A Dorm Blanket for My Baby Niece

My baby niece is in college.  I still remember her first smile.  She was so cute.  So I am making a blanket for her dorm room.

The pattern is Alora from Berroco Designs and I'm knitting it in Berroco Comfort.  Here is what I have so far.

It has a 7 inch garter stitch border, which is... boring nice to do while watching t.v.  I don't have to think.  The middle is a very complicated cable pattern, though, that will take some concentration.  I hope I don't screw it up. 

My goal is to give this to Amy when I get moved home and can go see her dorm, etc.  I. will. not. cry.  I promise!

Blog? What blog?

I have a blog?  Who knew?!  Oh ya... I did.  And so did you!  (If you are still here anyway.) 

Yes, I've been knitting.  No, not every day.  Its called morning sickness and it sucks and it makes knitting hard.  I'm just sayin'.  However, I think we're past that stage and I've been knitting up a storm!  Ok, not really, but I'm doing better than I was. 

So I will update the Finished Projects and Current projects on the side in a minute or so.  Most of my yarn is packed up, though.  I am moving home to my parents' for the deployment and yarn that won't get used before the beginning of November has been packed.  (Don't worry.  I can still get to it if necessary.)

Things I have finished...

Matching Suntops for Morgan and Emma.  They turned out super cute!  They sent me a picture of the girls in their tops and they actually fit, too!  I'm getting better at this!  ;) 

On these, I lengthened the back strap and put buttons on the front.  They both needed size 4-5, but I made Morgan's shorter because she's such a peanut!  :)

I also got a lot of bibs and washcloths done.  Not as many as I would have liked, but enough.  :) 

Right now, I'm making a scarf and hat for Sheryl.  It is in Crimson Bernat Satin.  Very pretty.  The Scarf patten is Falling Water Lace. 

The Scarf is done.  The hat is about half way done.  It is from Bernat Satin's Cable Hat, Scarf and Mittens set.  I'm just using the hat, though.  I might try making the mittens another time.  They look cute.  And warm.  :) 

That's all for now.  I'll update more later. 

The Great Gift Switch of 2010

O.k. so it wasn't that exciting.  However, my husband's stunning inability to tell me about baby showers BEFORE they happen struck again and things had to be rearranged.  (See why I want a stash of said baby items to give away on short notice?)  Apparently, Flores had a baby shower!  When did Jerry tell me about it, you ask?  The Monday AFTER it happened, of course! 

Soooo... in order to not look like a total loser, I pulled a gift switch.  Amy's bibs and washcloths never got to her, so guess what... I pulled the card and voila!  Flores had a gift today.  I have no earthly idea when I'll see Amy again, so I have time to get something done.  See how that works?  Hehehe...

Now I am working on the Melara twins' bibs.  Sgt Melara is moving soon so I better get on this.  Jerry told me today "Melara is leaving soon."  So this could mean he's leaving tomorrow, at the end of this week or in August.  Who knows.  I better be prepared.  I have 1 washcloth out of 4 done and 1 bib out of 4 almost done.  I'm kinda getting tired of the bibs and washcloths.  Although, they are stinking easy and nice to whip up quickly for baby gifts.  (Especially with the aforementioned habit of the husband's.)

I guess I better get back to knitting on that bib!  Jerry could come home tomorrow and tell me Melara has already gone.  And then said bib will probably become Amy's!  I am evil, aren't I?

Where did the month go?

It went to Kansas and Indiana!  Or at least we did.  We left New York on May 11 for a 3 week vacation.  Yes... 3 weeks.  Seems like a long vacation, right?  Well, in some ways it was and some ways it was too short.

We got to my Mom's on the evening of the 12th after our normal stop at my favorite Aunt's house in New Castle, PA.  Then we spent a day at Mom's to let the Boy stretch his legs.  Back in the car, we went on the 14th and headed to Kansas with a stop over in Missouri.  Favorite Step-Daughter's high school graduation was the 16th with a graduation party following on that day.  (Pausing to point and laugh at my husband who is old.  He has a child that has graduated high school.  Ha!)  We enjoyed spending a couple of days with Tarissa, Jerry's Mother and a few other people from Jerry's family. 

On the 19th, we got back in the car again!  We chose a different hotel on the way back through Missouri and got to my parents' on the 20th.  We stayed there and visited friends and family until the 31st.  We also got to see my niece graduate high school.  (Pausing so the husband can point and laugh at me for being old enough to have a niece graduate high school.  Fair is fair.)

We got home the evening of June 1st.  8 days of driving and we drove about 6 hours each day.  Approximately 48 total hours of driving.  Seriously.  2 whole days of our trip were spent driving.  Dude.

Want to know how many projects I finished while in the car for that long?  None.  Zero.  Zilch.  Nada.  My ability to call myself a knitter may be revoked.  Its not that I didn't knit.  I did.  However, there's this short person that calls me Mommy and expects me to help him with things like food, drinks, entertainment and his DVD player.  Also the taller one let me help drive the first 2 days. 

I did get a washcloth done.  However, I can't count it because the total project included 4 of them and 4 bibs.  I have a bib almost done. 

My sweater pieces are one and I started sewing it together, but my seam was wrong.  So I had to put it away until we got to Indiana and I could talk to my favorite Yarn Store owner, Cammie.  I then found out that  Cammie is closing the store and cutting her hours.  So I didn't get to see her until the 28th.  Bummer. 

However, one of the best moments in my knitting life happened!  I got approximately $150 worth of yarn from Cammie for FREE!  Seriously, she gave me the rest of my beloved Berrocco Comfort!  She's having trouble selling it and so she just gave it to me!  Wow!  Love! Her! 

I have all sorts of new projects cued for it too!  I'm so excited!  :) 

Picture Day!

Here are some pictures of the knitting... I know, I know... I've been stuck to my Crackberry too much lately to blog.  I'm sorry.  Here is Sue's Shawl.  I get to give it to her in a week or so!  :) 

And here is Ari, the sweater I'm making for me!  :) 

We leave Tuesday for our trip.  I'm bringing plenty of yarn for bibs and some other things.  I'm hoping to keep occupied in the car.  Although, I'm sure that the Boy will keep me plenty busy.  LOL  Not sure when I'll be able to blog again.  Have a wonderful time everyone!  :) 

Crackberry and other such distractions

I've been knitting a little bit.  Not much, but a little.  I think I'm hitting my goal of a 1/2 hour a day, though.  Most of Amy/Alfred's bibs and washcloths are done.  I just have to finish 1 side of the Icord on the last bib and I'm done. 

I've decided to work on the Melara Twins' bibs and such in the car on THE TRIP.  I'm pretty sure I can get them done on the first day or 2 and then I'll be really bored.  Kidding... I'll try to take extra projects just in case.  :)  We need to buy a van or SUV so that I can bring more knitting on trips.  Good idea, don't you think?  (That one got the raised eyebrow from Jerry.  LOL)  I mean... really... 4 days in a car out to Kansas?  I'm going to need quite a bit to entertain me. 

So part of the reason that there has not been so much knitting... Crackberry... I mean Blackberry.  Yep... The Gustafsons have entertained this century and gotten Blackberries.  Only because the phones were free, though.  LOL  Our plan will go up a bit, but we're cutting back in other areas to afford it.  Like... cutting down the cable.  We're going to basic.  We really don't watch it much anyway.  We got our Wii disc for Netflix and guess what... that's all we watch.  So why pay for something we don't use?  Anywho...

The Boy's birthday party was Friday night too.  So not so much knitting Friday and then there was the recovery from said party.  LOL  Today is his birthday.  He was born 2 years ago at 8:22 p.m.  Where did the time go???

