hate them. . .. We have about 5 inches on the ground and it's 15 degrees right now. Humans should not be made to live in a place like this!

I've been knitting off and on for the last 9 weeks. A few rows on the Chevron, seaming a few things on Felix and doing a few rows of E's new blanket. Nothing has been really floating my boat . . . until now!

I casted on Monkeys with Space Dust from Socks That Rock! I'm totally in love and can't wait to get these socks finished!!!! I can't get over the colorway. It's prue heaven to look at. I really am very shocked and impressed it looks this good. I need to get my butt in gear and get a few pictures up.

I also wanted to share a pic of my newest little man. I'm so in love it's crazy!!!! He's a chunky monkey compared to big brother! He's been in 3-6 mo clothes and size 2 diapers for almost a month now!!!! HUGE compared to S! S is smittened and gentle as a lamb with his baby brother. It's just me and DH that get abused (you need to see my fat lip!!). Is there a law against Offspring Abuse???

E is sleeping like a champ. He goes down around 9:30 and wakes around 4:30. Then it's back to bed for a few hours. Of course the slew of snowblowers that get kicked on at 6am in our neighborhood isn't allowing anyone to sleep past 6-6:15!!

Still here and Still Knitting

Well, life has settled a bit now that E is 4 weeks old. The grandmothers are gone and today is my first day with the newborn and preschooler. So far so good, but they've only been up for 1.5 hours!!!

I finally finished my MILs Cabled Bag at 6am Saturday. No pictures b/c she was walking out the door to the airport as I finished it!! Now it's on to the Felix sweater! I have everything done except the seaming!!!

My early arrival!!

Well, there's another little man in my house to knit for!! E was born on October 1st at 5:33pm. Labor was so much easier this time. With S it took 4 days b/c I was induced so I guess anything would be easier!!

The low down . . .Around 2:30am 10/1 I rolled over and my water broke. I got DH up, we got the last few things together for my hospital bag, called the OB and doula, headed to the hospital. When we got there and all checked in I was only 1cm and 60% efaced. I chose to labor on my own for a few hours. At 10am I was still 1cm. The doc said Pitocin, I was okay with that, but wanted just a little more time. So finally at noon, I was STILL 1cm. We got the pitocin drip going. I labor with DH and the doula until 4pm when I just couldn't take the contractions any more. My knees were buckling.

The drug man came in around 4:30pm and I got the epi. He did a great job. I was able to freely move my legs and lower torso, but only felt strong pressure. At 4:35pm I was at 6cm so the pain med free labor from noon-4:30 really helped!!! My OB was called and he arrived around 5pm. I was fully dilated by then. My BP was running high all labor so they gave me something to bring it down. Once I got a normal reading (5:15pm) I started to push.

E was born at 5:33pm!!

He's gorgeous and we are SO in love. S is doing okay. Not great, but he'll adjust. My mom arrived today to help us out over the next few weeks!!

I'll be knitting soon, but until then, I'll be with my newest man!!!

Wow!! It's been too long!

I honestly thought on a few days went by since my last post . . NOPE!! Too much time.

Not much is going on, S started 3K on the 11th. He was THRILLED and is settling into a new routine. He is gone 5 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'll tell you 10 hours a week to be totally alone is just unbelieveable. I only have another 4-6 class days before E arrives and my time is once again taken with another little man. That's right only 18 days until my due date. How did 9 months go by so fast???

As for knitting . . . lots of starting . . .not much finishing. I did love the Chevron Scarf, but put it in my hospital bag b/c I was going to fast on it. I want it to be with me during labor. I hope to finish it while in the hospital. So that's packed away.

Then I started Mirabella Socks in Socks that Rock Silkie (colorway: Foo-Foo). I love the pattern and color, they're both so girly. The only problem is that my hands are swollen and holding size 1 or even 2 needles is just too hard. Those had to go away for a while!

Low and behold, a co-worker of DHs had a baby. The two boys are close, I've only met the wife once. Perfect. Baby project, easy, big needles . . . a blanket!!! So I ran and go some decent acrylic (yes, I did say acrylic) and decided to do a Fibonacci Baby Blanket in some really neutral colors (taupe, dark taupe and cream). They're not *baby* people so I think a pink blanket woudl have been too much. Got my 10s out and started knitting a 30x40 blanket. I did about 3 stripes and realized that I REALLY liked the blanket, more than I thought I would!! It's so pretty and calm!

