First Mother's Day

I have two socks on the sticks. On the left is the April Rockin Sock Club yarn in my alternate pattern. On the right is more STR yarn, colorway Obsidian, for B's first pair of handknit socks. I am trying the circular needle method, and so far, so good. I can't tell if it's the easy pattern or the circular method that is allowing me to go so fast...I think I have spent less time on B's socks and it certainly looks like the same length on both pairs at this point!

Here is my Mother's Day bling...it's actually a white gold and diamond pendant, I guess the flash makes it look yellow gold!

Yesterday we had a mother daughter luncheon. Baby K was very excited to hear the entertainment...a barbershop quartet. She had been napping on my lap and perked up with a smile when the men started singing!

And just for fun, here are some bathtime pictures. Her toys are foam letters that spell her name. She likes to have one in each hand, and one in her mouth too!

With seven teeth showing, we have to practice good brushing habits...

Two more weeks of school, woo-hoo! B. and I made reservations for our summer trip to Minnesota. Now we have to figure out how to survive a 3 hour plane ride with the baby... Plan A is Benadryl, but I don't know how far we'll get with the three ounce limit ;-)

Bunny Show

Baby K is 9 months old. She has seven teeth, crawls everywhere and can stand easily. Sometimes she can even guide herself along the couch.

Posing with the bunny is a challenge, because everything goes in her mouth! And I need a super-high-speed camera to get just the right pose, since she doesn't stay in one position very long...

I was finally able to click at the right moment!

We've been invited to a mother-daughter luncheon with Grandma tomorrow. She certainly will enjoy showing off her little princess! Happy Mother's Day!

Thursday 13

GO SUNS (Thanks for wearing #13 Steve!)

Back in 1998/99 I was dreaming of going to the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. I visited the USOC website on a regular basis and watched for airfare and ticket prices. Sadly, I did not make that trip because of timing. As a school teacher, it is very difficult to take a major vacation in August or September. But hope springs eternal, so I am looking ahead to 2012 in London! I have been to London twice…once on an Air Force deployment, and once on a trip with my grandmother.

For today’s list of 13, I want to brainstorm things I’d like to do if we can manage the trip!

1. Opening Ceremonies ...the tickets are outrageously expensive for this, but I love the pageantry, so if it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, you might as well go all out!

2. Any swimming events! I was a competitive swimmer in my younger years so this is my favorite Olympic sport.

3. Volleyball. Fun to watch, and it’s usually not a headline event, so tickets should be easier to get.

4. Soccer. B’s favorite sport! And bigger arenas mean more seats for less money.

That’s about it for sports, so let’s expand to the other cultural aspects of a vacation to London…
5. The Imperial War Museum. B. is a history buff, and this is a fantastic museum!
6. Westminster Abbey... I made a quick pass through the last time, but I’d like to slow down and explore.
7. The Silver Vaults. My grandmother took me here…the underground vaults that held the silver during WWII are now shops. Cool stuff!
8. The Tower of London. History, and oh my, the jewels!

We can’t forget the food!
9. Fish –n- chips with a pint…since I’m not much of a beer drinker, I’ll take a cider.
10. Indian. Delicious.
11. Chinese. On the Air Force trip, a buddy took us to the Chinese district. His criteria for the restaurant was “No Caucasians”…if the menus have pictures, just point and enjoy!

And for some trips to the countryside…
12. Stonehenge I felt such a calm presence as I walked around these stones. I believe that they were a place of worship for whoever put them there.
13. Dover…seems like a picturesque area.

I could easily list a bunch of places in Scotland that I want to visit also. Maybe I should look into teaching exchanges…this trip could expand from a week to a year very easily!

WIP Wednesday

Baby K took a good nap yesterday afternoon, so I was able to piece about half the blocks I need for Elizabeth's Yellow Brick Road... And I am LOVING the pattern I chose for my Wild Tide sock yarn:

It's a little hard to see in the photo, but there is a ridge of stitches that twists around the sock, and it lands right in the middle of the color swirl. It's just enough texture to really make the socks interesting, and it should be a quick knit!

