FO Friday And A WIP Sneak Peek!

Considering at the beginning of this week I was shocked that it was only Tuesday I can’t believe that it’s already Friday!  I think it helped that Wednesday we got some snow.  We’ve had a very mild winter this year and I’m loving it!  The snow was predicted to start after noon, but it started a little after 11 while I was out buying yarn, of course..  We only got about 5 inches in our area.  It’s funny that this is only like the 2nd storm we’ve had since Halloween last year.  The first one, in January, we only got a couple inches and it didn’t last that long.  The weather is supposed to get warmer by Saturday (near 50*F), so our recent bit of snow probably won’t last long (and I’m actually ok with that!  lol)  My boys, however are gonna be kinda bummed.  We had a snow day today for Bug and after breakfast we bundled up and went out to play.  Fidget loved being dragged around in the sled.  I will say that snow is a good workout for me.  Before 8am I had the front walk, side walk and the bottom of the driveway shoveled out and all the running around in circles pulling both boys in the sled gave me some cardio!

Anyway, like I mentioned in my last post, I finished my Grey Hooded Cardigan.  Here are a couple pictures of it.  I really do love it!  It’s my new favorite!

And here’s one with the hood up.  I mentioned previously that with the first sweater I made with this pattern I had trouble with getting the front panel of the hood on easily and without a slight twist.  I felt it was unnecessarily difficult to sew on the extra piece.  Following the suggestions of fellow ravelers who endeavored to make this sweater, I picked up the stitches along the front of the hood (the same number as the final amount of rows for the front panel) and knit it to the width of the 20 stitch button area.  Then I inserted the cord and folded it over.  It doesn’t twist like the first one and gives it a slight flair, which is unique.

I don’t have a close up of the buttons, but they are a silver metal button that has what appears at first glance to be a Celtic design.  They really suit me and the sweater nicely!

I mentioned buying yarn, too.  I picked up some Caron One Pound skeins at Joann’s on Wednesday (Lavender Blue, Deep Violet, White, Sage Green, and Petal Pink) and I’m using some Rose and Cream from my stash.  I’ve started working on a Twin Sized Spring Flowers blanket for my friend Pammi’s daughter.  I’m really excited about it.  Here’s a sneak peek.  The pattern can be found here on Ravelry.

So far (in 2 days) I’ve made 7 white ringed hexagons and 7 cream ringed hexagons (only the white are pictured).  I really like how the cream looks…I’m leaving it up to Pammi whether we omit the white and go with the cream only or if we use both.  It would probably end up with diagonal stripes if we go with both, though that’s not a bad thing.

WIPS and FO’s – Sweaters

So, I’m still working on Fidget’s sweater.  I have only worked on it a bit here and there after posting last Wednesday.  I did manage to sew the one neck seam and pick up the stitches around the neckband and knit that for an inch or so, but other than that it’s just sat in the work bag.  I was hoping to get to it today (maybe during Fidget’s nap while watching Breaking Dawn part 1 that Darling Hubby bought me yesterday) but it’s looking like it might be tomorrow or this weekend.  lol  I’m hoping for a snow day tomorrow for Bug since we are supposed to get our first big snow of the season…I can’t believe that tomorrow will be the 1st of March and we are just now getting some snow that will last more than a few hours!    At least if March comes in like a LION it will go out like a LAMB, right?

On the other hand, I did pick up my hooded cardigan a couple times over the week.  I finished sewing the button holes Monday night and last night at Craft Night I sewed on the buttons.  It’s a bit bigger than the last hooded cardigan I made using the same pattern.  Mostly because I used heavier yarn and I didn’t do a proper “washed and hung” gauge swatch.  I just went with the needles called for on the pattern and my quickly knitted up, measured, and then frogged swatch.  It’s fine as I prefer my sweaters to be a little baggy.  It’s not like the sleeves are too long or anything!  lol

Hopefully by next week I’ll have another WIP to write about.  One of my fellow January Jubilee mommies approached me asking if I’d make a blanket for her 7 year old daughter.  I’m looking forward to the task.  I have to take some measurements of Bug’s twin bed and calculate dimensions and figure out how much yarn I’ll need.  I also have to find a pattern.  I’m thinking flowery hexagon granny squares in purples, pinks and white with some light green.  I’m excited to start it!

WIP Wednesday – Sweaters!

