Pics of FO's

I've been meaning to post some FOs and haven't had the time. After getting started, I realized that I don't have all the pics on this computer, but enough good stuff to make it worth posting.

First up is the Everlasting Wonder Soaker I made for The Boy.. I knitted it up in Zenstring Nirvana Worsted in the Mateo colorway. It is a real stunner, but the colorway has been discontinued. *Sniff.*

Next is some super-yummy yarn that my mom got for me. She bought it in Ushuaia, which is in Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Agentina. It's the city closest to Antarctica! It's merino handspun and so luscious! I put the phone in the pic to show scale.

And another pic to show the yumminess upclose!

OK -- that is all I have time for -- gotta go get dinner started. Enjoy!

Still Life with Dishpan Hands

I've been wanting to get this photo I took up for a long time. I took it shortly after Valentine's Day -- the flowers were from Mr. Spiffy. I learned a trick from my mom -- when you get a mixed bouquet, cull the dead and dying and get a smaller vase! The tulip arrangement is the result of following my mom's advise. Nice to know that at some point you are old enough to listen to your mother!

OK, I have no self-control

I just got caught up in the frenzy. Yarn Pirate -- AKA Georgia -- finally has some yarn to sell. I came this close to getting a skein of Apple, which is downright stunning. I ended up with a skein of Sweet Magnolia instead. Really, really pretty!

Is It Safe To Come Out of The Cave???

OMG, what a totally sucky winter this has been. Mr. Spiffy brought home the flu last month and spent four days shuffling from bed to sofa to bed and back again. I finally got really impatient with him and ended up getting my cummupance -- I came down with it myself a week later and was laid flat. I had an acute appedicitis about 12 years ago. Scary stuff. And I would gladly have my appendix out again than ever get the flu. Sickest I've been in my entire life.

So, needless to say, the knitting was on the backburner for a while. I was cranking before I got sick -- I made booties for The Boy, a hat, sweater, socks and a bib for Mimi's baby -- who decided to show up a month early! It was scary for the 1st few days, but William Sebastian is doing fine now! I also made a bib for The Boy. Good thing, as he is a bottomless pit. I need to make a few more! Getting pics up is my biggest prob now. I need to find a quicker, easier way to do it.

The latest WIP is an Everlasting Wonder Soaker for The Boy. Since he is so huge (21 pounds at 7 months!), I need all the room for him to grow that I can get. I am hoping that it will fit this summer and next. We'll see.

OK -- gonna post this and get back to knitting. I promise some pics soon -- FO's, yarn pr0n, and more!

Boy, do I suck at this, or what?

I can't believe that it's been over a month since I posted. I had such high hopes for myself. Take two kids, a DH who works more than an hour from home, add some winter illness, mix well, and voila! How To Not Have Any Free Time! Please dish up hot and serve with chips! Sheesh.

OK, enough complaining. I came here to blog, not mope.

I have been busy since the last time I posted. I made a pair of longies for Fritz from the Peace Fleece I bought this summer! I wanted stripes, so I did an ascending/descending Fibonacci Sequence on the legs. It made counting rows so much easier, so I know the lengths are the same, and it made the tedium of getting from the 75% done mark to the 100% done mark really fast. Why I need that push is beyond me.

I screwed these up a bit...I have a hell of a time with short rows, and there are a lot in the pattern I used. I ended up picking up erroneous stitches, so the pants are a lot fuller than I meant them to be. Bad news is that they are really baggy on him right now. Good news is that he is growing at such an alarming rate that he will be filling them out before I know it. And if they are still too big, I can felt them and use them for nighttime diapering.

After the longies, I couldn't resist the urge to knit with the Zenstring yarn I got from another mama on Diaper Pin. I got this yarn specifically to make a few things for Mimi's baby, who is due at the end of April. I'm hoping she is one day late and has her baby on DH's birthday -- May 1!

And since I was cruising on the knitting, and feeling guilty every time Anneke asked me if I was making something for her (oh, the guilt!), I decided to make her a felted purse. I swear, she is my grandmother come back to me in tiny, tyrannical form -- she can't do anything without a purse!

Meanwhile, she is really being a pill these days. Three going on thirteen. I have no idea how I will survive her teen years with my sanity intact, but there is no point in going there already -- I've got the next nine-and-a-half years to get through first!

Preschool!!!

Well, It's about to happen. Miss A starts preschool tomorrow. My stomach is in a ball, as I consider the whole thing. I could never sleep on the night before school starting. That jumble of excitement, nervousness and fear of what the year would be like. Here I am, experiencing it for my daughter, since she is oblivious. I hope it goes well.

Anneke will likely be fine. There's a girl who jumps in with both feet, no peering over the edge to see how big the dropoff is -- just run and Geronimo! God love her!

I hate to admit this, but a big chunk of the reason we are starting her in preschool is that I'm at wit's end with her. She needs to be way more social than me, and I can't be dragging Fritz all over God's green acre to keep her busy. Plus, we need me to earn money. For that, I need some quiet time at home. I'm hoping that preschool/AM nap and both kids napping in the afternoon will allow me some time to work for money without having to give up on sleep altogether. Fingers are crossed.

OK -- gotta wrap this up. I've got to go check on my diapers. I've got a load in the wash and I need to pull out my Fuzzi Bunz (FB) before the prefolds go in the dryer. I'm nearly out of Charlie's Soap and hope my order arrives by Wednesday at the latest, or I will literally be up sh*t's Creek. Unwashed diapers that sit for too long are not pretty.Trust me.

Now, that's an Apple!

It is December 26th -- Boxing Day for the Englishly inclined! It's also my friend Ros' birthday, which is a happy coincidence, as she is, in fact, English.

I'm eating part of a fabulous Christmas gift from my sister, Kendra. It's humongous Fuji apple, dipped in caramel, and then dipped in dark chocolate -- incredible. If only all fruit came so decked out, I am sure my consumption would go way up. Apparently, it was a USPS nailbiter for Ken. The apples were nearly perishable victims of the Denver blizzard. I am very happy that it is diminishing in my kitchen instead.

In the backround is the completely adorable mosaic hedgehog she made me. Isn't he sweet? I considering repainting my kitchen so that it shows him off better than the current egg-yolk yellow (paint -- poorly applied -- by previous owners) on the walls.

It's been so long since I posted, it's not funny. Quite frankly, I lost the blog -- have no idea where it went. I googled blogspot, and *poof* it appeared. We don't question these things -- just send grateful thoughts out into the ether.

The big news since then -- the unnamed character is now named! Friedrich Henry -- AKA Fritz -- was born on September 25th! He's a chunker and a half -- came into this world at 9 pounds and at 12 weeks is hovering at 17 pounds! His sister weighed 17 pounds when she turned a year old! I find that fact remarkable and comical!

I'm still finishing up Christmas knitting. I have my mom's scaf to do, then I need to finish a wool soaker I put aside ages ago, make a sweater vest for Fritz, a scarf for my sister, longies and socks for Fritz, and then who knows what. I've drunk deeply of the 'crazy knitting lady' Kool-Aid (which makes an awesome yarn dye, BTW) and am thoroughly hooked. I'll likely post about that as much as I do my little chickens!