I've decided that I am going to start a sweater for me.  Sort of.  Its a bolero type cover called Ari.  I want to wear it over a dress of mine.  I might make this for the brown dress too.  However, I have a nice light blue Berroco Comfort left that will look nice over a dusty blue dress of  mine, I think.  :)  This is a test to see how this sweater knits. Then Wendy wants one for HER dress.  LOL  I may just go into the shrug/bolero making business. 

Well, that's how things have been going over here in my world.  Crazy as usual!  ;)

Finished Projects

Today is a day of finishing things.  Sue's Dragon Wings Shawl and a washcloth for Alfred are done.  I just did the finishing on them a few minutes ago.  Now I'll finish the other bib and start another washcloth for Alfred.  :) 

Next up are bibs and washcloths for the Melara twins.  Those need to be done before we leave on the Kansas trip.  Speaking of the trip... I'm not sure how much knitting is going to get done on the trip.  I doubt I'll be able to bring much yarn.  We only have so much room in the car.  Unfortunately, yarn is only a life sustaining priority to me and I am not the head of this household.  (In all fairness... The Husband isn't bringing his Xbox 360.  Fair is fair.)

I have to admit that I did a stupid thing today.  There could have been more finished things tonight if I had been using my brain today.  We went to the zoo in Syracuse this afternoon on a last minute whim.  And since it takes approximately 1.5 hours to get to said zoo... you'd think I would have thought to bring a project, right?  Ummmm... no. 

Stu... pid...  The drive was long and boring.  Especially since, once again, Google Maps screwed us and we got lost.  Then we got lost on the way home too.  So. much. knitting. could have been accomplished.  Oh well... I would have knit on the way, but probably not coming home.  I was tired, hot and hungry.  It was a lot warmer at the zoo than we thought it was going to be.  We weren't dressed too badly, but I would have rather Gabriel been wearing shorts. 

Anywho... I did get some things accomplished today in the knitting department.  Have a great remainder of your weekend!

So tired and unmovtivated its crazy!

I haven't been knitting.  I'm sorry.  I did knit yesterday during naptime, but not last night.  The last few days I have been tired and extremely unmotivated.  Not sure why.  And I don't mean that I've just been feeling lazy.  I actually fell asleep on the couch last night.... at 7 p.m. 

Yesterday, I started one of the washcloths for Alfred.  I didn't feel like doing I-cord.  I have to be in the mood for I-cord.  It hurts my fingers.  Sue's shawl only needs about 3 more rows, so maybe I'll do it today during naptime and get it ready to go.  We leave in just a few weeks, so I need to start making lists of what we need to take with us.  :(  I hate that part.  The packing and hoping we have everything.  I love the visiting part.  I just wish I could beam in and out to avoid the actual travelling part. 

Anywho... that's where we are on the knitting.  Have a great weekend everyone!

We have a line jumper!

Well, that list of babies and their due dates just changed drastically.  Alfred Aron Betts was born this week.  6 weeks ahead of schedule!  So he jumped the line a bit.  Luckily, I had been working on the dinosaur & steggie bibs anyway.  Dinosaur is done and steggie is almost done.  I'm just finishing the I-cord.  So once that's done, I can crank out the washcloths in 2 episodes of Lost.  ;)

A Butterfly Washcloth

After shopping with Wendy on Friday for Ali & Amy's baby shower gifts, I really wanted to make Ali a Butterfly bib and wash cloth.  The bedding that she registered for had butterflies on it and was an adorable purple color.  So yesterday, I looked for a butterfly washcloth.  Not very hard, though.  I just looked 2 places.  Then I decided to do it myself. 

It took most of the day, but here is what we got.  I think it turned out pretty well!  This first picture is the charted picture.  This was the hard part!  (It would help if I could find knitting graph paper with larger squares!  My old eyes were getting tired very quickly!)

Then there was a test knit with no borders or anything.  Not sure if you can see the pattern very well.  I used some leftover white cotton. 

After a couple of adjustments, here is the finished Butterfly Washcloth!  :)  It is a nice soft green and ready to be put in Ali's gift bag.  O.k.... I'll weave in the ends if you insist!  ;)

Now, I am NOT artistically talented.  I think I can do basic drawings, though, as long as they don't have to be complicated.  (Stop laughing, Kira!)  However, I think this butterfly turned out very nice!  I'm pretty proud of it and will definitely keep the test piece.  This one is going to Ali, though, as I have too  many to turn out to hold one back.  ;)

I'm thinking tulip and basic flower next.  What do you think?

Holy Bibs, Batman!

The current count of babies needing bibs by the end of July... 5.  2 bibs and 2 washcloths each makes 20... TWENTY! knitted things for babies coming up.  Here is the run down:

Amy Betts: Boy due June 1st or 2nd?  (My cousin is due 1 of those days, but her bibs, etc. are done & mailed to her.)
Flores: Boy due mid-July.  (Soldiers don't have first names, I've learned.)
Melara: Twins, sex unknown due in August, but shower is May 15th. (Another soldier, but I know their names.  Michele & Kelvin are the proud parents-to-be.)
Ali Brown: Girl due mid-July

So while I am working on Sue's Dragon Wings Shawl every night after Boy's bedtime, Naptime is now dedicated to baby bibs & washcloths. 

In other news... Michael's has now closed their yarn section.  I almost cried!  They are moving to a larger store in a better location and the moving process has begun.  They claim they will re-open at the end of the month.  I may not be able to wait that long!  :(  As this is the only decent source of yarn within a hour of here... I am lost.  2 whole weeks?  Really?  I guess I will have to make due with the 2 closets full of yarn that I have now... *sigh*

Also in other news... I have decided to try to design my own bib pattern.  Ali seems to like butterflies according to her Target gift registry.  So I'm going to give it a try.  I'll take the basic down coverlaine pattern for bibs and see if I can put a big butterfly in the middle instead of a dinosaur or something.  We'll see what happens.  If it works out... well... let's just see what happens, shall we?

A yarn giveaway! Woo hoo!

Not from me... sorry...

Erin Wallace is giving away yarn!  Click on her name to find out out to enter her giveaway!  I'm entered already!  While you are there, check out her free patterns and her Etsy shop!  She's very talented!  :)

Something for me

I have finally decided to make something for myself.  I'm going to make something for me to wear!  Yay!  See... a while back, I bought a dress for $20 at DressBarn.  Its really nice, but its sleeveless.  I am not so much a fan of sleeveless things.  I have fat arms.  Nuff said.

Here is the dress. 

Not sure if you can tell, but its a nice chocolate brown with cream stripes.  I really like the dress.  However, being uncomfortable showing my arms... well... I haven't worn it. 

On my new favorite website, though... I found this:  A Shrug to wear over it!  AND I have cream colored yarn in the right weight and amount!  Awesome!  So this Shrug has been added to the project queue.  Not sure when I'll get to it, though.  Not before Mother's Day.  Maybe I'll wear it on a date with Jerry before he leaves.  :) 

**Note** I just noticed that the yarn I have to make the shrug and Abbie's Cardigan to the right are the same color.  So that will be the color of the little sweater I make to go over my dress!  :) 

I love purse size projects!

Some people like to carry those little dogs in their huge purses... I carry knitting.  LOL  I've had a lot of doctor appointments this week and so having a small project in my purse to work on has been a huge blessing!  

I had started the Dinosaur Bib so that I could teach Sandy to make I-cord on Wednesday.  I got it all worked up to the point of needing to do the I-cord on one side last Tuesday.  Then on Wednesday, I taught "I-cord class" and put it back in my purse!  I left it there. 

This worked out great!  I pulled it out in my dentist's office on Thursday.  Then on Friday, I pulled it out in the oral surgeon's waiting room.  Awesome!  I'm a worrier, so having a project in my purse has been the best thing for me this week.  I think from now on... there will be a smallish project in my purse in case of emergency (i.e. downtime w/o the Boy!).  LOL

O.k. so here's deal with all of the dentist appointments....  Ya....  That wasn't a part of my old wisdom tooth that came out.  That was part of my jaw bone.  Neat!  So they have to go in and pull other parts of bone that may be infected out and clean it up.  Then they will sew the gum shut over the jaw bone to make sure it heals properly. 