I haven't had any longarm time, so the Orange Delight is in limbo. As I look at my May calendar, I don't have much free time, so it may be a last minute scramble. Which means I am leaning towards a pantograph. The goal is to have the quilting done and the binding on by June 1st!

Stitch-n-Pitch

The goodie bag had light up needles! Pretty cool...now I just need a pattern that calls for size 19 and I'm ready to knit in the dark.

I managed to finish something at the game - the log cabin blanket I started in the hospital when baby K was born. We didn't know if it was going to be boy or a girl, so I picked out some green and yellow yarn. (yes, the colors on your screen are horrid representations!) It's now a doll blanket, because I don't like how the colors sit next to each other. If I were going to do it again with these yarns, I would use the same color on two consecutive sides - put the lighter colors inside and then use the darker colors on the next round.

Since I have quite a bit of yarn left over, I might knit some four patch blankets. In all my spare time. In between socks and quilts. Over the next twenty years ;-)

Frog, meet Grasshopper

I turned the heel, using short rows, and knit about 4 rounds of the leg.

I'm loving the yarn, but I noticed a couple things...

There was a HUGE gap between the back and the front. The pattern warned of this and suggested picking up a stitch or two in the gap, and then decreasing the next row. Well, how are you supposed to decrease the stitches when everything is yarnover and purl 2 together?!? Second problem...somehow I dropped 2 stitches on the heel-side. I did not feel like ripping it out and trying again. I had enough fun with the lace pattern on the foot.

So, I pulled out my "Sock Calendar" pattern book, and flipped to October - ta da! It's a basic pattern called "Everybody wants Sox" that has some ribbing and a pretty diagonal twist. I think it will really complement the beautiful colors in the yarn!

Today is another Stitch-n-Pitch event, which means knitting with hundreds of others at Chase Field. Go Diamondbacks!

Thursday 13

Today's list is inspirational quotes. I collected about 180 of them to post in my classroom. Here are the first thirteen!

1. Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. William Jennings Bryan

2. The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving – Oliver Wendell Holmes

3. Enthusiasm…nothing great was ever achieved without it. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

4. Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. – Epicurus

5. One person with courage makes a majority. – Andrew Jackson

6. What you think of yourself is much more important than what others think of you. – Seneca

7. One’s work may be finished someday, but one’s education, never. – Alexander Dumas the elder

8. We will be known by the tracks we leave behind. – Dakota proverb

9. Stumbling is not the same as falling. – Portuguese proverb

10. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from the ones you do make. Dare, risk, take chances. – Cicero

11. Never feel that your success may be too hard a climb – the very highest peaks are reached just one step at a time. (unknown)

12. Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. – Samuel Johnson

13. Freedom for a country, for a world, is something that must first begin within the hearts of individuals. (unknown)

WIPs

I was successful finding a ball winder last weekend. I kept the yarn intact as I wound the second ball...the winder wasn't big enough to make jsut one ball!

Here is the top of my April Rockin Sock...

And here is the plain stockinette sole of the sock...the yarn is just luscious!

I will be quilting the Orange Delight as soon as my thread order arrives, and in the meantime I started cutting for my next project. This is a graduation present for our best friend's daughter. She picked out the fabric and chose the Yellow Brick Road pattern. Looks like fun!

Finally, here's Baby K. She really enjoys her books! Some of the covers are tattered from being in her mouth...must be the teething - B. noticed two new ones coming in on top for a total of SEVEN!!!

We have a winner!

Toni figured the clues correctly and guessed...

JANUARY ONE (for my Jaywalkers) and OBSIDIAN for my husband. I was leaning towards getting him "Terra Firma" but he wasn't thrilled with the idea of high contrast stripes. I've made the difficult decision to set aside the "Wild Tide" socks when his yarn arrives. It's bad enough having my dad grumble about his 2-year-old unfinished birthday quilt, I don't need any more guilt!

