The Honeymoon is over

Well maybe not over but it's done! Yay!

I started it back in June but had to set it aside because I was missing a whole page of the pattern and had no computer access. It was a pretty quick knit though. While I liked the finished product I can't see myself using that yarn (GGH Mystik) again. Ever. If I looked at it wrong it snagged. Hell, if someone in the same room as the tank top farted the yarn snagged. I've got almost two full balls left over...lucky me! I made the 38" size and used my Denise needles in a US6.

The only real change I made was to crochet around the neckline border and straps. I'm thinking I might have to wear a tank underneath or find a bra with *really* skinny straps. Although ample boobage+skinny bra sraps=shoulder dents so I don't know. I'll have to give it some thought once it's done blocking. I know the pattern says it wasn't necessary but some of my stitches were looking a little crazy and I think it looks much better now :o) Pictures to come this weekend. I went to get the camera and realized the batteries were dead. There will definitely be fresh batteries in it tomorrow morning though because...

I'm going to see the Yarn Harlot!

Tomorrow. In Austin. And I'm gonna get my book signed. And I won't hear 'mommy!MOMMY!MOMMY!!' for at least five (count 'em...five!) hours. Nor will I have to hear, 'stop it or I'm tellinnnnnggg', 'leeemeeealooonnee', or 'quit touching me'. At least I don't think I'll hear those last three. I'm pretty sure the ladies I'm going with don't get down like that ;o)

And the winner is....

Erica!!

Congratulations to you! I've checked out your blog and will be joining the Military Web Ring. Looks like we have some things in common...the military thing, the SAHM to boys thing, and especially the trying to stay sane thing :o) Email me your address and I'll send you a (knitting related, of course!) surprise!

Now the name picking thing was a family affair as are most things I try to do anytime the boys are awake. My oldest wrote the names, my middle guy folded them up and shook the pot (I couldn't find a hat this morning), and the baby got to pick the name. After dumping all the names out and running off with the pot he got the hang of it and chose two names after Erica so my little contest has a 2nd and 3rd place! WooHoo! Congratulations to Kerry and Janna! You'll both be receiving a little something as well. Kerry, I have your addy and Janna I'll see you in person so I don't need yours. Unless you *want* me to send it? Or I can come by for coffee...

I promised a finished object didn't I? Here she is~Crumpets!
The front...

and the back..


Yes, that's a Swiffer handle. I didn't have a hanger small enough :o)

The pattern is Crumpets from chiagu.com. I made the smallest size (6mos.) and used Sinfonia yarn from Hobby Lobby on US5 Crystal Palace circs. I started out with my Denise interchangeables but the cable was too fat and I was getting too much of a workout forcing the yarn along. I worked the pattern as written except I added another row of crochet before the decorative loops at the bottom. Oh yeah, and I changed the length of the loops.


What's that? Who am I knitting a little dress for? LOL! We're going to a baby shower later on today. Out of the three couples we've met by way of DH job two are expecting! We've also got a cousin due in Sept., and two good friends that just had babies. I bought Rowan Babies last week and see much knitting of little garments (and maybe a toy or two) in my future.

Speaking of little garments, I'm working on the Striped Tank Top from Adorable Knits for Tots. I'm using three different shades of blue Rowan DK cotton. I didn't buy as many colors as the pattern called for so I'm making up my own striping sequence as I go along. So far so good~I'm almost done with the front.

Other things on my needles? Still working on my Hill Country Yarns socks. I'm really trying because I love the yarn and the pattern, but it's like 100 degrees everyday. Do you know how hard it is to think about putting wool on my feet?? My Honeymoon Cami had stalled because I hadn't printed out half of the pattern. Duh. Now that my internet connection is back I will pick it up again. I'm also still working on Ruby and Orangina, Ruby more so than Orangina. Orangina just doesn't seem to be getting any longer, no matter how much I knit. I believe I'll give her a time out for a bit.

