Confessions of a Yarn Addict

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #6

2012-02-12T01:00:00.084-06:00

I feel like I've been doing tons of updates lately........which is true, apparently.

Anyway, it's Sunday and that means it's time for another Self-Imposed Year of Projects update. From what I can tell, I'm going into my 6th week and that's just lovely.

Onward...

Current WIPs (aka "things currently taking up my precious needles")
1. Mama's Vanilla Socks: (started December 6, 2011) Funnily enough, in a fairly recent post, Susan B. Anderson posted her basic sock pattern....and it's almost exactly the same as the one in my head. Anyway, these have been worked on slowly...a couple of rows here and there.
2. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: (started September 18, 2010) I've had a victory and a disappointment with this project. The victory is that I found the second sock and my handwritten "pattern"...which means I actually worked on it. I am in the middle of the heel flap...but that's where we come to the disappointment. I was cleaning the bedroom this past Monday (or perhaps it was Tuesday) and I knew where the first (finished) sock was. I had it in my hands...and moved it. Can you see where this is going? I cannot for the life of me find the first sock! I am so mad at myself right now. I had it in my hands and I moved it with the thought of, "oh, I'm going to need this" and now I can't find the damn thing. I have ransacked the bedroom looking for it...four times! Now, I know what some of you may be thinking: "just look at the pattern and it'll turn up eventually." This is all fine and well except that there isn't a pattern. It's one of a series that I've been working on so I have the stitch pattern for the cuff, what kind of heel I'm doing, how long the foot should be, and the type of toe I'm doing. There's no mention of how many rows I did for the heel flap (it's either 16 rows or 20 rows) or how many gusset stitches I picked up (if I did 16 rows in the heel flap, I'll pick up 18 stitches on each side; if I did 20 rows in the heel flap, I'll pick up 22 stitches on each side)...so, until I find the first sock, these are on hold. I know the sock will turn up eventually... *sigh*
3. Little Man's Giraffe: (started May 11, 2011) I have taken out the project bag containing the yarn and needles needed to finish this project...but that doesn't mean it's moved out of the closet yet.
4. Icarus Shawl: (started March 15, 2010) After I cleaned in the bedroom, this project remained in a large bag along with a shawl design that I started working on awhile ago, the pattern, and the aforementioned Baby Traveling Vines Sock-in-progress.
5. Lothlorien Hat: (started January 25, 2012) I've finished the first repeat of the pattern and am working on the second repeat. I anticipate that it's going to take three full repeats plus the extra rows before I work on the crown shaping...maybe four repeats. We'll see. It's coming along...slowly.
6. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit Socks: (started January 23, 2012) These are worked in small doses. I'm currently working on the Honey Badger Cuff portion of the pattern. Once I finish another repeat of that section, I'm going to put it onto scrap yarn to make sure they're going to fit. I really hope they fit because I don't want to frog them :(

Planned Hats (but not yet started)
1. Odessa
2. Hermione Hearts Ron
3. Habitat
4. Ogre Babies!
5. NIN Hat
6. Pup Tent
7. Godric's Hollow Hat
8. Brandon Ribbed Beanie
9. Raglan Hat
10. Bergen Street Tuque
11. Nolan
12. London Beanie
13. Grumpus
14. Snail: I have yarn picked out officially for this project (as in I put it on the swift and wound it into a ball)...so it'll more than likely show up on next week's SIYOP as a WIP...just sayin'.
15. Simple Baby Cap #1
16. Candy Cane
17. Little Pumpkin Hat

Other Planned Projects (socks, baby/kid, etc.)
1. Hermione's Everyday Socks
2. Freeport Vest
3. Hippo
4. My Little Slug (need to purchase)
5. Brooke Baby Afghan
6. Pine Forest Baby Blanket
7. Mossy Jacket

Finished Objects (Hooooooray! These are done!)
1. Claudia Hat: started January 3, 2012; finished January 10, 2012
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; finished January 19, 2012
3. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; finished February 2, 2012
4. Super Seeeeeeeeekrit Swap Project: started February 6, 2012; finished February 8, 2012 - until this project has been received, I can't show you anything (she might be stalking my blog). Sorry.

FOs: 4
WIPs: 6
Planned: 24
Total: 34 projects

There you have it. Another Self-Imposed Year of Projects update :)

FO Friday...but not the usual kind :)

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

It's that time again: FO Friday!

Buuuuuuuuut........it's not going to be a "normal" FO Friday. First of all, I finished my Super Seeeeeeeeekrit Swap Project (well, one of them, anyway) but, since it's for a swap and I haven't sent it out, I can't exactly show you. You never know, my swapee might be stalking my blog.

Or not.

So, there's that finished.

Also, I've been doing some other things...like spinning. Okay, let's be honest: I haven't spun in at least a couple of weeks. However, with that said, I have some spinning to show you because I finally got around to soaking yarn and hanging my handspun yarn....and planning to soak more of my handspun yarn.

So, here it is...my great handspun soaking adventure (or some approximation thereof).

During the first soak

There's little to no chance you can tell what color this yarn is supposed to be. But, trust me, it's mostly blue...and some green...but mostly blue. The fiber was from Yarn Hollow that I picked up at the Madison Knitters' Guild Knit-In last year. I picked up a 4 oz braid in a color called Celtic something or other and another 4 oz braid in a color called Irish something or other (seriously, I can't remember off the top of my head and I can't seem to find the fiber bands for them - I know I still have them though). Anyway, I spun the first one on two bobbins, the second one on another two bobbins, then plied them together. Nothing fancy...I'm going to assume that I was spinning in the "worsted" style on my wheel but I don't really know.

Anyway, that was during the first soak. This is after four subsequent soaks. Yes, four...and I was still squeezing blueish-green dye out of it. Perhaps I'll use a vinegar rinse on the last one, just to try to help set the dyes.

Approximately 310 yards...of something in the neighborhood of worsted weight...I'll know more once it's dry.

You can kind of see the actual color if you look toward the top of the above photograph but the next photo is a more accurate representation of the colors.

This is a soaking photograph of my first handspun yarn. It's a superwash merino (I think) that was white and purple. Okay, mostly purple...I bought it the same day I bought my wheel which was about a year ago now. It was actually the fiber I learned to spin with and Susan gave me a deal on it for buying the rest of the bag to take home and practice with. Luckily, I was somewhat of a quick study so for a first-time handspun, it's actually pretty good. Yes, it has some problems...it's thick and thin, there are breaks in the plies that I had to *ahem* fix somehow but, really, it's pretty good.

Not that you can tell any of that from this photograph.

This one, too, was spun however I felt like (which was probably also worsted). It, too, took four soaks and rinses and it was still oozing purple dye.

If I remember correctly, this one is approximately 190 yards worth. I have a couple more skeins of this that need to be soaked and dried...at least one that was hanked on the same Niddy Noddy and one that was hanked on my smaller Niddy Noddy (I'll probably re-hank that one). The purple is also currently hanging in the bathroom but I didn't photograph it.

Oh well.

So, there you have it.....a FO Friday with something to show for it (even if it isn't a finished knitted object).

For more FO Friday love, visit Tami.

Haircut...

2012-02-09T00:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning, I took Little Man to the salon. We met with Karla. She's been messing about with my hair since 1994 and I thought it'd be a good to see her.

Little Man has always had a head full of hair.


I'm one month old.........and I'm tired!

As he got older, his hair kept growing.....

Easter 2011

Cathy's "retirement" party...

........and growing........

Heading to Cameron's birthday (August 2011)

Cheese :)

On my first cruise

By the time his first birthday came about, it was evident that he'd need a haircut soon.

And still, I waited......

And I waited...

Mama....I think it's time...

What sealed the deal was Sunday morning at breakfast. A woman at the table next to us didn't know if Little Man was a boy or a girl and didn't want to use the wrong pronoun so she asked. Now, I've always thought he looked like a little boy....albeit a very pretty little boy but still a little boy.

Guess I was wrong.

I suppose I could see her point.......he sat on my lap, he wore the cape, and he hardly futzed. He was a very good boy during his haircut.

I'm still cute, right Mama?

Yes, baby, you're still stinkin' adorable.

WIP Wednesday :)

2012-02-08T00:00:00.046-06:00

It's that time again.......WIP Wednesday.

Unfortunately, I cannot show you one of my WIPs because it's a Super Seeeeeeeeekrit Swap Project. Once it's been received, I'll post the FO on an FO Friday. Probably not this week...maybe next week. Just sayin'. I will tell you this about it: it's Doctor Who related (as it's for a Doctor Who swap), it's being worked on US #8 needles, and the yarn is a yellow color. I'm not telling you anything about yarn content, if I'm working on straights, circulars, or DPNs, or linking to any particular pattern (if there even is a pattern). I could but I don't know if my swap partner has been stalking my blog and I want to surprise her.

Because of my Super Seeeeeeeeekrit Swap Project, I haven't exactly been working on anything else. I did work a couple more rounds on my Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit Socks but there's nothing exciting there so I haven't bothered to photograph it. I've also briefly worked on Mama's Vanilla Socks but, again, nothing really "new" to report...perhaps when I get to the heel I'll take a new photograph to share. I've finished the first pattern repeat of my Lothlorien Hat but I don't know if I'm allowed to share in-progress photos of this as it's a test knit for someone. I'll have to ask her...

In the "lost WIPs" category, I've found my Baby Traveling Vines Socks when I was cleaning in the bedroom on Monday. They were in one of my (several) knitting bags...actually right alongside my Icarus Shawl. Once my swap projects are finished, I'll probably finish the sock, write the pattern properly, send it out to test knitters (for baby and adult sizes), and call it good. Or something. Maybe I should finish the Lothlorien Hat first...

Anyway, that's what's been going on in my knitting world. Little Man is getting his first haircut this morning at 10:40am and I'm not ready. He's going to lose all his little curls and I'm going to be sad about it. But, really, his hair is too long...it gets into his eyes. What really sealed the deal was on Sunday morning when a lady in a restaurant in Madison didn't know if he was a boy or a girl.

*sigh*

For more WIP Wednesday love, visit Tami. She has all our WIP Wednesday needs........

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #5

2012-02-05T05:00:00.008-06:00

It's Sunday again...and that means it's time for another Self-Imposed Year of Projects update. Apparently, I'm going into my fifth week...who knew?

Anyway, onward...

Current WIPs (things that are currently taking up my precious needles)
1. Mama's Vanilla Socks: (started December 6, 2011) I brought these out at Late Night Knitting at The Sow's Ear on Friday night...I'll admit that I didn't get very far on them but I did bring them out and I did work on them :)
2. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: (started September 18, 2010) And I don't know for sure where these are (still - don't judge!).
3. Little Man's Giraffe: (started May 11, 2011) I know where he's hiding...I just haven't brought him out yet.
4. Icarus Shawl: (started March 15, 2010) I'm still not so sure about this...but I know where it is :)
5. Lothlorien Hat: (start January 25, 2012) I've worked a couple rounds here and there and I'll probably focus on this one...I brought this out at Late Night knitting and I did maybe four rounds before I put it away to work on the socks...
6. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit Socks: (started January 23, 2012) I started them but I haven't worked on them...oops.

Planned Hats (but not yet started)
1. Odessa
2. Hermione Hearts Ron
3. Habitat
4. Ogre Babies!
5. NIN Hat
6. Pup Tent
7. Godric's Hollow Hat
8. Brandon Ribbed Beanie
9. Raglan Hat
10. Bergen Street Tuque
11. Nolan
12. London Beanie
13. Grumpus
14. Snail
15. Simple Baby Cap #1
16. Candy Cane
17. Little Pumpkin

Other Planned Items (kids/baby, socks, etc.)
1. Hermione's Everyday Socks
2. Freeport Vest
3. Hippo
4. My Little Slug **need to purchase**
5. Brooke Baby Afghan
6. Pine Forest Baby Blanket
7. Mossy Jacket
8. Super seeeeeeeekrit swap project (yeah, I need to get on that)...

Finished Objects (hoooooooray!)
1. Claudia Hat: started January 3, 2012; finished January 10, 2012
2. Mama's Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; finished January 19, 2012
3. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; finished February 2, 2012

FOs: 3
WIPs: 6
Planned: 25

Total: 34 projects

Now that Little Man's blanket is finished, I'm not sure what to do...I have this huge case of startitis again. I have this feeling that I need to start something new...*sigh* Perhaps I should start my swap project...hmmm...

Anyway, there you have it: another Self-Imposed Year of Projects. Hoooray.

FO Fri......wait, no.......yes..yes........YES!

2012-02-03T08:51:00.000-06:00

It's done done done done done done DONE DONE DONE DONE!!!!!!

I have finished Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket! Do you want proof of this?

Hanging out on the chair...

See? There's proof.

Wait, you think I'm hiding my needles behind that chair? You want MORE proof?!

I don't see any needles....

Close up of the cast on edge...I think...

The long, narrow view...

So, on to the specifics for this lovely FO Friday :)

Pattern: Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket (not yet written properly or available - will be seeking test knitters within the next few weeks - check back for more information if you're interested)
Needles: US #6 circulars...I measured them and they turned out to be 40" circulars (if you measure from tip to tip)
Yarn: Knitting Worsted by Brown Sheep Company (discontinued) in a seafoam green color
Size: It's technically a baby blanket...but I guess it could be used as a lapghan.
Modifications: It's my pattern...what modifications could there possibly be?

I finished this very late last night so it's not blocked or washed or had it's ends woven in yet. I'll get to that sometime this weekend, I expect...that is, if Little Man doesn't hold it hostage immediately (and he might).

This blanket has been haunting me since I started it in June 2010. I was approximately five months pregnant at the time and I thought, "oh, no big deal; I can whip up a blanket in no time."

Oops. Yeah, let's not talk about that silly thought.....

Husband made the suggestion that I not give it to Little Man for awhile so he doesn't ruin it. It's 100% wool and will felt (he's been instructed not to wash it or anything of that nature under threat of pain). I may only use it for snuggles or in his crib for awhile until he's old enough to understand that this blanket is special. We'll see.

Anyway, here's a lovely picture of Little Man. He discovered he could put a box on his head.

For more FO Fridays, visit Tami's blog...

WIP Wednesday

2012-02-01T09:56:00.000-06:00

It's that time again: WIP Wednesday :)

In my little neck of the world (i.e., southern Wisconsin in the United States), spring has decided it wants to come a little early. It's been in the mid-40s to low 50s and the snow has (mostly) melted, leaving quite a mess outside. Unfortunately, that has made for a messy and muddy puppy. He's been confined to the kitchen more than he likes...and more than we like. But, we don't like muddy furniture and carpets so it's going to have to wait until it dries out or refreezes.

But, that's not what's important on a WIP Wednesday...a WIP Wednesday is supposed to be all about WIPs!

I'm only going to talk about one WIP......Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket! I spent some time working on it last night (while watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and I got about halfway finished with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2). I made it to the border rows! I thought I'd never get this far. I have 18 border rows left and I can bind off and be done done DONE! Well......sort of. Then I have to wash it, block it, photograph it, give it to Little Man, write the pattern up nicely, send it off to test knitters, and hope and pray that it comes out as lovely for everyone else as it did for me. I'm hoping that if I finish the movie tonight and work on it after everyone else has gone to bed, I can have it finished before FO Friday.

We'll see.

And no, you're not getting a new photograph of it because it would be almost done and what's the point of showing you something that's almost done?

So, with that, I end WIP Wednesday. For more WIP Wednesday love, go visit Tami's blog.

Random Post

2012-01-31T00:00:00.004-06:00

Quite awhile ago, GirlAnachronismE lamented how difficult it was to get sock yarns in Nottingham. So, what's a girl to do? Well......

I sent her a package of sock yarn love from Wisconsin, of course.

Well, yesterday I went out to get the mail (finally) and discovered a package in my mailbox. The first thought I had was, "I'm not expecting any packages until next week or the week after" (items from The Plucky Knitter should be coming)...so I was confused.

Then I noticed said package came from England.

Do you see where this is going?

I checked the return address and it was from the lovely Emma :)

Contained within was a handmade thank you card (cross stitched, no less - something I haven't done in quite awhile), a huge (seriously HUGE) package of Cadbury Chocolate (as in Cadbury Creme Eggs - which I love in any way, shape or form...so this was just the chocolate and I love chocolate in any form)...and there was a little hat for Little Man. It's the Nottingham Hat by Melissa Mall.

Mama! I like this hat!

See Mama? I still like it!

Mama! I like my hat!

Okay Mama, I'm done. Take it off now!

It's difficult to photograph the cables correctly and when I took the photos last night, it was dark and we have a really bright light in the kitchen. So, you can hardly tell it's cabled at all. I promise it is and it's lovely.

I wasn't expecting anything at all and the package was lovely. Thank you to Emma!

I hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday :)

Missed it Monday: Update #2

2012-01-30T11:48:00.000-06:00

So, again, I missed something over the weekend....or, rather, it didn't exactly belong on my Self-Imposed Year of Projects update from yesterday.