Speaking of Walking on the Wild Tide, I think the colors are gorgeous. (It reminds me of Noro which I plan to knit from the Spring 07 issue of Knitty!) Anyway, I cast on the provisional toe from the Inside Out pattern (several times, since I tried it BEFORE having coffee!) and started the *yo/p2tog section. Oh my. Lots of concentration required! After about half a dozen rows, I noticed that something was wrong...some of my stitches looked very smooth, while others had the twisted/knotty look. I debated leaving it, since who cares what two rows on the toe really look like, but then I decided it would eat at me forever, so I frogged. I read the Club suggestions to slip the stitches and insert the left needle in the back of the loops when the yarnover comes first, and that seems to help alot. Unfortunately, this is not a fast knitting pattern! The pattern itself is easy to remember and I can read the stitches well enough to know what I'm doing next without referring to the paper, but all those yarnovers and purls make it slow going.

Hint!

If you are guessing in the Audience Participation contest, I will tell you that my yarn is named for one of my favorite blogs. And B's choice was kinda what you'd expect a man to choose!

Good Luck!

Friday Finishes

I had to wait until I finished my Inside Out socks before I opened my April Rockin Sock Club kit...it was torture! I had about 7 rows left when I got home, and Baby K was napping (thank goodness for small favors!) Of course, she woke up right as I started binding off, LOL. I had alot of fun with the first pattern: ***SPOILER ALERT FOR RSC MEMBERS...turn away now if you don't have your kit yet!***

Then, I got to rip into the April kit! The yarn is absolutely dreamy - a merino/silk blend. The pattern has a lacy, open leg which is perfect for spring weather. I'm itching to cast on, BUT... I don't own a ball winder :-( It's on my list for Saturday errands now! I need to swatch because I saw a comment on the club blog that the pattern is running large. I had so much fun with the first short row toes and heels, that I may try them again. WOW - my fourth pair of socks and I'm already modifying...definitely "Walking on the Wild Tide"!!! OK, I will admit that my design decisions are based on the fact that I don't have room in my budget for 2 sets of circular needles, which the pattern technique calls for!

Since the sock project is on hold for a day or so, I pulled out the Orange Delight and finished the borders. I think it came together nicely, and Gidget approves too! Now I have to decide on a quilting pattern. I have some ideas for custom work floating around my head, but I'm also in a time crunch so maybe I'll just use a pantograph. Although I could use the practice with custom free-hand quilting...(can you tell I'm a Libra?!?)

And finally, I noticed that Baby K's 5th tooth is showing through her bottom gums. We've said all along that she's a super-advanced baby...she's just 8 and a half months old. She's always on the move nowadays!

OH YEAH...this is a reminder to see my April 26th post (Audience Participation) for a contest!!!

Audience Participation

a.k.a CONTEST FOR KNITTERS!

I have been on an online shopping spree this week. I have purchased books (photo forthcoming) and crafty supplies. I am going to get a Carefree Dress in at least two colors. (I already own one in Jade and it's soooooo comfy!) So, I thought I'd round out my purchases with some Socks that Rock yarn and use my Rockin Sock Club coupon.

Here's where the audience participation comes in...

Guess which colorways I choose for me and for DH! The prize is a Blue Moon Gift Certificate!
**I will accept guesses until 12 noon (MST) on Monday April 30th.** To enter, leave a comment with 2 (two) of Blue Moon's colors. Be sure to label your guesses with "A" (for me, Andi) and "B" for my husband.

Cryptic hint...I plan to make another pair of Jaywalkers with my yarn. This will be the first pair of socks I knit for B.

Standard disclaimer...in the event that more than one person guesses both colorways, I will randomly draw the winner.

Thursday 13

Thirteen places I have lived…working backwards.

1. Current house on Mary Ann Drive in Phoenix AZ – bought new in 2002.

2. Rental house in Glendale – we were able to rent month-to-month from my BIL while our current house was under construction.