The nice thing is that I don't have to be put completely out for this.  The bad thing is that maybe I'll want to be?  Kidding...  The whole thing will take a 1/2 hour and then I'll just be sore for a couple of days.  I'm hoping this is the end of the health problems.  That would be nice... *sigh. 

In other news... all indications point toward Jerry's leave getting approved.  So we will be heading out May 11th!  I'm excited!  I want to see my parents' house so badly!  Plus, we will see Tarissa graduate and spend some time with her before she heads out to the Air Force.  Then we get to spend some time in Indy with family and friends.  That will be nice.  I'm ready to be home for a little while.

Dragon Wings Pics

Here are pictures of the Dragon Wings Shawl.  This is a close up shot of the pattern. 

And this is how far along I am.  :)

Its coming along pretty well!  :) 

Dragon Wings, Take 3

The good news is that I finally figured out what I was doing wrong on the Dragon Wings pattern.  The bad news is that I had to frog it and start over... AGAIN!  However, now things are moving along just fine and I have even made it past the first section of the pattern!  Yay! 

Today, we're making Easter cookies.  I think Katie is coming over with her boys, so that should be fun.  And messy!  Then there will be knitting and window washing.  Possibly some time getting out the patio furniture since its supposed to be 77 today!  Yay!  I can knit after the Boy goes to bed.  I really want to get ready for summer!  I'm thinking I can knit while he plays outside if I set things up right.  :)

Frogging Again

This time I made a mistake.  I was so concentrated on figuring out how to do the chart, that I didn't read the instructions correctly.  There are 2 charts for Dragon Wing and you alternate charts by section.  The sections are set apart by stitch markers.  Well, I worked Chart A in both of the chart sections and I was supposed to work Chart B in the 2nd chart section.  Oh, well... live and learn, right? 

I realized this problem when I didn't understand the instructions. I got the whole first section done, but then I was really, really confused.  I even considered finding another pattern.  However, I read through the instructions again... figured out that I screwed up... and frogged the whole thing to start over.  At least I was only at Row 25ish. 

So today during naptime, I will get back to where I was last night and move on.  :) 

Dragon Wings for Sue

Yesterday, I did decide to frog the Friendship Shawl and try another pattern.  I picked Dragon Wings, which is beautiful!  I got it on a PDF download on Ravelry, so I can't post a link here.  :(  Trust me... I would if I could.  You all need to see the beautiful dark red shawl that the pattern designer made.  Gor!Geous!

I cast on last night and so far, I am loving it.  I think Sue will too.  The yarn looks really nice with the pattern so far (although I am only about 14 rows in) and I'm thinking it will just be very, very pretty when its done.  I'm very glad that I changed patterns. 

Also, I am learning a new skill.  Reading a chart.  The pattern is charted and so I was a little intimidated at first.  Its going well, though, and frankly really easy to read!  I always thought charts looked super scary.  Luckily, its a chart/line pattern combo deal.  The pattern will say K1, M1, K1, work chart from marker to marker....  I can do that.  This is a really good first charted pattern for me.  I'm learning a lot!  :) 

Sandy picked up Abbie's Cardigan last night and I'm kind of sad that it left.  I may make another for my future daughter (if I have one).  I have enough yarn.  We'll see.  I'm getting a very pretty lavender yarn that I think would work too, so maybe I'll make it in that.  :)

To Frog or Not to Frog

I am about 7 inches in on Sue's shawl.  Here's the problem, though.  While I LOVE it... I'm thinking it won't be wide enough.  This particular shawl is a wrap type shaw and therefore, is basically nothing more than a large scarf.  Its about 22 inches wide and 65 inches long when complete.  Very large scarf. 

I just think Sue would rather have  triangular shawl like the one I made Peggy.  Soooo... today I am considering frogging it and choosing another pattern.  I will have to ponder this for a while and obssesively look at patterns some more. 

O.k. here's the pic:

So anyway... I'll let you know tomorrow what I decide to do.  Today is my doctor's appointment, so I may not get to worry about it until tonight after bedtime. 

I love it!

When a plan comes together!  Or some knitting!  LOL  Abbie's cardigan has buttons and has been through the wash.  And all seams stayed together and everything!  I'm so very impressed with myself its not even funny! 

Actually, I'm just proud of myself for finishing it and doing it well.  I hate to give gifts to people that I'm not proud of... especially when I made them.  Although, since every knitted thing that I'm not proud of got frogged and never became gifts, that has never happened... me giving a gift I'm not proud of, I mean... so ummmm... anyway... I digress.

I'll give Abbie's Cardigan to Sandy Tuesday night at Bible study.  Today I have to finish 1 side of the I-cord on Leslie's last bib and then its ready to mail.  After I finish that, I will cast on for Sue's Shawl. 

I've been through pattern after pattern on Ravelry looking for the perfect shawl for Sue and I think I found it.  The funny thing is... I queued it for Sue about 2 weeks ago, but now I've decided it is the best shawl for the yarn.  (I've thought that before, though, so we'll see after I cast on.)

I have more pregnant people to knit for.  I ran into Amy from my Bible study at the pharmacy Friday and she is due June 1.  So I'll be making her some bibs and washcloths.  I tell you what.  Those Down Cloverlaine bib/washcloth patterns are saving my life!  So many babies on this base, its insane.  There's no way I could get baby blankets done.  Plus, I don't know most of the people well enough that I would make a whole blanket.  I do, however, know them well enough (or Jerry does) that a gift is called for. 

So bibs and washcloths it is!  I think I'm going to order cones of cotton from Yarn & Thread by Lisa.  A cone of almost 700 yards of cotton is only $9.  If I get up to $150 worth of yarn, I get wholesale price.  I'm not ready for that, though.  If I decide to do the craft show, maybe. 

Oh ya... on the craft show... there's no way I can get enough knitted things done for a craft show in the small amount of time that I have.  However, Jerry is deploying this fall and then I'll have a whole year of trying to keep myself occupied through knitting.  So there you go.  I'll knit a bunch of them and put them away and then I'll have a couple of options... reserve a booth at the craft fair... or keep them on hand for all of the babies that will be conceived upon the Aviation Brigade coming home from Afghanistan.  Or the babies that were conceived during R&R leave.  LOL  There are always babies on an Army base.  Always a need for a gift!  :) 

I've decided that people I know well will get sweaters now.  I liked making the sweater.  It was fun!  Acquaintences will get bibs/washcloth sets.  If Kira, Heather, or another good friend decides to have another child... they get blankets.  I think there has to be levels of friendship in my knitting otherwise I will never get anything done.  Oh who knows... we'll see.  You know me... I may find a baby blanket pattern I'm dying to make.  LOL

My First Finished Sweater

Abbie's Cardigan is complete!

All I need to do now is wash and dry it so that I can make sure my seams are secure.  Then I can fix any mistakes I may have made.  Then it will be ready for Sandy Tuesday night at Bible Study and Abbie can wear it for Easter!  :)

Picture of the Sweater

Here is a picture of the sweater with 1 side completely done and 1 side not quite done.  :) 

I thought I'd already taken a picture of it sewn together, but apparently I haven't.  I'll do it later after I get the buttons sewn on.

Just Add Buttons

I have Abbie's Cardigan all sewn together and I'm really happy with it!  Now all I have to do is sew buttons on and its ready to give to Sandy!  Yay!  A completed, wearable sweater!  Its a miracle!  LOL  I'll put pictures up in a bit.  Right now, I have to get the Boy and myself ready to get in the car to take Jerry to work. 