I guess that makes today: Missed It Monday

What did I miss? A valid question. It's not exactly "missed" but, rather something I was going to mention that I completely forgot to mention. And that's okay. That's what Missed It Monday is for...

Some of you may remember my Things I'd Like to Accomplish: The 2012 Editions (and if you don't, you can go look - I'll wait). There were things on the General List: cleaning the house, organizing the paperwork, organizing my books, organizing my recipes & cookbooks, organizing baby stuff, and getting back to running/workouts. There were also things on the Crafting List: learning a new knitting technique, make at least one crocheted item, finish four pairs of socks, get my yarn stash, roving, and needles on Ravelry, make a(nother) sweater or something, work on my spinning, and baby knitting.

For the General List, I've worked on a couple things like organizing paperwork and my recipes. But, what I really wanted to talk about was the Crafting List.

I've pulled out my wheel recently. After the icky feeling I got last week, I needed something that wasn't knitting but was fiber-related. So, out came my wheel. I purchased about three pounds of wool from a local lady (okay. so it takes me 25 minutes to get to her place but still, that's pretty local) and started spinning. I bought three different kinds (colors) of fiber: a light grey, a dark grey, and a tweedy white. I took out the light grey, weighed out about two ounces and started spinning. I have a bobbin that's almost full and it was only about an ounce. I don't know what that says about me...but for a single-ply, it's not too bad, especially when you consider that I haven't spun in awhile.

It was nice to spin.

The other thing I did was I learned a new knitting technique. It's nothing fancy, just a new cast on method. Normally, I do long-tail or knitted cast ons for projects. After frogging my Lothlorien Hat and re-starting...several times...I decided that I should learn a new cast on method. So, I turned to the old stand-by: You Tube. I looked up cabled cast on for knitting, watched the video, and realized that it wasn't as hard as people liked to tell me and that it wasn't going to work well for the hat. So, I didn't finish the cast on in the cabled cast on because it wouldn't have had enough stretch for a hat (it's good for things that don't require extra stretch). But...the point is that I learned how to do something new in the realm of knitting.

I can scratch something off my big list. Hoooooooray :)

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #4

2012-01-29T05:00:00.014-06:00

Happy Sunday...and if it's Sunday, that means it's time for another Self-Imposed Year of Projects update...the fourth week.

I'm going to do some re-formatting of "The Lists" so we can see what I've done, haven't done, and what's left to be done...

So, onward...

Current WIPs (things that are currently taking up my precious needles)
1. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: (started July 2010) The end is nigh! But, admittedly, I haven't worked on this much...
2. Mama's Vanilla Socks: (started December 6, 2011) Admittedly, I haven't worked on these much either...a round or two here and there.
3. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: (started September 18, 2010) Yep...haven't looked for these...oops.
4. Little Man's Giraffe: (started May 11, 2011) It's still sitting in the closet, the body put together and pieces missing...someday...
5. Icarus Shawl: (started March 15, 2010) I know where the pattern and the project are residing but I haven't felt the need to get them out yet...
6. Lothlorien Hat: (started January 10, 2012; frogged January 22, 2012; re-started January 27, 2012) As this is a test knit for someone, it's taking some time to reconfigure some things. The pattern is meant to be knit flat and I converted it to be knit in the round per the designer's instructions...but there were problems. The math for the band was incorrect so I fudged it to work and then there was the fake seam that was being made in one of the sections due to the way the chart was written. So, I frogged it last Sunday and re-started it Friday after spending time last Sunday reworking the pattern to be knit in the round. We shall see...I feel like I've said all that before. I probably have. Anyway, it seems to be going much smoother now that I've re-written it (basically)...
7. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit Socks: (stared January 23, 2012) I've had the Honey Badger Socks in my queue on Ravelry for awhile now...so I started them the other day. I had some Cascade sock yarn in my stash and I thought it would be perfect...so far, so good.

Planned Hats (but not yet started)
1. Odessa (For 12 Hats in 2012)
2. Hermione Hearts Ron (For 12 Hats in 2012)
3. Habitat (For 12 Hats in 2012)
4. Ogre Babies (For 12 Hats in 2012)
5. NIN Hat (For 12 Hats in 2012)
6. Pup Tent (For 12 Hats in 2012)
7. Godric's Hollow Hat (For 12 Hats in 2012)
8. Brandon Ribbed Beanie (For 12 Hats in 2012)
9. Raglan Hat (For 12 Hats in 2012)
10. Bergen Street Tuque (For 12 Hats in 2012)
11. Nolan (For 12 Hats in 2012)
12. London Beanie (Kids/baby)
13. Grumpus (Kids/baby)
14. Snail (Kids/baby)
15. Simple Baby Cap #1 (Kids/baby)
16. Candy Cane (Kids/baby)
17. Little Pumpkin (Kids/baby)

Other Planned Items (Kids/baby, socks, etc.)
1. Hermione's Everyday Socks (mememememe!)
2. Freeport Vest (memememememe!)
3. Hippo (Kids/baby)
4. My Little Slug (Kids/baby) **need to purchase**
5. Brooke Baby Afghan (Kids/baby)
6. Pine Forest Baby Blanket (Kids/baby)
7. Mossy Jacket (Kids/baby)
8. Super Seeeeeeeeeekrit Swap Project (Doctor Who themed)...which is due to be sent out in mid-February so I should really get going on this...

Finished Objects
1. Claudia (January 3, 2012 - January 10, 2012)
2. Mama's Skyp Socks (May 23, 2011 - January 19, 2012)

So, in short....
FOs: 2
WIPs: 7
Planned: 25

TOTAL: 34 projects

For those of you keeping track at home, you may be wondering what happened to my Blathnat Socks...well, I had lovely yarn that was gifted to me in a RAK (random act of kindness), I had the needles required...I started on Saturday, January 21, 2012 and got about eleven rows in. Then I realized that the yarn had been yelling at me. For those of you that are knitters or crocheters, you should understand what I'm talking about: this yarn did not want to be those socks. I mean, it was screaming it at me...but I didn't listen until this past Monday when I frogged them. I also discovered that if I were to make these socks, I was going to have to go up to the large size or otherwise compensate with yarn and needles. Normally, CO 64 stitches for socks is perfectly fine...but not with these socks. Hence why you will notice that these socks are no longer on the list and have been replaced with another of IGK's designs: Honey Badger.

Will I make these socks? Perhaps. I'm not sure I would love them and I'm not sure they would love me. They're kind of lacy and while I don't dislike lace, I think I'm entirely too hard on socks to wear lace socks...especially when I know they would take me forever to do.

So, there it is.........Year of Projects. Week #4. Woo.

Ick...

2012-01-26T17:31:00.001-06:00

Do you ever have those days where you feel icky but not because your sick? Kind of like your soul is feeling icky?

Today is one of those days.

I was repeatedly attacked on a forum on Ravelry (which shall remain nameless) for my incorrect assumptions about something and was basically told that I was a horrible person and that I'm an attention-seeker. I was also told that I must feel superior or jealous. The result was me spending a fair amount of time crying for things people were saying to me and I finally left the group entirely. It was one of my two safe havens on Ravelry where I felt like people might actually understand me. I was wrong. There is no safe haven anymore. This is why I spend so much time by myself. I feel like there is no place anywhere in the entire world where I can actually be myself. So, I'll spend time alone. I'd rather be alone than have to put on an act for everyone.

This may be why I don't have many friends, too.

I feel so icky.

Of course, maybe it's another bout of depression or PMS or loneliness.......whatever. I may not be posting that often for the next few weeks while I try to figure out everything going on in my little corner of the world. I'll try to keep up with my Self-Imposed Year of Projects updates but I don't expect much knitting to be going on either...it just doesn't feel like something safe to be doing anymore.

Hrm. Maybe it is depression. Oh well.

Missed It Monday

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

I had a FO Friday post this past Friday but I hadn't gotten around to any photographs. Just that I had finished my Skyp Socks...and yay that I had finished them! Instead, I give you Missed It Monday...a day for those things you missed (forgot?).

So, now that it's Monday and all the events of the weekend have worn off (not that there were many, mind) and my Year of Projects update was done yesterday, I can show you pictures of the aforementioned socks and give you the specifics on them.

Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock (Mediumweight) in Chickabiddy
Needles: US #1 Blackthorn DPNs
Size: Men's Medium
Modifications: I think I added one extra repeat of the chart to the leg (which was only two rows), I picked up 18 stitches for the gussets (instead of the 16 in the pattern), and I changed the foot decreases to: following the every other row decrease until there were 44 stitches, then did every row decrease until I had 8 stitches left (instead of 16), then I did 4 k2tog (4 stitches left), cut the yarn and looped it through the remaining four stitches. That's why the toes look a little pointy. It's okay though.

The socks almost turned out like identical twins...I swear I didn't plan it that way! The yarn is so busy that it's difficult to tell that they're not identical anyway.

The recommended needle size for the yarn is US #1.5-2.5 which I found odd because it's classified as a sport weight yarn but it worked out pretty well. I went down to a US #1 because I didn't have US #1.5 needles when I started this project (I do now).

I wasn't sure about this yarn. I purchased it from IrishGirlieKnits when she was doing a destash because I wanted to try BMFA yarns and we don't have them around here. But it wasn't the yarn I was unsure of...it was the color. I tend to stick to greens, blues, purples, and neutral colors...and these socks are so not in those colors. But, I figure, why not? They're just socks...and I only wear handknit socks in the winter or with long pants/skirts because I'd look silly with them while wearing shorts. Just sayin'...so, I got some wild, so-not-my-colors yarn and went ahead...and I love these socks!

Now, we'll just have to see how the yarn holds up to washing...in the machine. I did handwash them in the sink with a bit of Eucalan and the water in the sink turned an interesting shade of pinky-orange. I'm hoping that it was a one-time thing. I was scared that the colors were going to bleed and all the yellow in the yarn was going to turn orange...and while some bleeding did occur, the yellows are still mostly yellow. Oh well. In the photos, I hadn't even washed or blocked or anything...they went straight onto my feet! Currently, they're on my sock blockers in the bathroom. They were almost dry yesterday so I'm hoping that they'll be dry soon enough and I can see how bad the bleeding really was.

So, overall, good pattern, good yarn, love the results...I may even make these socks again in a different color. Oh, and I had some yarn left over, too...not sure how much...probably should figure that out.

In other random knitting events, I frogged my Lothlorien Hat that I was test knitting. It was originally written to be knit flat and seamed and I talked to the designer about converting it to the round (I hate seaming)...she took a quick look at the pattern and figured out how to work that. And then I started...and things weren't working out. There were some math problems with the increases at the beginning (which I just fudged to make work properly), an extra stitch in each row that was making a fake seam at the beginning of each round, and the decreases weren't going to work out very well. So, I sat down last night and typed an e-mail to said designer about how to convert said pattern into the round. I looked at each facet of the pattern from the CO, to the increases, to the chart, to the decreases and I think I figured out how to convert it into the round without losing the integrity of the pattern itself. The only part I'm not positive about are the decreases at the crown...and that I'm just going to have to play by ear when I get that far. I'm not sure what she's going to say about it but we'll see.

This is why people have test knitters for projects...just sayin'...

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #3

2012-01-22T05:00:00.162-06:00

Well kids, it's that time again...time for my Self-Imposed Year of Projects update (week #3). Again, I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet...but we all know how well that works :)

WIPs (based on the original list)
1. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; the end is in sight for this project! I decided to do nine full repeats of the pattern, plus an extra fourteen rows to make it "mirrored" (you'll understand when you see the finished project), plus the border rows (which is in seed/moss stitch for twenty rows - which is incredibly boring to knit but makes for a lovely FO)...so, I'm in the midst of the fourteen extra rows. I'm very close to being finished...
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 23, 2011 - finished January 19, 2012
3. Mama's Vanilla Socks: started December 6, 2011; since I've been focusing my time and efforts on finishing my Skyp Socks, I haven't worked on these much...a few rows here and there.
4. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: started September 18, 2010; these are still in hiding somewhere. I'll admit that I'm not too fussed about their location. I know where the first sock is...but the second one is somewhere in a bag on needles. I'll find them eventually...
5. Little Man's Giraffe: started May 11, 2011; again, a(nother) project that's still in hiding but at least I know where it's located (in the yarn closet).
6. Icarus Shawl: started March 15, 2010; I found this project and it's corresponding pattern on Thursday afternoon so I know where it's located. It doesn't mean I've bothered to drag it out and actually work on it...because that would require work. Just sayin'...

12 Hats in 2012 (based on the original list)
1. Claudia: Finished January 10, 2012
2. Odessa: no yarn chosen but recommended DK weight
3. Hermione Hearts Ron: planning to use a locally grown & spun gray alpaca
4. Habitat: planning to use a skein of Shelter that I won at Knitters' Guild last year
5. Ogre Babies: I'm tossed between using Cotton Ease or Cotton Supreme (the Cotton Supreme is an Aran weight but it shouldn't make that much difference)
6. NIN Hat: planning to use something superwash or cotton
7. Pup Tent: planning to use one of my gazillion skeins of Cascade 220
8. Godric's Hollow Hat: planning to use my one random skein of Per Tryving pt2, though on my stash page it says I'm going to use it for Odessa...
9. Brandon Ribbed Beanie: I'll probably wind up using some contrasting skeins of Cascade 220 (because everyone knows I have enough)
10. Raglan Hat: no yarn planned...but I have plenty to choose from
11. Bergen Street Tuque: no yarn planned...
12. Nolan: (~~need to purchase~~ purchased around 2:30pm today) probably use some skeins of Babyboo that I have

Socks (based on the original list)
1. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks (see WIP list - please note that they are finished)
2. Mama's Vanilla Socks (see WIP list)
3. Blathnat: started January 20, 2012; I was gifted some lovely Louet Gems (sport weight) - two skeins (one for each sock)
4. Hermione's Everyday Socks: I have some Opal Yarn that is Harry Potter inspired (Tonks colorway)

Baby/Kid Stuff (based on the original list)
1. Hippo from Itty-Bitty Toys: I have two skeins of Breathless by Shalimar Yarns that Sweet Girl picked out (pink and purple - go figure!)
2. London Beanie: I'm thinking Cotton Ease...or something as equally machine washable
3. My Little Slug: (need to purchase)
4. Grumpus: something machine washable in a DK/Aran weight
5. Snail: something machine washable and bulky...I might have something in the stash...
6. Brooke Baby Afghan: something worsted and machine washable...or just something machine washable since it's a blanket...
7. Pine Forest Baby Blanket: calls for worsted but it's a blanket...
8. Mossy Jacket: it calls for Aran weight...and I might have some.

Big Project
Freeport Vest: Malabrigo yarn that I picked up at Stitches Midwest specifically for this project...

Additions or Other Changes
1. Simple Baby Cap #1: added January 9, 2012; anything that's machine washable should work
2. Candy Cane: added January 9, 2012; something red and something white or else it won't be a candy cane...
3. Little Pumpkin Hat: added January 9, 2012; something orange, brown, and green...or it won't work as a pumpkin...
4. Lothlorien Hat: added January 9, 2012; started January 10, 2012; using Babyboo and US #4 16" circular...this is still a test knit.
5. Super Seeeeeeeeeeeekrit Swap Project: added January 9, 2012; I haven't started this yet...I should get on it.

So, for the totals...
WIPs: 7
FOs: 2
Planned (but not started): 25 projects
Total: 34 projects

The craziness ensues...

FO Friday :)

2012-01-20T00:00:00.003-06:00

This is going to be very quick, short, and sweet.....but I did actually finish something and that's grand.

I finished my Skyp Socks not ten minutes ago (read: 11:50pm on Thursday night). Hooooooray. But, because it's late and I'm rather tired and I don't feel like waiting for my phone to hook up to iPhoto or taking pictures of my feet, photos of said FO are going to have to wait.

But, I did finish them...so I can knock another thing off my "list" :)

I'll probably wind up posting pictures later this weekend or early next week.

Did I mention hoooooooray for me?!

For more FO Fridays, go visit Tami's Blog

Wow, that Jelly Bean Parrot is HUGE!

2012-01-18T05:00:00.005-06:00

The title of this entry has nothing to do with my topic...except that I was looking (okay, I was staring) at the freshwater fish tank in the living room when I was writing this (which, admittedly, is 10:20pm on Tuesday night). We have a orange-yellow Jelly Bean Parrot Fish and he's HUGE! Seriously, he's a big fish.

But that's not what this post is about.

It's about WIP Wednesday :)

The end is in sight for Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket. I worked on it Tuesday afternoon and I've decided that nine full repeats of the pattern plus the extra rows and the border rows will make it plenty big for Little Man. So....I'm working on the "extra rows" right now...if I added correctly, I have 34 rows left before I can bind off, wash, block, and present said blanket to the aforementioned Little Man. The end is nigh! But, seriously, it'll probably take me a few more days, if not longer, to finish the knitting part, at least. I wouldn't expect a FO Friday post about it this week. Maybe...no, don't expect it. I can't handle that pressure.

