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!