I have a dentist appointment.  Apparently, after a trip to Urgent Care last night (those people are starting to recognize me on the street), I have an infection in my jaw/teeth.  I am in a world of pain with this one, though.  I have ibuprofen and penicillin from the doctor last night, but the dentist needs to check my teeth.  I mean, I was just there about 3 weeks ago and had x-rays.  So ya...

O.k. Pictures after I come back from the dentist.  Oh and my NetFlix disc for the Wii is coming today!  Yay!  I can watch movies or a t.v. series whenever I want now!  Sweet!

Lots of Work for Nothing!

Did you all see the hard work I put into blocking Abbie's Cardigan yesterday?  The pictures in the post below show 85ish T-pins holding down the pieces that I painstakingly put in according to instructions I found online.  Apparently, though... it was unnecessary!

I did this at about Noon when Gabriel went down for his nap and I pinned out the pieces on our bed for several reasons.  A. We have very few surfaces in this house that pins will poke into that are flat enough and big enough.  B.  We have very few areas of this house that my little Master of Disaster can be locked out of. 

However, by 3 p.m., they weren't drying very fast.  Hmmm.... we have to sleep on this bed.  What to do?  First, ask for prayer.  I called Peggy.  She laughed at me (as she should), but said she'd pray.  She's awesome like that!

Next step... go to Ravelry forum and ask how to make pieces dry faster.  Their answer?  Use the dryer.  Acrylic yarn doesn't really need to be blocked.  What?!  The internet instructions say they do!  Hmmm... someone is messing with me now.  Nope...3 experienced knitters say that pinning down Acrylic yarn is pointless. 

So into the dryer the pieces went for 2 short bursts of drying time.  I was a little nervous because applying to much heat to acrylic yarn at first can be bad, too.  This is how the experienced knitters said to dry them.  They also basically said that that's all they do to prepare acrylic yarn pieces for sewing.  Wash & Dry!  Dude... 

My dryer doesn't dry very well if there isn't a large load in it, so some of the pieces were still damp and they are now all on the drying rack.  Not pinned.  During naptime today, I will start sewing them together.  I hope that goes smoothly!  I'm sure it will, though. 

Bib & Washcloth Progress: I finished the first bib and cast on the 2nd last night.  I'm done with the truck pattern on the 2nd and will start shaping the top and do the I-cord ties when I'm done with Abbie's Cardigan.  :) 

On a side note:  I have nothing to watch during naptime now.  Jerry wants to watch Lost with me, so we've been watching it in the evenings and my next movie hasn't come.  Usually I watch 2 episodes of Lost for 2 days and then send it back, watch whatever movie I got in the meantime and only have to endure 1 day of daytime t.v. during my knitting time.  Now, I have to endure several while I wait for a movie to come.  So I'm not sure what I'll do. 

At some point, we are supposed to get a disc to put in the Wii to be able to use our Netflix instantly on the t.v.  Then I can watch a lot of movies instantly and this won't be a problem.  For now, though... my hubby screwed up my knitting time entertainment plan.  Grrr... Oh well... he's wonderful and deserves to get to watch Lost, too. 

I guess random re-runs of Las Vegas and Cold Case it is for a while!

My Blocking Process

The Process of Blocking of Abbie's Cardigan

First, here is a picture of the buttons.  I thought a happy, stress-free picture should be at the beginning.  LOL

Here is a picture of the blocking "tools" needed.  I pinned trash bags to our bed to keep the bed from getting wet and also so that the pieces would dry faster.  In the picture are the T-pins and a water bottle full of distilled water. 

I kept the laptop with the blocking instructions and the pattern instructions nearby just in case!  LOL

This is the first piece all pinned out.  It is the back of the sweater.  I pinned it down and then measured so that the rest of the pieces could be pinned accordingly.  :) 

 Here are all of the pieces pinned out.  I tried to block the sun coming in from the window so the picture would be easier to see.  Not sure it worked well enough, though!

Here are the pieces wet!  Not sure if you can tell the difference from the pictures, though.  LOL 

And now I'm just waiting for it to dry! 

Blocking and being blamed

Today, armed with many online sets of instructions and videos, I will attempt to block Abbie's Cardigan.  I didn't get to go talk to Sandy's MIL last night at Bible Study because I played hooky.  (We'll get back to that.  Film at 11 and all.)  Since I am using acrylic yarn and therefore can just Spray Block, I think I can handle this. 

I did head out to Wal-Mart after Damian... I mean Gabriel went to bed early for screaming and general bad behavior.  I got the T-pins and a spray bottle.  I'm thinking I can do this on our bed at naptime.  A couple of trash bag and towels and I'll be good.  I think it will dry quickly enough that it won't upset the delicate balance of the husband's bedtime by much.  I'm not going to soak them completely like in Wet Blocking, so they should be dry by the time we go to bed at 11 p.m. or so.  Then tomorrow I can sew!  Yay!

Why I played hooky from Bible Study: (doesn't that sound like I'm writing a 3rd grade essay on what I did over the summer? Ha!)  Anywho... I had a headache all day.  Now, if it was just the headache alone, I would take some Tylenol and get over it.  However, because of the headache, the whole right side of my face hurt, too.  And I swear I could feel my mouth and eye start to slope again.  Maybe this is in my head, but you know... I just thought it was.  I could feel my cheek swelling a little bit and I was nervous.  So I hung out with Jerry until I needed to go to Wal-Mart.  And after seeing People of WalMart, I figured my face sloping a bit wasn't going to matter.

Why I am being blamed:  Apparently, this whole de-stashing project is inspiring friends at home!  My friend Rachel recently started a blog and decided yesterday to de-stash. You can read about it at Creatively Living - Living for My Creator.  She calls me inspiring.  I find that hilarious.  Usually, I am a bad influence! 

Part of what cracks me up about her de-stashing is that some of the yarn is from me!  I gave her a bunch of yarn when I moved up to Ft. Siberia!  LOL

So ya... the question is am I inspiring or infectious?  LOL 

To Sell Knitting or Not to Sell Knitting

Abbie's Cardigan pieces are done.  Now I just need to block them and sew them together.  (Duh, duh, duuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh....)  Finishing... something I've never done to a knit piece of clothing before.  Hmmm...

Sandy asked last night if Abbie's Cardigan would be done for Easter in 2 weeks.  Yikes!  A deadline!  And she wants people to see Abbie wear it?  Oh, the pressure.  I can do it, though.  I have 2 weeks to block and sew.  That really shouldn't be that big a deal.  Tonight I'll go get pins and a spray bottle. 

I wish I had a Blocking Board.  That's a special board that you pin your pieces to and its made of a wood that is moisture wicking called Homosote.  The instructions for such a board are Here.  Jerry said he'd help me make it eventually, but we'll see how this goes first.  Homosote is Holy! Expensive! Batman! from what I understand.  (The instructions give an alternative, so maybe we'll look into that.)

However, tonight I will pick Sandy's MIL's brain about the best way to block Abbie's Cardigan.  I have read several online articles on how to block, so I think I have the idea, but I'll ask someone with experience.  :)

In the meantime, I am working on Trucking Along for my cousin Leslie.  She is having a boy in May!  I have a red wash cloth done already and I'm almost done with the light blue one.  Then I'll start the bibs.  I bought enough yarn to make at least 4 bibs and 4 wash cloths.  2 each for Leslie and 2 each for Flores' baby.  Although, since I only used 1/2 a skein for the wash cloth, I'm thinking I'll get more of them done. 

I'm actually thinking of making enough baby stuff to sell at a craft fair in the fall.  We'll see.  I spent about $1.50 each skein and if I get 2 wash cloths a skein, that's $0.75 per wash cloth.  If I sell them for say $3... that some profit, right?  I'm thinking $5/bib?  I don't know.  If you are reading this, can you please comment and tell me what you think someone would pay for that?  Pretty please? 

