Ok, bad blogger again. I'll post about the holidays once I recover from them, so in about 2010. But had to post a picture of my SP11's daughter, Samantha Ann, in the sweater I made for her. Doesn't she look SOOOOOOO cute???!?!?

You may now resume you regular holiday induced coma from all the calories. :)

Trip

So we made it to Grandma's house ok, with just one little mishap. I forgot diapers!!! I had just one in my purse, and so I changed him into it around 10:30 in the morning, thinking that the little darling would be ok until we got to Chicago and grandma could give me more diapers. ,Yeah, not so lucky, 15 min later he had a massive blowout and I was forced to make do with duct tape and pantyliners for an hour and a half until some very nice Amish people got on with an 18 month old and let me have 2 diapers. So sweet of them. Than we went to Ikea (because there's not one near my mom's house) and drove the 2 hours back to her place. My niece is aadorable, and she loves her baby Scott.

He was so scared last night, because he didn't nap on the train, and we got in here at 11:30, so we had to wake him up to get him inside. He didn't go to sleep again until almost 2 and he woke up at 7:30. He's napping now, and seems to be well adjusted to his gran's house. He's so cute, and I'm very proud of him. He was a dream on the train, didn't whine really, and was cheerful and played all of the trip, which is 8 hours. He even let me crochet on the train, so I have about 10 baby washcloths made now, which I need because 2 of J's cousins are preggers. Oh, and my sp11 partner had her baby on the day before Thanksgiving, she's ADORABLE. Gotta get her package off to her, I have most of it here to send while I'm at moms.


Gonna go torment my niece now, and raid my clothes from my sisters closet. hehe, getting my clothes back will be fun.

Holiday recap

Ok, my family must be cursed or something, Tuesday afternoon I wound up with the tummy glu. This happened to me last year too, though it at least had the good graces to happen at the begining of the month. It was my mom and sister who got it last turkey day, the night I got to their house too! I wound up making turkey soup for the holiday last year. This year it was J and I trying to see who could stay in the loo longer. But we're all better now, thank the gods.

I'm heading off to my mom's tomorrow with Scott for a week, she hasn't seen him in a year, and as anyone who's ever been around a baby knows, a year is a LONG time, he's changed so much. I mean, he's sitting up, standing, walking, WAY past crawling, and is starting to talk and potty train himself.

Finished the baby sweater for my SP11 partner, and also have a blanket for her. Saddly, Scott poured grape juice all over the shawl I made for her other daughter, and I'm attempting stain removal on it. Dat's all for now.

Shawl progress

I thought I would post some of the progress in my knitting. It's going slowly lately, because I can't knit with the wrist brace on, and as you can expect my wrist hurts when I knit without it. But last night I passed the halfway mark in knitting on the edging of what I'm calling a shawl (though it can and probably will be used as a tablecloth for tea parties too). It's being knit out of what I like to call hand-plyed cotton. I take Peaches and Cream cotton yarn (comes in big pound cones from wal-mart) and sit there and separate all the plys and than ply it back together as a 2 ply. It makes the softest cotton yarn I have ever used, and it's a beautiful fingering weight.

So I'm knitting a lace shawl for a little girl who just turned 4, as a birthday/baby present. She's getting a baby sister soon. Here's a picture of the shapless blob that it looks like now, and one of the edging.

I'm hoping that once it's blocked it will be 45 inches, in a slight hexagonal shape. It's knit from the Azeala patter in the First Book Of Modern Lace Knitting and it's a total of 3 repeats of the pattern (I think they called it the placemat) but since it's knit in fingering weight and not size 40 cotton, and on size 7 needles, not size 1, I'm expecting it much bigger than the original 15 inches it should be. :) It's over 20 from rim to rim, before the edging has been knit on, and I estimate the edging to be about 3 inches wide before it's going to be blocked. The edging is a pattern I got from my gran, it was written on a scrap of paper tucked in her yarn collection. I have hopes of reversing the decreases and knitting a scarf out of it, with the edging being back to back. I call it my leaf lace edging.

