New Year!

I can't believe it is already the last day of 2012! Crazy. We had a wonderful Christmas. Sawyer was very surprised to find his gifts on Christmas morning (we didn't get a tree and didn't have the presents out, so it really was a big surprise Christmas!) and really enjoyed opening them. He got a few new games and some coloring stuff, all of which have been big hits.

After breakfast, we went sledding, which has become a new tradition. We went last year and had a blast, so we decided to go again this year, and Sawyer had even more fun! He LOVED going down the hill.... going up wasn't his favorite, but it was worth it. It has been nice to have Weston home a bit more, he took a couple of days off around each holiday. Having him home makes the days run so much smoother!

I have started working out this week. Ugh. Working out is HARD! But, I've been holding on to the last little bit of baby weight from Lucy and I don't want to stop eating and drinking, so something had to give. :P I'm going to stick with it and hopefully I will see results which will keep me motivated.

I'm repurposing the yarn from Sawyer's sweater into felted slippers for my parents. I knitted them both slippers 3? years ago and they are due for new ones. I also plan on knitting Josh a hat for his birthday, so I need to get going on that as well. (And, Josh, if you read that, pretend to still be surprised.... which I guess you will be if I finish on time.)

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!

Decisions

Well, I've decided to rip Sawyer's sweater out. After a lot of thought, it is what's best. I'm only about 60% done with the knitting and I'm just not enjoying it. Plus, Sawyer will never wear a sweater with a hood, so I'm not sue why I picked this one to knit... I really want him to have a sweater that fits him right now, but this one will not be it.

I am going to finish up my last class sample here in a few mins and then I will be able to cast on something new! I made both of my parents felted slippers one Christmas (probably 3 years ago) and they have since worn holes in them (which makes me feel good. They are worn and loved!). So I'm going to knit them new pairs. They have already left for the holiday, but I'm thinking I should be able to get them finished before they get back. They will need the it as been so cold!

The other thing I am going to pull back out is the lace blanket I started before Lucy was born. It's back on the needles, so I just need to count the stitches and figure out where I am in the chart so I can get back to knitting it. It was going pretty quickly when I set it down, so I'm hoping it will continue to move as fast when I pick it back up.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! I'm really excited to spend it with my little family.

Pictures

So, now with my ipad, I can't put pictures up the same way I used to.... So apparently they are all crazy big and not fitting m format correctly. Sorry about that. I don't know of a way to fix it.....

Wintertime

We finally have a fair amount of snow on the ground and it is gorgeous outside! It has been perfect winter weather....20F and snowing.... My favorite!

Snickers

Snickers felt left out that he didn't have his picture on my blog.... So here he is. Snickers is a great dog who loves the kids. He is very patient with them and let's Sawyer climb all over him. He is also very protective of them, and when Sawyer isn't here, he sleeps in his room and waits for him to come back..... I have two very good (although sometimes annoying) dogs.

Planning

I've been finishing a few things (my class samples) and planning lots of other things. I tend to plan far more than I ever finish. Since it is Christmas time, I'm mildly obsessed with ornaments and all things holiday. I found a pattern to knit scraps of yarn into little trees that stand on wine corks....a perfect use of two previously "useless" items. I also stumbled across a pattern for crocheted granny stars.... They would make a nice garland. Oh, and I still want to knit an advent calendar out of little mittens and knit the family colorwork stockings. Of course, this won't all be done this year, but maybe if I plan now I can have it done in a year? Maybe?!

My room is all clean and everything has a home. It is amazing. I go to find something and I know exactly where it is. And because I know where it goes, I have been putting things away as well. Now if I can keep myself focused on finishing what I start, we will be in good shape! (Right now I'm so torn on the sweater I've been working on for Sawyer. I'm so bored of it, but it is so close to being finished....I know I should finish it, but I'm half tempted to rip the darn thing out....)

Frito

My brother was over the other day and snapped some neat pictures with a new camera he has. You can check out pictures of both the kiddos on their individual blogs.... Here is a neat one that he took of Frito.

Colorwork Cozy

A quick picture post. Here is a colorwork sample I finished this past week! It is a coffee cup cozy, so you don't have to use a cardboard one.... I think it turned out really cute and I'm planning on knitting up a few more this week.