I'm currently on the fifteenth repeat (out of twenty-five) on the second of my Skyp Socks. I might get to the heel flap soon...but it probably won't be finished for another couple of weeks. It depends on how often I work on it. It's going well, though :)

Other than that, my WIP list is pretty much the same. I'm still working on my Vanilla Socks and my Lothlorien Hat (the pattern hasn't been released yet).

Oh, and I was naughty and ordered more yarn...sock yarn, specifically. One of the blogs I read informed all of us readers about a sale that her shop is having...and I went and pre-ordered the eight skein set. I think I'm going to Hell. Just sayin'...I had a brief Doctor Who moment with this yarn (specifically the yarns attached to Sunflowers and Starry Night - two of my favorites) but that's not why I ordered it. Opal Sock Yarn is a lovely self-striping yarn and one can never have enough :) Or maybe we can...sock yarn doesn't count as stash.

In the "normal" events of my life, my back has been killing me. Husband thinks it's due to the hide-a-bed we slept in at his brother's place and it's just now catching up with me. I think it's a combination of that, going to the chiropractor, improper lifting of Little Man, and general laziness. I've always had issues with my back but it's gotten to the point where I could hardly walk, sit, stand, lay, bend, or otherwise move or remain stationary. I finally broke down and went to the doctor on Monday. I had some leftover narcotics from my c-section and normally, those just make me sleepy...but I wasn't sleepy and the pain became a little more tolerable. You can imagine how much pain I've been in. The doctor thinks it's probably muscular and gave me more narcotics and a muscle relaxer. We'll see...

Anyway, for more WIP Wednesday love, go visit Tami's blog :)

And now, a gratuitous picture of Little Man...

Mama, the hat Nana Laurel made is too small....

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #2

2012-01-15T05:00:00.144-06:00

I'm going to attempt to keep this short and sweet.......but, anyone that knows me will understand that this is probably something that won't happen because, really, I just can't seem to shut my mouth sometimes.

But, onward...

WIPs (the original WIP list)
1. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: started July 2010; I'm still working on this, albeit slowly.
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: started May 22, 2011; I've finished the first sock (awhile ago) but am still only on the cuff of the second.
3. Mama's Vanilla Socks: started December 6, 2011; I'm still working on the cuff of the first sock.
4. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: started September 18, 2010; I haven't dug these out of their hiding hole yet.
5. Little Man's Giraffe: started May 11, 2011; I haven't dug this out of its hiding hole, yet.
6. Icarus Shawl: started sometime around March 15, 2010; I haven't dug this out of its hiding hole yet, either....

As far as the WIPs go, I'm not doing horribly. I'm actively working on three of them and the other three are still in hiding. That's not horrible, is it?

12 Hats in 2012 (the original 12 in 2012 list)
1. Claudia: started January 3, 2012 - finished January 10, 2012 (hooooooray!)
2. Odessa
3. Hermione Hearts Ron (I've been calling it Hermione Loves Ron and it's the same thing)
4. Habitat
5. Ogre Babies
6. NIN Hat
7. Pup Tent
8. Godric's Hollow Hat
9. Brandon Ribbed Beanie Hat
10. Raglan Hat
11. Bergen Street Tuque
12. Nolan (need to purchase)

Socks (the original Socks list)
1. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks (from WIPs list)
2. Mama's Vanilla Socks (from WIPs list)
3. Blathnat
4. Hermione's Everyday Socks

Kid/Baby Stuff (the original list)
1. Hippo from Itty-Bitty Toys
2. London Beanie
3. My Little Slug (need to purchase)
4. Grumpus
5. Snail
6. Brooke Baby Afghan
7. Pine Forest Baby Blanket
8. Mossy Jacket

"Big" Project
Freeport Vest

Additions
1. Simple Baby Cap #1 (added January 9, 2012)
2. Candy Cane (added January 9, 2012)
3. Pumpkin Hat (added January 9, 2012)
4. Lothlorien (pattern not yet available; added January 9, 2012): started January 10, 2012; I'm doing this as a test knit. It's written to be done flat and seamed but I've converted it into the round...we'll see how it goes.
5. Super Seeeeeeeeeeekrit Swap project for a Doctor Who swap that goes out in February...hmmm, I should probably get on that pretty soon :)

WIPs: 7 projects
FOs: 1 project
Planned but not started: 26 projects
Total: 34 projects

Still think I'm crazy?

FO Friday

2012-01-13T05:00:00.012-06:00

Happy Friday, friends and minions. In the knitting world, it's FO Friday (for more information, go visit Tami's blog).

I actually have something for you today.

Claudia (completely unblocked)

Pattern: Claudia by MJ Kim
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in some form of purple (the photo does not even come close to the actual color - I swear it's purple!)
Needles: US #4 and US #6 16" circulars and US #6 DPNs
Size: Adult
Modifications: I made the ribbing an extra row and I think that was pretty much it...but if I do it again, I'm changing how the decreases work because they kind of make for a pointy top that doesn't want to stay down and I'll probably make it a smidge longer (like maybe four rows longer).

Not very flattering...but yes, that's me wearing my new hat.

This is the first hat I've finished this year and, thus, knocks something off my SIYOP list for 12 Hats in 2012. Hoooooray.

Check back in on Sunday for an update to my Self-Imposed Year of Projects (SIYOP).

WIP Wednesday: Brief #180

2012-01-11T05:00:00.004-06:00

Yes, kids, it's Wednesday again...that day when I'm supposed to drag out my WIPs and tell you what I've been doing.

However......as I've only been working on four projects lately, one of which is finished, I'm going to spare you the entire WIP list.

First up, we have Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket.

Close up of the pattern...sort of.

For size comparison (please note the Macbook Pro in the background)

The above photographs were from...well, it was sometime right after Little Man's birthday so maybe two months ago or thereabouts. The blanket really hasn't changed a lot since then. I'm probably another full repeat and a half past that point (if not further - and I think it's further, to be honest). It doesn't look that different...just longer. I haven't bothered to photograph it more recently because, honestly, why?

Pattern: Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket (which isn't written yet)
Yarn: Knitting Worsted by Brown Sheep in a seafoam green color
Needles: US #6 24" circulars....or maybe they're 32" ones. I can't remember.
Size: Um......baby? Eventually, it'll be able to be adapted to any size. But, for my purposes, it's baby-sized.
Modifications: Um.......none. Yeah, that sounds right...

Secondly, I have my Simple Skyp Socks. I have the first sock finished but this is what the second one looks like...

Maybe four repeats in a twenty-five repeat pattern...

The above photograph was taken yesterday. I'm trying to do at least a couple rounds every day but sometimes, that just doesn't happen. I'm okay with that, though...I'm working on them and that's all that is important :)

Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku
Yarn: Socks that Rock - Medium by Blue Moon Fiber Arts in Chickabiddy
Needles: US #1 Blackthorn DPNs....I'm 95% sure they're #1s
Size: One size, I believe...adjusted for foot length, obviously.
Modifications: I added another repeat of the pattern in the cuff on the first sock...so I probably should for the second one, right?

Thirdly, I'm working on my Vanilla Socks. I debated whether or not I was going to make another pair of Skyp Socks or if I wanted to make something plain and I decided that I'd go with something plain, for now (though I do fully intend to make another pair of Skyp Socks in the future).

Pattern: None...but I'm using a basic idea in my head for how many stitches I CO and we'll see what happens when I get down toward the heel. I might decide to do something like an afterthought heel or something different. We'll see...
Yarn: Sock Yarn by htNEVELE Designs in the Parrotfish colorway
Needles: US #1 Signature Needles
Size: Whatever size fits me.
Modifications: None....it's my pattern so there really can't be any, right?

Fourthly..........wait, there is no fourthly. I know, I said I've been working on four projects in the last few days. Well, I finished one so you're going to have to wait until Friday to see it :)

Hooooooray!

For more WIP Wednesday posts, visit Tami's Blog.

In other things going on in my world...Little Man has decided that it's high time he learns to climb. He's kind of been trying to climb into the pack-n-play for a few weeks but today, he got about halfway up before I caught him and told him to get down. I don't mind that he wants to climb things...but I want him to be safe about it. That's probably why we kind of freaked out on Sunday morning when I was getting the rest of breakfast out and Husband was sitting at the table, only to look up and catch Little Man standing in the seat of his high chair. He was buckled in, too...that's the worst part. He had twisted himself sideways, and slid his legs out...little turd. We bought a new high chair that has a five-point harness (shoulder straps and leg straps that connect in the middle, much like a car seat). He's not happy that he can't twist around but he also can't get up and stand in his high chair, either. I'm okay with that.

He also likes to stand on his sit-n-spin...and his new scooter toy thingie.

*sigh*

See this? It's my not-quite-a-trike trike. It makes noise when I bounce on it.

Self-Imposed Year of Projects: Update #1

2012-01-08T05:00:00.004-06:00

So, yesterday I announced that I was going to partake in my own Self-Imposed Year of Projects.

The Year of Projects blog group on Ravelry does all their updates on Sundays so I think I'm going to join in, at least, in that respect...I might even connect my blog with the linky on the "main" Year of Projects blog. We'll see...

Onward to the projects (and no, you don't get pictures yet...maybe Wednesday).

WIPs
1. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket: (started: July 2010) I've worked a couple rows of this. It's not much but hey, it knocks a couple more rows off and that's all that matters.
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks: (started May 22, 2011) I've worked a couple rows on sock #2 and am maybe 3 pattern repeats in (out of 25) before the heel flap and all of that. Woo-hoo!
3. Mama's Vanilla Socks: (started December 6, 2011) Admittedly, I haven't worked on these. These are the kind that I should bring when I'm in the car with Husband driving...or watching TV or something. They're just boring socks. But the yarn is fun, I swear!
4. Baby Traveling Vines Socks: (started September 18, 2010) Yep...haven't gone looking for these. I know there around here somewhere...
5. Little Man's Giraffe: (started May 11, 2011) Nope. Haven't touched him.
6. Icarus Shawl: (started around March 15, 2010) Still in hibernation somewhere...

12 Hats in 2012
1. Claudia: (started January 3, 2012...I should move it up to WIPs) I'm probably half finished with this hat...there will probably be more about it on Wednesday (if I get it photographed and photos uploaded).
2. Odessa
3. Hermione Loves Ron
4. Habitat: I was gifted this pattern yesterday by the lovely Emma (who's blog can be found here). I was so not expecting it :) Thanks to Emma for that pattern!
5. Ogre Babies: I'm still debating if I'm going to make this for me or for Little Man...I suppose I could do both :)
6. NIN Hat: If I like it, I might have to make two...or three...
7. Pup Tent
8. Godric's Hollow Hat
9. Brandon Ribbed Beanie Hat
10. Raglan Hat
11. Bergen Street Tuque
12. Nolan (need to purchase)

Socks
1. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks (see above WIPs list)
2. Mama's Vanilla Socks (see above WIPs list)
3. Blathnat
4. Hermione's Everyday Socks

"Big" Project
I think I've decided that I'm going to do the Freeport Vest for this one. I have some lovely Malabrigo (chunky something or other) that I purchased at Stitches Midwest. If you look at this post, you'll see the yarn I'm talking about in the picture from my haul at Stitches. It's the light blue chunky-looking yarn on the bottom right hand of the picture and the similarly chunky-looking dark blue (with light blue spots) that's on the left, just below the Cast On magazine.

Kid/Baby Stuff

(this list is subject to change without prior notification to anyone, including the author)

1. Hippo from Itty-Bitty Toys: This is a definite project (i.e., the only thing on this list that won't change). I asked Sweet Girl what she wanted me to make her while we were visiting over the summer and she and I looked through the book and she picked out the hippo. I asked her what colors she wanted it and she told me "pink and purple." I have the yarn in my stash: Shalimar Yarns Breathless in Passion Fruit (pink) and Concord Grape (purple). She picked out the colors at the yarn store (Eleganza Yarns in Frederick, MD...which is sadly out of business because the owners also own Shalimar Yarns and they wanted to focus on that). I'm hoping to have this done by the time the new baby comes around.
2. London Beanie: Yes, I know this is an "adult" pattern but I know how to modify it for small children and babies so I'll probably make at least two of these, if only for Sweet Girl and Little Man.
3. Little Slug (need to purchase)
4. Grumpus: I was gifted this pattern yesterday for my birthday. Depending on how things go, I'll probably try to make more than one of these.
5. Snail: Yes, this is a hat...
6. Basically any hat from Itty-Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson (I have several that I'd like to make that are on my paper list)
7. Brooke Baby Afghan
8. Pine Forest Baby Blanket
9. Mossy Jacket

I have a list that's quite a bit longer than this but these are some ideas.

So, for my SIYOP:
WIPs: 7
Not yet started: 21
FOs: 0
Totals: 28 projects

Self-Imposed Year of Projects

2012-01-07T05:00:00.156-06:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days (read: since I did my New Year post) and I've decided that while I like the idea of participating in the Year of Projects, I'm definitely too late. It's already halfway through at this point...however, there's nothing saying that I can't do a Self-Imposed Year of Projects...for me, myself, and I :)

So, that's the idea. I'm going to do a Self-Imposed Year of Projects...starting today, Saturday, January 7, 2012 and ending a year from now, on Sunday, January 6, 2013.

Why did I pick such a random day? Well, it may be random to you...but today happens to be the anniversary of my birth. Yes, kids, today is my 32nd birthday. In reality, that makes today the beginning of "my" year...and what a wonderful way to do it, right?

Okay, maybe not. I may have this grand idea in my head and all these wonderful plans and then they'll just crash and burn all to hell. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that were to be the case. But, there's no harm in trying. It's not like I'm going to fall over and die if I absolutely fail at this, right?

Anyway, the ideas I had for my SIYOP (Self-Imposed Year of Projects) included:
1. Finishing up some WIPs
2. Participating in the 12 Hats in 2012 group...which isn't exactly a KAL (knit-a-long) but it kind of behaves as one in that the idea is that you make a hat every month and they do have actual KALs every month (and CALs, too...but I don't crochet...yet)
3. Finish four pairs of socks (they can be WIPs - and I have two of them as WIPs, actually three but one of them is a baby pair)
4. Learn a new technique which can be done while doing something else (two-color knitting, socks from the toe-up, intarsia, entrelac, different sock heels, etc.)
5. Do one "big" project (sweater, vest, etc.)
6. Baby stuff (no, I'm not pregnant!)...I'll include small children in this category, too

WIPs
1. Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket. Yes, I know I said I'd have this done by Christmas 2011...oops. It didn't happen. I'm still about 70 rows out. I just need to sit and finish it. I figure a couple of rows every day will make it happen.
2. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks. These will also count toward one of my four pairs of socks. I have one sock finished and the second sock started.
3. Mama's Vanilla Socks. These will also count toward another of my four pairs of socks. I have the first sock started...
4. Baby Traveling Vines Socks. These will count toward items for baby...but not for socks. I have one finished and I'm maybe halfway through the cuff of the second one. It's not that these are difficult...I just have to find the project...and then my not-quite-a-pattern pattern. Hrm.
5. Little Man's Giraffe. This will count toward items for baby. I'm probably about 75% finished. I have to make the poms for the hair, the horns, attach the ears, make the tail, and do the spots...oh, and attach all those, too.
6. Icarus Shawl. I don't know if I necessarily want to count this one but, we'll see...it's currently in hibernation somewhere (not quite sure where).

12 Hats in 2012
1. Claudia by MJ Kim. This is the January KAL for the group noted above. I actually already started it and am about half-finished. I'll probably discuss it on Wednesday, if I don't finish it before then.
2. Odessa by Grumperina
3. Hermione Loves Ron by Christy Aylesworth
4. Habitat by Jared Flood (Need to purchase)
5. Ogre Babies by Dayna Sigl. Yes, this is a "baby" item, too...but I might make it an adult size for me.
6. NIN Hat by Rilana Riley-Munson. This will include learning a new technique (two-color knitting...or maybe it's intarsia; I'll have to look at the pattern).
7. Pup Tent by Catherine Gamroth
8. Godric's Hollow Hat by Rebecca Beam
9. Brandon Ribbed Beanie by Mindy Vasil
10. Bergen Street Tuque by Caryl Pierre
11. Raglan Hat by Jennifer Fleury
12. Nolan by Kelly Herdrich (Need to purchase). Yes, this will fall under "baby" stuff...or "kid" stuff.

Socks
1. Mama's Simple Skyp Socks (see WIP list)
2. Mama's Vanilla Socks (see WIP list)
3. Blathnat by Carrie Sullivan (irishgirlieknits). This is a KAL in the Sock Knitters Anonymous group...whether or not I actually do it in the KAL is a different story.
4. Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder. This could also be considered a KAL for the above group...but that's not why I'm doing it.

