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August 30, 2010

Weekends, Part 2- Denial

Posted by katilh under crafting, knitting
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So if Josh deals with the upcoming changes by acceptance, you can be sure my approach is the opposite. Denial.

I refuse to think how our lives are going to be turned upside down and instead, prefer to think of a quiet, sleeping, peaceful newborn who will allow me to have coffee or lunch with friends, lots of time for knitting and sewing and still maintain an immaculately clean house.

HA!

I can’t even think that without laughing hysterically.

So instead of knocking out some projects I’d like to get done, say, before Christmas, being productive finishing the nursery, maybe making some baby clothes or at least organizing and washing the clothes we have, I’ve been doing every thing I can think of to avoid doing anything practical.

Namely, I decided it would be a great time to start a new hobby! Brilliant decision on my part, yes? It was such a brilliant decision, I decided to take up two new hobbies!

The first at least uses a skill I already know and doesn’t take up much time. It also has the added benefit of helping me use up my yarn scraps (something Josh appreciates very much.)

However, on the practicality scale, it’s non-existent. I’m now marginally obsessed with knitting doll clothes.

Marion was going through a period of not wanting to get a bath and so we got her her first baby doll to take into the bath with her (and maybe, hopefully? help with adjusting to baby sister.) Since she’s made to go in the bath, her accessories included bath toys, baby powder, a towel, diaper and PJs. But no real clothes. Let’s just say she was in our family for less than 24 hours before I started making her a new wardrobe.

Like the little hand reaching up to grab her from me? And it took less than 24 hours for that dress to find it’s permanent home on a teddy bear of hers. Also, yet another lesson in toddlerhood, for mama. The lesson being that baby dolls are meant to always be naked.

That lesson didn’t stop me from knitting some more though.

A little summer skirt and top.

And since it is still summer, a pair of shorts.

I can guarantee you that this winter, she’ll have more sweaters than you can shake a stick at.

My other hobby, not quite so “practical” and infinitely more time consuming. It’s yarn dyeing. Why, why would I need to dye yarn when you can purchase it in any shade imaginable and know the color is colorfast, lightfast, usually washable, etc. I have no answers for that. Simply that this baby is making me crazy.

First up, a little dyeing with coffee.

On the left, the undyed wool. On the right, after a nice bath in coffee.

So I made Marion a little slouchy beret. Because exactly what she needs in this, the hottest summer ever in Houston, is a wool beret.

This baby is eating my brain. Maybe I’ll turn out something practical by the time she’s five.

I’ve also been trying for my second experiment, dyeing with black beans. It’s not been as easy as the coffee and I’m on attempt three right now (well, it’s in progress.)

This is the result of my second attempt. The first attempt just resulted in mold. Don’t ask. Maybe one day I’ll get the denim blue I’m aiming to achieve.

Which do you think will come first? The baby, or color results I’m happy with?

April 5, 2010

Happy Easter Weekend!

Posted by katilh under Marion, family, knitting
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Oh yes, Marion and I wore our boots with our Easter dresses!

Happy Easter, Texas style!

After nap time, it was Easter basket time!

Or in this case, Easter brown bag time!

Where, in true toddler fashion, she was more interested in the empty plastic eggs than in any of her proper toys

She got a little gnome

Quickly discarded in favor of another egg

Jackpot!

Toys vs eggs

Finally a toy gets her attention!

Her Farmer Jane gnome

It goes very well with her new tractor

Her itty bitty school bus

And her most favorite

Her elephant!

We bought her wooden toys from this fabulous Etsy seller Woman Wood Worker. She has a great selection of handmade toys at very good prices and her shipping prices can’t be beat. We’ve ordered a few other hand made wooden toys for Marion and none of them compare to her quality. The little windows in the bus are totally smooth for little fingers to inspect. We’ll be ordering Ginger quite a few baby toys from her I’m sure. So if you’re looking for a good gift, I can’t say enough good things about this shop.

Gnome pattern found here.

And for a cute video

Easter basket fun!

February 12, 2010

The Olympics

Posted by katilh under knitting
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Both knitting, and otherwise.

Like a lot of girls, I love the winter Olympics solely for the sequin content alone. This year, I have another reason. Knitting. Winter, snow, ice, Canada, knitting, they all go hand and hand.

Several friends and I have started a knit-a-long (commonly called a KAL) of the Cascade Christmas Stocking. We do realize it’s not the holiday season anymore.

I’ve found myself with the usual post-holiday crafting ADD and while some in our KAL are overachievers (coughEmilycough) and have already finished their stocking, I haven’t even started. I can now call myself not a procrastinator, but a multi-tasker as I’ve decided the stocking will also be my entry into the world famous (okay, knitter’s world famous) 2010 Knitting Olympics sponsored by Yarn Harlot.