Holiday

Random Chatter
My Dad got me an iPad for Christmas, so I am back to being able to blog.... (I know you are thinking, but it's not Christmas yet... well, you are correct, but my parents get very excited about gifts and normally just have them mailed to my house and tell me what they are before they are even here so I can "be on the lookout")

Some random things I've been up to. Yesterday I made homemade hot coco mix and peppermint schnapps to gift to a few people along with a nice mug. I'm pretty excited about that! It was easy and it is delicious!

I also finished my handspun scarf. (Which I may have already mentioned....mom brain attack) I really like it, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. I don't need it.....

I'm currently knitting my class samples, which include a hat and some colorwork coffee cozies. The cozies are CUTE! The one I'm working on right now has birds on it and I'm loving it. The next one will probably be snowflakes or a geometric pattern....

Alright, off to get the kiddos ready to leave the house. It has been pretty cold here (the highest I've seen in the past couple of weeks is 9F) so we have to bundle up quite a bit!

November

Our computer is broken and blogging from my phone is a pain, so it may be quite a bit less frequent for a while. Things are going well here.  Knitting away on various projects. Weston is deer hunting this week. Hopefully he gets at least one deer. Other than that, things are quiet. I'll try to update when I finish things at least. My handspun scarf is almost done! It was a fun and quick knit.

Nailing It

Random Chatter
This week I have been feeling pretty awesome about my SAHM skills... Monday I made spaghetti for dinner (homemade sauce with caribou meat as well as homemade bread!) and Sawyer, Lucy, and I all had a great day. I was even able to get the laundry done and wash the sheets. BAM! Nailing it. Today I have felt super on top of it today... I have a goat roast in the crock pot and I've made bread... Sawyer, Lucy, and I had a wonderful morning (including a glowstick dance party in Sawyer's room). Maybe the key is to make bread?

Sticks and String
I am still working on Sawyer's sweater, which has become a winter/spring sweater instead of a birthday sweater since that has come and gone.... he has sadly outgrown his winter sweater from last year, even though he has insisted on wearing it every time we have left the house this week. I am also probably going to cast on a super simple handspun scarf because I need something that is more mindless to work on during the day.

That's really it... just a quick check in to say that homemade bread might be the answer to the your problems... :)

Lucy

Mini Me
So, Lucy now has her own blog... for those of you who don't know, both of my kids have their own blogs where they keep people informed of their lives. It is a great way for family and friends to see what they are up to and get the most recent pictures! I'll still be writing a bit about my kiddos here as some things are best told in my voice instead of theirs, but I do try to talk more about other stuff here... there is only so much "kid talk" this mom can take.

So, if you want to keep tabs... here is a link to Sawyer's blog and one to Lucy's

I'm going to dig out Sawyer's sweater and try and knit a few rows. A little lady isn't too happy right now, so I'm not sure how it will pan out... at this rate, she will fit into the sweater before it is done!

October Round Up

Random Chatter

Somehow the month has slipped away.  Lucy and I went on our trip to Montana and it was amazing.  We got to meet a lot of our knitter friends at the Bear Paw spin in and it was a ton of fun.  Lucy is a champion flier, but does not care for the car much... luckily, now that we are back home, she won't have to be in it too often. I didn't take too many pictures, but here are a few.

Brittany's new puppy, Bomber. He was adorable! (And you can see that they have an actual fall down in Montana... gorgeous trees!)

The spin-in... it was so fun to be surrounded by people who love the same things I do!

The red fiber throw down.  You could bring fiber and they mixed it all up and you got back a mixture of what everyone brought. There was a red pile and a rainbow pile.  I am planning on carding mine up with some SPARKLE as soon as I get a chance to breathe....

After I got home, it was straight to party planning, as Sawyer's party was Saturday.  I had planned on doing a Very Hungry Caterpillar party, and it worked out GREAT! We had all the food the caterpillar ate, I had coloring pages for the kids, and a bean bag game where you could throw the fruits the caterpillar ate into his mouth.  Everyone had a great time... I was really pleased with everything.  Here are a few pictures from that.  I can not believe that Sawyer is already TWO! Crazy. 

Yes, I made a giant photo collage

YUM!