E's getting it. No way I can give this away. It's too pretty. S is getting a navy blanket I was working on for E. It's in Cotton Fleece. . . . . now what to do . . . my two boys are both getting new blankets, but this new little girl needs SOMETHING!!

Baby hat. That's the ticket!!!! I can do 2-3 quick baby hats from Knitting Rules and give them to them next week. I'll even add a cute embellishment to one of them to show some extra work!! Well, did one in 2 days. and it's so pretty. I just love Encore Colorspun. The shading looks like a yummy ice cream cone and it really just blends together beautifully.

Pattern: Basic Hat Recipe (large newborn size) Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee

Yarn: Encore Colorspun Worsted

Needles: US7 DPNs Bamboo

Not knitting, but too sweet not to share

S and I had the *Belly Shots* today. I love this one b/c it's so him.. He's excited to be a big brother. This picture has me tearing up every time I look at it.

***I totally love Portrait Innovations. They're a chain and FANTASTIC!!!!!

We were on a break . . . .

Felix and me . . . . I cheated on him. He's sitting patiently on the chair in the bedroom and I've been frolicking around town with someone new . . . the Chevron Scarf. She's beautiful, a real winner. No problems, colorful, a real doll. We're having a blast together. I'm still trying to work out my issues with Felix and his neck line. I'm sure in a few days, we'll be back together again!

Here's my newest project. I'm thinking it'll be done in the next week or so. It's FAST and I love it:

Pattern: Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarns: Silkie by Blue Moon Fiber Arts in Wild Tide (2007 Rockin' Sock club colorway) and Sherbert

Needles: Size 5 Circs - Addi Turbos

Knitting standstill . . .

Friggin', frackin', freakin' Felix sweater . . . . .

Why have I been absent for almost 2 weeks. . . . not pregnancy, not the 3 year old, not the summer weather . . the FELIX!!

The neck band just won't work. Now I admit, my child has a HUGE head. Always in the 90th or higher percentile. Add that to a 12th percentile body weight and 87th percentile height, he's shaped funny. Honestly his head doesn't look so big compared to the rest of him, but clothes sure to tell a different story.

Without the neck band, the sweater is a PERFECT fit!! Looks good and drapes beautifully. The neck band SUCKS. I've made it 6 ways to Sunday and it always ends up too tight. I've done larger needles, less rows, different stitch pattens. I've done the neck band about 7 times so far. Nothing is working.

I'm mad and have nothing cheery and positive to say so I've been avoiding blogland!!

I decided to go ahead and take the sweater apart and frog a few rows of the front and back to make that neckhole bigger. That *might* give me enough space to do the black neckband and have it fit Logger Head!!! =)

Updates soon . . .

Contest to check out!

Rachel over at Yarn Over is having a Blogiversary Contest!! She's giving away some beautiful stitch markers in honor of her 1st Blogiversary!! Check it out!!!!

Felix . . not too shabby!

I'm about 70% done with Felix. Not too shabby actually. I think it's going to turn out to be a great sweater for S. He should fit nicely into it for 3K this year. Not sure if I'll allow him to wear it to school. It might only be for days with Mom & Dad so I can monitor what ends up on it!!!

















The Svale is knitting up wonderfully after looking back 3-4 rows, but the actual motion of making a stitch sucks. It splits worse than any other yarn I've used, even the cheap stuff! I'm very disappointed in the yarn itself although one can't ignore how pretty it knits up. I just hope that it has some good structure to it. I can see S brushing up against something that's not 100% smooth and getting a nasty pull in the sweater.

Only time will tell. I'm on track to finish next week. I'm making one adjustment to the pattern since Knitty Lynn recommended it. I think it'll be great. I'm going to make the collar black instead of the main Oatmeal color. So I'm done with the front and back piece and 50% done with 1 sleeve. So I think I can finish the 1st sleeve tonight. Then I have Thursday with the girls so I can get most of sleeve 2 done. So we'll see.

The next project is my Labor Project . . .the Chevron Scarf. I'll start it and hopefully finish it as Baby E is making his way into the world. My hypnotherapist/doula thinks I'm hilarious for using knitting as part of my relaxation/no meds path to delivering little man. Little does she know that knitting is my Nirvana!! My Chevron Scarf and a little ocean wave music, the baby will just pop right out!!!

Rockin' Girl Bloggers

Thanks to Lynn for making me a Rockin' Girl Blogger!! She's the main reason I turned to the dark side (knitting!). There are 5 victims . . . um, I mean bloggers that I'm going to send emails too. All these folks have great sites b/c they're funny, wonderfully skilled knitters, and many are moms like me!!!