There's so much for me to catch up on! New patterns! Blogs! Pictures of yarn and knitting!! Boy did I miss my 'puter And you guys! I missed you too...kisses to you all

Back in (almost) full effect!

Anyone still out there?

We're still waiting on the house. We've got an apartment and rented some furniture to get us by until we close. We've got borrowed pots and pans, and a borrowed TV for the kids...which didn't do us much good before Tuesday since that's when the DirecTV man came.

The plan was to wait until we moved to get online but I need my internet connection (along with my knitting) to keep me sane. So DSL it is and so far so good. Now maybe I'll even get to use that iPod I got last month :o)

I have been knitting and I'll tell y'all all about it this weekend. But first, a contest!!! I know I haven't been able to update the blog as much as I'd like and I want to thank the people who still take the time out of their busy days to see what's going on in my life. So....leave me a comment! Anyone who leaves a comment between now and Saturday morning will get their name put in a hat for a surprise!

I'll be back on Saturday with a finished object, an almost finished object, an an update on what been going on in the life of the BusyFamily :o)

Happy Birthday to Me!

We made it! We stopped over first in Mississippi and then again in Dallas. We got to San Antonio on Wednesday. It's pretty hot. The accommodations are nice. Free wireless, but only in the lobby. So that means no blog checking in my PJs. We've got a living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. There are two TVs and pots, pans, dishes and utensils. Oh, and free laundry facilities. Not to mention the playground is within sight of the room so I can't complain.

As my title reads, today is my birthday. Im 32 today...as my children like to keep reminding me at the top of their lungs. I made out pretty well so far~I got an iPod Nano and a bottle of Baileys (my favorite booze. I mean really, you can mix it in hot chocolate, coffee, make milkshakes with it or drink it straight. What's not to love??). Jaylen calls it 'drunk' and is saying, 'Mommy got drunk for her birthday'. Maybe he's on to something...

The iPod is a little scary just because it's so tiny. I need to knit it a day glo orange cover or something. And learn how to use it ;o)

I swear to you guys this is still a knitting blog. There is some knitting going on, but it's been hard because the baby sleeps with us and once everyone is asleep there's really no where to go to turn a light on. I actually knit on my Honeymoon Cami for about an hour last night by the light of the TV. Never fear though, once I get it together with my new knitting group I'll get back into the grove. DH says I'm starting to have knit group withdrawls! Ha!

Ok, I need to get back to the room and see what's up for the day!

A little math for you

GA in June + no central AC = crucial business.

It's hot people. My hair is a frizzy mess and forget makeup...even mascara will slide off your eyelashes. I took the baby to the mall yesterday in search of some central air...oh, and bought myself some new clothes in hope of looking less like a sweaty, makeup~less frump.

The boys are having a blast! Ripping and running from sun up to sundown. Isaiah is not sure about all these strange people that keep trying to snatch him up. Poor kid has been hearing, 'but I'm your (auntie, uncle, cousin...fill in the blank)!!' since we got here.

The plan was to have some knitting pictures. One sock down and one to go. But of course it's all cloudy and threatening rain outside today. At least it's cooled off a bit! Maybe I can sit outside and knit without melting. Anyhow, I'll have pictures before the week is out.

People keep asking me how I'm going to survive in TX if the heat is killing me now. Well I'm not quite sure but I do know we'll have central air*!

*in my brother-in-law's defense this is an older house. He and my sister-in-law are in the process of buying a newer home...with central air :o)

One day down...

three more to go.

We survived day one. All our stuff is packed and ready for pick up tomorrow. We're in the hotel and I'm enjoying the free wireless internet access! We hit a little snag when the first suite we were given was *smoking* but now we're breathing clean air in a new room so it's all good.

Got to work on my springtime socks today while the movers were packing us up, and the plan is to take a shower and knit some more after the rugrats are asleep.

Tomorrow, day two...the pick up. Wednesday is the day I'm least looking foward to~the clean up. But it will feel so good on Thursday to hand over the house keys to the to the inspector (we live on a military base) and not have to worry about it any longer!