The patterns for the bibs say I can sell as long as I give Elaine Fitzpatrick credit for the design.  Hmmmm... Considering I got almost 2 wash cloths done yesterday, I could probably get a fair amount of them done by fall.  And maybe some other baby things too.  If Abbie's Cardigan goes well, maybe some sweaters, too!

I do have a lot of other projects in mind, though.  We'll see.

1 Sleeve, 2 Sleeve and more Perfect Buttons

Sleeve 1 is done.  It was pretty easy.  So tonight, I'll cast on for Sleeve 2.  I found the Most Cutiful Buttons yesterday for the Cardigan!  I know, I know... I previously reported that I found the best buttons.  However, I think I said that they are white-white and the sweater is Aran white.  Aran white is kind of off-white, so I had to go back to the drawing board, so to speak, on the buttons. 

So the cute white-white buttons will have to wait for another project.  Maybe this sweater in another color down the road?  At least I know I have the buttons!  Ha!  Sandy's next daughter?  (LOL, Sandy, I couldn't resist!)  The buttons I bought are clear with a pearly quality to them.  They kind of have some color in them when the light shines, but look clear.  And they are flower shaped.  So!  Cute!  And Perfect!

In my own little Melissa way... I commandeered a lady that looked like my Mom in JoAnn's and bugged her for  good 5 minutes while she helped me find buttons.  I had 4 picked out and I just wasn't sure.  The 4 I had were plain clear buttons, lady bug buttons, dark pink buttons that were the same pattern as the white-white buttons and some soft green flower buttons. 

We almost immediately ruled out all but the clear based on my theory that I wanted Sandy to be able to put the sweater over any shirt and not have to match to red, pink or green buttons.  (Although, I might have to go buy those Lady Bug buttons for another project. They were just too cute for words!)  However, we decided they were too plain.  So this lady went on a hunt of the button racks for me.  She was awesome!  She also suggested that I get the sweater pieces out of their ziplock bag home and actually put the buttons through the hole and see what they look like.  She is a genius and I now wish I had her name and phone number.  Kidding... maybe...  We know I can be a little stalker-ish if you have knowledge that I need.

She found the perfect little clear-ish, flower buttons!  And we put them through the hole and they were just... well... perfect!  I can't wait for this sweater to be finished so I can take pictures!  I'm so excited!

Sleeves are started!

Last night while watching Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?" I finished the left front panel of Abbie's Cardigan and started sleeve #1.  Yay!  The sleeves are fairly straight forward.  You just make 2 of the same, so I really shouldn't be able to screw that up, right?  We'll see... Kidding...  ;)

BTW, Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married" is a really good movie.  Its about 4 couples who were all friends in college that periodically get together for a couples retreat.  1 of the wives (Janet Jackson - who does a FABULOUS job in her roll and possible changed my opinion of the Jackson family, or at least her part of it) is a psychologist who teaches at a university and wrote a book about their group.  She explains the dynamic in each marriage and the issues as she's talking to a class at the beginning of the movie.  Each has their own problems. 

Basically, the weekend explodes.  Each marriage is in jeopardy (including the psychologist's, but not for very long) and they have to fix it.  The thing I love about Tyler Perry is that he makes the point that NOTHING can happen until you are right with the Lord.  And he did it beautifully in this movie. 

The thing I like about the Tyler Perry movies is that they are messy.  There are no perfect Christians.  There isn't even always a Pastor or a church.  There are friends reminding each other to follow Christ.  And in my mind... for entertainment, at least... its a start.  Because life is messy.  There are never perfect Christians in any situation.  And Christian friends who try to remind each other to follow Christ when life gets rough is what we are all supposed to be to each other.

Best quote from the movie btw... and I'm not going to get it perfect b/c I only watched it once... is from 1 wife to the girl who has been sleeping with her husband. 

I wondered what I would say when I saw you.  I wondered if I would cry or if I would stomp you to the ground and whoop that ass.  All I can say, though, is that I pray for you.  I let go of my anger a long time ago and the Lord dealt with me.  So I pray for you.  But don't tempt me tonight.  I might not be able to keep praying, so don't sit near the wine bottles.

You'll have to see the movie to find out what the wine bottles are about.  Its worth it.  LOL

No knitting due to illness

Wednesday morning I got the flu.  And by morning, I mean like 1 a.m.  Yuck!  By 8:30ish, my husband was wheeling me into the ER because I couldn't stand up anymore.  :(  I got fluids and such and was sent home to sleep.  Good times... good times...  NOT! 

Therefore, Wednesday there was no knitting because I was sleeping.  Yep... all day.  Yesterday, I tried to knit, but was so zapped of strength that I got about 3 rows done and that was it.  3 rows of about 44 stitches.  That's not much.  I took a nap.  I just couldn't concentrate.  :(

I'll try today, but we'll see.  Apparently this medication has the neat drowsiness side effect.  Yay!  I said I wasn't going to take it today, but I did already.  I'm nervous about eating without it.  It prevents nausea, so ya. 

Well, that's about all for now.  More knitting tomorrow hopefully.

The Husband gets it! I apparently do not!

Yesterday, my husband said 2 different things to me that made me think he gets my obsession.  Now, he knew about it and loved me anyway, but yesterday he proved that he gets it. 

Example A:  I was going to take the Boy to get his hair cut yesterday morning.  However, I started feeling shaky and my eye was getting twitchy, so I decided that I should not drive until it went away.  I asked the husband to drive us to the haircut.  (This haircut has waited way too long so putting it off was not an option.)  He said "I was hoping to clean some while you guys were gone."  Sweet!  He still drove and in the car I apologized for not being better at cleaning the house.  That's kinda my JOB now.  I would have fired me long ago, but he's a saint.

He said... wait for it...  "Its o.k., honey, you were trying to get something done quickly for your friend's baby.  That was important." 

I said "So as long as I'm knitting projects that will be gifts for friends, you'll clean the house?"  Dude... be careful how you answer that, because I have a knitted gifts list a mile long.  He just smiled.  I better not abuse that. 

Example B:  With part of my tax check money (we each got $100 to blow as we saw fit before being responsible with the rest), I ordered a new knitting book off of Amazon.  Its Berroco Comfort's newest Afghan book.  I am SUPER EXCITED about it!  There was 1 specific pattern that I wanted to try and I have Berroco Comfort waiting that my Grandma bought me for Christmas a couple years ago.  I have 10 skeins in a nice green that is supposed to be for a throw blanket for me.

Yes... I am actually planning to knit something for myself for a change.  Shocker!  I get my book and guess what... the much coveted Textured Knots pattern requires 17 skeins.  I only have 10.  The husband says "can't you just buy 7 more?"  (I love that he totally was going to let me buy more yarn.)

Then he says "Oh, wait... I know.  It wouldn't be the same dye lot."  HE GETS IT!! 

And now for the part where I do not get it... I messed up the left front of Abbie's Cardigan.  This is why I was confused about the button holes.  Looking at the side that I had already completed, the button hole placement didn't make sense to me. 

If you look closely... the seed stitch edging up the right side is where I started the armhole.  Ummmm... that's wrong.  I should have put the armhole on the other side.  The seed stitch edging is where the buttons go.  So this piece will be tossed and started over.  I am finishing the Right Front side right now.  Then I will reknit the Left Front.  

Once I figured out that I had done it wrong the first time, the buttonholes and finishing of the Right side made much more sense and I have 2 buttonholes completed!  :) 

Time to go make the husband a lunch for today!  See... I do some domestic duties when I'm not knitting!!  Or blogging about knitting.  Or looking up new patterns/yarn/techniques.  LOL 

Back to Abbie

Baby Madeline's bibs and wash cloths are done, packaged and ready to mail today.  Now I just have to shower and go do that.  LOL  Hubby is home today, so I can run errands with, at the very least, the boys staying in the car.  That will be nice.  ;) 

Today during naptime and after bedtime, I will work Abbie's cardigan to the point where I can ask Sandy's MIL about the button holes.  She will be at Tuesday night Bible study and that's where I can talk to her.  If I get to that point and have time, I will put that side on hold and move to the sleeves.  Sleeves are easy to knit.  However, the goal for today/tomorrow is to get ready for instructions! 