All the food

The favor table

Our computer is broken, so blogging may be sparse for a while. My mom was nice enough to loan us her computer for a while so I could get pictures of the birthday up.  Now it's time to get the house put back together and get ready for Halloween!! Crazy....

Compare and Contrast

Mini Me
Lucy has started semi-fitting into her 3-month clothes, so I pulled them all out... I can't believe she is already growing. Yes, she is almost a month old (what?!?) but still... she's supposed to be my little girl. Anyway, I found this picture of Sawyer in the same outfit.. he is about 6 weeks old in this one.

And here are a couple of Lucy at a month old. I will have to remember to take the picture again in two weeks so we can really compare the two of them... 

Sticks and String

I finished another project! What-what! It's Weston's hat... and I don't have a picture of it (but if you are on Rav, there are pictures there.  I love it. This is the second time I've knit this pattern and both times it has just made me so happy! I love the decreasing.... it is so creative. And I love the ribbing and the way there are increases incorporated instead of using smaller needles... basically, I just LOVE this pattern. AND, she is having a sale right now (33% off a single pattern or collection) so go check out her patterns!

Old Pictures

Mini Me
Sawyer is getting a molar right now... which means he has a runny nose and a general crabby attitude. Poor guy. I understand why he doesn't feel well, but it still makes the days a bit rougher than normal. While he was napping I was looking at my iPhoto library and I found these pictures I took back in April... that kid. He's amazing. I love him.

Matching Hats

Sticks and String
I finished something! Sometimes crazy things happen around here... I was finally able to finish Lucy's Conduit hat.  I love it! She seems to be quite indifferent about the whole thing....

My goal is to get a picture of both kiddos in their hats sometime this winter... it may take all winter seeing as how Sawyer just loves to wear hats. :P  Last night I cast on my Leethal Knits Mystery Shawl... I don't know what it's going to look like! CRAZY! I am working my way through the first clue and I like how it is going so far. Hopefully I am able to keep up and will have a finished shawl at the end of the month.  And if it isn't something I love, I will have a Christmas gift ready to go! 

Siblings

Mini Me
Sawyer is doing pretty well with Lucy... he most of the time just wants me to put her down and do something with him. I was able to snap a few cute pictures of the two of them today.

Sawyer looking sweet. He seems to be a bit worried about her touching him... 

His true feelings start to show...

And Lucy lets Sawyer know what she thinks of everything. 

Little Moments

Mini Me

Look, we have a little family now... the other morning everyone was cuddling on the couch and watching Toy Story and I was lucky enough to capture a sweet moment...

And that sweet little girl there has a name now, Lucy Rae. Lucy is still an amazing little baby. She is just super sweet and cuddly.... and a great sleeper. Hopefully she doesn't grow out of that! Now I have to go spend some time with Sawyer.

Settling In

Random Chatter
Baby Girl is settling in nicely to our little family.  Things are going great... actually, much better than I expected. I realize we are still in our "baby moon" period and I'm prepared for things to get tough, but I have been pleasantly surprised with how well our days have been running. I think a lot of that is due to the fact that this birth was so much easier than Sawyer's was and therefore recovery time for me was much quicker. Baby Girl has her first doctor appointment today so we will see how much she weighs again... here is a baby pic...

New Baby

Baby Girl was born at 4:03 am yesterday.... she weighs 8lbs 3oz and is 20" long. We are quite smitten with her. The birth went well and we are all doing great. More later...

Getting ready to leave the birth center

Snuggling on the couch

Snuggling

Sticks and String
Well, they aren't my knits, but they are knits anyway....

Here are pictures of the outfit that Kelsey made for Baby. I'm still just so in love with it and can not wait to dress Baby in it...

And then yesterday I receieved a package from a Ravelry friend, which included a sweater and duck rattle for Baby along with a frog bath mitt and some trucks for Sawyer.  Nancy is so sweet to have made these for us! (MissJulep on Rav, she has some wonderful knit and crochet designs... I have yarn to knit three of her Texture Bite Bears, which I'm hoping to have done for Sawyer for Christmas)

The sweater is made of alpaca and is going to keep Baby nice and snuggly warm for the winter! I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends. 

