Rugby

Go team.

I'm to the flap on the adult sized soaker. For some reason, I always get excited when I get to the flap. I know that most of the body is in the flap, and it goes on for waaaay longer than I think it will, but the prospect of ever decreasing rows makes me happy. Bringing it around to meet makes me happy. The fact that I will bring this one around to meet at an exact point in the striping pattern?

*shiver*

Carry on.

So it can't be misplaced...

I've done the math. again. Round pattern is repeat A, flap goes B, A, B and then will join with the front A. Short rows not figured as part of the pattern... they'll just be there.

Repeat A is
6 brown, 3 oat, 6 brown, 8 purple, 6 brown, 3 oat, 6 brown

Repeat B is
4 teal, 5 oat, 5 purple, 3 brown, 10 teal, 3 brown, 5 purple, 5 oat, 4 teal

204 waist, inc to 226, hold out 50 at the end of A1.

Take that Niall.

The week in review

This will be a picture heavy post. I'm trying to make up for all of the not putting pictures I've been doing.

Item one:
After two years of solid and very hard wear - Niall's longies made of the LTK Christmas Blocks yarn gave way at the knee.
I do have plans to salvage them into shorties, for our summer enjoyment.
*sigh*






Item two:


Niall needed some new jammies, so since Hancock here is going out of business we stopped by once or twice... or a few times.
I promise, I did follow the pattern for size 3T. I did increase the rise to a 4T to account for the diaper, but still, the length was the normal length and I didn't change the shirt at all. Ummm... I don't know what kind of Amazon toddler the folks at Simplicity were designing for, but the jammies fit Rowan (who will be 5 soon) perfectly. So now Rowan has some new jammies, and we are using a diaper pin to keep Niall from stripping in the middle of the night.











Item three:


Ruffles take up a lot of stitches. And they take up a lot of needles. And way more time than you think they're going to. Seriously, look at how many needles I had going over there. That's a size small soaker. Wuh!
But it is done, and marvelously cute. I will take pictures when it is dry.
By the way, Tracy, if you're reading this, I need your zipcode to figure out postage. Will mail on Monday.






Item four:


Reason one billion and seven to be a knitter:
if the boys are playing ball in the house - even though they are not supposed to and they know this - you can depend on your thoughtful and vigilant double points to put a stop to the madness.
Note: These double points are stored on an entertainment center no less than 5 feet off the ground - so you know they were throwing it. Busted!




Item five:

And last but not least, I have started my project for Neil.
205 stitches per round is A LOT.
Problem: I know I did mention that wonderful 56 row repeating stripe pattern that I made.
If you see a little black notebook with a bunch of math scribbled out and "if this happens try this" kinds of notes on it, as well as a code of a bunch of numbers with Ts, Bs, Ns and Ps as part of it....
Would you please let me know? It seems to have wandered off on little toddler feet.




Also in progress but not pictured: I have claimed one of the front rooms as an adult only room. The sewing machine and desk, almost all of the fabric, computer, and phone answering machine are living there. Once I get my hands on a saw there will be a properly fitting cover for the foosball table so I can use it to cut fabric (so long as I mind the handles on it. hmm I see bruises in my future). All manner of things are hiding in there as well -- phone books, library books, tools... The greatest benefit is that this is the room with a door. Why? See the post I made on Tuesday.

good night.

Why I'm not knitting today...

I posted this on my bulliten board, but just in case you wonder why the heck it's taking me so long to get anything done.....


I just can't take it! I can't keep up!
Niall is constant constant constant. He gets into everything. I babyproof it. He figures it out. This morning I caught him in my sewing drawer that has a baby latch on it that I HAVE TROUBLE getting open! He didn't get it open, but wedged his little hand in there trying to get my pins out anyway.
If it's not that, he's trying to mess with the computer, or outlets (I have to have SOME things plugged in! I can't keep the plastic outlet covers on everything), or the dog, or the fish, or dumping coffee on the couch, or...

it just goes on and on. All day long. I'm tearing my hair out and I feel like crying at the end of the day. Yesterday he moved a toy bin to climb to get to the mantle and tried to grab the fish, and dumped most of it out but luckily Shishy was ok. And JOHN WAS IN THE ROOM. I mean, it's not like we let him run wild here, but he still manages to wreak havok all day long every single day. I just can't do it.
I don't know what to do to make things managable.
I guess I could get rid of all the books so there wouldn't be anything to pull off bookcases and throw. And put all my sewing and knitting things in the shed so he can't get to them (and I couldn't either).
We could sell off all the furniture and sit on pillows on the floor, because basically that's all that I'm up for anymore.
If I just had a house with a freaking closet where I could put things, but then he'd probably figure out how to get it open and just stand there slamming the door all day.