Wheeeee!!

I'm having fun out here. I'm attempting to knit (and type) with a messed up wrist. I get to have a nerve test done on it, because there's these funny things like tingling and numbness and the dr thinks carpel tunnel. :( he told me no repetitive motions, and I was a good girl, I resisted the urge to flip him off.

On the SP front, I'm almost done with a present for her, the sheep scarf is done and waiting until I knit a bunch more repeats of the edging needed on what will either be a baby blanket, shawl for her daughter, or a table cloth for said daughter to use with tea parties. I have no idea how big it will be when done and blocked. But it's pretty.

Scott walks, he'd rather walk now than crawl. He's sooooo cute, even right now when he's a whiny little wanker who's getting all 4 eyeteeth (the pointy ones) at the same time. Why couldn't he have done this last week, when he was at the in-laws?????

Speaking of in-laws, I know what my christmas present is and I want Dec. 25th to hurry up and get here. I could really use it before the holiday season, so I could get my baking done. hehe, it's pretty, and red, and it comes with many attachments.

Happy birthday..........to me

Ok, this makes me laugh to no end. Every year, since I was old enough to get birthday cards from my dad, he's gotten my birthday wrong. And not by a day or 2 either, sometimes by a whole month! Yes, he's not been around in my life that much, for which I'm actually thankful, but still, it's only 6 days before his! He gets my sisters day right, he gets my mom, and he gets my half-brothers (whom I've never met) right, but he can't remember mine. It just makes me laugh.

So for my special day, I'm babysitting (ok, conscripting her to help watch Scott for me) my friends 9 year old step-daughter to be. I know, seems weird, but I like her and she loves helping with Scott. We're just gonna run around in my now very dented car (more on that farther down) and than I'm going to teach her how to cook a little, as we make my birthday cake. Yes, I have to make my own cake. I have to make my own prime rib dinner too, because I won't let J in my kitchen.

As to the dented car, yesterday J changed lanes right into the front bumper of another car. Woohoo! Is it sad when your car is worth so little that the insurance would rather total it out than pay the money to fix it. I'll post pictures, cause the damage isn't horrible, just ugly.

Speaking of pictures, I'll be posting some of my loom. I still can't find my camera cable, but I found the phone cord for the computer, so I can take them with that. Expect those tomorrow, or later tonight.

I love my loom. I'm playing around with a belt, woven out of a rayon slub yarn, that's very pretty. Just have to practice on keeping straight edges. I haven't been spinning much lately, hurts my legs a lot. I have been knitting a lot. I can't find the pattern for the bunnies I was making, because a little person walked off with it, so for now I'm knitting a scarf for my partner, it looks like a sheep. I feel kinda bad though, it's only partly wool. But it looks pretty, and I think she'll like it. I also have a pin for her, but I can't say what it looks like, cause she might read this.

As for partners, something I forgot to mention that I got from my lovely partner. She sent me some Sherbert Lemon candies as well. For those not failure with the British phenomenon of Sherbert candies, think of lik-m-sticks, the powder that comes with those. And not forget the really fruity tart flavor, and make it smooth and creamy. That's Sherbert candy. Usually found with a lolly (sucker) to dip in there, or a straw of black licorice (EWWWWW). So I stick to the lollys. I hadn't seen these candies for a few years, since i moved away from my English neighbors. Thankfully I know where she got them, so I made a pilgrimage to Cost Plus World Market. There I found my wonderful Peach candies again, they're not Juicefuls but they are still good, and chocolate covered marzipan. I can't eat very much of the latter without wanting to enter a sugar induced coma, but it's SOOOOOO worth it.

Off to play with Scott and make up the grocery list for dinner tomorrow. I still havent' decided what I'll do for my cake yet, maybe bread pudding.

