Z is for...

ummm... zero?
nope, I've done more than zero things, and I'm not at zero hour (for the baby). I haven't been to the zoo, or seen a zebra lately. Well, I'll tell you what I have been doing, and then you guys can come up with a Z....


I finished a couple of pairs of booties.






I also finally took a picture of Curly's baby knitting. She does know how to knit. She prefers that I hold the yarn and she just manipulates the needles. She also had me do most of this while she watched (but it was her project and her present for the baby).



I also have taken all the leftovers from the booties and I started a Baby Surprise Jacket. I guess there's my Z - since it was designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I haven't done one before, and I'm following both the pattern, and the spreadsheet put out by Webs. I'm just a handful of rows in, so no picture yet... soon.

We had a trip to Ikea yesterday, where we purchased a new dresser for Lily (she and Curly had been sharing a large dresser, which Curly will now share with the new baby). We also got a new chair for sweet husband, and a handful of other small things. It was a slightly long drive, but as the girls were not with us for it, it was enjoyable. Good adventures were had by all.

I'm slowly working through my list of things to be done. If I can keep on schedule then I'll be done within the week... of course, things keep getting added to it, and I could have the baby any time, so I'm not sticking just to the list. And time spent knitting is time when my feet are up and my body is resting, right? We moved most of my stash out of our room to make room for a cradle. I saved a large bag of yarn for projects out of that, and then of course, my husband informed me there might have been a moth upstairs - at least there might have been in a batch of laundry he just did that had been stored up there (where we just moved my containers of yarn and fiber). All should be well, they are mostly stored with great caution, but I might have to make sure this week that they are safe before I try to forget about them for a couple of months.

...back to knitting.

Y is for...

Yarn!

Back on November 23, there was a contest that was won by Heather. When she was local during New Years she looked through my stash and chose some blue goat that was waiting to be spun.



Just the past week she received her new yarn:




The specs are on Ravelry, for length and weight and such.



I also spun a bit more of the Alpaca, and I'm looking into the possibility of sending the rest off to be processed.



The girls thought taking pictures of the pregnant mommy spinning sounded like fun, that's one that Lily took.



Y is also for YAHOO!!

I finally not only finished knitting the MS3 (Swan Lake Stole), but managed to block and weave in ends...









So now, it is completely finished:




Y is also for Yet another Baby Knit!

I managed to finish the blue hat (to go along with the pink one that WyeSue sent) so the baby is now covered either way.





These first pair of booties is done, as is an light orange pair, and a green pair is about a 1/3 of the way being done.




I have a whole list of things around the house I'm trying to get done in the 20ish days I hopefully have left before the baby comes. (Things like filing away bills, moving my small stash and setting up the craddle, catching up on mending, cleaning the girls closet so they can play with toys again and I can get the baby clothes down from the shelf in there...etc) I have finished all of my big knitting projects that have been hanging over my head, except for the slippers for my husband, which he said might as well wait until next year. These tiny bits of knitting is all that is happening right now, although I really want to start a sock. Maybe before I move my stash I'll pull out yarn for a pair or two of socks and maybe a couple other things to work on later (when I start getting sleep again, but can't move my stash back yet due to said craddle being right there).

Hopefully I'll be posting a couple of times before the baby comes, we'll see. But I will make sure to let you know if it's a girl or boy at some point! ...maybe early April ;)

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!

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!

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....

U is for...

Unique!



I think this is a major reason why I knit, spin, cook, garden, pretty much any of my hobbies. The goal in each of them is something unique. Something that can not be mass produced (even veggies - they are different because they were grown here). I have been working on this scarf for a *long time*. It has been the project that got cast aside whenever there was something more interesting to do.



It is awesome to be done. I love how it looks. I have a couple of other projects waiting in the wings to be finished also (Lily heard I was done and immediately asked if I was working on one of the specific other projects), but I think I'm going to take a little while to savor this one.