Pictures as promised...

Here are pictures of 1 of the bibs and 1 of the wash cloths for Sarah. 

And here are pieces of Abbie's Cardigan. 

And that is where I am right now.  I cast on the last wash cloth for Sarah right before Gabriel woke up from his nap.  I should get it done tonight after bedtime.  Then I will hopefully get it in the mail to her tomorrow.  I haven't heard if Baby Cricket made it into the world safely yet or not.  I'm sure he/she did and I'll hear soon.  :) 

Rubber Ducky... You're the One!

I took a break from Abbie's Cardigan to get some wash cloths and bibs knit for a friend who was induced yesterday.  Please don't ask me why I didn't think ahead on this one.  I guess I just didn't realize Sarah was actually going to give birth?  No, seriously.  Not sure where my brain went.  I haven't taken pics yet, but I will because they are cute! 

However, in the meantime... Quacking Up! is the pattern I am using.  Someone on my new favorite website Ravelry suggested it when I asked a forum question about knitting for a Florida baby.  AND the people could look at my stash and tell me what patterns would go with the yarn I already have!  Woo hoo!  Its practically an obsessive knitter's support group!  Yay!  I'm using my Bernat Cottontots in Sunshine and Wonder White.  I think they are turning out well.  AND I re-learned to make I-cord!  So there's a something new for the year. 

I've already gotten the yellow bib and cloth done.  I'm almost done with the white bib.  Pictures tonight I promise.  I'll also take pics of Abbie's Cardigan. 

BTW, there's a possibility that I put Abbie's Cardigan down to get the courage to admit that I'm confused about the button hole instructions and need to find someone to help me.  Maybe I can make it to a PWOC knitting group soon and get help.  Or maybe Sandy's mother-in-law?  I know she knits, too.  I'll find a way!  I swear!

O.k. now to go move the boys along for church.  Later!

Peggy Update

I spoke with Peggy last night!  She's doing really well!  The surgery was Monday and so far, things are looking good. She sounded really good last night and was even out walking a bit yesterday. 

They did find 2 lymph nodes that they took for testing.  If they are positive, then she may have to have more chemo.  We're all praying that she doesn't have to go through that again. 

She and Jeff both loved the prayer shawl.  They said that it is very warm and she was using it to cover up a lot.  I'm glad.  I wanted her to have something comforting.  They kept going on about it.  I don't handle that kind of praise well, so I had to change the subject.  LOL 

Knitting is what I love to do, so making that shawl for Peggy was an absolute no brainer for me.  It didn't even occur to my husband to tell me NOT to buy yarn and knit for Peggy.  He knows that its my way of showing love and affection for people.  And Peggy is someone that I very much love.  She has practically raised me... whether she wanted to or not!  LOL  She's my "big sister".  I would absolutely not be who I am now if it weren't for Peggy and Jeff and I think that their influence was for the better. 

Peggy gets knitted things anytime!  ;)  If she does have to do chemo... hats are in order!  :)

Even I didn't think it was that bad!

38 different yarns and counting....

I have now pulled all of the yarn that I can find out of the closets and I have 38 different yarns... and I'm not done logging.  Wow... yes, I wasted a lot of time yesterday.  Although, if you consider that I've been saying that I need to pull things out and re-organize that particular closet since we moved in a year and a half ago, not really.  The closet in the back is a nightmare.  It has needed attention for quite some time and I was supposed to organize it during deployment.  Oops... 

I'm happy to report that I've found things that we didn't know we had.  Shoes, for example.  Yes, a small rubbermaid tote underneath a bunch of other rubbermaid totes was full of my husband's slippers and sandals.  I thought it had yarn in it.  I was wrong.  So... there you go.  This is now productive since he had been saying he needed to buy some kind of sandals for the summer. Now he has 2 pair to choose from!  LOL 

I also discovered a couple things about my yarn buying habits.  Bernat... you need to put me on your stockholder list.  I buy your yarn a LOT.  1 skein for a small project here and there and... walla!  I have a entire rubbermaid tote of Bernat yarns.  Neat!  I love Bernat, though, so this is not a problem with me.  I will do something with it.  I know I will.  Satin is my particular favorite for babies.  So!  Soft!!

Another discovery... if anyone sees me at Michael's and I am standing in front of the Lily Sugar 'N Cream cotton yarn... pull me away!  Especially if I have a white/tan varigated skein.  Dude.  Really?  I find them stashed here and there and everywhere!  (Not in the box of shoes, though.  It wasn't that bad.)  So who needs dishcloths?  Anyone?  LOL 

Looking at the price tags on skeins of yarn has been fun too.  You can definitely tell which yarns were purchase pre-baby/marriage/military/single-income.  LOL  I seriously wouldn't dream of paying $11.00/skein for a yarn that only has 250 yards in it!  However, I have 2 skeins of Super-10 Butterfly Mercerized Cotton yarn that I never used, no less!  Ha, ha!  O.k. that's enough to make a small baby sweater, but still.  That's a $22.00 sweater!  I better LOVE that baby.  I mean, I don't pay more than $5 or $10 for any 1 piece of Gabriel's clothes if I can get away with it and he is MY child. 

I'm not mad at myself for my old yarn buying habits.  It was fun.  I had the money (sort of) and I loved to explore new yarn stores.  If I found something cool on sale... and I have a feeling that the Butterfly was on sale and therefore, not actually $22... I bought it.  Maybe I'll have another boy and finally make that little sweater?  I should have made it for Gabriel, but guess what... all of the yarn went into storage for the move pretty quick.  I didn't get to pull out as much as I'd liked to.  We just didn't have room in our little bedroom at my parents' house.  LOL 

Well, I'm going to go finish up getting the PWOC stuff together for my exit.  I just sent the President a big email that said where I am... which is not far with Sir Pukes-A-Lot hijacking my schedule lately.  Speaking of him... its 6:30... I better go see if he's puked.  That would be right on schedule if he did.  I'm seriously praying that we're over the worst of this, though.  I feel so sorry for him.  He's not a happy camper and I don't blame him.  I think we're due for a playdate at the McD's playland with Aiden when he's ready.  He needs it badly.  So does Mommy!

Oh and yes... I admitted to the President that I totally wasted time on a personal project yesterday.  But... I needed to do something that I love for a few.  Its been a stressful couple of weeks and I wanted to play with my yarn!  So I was selfish.  I'm sure that we'll all live, though.  ;)

I found a new obsession!!

Last night, I was reading an exciting post from Sandy on Facebook where she has added knitting to her list of ways to waste time favorite things to do!  I love having friends that knit!  Sandy... sometime we need a road trip to a real knitting store.  Not Michael's.  Not a craft store.  I must integrate you to the wonders of a yarn store.  LOL 

Someday...  *sigh*... I will get to go to real yarn stores again.  :) 

Anyway... in the thread many, many of her friends are apparently avid knitters!  No wonder we brought her over to the dark side!  They were giving her websites to waste time on find new patterns and learn techniques.  One of the sites I had never heard of before.  Ravelry is an excellent website!  I logged on to check it out and all I had to see were the words "organizational tools" and I was HOOKED! 

Dude!  I can put in my whole stash and keep track of how much is there.  It lets me mark projects that I'd like to use said yarn for and even search patterns that fit my amount of stashed yarn!  Its an Obsessive Compulsive Wonderland! 