I’ve been busy knitting lately.  I’ve got 2 projects currently on the needles and finished a 3rd (a hat) this past weekend for one of the ladies at my library knitting group.  I’ll try to remember to post about that on Friday (FO Friday.)
The first project I’ve been working on is my 2nd Hooded Cardigan in charcoal grey.  I’m approximately 95% done with it and just have to get through the sewing part…which is the part I hate the most!  Last night, at my weekly craft night, I finished seaming up the front button area and the corresponding pocket area and started stitching together the button holes.  I still have to finish the last 2 button holes, sew on the buttons and knit the pocket tops.  After that I’ve just got to weave in the loose ends and wash it and I can wear it.    Hopefully I’ll have it finished by this weekend.Here’s a picture of the almost finished product.

Charcoal Grey Hoodie (aka the Twilight hoodie!)

I also cast on another project on Monday since I was in the sewing stages of the cardigan and missed the knitting.  I decided that Fidget needed a wearable (aside from the hats that I’ve made him).  I was going through some of my friends projects on Ravelry and stumbled across the Coastal Stripes Pullover pattern.  It looked like a simple little sweater that I could use some of my leftover yarn from previous projects for.  I pulled out a couple skeins of black wool-ease leftover from my Tubey sweater and some half skeins of red and blue Plymouth Encore Worsted I had leftover from Bug’s Super Shirt.

Coastal Stripes Pullover

So far this little sweater has been super easy.  The first day I finished the back panel and the first 9 inches of the front.  I finished up the remainder of the front while Fidget napped and Bug and I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that we borrowed from the library.  We’ve been reading the Harry Potter series at bedtime and are now about halfway through the 3rd books.  Later, I finished one sleeve and cast on the 2nd one at Craft Night last night.  I’ve only got a couple more inches to go on the 2nd sleeve then I get to start sewing it together and finish the neckline.  I’ve done the sleeve edges in blue, but I think I’m going to do the neckline in the red.  I’m hoping that it turns out as cute as I’m picturing and I hope that Fidget will wear it and that it fits!

Time For A Lego Party!

Bug was so excited for his big 7th birthday party.  We opted to do a home party and just keep it small.  For his 6th birthday we had the party at a local gymnastics club.  It was nice, but in order for it to be worth the money we paid, we had to have a ton of kids.  I told Bug he could choose 6 friends.  He invited 3 from school and 3 family friends.  Five kids came, so it was the perfect size!

Things got off to a late start.  Bug’s school friends were right on time…everyone else was running late.  The 3 ended up playing in Bug’s room for nearly an hour before anyone else arrived.  They were having fun playing with all Bug’s Legos and it was a Lego party, so it didn’t ruin anything.  I think most of my birthday parties growing up where I invited friends we ended up playing around rather than playing party games, etc.

Since our theme was Legos, I did some searching around and found some great idea sites.  The one that had the most great ideas was Homemaking Fun: A Lego Themed Birthday Party.  I ended up using the invite idea, which I personalized and had printed out in color and tucked into Lego brick envelopes that I made using primary colored card stock from my scrapbooking stash.  I cut circles out of lighter colored paper and hot glued them on to make the Lego pegs.  They looked pretty cool.

For the games I used the “Guess the number of Legos in the jar game.”  The person with the closest guess won a prize.  Darling Hubby had the honor of filling the jar and loaded it with all sorts of different shaped bricks.  I would have been lame and just used the rectangle bricks…he used car pieces, wheels, and all sorts of things.

I also used the Lego Toss game.  I used primary colored construction paper to make the rings.  I just taped them together and printed out the numbers using a Lego font I found for free on the web…I didn’t keep the link, unfortunately, but you can just search and you’ll find something.  The kids ended up playing this game quite a bit, even after the prize was awarded.  They even went back to it after the cake and ice cream was eaten and the presents opened.

On Pinterest, I found a PDF of a Lego Bingo Game.  Darling Hubby was kind enough to run out to his lab the morning of the party to print it with the color printer.  All the games were big hits!  For the prizes I bought the little Lego creator kits (5.99 at Target) (airplane, construction vehicle and race car).  They were big hits, too.

I also made gift bags for all the guests.  I picked up some primary colored rectangular gift bags at Target.  I got a 1.5 inch diameter circle cutter and cut up the extra bags to make them into Lego bricks.  If I used a lighter colored paper for the circles they might have shown up a bit better, but it got the point across.  I also printed out the children’s names using the Lego font.  I taped them to red construction paper and used a yellow marker to outline the letters like the Lego logo.  For the contents, I bought Lego mini figures, some candy Lego Bricks and tucked a pencil into each bag.  The mini figures were a big hit.  They all opened them before they left so they could see which figure they got.  The candy got rave reviews, too.  What’s better than candy that you can build with!