"Big" Project (choosing one of the following four)
1. Making Waves Cardigan by Mary Annarella (yarn: Zen Garden)
2. Austin Hoodie by Connie Chang Chinchio (yarn: Ella Rae)
3. Freeport Vest by Elizabeth Smith (yarn: Malabrigo)
4. Classic Silk Mayfaire Camisole by Corrina Ferguson (yarn: Miss Babs)

Now, so far, this isn't too horrible...I know, it looks like a lot and it definitely is but, let's be honest, hats don't take that long, socks can be brought everywhere, and WIPs are at least partly finished already.

Where things start to get a little crazy is in the "Kid" and "Baby" departments. There are a couple of things that I know I want to make and then there are the things that I just want to make soon...and with more babies coming into the family...well, let's just say I have an excuse to knit things for small children, including my own.

As it stands right now, I have seven possible projects listed in the "kid" section. One of the definite projects is the Hippo from Itty-Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson. I'm making that for Sweet Girl and I'm hoping to have it done by sometime in June...which means I should probably start that soon. Honestly, four of the seven possible projects I have listed for that section are hats (two of them by Elizabeth Zimmermann); the other three are toys of some sort (two of them by Susan B. Anderson).

In the "baby" section, I have sixteen possible projects, eleven of which are hats (actually, twelve because one of the patterns is for two hats using contrast colors). I have two sweaters, a pair of baby mittens, and two blankets also listed. I don't have any "definite" projects from this list though I suspect that I'll be making the contrasting colors hats for the twins.

So.......that makes for quite an ambitious list for my SIYOP.

Do you all think I'm biting off a bit more than I can chew? Let me know your thoughts.......is it time for Husband to consider sending me to the Asylum? Keep in mind that I also have plans to clean the house, organize paperwork, organize books, and sell things...and take care of Little Man and other "daily" activities.

Me? I think I've lost it...but it'll be fun, anyway :)

On "Being Retarded"

2012-01-05T14:21:00.000-06:00

Recently (i.e., earlier today) a friend of mine from high school posted a link to a blog. The title of the particular post was "Being Retarded" (you can find the post here).

I'm intrigued. I'm a licensed teacher. I've worked with people with cognitive disabilities. I've known the heartache that comes with hearing that there's something wrong with your child.

So, I did what any rational person would do: I clicked on the link and began reading. She talks about the word "retarded" and it's (unfortunate) common use. She then talks about her daughter, Maura, who is, by definition, retarded. And I mean "retarded" in the actual definition of the word, not the common-use definition of "stupid."

It got me thinking, which is something that happens quite often when Little Man is napping.

I've used the word "retarded" more times than I care to admit. Having worked in education and with people with cognitive disabilities, I do know the difference between the actual definition of "retarded" and the common-use definition meaning "stupid." I knew the difference anyway, regardless of my background in education. That's not the point. The point is, I started thinking about my use of the word and how that use is going to be passed down to Little Man. I don't want him to equate "retarded" with "stupid" because they do not mean the same thing, and never have meant the same thing. He is going to know the difference.

Usually, people will say something like, "Oh, I'm such a retard" or "I'm so retarded." Most often, they mean that they're stupid or doing something stupid or, as I like to call it, having a stupid. I try to use it in a context to mean that I'm slow or I'm just not getting something as fast as "normal." In other words, I try to use the word in it's proper form and definition...but because people have been equating "retarded" with "stupid," most people think that I'm saying something along the lines of, "Oh, I'm so stupid" when, in fact, that's not what I meant at all.

It's somewhat frustrating.

But now we get into something a little different......Little Man. I don't know that I've ever really told the story in full. Maybe I have. I'm too lazy to go look. So, onward...

When he was born on November 9, 2010, he came out as pretty and as perfect as he could be. Full head of hair, pretty little lips, big blue eyes...and the boy could flirt like no one's business (as he's gotten older, he's just honing the skill - he's always been good at it).

Then we got that phone call. It was Wednesday, November 17, 2010, round about 4pm. I was planning to take Little Man to Wednesday night knitting to meet all the ladies (and Al, our only man). The phone call was from the doctor's office. You need to come in right now because something came back on Little Man's newborn screening. Can't this wait until tomorrow? No, absolutely not. He's going to the hospital tonight. Talk about a way to throw new parents into a HUGE panic. Like we didn't have enough going on at that point. My grandmother had passed away not even a week prior to that (the day Little Man was born), we were dealing with the estate and the lawyers, we were new parents...and then you call us to tell us that there might be something wrong with our perfect Little Man. Seriously. WTF?!

We got to the doctor's office, not really prepared for anything, including a hospital stay. The pediatrician handed us a huge stack of paperwork and said, "I'm not sure what this is; this is what the University sent me and I've taken out all the giberish." Seriously? The pile of paperwork was almost an inch thick...and there were things taken out of it?! Husband was in charge of calling the doctor at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Husband was in charge of making the appointment to see them the next day. I was in charge of Little Man. Husband got appointments set up for the following afternoon with a biogeneticist and a metabolic dietician. In the meantime, we were sent to Mercy Hospital in Janesville for overnight and a buttload of tests.

In the 15 hours we were at the hospital, Little Man had an EKG, echo-cardiogram on his heart, liver, and basically all his innards, several blood tests, and I was forced to feed him every 2 hours, whether he wanted to eat or not (usually, he was okay with eating at least an ounce). We read through the paperwork from the University doctors and did some of our own research on the internet. I did a fair amount of crying. I didn't want anything to be wrong with him. He was my baby.

Little Man had been flagged for a disorder acronymed VLCADD. It stands for Very Long Chain Acyl CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency Disorder. It's a metabolic disorder, specifically a fatty acid oxidization disorder. When we met with the biogeneticist at the Waisman Center, Dr. Greg Rice (PhD, MD), he explained that just because Little Man had been flagged for this disorder, it did not mean that he absolutely had it. We talked about the genetics of the disorder. It's basic genetics. He has two parents and he gets a gene from each of us (in a perfect world - sometimes, you get two genes from one parent and none from the other but that's a different story). In order for him to get flagged for the disorder, he had to have gotten one "bad" gene from one of us. If it turned out that he had the disorder, he would have gotten a "bad" gene from both of us...which means that both of us are, at least, carriers of the disorder. So, he had at least one "bad" gene.

We talked about how the history of the disorder. VLCADD is a fairly recent discovery. It was discovered while they were doing work on the human genome project. So, we're talking within the last decade that it was discovered and probably only within the last five years that they've figured out how to test for it. We talked about what happens with the disorder. In the case of VLCADD, long-chain fatty acids cannot be processed. They can build up in the system, become toxic, and kill you. What also sets it off are things like fasting (for surgery, religious reasons, or just being sick). When you fast, your body uses up all the energy stores and then it starts going after body fat. Well, since the body cannot process these fats, they just sit there, building up, until it reaches toxic levels.

Then Dr. Rice looked at all the tests we had run on Little Man. All the tests were normal. Everything looked fine, including his acyl-carnatine levels (which is one of the diagnostic blood tests). Sadly, just because the tests were normal did not put him in the clear. He could still have the disorder and be completely asymptomatic. At that point, we had been thrown a ton of information, been told that there might be something wrong (but all the tests were normal), and that we were going to have to do a DNA test on him to be sure. In the meantime, we were going to treat him like he had the disorder.

Well, what the hell did that mean?

It meant special formula that we get directly from the University. It meant feeding him within a certain timeframe (at first it was every 2-3 hours, then it got more and more time between as he got older). It meant making sure he was eating if he got sick and if he wasn't, we were to take him to the hospital, no fooling around (we were given an Emergency Room protocol that was to be followed). Because he was so young, we didn't have to worry about solid foods or exercise or any of that.

We met with the metabolic dietician, Sandy Van Calcar, MS RD. She gave us the formula and directions for how to use it. She and Dr. Rice both told us that he probably wouldn't like it so we were allowed to mix it with the regular formula since he was asymptomatic and probably didn't have the disorder.

The next few weeks were rough. Getting up every couple of hours to feed Little Man, praying to God that he didn't get sick, and waiting to hear back from Dr. Rice's office about doing the genetic test (DNA) to find out for sure if he had the disorder. Dr. Rice told us that because he was asymptomatic and his test results were perfect, that there was only something like a 12% chance that it would turn out that he had the disorder. We waited. One day in February, we got the call to come in for the DNA test. Poor kid had to have a huge gauge of skin taken out of his leg. His tests continued to be perfect and he continued to hate the new formula. We were told we could stop giving it to him for the time being because he really didn't like it and his tests were still normal.

A few weeks later, we got the phone call from Dr. Rice's office. The DNA results had come in and we needed to come in to see him.

The first words out of Dr. Rice's mouth were, "I need to eat my words. I told you that there was very little chance he'd have the disorder..." I kind of stopped listening at that point. My baby was sick. He had this awful, PITA genetic metabolic disorder and it was just going to ruin his life. He had VLCADD...but was completely asymptomatic.

We discussed what all this would mean. We talked about his "diet" (heart healthy), whether he'd be able to play sports if he wanted to, how often he'd have to see Dr. Rice & Sandy, how often he'd have to see the cardiologist, Dr. Srinivasen, what to do when he's sick, who to call when he's sick, and a bunch of other aspects of the disorder, including doing a DNA test on both Husband and I.

We had confirmation that he had the disorder.

Is my son "retarded?" No. Not by a long shot.

Is his life going to be different from the lives of other children? Not really. He'll learn to ride a bike, play baseball, climb trees, read, and all the other things kids do...maybe a little differently but he'll still learn it.

Are there some things we're going to have to do differently because of his disorder? Absolutely.

Does my son have a disability because of this disorder? This question trips me up. I have a child with special needs, that much is true and obvious...but does he have a disability, an honest-to-goodness disability? No.

I have a son. He has special needs. He's not retarded. He's not stupid. He's not any different from anyone else because, let's face it, everyone is unique...and if everyone is unique, then any differences he has from other kids are just as unique as he is and that's completely normal.

By the way, you need a photo...please notice that he is flirting, as usual.

Yes, I wear a monkey hat. Monkey hats are cool.

The Quest to Get Organized

2012-01-03T14:09:00.000-06:00

So, in true "me" fashion, I'm working on the organization of paperwork. I'm currently sitting at the kitchen counter next to the scanner and I'm scanning all the seemingly useless paperwork we have. I'm beginning to think we have a metric ton of paperwork. I have a pile of stuff that can be shredded and several files on my desktop (mostly in folders already). My file is already lighter. If I didn't have to keep copies of paid medical bills, I would have shredded them, too...but I have to keep those for taxes. *sigh*

I'm hoping I can get quite a bit of this box done before (1) my computer dies or (2) Little Man wakes up from his nap. It's going to be an ongoing process. I'm just proud that I'm spending time doing it! I'm hoping it'll appease Husband, too...his biggest complaint is that we have too much paperwork. He's right, of course; we really do have too much paperwork. Unfortunately 90% of the paperwork we get are things that we should keep but not necessarily in hard copy...hence why I'm scanning things. It's annoying paperwork like bill summaries from the insurance company and receipts for things we've had done to the house (like new countertops and tile flooring) that we have to keep but don't have to keep...and it's what's taking up so much room and creating huge piles on the table/counters. Hrm.

It's been an entertaining day in my world, aside from all the paperwork scanning.

Puppy took it upon himself to have diarrhea on my kitchen rug...twice. No sooner did I get that cleaned up when Little Man decided to have a go himself...and out the side of his diaper. I was going to change his clothes anyway but I was hoping I wouldn't have to toss the jammies into the dirty clothes container. Oh well. The new washer was delivered at the condo today. The guy from Home Depot came to look at my window in the kitchen. It decided it didn't want to shut all the way or lock properly. He was able to fix it in about five minutes...thankfully. I've also been to the chiropractor this morning. I'm just waiting on the guy to come and put the baseboards and quarter round back in and then the back entry will be mostly finished...at least until Husband comes home and puts the washer and dryer back in. Then I get to spend the next few days doing massive amounts of laundry. Just what I don't want to be doing. Oh well, it's got to get done.

In the world of knitting...I expect that there will be a fabulous post on January 7th around about 5am (Wisconsin time) about my plans for knitting. Seriously. It's already been written and while there may be a couple of minor changes, it's ready to post :)

And then maybe after that, I'll do a yarn giveaway for some reason...there's a good reason on January 7th but I don't know if I'll be ready by then (it depends on if I get to pulling out bins of yarn or not).

Anyway, back to scanning paperwork and feeling good about my Things I'd Like to Accomplish in 2012 list...

Things I'd Like to Accomplish: The 2012 Editions

2012-01-01T05:00:00.207-06:00

I remember this post like it was yesterday...except it wasn't yesterday. It was a year ago. But, I did read it yesterday...and the day before.

As I revisited the 2011 goals yesterday, I thought it would be kind of silly to do it again today. So, I'm not going to...but it might feel a little bit like I'm just re-doing the 2011 goals all over again. I swear I'm not...but some things are just so good that you need to do them again and again.

So, now I bring you the List of Things I'd Like to Accomplish: The 2012 General Edition.

1. Clean the House. Yes, I realize this was something I wanted to accomplish in 2011 but it's something that (1) didn't happen and (2) is something that seems to be forever ongoing in my world. This is a very broad, general goal of mine...and it's really kind of ambiguous on purpose. What I would consider "clean" may not be what others consider "clean." I'm okay with that because, really, it's our own standards that matter. Ultimately, what I'd like to do is go through every room in the house, including closets and the basement, go through every drawer, box, and piece of anything that is around and decide if we (1) need to keep it (which is the case with anything paper related to my grandparents business until 2016 - then we can burn it), (2) want to keep it, or (3) are willing to part with it. Once that's done, we need to decide that if we want to keep it, (1)why do we want to keep it, (2) can it be replaced by something else (I'm thinking of furniture, in particular), and (3) where are we going to put it (i.e., is this the space it belongs in or would it be better served elsewhere). If we decide we want to part with it then we need to decide in which manner we want to part with it: (1) sell online via Craigslist or a garage sale or something like that, (2) give away via Freecycle or Craigslist, (3) donate (school, St. Vinny's, Goodwill, etc.), (4) sell via another group (Wisconsin Rosemalling Association for my grandmother's remaining extensive collection of rosemalling, or a Buy & Sell shop for the antiques) or (5) just throw it out . This is going to be a very long, extremely tedious process that will probably require several trips to St. Vinny's, pissed off garbage collectors (and maybe a dumpster), many hours of photographs, and many hours of posting ads on Craigslist and/or Freecycle...and probably some other stuff like time involved. It's going to take me more than a year and it's something that can go on as often as necessary.

2. Organize The Paperwork. I started this out in 2011 by buying a hanging file rubbermaid container (okay, it's Sterilite...but whatever, same thing). I have that filled with different hanging files and file folders labeled with such things as "Medical: Little Man" and "Condo Crap" and "Taxes" and "Old Taxes" and "Medical: Little Man's Metabolic Disorder" and all sorts of things. There's even a file for things that we should keep but don't know where to keep them...like the receipt for Husband's Ducati 848 EVO (i.e., the red motorcycle) and receipts from Home Depot for when they installed things like the new countertop and the new tile floor (which is almost finished, by the way)...you know, things we should keep but we don't necessarily know what to do with them. This year, I'm going to take it a step further. If we won't need it for taxes but it's something we should keep, I'm going to scan it and save it to either my desktop or to a jump drive (and probably both, to be honest). We get so much paperwork from the insurance company, for example, and we need to keep it in case of disputes with payments but, really, we don't need to keep hard copies of. So, I'm going to scan all of that and shred the evidence, so to speak. Things that we need for taxes will have to still be hard copies but we can get rid of 90% of the paperwork just by using a scanner. To get it started is going to be quite the PITA but once it's established, it should be fairly easy to maintain as long as I scan stuff once or twice every week. We'll see how well that goes.

3. Organize my Books. I have a lot of books...almost as many books as skeins of yarn. Now, most of my books are in one of four locations: the hallway long closet system (a series of four half-closets with long section above with four sliding doors), Little Man's bedroom, the office/guest bedroom, or our master bedroom. This is nice in that they're not completely scattered throughout the house. However, I need to somehow go through these books, figure out which ones I want to keep and put them in a centralized location. I have a built-in glass-front cabinet in the office/guest bedroom that I could probably use for my books. I plan to keep most of my college books but I don't want them with the "regular" books...so they'll probably stay where they are in the top portion of the hallway long closet system. My cookbooks will probably also not be with the "regular" books but, rather, in the kitchen. That's another whole ball of wax that I'll get to in a moment. But, back to the books at hand. I used to read a lot and since I had Little Man, I haven't had as much time. I'm not saying that I want to get rid of all my books but I need to really take a look at my books and decide if they're something I'm going to read, something for Little Man to read, or something that I can get rid of. And before you ask, yes, knitting/crochet and other "crafty" books are included in this organizational process.