3. The house I bought as a single woman.

4. The apartment across from ASU West – one of the few in town with washer/dryer hookups.

5. The apartment on 44th Street with the roommate I rarely saw (there are advantages to a 2-bedroom, 2-bath place!)

6. Mom and Dad’s house in Phoenix – it was for about 6 months after my divorce while I decided what to do with the rest of my life!

7. Apartment in Mountain Home, Idaho – my last duty station in the Air Force. Lived alone with my first two cats, Squirt and Jason.

8. House on Wentworth Avenue in Rapid City…extravagant for a young married couple, but we were dual spouse Air Force and money shouldn’t have been a problem (cough cough)…oh well, those days are a distant memory!

9. Rental house in Clovis, New Mexico – commuter marriage while hubby #1 tried to get through pilot training.

10. Apartment in Littlefield, Texas. Home of Waylon Jennings, who came back for a concert on the 4th of July! Due to Air Force training, this tiny town in the middle of nowhere was the first home I shared with hubby #1...10 months AFTER the wedding!

11. Single Officer Housing at Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo TX – my Air Force training base. I spent the weekends with hubby #1 in Lubbock.

12. Dorms at the Air Force Academy. Beautiful place, although daily life could be kinda rough ;-)

13. Home in Phoenix (see #6). We moved in right before my senior year of high school. Mom renovated several times since then, so it really is like 2 different houses!

Of course, since I grew up as an Air Force brat, there are half a dozen more homes to list. Look for my “100 things” in the archives…I think I talked about them all! And yes, one of these days I will play around with blogger and put fancy links in the sidebar.

Knitting update: 25 rows to go on the Rockin Socks! April kit has not arrived yet.

Sunday Sewing

Where does the time go??? It was Friday night, I blinked, and now it's Sunday evening! Friday night, B. and I went to the Joyce Meyer conference. It was a great event, especially since we tend to have quality conversations in the car. Baby K had fun with her favorite babysitter, Elizabeth. Paace of mind is a great thing, and I'm very grateful we have a trustworthy friend to babysit when we take the rare night away from baby!

Saturday I had some longarm time, which I spent basting a quilt for my mom. I won't be advertsing that service very much...it's B-O-R-I-N-G! You stare at the gorgeous quilt and all you're doing is straight lines. At least it sparks the creative center of my brain so I'm ready for the next project! I finally dug out some hangars with clips so I can hang quilts on the bar that B. installed next to my machine. I can ponder quilting designs while viewing the whole quilt.

I got borders on the Orange Delight:
Here you see the corner of the "squares squared" center, a one inch black border, a 3 inch orange border in Kerstin's favorite fabric, then the piano keys. I am going to piece one more set of piano keys, then get out my knitting while my Sunday TV shows are on.

Speaking of knitting, I finished the 2nd Inside Out sock! Yay me!!! No finished object picture though, because I decided to frog the leg of the first sock and re-do the cables on bigger needles. 55 more rounds...no problem! And the excitement is building for kit #2, which will be shipped this week. Three cheers for Blue Moon Sockateers!

Books

Today's topic is 13 books I love. Most of these titles I have read at least 3 time! My mom says I read faster than anyone she knows. If it’s light fiction, I can get through almost 100 pages an hour. Yes, I read every word, and retain it too!