We of course had cake, ice cream and fruit and veggie platters.  You’ve no doubt seen the cake that I baked. For the table decorations and place settings, I picked up a party table cloth, yellow square plates, blue napkins, red forks, knives and spoons and green plastic cups from the dollar store.  Darling Hubby also picked up some birthday balloons from the dollar store, too.

There was, to Bug’s dismay, singing.  At least this year (unlike his 2nd birthday) he didn’t put his head down on the table and cry.

Make a wish!

Oh, and I can’t forget to include a picture of Fidget.  I think he’s warning me not to mess with his piece of cake!  He ate the whole thing, too!

Overall it was a great birthday party and one I’m sure Bug will remember for years.  Bug and his friends all had fun, which is the main goal of a party.  And seriously, what could be more fun than LEGOS!

Hair We Gone!

I did it.  I had my hair chopped off this morning.  Went to a sweet girl named Tori at the Joli Salon and Spa.  She was great!  I showed her my picture and she looked at my hair and we talked about what I wanted.  We chatted about her son and my kids and her training and work. She did an awesome job and I’m loving my new hair style.  It’s gonna be so much easier to manage, though it will take a little extra time to style, but it makes me look different, which is what I was going for.

Here is a before picture of me with Fidget.  You can see I’ve just got it all twisted up and clipped on the back of my head.  That’s pretty much how I wore my hair…all the time!

Here’s the new do!  I’m really loving it.  Now, hopefully I can recreate the same effect when I wash and style it on my own.

Hats Off!

At the beginning of the month one of my Craft Night friends and her sister-in-law planned a trip to a LYS called Common Thread Saratoga.  Carole (the sis-in-law) found this yarn shop in Saratoga, NY and thought it was different and knowing my friends yarn crafting habits, thought bringing her up there to buy her birthday and Christmas presents would be fun.  I tagged along in the hopes of finding some yummy yarn.  I can count the time I’ve used the really expensive and awesome yarns on well one finger!…pretty much all of the yarn in my stash is acrylic or wool/acrylic combined.  Not that there’s anything wrong with acrylic.  It’s great for items that need frequent washing  or things that are difficult to wash like baby blankets, large blankets and sweaters.  It’s just not yummy yarn!

While we were in the shop I fell in love with this Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky (100% baby alpaca) yarn.  Oh. My. God!  This yarn is so soft and squishy and, like the clerk said, it’s like knitting with a cloud!  I didn’t have a particular pattern in mind when I set foot in the shop, but one of their display hats caught my eye and I was in love.  It was a bulky snowboarder earflap hat with braids.  It was exactly what I was looking for!  I ended up purchasing the pattern (at around $5.50) and 2 skeins of the alpaca yarn (at $22 a skein!) in a variegated green called Midsummer’s Night (CP25) that matches the bright green of my winter coat.  I’ve never bought yarn that cost that much…much less 2 skeins of it!  Thank goodness for credit cards! lol

I had to wait about a week before I could start on the hat for myself…I had to finish the project on my circulars before I could start anything new.  I have a set of Boye interchangeable circulars and I was using the smallest length for a scarf that is a Christmas presents for one of Bug’s teachers.  I also had to pick up a set of size 15 dpns and I ended up going up to the other LYS called Trumpet Hill because Joann’s (despite me having a 50% off coupon) just doesn’t carry needles that big.

I finished the scarf on Thursday the 8th (I’ll post about those Christmas presents later) and started the Snowboarder Hat (for Everyone) on Friday.  I was worried that I wasn’t going to have enough yarn since the pattern calls for 130 yards of super bulky yarn and together the 2 skeins of Misit Alpaca were only 110 yards and only bulky, so I would have to hold them together to get gauge.   I figured worse case scenario I’d go back up to Trumpet Hill to get a contrasting color in the baby alpaca they carry for the border and braids.  Turns out I had nothing to worry about.  The hat is such a quick knit and the alpaca was like knitting with a warm fuzzy cloud.  The only downside is that it shed quite a bit, but I didn’t mind!   I ended up making the braids holding the yarn single stranded rather than doubled and I’m sure that saved me a bit of yardage at the end.  I actually love how it came out!  I wish I had more of the yarn leftover so I could make a matching scarf or some mittens.  It’s the most expensive (and luxurious) hat I’ve ever owned.  Seriously, I’d never buy a hat that cost nearly $44 bucks in a store!  It cost as much as (if not more than) the 2 new pairs of jeans I bought last month!  I’m looking forward to wearing it every chance I get this winter!