So while I plan to knit tonight... today I am in full-on OCD organization mode and inputting yarn into Ravelry.  Plus, Gabriel is throwing up again, so I don't want to get Abbie's Cardigan out until I know his pyrotechnics are in bed for the night.  :( 

Boy update: The Pediatrician thinks that his stomach just isn't ready for real food.  A few more days of bland food and as long as he isn't dehydrated or acting differently or throwng up more... we're still on a wait it out pattern.  :(  He and I are both frustrated, but Daddy will be home in a little bit, so at least there will be a change scenery.  The poor kid saw the KFC ads on the counter and started begging to eat.  I feel horrible, but he just can't have real food for a little while longer.  At least we aren't running fevers or anything horrible. 

So... back to organizing!  It was all I could do to tear myself away to write this!  Ha!

Peggy's Prayer Shawl

Peggy is at the hospital now being prepped for surgery.  So I thought that I would post the pictures of her prayer shawl.  Then I will head back to praying... well, as soon as the Boy stops the blood curdling screaming for no apparent reason.  You just can't concentrate with that noise. 

It was hard to get a really good picture of it.  Its just really big!  Plus, I had to take this quickly before my Mom took it with her to head home to Peggy.  Peggy sent a text and seemed to really like it. 

The tan section has knots in it, which would fulfill my "try something new" for the year.  However, just because I had previous avoided knots in patterns because I am chicken... doesn't mean I couldn't have done it ages ago.  Therefore, knots don't qualify.  Actually putting together Abbie's Cardigan will qualify, I believe. 

I finished the back piece of Abbie's Cardigan last night and am working on the left front.  Knitting the pieces is never a problem and goes quickly.  I'll just have to get with someone who can show me how to finish it.  I'm sure I could do it on my own.  I'm just a chicken and like visual instruction in some areas.  LOL

Anywho... I'll be knitting tonight after the Boy goes to bed depending on how much Beth Moore I get caught up on.  I am 2 weeks behind.  So if Gabriel doesn't throw up again and I don't mess up my meds again... we'll go.  lol  I better get cracking, though.  :)  I will definitely get my 30 minutes of knitting in no matter how much homework I have to play catch up on.  Beth fills my head and I will need the break!  lol 

If I only had a brain...

Or at least if only I could read.  LOL  I am currently frogging 8 rows of Abbie's cardigan.  However, I didn't actually make a mistake.  I just went to far.  I read the directions wrong and worked the lace pattern for 1.5 more inches than I was supposed to.  Oops.  Since this has to actually match the other pieces, I better pull it back.  Kinda helps if its going to fit.

I found really cute buttons for it, too!  I'm very excited for the buttons.  They are a clear/white with a white flower pattern inside each one.  Very cute! 

So today's knitting will be pulling back the 8 rows and starting the body pattern.  I'm hoping to get this done during naptime after I take a shower.  I'm feeling a bit disoriented, so we'll see how much I get done.  Now I know why the doctor said "do NOT miss a dose of the Prednisone."  Today I feel the medication surge, etc., all over again.  Yay.  Nauseau.  :(  At least I have a disc of Lost to watch! 

More finishing and more starting and more crazy

Jerry's hat is finished.  Its still not perfectly lined up, but the look I got from him said "its fine, can I wear it now?"  LOL  I told him I might try again to see why I couldn't get it to line up.  We'll see.  I have a TON of that yarn, so I can certainly make 1 more hat.  (Then he has one when he loses this one, but you didn't hear me say that.)

I also cast on and got a little bit of Abbie Girl's cardigan started.  I hope she likes it!  Well, she's 6 months.  I hope Sandy likes it!  :)  Its white.  I decided to make it 18 months so that I have time for her to grow into it and that way when I misjudge the gauge, at least its too big and not too small for her already.  Although, Sandy will be pregnant again soon, I'm sure, and the next baby girl could just wear it!  Ha! 

I love Sandy and her all of her kids.  The current count is 5.  Part of the reason I love Sandy's family so much is that they are not "perfect".  Her kids are not all dressed alike like stair steps when they walk into the church.  If her oldest decides to dress herself and its not what Sandy would wear, Sandy says "Hey... its your style kid.  You decide."  Sandy calls herself a crunchy-momma.  I love it! I hope I can be that laid back with my kids, but still teach them good values and attitudes the way she does.  To me... Sandy has it figured out.  She's made the list of strongest Christians I know.

My favorite part is that she doesn't CARE what people THINK!  I wish I could do that.  I wish I could walk into a place wearing whatever I what and dare people to say something.  Not that Sandy at all looks weird or anything.  But when I first met her, she wore headscarfs to cover her hair during her husband's deployment.  I didn't know why.  I wondered what denomination she was from.  (She had too short of hair to be Pentacostal, but had the skirts and the headscarf and all?  I was confused for a bit.)  Now, it wasn't a burqua like Muslim women wear.  Just a simple scarf.  Sometimes with pretty sparkles in it, but simple, that covered her hair.  I learned later what it was about, but that's her story. 

I just would like to have her confidence.  I wish I had the confidence that says "The Lord loves me whether you do or not, so don't bother telling me I'm weird."  LOL  Sandy is an awesome friend, too.  I don't get to spend nearly the time with her that I would like due to kids, schedules, car situations and the fact that she doesn't live on Post.  However, we have a great time when we do.  We are so much alike.  Its a lot like how I felt when I became friends with Kira.  Someday, I feel Sandy & I will have the history that Kira & I do.  Then I will have 2 awesome friends that accept all of my craziness!  Yay!!  1 will know Army craziness (Sandy) and 1 will know home craziness (Kira), because those are 2 VERY different worlds. 

I want to make this cardigan for Sandy's little girl because friends get knitted things for babies.  And I very much dropped the ball on Sandy.  While Sandy might not understand the extent of my need to knit for those I care for, I know she will appreciate it.  She told me it was o.k. that Abbie's first sweater didn't work out and I had to ditch it and find something new.  She said its o.k. that Abbie got moved down the list of knitting.  (Which in no way says how much I care for someone.  Kira and Jerry both just got their hats in the last 2 months!  Peggy will get her first knitted thing from me next week!  These are people that are as important to me as my parents!  In fact the farther down you are on the list, might show how much I love you?  LOL)

Anywho... Sandy is cool and awesome and I want her to know how much I appreciate her as a friend.  Especially since she helped me so much yesterday to realize my boundaries and say "its o.k. if you have to quit PWOC."  Which, I did.  Not completely.  Not to the point that I'm doing nothing.  Just taking a step back and saying "I can't do everything right now."  It completely helped to have someone else say "You're not whining or lazy.  You can't do it all and its o.k."

BTW, on the same note... while I have been complaining about my symptoms of Bell's Palsy and side effects of medication to anyone who will listen... I forgot to praise the Lord for something.  I CAN STILL KNIT!  Hear that, guys?  Even GOD doesn't take my knitting needles out of my hands.  He knows my need to cope through tiny loops of soft yarn that I can count and control and fix if I need to.  LOL  The Lord knows and loves my craziness.

Shawl... Check! Hat for Jerry... Almost check!

I finished Peggy's shawl on Sunday.  It didn't take me long to weave the ends in and everything.  I even had time to reorganize the closet and repack yarn into ziplock bags.  I try to keep my yarn in ziplock bags because I think it keeps it nicer longer. 

Anywho... I found some yarn down there that I forgot about!  I had bought Dale of Norway Baby Ull a long time ago!  I bought it in pretty pinks/cream/green colors to make something for a little girl.  So now the decision comes... do I keep it for when I possibly have a little girl?  Or do I make it for someone that I like that is having a girl.  Since Baby Ull is definitely a Kira or Peggy level friendship yarn and they don't plan on more children right now... (and I don't think I have enough to make something big enough for Morgan)... I'm going to have to keep it for if I ever have a girl.  So these particular skeins may not get knitted this year.  I know, I know... that won't accomplish my goal.  However, there are some yarns that cannot be wasted on just any project and this is one of them.  Baby Ull is too hard to find and too expensive in the states when you do find it.  (Hello?  Its the only yarn they sell at DISNEY WORLD, people!)