I'm tapped. Anyone want a kid? After that glowing recommendation I'm sure you're all lining right up.

There's something about math...

that makes me feel like my brain is slowly leaking out of my ears.
never mind trying to come up with a repeating rugby stripe that will wrap around and connect at the right point in the pattern. Ummm... ya.
But I have a 56 row repeating rugby stripe pattern, and it will look great. It won't hit at the right spot because that would mean the universe is waaaay too kind. But it will look great anyway.
Now I just have to get it cast on. Tell Niall that, will you? Cause he thinks my lap belongs to him today.
He won't be 2 forever, but some days it feels like it.

I know it's Friday the 13th because

my brilliant dh waited until 10pm last night to tell me that we're out of coffee.

coffee is his job. I buy it, but he has to tell me when we're low. Not out, but lwo. so we dont' run out.

he waited until we're out. until 10pm of being out.

I did'nt really believe him. he wouldn't do that. he'd find a way. like getting starbucks and leaving it on the counter for me.

no

nothing.

no cofeee.

i needs coffee.

now I know. it's Friday the 13. no coffee.

maybe I will load the kdis int he stroller and go get coffe. cause this sure isn't working.

foul words. foul words.

--------------------------

later

oh get this.

I load up my kids in the stroller, their hair sticking up every which way. dont' care. need coffee.
Got my wallet. got my sunglasses. Starbucks is 2 blocks to the right, 3 blocks to the left. yep. Close the door.

no keys.

Locked out.

I'll deal with that later. i need coffee.

Walk to Starbucks. Yay for the crossing signals that chirp and beep to catch my attention.

Get to Starbucks. I never go here. it's right next to the grocery store but the only time I get it is if John gets it for a treat. So I don't know what to order. I'm squinting at the board to see what to get. Light Mocha looks good. That must be a mocha-y coffee with out the fatty stuff, right? I order it.

It's some icey coffee thing. Noooo.

I try a sip. No. It's not going to do it.

I go back around to the order side to try and see what I did wrong? Where did I go wrong? Oh... I ordered off the frappacino menu.

The order girl asks if everything is ok. I tell her what I did. Bless her, she takes the coffee back and says, oh did you want a [she rattles off some name that I can't understand, but it contains "mocha" and "skim milk"] and smiles.

Ummm ok. Bless her. It's hot the way coffee is supposed to be. I put a little sugar in. Taste it. yay.

putting the lid back on, I notice I spilled some on my shirt. Durn cups. Oh well.

Go into the grocery store to buy coffee. Buy 2, just in case.

I realize at the register, that I don't have my keys so I don't have my little VIC card for the discount stuff. No matter. The register guy is nice and takes my phone number so he can apply the discount anyway.

Walk home, trying to answer questions from Rowan like "Why do some people live on hills?"

Get home, go around back to try and find the hidden key [I know I know. But we hide one anyway for times like this] when Rowan asks if the back door is locked too. I try it. Bless my coffee deprived self... I forgot to lock the back door.

Things are looking up.

40 hats in 40 days

I had this idea.

I needed something to do for Lent. Something that would make things a little better than they were before.

My friend, Grumpy, once did a spell of knitting for her hospital's NICU. I thought that sounded just right. I'd be giving my time, my skill, and my yarn to some of God's smallest children.

Lent is 40 days long. So I chose 40 hats. I figured I could do one a day, and all would be well. I could contemplate and think while I knit, and knitting for babies is always fun.

It didn't quite go that way.

I started off easily enough. Knitting a hat a day. And then things got in the way... the kids, life, a trip out of town to visit family, allergies.... I had to come to a reckoning with myself. Was I going to do this or not? It was a promise I had made to myself, and to God.

I got my needles, I put all other knitting aside, and I set out to really do this. And I thought.

It was hard.

I thought of the moms who would pull out a teeny hat in another 18 years, and marvel at how far their little one had come from those days in the NICU. I also thought of the moms who might pull out a teeny hat every year, and wish for the baby they never got to bring home. I thought of my blessings, and the things I could do to make life better for my family. And for every hat I thanked God for my children and my life.

I guess I managed a Lenten journey after all.

So today I finished the last hat. I piled them on the floor so that I could marvel at the joy that was 40 baby hats. I took pictures from several angles, because once I take them to the hospital, I will never see any of these hats again. And they're probably the most meaningful little things I will ever knit.

I'm going to do this again.

I wonder if I can get 100 Santa hats done by the end of November?

Marge Simpson type grumble

I left the blue and grey soaker sitting too long.
It grew somehow. Really.
There's no way that's a size small.
So I had to rip it out. start over.
bah.

I seem to be doing that a lot lately.