I'm going to get ready to knit now :o)

So tired!

Well the time has finally come. The movers will be here tomorrow! We've been consolidating crappage all week. Laundry all day today. Do you know how hard it is to project what we all will need for the next 3 months (our house won't be ready until around the end of August so we'll be in a hotel) or so? We've got a 'no pack room' with clothes, toys and other essentials including of course YARN! I've got one of those huge ziplocks full and some books. Should keep me busy for a minute.

We'll be in town for another week until school is out. Then it's on to GA to visit family before heading off to TX. I can't wait until the end of next week when the actual 'moving' is over and I can relax a bit. Maybe even knit??

I want to say thanks to everyone for reading here and leaving such nice comments! I'll still be blogging during the move even if my internet access isn't what it is now.

Happy June everyone! I've even got blue toes to commemorate this month's Project Spectrum color :o)

Short Snorts and Doo~dads

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a doo~dad around these parts? I knit up the Short Snort Girlfriend Tank out of the Cotton Fleece I had leftover from Green Gable for my friend's daughter (you know, the one that was in the pic with my little man?). The knitting was a breeze. I knit the entire body Thursday night and did the straps Saturday morning. I waited until the last minute because all I need is one of those little round numbers to bring it all together. So off I go to Hancock Fabrics and ask.

*blinkblinkblink*

Ok, so they have no idea what I'm talking about. Wendy got her doo~dad at Joann's so I figure I'll just go there.

*blinkblinkblink*

Do you have any idea how hard it is to explain what a doo~dad is exactly? I even tried thingamagiggy. Nothin'.

So now it's like an hour before my friend has to be at the airport (they are going to Vegas to visit family) and I'm driving around with an unfinished birthday gift.

In a last ditch effort I hot tail it over to another Hancock's in the area and what do you know? One lone package of doo~dads in the purse making isle. And they were half price...score!

So I sewed it up in the parking lot and snapped the pic in my friend's driveway. Cute, no? It's a rare opportunity that I get to knit for a little girl :o)

I definitely recommend this little instant gratification project. I scaled it down a bit since the recipient is just a year old (went down a needle size, did some extra decreases) and it was still a piece of cake!

I decided on the Oak Ribbed socks from Knitting Vintage socks for my Springtime yarn. The colors are so vibrant! I'm making them a couple inches shorter than the pattern calls for and I'm almost to the toe on the first sock so I hope to be done soon. I'm also working on Orangina in Debbie Bliss Cathay. I'm really enjoying the combination of the pattern and the yarn.

Movers will be here next Monday. I've been doing some thinking about what projects I'm going to take and what I'm going to have packed away. This is an important decision considering we probably won't see our stuff until the end of August, and you know that the one thing you don't have with you is the one you'll have the urge to work on (even if you hadn't touched it in months!). Right now I'm thinking Picovoli, Ruby, Raspy from Denim People, some linen for towels (thanks Mason~Dixon!), and some sock yarn. I hope to be (at least almost) one with Orangina by the time we leave the area on the 10th. Of course this list is subject to change between now and then, and doesn't include any yarn purchases that are made after out house is packed up :o)

Next time I'll have some pics of the thoughtful going away gifts I got from my knitting group. Those girls are the best!

So much to do this week! The busy household will be just that.

So done

that she's already been worn...

Not the best picture but hey, it was really windy and that was like take 7. Did I tell you my photographer is 5?

The specs~
It's the Green Gable pattern from ZephyrStyle. The yarn is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Wild Sage (a little less than 3 skeins) and the needles were Addi Turbos in a size 6 (Addi Naturas in a 4 for the ribbing). I used the long tail cast on which apparently was an 'alternate method' (who knew??) but my neckline is plenty stretchy, purl ridge and all. I made the body longer and did an extra row of ribbing. I made the 36 but probably could have done the 34...I did a LOT of waist shaping! If I were to do it again I'd knit a smaller size, but I am happy with the way it fits.