Here's my list of my Rockin' Girl Bloggers!!!!

Wendy at Knit and Tonic

Michelle at Michelle Can Knit

AJ at Down with the Knitty Gritty

Smariek Knits

Curly Purly

Stitches Recap! - LOTS of Pictures

Stitches is the best thing in the whole world. That is my professional opinion!!!!!

We had a great time! I took two 3 hour classes. One on Fair Isle knitting and the other on the Joy of Finishing. I'm hooked on Fair Isle and already have identified a hat/scarf pattern I love. I feel more confident in my finishing now for sweaters. I can't wait to finish S's sweater to use the new techniques I learned!!!

So what did I buy . . too freakin' much. A bunch of sock yarn, yarn for a purse, alpaca for a sweater for DH, and a few patterns!! I'm in love with Stitches and I won't ever miss one again!! I've already started saving for next year!!!!

Here's the lowdown!!

I'm searching for just the right patterns for these 2! I love the Foo-Foo so much. I can't wait to use it. The Space Dust is gorgeous!!! I'm so excited about these two yarns!!!

Foo-Foo - BMFA Silkie

Space Dust - BMFA Lightweight


I'm using this new STR in Silkie - Sherbert along with my Wild Tide from the Sock Club to make the Chevron Scarf.



Next I got some wonderful sock yarn from Tess' Designer Yarns. Look at these colors!!!





Then I got some Regia to make S a pair of socks. I made him some last year that were BAD, I want him to have mommy's newest refined skills!!



Then there's 2600 yards of undyed Alpaca for sweater for R. He was very excited about the yarn!!!



Finally, some Black Water Abbey Yarn for a beautiful Cable purse. I got the pattern there too!! The color is Quartz!! Look how beautiful it is!!!!



Finally a sock pattern!!



I could have bought more and more, but I swore that I wouldn't use the debit card. I held firm!!!!

I'm waiting on pictures from the girls to show you the crazy folks I hang out with! We stayed at the Embassy Suites for free on Hilton Points. There were 2 beds, a pull-out and 2 air mattresses for the 5 of us. 3 knitters, 1 scraper/knitter and 1 die hard non-knitter. We arrived on Friday afternoon. Non-knitter spent the afternoon at the Sofitel Hotel Bar. The Scraper/Knitter took an hour class, and us die hards hit the Market. That night we ordered Gino East pizza!!! Saturday, the Die Hards were up early and took classes in the morning, had lunch and hit the Market AGAIN!!! The other 2 gals hit Old Orchard Mall. That night we went to Tuscany in Wheeling, IL. A delightful and FUNNY time. Sunday we took classes again and the other 2 left for Wisconsin.

All in all, I had the best time and the entire weekend exceeded my expectations. I can't wait for another girls' weekend and Stitches! It's in Schamburg next year . . . wonder how early I can make hotel reservations!!!!

Guess who got the invite!!??!!

Got my Ravelry invite on Thursday night!! S and I had a BAD day due to some pooping/potty issues (him, not me!!LOL) and it was a delight to log onto Ravelry after such a long day!!

I've put a few of my favorite Podcast-ers as my friends to keep up with them. I need to add more people, so please share your Raverly Names and let's start sharing.

My name is: CatSaysKnit

I did have enough room to put my whole title!! =(

I'm so excited to get started on Ravelry.

Oh, STITCHES update VERY soon!!!!

State Fair = Yummy Yarn Dreams

We hit the WI State Fair yesterday. Little S and I are such city folk it's not even funny. From the smell of the livestock to the poopy on the floor S and I were just mesmerized. Kelly and Jodi kept laughing at us. S wouldn't get out of his stroller b/c of the poop. I was so worried about my stroller wheels. Yes, they got the poop, but I'll clean it off later today.



Anyway, all of that went away when I saw the bunny house. . . MUST FIND ANGORAS.



Well I did and saw this little guy giving me his fur. I could knit something magical up with this guy. He was so purrty!!!! I was disappointed though. There were only 3 Angora Rabbits entered. What is wrong with these people . . .they are the prettiest little bunnies!!!!

PS . . .only 66 people in front of me on Ravelry!!! WOOHOO!!!!

So Close now . . .

Hopefully I'll have my invite when I get home from STITCHES. That way I can post all my new yarn!!!!

Found you!
You signed up on June 11, 2007
You are #8286 on the list.
598 people are ahead of you in line.
14426 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

Casted On Felix from Rowan Jr.

