sneak peek through the rain

So, what does one do when it has been flooding for four days? Sew and knit, of course! We have had some serious rain here in Atlanta and it doesn't appear to be moving out any time soon. We are all getting a bit stir crazy, but we are managing to hold it together. We even had free passes to the zoo that we couldn't use this weekend. But, we have managed to watch a movie or two. And, as I mentioned, there was some sewing (above) that needs to be hemmed and taken up before the big reveal. And some knitting (below) that needs a mate before they step out on the town, er, house.

I hope you are all dry wherever you are and, if you have sunshine, please enjoy some for me!

cowls and sheep

i totally forgot to post my finished cowl. i absolutely love it. this yarn is so soft and cozy.  i have another skein of it and am thinking of making some fingerless gloves. we'll see.

we are still easing back into school around here, monday we had a lot of fun with dear friends checking out jim henson's fantastic world at the atlanta history center's homeschool day. it was so much fun. if the traveling exhibit comes near you, you should go check it out. here is lucy as bert in the puppet theatre...

we now seem to be in puppet show mode around the house. lots of getting behind the couch and putting on shows with socks and puppets made at the exhibit. my favorite so far has been lucy's squirrel sock puppet singing lucy's version of "mary had a little lamb," which ends with, "mary had a little lamb. what a life a dream." we think this may come from lucy's absolute adoration of sheep and lambs (she currently sleeps with four of them and they each have their own "bed" (translated bits of fabric from mommy's stash folded into a bed-like shape). she apparently thinks that having your own lamb would be a dream come true.

last of the christmas gifts

I finally got my camera cable! Woo hoo! I had a few more photos of the Christmas gifts I made. There is my adorable grandpa wearing the hat I knit for him. He seemed to really like it. It was my first hat and I was so worried that it wouldn't turn out.

These walking blocks were a big hit with the kids...
My dad and Michael's dad made several pairs for various cousins, and everyone loved them (even the adults).

And last, but not least, I made these headbands for my niece, Tori...
I used the pattern from the long thread. they were so easy, they almost became addictive! Here is Tori modeling one of them...

I hope everyone is having a great Monday afternoon. We are slowly trying to get back into our homeschool routine. Last week was such a great week of just vegging out with the family, that it is a little hard to get back to a schedule. It might take us the whole week!

at least i'm knitting

so, for all that talk about getting it together around here and getting my christmas gift making on, i haven't gotten a whole lot done. i have been sick for the past week and have had no motivation. i haven't even glanced in the direction of the sewing machine. that is pretty bad. i have managed to do some knitting. (because that takes little effort since you just sit in one spot and don't move very much.) the above is a cowl i am making for myself. i found the pattern through ravelry (i love this site!) which took me here.

and i am still working on my grandpa's hat. yes, I am knitting it on straight needles because those dpns scare me to bits! i am using the same yarn i used for larkin's scarf last year. i really love this yarn. it knits up so soft!

this afternoon holds some cookie baking for me. my homeschool support group is having a cookie swap tonight. i wonder which cookies will come home with me...

cleaning fairies

so, i haven't been around the blog much this week. no real reason. we are still visiting with my family, so i am only near a computer for a little while each day. also, there has not been a whole of crafting going on in my world, other than some knitting (more on that in a minute). this morning, while my dad, michael and larkin were fishing, my sweet little girl was using her wipes to help clean house. after cleaning for a while, i found her in the dining room floor with this...
she was using the wipes as a blanket for tinker bell. i discovered tonight while we were putting her and her brother to bed, that she had moved the fairy and her blankets to her brother's bed. so sweet. as for knitting, i finished this fairy washcloth earlier in the week...
i found the pattern here. i have knitted quite a bit this week. more washcloths, of course. i have even taught my mom to knit, so she is working on her first washcloth. for those of you who have not knitted washcloths before, be warned, they are very addictive. i think it is because they knit up so fast, not to mention they are so very practical, no matter your climate. well, i think i shall turn in now and get some rest for my day tomorrow...my thirty-first birthday!

most boring post ever

i hope you are up for a challenge...reading this post! today is the first day that i have not felt like i was going to fall asleep while standing. the motivation to make things is clearly not in me. my mind is swimming with ideas, but i can't seem to get my hands to actually make any of them. i sure hope i can get out of the funk soon. maybe it is the cold weather that won't go away. people, i need spring! it also does not help that i have not been able to visit my grandma. my parents have both had the flu and with lucy and me being sick, a trip to grandma's has been out of the question. all i have managed to do is turn this...
into this...
and i did manage to finish this for my aunt...
*look, i don't even have the ability to take a decent photo right now! argh.