Would I recommend the pattern? I'm not sure. While I love the finished product, if you ask me there was some significant stuff left out...a lot of people had problems. You can read about a lot of it here. I was able to tailor mine to fit, but if I was brand new without the help of any other knitters I'm not sure it would have been such a quick and easy knit. If you're comfortable with making your own mods then go for it!

*~*I got mail!*~*

Look what I got...

It's a skein of Sweet Feet Sock Yarn from Hill Country Yarns. They put out a call for test knitters and I happily obliged! The color is Springtime and that's exactly what I thought of when I opened the package.

I plan to cast on tonight during the season finale of 24. Something simple, to showcase the colors. Maybe the Dublin Bay socks, or one of the ribbed patterns in Vintage Socks.

I still have a Madder Ribbed sock in progress as well as a Bijou scarf for my mom. The sock is on hold because I want to get going on this sweet feet!

Two weeks. Two weeks and I won't be living in this house anymore! It seems weird.

Anyway, here's a pic of my two big boys because you guys haven't seen them in a minute :o)

From a land far far away...

came my socks!! WooHoo!

I'm sure the mailman thinks I'm crazy. He asked what was in the box and I shrieked, 'SOCKS! From SPAIN!!'. So he said, 'wow, those must be some socks.' I explained the exchange to him, most likely telling him more than he ever wanted to know and then I signed for my box.



My pal's name is Betty and she lives in Barcelona. See all the cool stuff she sent me? First let me tell you all about the little guy standing on my socks. He came out of a Kinder Surprise egg. It seems as though I'm behind the times on these little gems because I'd never heard of them. But a quick google search produced a cult following! I can see why. The kids were super excited to see what was in their eggs, and can't wait for me to open mine :o) I must find a way to get more of these.

Also in the box was some red Katia sock yarn. It told me last night that it would like to become either a pair of Diagonal Ribs or some Go with the Flow socks. I also got two very pretty postcards and a wonderful letter telling me how she ordered the yarn for my socks from Germany(without being able to speak German and the site having no pics). So my socks were knit in Spain with yarn from Germany now living in MD and will soon be moving to TX!


(yes, I'm laying on the floor in my entryway)

They are the Elfine socks, knit with Rohrspatz und Wollmeise. Aren't they pretty? I love them!!


Betty's blog is all in spanish, so mostly I was just able to look at all the pictures of her great knitting. But I was able to see that even with recovering from an injury she was able to produce socks with such perfect stitch definition...

Nothing makes me happier than nice, even stitches...just ask Kerry!

Betty, you are awesome! I love the socks and your package made my weekend :o) Since you say the sock yarn pickings are slim where you live maybe we can do a swap in the near future? For Kinder eggs!!

To continue on with the sock talk, I cast on for one last night and I need opinions. First I cast on for some Jaywalkers using self~striping Regia. I was getting some funky little holes at my increases and was getting irritated so I tossed it aside and cast on for some Madder Ribbed socks using Claudia Handpaints in 'Donna's Favorite' I didn't realize that the yarn would have such a nice striping pattern an am now thinking it would make a groovy pair of Jaywalkers.

I don't know that I want to rip out all my ribbing, but I'll make the sacrifice for a kick~a$$ pair of Jaywalkers*

*not that this is my only sock yarn, I have a bin full of it for crying out loud!! Just thought I'd ask though :o)

I know, I know...I promised you guys pics of yarn. I just haven't had the time to pose it properly...LOL! I will as I'm packing it all with tender loving care for the movers.

In still more sock news, Purly received her socks! That's right, she's who I knit for. Go say hi and check out her shop, Sundara Yarn. Beautiful stuff, and she's even got a new sock club!!

We went, we saw...

We ate, and we shopped!!

And then? We were tired!