1. Harry Potter... every couple years I start with Year 1 and read them all again.
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon... a great series that I'm anxious to read again. Lots of yummy Scottish men in kilts ;-)
3. The Yarn Harlot...in print AND online. I'm waiting for Knitting Rules and Casts On to arrive next week.
4. Earlene Fowler mysteries...the quilting titles caught my eye first, and she gives you a great feeling for the San Luis Obispo area.
5. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott...I have a collection of "how to write fiction" books, and she is my favorite.
6. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert... details of her personal journey after a messy divorce. Now if I could get someone to finance MY journey!!!
7. No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (series) by Alexander McCall Smith...I talked about these books a few weeks ago. I really need to get caught up on the current installments! However, I was not as impressed with his other novel 44 Scotland Street.
8. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova... I heard the buzz about this novel when it was first published. It is a great story-within-a-story retelling of Dracula.
9. The Bestseller by Olivia Goldsmith... just a fun read!
10. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton... I love her illustrations. This is a cute bedtime story for Baby K.
11. Little House on the Prairie...another series that I would read over and over as a little girl.
12. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell...why are kids always drawn to survival stories? This is an award winner...Newberry or Caldecott, I'm not sure, but it's well deserved!
13. The Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan...as long as I'm strolling down memory lane, I'll include this one. It's about a girl with ESP. I went through a stage of fascination with ESP and poltergeists as a kid. Plus, I was trying to find something to read in my school library and this title jumped out at me!

Inspiration

Quickie post so I don't forget where I saw this amazing quilt. Check out the Cherubs! (scroll down to March 12th)

I am going to MQS in June, where I am sure I will see many more like this to inspire me.

Year One

It's my 1st Blogger-versary!!

I started blogging on Yahoo 360 during the Yarn Harlot’s 2006 Knitting Olympics. I made a Booga bag which I carried for a while, until I got tired of digging for things in the bottom.

I should make a lining for it and it might be more useful! I-cord handles also stretch quite a bit! In the future, I will use store-bought handles for bags I intend to use on a daily basis.

ANYWAY, after a couple months, I gave up on Yahoo – it was too difficult for people to find my blog and comment. So I switched to Blogger and my first post was April 17, 2006. It’s amazing how life can change in one year! Last year, we had just been contacted about adopting Baby K and B. was finishing up his college coursework. Today, we are chasing an 8-month around the house and B. is filling out job applications.
Just for fun, here is a picture of my first-ever quilt, finished in 2004. I used a Terry Atkinson pattern called "Lasagna." It's reversible too, with a large piece of the focal fabric (Alexander Henry zoo animals) on the back.

Not mine

This is the quilt I was working on over the weekend. I used a pantograph from Willow Leaf Studios...no close ups of the quilting though. I am on the right - my sister in law, who made the top, is on the left. I thought her fabric choices were outstanding!

I had to get a picture of Baby K's fabulous hairstyle today :-) She has some very long tendrils, and a very prominent cowlick. She must have been thrashing around during her nap to get it all going in different directions!

My brilliant idea to put my sock on a circular needle didn't work. I forgot that the sock is too narrow to work on one circ...and I didn't feel like asking my mom to search for yet another needle and then teach me to use two circulars! I decided that I'll put the stitches on 3 needles instead of 4. I'm using a US2 for the first cable, that should give it room to get over my ankle. I plan to go back to 1s, but we'll see as the leg progresses.

Fiber Content

Quality knitting time in the hospital waiting room:

B. had outpatient surgery yesterday to remove the "plate" from his leg. You can see the hardware on the left. He crushed the top of his tibia 5 years ago in a motorcycle accident, needed a bone graft and the plate was holding the graft in place. It was so close to the surface of his skin that it was causing problems. We still have to wait another 10 years or so until he is "old enough" for a full knee replacement.

He is up and walking this morning! The memory of 10 days in the hospital right after the accident is so burned in my head that I forget that most of these outpatient procedures are fairly easy in terms of recovery.

On the right, you will see that I have started the heel on my second "Inside Out" sock from the Rockin Sock Club! I put the instep stitches on waste yarn since the metal stitch holder got in my way on the first sock. I plan to use circular needles for the leg...it was a PITA to work the cables on DPNs and keep the stitches distributed. The cables stitches always seemed to end up right at the end of a needle! And, I am going up one size for the first cable since it's a pretty tight fit getting the sock on over my arch and heel. I am excited at the prospect of finishing this pair before the next kit arrives!

Photo Shoot

Baby K is 8 months old! These bunny pictures are getting to be more difficult as she becomes more mobile...


I think we'll have a re-take with Daddy helping!