4. Organize my Recipes and Cookbooks. I have a few cookbooks. I don't have a huge, crazy amount...but I do have some cookbooks. What I do have a lot of are loose recipes from the backs of soup cans and from newspapers and magazines and hand-written recipes that have been handed down from my great-grandmothers, Margaret Mary (Michelbook) Green and Martha Louise (Fagerlind) Johnston (my mother's grandmothers); my grandmother, Agnes Lucille (Johnston) Green; and my mother, Shirley Ann (Green) Zerbel. The cookbooks I'm not as worried about as I am the loose recipes. My husband made the suggestion of making a document for recipes in GoogleDocs and while I might do that, I'm also thinking of making my own "family" cookbooks with the recipes from my family. I picked up a couple of those "write your own recipes in" cookbooks when Borders was going out of business. I'm thinking that might be a good way to go. We'll see...it's just an idea. The biggest problem I'm going to have with this is reading the old recipes. Many are written in pencil and have rubbed off in some spots.

5. Organizing Baby Stuff. I have several bins of baby stuff in the basement as well as equipment like a bouncy chair and bassinet. What I'd like to do is go through all the clothes and decide what I want to keep in case we have another one and what can be sold. I'd also like to organize the clothing by sizes (newborn, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12) and keep them in separate bins. This is going to be ongoing as Little Man gets older. I'm thinking of this more in terms of what do I want to keep or sell rather than the actual organization of it all. Something I noticed with Little Man was that he spent 90% of the first six months in sleepers. So, really, what are all those cute little outfits for and why do I need to keep them? See what I'm getting at?

6. Get back to Running or Some Other Form of Exercise. I don't want my only reason for wanting to get back into this to be weight loss because that's not what it's all about. Granted, if I get back into exercise, I'll probably lose weight. I have a couple of reasons for wanting to get back into exercise. First of all, Little Man is getting older and more mobile. I want to be able to take him to the park or wherever and be able to chase him around and not feel fat and tired. Secondly, I'm not exactly getting any younger and I'd like to be able to walk when I'm 40 and if I stay at my current weight (sans having another kid) and activity level, that's exactly what will happen. If I can even just increase my activity level, that will help. Or, at least, that's the idea. Also, since my new doctor informed me that my good cholesterol is low and that exercise would help, I think that might be a good idea...

And now, for something completely diff.......well, no, not different. It's the Things I'd Like to Accomplish: The 2012 Crafting Edition

1. Learn a New Knitting Technique. I'm leaving this one a little ambiguous because there are many things I'd like to learn but that I don't know if they are feasible with the time commitments. Some examples of things I'd like to learn and maybe will take the time to learn (in no particular order): mittens and/or fingerless mitts, afterthought heel for socks, entrelac, multi-color knitting (commonly known as Fair Isle but that's not always the correct term), intarsia, charts (without written pattern), and I'd like to get better with lace knitting (and, particularly, "reading" it).

2. Make at Least One Crocheted Item. Again, this is slightly ambiguous...it kind of depends on if I learn some proper crochet techniques in the first place. I know some of the basic stitches but I have to look at the directions to know how to do them correctly. So...what will I make? No idea. It'll probably be something simple to start with, like a scarf or a hat...but probably a scarf.

3. Finish Four Pairs of Socks. Since I have two pairs in progress right now, this shouldn't be overly difficult. But, we'll see. I have one pair that's over half finished (meaning I have one full sock and the beginnings of the second) and another pair that I just started. So, I would need to finish those pairs plus start and finish another two pairs. I think that sounds feasible.

4. Get my Yarn Stash, Roving, and Needles onto Ravelry. I've been working on this one slowly. I've got quite a bit of it on there already but I need to get the rest of it, plus the roving, and my needles. Honestly, this really shouldn't take that long but it's finding the time to actually do it that's the problem. Oh well...it'll get done, right?

5. Make A(nother) Sweater or Something. This sounds ambiguous, too, but I swear this one isn't as ambiguous as it sounds. At Stitches Midwest 2011, I purchased some yarn for specific projects and I want to make at least one of those projects this year: Classic Siclk Mayfaire Camisole, Freeport Vest, Making Waves Cardigan or the Austin Hoodie. The nice part about doing one of these is that I'll probably learn a new technique along the way so I kill two birds with one stone. Just sayin'...

6. Work on my Spinning. Actually, maybe just spin more often. I really do like spinning...but it's somewhat time consuming to drag out the wheel, roving, bobbins, and the Lazy Kate. I should really do it more often, though...

7. Baby Knitting. I need to work on things for babies...mine, especially. I want to finish his blanket, for one thing. Husband's SIL and his sister are also pregnant. Now, if I get around to actually knitting for either of them is another story...but the idea is there.

For now, I think that's quite enough on the "goal" front. I hope everyone had a safe and eventful start to the new year. My "new" year doesn't start for another week, though...more on that later this week...and probably a post about our Christmas trip to Washington DC to see my BIL and his family (complete with photos!).

I hope the new year has started well for all of you :)

Revisiting old posts, part the second...

2011-12-31T05:00:00.087-06:00

This will be the last installment for NYRs and similar things for the 2011 season.

Remember this post? The one about how I don't make NYRs because they inevitably turn to crap by February...yeah, that one. Let's revisit it and see how I did with my List of Things I'd Like to Accomplish in 2011...

1. Stashbusting. I have a lot of yarn. I still have a lot of yarn. I bought even more yarn at events like the 2011 Madison Knitters' Guild Knit-In, Wisconsin Sheep & Wool 2011, and Stitches Midwest 2011...as well as some other places along the way. I also added to my stash by buying roving, which will eventually become yarn. *sigh* I was supposed to be getting rid of yarn. And while I did use yarn in my stash for some of my projects, I didn't use nearly enough of my stashed yarn for projects. So, this didn't go as well as I had hoped...oops.

2. Cleaning the House. For most people, this isn't a huge issue but as I stated in the original post, I have a lot of things that I inherited. Seriously, at one point I had two and a half households worth of stuff...plus the stuff that I purchased and the stuff that Husband purchased...and then you throw in Little Man's stuff. We just had a lot of stuff to deal with. While we've made some progress, there's still a lot left to do...and where we take giant leaps forward in some areas, we take just as giant leaps backwards in other areas. For example, our master bedroom was in pretty good shape. Then we decided that we were going to make the office into the guest room. Now the bedroom looks like a somewhat organized tornado hit it (again). The kitchen is in pretty good shape...but a new countertop will do that. It forced us to take everything off the counters and really decide if it needed to go back on there or not. Most things were put away into cupboards and some things were thrown out (or, rather, will be) and other things are going to be reorganized and put in different places. It looks pretty good in there. It still needs some work but it's pretty good. Other parts of the house haven't even been touched...the basement is atrocious, the upstairs is pretty good (but not finished), Little Man's room needs a lot of work (which will include selling bedroom furniture, buying new furniture for him, and going through all my "teacher stuff," among other things), the office/guest room is nowhere near finished...I could go on and on. So, although gains have been made, some setbacks have occurred as well.

3. Get Organized. This trips up a lot of people. We have these ideas in our head of what we *should* be doing, when we should be doing them, and how we should be doing them. And then life gets in the way, as it has a habit of doing. I've been getting better. I'm trying to reduce paperwork so the plan is to scan paperwork that we need to keep, but not for anything but reference. Things we need to keep for taxes will, unfortunately, have to remain in paper form but all the other extra paperwork can be scanned, shredded, and thrown away (or burned, whatever works). That right there will take out a lot of problems. Husband and I have constant battles about the mail and the paperwork and Puppy getting at it and all of that. I also plan to go through my books and get rid of any that I haven't read, won't read, and don't have an attachment to. I have a lot of books and I don't need to keep all of them. This is a work in progress because books are scattered all over the house. I also need to be a bit more........harsh, I guess, on what I do and don't keep as far as knickknacks and other sentimental things. As Husband says: you can't keep everything. He's right but it's really hard to get rid of things that have sentimental value. He doesn't understand sentimental value because he's just not that way and no matter how hard I try to explain it to him, he just doesn't get it. So, getting organized is always going to be something I have to work on...

4. Spend Quality Time with Little Man (daily). This really isn't difficult and I think I've done pretty well with this. Now that he's toddling around and getting into everything, this is much easier because we can actually play with things. He's also learning how to point and get the things I ask him to bring to me. He's learning which rooms are which (he knows that when I say, "go find daddy, he's in the kitchen" that daddy is in the room where I feed him in the high chair) and will usually go to an indicated room. He's still a little rusty on "bathroom" (unless he's naked) and "living room" but we're working on it. We also get out of the house quite a bit, even if it's just to run to Wal*Mart or the mall. He loves people and he's such a damn little flirt...

5. Spend Time Knitting (daily). Yeah, not so much. The idea was that I would feel better if I could get in even one row...but that's just not the case. I don't want to knit unless I can actually sit and knit for a little while. While I strive to knit every day, it doesn't always happen. Other things have taken away my knitting time, too. I've learned how to spin on my wheel. I've signed up for a full Ancestry account (which is a total time suck!). I've been reading knitting books...which I guess I could still count as knitting but it's not the actual process. And I'm constantly trying to get the daily houselife stuff done like dishes and laundry...and that just cuts into my knitting time. But, I do try...

6. Organize my Yarn Stash. I've done pretty well with this...but I lost my steam. I've got quite a bit of it posted on Ravelry but I have quite a bit left to post. I'm also not really "organizing" it...just making sure I know where to find it. I have all the bins labeled with a number so on my stash page, if you click on a yarn, it will probably say that it's stored in "bin #2" or "drawer #1" or something like that. Not everything has been re-checked since I started putting my stash on Ravelry...but, if it has a photo attached to it, chances are that I've attached it to a bin or drawer, too. I'm going to be working on this forever.

7. Organize my Needles. Yep. Didn't work on this one too well. I have, at least, collected my DPNs into DPN tubes that I ordered from Knit Picks, except for any that are US #10.5 or larger or have their own case (like my Signature DPNs). I have not, however, put them all on Ravelry. I'm thinking about selling some of my straights because I have several pairs of certain sizes that I seem to always need (US #6, US #8, and US #9, mostly)...but I can't do that until I know what I have. Same thing with my fixed circular needles. *sigh* It just never ends...

So, that's 2011 revisited...........I didn't do very well. Oops.

'Twas the night before X-mas Eve....

2011-12-23T09:40:00.000-06:00

'Twas the night before X-mas Eve
And all through my house
Every creature was stirring,
Especially the Dog

The stockings were hung, wait what stockings?
We have no stockings here...

Anyway, enough of that. It's the day before Christmas Eve and it's supposed to be FO Friday and I'm supposed to be showing you Little Man's blanket.

Tough.

It's not done.

I know, I know...I had these grand plans to knit at least five rows every day and I'd be finished by today. I worked on it, I really did! I just didn't do the required five rows every day...and now I'm still about a full repeat (24 rows), plus the extra rows (14 or 16 or something like that), plus the border rows (20 rows, I think). It just didn't happen. I got the hats finished and then I became enamored with Ancestry and doing that and I kind of forgot that I could knit.

Oops.

So, the blanket isn't finished. It'll get finished...hopefully soon. We'll see.

Sorry.

FO Fri....wait, nope...

2011-12-16T15:24:00.000-06:00

Normally, Fridays would be all about FOs and while I do have an FO, I haven't uploaded photos and you've kind of already seen it (I added the earflaps and i-cord ties to the hat for Sweet Girl)...so that's no fun.

I have something completely different today. Today, it's all about genealogy in my house (note: if you don't want to read about genealogy, then you can stop right **now**).

A couple of months ago, I was perusing a lovely site called Find A Grave and updating information (specifically, my mother's information and her parents' information). I decided to do a search on my grandma's parents, James Edward Johnston and Martha Louise (Fagerlind) Johnston. I was connected to their sites and gained a host of information, including information about their parents, grandparents, some siblings, etc. I also contacted the person that supplied the information, Joe Johnston, asking if he knew more about the families because, well, I was interested.

Turns out that one set of his great-great grandparents are a set of my great-great-great grandparents: Rachael (Smith) Johnston and Joseph A. Johnston.

So, did he have information? Oh yes...tons. We've been e-mailing back and forth now for a couple of weeks with information and pictures and websites and all of that. Yesterday, when I picked up the mail, there was an envelope from Joseph Johnston from Libby, MT. The envelope contained two copies from newspapers in the Eau Claire, WI area, the Dunn County News (which is still in existence, actually).

The first one is an obituary for my great-great grandfather, John Abner Johnston, from the Dunn County News on March 3, 1941. It reads:

John A. Johnston, son of Joe and Rachel Johnston, was born at Dry Wood, Penn., in 1858 and died at the age of 83 years. He was united in marriage to Lydia White in 1883 who proceeded him in death four years ago. Nine children were born to this union, Lafe [Lafayette, maybe Lafyette], Eau Claire; John, Banks, ND; Cole, Leve [unknown city, can't read the copy very well]; Pearl, Mrs. Nels [Nelson] Taylor, Eau Claire; James, Eau Claire, Hazel, Mrs. Joe Reidinger, Eau Claire; Bernie [Burney], Durand; Margaret, Mrs. Ray Myres [Meyers], Eau Claire; Charlie, Hammond, Ind; one sister, Ann Hoig, White Fish, Mont., 29 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends also survive.

Funeral services were held Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. at the Downsville M. E. church. Burial made in the Downsville cemetery. Rev. Chas. H. Butcher, pastor of Wesleyan Methodist church of Eau Claire, officiated.

There are a few "funny" things with this. The obituary says he was born in 1858 but the headstone says 1857. Based on the fact that he was 83 when he passed in March 1941 and the fact that he was born in December, it would appear that the headstone is correct. However, I know record keeping wasn't anyone's strong point in the mid-1800s so it's possible that he really was born in 1858 and the newspaper got his age incorrect. It's not like I can go back and ask anyone because, let's be honest, anyone that would know absolutely 100% for sure has long since passed away.

Anyway, moving on...

The second thing was a copy about my great-great-great grandmother, Rachael (Smith) Johnston's accident and subsequent death from the Dunn County News, October 10, 1890. It reads:

Fatal Accident

Last Saturday, Oct. 4, Mrs. Joseph Johnson [Johnston], whose home is a couple of miles south of Downsville, met a violent death in Eau Claire. She had gone to that city by team to visit a married daughter, Mrs. Schutte [Mary Emma (Johnston) Schuette]. While passing along the street the horses became frightened and ran away. Mrs. Johnson [Johnston], in attempting to jump from the wagon, fell beneath the wheels and sustained injuries from which she died in a few hours. The remains were brought to Downsville and interred on Wednesday of this week. The deceased was about seventy years old.

Mrs. Schuette accompanied the remains to Downsville and on Tuesday was the victim of another accident caused by the runaway of the same team that wrought her mother's death. She was thrown from the wagon, a collar bone and a rib broken. Dr. Reed was called and reduced the fractures and the lady is no rapidly progressing toward recovery.

Because this is such an old article, I'll translate it into the very short version: Rachael (Smith) Johnston, approximately seventy years old, went to visit her daughter, Mary Emma (Johnston) Schuette in Eau Claire. She hooked up the horse team to the wagon and off she went. While she was out and about, something spooked the horses who decided to run off. In her attempt to jump from the wagon to avoid (further) injury, the wagon rolled over her and she died as a result of her injuries.

Old articles like this are kind of amusing to read, if only because they're so full of flowery language. I guess people wanted to know the extra details back then (like my great-great-great aunt Mary Emma also being thrown by the same horse team). *sigh* Whatever, it makes for interesting stories for me.

Let me tell you more about Rachael (Smith) Johnston and her husband, Joseph A. Johnston...because I can :)

Joseph A. Johnston was born in either 1823 or 1824 somewhere in either Elk or Cameron County, Pennsylvania. I've heard from other distant family members (in the Johnston line) that he was born in Gibson Township, PA which is actually a township in Cameron County (which is the county directly east of Elk County). Of course, counties changed borders, just like states did and it's quite possible that at the time of his birth, Gibson Township was in Elk County because Cameron County may not have existed. I'll have to dig into that. Anyway...he was born, probably at home, the nearest large city being either Harrisburg or Allentown, both a good distance away, especially if you were traveling by horse and buggy, as they would have been at that time. There is a possibility that his parents were named William and Sarah (Clark) Johnston and were living in Buffalo Township, Washington County, PA in 1850 with their son, Joseph (aged 25 years), daughters Sarah A. (aged 26) and Mary (aged 23). At that time, William was 72 years old (which would have put his birth around 1778) and Sarah was 61 years old (which would have put her birth around 1789). However, at this time, more research is needed to determine if this is, in fact, the correct family. It may not be.

In 1860, Joseph A. Johnston is living in Gibson Township, Elk County (Cameron County), PA with his wife, Rachael (Smith) Johnston. Joseph is listed as being 31 years old at that time but that cannot be correct. He would have to be 36 years old, at least, based on his birthday...or his birthday is wrong and he was actually born in 1829 or 1830. I'm going to have to look into that a little more closely. My guess is that someone doing the transcription did not hear correctly or the year of Joseph's birth is incorrect or whoever transcribed the age had difficulty reading the numbers on the census page (this comes from census information). Rachael is listed as being 25 years old in 1860 and having four children living at home: sons William (8 years), Joseph C. (6 years), and John A. (4 years - the one in the obituary from above), and daughter, Gillette J. (2 years). The children are listed under the surname of Barker, which may have been William's middle name. In 1860, Joseph is a farmer and his land is worth approximately $200.