So much walking! Good thing I was wearing the right shoes. And of course the yarn! Of course by choosing to go on Sunday we missed out on the 'hot' stuff like Socks That Rock and Koigu mill ends but that's ok with me. I had so much fun just hanging out with my knit buddies and chatting that in the end the yarn was secondary (don't get me wrong though, the yarn was still important as was the funnel cake...LOL!). I'm going to miss them when I leave next month. We've already planned for me to fly back out here for next year's festival :o)

It raining and very dark today and I want to show off my purchases in pretty sunlight so I'm leaving y'all in suspense! I'm still working on Green Gable though I'm a little anoyed with the pattern. I have to tink back a row that I did last night when I was too sleepy to be knitting. So sleepy in fact that I fell asleep on the Sopranos. The Sopranos!!! Not only that but I totally slept through Grey's Anatomy.

Yup, that Sheep and Wool fest was a total (tiring) blast!

Yay socks!

Here are my finished Sockapaloooza socks...

The yarn is Dalegarn Baby Ull and the pattern is Hedera from the newest Knitty

The pattern is great...very stetchy and seems like it will be comfortable to wear (forgive me pal for trying on your socks but it was the only way to get a good pic of the lace!)and is the perfect color for Spring!

Here's the heel...


I took a picture of everything packaged up but afterward I noticed that my pal's name was COMPLETELY visible...duh! Anyhow, I used one of the really cute Sockapaloooza labels and also sent some stuff native to the area AND the military. I hope my pal gets her package soon and that she likes what she finds inside :o)

It's May and that means green for Project Spectrum! Guess I started the month off right by posting pics of my very green sock pal socks. Now that those are done I've got another green project in the works....Green Gable. In, well...Green! LOL! Going well so far. I cast on last night and I'm halfway through the lace in the front. There seemed to be some collective confusion on the KAL about the neckline/cast on edge, and then the designer told us the pattern said something that it most certainly did NOT (hence the collective confusion). Some ripped, some didn't, but all of them look awesome!

BTW I'm in the 'didn't rip' camp of course.

Sheep and Wool this weekend. Who's going? I most certainly am, they're gonna have funnel cake

The Homestretch

~*~EDIT~*~
This just in...
I'M DONE!! Pics to come when the boys and I return from running errands :o)
>
>
>
I'm just about to the toe on sock #2. I'll do a 'hooray I'm done!!' post when I actually bind off but I wanted to get my update in for Knitalong Tuesday :o) I'd show you all a pic but, well, it looks like the first sock did last week. And I'm pretty much sitting in the same spot that I was last week. I guess I could put it on my other foot to prove that it is indeed a different picture but I'm sure you guys trust me. Besides, I've got one kid happily fliging CD cases about the living room and the other is outside riding his bike. This is PRIME before lunch knitting time...why interrupt it by fiddling with the camera?

Anywhoo...
My socks will definitely be in the mail tomorrow on the way to my pal!

I aslo wanted to say thanks for all the nice comments about the picture in my last post. I can only take credit for one of the little boogers. The little girl belongs to a good friend of mine. They are just about the same age so watching them together is pretty funny :o)

The halfway mark!

WooHoo!!!

Here's sock #1 without a toe...

So I've got about a week to knit sock #2. Since I did the first one in a week with pretty much no knitting while I was in TX (about 2 days) I should be fine. DH has also been nice enough to give me a little extra uninterrupted knitting time since he knows I'm on a deadline :o)

I wanted to be sure to get my sock pal update in, but I've got to get going. Since I got up this morning and pretty much did nothing but feed the kids and graft my toe I've got dishes and laundry calling my name. I want to tell you all about my trip and I still need to show you what I got in NY so I'll be back. Until then, how about a cute baby pic to destract you?

Time Out

That's where my sock pal sock is.

I should have seen it coming. Friday afternoon I tried it on and it was a little snug but I pressed on and turned the heel. It all went downhill from there. My pals feet are just a teench (hubby's word) bigger than mine and if I couldn't wear them comfortably then, well, you know where this is going. I can't figure it out! This is one of the times I actually checked my gauge..LOL! I took the sock, the needles...even the book, and layed them off to the side and tried not to freak out.