The rules: cast on during the opening ceremonies, finish by closing ceremonies.

Focus, dedication, willingness to work through cramped fingers and thumbs, patience to deal with knots, loose ends, and toddler who keep running off with your needles. Very much like the real Olympics, no?

Wish me luck and cheer me on! Perhaps I’ll even find some sequins to wear.

October 31, 2009

40 Days of Joy and Thanks – Day 15

Posted by katilh under knitting
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Today (and almost every single day) I am thankful for the internets.

Today, the internets taught me to make the most amazing yarn swift.

I give you Tilta Swift.

After two weeks of trying to wind 1000 yards of laceweight yarn by hand, I was at the point of rathering to knit with my own hair.

A quick google search later, my sanity (and my hair) are saved.

It’s a thing of beauty I tell you.

Oh yes, a thirty second video of it in motion.

(PS – I’m also happy and thankful Florida won )

October 26, 2009

40 Days of Joy and Thanks – Days 9 &10

Posted by katilh under Joy Challenge, Marion, crafting, knitting
[7] Comments

The past two days, I’ve been very thankful for craftiness. It’s even given me two days of joy! (That’s my lame attempt to make up for not posting yesterday.)

In truth, I’ve been super crafty lately. I think it’s the cooling weather; it means you can hold wool now without breaking a sweat.

In non knitting craftiness

A bow holder for Mar’s every growing bow collection. Bows which, by the way, she can say “bow” and pat her head when she wants one. She also knows her bows versus my barrettes and gets a great big laugh out of it when I put one of her bows in my hair.

Marion is also quickly outgrowing her baby towels, so in an effort to de-stash my fabric collection

A new baby towel!

One yard of terry and one yard of flannel

Equals a very snuggable baby towel.

In homage to one of our favorites from last year

The first of, I am sure, many momma made pumpkin hats

Although truthfully, this looks a bit more like a pumpkin colored apple

Still pretty cute though

Or maybe that’s just the model

A little something for momma!

Not quite a perfect fit

And the pièce de résistance, a mere five months in the making

Marion’s February Baby Sweater Dress

Based on the super popular February Baby Sweater pattern

In Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac

I’m quite proud of this

And best of all, Marion seems to tolerate it

October 23, 2009

40 Days of Joy and Thanks – Day 7

Posted by katilh under Josh, Joy Challenge, Marion, knitting
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Three things stand out particularly today to me:

1. Unexpected lunch dates with my husband are so awesome. It’s just so much fun and makes my day so much better (and Marion’s day too, she loves her dada so much!) Today, it was lunch at one of our favorites, Tacos A Go Go where Mar thoroughly enjoyed her beef fajita taco

2. Brownie mix makes me so thankful. Especially this super yummy stuff, Ghirardelli Double Chocolate brownie mix. I’m not ashamed to say it’s become a regular fixture in our home.

3. I’m so thankful I can knit cables without using a cabling needling. A weird joyful post, sure, but still, it makes me happy to not have to do it. Cables are so fiddly as it is, it’s nice to drop one step. Particuarly, I like Wendy’s tutorial posted here.

October 6, 2009

Weekends – 1-1=3

Posted by katilh under Josh, Marion, knitting
[5] Comments

Only in knitting does this math make sense.

I had this one skein of yarn, so I was trying to get rid of it. Knit something up and decided it needed a border. So I went to the store, bought another skein in a different color. So now 1-1=2. On a whim, I weighed the blanket and found that the blanket weighed less than the new skein of yarn I had bought. (Things like this happen when yarn sits in your stash with no label for years.)

I was prepared for a big deep border, but now, the border would be bigger than the blanket, and that just wouldn’t be cool.

So I found a new pattern, which, surprise, surprise, meant I needed yet another skein of yarn. So now 1-1+1+1=3. Acres of garter stitch later, all the yarn was used up (almost to the last gram) and I’m really happy with the results.

Isn’t it pretty?

It’s a nine patch knitted “quilt.” It had the double benefit of using up the yarn and meaning I got to knit a quilt pattern, something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Which makes me sound like such a cool person to hang out with!

Now, internets, for the results of your vote on Tutu, the ballerina monster.

Only arms and make them orange 10%
Only arms and make them multi colored 8%
Both arms and legs and make them orange 22%
Both arms and legs and make them multi colored 2%
Limbs and make them pink. Even if it does mean buying more yarn. 0%
She’s perfect jus the way she is! 57%

However, my husband argued his point that his vote should could for 25% than the anonymous internets and he cast his vote for arms only in orange.

So I obliged.

First position

Second position.