Rachael (Smith) Johnston, on the other hand, was supposedly born in approximately 1820 to George Washington Smith and Elizabeth (Overturf) Smith (based on the obituary article from 1890). Whether that is the actual year or not I am unsure about at this time. If the information from the 1860 census is correct, then Rachael was actually born in 1835...but I cannot imagine that she is a full decade (or more) younger or older than her husband, especially if the obituary article is correct and she was approximately seventy in 1890. I imagine that she was actually 25 1860 considering that their oldest child, William, was 8 years old in 1860...so Rachael would have been 17 years old when he was born which, while somewhat improbable, is more likely than her having been 32 years old, having her oldest child.

Anyway, sometime between 1860 and 1870, the Johnstons moved to Dunn County, Wisconsin, specifically to Dunn Township. Joseph is listed as being 40 years old, Rachael 36 years (I'm just going to go with these numbers as being "correct," for my own sanity). From an obituary from Rachael's family, it sounds like the Johnstons moved to Wisconsin soon after the Civil War, in 1866. Living with them are their children: William (18 years old), Joseph C. (16), John A. (15), Gillette (listed as "Jane," which was her middle name, 12 years old), Emma (Mary Emma, 9 years), Elizabeth (6), and Jeremiah (2 years). They're still farming; the farm being worth approximately $600.

By the next census, 1880, their oldest son, William, and, apparently, John have moved out of the house but the rest of the children are still living at home. Joseph is listed as being 55 (seriously, he aged 15 years in the span of 10? I don't think so; he was more likely 50 years old), and Rachael is listed as 47 (which would be correct). The children living in the house are: Joseph C. (26), Jane (Gillette Jane, 22 years), Emma (Mary Emma, 18 years), Elizabeth (15), Jeremiah (12), Thomas (9), Jacob (7), and James (4). Rachael's younger brother, Alonzo Smith, is also living with them (29 years).

Joseph supposedly dies in 1885 but more research is needed to find out for sure. Rachael dies in 1890 and although the newspaper article says she's close to 70 years old, I suspect that she's closer to 57 years old.

I'm going to have to get a subscription to Ancestry and do a bit more research about this. It's a lot of information and it makes me think more and more about my family. I'm rather disconnected from most of my family, actually. I mean, my mom's immediate family are all gone so I have to rely on great-aunts and great-uncles and second (and fourth and sixth and third and gazillionth) cousins for information. It's disheartening. I do not want Little Man to go through not knowing his family...but it's going to happen anyway. *sigh*

The next time I discuss my family roots, I'll discuss John Abner Johnston and his wife, Lydia (White) Johnston.

FO Friday........

2011-12-09T01:00:00.037-06:00

Sometimes, I just amaze myself. I have TWO Finished Objects to show off this week...I'm so proud of myself :)

The specifics:
Pattern: None...based the stitch count and decreases on the Madison hat
Yarn: Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Superwash in Navy
Needles: US #8 DPNs
Size: Well, since there wasn't really a pattern, I can say whatever I want...but it's made for my BIL so I'm going to say "Adult" for size
Modifications: Again, since there really isn't a pattern, there aren't really any modifications...right?

This is my BIL's Christmas present. I made it in less two days. I started it on Saturday and finished it on Monday night. I'm rather amazed with myself. The color, however, is not represented properly in this photo. I took it with my iPhone and it was only lamp lighting...not the best. It turned out brighter in the photograph than it actually is. Also, this isn't blocked...I just wanted to get the photo done. Oh well...

But, FO Friday gets even better...

The specifics...
Pattern: Basic Sock Pattern (Universal Top-Down Sock) from Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Sock Book
Yarn: Sami Merino by Creatively Dyed Yarns in Dark
Needles: US #2 DPNs (Blackthorn)
Size: Um......I can't find the book so I'm going to go with Women's Medium because that sounds right
Modifications: I went up to a US #2 instead of using the US #1 that the pattern called for...if I were going to make these again, I'd use #1s because they turned out a little too large. I even did a gauge swatch. ::sigh::

When I purchased this yarn at Knit-In 2010, I knew it would become socks. I didn't anticipate that they would take me almost a year to make. I started the socks in January of 2011 and I finished on Monday night. Seriously, eleven months to make socks? That's just silly...I think I'm getting better. I screwed up the kitchener stitch on the second sock because I, apparently, don't read directions. It's not horrible and it got the job done but, basically, the kitchner is inside out. Also, these look weird because they're not washed or blocked. I'll take a better picture once I get them washed and put on the sock blockers.

Anyway, that's FO Friday for you :) For more FO Friday fun, go visit Tami's blog...

Pearl Harbor: 70 Years Later

2011-12-07T13:25:00.000-06:00

Seventy years ago on this date, Pearl Harbor was bombed.

Seventy years ago on this date, my grandfather, Roland Arthur Zerbel, was in the navy on a ship out in the Pacific Ocean. He was about twenty-one or twenty-two years old.

Twenty years ago on this date, I was eleven years old and it was the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. My mother said that I should call my grandpa and ask him about it because he was there. So, not knowing what I was getting into and wishing to God now that I had paid a bit more attention then, I called my grandpa and asked him about Pearl Harbor.

For those of you that are not familiar with WWII history from the US standpoint, Pearl Harbor is located on the southern coast of island of O'ahu in the state of Hawai'i. It is the best place to anchor huge battleships in not only the Hawai'ian Islands, but the whole of the Pacific Ocean. And it was ours. Granted, Hawai'i was still just a US Territory at the time, but it had an US Air Force base and, obviously, naval ships. It is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the city of Honolulu, now the capital of Hawai'i. Pearl Harbor is the reason the US got involved in WWII and we were fighting against the Japanese. The whole deal about the US troops liberating concentration camps in Europe and storming the beach at Normandy, France were secondary to the Japanese. In fact, the US Government had no idea about the concentration camps until they ran into them while storming across Europe and wondered, "WTF is this?!"

I could get into the logistics for why the Japanese felt it necessary to bomb the hell out of us at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 but let's just say our sanctions against Japan caused it and we pretty much deserved it. You cannot choke someone and not expect them to fight back.

But, back to twenty years ago and an eleven year old me asking my grandfather, then in his early 70s, about his experience of Pearl Harbor. My grandfather was in the navy and had been stationed at Pearl Harbor in December 1941. I wish I had paid more attention to my grandfather's story but what I remember him clearly telling me this: his ship left Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941 because they realized the planes on the radar were coming from the wrong direction to be the supply ships that were supposed to be coming from California. They tried to warn the other ships in the area, telling them to look at the radar: there was no way that planes flying in from the west could be the planes from California because California is not to the west of Hawai'i.

His ship was one day out of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed it on December 7, 1941. He survived because of that.

Whether his ship left under orders or without orders, I do not know. Whether any other ship listened and left with them, I do not know.

My grandfather died in August 2002. He was in his early 80s. We never spoke of Pearl Harbor again after the discussion we had in 1991. Now that I've been doing my family research, I wish I had asked him more about Pearl Harbor and his time in the navy. I hope to ask my step-grandmother more about it, she knew him much better than I ever did.

And, as a side note, she was only eleven or so when the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred...about the same age I was when I asked him about it.

WIP Wednesday

2011-12-07T01:00:00.049-06:00

It's Wednesday and that means that it's time for another installment of WIP Wednesday. Last week, we briefly touched on the fact that my collection of WIPs hadn't changed, except, perhaps, in length.

Little Man's blanket still isn't finished. I did the math on it and I figure I have somewhere between 80-85 rows left before it's finished. That translates to maybe 10-15 hours worth of work, not including washing and blocking...I'm a slow knitter, sue me. Maybe not that long. I don't know...

My Icarus Shawl hasn't been touched. It used to sit on a side table in my living room. When we did some cleaning when Little Man became mobile, it was shoved into a bag and kind of disappeared for awhile. I found it on Monday afternoon. That doesn't mean I pulled it out...but I'm aware of where it's hiding.

Little Man's Giraffe is still in hiding. I know where it is but I haven't bothered to pull it out. I think it's going to hibernate in the closet for a couple of months...or weeks...whatever. I know where it is and that's important.

I started the second sock of my Skyp Socks...I'm only on the twelfth row so there's nothing interesting to photograph. Sorry.

The Traveling Vines Socks are still somewhere in the house...haven't found them. I'm pretty sure they're in a project bag of some sort which gives me a general idea but I haven't dug them out.

Also........the startitis got to me. I started another sock yesterday. It's not based on a pattern of any sort...I just know how many I need to cast on and I went from there. Oops.

But, I did finish some things.......you're going to have to wait until Friday to see those, though :)

For more WIP Wednesdays, visit Tami's blog.

I must apologize for being boring and without photos...my iPhoto hasn't been uploading properly so I can't even show you new photos of Little Man. *sigh*

Manic Monday (Maniac Monday?)

2011-12-05T05:00:00.002-06:00

It's just another Manic Monday (whoa-a-whoa...I wish it were a........wait, no I don't wish it were Sunday).

Anyway, it's Monday and you know what that means! Oh, you don't? Oops. I guess I don't either. So, it's Monday and let's recap what's been going on in my world, just because I can.

If you remember this post, you'll realize that I've not been doing enough knitting. The WIP Wednesday post hasn't changed in a couple of weeks, except that I've finished Sweet Girl's hat and Husband's SIL's hat (Sweet Girl's mom). I'm still in the midst of my BIL's hat (which is just a plain beanie, using the same stitch count and decrease as the aforementioned hats) and Little Man's blanket. I'm hoping that I'll have the blanket finished before Christmas but that might not happen. We'll see. The hat will probably be finished in time for another FO Friday post...this week.

If you remember this post or this post, you'll realize I have been doing some cleaning. It's not going as well as I had hoped but it's a start. I had planned to clean in the office some more yesterday but a migraine that wouldn't quit basically put me in bed all day (Husband played with Little Man so I could get some more sleep). By the time I had started feeling better, it was a little too late to be digging around in the office and Little Man would have been really upset with me if I left him to go clean. So, I played with Little Man, instead...and it was totally worth it. Perhaps I'll get around to some more cleaning in the office while Little Man naps today. Or I'll work on putting things up on Freecycle or Craigslist...or both.

In other random events, I've been having startitis with knitting. I have things to finish but all I can do is dream about my next project(s). I've gotten a couple of things I've ordered (Knit Picks, The Plucky Knitter) and a few things I purchased from members on Ravelry (more yarn)...and having gone through some of my fiber and yarn, I keep thinking of what I want to do next. I haven't started anything (yet) because I'd like to have more of a "game plan" for my knitting, so to speak. Bob knows I don't need any more yarn so I'd like to start planning what to do with the yarn I have in my stash. I have plenty of things in my Ravelry queue and plenty of the yarn to do it...plus I'm planning to start the Master's Knitting courses through The Knitting Guild Association. I'm going to have to have a little sit-down with my queue and yarn and plan some things out. The idea originally comes from the Yarn Harlot and her self-imposed sock-of-the-month project but I'm not going to limit it to just socks and I'm allowing myself more than a month to complete a project. I just don't have the time to knit like I want and I think I would add undue stress into my life by trying to force myself to finish a project every month.

Speaking of undue stress, my tenant (and knitting friend) called about the washer at my condo. It decided to take a shit. Sorry, but that's what it did. The technical term is "stopped spinning." I guess I shouldn't complain as it's almost 20 years old and is the product that put Maytag into bankruptcy years ago...but it means we have to get a new washer for the condo. Husband ordered one from Home Depot. It's nothing fancy...but they can't deliver it until January 3rd. Seriously, a month?! I feel bad about it but there's nothing I can do short of renting a trailer and driving to the warehouse (which is Bob only knows where) to pick it up myself. But, it gets better...not only did her washer crap out, but so did ours! I was doing Little Man's laundry the other day (Friday, probably) and went to switch it over only to find the door locked, the washer off, and when I finally got the door unlocked and open (which took some finagling with starting and stopping the machine a couple of times), I found that all his stuff was sopping wet. There was also quite a bit of water in the machine. So, I tried to get it to spin out by putting it on a spin cycle and it wouldn't spin. I could hear it trying to spin but it wouldn't go. So, I had to haul out Little Man's sopping wet clothes, take them into the utility bathroom and wring them out, then throw them back in the washer. I was finally able to get it to start spinning after I had pre-wrung over half the load. I was not happy. This isn't the first time I've found laundry like this but I was able to get the machine to spin out, at least. This time, I had to fight it. I don't know if it's because it wasn't as full as it usually is or if it's just being a pile. We're having someone come look at it tomorrow morning. I'm hoping that it's nothing huge and that we don't have to replace it already (though, if we do have to replace it, we're getting a top-loader; I hate this front-load business). So, two washers that aren't working.

*sigh*

Anyway, I think that's all that's going on in my world. Perhaps I'll have a WIP Wednesday project (or two) to show...or not. We'll see.

From the depths of the office....

2011-12-03T22:08:00.000-06:00

Husband got a bug in his pants a few days ago: we should clean out the office...and I mean totally empty. Little Man's room is too cold in the winter (southeast side of the house) and the office is warmer and right next to our room and...you get the idea.

For normal people, this probably isn't a big deal. I mean, there's probably a desk, chair, maybe a table with craft supplies, a bookshelf (or two or three, complete with books), and other officey-type things. It might have a couple piles of paperwork or some crafting supplies out but is otherwise neat and orderly.

Yeah, not my office.

My office is the pit. It's been a dumping ground since we moved in here almost 3 years ago. And prior to that, it was a pit because my grandparents didn't use it for much of anything except a dumping ground...but when Little Man was born, it got really bad. Prior to his birth, I had actually gotten it into something of a slightly useable space. I could, at least, get to the desk and do things on it and get to the bookshelf. I had a pile of boxes of things I was willing to get rid of. Once he was born, it turned into the room where we threw everything when we didn't know where to put it or we needed to get it out of the way immediately.

Most recent additions to the office include a couple of bags of yarnyfiber things, my spinning wheel, and the coffee table from the living room (which is octagonal and has an approximate diameter of four feet). Let's keep in mind that there were other things added to the room before those, like all my purchases from Stitches Midwest (which can be found in this post) and Wisconsin Sheep & Wool, boxes of collectibles, things that were already there, a sewing machine, a bookshelf, the desk with my desktop computer (which hasn't been used in quite some time), a huge laser printer, and a bunch of random officey things. It was a very full room and it's not a big room so it looks even more full because the room is so small. *sigh*

Anyway, Husband has this grand idea to clean out the office and move Little Man's bedroom. He doesn't know how to help me, though, because it's all my crap...he'll help me move the desk and the big stuff but going through everything is kind of my deal.

So, what did I do today? I plunged into the office and started going through boxes, throwing things out, deciding what to donate, deciding what to put on Freecycle, deciding what to sell on Craigslist, deciding what I needed to keep (or should keep or wanted to keep)...I actually got a fair amount done. Sadly, the room doesn't look any better...it just looks like more of a mess. I hauled out two full bins of yarn and a full bin of fiber (and another bag)...I have a couple of boxes of stuff to put on Freecycle and a box to take to St. Vinny's and a couple of boxes of things to sell.........it's just a mess.

I feel better, though. It needs to get done and if this is the push I need, then so be it.

But, let's keep it real: I hate cleaning. It sucks.

FO Friday....and there's something to show!

2011-12-02T01:00:00.045-06:00

Happy Friday :)

In the world of Knitting, Fridays are known as Finished Object Fridays or FO Fridays. I don't know what's been going on but for the second week in a row, I actually have something to show for a FO Friday.

Sometimes, I just amaze myself.

Pattern: Madison by Becca Sheffler
Yarn: Nashua Handknits: Creative Focus Superwash in Sky Blue
Needles: US #8 DPNs and my little cable needle
Size: Child (even though it's for an adult)
Modifications: I made the child size but made it longer to fit an adult...the child size is just that big...or maybe it's because I didn't do a gauge (again).

So, this hat is the second in a series of three, the first one being this one. The third one is going to be the same pattern in the Navy Blue that you see in the stripes of the first one.

But, about this one...this one is for Carol, Husband's SIL. She has no idea that she's getting it and I highly doubt that she's going to find this blog. So, she's getting a hat. My BIL is getting a hat (the aforementioned one in Navy Blue that I haven't made yet). Sweet Girl is getting a hat (the first one). I think it's a good deal...especially since no one knows they're getting a hat, though Carol knows that Sweet Girl is getting something handknit.

For more FO Fridays, go visit Tami's Amis and Other Creations.

WIP Wednesday...repeat?

2011-11-30T10:22:00.001-06:00

Another Wednesday, another dollar...or something.

