Friday, February 22, 2008

X is for...

eXtremely eXciting knitting, mail, and projects!

...remember the SP11 package that disappeared? Well, it showed up yesterday. Look at this beautiful stuff that was sent for me (well, and husband and girls).



The yarn is all just beautiful! I am so excited that this stuff didn't just disappear into the mail-black-hole. The sock yarn is for husband, but I am already thinking of what to do with the rest, as it is lovely! I'm also so happy that the handmade items didn't get lost!

...handmade for the baby of course. Look at the cute stuff! I love it!




Thanks so much Sue! ...the chocolate is already open and half gone.


...and look what else got finished!




The stole hasn't been blocked yet (My mom said I could borrow and use her blocking wires and boards - sometime soon perhaps), but I can't believe I finally finished! Once I started working it didn't actually take too long, it just had to wait its turn to be the priority.


I am now down to two projects (my husband's slippers and the yarn for Heather) that I want to get done before the baby is born. Of course, since they are both spinning I need to have a knit project. I'm currently working on these...





I'm planning to make the same booties (smaller) with the other yarn in the picture. I also am planning to make the blue baby hat that Sue sent the yarn and pattern for. Maybe I'll even start a pair of socks, as long as the spinning continues in the background. I'm down to about 5 and a half weeks before the baby is due, and I'm currently going on schedule to finish all the major things (including taxes - now done. Yay!) so I won't have anything big hanging over me afterwards!


My husband brought home a present yesterday also. Someone he works with sent a nice baby blanket home!




It's very pretty! I love this whole getting handmade gifts thing. Usually I make gifts for other people's babies, and make only one or two small things for mine. This baby is already getting spoiled with yarny goodness and I know there's at least a bit more coming, very exciting! Thank you!

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

W is for...

Works in Progress





My lace socks in progress.




(and my husband's progress that I had to rip out since I thought I matched the rpi and spi (rows and stitches per inch) but couldn't match the mpi (mistakes per inch). It hurt to rip out, as I knew how much time and energy had gone into it, but he wanted this project done and knew I'd probably have to rip if I took it over. I did it while he wasn't home and kept knitting, and eventually...


...that turn into Finished Objects:




Knitpicks pattern with knitpicks yarn - details on ravelry or upon request! :)




...I know I already showed my finished lace scarf earlier, but I am still very proud of it, especially the fact that I finally finished it!!



W is also for
...Wonderful Mail



My SP11 pal was so kind to send a replacement package when the final packaged never got here (more on that later...) See the wonderful baby hat (including yarn to make a more blue one) and lots of yarn that have many ideas swirling around my head. There was also another card game that the girls were very excited about (we've already played it many different ways). Thanks Sue!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

V is for...

Very, Very Slow.

Sorry. Life has gotten in the way. Colds have come and gone. Much cooking, cleaning, and knitting has happened. Much sleeping has tried to happen (and has sometimes happened). Most of the knitting has been on one project. I'm down to just a couple of WIP, unfortunately they are big ones. Slippers (yarn in progress) are still getting spun. The Mystery Stole (3) is peeking out of the basket, trying to gauge if it is safe to come out. The blue goat for Heather is hiding until the wheel is free.

...and that just leaves the project I took from my husband. That would be the vine lace stockings (pattern from knitpicks - pictures are taken, but not on the computer yet). One sock is done, the other is within days of being done. I've been knitting almost exclusively on this project trying to move it to the Finished Pile. I should have taken it as a sign when it took me almost a whole sock in order to memorize the 6 row pattern. The pattern isn't hard, but it just takes patience, and even though my husband had half a sock done when he passed the project to me I couldn't match his gauge, so that got frogged and redone. (I think I matched stitches per inch, I think I matched rows per inch... but somehow they looked different - he maintains that I didn't match the mpi - mistakes per inch). The pattern has had several places where my numbers (and proper math) didn't match what it said, but nothing too difficult to get through.

I am down to 54-ish days left in my pregnancy. Even though we don't know what gender the new baby will be I am planning to make one or two things for it, maybe in between projects that I finish? Oh... and I also cut a couple of dresses out that I'm going to try to get to sew for the girls. Looking at all I'm trying to get done I'm thinking I'm a bit optimistic, but that's okay, no hard deadlines, just effort to make life easier later....

oh, duh, and V is also for vote! Massachusetts is part of Super Tuesday, so it's off to vote tonight....