Weekend May 27, 2008

I’m back, with a few finished projects.  First up:  Rosepath Scarf in LavenderSheep sport weight silk, color “Monet”. 

I put beads on the ends so that the scarf would have a bit of weight and a little more sparkle. 

I also changed how the beads were put on.  The pattern calls for the beads to be threaded on the yarn, but I found it easier to put the beads on by crochet hook.  That way, the beads don’t have a chance to slip from the front to the back, but rather show through on both sides. 

I also did two of the Old Shale Soap Sacks and one Old Shale Washcloth from Fiber Trends “Bathing Beauties” pattern in Reynolds Saucy Sport, purchased here.  The sacks are going to be turned into wall sachets, and the washcloth was reborn as a bathroom doily that could actually be washed.

  

All of these were presents for mom, and she loved them.

Notice something new about the pics?  Craig and I pooled our birthday resources and purchased a Nikon D60.  It’s a work in progress…

THREE-OH May 22, 2008

Today at 3:12 pm, I turn 30.  Not a big deal to me, just another number, but I thought I’d put a little something up for those who deem it a big deal.

First 30 Years:
Born
Survived Parent’s Divorce
Graduated High School
Got Married
Started Family
Finished Family
Moved Multiple Times and Stayed Married
Figured Out What I Want to do When I Grow Up (Lactation Consulting)
Learned to Knit, Crochet, Tat
Forgot how to Knit, Crochet, Tat
Relearned how to Knit, Crochet, Tat
Learned how to Spin
Made Friends
Lost Friends
Found Old Friends Again
Lost All 4 Grandparents
Gained Untold Pounds
Bought our Own House

The Next 30 Years:
Learn Intarsia Technique
Finally Climb REI Seattle Rock Wall
Snow Ski
Loose some Chub
See My Boys Graduate and Prosper
Become a Lactation Consultant
Learn More Forgiveness
Grow Older with My Husband

Small goals, but every dream starts small. 

I’m gone for the weekend, so enjoy this Memorial Day Weekend!

Upcoming Projects May 19, 2008

After I get a scarf done for mom…

Fiber Trends “Bathing Beauties” patterns in Reynold’s Saucy Sport.  Mom’s bathroom is a bit darker than the seafoam above, and the soap sacks should work well doubling as sachets on her wall.

This little gem is destined to become the February Sweater from EZ’s Knitter’s Almanac.  I’m planning on using the contrast skein for the collar/yoke, and the varigated main skein as the body of the sweater.  We have a Baker cousin who is having a little girl later this year, and it just happened to coincide with me wanting to make this sweater.  I’ve got the EZ bug, apparently.  The yarn is Duet Sock Yarn, DK weight.

Oh, and I’m destashing some magazines and yarn over at the Destash for Cash site.  Just cleaning out clutter as I go.

Sorta Here May 18, 2008

I survived.  Last week was:

Weds: optometrist, but good news since older son is not blind, just stubborn.
Thurs:  lead meeting with breastfeeding mothers.
Fri:  Spring Carnival at school.  Was there from 4:30 to 9:15, wanted to cut feet off.
Sat:  BBQ with family and friends at our house.  Hubby had forgotten to look at calender and realize when Spring Carnival was.
Today:  BBQ at in-laws for birthdays coming up.

I am tired.  I am probably more than a bit cranky, but no one is telling me for fear of annihilation.   I only made it to 3 of the LYS tour shops, but saw friends, so that was ok. 

I’ll put up pretty pics tomorrow.  Right now, time to zone out in front of the tv.  And try not to think about the half-pan of chocolate rice crispy treats I had for dessert. 

Insanity May 13, 2008

Apparently my busy May schedule has pushed me over the edge. 

I’ve signed up for Summer of Socks 2008.  And I plan to sign up for Sockapalooza 5 when it hits. 

I’ve entered Crazy Aunt Purl’s Envirosack Giveaway.  I’ve entered Strings and Purls Bloggiversary contest.  I’ve entered Two Pointy Sticks’ contest.  Note that I never win these things, but I figure lightening can strike on a clear day.

I think I need to go lay down now.

Happy Mother’s Day May 11, 2008

To all of those who have ever nurtured another creature (human or not), offered comfort, watched out for, and just generally kept another creature out of major trouble, here’s to you!  There are many mothers out there who don’t actually have kids of their own, but have mothered just the same.  To all of them, I say thanks for trying to make the world a bit better. 

Now go enjoy your day!

A Sweater of Firsts May 8, 2008

This is my first official:
-Person-sized sweater (babies are persons)
-Elizabeth Zimmerman project
-Use of buttonholes
-Use of Lorna’s Laces Shepard Sport

This sweater is fantastic, once you get your head wrapped around the design.  It is going to live with a classmate of my five-year-old who is expecting a younger sibling of undetermined gender.  Rainbow yarn and turquoise buttons are unisex to me!

I used crochet slip-stitch to seam because it looks nice from the front and back, and doesn’t detract from the design of the sweater, or leave bulky seams.

Being “detail oriented” as I am, I matched up the ends of the yarn so that each sleve and neckline color matched.

I had a hard time choosing buttons.  As you can see above, I went with washable turquoise blue buttons.  These were the third option.  The first ones were vintage buttons (on right, below) that I spent half an hour fishing out of a bargain button bin (25 cents per button) at Beads and Beyond (wonderful place, buttons and beads galore!).  But I made the mistake of not taking the sweater with me, and the buttons were too large for my buttonholes!  Then I went to JoAnns, and found the cute crayon buttons (on left), but they got rather lost in the pattern.  The buttons that were chosen came out of the bargain button jar at the Knittery, and for 55 cents, they work just fine! 

So far, this has been a year of firsts:  first shawl, first sweater, first techniques.  I wonder what I’ll do a “first” of next…

What kind of mother May 5, 2008

What kind of mother lets her five- and eight-year-old sons do this?

The kind of mother that realizes that hair grows, but being fearless with our sense of style doesn’t always grow with us.

Kev absolutely loves his new hair style! 

 

TMI and Such May 2, 2008

Thank you for the compliments on the Flower Basket Lace Shawl.  I wore it Wednesday to a breastfeeding conference put on by the Breast Cancer Fund and the shawl got a lot of comments, and compliments.  As an aside:  people are saying that there are more knitters than we know out there.  There were approximately 100 participants at this conference.  I saw at least 9 other knitters sitting in the crowd knitting.  Do the math, and that equals roughly 10 percent of this sample population.  So, it stands to reason that approximately 10 percent of the average population knits, or it shows that more of us in the breastfeeding-related fields knit.  Something to consider next time you spy a knitter in public. 

On the other hand, the conference rather scared the crap out of me.  It had to do with chemicals and how/why they condense into breastmilk and reviewed what BPA and other chemicals did to kids in utero and during specific phases of childhood, as well as why we are seeing earlier puberty in girls than we were even 20 years ago.  It was facinating info, but it really raised the point (for me) of the fact that we can’t live in a bubble and there will always be chemical exposure of some type.  There are ways to decrease it, yes, but we can’t eliminate it all, or at least not in our lifetime.  I have started to phase out the major chemicals in our household that were discussed at the conference for my peace of mind.  I think it would be succinct to say that what you don’t know can hurt you, but what you do know can cause panic at times.

On a happier note, we went climbing again at REI in Seattle again last night.  You can check out the flickr pics in the sidebar.  While there, I saw a huge puppy.  The gentleman in the picture below is approximately my height, around 5′6″. 

I think my boys could ride this dog to school!