In my own knitting news, I had blocked a blanket that I started when I was pregnant with Sawyer on Monday night. Yesterday, I went to grab my keys and apparently they were caught in the blanket (which is a lace blanket) and it tore a hole in it. BOO! I swear, the universe is against me knitting right now! I'm going to do my best to fix it, but I don't have the yarn anymore (as all I had to do was the button band and that is a different color than where I ripped it) so it will be a patch job... luckily, it's on the back of the blanket. I might just need to knit a dishcloth or two to get my feet back under me!

Bigger isn't always better

Random Chatter
Especially when it comes to my body! I feel like a giant humpty dumpty right now... I'm ready for the baby to come... hopefully the baby is ready soon! I took this photo today of my very pregnant shadow... it made me laugh.

Sawyer and I went to the zoo today so I could get some walking in and hopefully encourage Baby to come... I really want to meet the baby and snuggle him/her! 

Mini Me

Also, when did a kid move into my house?!? Sawyer is so big and independent, it is crazy.  It is hard for me to remember that he isn't even two yet... 

All of the Lights....

Random Chatter
Last night, around 5:30, our power came back on! It was amazing. I may have done a mini light show flipping all of our lights on and off. Sawyer was staying out at Weston's parents house for the night, as it was getting a bit chilly in the house. Weston and I went out to dinner because all of our dishes were in the dishwasher (getting CLEAN!) and it's always nice to have a dinner out without trying to wrangle a toddler.

The power couldn't have come on a moment too soon... over night the temperature dropped below freezing and we had a yard full of frost this morning. I am SO thankful that we have the heat and everything back. 4 days was a long time....

Sticks and String
I have the BEST friends. Remember my friend, Kelsey? I've blogged about her before... check out her blog if you haven't already... you are sure to be inspired.  Anyway, she stopped by on Friday night with her boys (the oldest started school this year... crazy!) and they had such a great time with Sawyer. She had brought by a little gift for me... and I couldn't believe what it was. Remember how I lost my knitting bag with the Baby's coming home outfit in it?! Well, Kelsey had knit me the exact same outfit! It is a grey blue with grey trim and star buttons and it is incredible and perfect. I was just SO touched and overwhelmed at her generosity... (and again amazed by her ability to finish so much in such a short amount of time!) I will post pictures soon, but Weston has the camera at the moment (which is in the birth bag, which is in his car...).

Again, I am reminded that knitters are amazing and I am lucky to be surrounded by such generous people....

Powerless

Random Chatter
We have been without power since Tuesday night at 10pm. It might come back on tonight, but at this point, I'm not too hopeful. Still no baby.... s/he is probably waiting until we can heat the house again... smart kid.

A Sad Story

Sticks and String
So, on Thursday I took Baby's coming home outfit to the park where we met a friend and Sawyer and her son played and played.... I knit the sleeve and only had the cuff left. Then after bedtime, I asked Weston to run to my car to get it out so I could finish it.  He came back empty handed. We searched the house. No luck. I remember dropping my knitting in the parking lot while getting Sawyer in the car, but I thought I tossed it into the car.... I guess I didn't. Went back to the park. No luck. I left a sign, posted on craigslist, and called the LYSs to see if anyone had turned it in.... no luck.....

:(

So, Baby will be coming home in the same outfit Sawyer did. I was pretty upset about it at first, but now I've accepted it... there is nothing I can do about it.  Still a big bummer though.

Random Chatter
I have my 38-week appointment today. There was some excitement this weekend and we thought we were going to have a baby, but nope... Baby is still happy where s/he is. Which is fine. :) I'm guessing today will be another uneventful appointment.

I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend!

Labor Day

Sticks and String
Baby's coming home outfit still needs one sleeve... Weston told me to slow down because he thinks the second it is done, Baby will come. He is so funny. Anyway, I'll probably work on that today... Sawyer and I did go pick out buttons for the outfit yesterday and I think they will look really nice. After I finish up that sleeve I might give in and start something new...

Mini Me
I can't remember if I listed all the new things Sawyer has learned lately... so, if I did, sorry. Blame my pregnant brain. He has learned to jump, walk backwards, spin in circles, and open the sliding glass door. It is so funny to watch him jumping... toddlers are hilarious!