my plight is not due to lack of inspiration. i have found plenty from jane, beki, lynne and vicki, to name a few. i think erica summed it up well yesterday. i laugh every time i think about it. enough of me complaining, i have to go find some "get up and go" somewhere in this house...there is a birthday party happening here tomorrow. and those of you who know me, know that i LOVE to throw birthday parties.

washcloth love

wow. again, thank you all for you encouragement. it means a great deal to me. i printed my frozen post to show my grandma all of your comments. she was so grateful for all of your prayers. she wanted to make sure that i would thank you all and tell you that your prayers are working. she has to take shots to keep the platelet levels up in her blood (low levels are the result of the leukemia). a test this past wednesday showed that the shots are doing what they are supposed to do. we are so thankful for this news and thankful to God for giving us this time with her.

i have had a lot of time to knit this past week. i think i may be addicted to knitting washcloths. i can't stop! i made the one on top for my mom and the one on the bottom is for my grandma. sorry for the quality of the photo. i haven't quite figured out the natural lighting at my grandma's house. i now have a list of family members who want a washcloth. i have offered to teach them how to make their own, but they seem to prefer that i make them. i also signed up for a dishcloth swap at mary jane's farm. here is the dishcloth that my swap partner will receive.

as a side note...i am so happy that i finally received my invitation to join ravelry! there are so many knitting patterns to be found!
my grandma taught me how to sew when i was a young girl. i wrote a little about it here. being with her and talking about it this past week made me want to create something. now that i am home and around all my sewing things, i am going to have to make something. i don't know just what, yet. but i will surely take it to her for her examination. i have taken items to her over the years, and each time she looks it over very carefully to give her critique. and she is always very kind...

a little something

i knitted this little scarfette using yarn that i won from samantha. the yarn is a four-strand skein that knits up so quickly on size 17 needles. (knitting on such large needles is so rewarding for a knitter like me who needs to check her progress after every other row!) the ribbon is from a vintage spool that i bought years ago. i would go with a different color ribbon if i had the choice, but this is the closest match that i have. i am happy to report that i did start back to work on lucy's baby doll quilt yesterday and i am so excited to finish it!

the life aquatic

i hope you all had a lovely weekend. i am very excited that i finished my little aquatic project. it is an octopus bath mitt. i found the pattern here. i decided to make eight tentacles instead of the six that the pattern calls for. mine seems to look a bit different, but i still love it. and the kids got a kick out of it this morning.

this was very simple and fun to make. this was my first time using stitching with a knitting project. i was surprised by how much i enjoyed sewing up the side seam. i have realized that i really like sewing with yarn. i am so accustomed to using thread, but i guess i like the chunkiness of the yarn.
i have also picked up this again and hope to complete it this week. i am hoping to knock out several projects that have been laying around my sewing room. this place needs a good organizing, and i figure that the best way to start is to get projects completed.

update

i had planned on posting yesterday, but we were out most of the day. a quick trip as a family for dad to run some errands, turned into a treat of milkshakes followed by a trip to see the new veggie tales movie. it was lucy's first time in a theater and she had a great time. we all loved the movie. very fun. now on to knitting...
i was very excited about my double point needle hat project. i started it a few nights ago. ok, i started it four times. on the fourth attempt, after casting on the most stitches i have ever cast and after finally making it past the first row, stitches fell off of one of the needles! argh. i am not experienced enough to know what to do when that happens. so, what was a girl to do? well, i will let you guess. here is a hint...

hopefully i will get brave again and pick it up soon. i think i need to take it to my LYS to sit and knit it, so when disaster comes, i can get help. the good news is that i immediately picked up another project i had wanted to start. i hope to finish it today. here is my progress so far. "what is it?" well, let me just say that it is aquatic...in more ways than one.

slip 1, K2 tog, PSSO

i actually know what slip 1, K2 tog, PSSO means! after my dismal attempt at a washcloth last week, i made another one this weekend. and the lessons i learned with the first one, definitely paid off with this one. while i am not crazy about the yarn (it was much cuter in the skein, but hey, it was called gumdrop and i couldn't resist) i am happy with how the washcloth turned out. and i am no longer afraid of knitting patterns! however, i may be addicted to making washcloths. i don't think i am going to be able to stop. while knitting this one on saturday, i did manage to take a break to go out and play in the snow...