If you remember, there were some problems early on (well, earlier on). If you look closely you can see a couple of the spots that had to be fixed (as they don't quite match the pattern). Also, as I was lightly blocking it (wet, but no pins) I noticed another spot in the same area and fixed it quickly. I'll have to keep an eye on it and patch any spots that start to hole up. I don't think it will be a problem now though. There was a slightly different gauge in the beginning section compared to the last section, but once again, that just means it is unique. It's not like I'm putting this in a show or gifting it. It is MINE :)



That's how much I had left. I maybe could have fit in one more 20 row pattern, but I wanted to make sure I had enough, plus some left over for those pesky patches if I need to.

I used US2 needles and knitpicks alpaca cloud. The pattern is one of the Elizabethan scarves designed by JoLene M. Treace. I think this is Dainty Bess but I could be wrong.

Like I said, I think I'll spend a day or two savoring being done. I might, however, do some simple swatches tonight.... or maybe some spinning... nothing too complicated though!

T is for...

Terrific!




They are done! (and have been for almost a week.... bad blogger!)



They fit, mostly. They are a bit tight to get on, and the ribbing could have used a few less increases, but they do fit. They can be worn without problems... just tips for the next pair (as my sweet husband put it).



...and that's how much yarn I had left.


To recap, this was yarn I spun from fiber I got from Yarn or a Tale. I spun some of it into three ply, and most? of it into two ply. These socks used up all the two ply (I still have the three ply.. I should check how much I have). I knit them using US0 and one of the Cat Bordhi master patterns. I knit from the toe-up so I could make the most use of the yarn. I had to reknit one of the socks to the heel when they didn't match (size-wise), but then I stuck them both on the same circular needle and knit them both up so I didn't have to keep exact track of where I put the increases. Yay! I was so excited to be done with them... I took them with me to my three-hour glucose test and finished one of them there, and the other one later that same day (last monday).



T is also for Test Pattern:





Lily has learned how to knit! She finished her first project (with help from mom) and has actually started her next one already. This first one was a barbie dress (obviously). She used US10 and knit garter for a rectangle of about 3" by 5" and then I picked up stitches along the long side and increased 3 in each for about 60 stitches and joined them into a circle. She then knit around and around for about 4 more inches of stockinette (including a band of knitting on the wrong side (purls) - design element anyone?) and then learned to purl for real and did some seed stitch for about an inch and then handed it to me to bind off loosely. I then made some sleeves out of 5 stitch I cord and attached them. After trying it on a doll I crocheted a bit of a neckline and then braided some yarn into a tie and laced up the back.

Curly loves her new barbie dress and as I said, Lily has started a baby blanket now (hoping it will take less than 12 weeks to make of course).



T is also for Trial and Error...




My husband's old hat doesn't fit anymore (perhaps it got washed?) so I was talking to him about different options. We decided that instead of immediately making a new hat he would try just a band to keep his ears warm first. As we traveled to Dick Blicks yesterday for him to get some supplies (a bit long of a trip for us) so I brought my needles. After casting on the baby blanket for Lily (70 stitches on US9s) I started a band of ribbing...well, it was a bit big (as I couldn't measure his head since he was driving), so that got ripped out and I started again and finished later last night. We'll see how it works as we should be getting a big storm tonight if the weather people are right.



Here is the before pictures of my kitchen. I am participating in a deep clean challenge on ravelry and have worked on different tasks every day this week. The kitchen has one more week of work before I take the after shots, but there is a big difference already I think.




It doesn't look that bad... but the clutter... yuck! Sometime after Friday I'll post the after shots for comparison.

S is for...

Smiles!



I finished the Christmas hat (remember, the yarn was given to me for Christmas for this specific purpose). Curly was very excited to see how happy Lily was with the hat. She plans to wear it ice skating this week and although she didn't want it to cover her ears (so she could still hear) she likes it on her and thinks it is wonderful.


I was hoping that S would be for Socks (as in finished husband's socks). We got a new scale right after Christmas and I keep weighing the yarn that is left. Last week I went from 42 to 37, and then from 37 to 32, and then down to 26 and 21, then 17 and today I went from 16 to 12 grams, and I am still working. I have to go take the three hour glucose test tomorrow morning, so I am planning to bring them with me if they aren't already done! (...and maybe something else to work on also?) They will be done soon, and will hopefully fit him well.