I casted on S's sweater just Wednesday and I'm already working on the armhole shaping. It's going VERY fast. I'm using Dale of Norway Svale and I'm holding back judgement for a little while on this one. Not sure I like it right now. I'm using my Addi Turbos so it's a little easier to work with then if I were using bamboo needles. I'll give my final review at a later date!

The pattern is Felix from Rowan Junior.

I'm using a beautiful "oatmeal-y" for the main color and black for the ribbing bottom. I think it's going to be wonderful. I just hope the yarn holds up. I've read reviews and Svale is supposed to be good for children's clothes . . . . Like I said, I won't make any comments just yet!

This is what I had at 4pm this afternoon. I'm almost done the armhole shaping and it's the same night. It's a really fast knit!

*** The color is VERY true in the bottom photo!

A statistical look at my life . . ..

Only 8 days until Stitches Midwest starts!!! I can't wait 9 days until I get there! My friend Kelly, who is a non-knitter has agreed to go straight to the yarn market with me and veg out. She'll read her new People Magazine and wait for me!!! True friendship!!!!

And as for Ravelry . . .

You signed up on June 11, 2007
You are #8286 on the list.
816 people are ahead of you in line.
13627 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

Yeah, I'm so close now!!!!! Knitty Lynn gave me a sneak peek and I'm hooked!!

For some reason I can't get the theme song to The Jefferson's out of my head!!!!! Does that age me???

2 FOs!!!!

Yeah! 2 FOs in 2 weeks! I'm on fire!!!
First, my I present the Solstice Slip from Rockin' Sock Club:

Then the Lion Brand Baby Kimono in Patagonia Nature Cotton. The little Miss it was made for should be making an appearance on Monday!!! Her mom already recieved this so I can't wait to see a picture come November or December!


Up Next . . . Stitches Homework, MIL's cabled purse, S's Big Boy Sweater!

Preschooler Yarn Love

Most days, I use the mantra, "It's just a phase, It's just a phase" to get me through the age of 3. It's been hard. My usually sweet agreeable little boy turned into a raging lunatic the morning of his 3rd birthday. Did aliens replace my son? We have no idea, but time-outs are a common thing in my household. The majority of days are pretty good. We laugh, cuddle, eat out a lot, and even got to playgroups with other crazy 2 & 3 year olds. The bad days however, are REALLY, REALLY bad.

I love this kid more than anything and feel my role in life is to be his mommy. No matter how much he drives me batty, there is always that one thing that tugs at my heart and makes me melt. We had one of those days on Tuesday. . .

S: Mama, what's this?

Me: That's some yarn that mommy didn't get to color at her yarn coloring party?

S: How do you color it?

Me: Just some water and paint, then you get to cook it in the microwave.

S: Do you have paint??

Me: I have some left somewhere

S: Can we make the yarn pretty?

Heart melted right there. My son wanted to dye yarn with me. I picked him up in such a maternal glow that he commented on how happy I looked! Who wouldn't be?? My son wanted to dye yarn!!!!

I got out some Kool-aid I had left over from a party and I let him pick the colors. He picked Cherry, Tropical punch and Grape. The first 2 look the same, but I didn't care! We dyed the yarn in Mason jars and popped it in the mircowave.

S threw out so many ohhs and ahhs at the pretty colors I felt like I was painting the Sistine Chapel. Here we were doing something together and it was SO much fun!!! This is what we came up with! It's not much to look at, but I can't wait to make a pair of socks with this. They won't be the prettiest I've made, but they'll be the most special I'll ever have!!!

New Camera, New sock

I'm done! I'm done!!! Here is the first sock I've EVER completed from the Rockin' Sock club!!! I love it! I can't wait to cast on #2 tonight!! Please ignore the newly seeded grass area! We had the patio built last fall and they tore up my yard!!!

So I looked myself up on Ravelry!! Here are my stats:

You signed up on June 11, 2007
You are #8286 on the list.
2347 people are ahead of you in line.
9578 people are behind you in line.
32% of the list has been invited so far

Camera Lost

I can't find my camera. I took it away from my crazy child last week and now I don't know where I hid it. I swear a safe place in this house is safe from all children, adults, and furry creatures!!! Maybe the cat can find it!!! UGH!!

I was so excited to share a picture on Solstice Slip! I finished one! It looks so pretty if I do say so myself. Also, I just need to put he handles on my MILs bag.

Maybe I can convince DH to just buy a new one today. We need a new one anyway. Our camera is almost 4 years old!!!

STITCHES Confirmation this weekend!!