i am feeling brave, so tonight, while i am watching this, i will start on a hat which involves using four double point needles. wish me luck!

s is for

snow : i was sitting in this very spot yesterday when michael said, "i can't believe you are missing it." missing what? snow! i had no idea we even had a chance of getting any yesterday, but oh my, we did! snow here in georgia is quite rare, so we relish every second that we have in it. we did some fast bundling to get outside before it stopped. it was lucy's first snow and she ran back and forth in the yard singing some nonsense with the word snow thrown in quite a bit. and what better treat to have while we are studying the letter s this week?


sloppy joes : yummy yummy homemade sloppy joes. we had some last night for dinner. of course larkin asked, "why do they call them sloppy joes?" good question. anyone know the answer?

second-rate : this is the term used to describe my latest knitting project. i have wanted to try some washcloths for a while and i got inspired by these by dorie but, before you laugh at it, let me say two things. this is the first time i have purled. i know, sad. i have been knitting for over a year now and haven't ventured into purling. and i only have circular needles in the size required for the pattern. note to self: circular needles do not work well for washcloths. it made the stitches and washcloth all wonky. oh well, at least i can purl now.

one more to go

i just realized that i haven't posted anything about my christmas decorations this year. so, here is a little treat from my christmas tree.

i finished these two scarves the night before last. they are simple. the one that larkin is so handsomely modeling is his and it is the softest cotton yarn i have ever touched. and i think he looks quite dashing. the red one is for my niece. she wanted a long skinny red scarf. isn't it funny how it doesn't look long at all on this dress form? larkin did try it on and it is long on him so it should be fine on her. oh, and this leaves only one gift left to finish. i am making a rag rug for michael's mom and it is about eighty percent complete. here's to hoping it is complete by sunday, which is when i have to give it to her.

lazy afternoon

the weather around here is beginning to become tolerable. saturday afternoon we spent some time in the front yard enjoying the cooler temperature. it was quite nice as long as you were in the shade (which is where i set up camp to knit for a while). i have almost finished this scarf for lucy. i like the color so much, that i think i may need one myself. i do not have a proper knitting bag, so this is what i am using for now...

i made this bag a couple of years ago. i found the project in the shoulder to the wheel issue of mary jane's farm (a magazine that i adore). the directions are posted here. it was a fun and simple project and the bag has held up very well.
well, the weather seems to be even nicer today, so we will be spending some time outside today as well. i love fall...

racers

usually, when i am working on a project, i like to keep the work area pretty tidy. however, i got in the groove yesterday and fabric and floss were flying. and for some odd reason, i enjoyed it. i still don't know how i managed through the mess, but hopefully this fun project will be complete soon.
i have also made a new pact with myself (can it be a pact if it is with yourself?) anyway, i am trying to complete this scarf for lucy. even though we have a while before she will need it, i would like to complete it quickly. so, i have to knit at least ten rows per night. i also am committed to embroidering on the above project each night. but that is not all...i love the read and i haven't made it a priority in the last few years, but that is changing, too. i am going to read a chapter of a book each night. now, i know, those things don't seem like much, but they are a start. and so far, each night i have actually done more than i had set out to do.
oh, and as for the title of this post? well, i couldn't come up with one so i asked larkin what i should call it and he said, "racers." i should have guessed...

better late than never

with all the sewing and knitting i was doing for christmas, i did not have time to post. so, for those of you who still need a little christmas cheer, here are a couple of things i made over the holidays...

a scarf for my grandma (this is just my second knitting project). my grandma taught me how to sew when i was five years old. i love it now when i am able to make something for her. my aunt told me that when she went to my grandma's house later this day, she was wearing it inside the house. and mind you, the temperature outside was 70 degrees! she was very proud.


soft trees that i made using the pattern that little birds posted. i made these as a gift for my friend stacy. they were a lot of fun to make. and altering the pattern to make different sizes turned out to be not so bad.




i have wanted to make stockings since the first year michael and i were married, but had no luck finding the perfect fabric. and now five years and two children later, i have finally done it, sort of. i at least made stockings for larkin and lucy. earlier in the year i found a pattern at an estate sale that is exactly like the stockings that my aunt made for my family when i was a child. i am very happy with them. now, if i can just finish mine and michael's and embroider the names before next year...