This is the afghan that never ends....

...it just goes on, and on, and on.....


I started this last year for my MIL and made great progress on it, until it got bigger and warmer. To warm to have on your lap during the summer months. I have made a deal with myself that i can't start anything new until this is finished so I have been trying to work on it every night while watching TV. Doesn't require any real though at all, so hopefully it will be finished soon. I will finish it, i will finish it, I will, I will, I WILL.


Also, finished a BSJ for the new baby. Briefly considered adding a collar, but I don't think I will be that motivated. Or have the time. Cute, no?


Also, finally bought buttons for the Tomten I knit for Sweet P eons ago. I wasn't in too big a of a rush because, well, I didn't really check my gauge, and lets just say it will be at least another year until it will fit her. Oops. Over all I think it turned out really nicely!

Other things will also be put aside temporarily to knit up some projects that have a deadline. They are small and will lend themselves well to all of the sitting and waiting I will be doing at the doctors' offices from here on out. Everything is fine, but because I see my primary OB and an OB that specializes in Gestational Diabetes at EVMS, I'm now seeing one doctor or another every week to monitor blood sugar and fetal development.

P.S. For anyone interested, I couldn't decide between the ring sling and a Moby, I found one of each barely used for GREAT prices on Diaperswappers. I'll try them both. Mobility with the new baby is a real priority and it seems that these might work for different situations. Thanks for all of your input!

Bear with me...

In addition to cleaning out all of the random things in our house to make space for the new person who will be living here, I'm going through all of the stuff we had when Sweet P was a baby and making a list of things we still need. Turns out we don't really need much of anything; all of the big stuff is already taken care of. This time, though, I would really like to try some sort of sling to keep the new baby in when we are running around on errands and various classes and such. The one feature that I really would like is that it be adjustable and breastfeeding friendly.

Three that I am considering:
Sweet Pea RingSlings
Maya Wrap Ring Sling
Zolowear Ring Sling

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions about these are any other style sling? I have tried to find something like this to see IRL, but haven't had any luck. Is one better than the other? I'm leaning toward the Sweet Pea slings because I like to try to support smaller companies, but would love some feedback from moms who have actual experience. Thanks!

Actual Yarn

Recently I've been doing lots of spinning. My husband very thoughtfully gave me a 1 yard niddy-noddy, nostepinne, and two toy wheel spindles last November for my birthday, even though he had no idea what anything but the spindle actually did or functioned as. I already had a toy wheel spindle that I hadn't touched in a month or two but his gift renewed my interest. The spindles are kind of heavy, 1.5 - 2 oz., good for plying and thicker weight yarn, but I really wanted to try something lighter so I went on a spending spree and ordered lots of fiber from some really great shops on etsy and a lighter spindle. So I present to you what i consider to be my first real yarn.

It's a 50/50 superwash merino/tencel in the "Fraises" colorway from Squoosh. Very pretty. I didn't plan out how I was going to spin it in any way, so unfortunately to me it came out kind of muddled. I've got about 200 yds of sport to DK weight. Can't find any pattern that I like to knit this into, so it will sit until I find something.

So after doing my part to stimulate the economy, I now have 5 spindles, and quite a bit of fiber. I have some superwash merino hanging to dry that I will try to get pictures of if the sun ever somes out.

I also did lots of christmas knitting which I will not detail here because there was alot of it and, well, I don't feel like it. If you feel so inclined, it's all on my Ravelry page. What I am working on right now is Kingscot. Jaeger Extra-Fine Merino DK. It's yummy. But also difficult to take good photos of because of the color which is indigo. I've completed the back and left front but you'll have to wait to the sun to come out for more pics.

In other news, we are oficially in nesting mode here at the house. The new baby will be here in a mere three months (!) so it's time to rearrange bedrooms to accomodate. And take down wallpaper. Fun. But I'm very much looking forward to painting and having everything in it's place. In addition to the bedrooms, I will finally be tackling a small makeover of the mezzanine level of my house. Hubby is very skeptical of my color choices so I have recruited a more expert opinion. Paint samples this weekend!

Who?

I have absent from this space for an unseemly amount of time, but I have things to show for it! During the hiatus, I spent lots of time knitting (of course) made some quilts for my new niece and nephew, and started and completed various other little things here and there not to mention, worked and took care of my daughter and started cooking the new bun in the oven. (As an aside, I use that phrase a lot, but don't particularly care for it. Like when people describe childbirth as "popping them out." Makes me cringe. If only it were that easy. Excuse me, but I am making a human.)