In other news, I have 28 hats done. I'm behind schedule, but plodding along.

Serious freak out

I was seriously freaking out. I'm working on the preemie hats - I know I know, Tracy wants newborn soakers, but her babies won't be here for a while yet so I'm taking my time - anyway...
I found the last of that beautiful acrylic that I think of as dusty rose. And there's only a little ball left. Might be able to get a few hats out of it though for the white and color style hats.

Why was I freaking? I couldn't remember what it was leftover from.

It started out as a big ball of yarn. I remembered winding it and how it was a big cake. There was only that little ball left and I had no clue where it had gone.

I tried to get John to help me remember. But he didn't know. He pays attention when I finish something to tell me it's pretty, and then promptly forgets. I mean, I knitted his Valentine hat right under his nose and he didn't notice. And he didn't understand why it was so important.

It was more than important. It was vital. I had this yarn, and I wound it, and made something with it, and I couldn't place what it was. That's like a piece of me went missing. Hours of my life, gone in a blip. I didn't know what it was, or who I'd given it to... nothing.

to say I was a little panicked about that is an understatement. I was on the edge of tears.

I thought of all the Christmas presents I did... the people who'd had babies... the hats... mittens... what... what?

I came here, because even if I didn't take a picture of it maybe I mentioned it. I mean, I've been trying to use up this acrylic for a while. And there it was!

LOKI'S SWEATER!!!

I got the piece of me back.

cruddy

This is the cruddiest winter that ever crudded. We can't catch a break with a net.
Sickies all around, with attitudes and buckets of phlegm on the side.
I'm plodding along, slowly, on Kelly's soaker. I'm to the back and forth part, and if the stars align I might even manage to get it done and in the wash tomorrow.
If.

My 40 hats in 40 days project isn't going so well. I'm way behind and only on hat #6. But I'll just keep plugging along and do what I can. 'Cause really that's all I can do.

The saga of the pants

I made these pants for Niall. The were really cute. Targhee from Wooly Wonders, dyed in the coffee with extra cream colorway. Wonderful stuff.
And Priscilla of Be-Bops made him this shirt to match it.
It was a great outfit. Except for one thing.

the pants didn't fit.




You can imagine the horror of ripping it out.
I had to.
By the time I ordered yarn, it was dyed and sent, and I knitted it up... it would be too warm to wear them for long. I mean we do live in the south.

It was painful. Megan and Joanna were here for moral support.
So... redone. Redone well and fitting this time. I was wayyyy off. Teach me to do a guage smidgen instead of a guage swatch. And I was feeling so cocky because it had been a while since the Knitting Gods had smacked me down.
Consider me smacked.
Here's the final product though. Doesn't he look nice?

My Valentine

Isn't he pretty?

The one on the right is how he really looks, but the one on the left is how he really is.

I am a lucky, lucky woman. :P

Happy Valentine's Day

These are Maryann's britches. They went out yesterday.
They were so thick and soft... I had to talk myself out of keeping them. She probably wouldn't like me very much if I'd kept them after she sent me money. Ya. Into the mail they went.
(there's a better quality picture in the gallery)

I made John a hat today. I used the rumplestiltskin targhee left over from making Niall's pants. I'll see if I can't get a picture of him wearing it. It was his Valentine.

He got me Fiona Ellis' Inspired Cable Knits and some nice wooden cable needles and some of the knitpicks bare yarn. Good man.
I also woke up to a rose on my pillow. Very good man. I should make him a sweater.

You'll be glad to know

that Maryann's britches learned their lesson.
The legs have the same number of stitches now, and I'm partway down one of them.

I would get a lot more done if I didn't have to keep putting Niall back in the bed.
His bedtime is 7:30, yet he was still up at almost 10pm.
Really cuts into the knitting time.

sulking

Maryann's britches are in time out.
They did not behave themselves.
Maybe it was the bad singers on American Idol (hey, we got rid of cable. I no longer get to adore Dirty Jobs.) Maybe it was because this is Niall's first night in a toddler bed and I had to keep getting up and putting him back in it.

Hmmm... knitting problems these days usually do stem from Niall. I may have something there.

So anyway, I was knitting along, shaping the gusset, enjoying the softness of good wool. Grafted the seam, and started to pick up for the leg.

Maryann wants garter cuffs, so it really doesn't matter how many stitches are on the needles. But I am anal. I have to count. Hmmm... 1 more on this leg than that leg.
Count again. same thing.
One more time. still off.

So I picked out the graft. Looked and looked for the extra in there. What went on? I know I had my markers properly placed. I count that a few times too. But I had to take them off to graft and so I'll never know.

I could have just gone on, but I'd know. It would irritate me. Maybe if these were for me to keep... no I'd still have taken it down. Be honest. I would.