I seriously loved the pattern so much that before I was done making mine, I bought yarn to make more and I’ve made it twice since!  Once for Bug and again for Fidget.  I picked up some Lion Brand Home Town USA yarn in Cinncinati Red and Oakland Black at Wal*Mart for less than $3 a skein when I had to buy a replacement Christmas tree stand for out 8 year old one that cracked.  Two Skeins of Red and one black was enough for me to make 2 hats and have enough left over to probably make one more child size one.  Bug’s hat is red with a black edging and red and black braids (that’s the one that’s pictured).  Fidget’s took some modification to make it sized down for an 18 month old, but I did it (the mods are written on my Rav project page) and it’s also red with black edging and has black braids (mostly so I can quickly tell which hat is which.)  Now if I can just get Fidget to keep it on his head when we go outside!  lol

Since pretty much everyone in my family has new hats, (except Darling Hubby who has a perfectly good earflap hat (not made by me!  GASP!)) I think it’s time to go through all the hats in storage and wash and donate the ones we really don’t need.  I know I have at least 2-3 hats and a couple scarves that I haven’t worn in forever…Guess it’s in with the new and out with the old.

I’m Thankful For…

This week was spent mostly with my little family of 4.  Darling Hubby had the week off from work and Bug had Wednesday through Friday off from school.  Darling Hubby, Fidget and I did a little Christmas and clothes shopping on Tuesday and on Wednesday I went to Bug’s Parent Teacher Conference.  I’m thankful for my sweet, sensitive, and super smart six year old.

Thursday we made the 2.5 hour drive to visit with our parents and Darling Hubby’s Grandpa and various Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.  It was actually a relatively quiet (compared to past meals with 30+ people) and was enjoyable.  I even tried a new food – orange jello with carrots and pineapple.  It was interesting and good.  Fidget was eating it by the handful!  There was some drama brewing, things not meant for the public, but everyone managed to get through the day without saying something they’d regret.  Despite all the ups and downs and the drama, I’m thankful for my family.

Grandma M, Bug and Fidget

Great Grandpa, Bug and Fidget

We also visited my parents.  By the end of the day Fidget was tired and cranky from not having a decent nap, so he was pretty cranky.  I tried to get pictures of him with his brother and grandma, but he wouldn’t cooperate.  I did snap this picture of Bug with my mom.

We came home late Thursday night.  Fidget was exhausted despite sleeping for at least an hour in the car.  He went right to sleep.  Bug insisted on a chapter from Harry Potter and ended up not going to bed til 9.  I was thankful for some quiet time with Darling Hubby.

We stayed home Friday and Darling Hubby and Bug hung the Christmas lights up outside.  Darling Hubby followed Bug’s orders for light placement and it actually came out looking pretty good.   Saturday, we decided, was going to be our own Thanksgiving.    Early afternoon we ran out to get some more outdoor Christmas lights and the fixin’s for dessert.  Around 3, Darling Hubby and I cooked a 13lb turkey (using Alton Brown’s recipe – you must do this with your next turkey!  It’s so darn good!), stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, crescent rolls, cranberry sauce and french cut green beans.  I also made a peanut butter cup pie for dessert.

Sunday we decorated inside for Christmas with a Christmas candle burning and some Christmas music playing on the tv.  The tree is up, the stockings are hung, the wreath is up and the garland is on the stairs…the only thing I need to get out is my winter Eeyore collection to go on the stairs.

Fidget Helping Decorate

My only task between now and Christmas is to keep an 18 month old Fidget from destroying or breaking any ornaments!  At least I don’t have to contend with the cat in the tree…she prefers to sleep under it or on the radiator behind it.  And yes, we did decorate while still wearing out PJ’s!  I just wish I could put some presents under the tree…we just know they’ve never survive til Christmas.

Bug putting the Santa on the tree

The Two Best Presents!

Once Again

After watching Julie & Julie yesterday, I decided that I really wanted to get back into blogging.  My only trouble is that I never have a good topic to blog about.  Being a stay at home mom, my days generally revolve around tons of laundry and housework and my children.  Really, who wants to hear about me hand washing my underthings and about my baby’s diapers?  I save those things to post on Facebook!  lol

After talking with some of my friends, I’ve decided that I’m going to give blogging another serious try.  I’m over a week too late to join this month’s NaBloPoMo like I did a few years back, but I’m going to try to post at least once a week.  I’m planning to write about my knitting and crocheting, offering helpful tips when I can, as well as writing about food. I’d like to still post about my family things as I’ve really enjoyed re-reading the little things I’ve done (even if it was Fidget’s pregnancy updates or me complaining about being sick), as well as the big things like birthday parties for Bug and trips we’ve taken.