In the Kitchen
This weekend my plan is to do a lot of cooking and put it in the freezer so we will have food for after Baby arrives. I know that I won't be in the mood to cook, and this way if Weston isn't either, we won't starve!  I'm not really looking forward to cooking, but I am excited to have it all done! And, really it shouldn't take me too long as I'll be making simple dishes (chili, tacos, biscuits)...

There are some bets of when Baby will be making an appearance. Some people are thinking it will be this weekend as it is LABOR day. Ha ha. :P We will see.

Baby Watch 2012

Sticks and String
Baby's coming home outfit needs arms and a button band... that will easily be done this weekend. I've also been making good progress on a hat for Weston. I'm still tempted to cast on something new.... but, I'm resisting. Maybe once I finish at least one thing.... maybe.....

Mini Me
Speaking of Baby, I will be 37 weeks on Tuesday. That means that I will be "full-term" enough to deliver at the birth center. I have a window of 37-42 weeks to deliver there.... Sawyer was born at 39 weeks, so we will see when Baby decides to make an appearance.

Alright, off to nap and knit....

Lead me not...

Sticks and String
Into temptation... oh, Twist collective... how I love you. And how you tempt me with your matching kid and adult owl mittens... BUT, I must be strong. I have too many things on the needles (one of which is Baby's coming home outfit and really does need to get finished) and I can should not start something new. Winter is coming. Sawyer and I would really rock matching mittens. I already have yarn in my stash. Oh, me and my wondering eyes.

Mini-Me
Sawyer has been rocking the potty training like a champ. I never push him to do anything, but he has decided when we are home, he doesn't want to wear diapers and he has only had two? accidents on the floor in weeks. CRAZY! I still put diapers on him for sleep and outings, but even while we are out, he has started to ask to use the potty. He still doesn't talk, but he's pretty awesome.

He also got to meet his Uncle Jeff for the first time this week. Jeff is in the Navy and showed up unexpectedly at my parent's house this week. Sawyer still isn't quite sure about him, but I think he warmed up to him after we all went to the zoo yesterday. I'll try to grab some pictures from my dad of all of us together.

Right Around, Baby
I can't remember if I mentioned this, but I did get my drum carder!! I went with a fine fancy kitty drum carder and love it!! It has been so much fun to play with! I have been carding up some fun batts... I think once I get a few more finished I'm going to put them up on Etsy, as I have enough other fiber I really want to spin, and clearing out the space + getting a tiny bit of cash is a bit more appealing to me at the moment.  It is so fun making them though!

Early Morning

Mini-Me
I love Sawyer.

I'm not sure I will ever understand him...

And sometimes (like when he gets up at 4:57am) I'm not sure what to do with him...

That is all.

Crossing the Finish Line

Sticks and String
My first FO of the Ravellenic Games is off the needles! It's Sawyer's Conduit hat. The pattern is from Tot Toppers, one of my favorite designers. I'm casting on a matching one for Baby tonight...

Contrary

Random Chatter
I have a lot of opinions that are very out of the norm... for example, I prefer the winter. *gasp* I know. I'm weird. I love layering up, getting to wear (or have Sawyer wear, more likely) some knitted objects... playing in the snow. Love that. The past week we have had some days that are above 70F and it was KILLING me. And, yes, you could claim that it was because I was pregnant, but I know that I would be miserable no matter what. I'm not made for the heat since I've lived up here for so long and would much prefer a nice 60 degree day over 70+.  Remember when Weston and I went on our weekend vacation to Valdez? A place with even more snow? Or what about when we went on vacation in January a few years back to a ski resort in CO? Yes, we are winter people.

Another rant I'd like to share has to do with knitting... I teach knitting, love knitting, and am around knitters a lot. I always find it interesting when I encounter knitters who refuse to pay for patterns.  I typically pay around $5-$6 for a pattern.  Why? I believe in supporting knitters. I would not work for free, and I don't expect knit designers to either.  Even designing and writing a simple pattern is hard.  I have written a few patterns just to use in class and MAN it is tough. The last one I did had a math mistake in the very beginning which caused a lot of the pattern to be off by a few numbers... frustrating and embarrassing! There are a lot of costs that go into publishing a pattern... if the designer has it test knit and tech edited, those are both costs (even if the test knitters are free, they are losing the sale of that pattern), plus the cost of photography, the computer, etc. etc. I also feel like if one designer devalues or undervalues their work it makes it harder for those who are trying to make a living designing.  So, while I do understand that money is tight and free patterns are out there, I'm not one who refuses to pay for patterns.