Or something like that

Someone’s a fan

With the leftover yarn (to avoid another 1-1=3 situation) I made a stay put bib. Whoever thought velcro on a bib was a good idea clearly never met a one year old.

Also up this weekend, a little bit of home decorating

With a very industrious helper

I’ll hold it steady Daddy, I promise

Or maybe not

Wasn’t I doing it right?

Pretty sure that’s not proper safety

All done!

October 1, 2009

Please vote

Posted by katilh under knitting
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and solve this split-decision in our household. Marion isn’t yet old enough to cast the deciding vote

Short story:

Should Tutu, the ballerina monster, have arms and/or legs?

Meet Tutu:

Currently limbless.

Long story:

I’m trying (emphasis on trying) to destash my yarn collection.

So I held the yarn double and knitted up the body and had about three inches of yarn left when I finished her.

So she got orange horn thingies

and a super multi colored over the top ruffled tutu.

If I knit her limbs, they’re either going to have to be orange or multicolored. Or it involves me buying an additional skein of pink yarn. Not a problem since it’s only like $1.36. It is a problem though because making limbs wouldn’t involve much yarn and I’d be left with almost a full skein, thereby leaving me at the same place I started, with a skein of pink yarn.

I don’t want to give her limbs because I don’t want to give her orange or multi colored limbs. I want them to be pink. Josh doesn’t want to have to give up his closet space for all my yarn, so he votes for orange limbs. And like I said to start with, Marion isn’t old enough to cast the deciding vote.

So please, interwebs, vote and make up our minds for us.

September 11, 2009

Weekends: Hello & Goodbye

Posted by katilh under Marion, knitting
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(I’m really behind, what else is new, but I’m going to try to get caught up today. We’ll see how this goes.)

This post is a combination of a lot of hello and goodbyes that we’ve had over the past few week.

One of the biggest ones

Goodbye to bottles and formula
Hello to sippy cups and milk

Marion is such a strange child. She’s so opinionated and sometimes just a wee bit difficult if she doesn’t get her way. Since she never took a pacifier, we felt sure that giving up the bottle would be a battle. Nope, she never seemed to notice the difference. She now takes sippy cups and straw cups without hesitation. In fact, she’s so enthusiastic about straws that you can’t have a straw around her without sharing. She’s also trying to drink out of a regular cup too.

We’ve said hello to milk as well and we are so happy to not have to spend all that money on formula anymore. She drinks so much milk though that our money is just now going to support half the dairy farms in Texas (at least, it feels that way.) As much as I always hated giving her formula (it became routine to give it to her, but the feelings I struggled with at not being able to breast feed her never really went away), it made me a little sad to start giving her whole milk. She seems like such a big girl now, going all over the place, dragging her cup of milk behind her. I have thoroughly enjoyed the freedom that having her on milk allows though. It’s made plane rides, car trips and just running errands so much easier! We switched her over the period of two weeks and it never seemed to phase her. If anything, she seems to like milk better.

She does have a quirk though, in true Marion form. Somehow, it ended up that she gets water from a straw cup at meal times and milk from a sippy cup in between times. So if you try to give her milk from a straw cup or water from a sippy, heaven help you! The world is not right with her unless milk comes from a sippy and water from a straw. Like I said, strange child!

And two new fun hellos

Meet Leggy, the caterpillar!

and Sneaky, the sneaker wearing monster! This is the only good picture of Sneaky because

as soon as I put him up, little

hands started

creeping into the frame

Best friends

Leggy’s little face

And her many legs

Sneaky’s awesome kicks

And his monster eye.

I have to admit that these guys have been done for a while, or mostly done. Josh freaked me out so much though about Sneaky’s face that he’s been hanging around for a while minus his face. When I was done knitting Sneaky, Josh and I browsed through the 59 completed monsters on Ravelry and Josh made the comment that the face makes the monster. It so scared me that I was going to mess up his personality with a badly chosen face that I just didn’t do it for a long time. But, now he has a face and I think it’s pretty cute.

Widget loves these guys

Especially all the bits and bobbles to chew on

(We’re also working on saying hello to four new teeth)

Say a quick hello & goodbye to Comfy, the winter weather monster. He was made for a sweet little boy’s first birthday. In true fashion, I was knitting the last stiches as Josh was putting Marion in her car seat so I was only able to grab a picture with the phone.

With all these changes going on, it’s nice to know some things (like my procrastination) never change!

Pattern links:
Abigail, the middle-sized monster

Caterpillar

July 13, 2009

Weekends – Knitty Kitty

Posted by katilh under Marion, knitting
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Marion’s first library book! We went up to the library last week and let Marion wreck some havoc in the kids area, and she picked out this book all on her own!