I didn't think about socks again until Saturday morning. Too painful. *sigh*

Saturday afternoon I cast on for the Hedera socks (ok, so the fake leg is a little freaky, but check them out on a real live foot) with the Baby Ull I had bought for the Spring IK lacy socks. This is what I had by Sunday afternoon...

And by the time the Sopranos came on I was completely done with the first leg. Here's a sort~of close up of the stitch pattern (upside down but hey..)


I'm absolutely loving this pattern. Easy enough to memorize but not boring. I really like working with the yarn too. Also, the pattern is really stretchy so it doesn't look like I'll have any problems :o) I'm going to make a pair of these for me too!

My lacy Nancy Bush socks aren't forgotten. I'm sure I can do some math and rework the heel to make them fit but unfortunately I don't have time for all that right now. I can always just give them to my mom, her feet are smaller than mine.

The baby and I are headed ot to San Antonio in the morning. Design studio stuff for the house. My sock will be coming with and hopefully I'll have some knitting time after the little guy falls asleep at the hotel. Wish me luck that I can keep a 9 month old occupied during a 4 hour flight.

Other projects?
I've set Somewhat Cowl aside until I'm done with my socks. Same with the brown project I've been working. At the rate the socks are progressing though I should be done in no time so I can finish these other two. I joined the Green Gable KAL and hope to work on that along with Orangina next month. The orange blanket? Yeah, it's not getting any longer.

On my trip to NY I managed to hit Purl, Morehouse Farm, and a little out of the way place that does everything in house...shearing (and all the stuff that goes with cleaning and carding and whatever...I have no idea), spinning, dyeing...all that. They actually gave me a peek at how it all works. Interesting.

I'll have picks of my haul next time. Right now I need to get off of this computer and get ready for my trip while the baby is sleeping. It's so much easier to sit here and not think of all the stuff I need to do.

See y'all when I get back.

Something old, something new...

...and sometheing brown.

In honor of Project Spectrum's color theme for March, I've decided to (attempt to) tackle The Orange Blanket. Some of you may remember TOB, and how it went from being the Hearts and Stars blankie from Adorable Knits for Tots to being known as the orange monster. I tell you no matter how much I knit on this thing it doesn't get any longer.



I'm thinking I may call it quits after this month. I mean just bind off on the 30th and give the baby his stubby little blankie.

If you notice, my skein of Brooklyn Handspun sock yarn is posing along with TOB. I'd be kidding myself to think I would have time this month to knit another pair of socks. I just though it was too pretty (and yellow and orange to boot) not to be in the pic. Maybe on the 30th after I bind off my stubby little blanket I'll pour myself a glass of wine and stare at it, thinking of what could have been.

My something new is the Mason~Dixon book. I love it! Chock full of ideas and wonderful stories...all kinds of inspiration. Which leads me to something brown, but you all are going to have to wait until I get back for that. We're all going to NY this weekend to see my family. My SockapalOOOza socks (I'm now about to turn the heel on the first one) will come along for the ride as well as my brown project. I'm close to being done with my Somewhat Cowl but I think she's gonna sit this one out. I'll finish once I get further on the socks.

I'm hoping the weather cooperates because I'm trying to get to Purl, Schoolhouse Products, and the Morehouse Merino Farm before we come back on Monday! Have a great weekend!

PS....the sale a couple posts back? Nothing spectacular. Knitter's are a speedy bunch. Most of what I wanted was gone by the time I got there, and I got there 2 hours after they opened on the first day!

Trash TV

I've been doing a lot of late night knitting again. The baby has been quite cranky during the day and today is even running a fever. I know he is teething. Drs will tell you that a baby will not run a fever while teething. Know what? It's a LIE. All my kids had runny noses and fevers whenever a new little chopper was about to make it's appearance. He's sleeping right now, so I have a minute.

Ok, so as soon as I hit the period at the end of that sentence he popped up and it was on the rest of the night! The boys even stayed up late so I wound up with NO time to finish my post. We now join our blog post already in progress...