I GOT MY STITCHES CONFIRMATION IN THE MAIL!!!!!!

WOOHOO!!! I'm so freakin' excited I can barely contain myself. I'm trying to convince DH to come hom early on Friday so I can go to the market on Friday afternoon. The coolest thing is that I'm making it a girls weekend. Knitty Lynn and Jodi are going to STITCHES too for the weekend. I've also convinced a couple of friends (some knitting folk, some not) to come too!! We are staying free in a Hilton Hotel courtsey of my Hilton Honor Points!! All that fun for minimum cost in Chicago! I miss living there so dinner in the city will just make the weekend!!!

So we all have homework and need to get started soon!! I'll be 8months pregnant, but who care??? I've been saving my change since last September so I'll be able to increase my stash sizeably. DH is less than thrilled on that one!!! TOUGH!!!! =)

Almost perfect in Wisconsin

I say almost b/c we all know that there is a thing or two we'd like to change about the weather, our house, our lives, etc. We're enjoying life right now with a few snags, the biggest being a 3 year old that is terrorizing me on a daily basis!! =) We're having some "baby on the way" issues.

At 26wks with Baby E, big brother can't ignore mommy's tummy, the gifts that are arriving or the shirt that jumps when I'm sitting with him. It's been hard, but I keep telling him that mommy is knitting for him once her socks are finished.

I even gave him 3 patterns to choose from. He liked this pattern from Rowan Junior the best. It's called Jack. Of course S wanted to know if the little boy in the picture's name is Jack. So funny and typical of a 3 year old!!! It'll be done in Svale from Dale of Norway in Taupe. It looks basically like an Oatmeal Gray and I love love love it!!!!

Now for more good knitting news!! I LOVE knitting Summer Solstice Slipup from my June Socks that Rock shipment!!! YEAH!!!! I'm so happy. The pattern came toe-up or cuff down. I chose toe-up b/c I really never tried it before. I LOVE TO KNIT TOE-UP!! Be it known that from now on this woman that knits will only be looking for toe-up patterns!! It's been on the needles for less than a week and I'm almost done my 1st sock!! This is HUGE for me considering it took almost a month to knit my aunt a pair of BORING socks a few months ago!

I'm going to make the socks a bit longer than the pattern calls for. Knitty Lynn convinced me to get a kitchen scale to weigh my yarn. I started with 122 grams so each sock will be close to 60grams each! This way I won't run out of yarn. Here's my progress so far:

Finally, some non-knitting eye candy for Friday. I took this picture of S this weekend. I thought I got his whole face, but ended up with his beautiful blue eyes. Can you tell he's full of the devil???

Random Thoughts on a Lazy Friday

My child is asleep in his big bed. It's a beautiful pillow top Serta Full mattress that we spent an obsence amount on. I can't believe how much money mattresses cost. DH and I bought ours back in 2000 so it's been a while except for S's crib mattress! I'm thrilled he is sleeping b/c a cranky 3 year old is enough to make me want to poke a knitting needle in my eye some days!! Of course nearing the end of my 2nd trimester *might* have me a little impatient lately.

So I have time to update now! I have to admit, I've been bitten by the podcast bug. I have 2 that I'm listening to on a regular basis now. Cast-On and Craft Lit. Both are just fantastic. Brenda on Cast-On is lively hysterical and has a great easy going manner that just relaxes you. The time passes so quickly as I listen. Craft-Lit is hosted by a women who knits AND taught English! She chooses a non-copyrighted book (1st book is Pride and Prejudice) and it's read to you, she discusses it and then you talk about knitting!! It can't get any better than that!!!

I'm trying to get into more podcasts, but 2 is all I can handle right now. I'm sure there will be lots of sleepless nights in October that will call for a podcast or 2!!

So I have been knitting while listening to podcasts. First, the bear's replacement turned out to be an adorable and quick little blanket I knit with 3 different yarns, not from stash. I had to hit the store. It's quite thick and definitely too hot for the Texas summer. I'm going to tell the mother to use it as a Lay-Upon blanket instead of a covering one! It's nice and cushy. I'm sure little Iris will love it.

Second, I just finished the BallBan Washrag from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I have a friend in Michigan who just got divorced (which is good for her) and she's now in an apartment with her two kids. I wanted to spruce up the usually boring white walls for her and give her something girly that she could enjoy looking at as she washed her dishes!! So I had this obnoxiously bright yarn in my stash and have done one washcloth. I'm going to do 2 more solid colors and then pack them up and send them off to her!! I hope she really enjoys them.