Happy dance

I got a package from me secret pal today, and nearly burst out in tears. She got me a little loom to weave on. I really shouldn't call it little, since it's 20 inches square. Sooooooo happy. I'll be posting a picture in a day or so, Scott has made off with my USB cable again for the camara. I'm already warping the loom. *happy dance*

Hippity Hop

I'm actually knitting right now, ain't it great? I'm making stuffed bunnies for my SP11 partner. Ok, they're not for her, but for her little girls. I just haven't found a pattern for sweaters that goes from newborn size to 4t. So bunnies it is. What little girl can resist a stuffed toy anyway? I know that my niece can't. The little wench has stolen all of my stuffed critter collection. I'm also making a baby blanket for her new bairn Gaelic for baby) who's not even here yet. Thank the gods that they know what gender the baby is, makes it easier on me. It's going to be pink and black, a very classic color combo that brings to mind Channel clothes. Just black trim mind you.

Other than that, J and I are learning Scots Gaelic and it's going pretty well. Ok, I can write it and understand, but still can't pronounce it easily.

Scott WALKS!!!!! Yes, he's off and walking, not all the time, and not for long, but he's a walker now. Woohoo!! Please remind me in a few months when I whine that he won't stay in one place that I was happy about this.

Update time

So Scott is almost walking. He'll walk if you hold out something he wants and bribe him. Excepting I'm not calling it bribing, it's positive re-enforcement. Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. He doesn't want to do it cause you want him to, but he will when he wants something. He's so cute, 11 teeth, and one that just doesn't want to break free and join the rest. He's 15 months now and has been up at Grandma's all weekend visiting his Auntie Bekah before she goes off to Iraq. There's something to be said about the mental state of J's family, she volunteered. But after a year there she gets to spend 2 years in England. Lucky wench.

As for me, the dr's say I'm depressed and anxious. In the words of my generation DUH! Tell me something I didn't know. PT is going ok, makes me sore and tired after it's over, pretty much for the rest of the day too. I need to talk to my primary care doc and get something for the days when nothing helps the pain. I don't need it all the time like my mom is doing, but when it's bad I want something.

Spinning silk right now for a birthday present for a friend of mine. I have found someone who knits, crochets, spins, weaves, and does all these beautiful dresses in the ren faire style. It's a match made in heaven friendship wise, because I also like her hubby to be and his daughter and they all like J and Scott. Woohoo!!

Other than that, not much is going on, planning on spoiling my SP11 partner, and sending messages to both the spoiler and spoilee lately. I'm also learning how to speak Scots Gaelic, which should be interesting.

Contest questions SP11

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without? My Knitpicks options needles
2. If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If
so, how much and what type of project? Heck yeah. Whatever I'm working on, or some lace yarn, cause I'm sure to think of something to make by what I see.
3. Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot? San Francisco (but lived there for 1.5 years) The bay area in general. More wine country than anything
4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it? Barbra Walkers books. and no, I have none of them. I like the 2nd the best. *hint hint* :)
5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)? Not really

SP 11 questions

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Love silk and alpaca and wool and cotton. Acrylic is ok, but not up there. I like using new fibers and yarns, like soy and bamboo

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? whatever is handy. Except the Options, they are in their case and there they will stay

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? A long time ago (to me anyway) over 10 years now, and advanced

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? nope, but if you ask I can tell you things I covet

5. What's your favorite scent? my baby boy when he's fresh from the bath. Nothing really heavy. Clean natural scents

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Chocolate, the darker the better

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? Spin, dye, tat, crochet, weave, cook, sew

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Anything but rap and gospel. And yes

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Greens and blues. No pinks unless a dusky rose, and please, no yellows or oranges.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Hubby and son, no critters

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes, yes, yes, HELL NO!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Lace anything

13. What are you knitting right now? Lace shawl and a bunch of other things

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? circular, and metal

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? nope, and nope

17. How old is your oldest UFO? 26, but I love him and he'll never be done. :) (hubby)

18. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

19. Is there anything that you collect? Stuffed critters, rubber ducks, yarn, craft stuff, and odd friends

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? No subscriptions and I'd love to get my grubby paws on the Barbra Walker books.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Can't think of any

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? nope, and I wear a size 7.5 US shoe in womens. I can always measure the feet if needed

23. When is your birthday? 10/6/19??

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?