Alright, off to knit... Sawyer's hat is close to done (less than 10 rows left on the cable chart) and then I will start on Baby's. I am on track to finish both during the Olympics, which is exciting!

Tour de Fleece Wrap Up

Right Around, Baby
Well, Tour de Fleece ended on Sunday, and I was kind of sad... I would have liked to have one more week.  I almost made my goal, I had one 4oz braid and one 1oz batt left to spin that I had bought specifically for TdF, but I did spin 20oz that I hadn't planned on spinning... I guess, overall, I got a lot done!

I'm not sure what any of the yarn is going to become.. I'm thinking the brown skein might become mittens, as it is a baby alpaca/silk blend which is very cozy and super warm.  Other than that, I don't know.  I still have to measure some of the yarn and do some pattern searching. 

Sticks and String

Friday starts the kick-off of the Ravellenic Games (formally the Ravelmpics, but that is a whole other story... one that kind of made the internet light on fire, so I'm sure with some google searching you could find a few stories on it)! My plan is to knit matching hats for Sawyer and Baby. If there is time after that, I will hopefully finish up some lingering WIPs. I have a lot of things on the needles right now that are begging for my attention... a hat for Weston, Baby's coming home outfit (have to rip back a bit, so I'm dragging my feet on that), a pair of colorwork mittens, a pair of thrummed mittens, Sawyer's birthday sweater, my handspun lace shawl (needs ripping back as well... my preggo brain apparently can't handle complicated knitting right now)... that might be it. I know there are some other things I want to get done as well, but who knows when I will get to them.  I have all the yarn to knit Sawyer three bears (a big white one, med brown one, and small black one) I was hoping to knit them and give him the book AK's Three Bears for his birthday, but that might get pushed back to Christmas at my current rate of finishing things. I also want to knit a pair of mitts to go with a hat I just finished for a friend. Man, I spend a lot of time planning knitting projects. Lucky for me, I have actually been knitting a fair amount lately, so I am getting things done, even if it is just a little bit on every project... progress is being made. 

My Little Guy

Mini-Me
I haven't been posting a lot about Sawyer, mostly because I have so much other stuff going on! And, since he has his own blog, I figure people keep up with him there. But, I wanted to share a few things about him.... He has lately decided that he loves to pee in the toilet and is super good about letting us know when he needs to go (if he doesn't have a diaper on...). It has been fun to see him be so proud of himself.  He is also getting a new tooth... BOO on that. Teething has never been super easy for him, he gets really moody, which makes me crazy. I'm really hoping we get through the worst of it (normally once one starts coming, he will get all of them in that set... right now it's his K9s) before Baby shows up. Which could be in as early as SIX WEEKS! What!??! How did that happen. When we first found out we were expecting in Jan, I figured I would have loads of time before the baby was here... now it's right around the corner and I can't believe it.

Sawyer has been having a great summer. We spend a lot of time at the zoo or the museum (I can't really walk to the park anymore as pulling him in the wagon is a bit too much exercise for me) which he loves. I love watching him explore and learn. I am hoping that he starts talking soon... most of the frustration we have during the day is because he can't use words to tell me what he wants and I get a bit tired of interpreting what "meh" means all day. He is a great kid though and I am very blessed to be able to spend the days with him...

Sticks and String
I've been knitting Baby's coming home outfit and I'm loving it! I had my friend Carrie dye yarn for it and it is working up to be GORGEOUS! Pictures soon.  Also, the Ravellenic games (formally the Ravelmypics) are soon and I think my goal is going to be to knit Baby and Sawyer matching hats. I picked the pattern a bit ago (a Tot Toppers pattern, conduit) and have the yarn ready. I think they should be quick knits....

I get along...