There was no school yesterday and since it was gorgeous outside I hardly saw the boys all day. When the baby *finally* decided to take a nap I flipped on the TV. Talk shows. I tell ya...how many men can you sleep with in, say, a two week span that you have no idea who the father of your baby is? Any why do they all say they are 'one hundred and ten percent' sure that the poor goober they dragged on the show is the daddy when they know they slept with his uncle, cousin and brother too? Trash TV is good for something though. I got some knitting done! Ok, so neither of the projects I've been working on are anything I've showed you before. That's because I'm cheating on my WIPS. I'm so bad.

Can you guess what this is?

Yup! It's a Somewhat Cowl. First I layed my other projects down just to fondle the yarn. Then I said 'just a swatch...a little swatch'. In a moment of weakness I caston and that's when it turned into a full~blown affair! I've got 4 inches to go until the ribbing and I can't.stop.knitting. I'm adding some waist shaping and hope to be done by at least Wednesday.

The other project I cast on for when I know I had no business is Poppy from Debbie Bliss' Cotton Angora book. I'm using some Wool in the Woods that I got last year at MDS&W. After it sat in my stash for a while I realized the color wouldn't suit my baby so I decided to gift it to a friend's daughter. One more sleeve to go and I get to sew it together and pick up the billion stitches for the ribbing. I didn't take a pic because honestly it's just a pile of little pieces of rolled up fabric. Trust me, you'd much rather see it when it's finished.

Progress on my SockapalOOOza sock?

I know, you're thinking 'that's funny, it looks just like it did in the last picture she posted!' That's because it IS the last picture I posted. I've only managed another repeat on the first sock. This past week has been really bad for concentration. Not to mention the baby's odd attachment to Louet sock yarn makes it hard to knit while he'son the prowl.

Today is Flash Your Stash day. I didn't sign up, but I thought about flashing anyway. I took one look at mystash and realized there was no way I was going to get it into any kind of photographic order before we go to see Curious George at 2.30pm. I was going to do it when we get back but DH is having a small Final Four get together. I don't need his friends thinking I'm some kind of crazy knitter~lady who not only hoards yarn but poses and takes pictures of it. Not cool. Oh well. Maybe I'll flash it when I'm organizing for the move and planning what project will actually be coming with me :o)

Next time I'll let you guys in on when I plan to work on for Project Spectrum, and what else I plan to work on because I can't wait!

Things I can do today...

1. Go to the grocery store.
Hmm...in the time it took me to write that I decided it would be a bad idea. Much better to wait until this evening so I can leave the boys with DH.

2. Start purging for the move.
Ha! As if...

3. Go the anniversary sale at one of the not~quite~so~LYSs.
4. Dump out all the stash I already have and devise a spreadsheet for organization.
5. Knit.

Ok, out of the last three knitting is a given. Even if I only do a row a day (at midnight) I MUST so that really doesn't count. Dumping out the stash really isn't practical with a yarn eating baby about. You see where this is going right?

I have no choice but to check out the sale. It's my 5 year olds favorite store because they have a bucket full of toys and the baby is just happy people watching in the sling. Have I convinced you? If not I've convinced me and that's what's important. I'll see you all when I get back!

Short on time

So short actually that I should be taking a shower, doing dishes, or putting dinner in the crockpot while the baby naps. But I tell you...he wears me out! Sometimes when I get him down I just have to sit and collect my thoughts. You would think that a mom of three boys would have it down by the time the last little guy shows up, right? Well I don't know if I forgot because his brothers were 4 and 6 when he was born but he runs.me.ragged. He's into everything. Days are a whirlwind of cheerios, CD cases (that he flings everywhere while his toys remain untouched), and hiding of the remote/phone/knitting so they don't get slobbered on. He'll yell and stomp if one of the boys has something and won't hand it over fast enough, food included, and at 8months is already standing for a few seconds at a time unassisted.

This is going to be the one folks, the one that does me in!