As for the food thing, the past few months I’ve gotten out of the habit of staying on the menu that I’ve written…mostly because I’ve failed to write the menu on my calendar in my kitchen.  When I was blogging my Food for Friday posts, I was more likely to stay on track, plus, I was able to easily find the recipes that I planned to use.  I can also see what I’ve been making repeatedly and hopefully that will help me get out of my food rut.

As for the crafting thing, I have several projects that I’ve completed since the last craft update I did, including a Tubey sweater and a “Super” shirt I knit for Bug.  I need to track down the pictures so I can share them here.  I’ve been knitting some cage mats for my Library Knitting groups donation project for the Humane Society.  I’ve also crocheted 2 hats, one each for Bug’s first grade teachers.  I’ve also got to make scarves to match since Bug wants me to make them a nice warm hat/scarf set for Christmas.  My plan is to keep all his teachers nice and warm!  I’ve also got a pattern for a sweater I want to make for Fidget.  I just need to get yarn and start on that…

Until then, I need to close this post since Fidget is up from his nap and is going to want some lunch soon.  He’s currently in his crib howling…Hopefully it won’t be months again til my next post!  Fingers crossed!

Photo Challenge – June 6-10

Here are the 5 newest pictures for the June Photo Challenge

June 6th – Books.  Since I couldn’t choose just a few books, I took a picture of my favorite spot in our office.  This is my bookshelf with all my favorite books and knick-knacks.  There are 3 more in the room with more books and knick-knacks, but all of those aren’t mine!  We love books in our family!

June 6 - Books

 June 7th -High Angle – I trapped my cute little model in his playpen and stood on my coffee table for this shot.  I’m sure he was trying to figure out why I’m standing on the furniture like and idjit!  lol

June 7 - High Angle

 June 8th – Sunset – This was a Wednesday night and it was just me and the boys.  We had some terrible thunderstorms roll through our area, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get a sunset shot being alone with the 2 kids and the storms.  This was taken after I got both kids bathed and into bed, after the 2nd storm blew through (the first was complete with hail!)  Our house location doesn’t lend itself well to good sunset pictures, but I quickly snapped this shot as the sun was sinking below our neighbor’s garage.

June 8th - Sunset

June 9th – Fresh Fruit – Fruit doesn’t tend to last long in our house. I haven’t been shopping in nearly a week and there was only 1 kiwi, 2 strawberries and a few apples left in the fridge.

June 9th - Fresh Fruit

June 10th – This is a woodpecker in our ornamental cherry tree in our front yard.  I have fond memories of this bird.  It’s not a real bird, you see. Our former neighbors hung this bird in a big tree in their backyard, one that I could see from my kitchen window.  I spent a good long time attempting to take a good photograph of it before it flew away…when it didn’t move for over an hour…it dawned on me it was fake.  We had a good laugh over it.  Well, our neighbors moved to a new house a few weeks ago and gave me the bird.  We hung it in the cherry tree and now when I see it, I think of them.  They were awesome neighbors, but I have high hopes that the new neighbors will be just as nice. A bonus is that they have a little girl who is only 3 days younger that Fidget!

June 10th - Animal

Photo Challenge – June 1-3

Since I’m a bit behind, here are the first 3 photos for the challenge.

June 1st – a self portrait, complete with summertime pigtails!

June 1 - Self Portrait

June 2nd – Favorite Shoes – I’m not a shoe person.  I don’t have favorite shoes and I hate to shoe shop.  I just wear them and I hate storing them…these are my oldest son’s and my shoes next to the brick fireplace in the living room where they sit when they are taken off.

Favorite Shoes - June 2nd

June 3rd – Hands – Baby Fidget (who’s not technically a baby anymore since he turned 1 last month) was my model.  Doesn’t he have the most beautiful eyes! Like his brother he’s a thumbsucker and when he’s getting sleepy, you’ll find that little thumb in his mouth and his other hand holding on so it won’t escape. <3  Just look at those little pudgy and slightly grubby (from eating cinnamon toast for breakfast) paws!

Baby Fidget's Pudgy Baby Hands June 3rd