Random Chatter


With a little help from my friends... I seriously have the best, most generous, thoughtful friends. The other day I was talking (on Rav) about how I really needed some colored pencils because I was trying to sketch some knitting ideas I had... a few days later, a set of colored pencils arrived in my mailbox from my friend Sara! Totally unexpected, but much appreciated. Just the other day, I received a wonderful surprise package from my friend Jess. It included a robot toy for Sawyer (no pics as he was unwilling to pose and would not give it up... I will try and get one later), a skein of handspun for me, and a quilt for Baby! It was just wonderful. I love it all. The quilt is so cute! The center panel is adorable and she backed it with polar fleece instead of using batting, which I would have never thought of, but it makes it the perfect weight to wrap around the baby!! And it is super snuggly... Such a generous gift!

Tour de Fleece

Right Around, Baby


It's Tour de Fleece season!! (For those who don't know, tour de fleece is a spinning challenge that coincides with the Tour de France... I think I've blogged about it in more detail before today) I have been rocking my spinning. I've already spun more than a pound, which is exciting! I hope to get at *least* 8 more oz spun, but hopefully more than that. Here is a quick picture round up of what I've spun.  The two big skeins are both 8oz (each around 200 yards of aran/bulky weight), so that is why I don't look like I've finished that much even though I've been spinning like a crazy person.  The two mini skeins are each 1 oz (yardage not measured) and there are three more that will be joining them soon... I'm hoping to knit some color work with them. Off to spin!

Snobbish

Random Chatter
It's no secret. I'm a yarn snob. And a fabric snob. And a milk snob (that one might be a secret, since I don't often talk about my food buying on here). I wanted to talk about why I choose what I do as a snob of many types....

Yarn

Ahh, yarn. We all love it (well, I assume if you read my blog you love it).  A lot of us probably own too much of it... I know I do. I am pretty picky about the yarn that I use. So here is why I buy what I buy...
*I love natural fibers. Why dress in plastic, when wool is so breathable, alpaca is so soft, or silk is so luxurious? Plastic? No thanks.
*I also tend not to buy super wash yarns... I hand wash all of my hand knits (including blankets) because they will last longer and it is less expensive. Plus, the process that makes yarns machine washable is quite harsh and sometimes can destroy some of the qualities I love in the yarn.
*I believe strongly in you get what you pay for. I try to use quality materials for my hobbies. If I'm going to spend 20 hours knitting something, shouldn't it be something that is worthy of that much time? Yes, I may spend a bit more upfront, but seriously... I know how long things take me to finish, I want something that I love when I am finished. And something that will last as long as I will, hopefully longer.

Fabric

I have quite the fabric stash. I'm really good at picking out things I love and then putting them in a drawer to dream of what they will become. I only buy fabric at quality quilt stores, for many of the same reasons I mentioned about my yarn buying habits. Another reason I'm a bit nuts about my fabric buying is that you can really tell the difference.  Fabric from a quality quilt shop feels nicer. The thread count is higher, seems to cut better, and it is normally printed more on the grain...it's just great. Fabric from a chain store is a gamble. I do not mix fabric from a chain store and a quality quilt store as I want all the fabrics to last the same amount of time. It would be terrible for a few pieces of a quilt to start falling apart while the rest of it to still be holding together. And, again, the price difference is negotiable.  Sure, the cost is a bit higher up front (although, I've done the math, and it normally is only about $40-$50 difference buying a whole quilt top from a chain vs. a quality store) but if you are spending time on something you want to last a lifetime, isn't the cost worth it?

Milk

I pay $5 for a gallon of milk. There are store brands and other brands of milk I can buy for much cheaper (I think I can get two gallons of milk at Costco for $6, for example) but I honestly can not think of the last time I bought any milk that wasn't Matanuska Creamery (which is a local brand).  I remember having milk at Weston's parent's house that wasn't Mat. Creamery and tasting the difference. I drink probably a gallon of milk or more a week... oh, and I drink whole milk.  So why this milk craziness? For a few reasons... I like to support the local creamery, I can taste the difference (other milk tastes almost burnt to me, I can not drink ultra-pastruized milk, which is why I don't drink organic milks. The organic milk available at my grocery store are all ultra-pastrurized, which to me tastes terrible), and it lasts longer (which I guess at the rate I drink milk isn't really an issue). Plus, I feel like it is as close as organic milk as I can get without the label.