Ahem.

So quite a lot of this interim has been spent working on a mitten design that I've had in my head. It's taken forever to get it from swatch knitting and penciling in charts to something that I think would be usable.



Pattern: Lillyfield Mittens (Ravelry Link).
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Cream and Salsa Heather, 1 ball each.
Needles: Small size US1 2.25mm, Large size US2 2.75mm.
Sizes: Small, up to 7.75" hand, and Large up to 9.5" hand.
Price: USD $5.50 available through Ravelry


I worked very long and hard on this so I hope it is well received. I've got more ideas kicking around in here so you will see more of this stuff soon.

XOXO, Baby

Soooo....















I was able to finalize the baby blanket pattern that I wrote up recently and was able to host it for free up on Ravelry.















I knit it up last summer for Sweet P, because, well, I meant to do it before she was born.

It's knit in strips and seamed together. I attached a soft cotton flannel backing to hide any messiness leftover from seaming, but I also just really liked the way the flannel went with the blanket. All together it's wonderfully warm and cozy. Sweet P won't sleep without it.















Pattern: XOXO Baby Blanket (Ravelry link)
By: Me!
Size: Approx. 32" by 32"
Yarn: 600-700 yds worsted, baby friendly yarn.
Gauge: 16sts/22rows for 4 inches















Click Here to Download a 1.4mb PDF.

Thanks for looking!

P.S. I know I've been tagged. Working on it. :)

Proofreading Help

I know it's been a while. Surprise, surprise...

Things have been going on though, just not alot of spare time to blog about them. I'm getting there. :)

One of the things I've been doing is trying to write out patterns for some of my projects. Some I plan on offering for free and others I'd like to offer for sale. The first one I finished (mostly) is a baby blanket that I will be offering for free, but before I do, I would love for it to be proofread by one or two other knitters. No real need to test knit this one, unless you would like to do a small swatch of one or two blocks, but just double checked for me to make sure things like the long hand directions and the charts match and to make sure it makes sense.

Whadayasay? Any takers? I'd be really appreciative. Leave a comment and I'll make arrangements to email you the pdf.

Thanks a bunch!!

This and That

I did finish the Ivy League. I really did. It's washed, blocked and folded upstairs on the buffet. Last Friday, I had a few free minutes with no one else in the house and decided to take photos of all he things I have been working on. (Unlike Carly, who was participating in February is for Finishing, I have zero discipline when it comes to not starting anything new. I continually tell myself that I only want to have a maximum of 2 WIP's at a any given moment but that always goes right out the door the second I come across something new that I would like to knit. Then I start it immediately. Yes, I have chronic startitis.)

Anyhoo.

My camera died after about 6 photos were taken. Stopped working mid-shoot, lens extended and everything. Went black, and I couldn't turn it on or off. Even though I had just put fresh batteries in that morning, I changed them again. Nothing. I jiggled it, I shook it, I took the memory card in and out, rearranged the batteries and still nothing. It just stopped working.

I managed to get a few photos of the vest, but no modeled shots. For your viewing pleasure:




















Pattern: Ivy League Vest by Eunny Jang
Size: the largest size, 41.75 bust
Yarn: Knit picks Palette in Cream, Mist, Fog, Twig, Salsa Heather, and Garnet Heather, 1 ball of each
Needles: Knitpicks Harmony Option Circs Size 5 and 3
Notes and Ravelry link here.

I finished a bag that I knit a couple of weeks ago for my sister-in-law, which I knit for her because she constantly uses a bag I sort of freehand crocheted together and lined badly. I wanted her to have something a bit nicer and more well put together. So here it is, at long last:








































Pattern: Brea Bag by Norah Goughan
Yarn: Peace Fleece Worsted in Lena's Meadow, 2 Hanks
Needles: Clover 29" bamboo circs size 9
Notes and Ravelry link here.

I've also decided that for every two or three projects I knit that I'm going to insert a project to donate somewhere. Right now I'm on a cute chemo cap kick. I want people who are undergoing this treatment to have something cute and/or stylish to wear. I already have lots of soft cotton blends in my stash. Anybody want to join me on this quest?