So the britches are in the rocking chair having a time out. They're sitting there quietly, so maybe they'll behave tomorrow. That little ball is composed of the ripped out stitches. 108 for every row. I think I hear it taunting me.

just keep knitting, just keep knitting

I've been finishing things. Lots of things. Things and things and things.
First the xxl longies were done, and then I finished Robert's mittens.
He's wanted mittens with R's on them for forever. He said that every time he finds someone who can knit, he asks for them.
Robert, your wish is my command. In fact they should be on your hands right now, keeping the steering wheel from freezing your little fingers.
Happiness.

I also finished Toni's black pants. Little cute black pants that look like they should be part of a baby tuxedo. Really, I hope she sends a picture of them on the baby, because they're sweet.
I have a picture, but she wanted to be surprised. I'll put the picture in the album at a later date. When I remember to get it off my camera.

And that, my friends, is the end of the diaperpin coop order. Yesssssssss!

I'm in talks with Kelly over what we're doing with what yarn, and Maryann's britches are to the gusset shaping. I also have a sweet surprise on the needles and you can't make me tell.
Cupcake hat is waiting on the baby to arrive so we know yellow or pink. and I believe that's the waiting list.

I want a hat. I want this hat. I have some very wonderful yarn for it. And the sock yarn that was my birthday present is patiently waiting. And I can't find my Knitter's Bible for the cable chart to finish mom's throw. And Niall's coffee with cream britches are to the legs.

Did I get everything?

Warm puppy

Here's Loki in her new sweater.
I'd finished the xxl longies and was waiting on measurements for the next pair, so I took the time to finish Loki's sweater.
It fits well, but now that she's worn it a bit I see that it needs bigger buttons. Funny, because I made the button holes smaller than the pattern called for and used bigger buttons. But her first trip outside she walked right out of it and left it on the steps.
She sure is cute though!

Ahhhh

Finally finished the XXL longies tonight. Will wash them up and photograph them tomorrow.
They always seem to take forever to make them that large, but they're pretty.
John says, "they are beautiful. She will like them. They look like food."

OK OK OK!

I've had a sinus infection people. No I'm not dead. Yes I'm still knitting. It's just slower. and sneezier. I'm on round two of abx and already feel ten times better. Thanks so much.

I've had a few people write asking about what my sister did when she got her nightgown.
She called me cackling laughing, and screaming "I've been bedazzled!" And then she laughed some more. She said that the letter was the kicker - and the handwriting on the letter was what did it. She said that she read it over and over, just laughing with tears pouring down her face. I've seen her in this condition and I laugh to think about it. She just convulses with laughter, holding her stomach and saying "oh oh" between outbursts.
So the bedazzling was a total and complete success.

I have been knitting. There's a rainbow ruffled pair of longies, and a small pink chocolate pair as well. But blogger is being fiesty and won't let me upload them. They are in the flickr gallery if you want to see.

I'm currently still at work on an XXL pink chocolate pair. I had intended to be done by now. But it's another example of extreme knitting. I had 66 rows before the cuff on one leg, and I'm at 61 for the other with maybe another row of yarn left... so I will finish out this leg, and then go back to the first and take it down so the cuffs are the same size.
It's times like this that I think to myself... I really need to learn how to magic loop and do both legs at once. But then I don't want to mess with my mojo either.
After that is Toni's black longies, and then the coop will be done. Yay!
I already have another 2 lined up and a cupcake hat. And Loki's dog sweater, Robert's mittens, Mom's throw, and my hat and mittens.

What am I doing on the computer?

An aside from knitting

My sister got me a Bedazzler for Christmas.
Yep. A Bedazzler.
She thought she was sooooo funny. Kept going on and on...
"you can add sparkle and excitement to any outfit quickly and easily!"
hee hee ho ho yuk yuk yuk.
She's just too funny and sarcastic for her own good.

After they all left to go home, I went in to strip her bed.
What did I find?

Her nightgown.

Being the good sister that I am, I washed it up for her so it would be fresh and clean when she gets it in the mail.

I simply assumed that since she "forgot" her nightgown
right after she gave me a Bedazzler
that she must be hinting that she'd like me to do something with it.

So this evening... I added sparkle and excitement to her nightgown.


I mean really, how could you look at these paw prints

and not see that those paws needed some accents?

I mean really. They were begging for it.



I'm mailing it tomorrow. I can't wait for her to get it.


Later that same evening

I wrote her a letter to go with it. I thought you all might enjoy it too.
This is NOT my normal handwriting, but it is my normal handwriting from when I was about 10 years old.
Ya ya ya. You wrote like that too. Everyone did. Admit it.