But I'm lovin' it

I decided on my SockapalOOOza socks and even started them!

They're the Child's First Sock form Knitting Vintage Socks. Don't laugh at all my post~its. The pattern is pretty easy and straight foward, it's just that I usually knit for 5 minutes at a time during the day and this ensures I don't lose my place. Post~its, row counters, stitch markers...these are all a busy mom's friend. Oh and coffee, don't forget the coffee! Here's a close~up of the pattern...

I must admit that I'm not really loving this yarn. It's not spun tightly enough for me and the little fuzzy spots are irking me. There was a knot too! But those are just Kim issues because the finished product is looking very nice.

I started on the Priaire Blanket using *gasp* Red Heart Soft in a cream color. This is a VERY enjoyable knit, from the yarn to the relaxing stitch pattern. I worked on it for most of the weekend. I should be able to finish by my mid~April deadline, just in time to do about 2 more. Good thing I like the pattern!

Ok, I've already gone on too long! I must go and tackle my 'chores' so that maybe I'll have time to knit this afternoon. Once again thank you all for your comments!

I'm late as usual

But here are my socks



Sorry they're not the best pics, but my photographer was having issues. After 3 pics of the ground and one of my knee I took matters into my own hands. Taking pictures of your own feet while balancing a squirmy baby is not as easy as you'd think. Speaking of babies...

Now I know that I (like most knitters) have described yarn as 'yummy' and I'm not embarrassed to say I sniff it and rub it on my cheek. But I've never actually tasted it!

He cried when I wrestled it away.

As you all know, the nacho yarn is Artyarns Ultramerino 6. I used a US 3 needle and a basic 2x2 rib. These were my first heel flap socks, I've only ever used a short~row. Same for the toe. This one is a pointed (I think) toe from Knitting Vintage Socks. I wore them all day yesterday and they were very comfy and squishy, like a twenty~something~dollar pair of socks should be.

Project Spectrum is here!! I love color. I don't get to see a whole lot of pink around here unless it's something specifically for me, like my big 'ol knitting bag

it started out as my work bag, then it was my travel bag. Now I throw my knitting and my Borders mug (which is also pink) in there. I love that it's plastic and it wipes clean. Funny thing is, this bag seems to get the most usage in the winter. I like to think of it as my 'little bit of Spring' when it's all gloomy.

As for red/pink projects I have all kinds of ideas swirling around in my head. My friend is having a baby (boy #4) and I'm making her a BBBB in red Cotton Ease. She's due the end of April so this isn't something I can set aside :o) I've also got some ruby Alpaca and Silk to make The Somewhat Cowl ans I want to make Jaywalkers with my flickering flame Brooklyn Handspun.

I've got one more project in the queue that falls under this months Project Spectrum idea. I finally got SockapalOOOza yarn! Louet Gems Pearl in Burgundy...so pretty! At first I wanted to make the lacy socks out of the new IK, but I fear they may be too short for my pal's tastes. There are a couple of great lacy patterns in Sensational Knitted Socks. The fancy silk socks (orsomethinglikethat) from Knitting Vintage Socks is in the running as well. I think I'll show a couple to DH, see what he thinks, and cast on tonight. As for getting to knit the IK socks? All is not lost. I picked up some Baby Ull in green to make myself a pair in May!

Since you all are dying to know the fate of the gunmetal gray Big Bad Baby Blanket in the King Tut cotton I won't keep you in suspense. I'm ripping it. It was too loose or something, I don't know but I wasn't loving it. I got to poking around online and found the Prairie Blanket. So I poked around a little more to find somewhere that wasn't going to charge me $4 to ship one pattern. I found Carodan Farm in VA who had very reasonable shipping. That alone made me happy but I was thriiled when my pattern came today with a little note that said they didn't charge any shipping as a little thank you to us for serving the country! How's that for thoughtful?

Thanks to Nik for the lightbulb tip and thanks to everyone who takes the time to leave a comment. I do enough talking to myself around here, it's nice to know at least *someone* is listening!