Anyway, it's WIP Wednesday in my world but I can't say that much has changed since last week. I finished my second Madison hat so that's the only thing that changed...and Little Man's blanket is a little bit longer. That means I'm going to have a post on Friday for FO Friday :)

So, no pictures, no changes, just another WIP Wednesday.

In other random events, I'm putting some of Husband's CDs into my iTunes because, well, I can. He has everything into "The Collective" (my iTunes, his iTunes, and a couple of friends' iTunes) but I haven't figured out how to take things from the collected iTunes and put them on my devices unless they're already in my iTunes. So, I'm putting some things into my iTunes so I can put them on my devices. And I might add some of my CDs that I haven't put in yet (like my soundtracks and other things like that). We'll see.

Oh, and on the housecleaning front, no progress.

Oops.

For more WIP Wednesday love, visit Tami's Amis and Other Creations

I Wish My House Would Clean Itself.......

2011-11-28T15:37:00.000-06:00

It's Monday here in my neck of the woods (world?)...early afternoon, actually, and I've done almost nothing to show for the day.

The Yarn Harlot blogged today about several things but one thing that stuck out to me was about her war with her house (read: cleaning from top to bottom). She was able to clean her house top to bottom in one day...seriously, ONE (okay, she didn't do the office...but the rest of the house was done in one day)! As she said, she wasn't just vacuuming and dusting shelves...she was pulling books off shelves and cleaning them off (and donating books she was no longer in love with along the way), pulling furniture away from walls to vacuum under things and clean off baseboards, going through closets of clothes for donations, scrubbing floors, washing duvet covers, and a bunch of other things.

I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous.

It's not that my house is dirty...but it's extremely disorganized and messy and overwhelming. There are so many reasons for this but the basic reason is this: I inherited two fully furnished households worth of stuff (and the houses to go with them). I have/had doubles (triples, quadruples, and sometimes more than that) of everything...not to mention the stuff that I accumulated through the last decade (when I inherited the first fully furnished house) and the stuff Husband brought and the new stuff for Little Man.

It wasn't that the house wasn't clean when we started...it was, I promise. But then we started opening up drawers and cupboards and looking in dressers and closets and, well, things had to get moved around. Pretty soon, the house was a disaster area.

Some rooms are fine, albeit a little messy, like the living room, kitchen, dining room, and our bedroom & bathroom. Other rooms are strictly off-limits to everyone except those with special passes like my office, the porch (which is almost done), and the basement. I wish I could clean this almost 3,000 sq. ft. house from top to bottom in one day...but I don't think I could, even if it was clean to begin with.

So, am I jealous of the Yarn Harlot's ability to clean her entire house, top to bottom, in one day? Um...........yes. Just a little bit.

Black Friday & Master Knitting

2011-11-26T12:56:00.000-06:00

We survived the proverbial Black Friday in our house. For those of you that are from Canada, the UK or, really, anywhere that isn't the United States, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a national holiday that's intended to show thanks for what we have, what we've received, and, essentially to be thankful for everything we have. It's origins are traced to the Pilgrims of Massachusetts in 1621, supposedly...but there's evidence of Thanksgiving celebrations 60-70 years prior to that. But, that's kind of the point of Thanksgiving now...

Anyway, Black Friday is the supposed first "big shopping" day of the holiday season. There are many origins of Black Friday but the one that seems to be most common (and most supported) is in Philadelphia in 1966 when the police department started calling the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday," not as a term of endearment, though. What it meant was the Christmas shopping season opened at the city center and caused a number of traffic problems. The term still hadn't caught on until sometime after 1985. How it became a huge shopping day has it's origins in the Philadelphia story but what happened is some genius in some marketing department somewhere decided that they should have all these great deals on the Friday after Thanksgiving, things that some people will want and will bring them out to the stores. That caught on. And then retailers started opening earlier and earlier, having more and more deals, originally opening at 6am, then 5am, sometimes 4am. This year, places opened at midnight...and some places, like WalMart, started their deals Thanksgiving night or were open on Thanksgiving, as was the case with Sears.

Funnily enough, Black Friday is not the biggest shopping day of the holiday season. That day is still December 24 (Christmas Eve)...why people wait until the very last minute to do all their holiday shopping is beyond me but, I'm also the person that starts in September or October and, if I'm knitting, earlier than that.

But, I digress...

Black Friday in this household generally means stay at home, play video games, and be lazy from Turkey Hangover. This year was different, however. Well, so was last year but that's because we had a two-week old Little Man and Husband got up early and went and bought a nice, new, shiny, leather recliner for us...but this year was different, too. Husband went to WalMart at midnight after we stuffed ourselves silly with turkey, stuffing, cranberries, creamed corn, etc. His intention was simple: buy a Cisco Valet wireless N router for $25...or maybe two. These things usually cost $100 each so this is a deal. One of my friends has a business and she has internet and a netbook...and she keeps getting viruses on her netbook because she hooks it directly into the internet. Antivirus can only do so much and it's never enough. So, she needs a router (and many of you probably do, too - go buy one!)...and we knew she'd forget to go get one so Husband went and bought two. That wasn't so bad. He came home and went to bed after that and that was that.

But, yesterday we decided we were going to drive down to Schaumburg (Chicago) to go to Ikea. Little Man needs an overhead light in his room and we saw one when we were there last time that we really liked...but they don't ship those for some silly reason (probably because shipping is incredibly expensive). They were also having a deal on a kids' easel chalkboard ($10 when it's usually $20) which we thought would be good for Little Man. So, down to Chicago we go...and while we're there, we'll visit Husband's family (cousins on his mom's side). We drove to Glen Ellyn, where the family lives, visited with them for awhile and took the kids, 24 year old Erik and 22 year old Kellyn, and the grandkid, 8 month old JJ, and went to Fry's Electronics and out to lunch.

If you've never been to a Fry's Electronics, it's.....well, it's an odd store. It's clean and organized and nice like Best Buy or Target but it's all electronics and I don't mean just TVs and computers and speakers...it has random things like electric cord finders and different types of wall jacks and different types of motherboards and cords and toys and DVDs and games and....it's just crazy. We only bought a couple of things: a screwdriver set for me and one for Husband at work, and an Apple TrackPad (i.e., wireless laptop mouse) for use in the living room. We have a MacMini Server hooked up to the TV in the living room for watching DVDs and internet videos that aren't YouTube and I needed some way to be able to run it. Erik was looking out for a good deal on a new 32" flatscreen for his bedroom (didn't find any to his liking) and Kellyn just needed to get out of the house with JJ for awhile.

After lunch, we dropped Erik off at home and the rest of us went to Ikea and Joe's Crab Shack. We bought the aforementioned lights: the sun (that's for the overhead), the moon (for one wall), and three stars (for the other wall). We also picked up some new pots for the kitchen (our old ones, also from Ikea, are showing their age) for us, and a stuffed broccoli, a six-pack each of tumblers and plates, an 18-piece flatware set, a leaf canopy and a play tunnel for Little Man...and maybe a couple other random things that I'm not thinking of right now. And then, off to Joe's Crab Shack :)

Overall, it was a pretty good day, even if people in the interstate were a bunch of idiots...it could have been worse. And considering he didn't have a good nap, Little Man was very well-behaved for most of the day. He got a little crabby in line at Ikea but other than that, he was fine.

And now for something completely different.......

I'm a member of The Knitting Guild Association as of 2011 Stitches Midwest. They're the ones that produce Cast On Magazine, among other things. They have quarterly (?) newsletters, free patterns for members, links for TKGA retailers, education, and local guilds, and loads of other things.

One of the things they have are correspondence knitting classes and master knitting classes (also correspondence). I've decided that it's time to learn some of the things I've been avoiding like the plague (two-color knitting, for example), things I just don't do very well (blocking and seaming), and things that I could learn to do better (gauge swatches, picking yarn for projects). So, I'm ordering the "Learn to Knit" class and the "Basics, Basics, Basics" class.

I don't think the first one is going to be too difficult. Obviously, I know how to knit but there are some things I just don't know and haven't bothered to learn, though I really should. The lesson includes things like knitting tools & abbreviations, casting on and holding the yarn, English/American style, German/Continental style, knit stitch, purl stitch, stockinette stitch, seed stitch, ribbing, twisted stitches, correcting dropped stitches, increasing (bar increase, M1, lifted increase), decreasing (k2tog, ssk, SKP or s1 k1 psso), yarn overs, gauge, useful tips (like joining new balls, what to do with those pesky tails, and blocking), and instructions for making swatches for committee review (which I'll need for the Master Knitting Classes down the line).

The "Basics, Basics, Basics" class may be a little more difficult as it's three lessons instead of one. The first one covers casting on, increasing, and binding/casting off. The second lesson is about decreasing specifically and the third lesson is about gauge and stitch pattern writing.

Once these two are finished, I'll probably look into the "Mosaic Knitting" class (which is six lessons and will include making a full sweater). Once that's finished, the "Professional Finishing Techniques" class (which is four lessons and also requires knitting a sweater), and then the "Swatch to Sweater" (which, again, requires knitting a sweater). Once all those are done, it's on to the actual Master Knitter Classes...there are three of those but you can't even purchase the next one until you finish the one preceding it.

How long is this going to take me? Perhaps several sunlit days...or years. Whatever works. It just feels like something I should do...so I'm going to start doing it :)

Anyway, I think that's about all that's going on...I should get knitting :)

FO Friday

2011-11-25T01:00:00.066-06:00

It's Friday and it means it's time for another installment of FO Friday :) For once, I actually have something to show on FO Friday! And I can do it without fear that the recipient will find it (though, her mother may).

Okay, so it's not mine...it fits my head!

Pattern: Madison by Becca Sheffler
Yarn: Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Superwash in......Navy and Sky Blue (I think)
Needles: US #8 DPNs (5) and my little cable needle
Size: Child as it's for my niece...but it might be too big around and not long enough, even though I had gauge and followed the pattern...
Modifications: I made a striped version. I'm planning to add earflaps and i-cord ties (probably in the navy blue) because it's not quite long enough to fully cover the ears and it does get cold and snowy in our Nation's Capital.


Extreme close-up!

It has slight cabling, nothing too extreme. I did mess up a teensy bit on the striping but only because I switched colors a needle too early and wound up forgetting a cable section when I switched colors. Oops. It's not that noticeable and I doubt that anyone aside from a knitter would notice it. I know it's there and it's not like I could rip back and somehow fix it because I had already cut the yarn and didn't notice until I was around to it again. Oh well.

It's intended for Husband's niece, Sweet Girl. We're flying out to Washington DC to see them for Christmas and I figured I better have something for her since there's no way I'm going to have her hippo finished by then (or even started, as the case may be). So, I made her this hat :)

The plan is to knit two more: one in the sky blue (the one from WIP Wednesday) and one in the navy blue for Sweet Girl's parents for Christmas. We'll see if I get that far. As it stands, I might be knitting the child size for both the parents, too because this one almost fits me. We shall see. Originally, I was going to make Sweet Girl's hat just in the Sky Blue but I decided, after conferring with Husband, that her's should be the stripes. Her mom (Husband's SI) is getting the Sky Blue, and my BIL (Husband's brother) is getting the Navy. I'm still debating whether or not I'm going to make the same hat for my BIL...I might just make him a plain beanie but we'll see how the Sky Blue one turns out (i.e., if it's too "girly").

Anyway, for more FO Friday posts, visit Tami's Amis and Other Creations!

WIP Wednesday.....again :)

2011-11-23T01:00:00.083-06:00

I have a feeling that this is going to be a picture-free post, except maybe a gratuitous photo of Little Man.

But, it's Wednesday and that means it's WIP Wednesday yet again. Here's what I've got on needles...

1. Sadly, not much has changed, except the size of Little Man's blanket. I'm still working on it and I might even have it done by Christmas but, it really doesn't look any different than it did last week.

Pattern: Eventually, it'll be called "Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket" but, for right now, it doesn't have an actual title because there's no actual pattern (yet).
Yarn: Knitting Worsted from Brown Sheep in a seafoam green color...though I don't know the official colorway name. Knitting Worsted is the precursor to Lamb's Pride and is, essentially, the same...except it doesn't have the mohair.
Needles: US #6 Addi Turbos....either 24" or 32" circulars (I suspect I'm using 32" but I haven't bothered to actually check)
Size: Baby but when I write the pattern, I'll include instructions about how to make it wider & longer (not that it'd be difficult to figure out)
Modifications: Um...none? It's my pattern :)

2. I've also got my Basic Socks on needles. Again, I haven't touched them...but, here's the specifics on those.

Pattern: Universal Top-Down Socks from Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Sock Book
Yarn: Sami Merino by Creatively Dyed Yarns in "Dark" (which, just for reference, is neon green)
Needles: US #2 Blackthorn DPNs...I think.
Size: One-size, I believe...though if/when I make these again, I'll probably go down a needle size.
Modifications: None that I know of

3. I don't know if I can call this an actual WIP because, really, it's hibernating...it's in a bag somewhere and who knows when I'll get around to it but, I guess I can count it: my Icarus Shawl.

Pattern: Icarus Shawl by Miriam Felton
Yarn: Wistful by Briar Rose
Needles: US #6 Addi Turbos....I think they're 32" circulars (I'm more sure of that than I am for the blanket)
Size: One-size, I believe...
Modifications: I'm using a worsted weight and larger needles than the pattern calls for and I expect that once it's finished, I'll have a much larger shawl.

4. Another project that's kind of hibernating...and I'm so close to being finished: Little Man's Giraffe. I'm so close to finishing this...I have to attach the ears, make the spots, make the horns and tail, and do the hair...that's it. The body has the head and legs attached so it's just the little things now.

Pattern: Giraffe by Susan B. Anderson in Itty-Bitty Toys
Yarn: 220 Superwash by Cascade in "Citron" and "Christmas Green" (yes, I'm making a green giraffe for Little Man. Don't judge me!)
Needles: US #6 DPNs...I think. I'm pretty sure...
Size: Whatever size it comes out...it's a toy :)
Modifications: Aside from going up a needle size to get gauge (which is rare) and not using polypellets for some of the stuffing, none.

5. I've got another Madison hat on needles...I might finish it soon. We'll see...

Pattern: Madison by Becca Sheffler
Yarn: Creative Focus Superwash by Nashua Handknits in "Sky Blue"
Needles: US #8 DPNs
Size: Child, actually...again...
Modifications: I'm making a child-sized one for an adult so I'm making it longer than the pattern calls for for the child size.

6. I've still only got one of my Skyp Socks finished...someday, I'll do the second one. I don't normally have SSS (Second Sock Syndrome) so this is kind of a shock to me. I think it's because I've been focusing on Little Man's blanket.

Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku
Yarn: Socks That Rock - Medium by Blue Moon Fiber Arts in the "Chickabiddy" colorway...which is a lot of reds, yellows, and oranges (i.e., not colors you'd normally see me actively wanting to wear)
Needles: US #1 Blackthorn DPNs...I think...I'm pretty sure...
Size: One-size, I believe...
Modifications: None that I can think of...I might have added two rows to the cuff or a pattern repeat to make 50 rows instead of 48...I can't remember. I'll have to look at the first one to be sure

7. I've definitely let this hibernate...and I'll finish it someday, just so I can write the pattern properly: Traveling Vine Socks

Pattern: None, yet...once I've finished the sock, I'll write the pattern properly...maybe.
Yarn: Trekking (XXL) by Zitron in "Blue Bri" colorway...which is leftover from my very first socks.
Needles: US #1 DPNs...I think. I don't remember. I'll have to dig them out and look.
Size: Baby but I have intentions to make child and adult sizes, too.
Modifications: None because there's no official pattern.

So, there you have it for WIP Wednesday. For more WIP Wednesday Madness (and FO Friday Goodness) visit Tami's Amis and Other Creations :)

Oh, and because there are no pictures in this post, I thought I'd share some of Little Man :)

In my Hallowe'en jammies....

My first trip to the play area in the mall :)

The box is my toy, right? Even though the car is cool...it's all about the box!

No Pants Sunday

2011-11-20T12:37:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's Sunday...and that means it's "No Pants Sunday."

But really, we're all wearing pants, except the dog because, well, Puppy just doesn't need to wear pants.

So, what happens on a "No Pants Sunday?" Nothing. That's kind of the point. We sit around, have no plans, and basically do absolutely nothing important. We did make a quick trip up to Best Buy in Madison so we could buy the new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii, which Husband is now playing...well, he's getting it set up so he can play it in the living room. This is good because I've been wanting to play not only the new Zelda, but also my Harry Potter game...and all the other games we have (I need to get good at Mario Kart again and I'd love to play Mario Galaxy some more and I think we have Ghostbusters and a bunch of other games that I like). So, Husband is going to be likely playing Zelda for quite awhile and Little Man *should* be going down for a nap but he's kind of being a puke about it. I can hear him jumping up and down and banging on the side of his crib. I'll probably go get him out of there soon enough, if he doesn't calm down and nap. As long as Little Man is napping, Puppy is in his kennel because he whines otherwise when Little Man is napping. He's kind of stupid like that. He doesn't do it any other time except when Little Man is napping or has to go out for a pee. Silly dog.