So, that's that. I'm a snob. I believe in using the best materials you can afford.  And sure, I have to save up for bigger projects, but I still feel good about my choices. Now I'm off to knit, with my pinky held high in the air. :)

Crazy bag lady

On Pins and Needles
I had a quilting class this weekend where I was able to sew up three more of those project bags... I love them! They just need some ribbon for the drawstrings and then they will be packed up and mailed on to their new homes... When I was cutting them out, I kept thinking of all the fun fabrics I have stashed that would make wonderful bags. And how I wanted a cow bag, and a cupcake bag, and a penguin bag, and.... then I remembered that I already have plenty of bags and I don't need anymore. So, I didn't cut one out for myself. We will see how long I can hold out!

Sticks and String

I was able to find the two other contrasting colors I was looking for. I found the exact colors I had in my mind and I think the project (which is still a super-secret, as I'm not sure if the recipient reads my blog or not) will be just how I am picturing it! 

The other thing that came this weekend was the yarn for Baby's coming home outfit! I had my friend Carrie (craftypuppylover.etsy.com) dye the yarn for me and it is JUST what I wanted! I love it! The pattern I'm knitting is the Wildwood Romper (Rav link).  I can't wait to see it all finished....

Right Around, Baby

I finished my Pam yarn, inspired by Pam from The Office (it was part of a SAL from Carrie... her stuff is amazing!). I love this yarn. I still have an Angela batt to spin up... it is gorgeous, but I think it will have to wait as I know I can't finish it before TdF and I don't think it will be in my TdF queue. 

Ok, off to take a nap and then wind yarn! I hope everyone has a great day...

Fun in the Sun

Random Chatter
We have been having a lot of fun outside lately! I take big issue with people who claim there is "nothing to do" in Anchorage.  I think if you are bored, it is your own fault... there is A TON of stuff to do! For example, last night we went to town square to hear the "Live after 5" band which was a Journey cover band! It was SO fun and it was a wonderful night to be outside. Then, we went and had dinner at Humpy's since it was so nice out. Today, we headed out to the Spenard Farmer's Market and bought some local honey and cheese (we wanted to buy some chicken as well, but ran out of cash... so we will make the trek again next weekend to buy more).  Now we are home for nap time and then it is back downtown for the Solstice Celebration! And this is just a small sampling of things there are to do. Often, I have a hard time deciding which events I want to take part in, as the ones I want to do overlap or conflict. Also, all the events I mentioned were free (unless you wanted to buy something, like food), so that is great! So if you are bored, grab a paper, check Facebook, call a friend, do something! There is a lot to explore in our little town.... now I have to take a nap to rest up for our next adventure!

Planning

Sticks and String
Last week I knitted one stranded mitten (pics soon-ish) and it reminded me how much I love color work. It is just SO fun to knit! I think I knit the whole mitten in three days... it is just so fun to see the pattern emerge and it keeps me knitting. Plus, mittens are a smaller project, so it seems like the rounds just fly by. I love it.

I immediately started thinking about my next color work project. I did some Ravelry searching and wrote down the yarn requirements for a few different things. My plan was to get the yarn at the summer solstice sale at a LYS. Here is what I found....

I'm in love with this color palette. I am going to take them into the shop tomorrow and try and find two more colors (the pattern calls for 6, but I can easily use only 4 contrast colors). The pattern and the recipient are a surprise, but it is something for a good friend. I am quite excited. I even had Weston stop by the shop in Eagle River to pick up a new pair of needles for the project. The store out there has the best selection of needles... I need to try and make it out there more often. I will probably cast this on tomorrow...

Right Around, Baby

Tour de Fleece starts soon! (For those who don't know, Tour de Fleece is a spinning challenge in which people try to spin every day the Tour de France rides... they spin on their bikes, we spin on our wheels) I have been trying to finish up one more yarn before the challenge (which I plan on finishing right after posting) and I am really excited to focus on some spinning goals I have.  I ordered 8oz of a special TDF color way for the group that I am co-captain of and it is AMAZING. Such bright, fun, vibrant colors. I am trying to decide how to spin it.... I also ordered another special TDF fiber pack that is based on the different types of jerseys the bikers wear. That should arrive next week.... my plan for that is to spin each color separately and do a small color work project. I have always wanted to do color work with handspun, but I normally spin things that are too variegated to work for that. So hopefully I can get all that spinning done!