S is also for Spinning and Slippers. Can you tell I kept putting projects for my husband off while finishing other things that needed to be done? I am still spinning sporadically and will hopefully get enough yarn done to ply soon - but it might be a little while.


I am slowly working through all of my current WIPs and checking things off of my list, which is nice. I am also getting ideas for new projects, but I am trying to put those off until I have another one or two done.

One thing I was glad to pull out of my basket was a ball of yarn with a pair of US10 straights in it. Lily has decided she wants to learn to knit again. (Perhaps something to do with the sale we went to at Creative Fibers where her dad said no more yarn until she actually knits something - she has two or three balls already) Well, this time when she picked it up and sat with me for a while she seemed to get it. I try to remember to check her work often and fix any little mistakes before they become huge problems, but she is working on a barbie dress she plans to give to her sister, and is looking forward to being done with that and starting something new.


S is also for scrubbing. I've joined a ravelry group that focuses on reclaiming the home (my husband asked what I'm reclaiming it from, but that's another story...) I'm slowly working my way through some small tasks (and some not so small tasks) that have been needing to be done. I sorted through the girls clothes, I cleaned out the linen closet and the bathroom cupboard, and I'm scrubbing areas in different rooms when I notice them instead of putting them off for later...


Back to sock knitting...

R is for...

Rest!

It's been a nice vacation. Unfortunately tomorrow is the last official holiday and then we gradually return to normal. I've been reading a lot of year end reviews on blogs, and I thought about it, but figured I'd be better off just catching up, so I can start the new year fresh (at least in blog-land).


The Christmas Knitting:

For the niece and nephew:


For the Brother-In-Law:


For the Sister:





I tried to be sneaky and get their hand sizes (before I had completely decided what to make) and so I had some fun cutting and pasting some art projects.


All of the information on these is on Ravelry, feel free to ask me for pattern information though if you aren't able to access those!

All of these were done and shipped before Christmas. Yay for me! I then kept working on my husband's socks and started working on his slippers again, neither was done for Christmas, and neither are done yet, but that's okay, he knows he'll get them eventually.

I received many wonderful Christmas presents, but I have to show one now... My two daughters knew what they wanted to get for me. They engineered a trip to the LYS with me sitting quietly in the front and not watching them while their daddy helped them shop. I received some beautiful colorful wool to spin from Lily. My sweet husband purchased the matching roving, so I got two! ...and he also picked me up some clear clogs so I can safely wear my pretty socks around the house. My youngest daughter Curly, however, gave me the gift of work. She gave me this:



And then informed me that it was to be a hat for Lily (who had no idea what her sister chose). She's been telling me I need to knit, and today she handed me both balls, and asked me where my knitting needles were, so I finally started... Much progress was made today (as I think I'm starting to come down with the cold husband and Lily had this weekend, so most of today was spent sitting), however, it was a bit big, so some ripping was also done. I am now reknitting as I wait for the new year.



R is also for...
Resolutions.

I had toyed with the idea of Clean Slate 08 (finishing or ripping all projects before the new year). I knew it wasn't Realistic for me though. (see, another R? :)) I am trying to work on old projects, and I am gradually getting there. I will still be casting on little projects here and there, but I am really trying to finish everything up before the third child comes. I currently have:

Husband's homespun socks (so close and yet huge amount of knitting left on the legs)
Slippers for husband (alpaca currently being spun)
Mystery Stole 3 (not ripped out! I'm about 1/3 to 1/2 way done, I need some time to fiddle with it)
Lace scarf (I keep chugging away between things - probably more than 1/2 done, hard to tell - working on it until yarn runs out)
Lily's New Pink Hat (should be done within the week)

I think it's do-able to finish all of these by early to mid march (or at least finish most of them and have major progress made)... but like I said, it's not unlikely I will have a couple other things beginning between now and then - just hopefully nothing big until they are done!


R is also for...
Ravelry!

I just got access to the photo slurper at Ravelry, which means (for those of you not involved in this wonderful website) I can now take some of my older photos which aren't on flickr and have them appear with all of my organizational information. Old projects... some stash... whatever... I'll be playing with that and adding some of those to my information there. It was a blast to play with today though, I already added a couple of projects that were already here on the blog.


Have a great new year!