And what am I going to do on this "No Pants Sunday?" I'm probably going to knit. I'm going to have something for FO Friday this week! This is a new development as it usually takes me quite awhile to finish anything. But, I have something this week! I don't really want to do much else today so that sounds like a good plan.

How are you spending "No Pants Sunday?"

WIP Wednesday......and there's photos!

2011-11-16T01:00:00.001-06:00

So, it's WIP Wednesday...and I have things to actually show you :)

Several moons ago, I showed you this:

Somewhere in the middle of the second repeat of the pattern...maybe...

As of the end of Knitters' Guild on Monday night, it looks like this:

Somewhere in the middle of the 8th repeat of the pattern...

I'm not sure if I'm going to do 9 full repeats plus the extra rows or 10 full repeats plus the extra rows. You can see my laptop in the background...I was starting this post, actually, when I realized I didn't have any photos so I had to take some :)

With my iPhone case sitting on it for an idea of the size.

Further away, but the color isn't as good.

So, what is this again? It's my Cobblestone Baby Blanket. The yarn is Lamb's Pride by Brown Sheep Yarn Company. When I finish it, I'm going to write up the pattern and send it out to the test knitters. I'll probably be looking to have it tested in finger weight, worsted weight, and bulky weight, with maybe a tester doing sport weight or aran weight (but aran and worsted are so close and sport and fingering are so close that I might skip it). I'm also thinking that I'm going to have at least three testers per weight with at least one doing the pattern as written and at least one doing the pattern with adjustments (to make it bigger/smaller). So, if you're interested in testing this later (like after the holiday season), send me an e-mail or reply to this post with a way to contact you. But, that's how it's going. I think I'll be able to have it finished by Christmas for Little Man.

Oh, but there's another WIP for me to share. Because I don't have enough going on with the aforementioned blanket, I decided that I'm going to knit a hat for my brother-in-law, his wife, and their daughter, mentioned briefly as Sweet Girl. I started Sweet Girl's on Monday night at Knitters' Guild (because I didn't have another skein to work on the blanket and I did have this yarn in my bag).

I'm using Creative Focus Superwash by Nashua for all three hats. Sweet Girl's is going to be the light blue, mom's is going to be a dark blue, and my BIL's is going to be both...stripes :)

Right now, the plan is to make the Madison hat for both Sweet Girl and her mommy and just a plain beanie for my BIL but it kind of depends on how the Madison turns out. If it doesn't look too "girly," I'll make it for my BIL, too. He's an ex-army ranger so I don't want to make him feel too much like a sissy in a handknit hat.

In other WIP Wednesday news, my Basic Socks have not been touched, Little Man's giraffe has not been touched, my Skyp Socks haven't been touched, and my Traveling Vines (the baby socks) haven't been touched.

Oops.

Here are some cute pictures of Little Man to make up for it :)

Turtle....NOM NOM!

Mama! I fell in my toy box! Get me out!

Cheese!

Wearin' mom's hat. I'm stylin'...

That's all I have for WIP Wednesday.....for more WIP Wednesday posts, visit Tami's Amis and Other Creations.

One year ago today....and today....and WIP Wednesday.....

2011-11-09T08:20:00.000-06:00

One year ago today...

One year ago today, I gained someone and I lost someone.

I gained Little Man. He was extracted from my womb, kicking and screaming at approximately 8:10am CDT at Mercy Hospital in Janesville, Wisconsin. The second they placed him near me and I said, "What's all that screamin' about," he immediately stopped. He recognized mommy's voice from the start.

He went from this photograph (which was taken when he was approximately two weeks old)....

to this one, which was taken on Sunday at his first birthday party (please notice the frosting all around his face, hands, and clothing, as well as cake).

He has grown so much. When he was born, he was 7lbs, 3oz and 22" long. As of his doctor appointment last Wednesday with the cardiologist, he was 21lbs, 12oz and just a smidge under 30" long. And let's not forget that in the last year, he has mastered a lot of things including smiling, laughing, rolling over (and off the bed), sitting, crawling, standing, clapping, eating solid foods, picking things up with his pincer grasp, and most recently, toddling around the living room between objects...as well as a bunch of other things.

Sadly, today also marks the day that I lost someone important in my life. Just a mere hour and a half before Little Man was born, my maternal grandmother passed away. She had just turned 84 last September.

This photo was taken probably in early 1981...possibly around Easter (I didn't wear dresses often and I appear to be wearing a fancy dress, not the one I wore at my first Christmas...and I'd also had a haircut by this point). My grandmother, who is holding me, would have been 54 at the time...if it was, indeed, Easter of 1981 (please notice how much Little Man looks like me!).

This photo, on the other hand, was taken the day of my wedding on August 29, 2009 at the nursing home. It's among the last known photographs of her and a very good one. By this point, Alzheimer's had set in to the point that she had no idea who I was (or any of the rest of the family that came to visit that day). But, I had flowers, pretty hair, a pretty dress, and I was talking to her. She didn't seem to mind one little bit.

So, that was on this day last year. Happy first birthday to Little Man.

Today...
Today is another whole story. It's raining outside and will probably be turning to snow sometime within the next couple of hours. We're only supposed to get 2"-4" but that's enough when you're not quite prepared for it. Then again, it's also supposed to melt within the next couple of days. This is the time of year I hate...the cusp between fall and winter. You still have leaves falling off trees, and cool, crisp mornings...but then you have this crap where it rains, freezes, turns to snow, melts, re-freezes, melts, snows, rains, etc. I've never been a fan of this part of the year, only because it prevents travel to places because of the weather. I mean, all winter can do that but the ice is what kills travel for me. Oh well.

Today's plan is to clean off the counters in the kitchen. It's not something I necessarily want to do...but I has to be done before tomorrow. Tomorrow, we've got several people coming to the house to do measurements. We have people coming to measure for our new counters, hence why the counters need to be cleaned off. We have people coming to measure for our new tile in the back entry. This means that Puppy is going to be locked up for awhile tomorrow because of all the people that will be here. He's going to be mad but he's going to have to get over it.

Other than cleaning the counters off, I plan to knit, finish doing my laundry, perhaps look into doing Husband's laundry, and let Little Man have more birthday cake.

WIP Wednesday...
Sadly, I have no photographs to show you of my WIPs...but I can tell you all about them :)

I have my Basic Socks going. I have the first sock finished and am past the heel and gusset decreases on the second sock. I'm using Sami Merino from Creatively Dyed Yarns in Dark colorway (which, in reality, is lime/neon green). They're not difficult...they've just been languishing because of other WIPs that are a bit more important (in my mind). These socks are for MEMEMEMEME! They're a little big but I usually wear pretty socks with another pair under them so the fact that they're a little big doesn't matter.

I also have Little Man's Giraffe going. It's currently sitting in the closet but it's not on time-out. It's just that there are other projects that are more important. All I have left is to attach the ears, finish the spots and horns, make the hair, do the face, and finish attaching everything (the body is put together). I'm looking at probably 5 more hours of work on it. I just haven't had time. I'm using Cascade 220 superwash in two shades of green (are you seeing a trend?).

Thirdly, I have Mama's Simple Skyp Socks going. I have finished the first sock and have not started the second one. I don't generally have "second sock syndrome" or SSS...just something else is getting in the way right now. I'm using BMFA Socks That Rock (Medium) in the Chickabiddy colorway. It's not a color I would have normally picked for myself...lots of reds, yellows, and oranges. But, I figured that I needed to have something to brighten my day once in awhile.

Fourthly, I have my Traveling Vines Socks. They're kind of on a time-out...mostly because I don't have anyone to give them to once they're done. I started these as a companion to a scarf of the same name...I'm actually envisioning a whole series of this with a scarf, socks, a hat, maybe some fingerless mitts or a shawl. I don't know yet. Oh, I should probably mention that I'm the one doing the designing here. Anyway...the scarf has been made, given away, and the pattern modified. I need to re-knit it with the modifications. I did baby socks to test how the pattern would work and where I'd perhaps need to make adjustments. I have the first one finished and am partway through the cuff of the second one. But, like I said, I don't have anyone to give them to. Little Man is way too big for them...and they're kind of girly. Anyway, they're with leftover Zitron Trekking from my first pair of socks.

Lastly, the one that has been getting all the attention: Little Man's Cobblestone Baby Blanket. I started working on this when I was about five or six months pregnant. Well, Little Man is now a year old and I haven't finished it! I figure I'm about 65% finished. Again, this is a pattern of my own design (borrowed stitch patterns from stitch books and mushed them around a bit and woo!) so I'm anal about keeping track of everything from needle size (US #6) to yarn (Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted) to number of rows in the CO/BO (not telling) to number of pattern repeats per row (don't remember) to number of pattern repeats total (not done yet so I don't know)...I've also got gauge and all of that so that when I finish, I can write the pattern normally, send it out for testing, and there it'll be. But, I want it done by Christmas. I had originally hoped for it to be done by Little Man's birthday but, well, that didn't happen. The math works out that if I do, on average, 5 rows every day, I'll have it done by Christmas. If I do 10 rows every day (on average), I could have it done before Christmas with time for it to be washed and blocked and wrapped properly. We'll see.

So, there you have it. For more WIP Wednesdays (and FO Fridays), go visit Tami's Amis and Other Creations!

Little Man's First Birthday Party

2011-11-07T10:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated Little Man's first birthday. His actual birthday isn't until Wednesday but, well, it's kind of hard to have a baby's birthday party in the middle of the week when everyone has to work. So, party yesterday.

We had a house full of people...and most of them were not family. Husband's parents did not attend (and their only excuse is that my father-in-law is having shoulder surgery in a couple weeks and he's in terrible pain...but he's still going to work every day). Husband's sister and her husband did not attend (their reason was that they "had plans"). Whatever. We had the important people here.

Little Man got so much......stuff! Toys, clothes, books. My living room was a disaster area this morning until I put some things away. Some of the toys I don't want in the living room because Little Man has a tendency to share with Puppy and I don't want some of these toys ruined because Puppy got a hold of them. So, there are a bunch that were moved to Little Man's bedroom for the time being.

We started out the day in our Chinese outfit that Art & Mary Rose picked up in San Fancisco (?) last year...long before Little Man could wear it. But he could wear it yesterday. There's actually a hat that goes with it, too, but it was too small. He looked so cute...but he was slippery and he wound up ripping a hole in the pants from crawling around. So, we had to change...

We put on a "Nerds" (candy) shirt and some pants and went to town opening presents. See the box in the background (with the best-selling car in the world on it)? He got that from Husband's brother & sister-in-law. They live in Washington, D.C. but they sent it our way. He's had more fun with the box...but he's a little too small for the car itself. Maybe by spring he'll be good.

Obviously, he likes books as I had a hard time getting this Curious George book away from him. I had to put it up on a high shelf so he doesn't destroy it.

See the pile of stuff? Yeah, that was all for him.

I found that Yoda at Target one day and he kept reaching out for it so I decided to buy it and give it to him for his birthday. He likes Yoda. What can I say?

And what's a party without cake?

When I first handed him his cake, he wasn't quite sure what to do. He kind of messed his fingers in the frosting and kept "clicking" them together...but he wouldn't go near his mouth. He kept looking at me like, "mommy, can I put this in my mouth...is this okay to do?" Finally, he got it.

Apparently, he liked the frosting a whole lot. It was whipped frosting, not buttercream. I don't like buttercream anyway and have always liked whipped cream frosting.

See?

The "family" photo.

Eventually, I fished out some of the cupcake from his butt and gave it to him. He liked that, too, but I think he preferred the frosting...who wouldn't?

Once the party started to wind down, and after Little Man had a good bath, he started to really play with some of his toys. He liked this book. It's a touchy-feely book about puppies and kitties. I think he was more interested in trying to eat the touchy-feely part than touching it...but whatever, he's even holding the book the correct way.

These were some of the stuffed animals he got. There's a stuffed frog, a stuffed polar bear, Yoda, and Liberty Bear. I think he was going after Yoda.

Overall, it was a fantastic day. I still have leftover cake...and sloppy joes...and little weenies...and a fruit tray...and a veggie tray...and a bunch of food. I'm going to be eating good this week :)

In other random events, I didn't finish Little Man's blanket. I did the math and if I do 5 rows every day, I can have it finished by Christmas. If I do 10 rows every day, I can have it done by Christmas, washed, blocked, and dry. So far, I haven't been doing so well. Some days I get 5 rows done, other days I get 10 rows...sometimes more than that, sometimes none at all. We'll see.

Oh, but that's not even the best part. "Best" is a very loose term...we went up to Madison on Saturday to see my nephew (they discovered he had diabetes and it was outrageously out of control) and do some grocery shopping. We left Puppy out because he's usually okay for a couple of hours in the kitchen by himself. Silly me. I had mopped the back entry linoleum and the hardwood floor in the kitchen. When I mop, Puppy doesn't like the smell...so he attacks the flooring. This wouldn't be an issue but we had a chunk missing in the linoleum from moving some fridges out of the basement. Can you already guess what happened? We came home from Madison and Puppy had damn near destroyed the back entry linoleum. We were going to replace it anyway but we were hoping to wait until next summer...we have to replace it almost immediately. We can't leave it because Puppy will just continue to destroy it. So, sometime this week, we're going to go up to Home Depot to look at flooring and installation and all of that. We're already having the counter done within the next few weeks...might as well get the floor done, too. *sigh*

So, that's my life in a nutshell. I hope things start getting better soon....

Guy Fawkes Day

2011-11-05T22:49:00.000-05:00

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason, and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder and treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catched
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys
God save the King!
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!

A penny loaf to feed ol' Pope
A farthing cheese to choke him
A pint of beer to rinse it down
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar,
Burn him like a blazing star,
Burn his body from his head,
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead!
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!

The Obligatory Hallowe'en Post

2011-11-03T17:11:00.000-05:00

We did a few things for Hallowe'en. Nothing overly spectacular but it was still fun.

On Sunday, October 30th, Husband, Little Man and I were invited to Husband's aunt & uncle's place in Clyman (which is about an hour's drive from our place). They have five biological kids and two surrogate kids.

Usually, Aunt D and Uncle Old Man have a major Hallowe'en party...this year, it just wasn't in the cards. They've had a lot of things going on in the family from marriages to surgeries to relocation to...well, it's just been a nutso year.

But, they did have a chili dinner on Sunday. The house was full, which is fairly common when you take into account all the kids and surrogate kids, not to mention the grandkids and then you throw us into the mix. We went trick-or-treating before dinner. It was raining and icky and a bit on the cold side. Little Man didn't seem to mind.

After trick-or-treating, we had chili. Little Man tried some chili, too.

Other than that, life goes on in this house as it always does. Little Man has a cold and has been generally crabby the last couple of days. I can't say I'm surprised. It's been cold and rainy around here. I'm kind of miserable too but I'm not sick...just sick of the weather being icky.

This weekend, we're having Little Man's first birthday party. I've been cleaning and organizing and moving things and planning and...it's just nuts. I hope everything gets done.

Camping...

2011-10-21T22:36:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we went camping.

For those of you keeping up, I haven't been camping since last summer when I was around 5 or 6 months pregnant. Little Man has not been camping as we didn't go this summer. I wasn't sure how it was going to go...but, camping we went.

We camped at Mirror Lake State Park, near Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells. Basically, it's the overflow from Devil's Lake State Park, which is about 13 miles away. Megan and Andy (Megandy) joined us in our camping adventure...as well as Puppy. And we camp in style. We took the huge tent, which was quite crowded with our two military cots, the pack-n-play, and Puppy's kennel. We had the easy-up, Megandy brought their easy-up and the boat, we had coolers, food, bins with supplies (plates, silverware, cast iron skillets, cups, can openers, etc.)...just a bunch of stuff.

Little Man has never been camping. We weren't sure how things were going to go. Let's put it this way...it could have gone much worse. Little Man equates his pack-n-play with baby jail because that's what it's used for at home (now; it never used to be used as baby jail). So, when bed time came for Puppy and Little Man, he screamed...and I don't mean he was crying...he was screaming at the top of his lungs like he was in the worst pain of his life. And then Puppy would start in. Husband finally went into the tent until they both calmed down. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't woken up at 4am doing the same thing.

The same thing happened on Saturday night but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. He fell asleep much easier and wasn't quite so pissy when he woke up. I think the problem the first night was that he was cold. Once Husband took the rainfly down and the tent warmed up, he was fine.

Anyway, pictures...

The first three are from Saturday...he was actually okay with being in the pack-n-play but I think it's because I was taking pictures. Also, please note Liberty Bear in the background. He wanted to take it with...so we did.

These three are from Sunday morning. We took a little walk in the Kelty before we started packing up camp. He was quite amused with the crunching of the leaves.

Anyway, I don't think we're going to be camping again until next summer...maybe. We'll see.