My darling little S will be getting an adorable sweater this year for winter. Lynn at Knots in a Row saw this pattern and suggested it. It's fantastic and I can't wait to get the pattern. I've had the yarn for a year now and need to use it! Here is a picture from Classic Elite Yarns in there Puddlejumper pattern book.

Finally, we got our June Rockin' Sock Club shipment. I'm not going to spoil it just yet, but the pattern AND yarn are very much my style! I'm going to knit myself a "Get this baby out" pair of socks for my labor and delivery. I thought it'd be cool to have a pair of handknitted socks as we bring baby into the world!

The Bear is dead . .

I repeat the bear is dead. . . I just couldn't do it any more!! Too many little things needing stitching and stuffing!! I think it's pregnancy getting in the way. So . . . the little lady will be getting a mini version of the Patons afghan I made for DH.

Farewell little bear . .. .

SPRING!!!

I LOVE SPRING!!! It's such a wonderful time of year here in Wisconsin. Everything is blooming, my allergies are raging, and my son is the happiest little kid around b/c he can get outside!!!

So it's been 3+weeks since posting. I'm awful at this stuff lately. Maybe it's my preggo brain . . . what is that you said?? Preggo brain. Yes, I'm pregnant again!!!! I'm over half way done and finally announcing it. All those progesterone shots helped me stay pregnant after for trying for a year. We're due in October and I'm over the moon. Now we're going to have to spend lots of time getting the guest room ready for a permanent resident!! If I could only figure out what to knit!!!

Another reason I've been a slacker is getting the handsome King of the House ready to be a ring bearer in my cousin in law's wedding. It was an undertaking finding a tux that fit a skinny 3 year old. He just turned 3 this month and is going on 30! After 3 tries and 2 overnight boxes to Hartwell, GA, we finally had a tux that fit. So without further adieu, here is the most handsome guy in the world looking dashing as ever!! Of course, my DH had the camera while I went back to the hotel room to get dressed. Did he get ANY pictures of his son posing in the tux!!!!???!! NO. . .men, I swear!!

So I obviously finished the garter and handed it off. She loved it and looked gorgeous!! I also finished knitting my MILs Knitpicks bag, I have arms and legs for the teddy bear, and the last sleeve for the kimono. I have all intentions of finishing the knitting and then taking next week to complete all the projects! We'll see if that really happens!!!

Spring is here!!!

Well, spring has sprung in good 'ol Wisconsin! I'm so happy. We've been spending lots of time on our patio that is brand spanking new. We had a playgroup yesterday. Moms and kids had a great time so I know this will be a wonderful summer!

I will confess, I still haven't done anything with my Sock Club stuff. I just can't get into it. The February kit didn't contain yarn I got excited about. The April kit has GORGEOUS yarn, but the pattern doesn't float my boat. I'm looking at my wonderful binder with 2 of 6 fantastic patterns and yarn wondering if I screwed myself out of $210 since I haven't gotten into the knitting yet. Only time will tell. maybe I can do a piecemeal scarf in December to celebrate the 2007 Rockin' Sock club!!

I have been knitting, like a fool though! 3 projects on the needles at once!! Not at all like me.

First the wedding garter is finished. It didn't turn out exactly like I planned. I thought Fixation would be more stretchy. I'll have to basically sew her into the garter, so it doesn't slip. I have some wonderful blown glass beads to add this weekend and a charm I found that I think will really add to the whole thing!

Pattern: Ruffled Wedding Garter

Yarn: Cascade Fixation in White

Needles: Size 4 dpns

Other: glass beads, organza ribbon, jewelry charms

Next it's a Cotton Kimono for a new little addition to a friend's family. I can't put too much b/c she'll figure it out. It's a wonderful Lion Brand pattern and with some Patagonia Cotton from my stash it really took off. First, what a wonderful yarn to knit with. I'm in heaven using this yarn. I still have a tie and a sleeve to go, but it knitted up in a weekend. Not too much trouble at all. I did cotton since they live in hot weather, so anything except cotton would have made the baby sweat!! I should be finished this weekend! Seriously this yarn totally rocks!!!

Finally, another friend is having a baby and I'm doing a teddy bear!! It's from Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss. I'm using some Oatmeal Wool-Ease from stash too. I'm so proud. I need to make room for the STR yarn!!! It's my first attempt at toys so it's interesting. There are a few new techniques I'm learning because of the different shaping requirements. The pattern is easy, but I have to read things a few times to really get a good sense of it.

So far I have one side of the body done and I just started the head! I can't wait until it's done!!