So after rearranging the closet, I made Jerry get down his bin of yarn.  When we were dating and I still had disposable income, I had bought this nice New Zealand wool yarn for $19/skein and joined a block of the month blanket club.  I figured by the end of the blanket, we would either know that we were right for each other, or I'd give it to my Dad.  Well, we ended up married, but the teacher dropped the class about 4 blocks in!  So I have this strip of a blanket that I have no idea what to do with it and a whole bin of yarn.  Some of it not even wound! 

Jerry's been asking for a hat and scarf.  And I totally have the wool for it!  :)  I might even attempt a pair of mittens this year for him to go with it.  I started the hat Sunday night and actually finished it yesterday.  Then I decided that I didn't like my sewing job in finishing it up and frogged that part back.  So today I have to sew it again.  That will take all of 10 minutes.  I haven't decided if I'm going to go ahead and start a scarf for him now or wait.  I know he really wants the hat, but I might wait a bit on the scarf.  We'll just have to see. 

That's where we are now.  Peggy's surgery is Monday.  Katie had Owen yesterday morning.  Finished projects should start leaving the closet soon.  :)  Room for more yarn!!  Kidding... ;)

Almost done

I am almost done with Peggy's shawl.  I have 2 more rows and then binding off.  My parents are coming up next week and then I think they can take it back.  I don't think I need to mail it to Peggy.  Mom & Dad are supposed to be back before her surgery.  Works for me! 

I have the 3rd disc of Lost and watched 2 episodes today.  I needed to relax and knit.  Its been an eventful few days.  I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy yesterday and started Prednisone.  So I. hate. everything.  Great... Anyway... Gabriel is "nee nee"ing. LOL  That means he wants to eat.  I think he can have hotdog and some left over Mac N Cheese.  I am not cooking.  Plus, I didn't get to grocery shop yesterday.  My face got bad enough that I ended up at the hospital before I could get it done.  No car today either.  Jerry decided to take it to work.  I'm not surprised.  I'm kind of glad he did.  Then I don't have to decide if I should be driving. 

Anywho... I'll take pictures before I send the shawl home, but I won't post them until after Peggy gets it.  I want there to be some surprise.  :) 

Finishing up the prayer shawl

I'm on the home stretch of the Prayer Shawl.  I'm thinking that I should get it done this week.  I might have to weave in ends this weekend, but with Jerry gone at WLC except to sleep, I'll have a LOT of knitting time.  So I'm thinking done by Friday, mailing it Saturday morning?  We'll see. 

I gave the surprise away like I always do.  I just had to tell Peggy that I dedicated this site to her for the time being and she saw the picture of the top of her shawl.  I hadn't gotten very far in that picture, though, so I'm thinking not much was given away.  But now she knows.  Ya... I suck at surprising people. 

Today, I am getting the 2nd disc of Lost and Mad Money with Diane Keaton to watch.  With Jerry unavailable, I plan on catching up on my chick flicks.  :) 

Back on track...

3 hours and approximately 40 minutes is how long it took me to rip out all 8 rows enough to fix the mistakes.  Yep... 2 hours of naptime and about an hour and 40 minutes last night while Jerry played a video game.  BTW, my husband loves this project because I'm focused on my knitting and not on t.v.  Therefore, when he comes in and says "Are you really watching this or can I play a game?"  The answer is (unless it is NCIS or Survivor night), "Go ahead and play.  I have to concentrate on this."  LOL 

I even was able to start working again last night.  Although, by the time I frogged so much and fixed the problem, I was so tired that I didn't get very far.  So hopefully today I will make up some time. 

In other news, I have to remove a project from the list.  Smith's baby shower is next Saturday.  I won't have time to knit anything for her.  I'm o.k. with that, though, because we don't know her that well.  If it were say... Kira, Sandy, Wendy, Nina, Rachel, Heather, Kendra, Melissa Gray or another good friend that should know who you are, I'd be upset.  Smith, however, Jerry works with but isn't that good of friends with.  I mean, they were deployed together and all, but you know... I just discovered her first name is Kristin and not Sarah recently if that tells you anything. 

Flores stays on the list and is getting moved up a bit.  His wife isn't due until this summer and he and Jerry are better friends I think.  At least, it seems that way.  Plus, I've talked to Flores a few times and actually know him if I see him in the civilian world, so that makes it a little different.  Smith could walk right past me in the civilian world and I wouldn't know her.  I am going to move Flores up on the list, though, so that I have it ready for any baby shower that might happen.  My husband is not so good with telling me details.  Which is why I thought I'd have time to knit something for Smith.  Apparently, she's due sooner than Jerry thought.

So today we are going to go buy Smith a gift from Target.  It pains me, but not as much as if it were someone we know well.

Deadlines are a curse

I discovered that I made 2 mistakes in the prayer shawl yesterday.  Unfortunately, I didn't see the mistakes until I had done almost 9 more rows.  :(  This wouldn't be a problem if this were a scarf or something small.  At this point, in the prayer shawl, it is over 350 stitches across.  So ripping out 8 more rows to go back and fix the problem is going to take me most of naptime today.  :(  Oh well.  If I don't do it, my stitch count will be off and the pattern won't look right.  So it must be done. 

So today, that is what I'll be doing.  I finished the first 4 episodes of Lost.  Now I have to wait for Disc 2.  I also watched Girl With a Pearl Earring.  It was an odd movie.  Yes, its a story based on the famous painting.  No, I don't know if its true or not.  The movie was weird.  Scarlett Johannsen and Colin Firth did a good job, but the story was just kind of odd.  Oh well... as long as its just a Netflix movie, I don't care too much.  I'm glad I didn't pay $9 to $12 to see it in the theater, though. 

In Honor of Peggy

I have changed the background to Breast Cancer awareness in honor of Peggy.  I should have done this sooner, but I didn't think about it.  Sorry Peggy!!

Peggy's surgery date is March 8th and I now have a deadline for the Prayer Shawl.  I'm actually about 3/4 of the way done, so I don't think it will be a problem.  I plan to mail it by March 3rd to make sure it gets there on time.  That gives me 2 weeks and this is doable.  I'll try to take a new picture of it tonight. 

I started watching Lost Season 1 last night.  Its kind of weird.  Oh well... Is different and that's what I'm looking for in t.v. that I can knit too.  Have you noticed that all t.v. seems the same lately?  Its either a hospital show, cop/law show or reality.  With maybe a corny sitcom thrown in for good measure.  Seriously, how many shows do we need about a new cop or a new nurse on the job?  I'm thinking 1 of each.  The problem with cable is that we apparently feel a need to fill up all of the time slots to justify the existence of so many channels.  I digress...

So Lost is a little weird, but at least its different.  I watched the Pilot episodes yesterday while working on the shawl.  For those of you wondering why I've never really watched it before... I didn't have cable in my home when it started and didn't get the channel it was on.  Shocking!  I know!  I survived almost 10 years without cable!  (They are called books, kids.  You read them and use your imagination to supply the pictures.  Its so much more fun.)  In fact, until I married Jerry I did not have cable and we did not have it at home when I was a child.  There was a brief 1 year period or so where my Dad tried it.  But the cable company ticked him off and he had it removed.  (I know... The General got mad at something and dumped it... another shocker!)

So ya... until I was about 30, no cable t.v. in my life.  And amazingly, I survived.  However, I will start watching Lost on DVD just to see what the big deal is and why I haven't been allowed to call Kira on Wednesday night for the last few years!  Plus, it gives a good background to knitting.  ;) 

Have a wonderful day all!