Poncho killer?

I saw an ad for this particular nanny show and realized that these may be how the poncho craze dies again. Very sad.
I also will sadly need to start my pink tank over again. Am I in a 'nothing-will-turn-out-right' phase? I thought that I could try something and fix my 4 rounded/bulky tank corners. I had visions of myself smoothly fixing the issue. I won't admit what I did since I'm pretending it didn't happen. Hopefully you will join me in denial too. Pink tank? No, that is still a future project. (By the way, the yarn is Joann's huge Rainbow Boucle. It's not on their website. It has 853 yards and I paid around $4 since I used my coupon. I saw a tank made up in my LYS with what looked like the same yarn and it was very cute.)
I am now working on another tank with some Berroco softwist yarn. I'm also still working on my Phoebe-Bamboo. I honestly don't know what I would do at this point of my life if I could not knit. As I struggle with comprehending my limits due to my health now, I am so thankful that I can get carried away in a knitting project. And it's also great to have 2 very goofy sons, who will hopefully one day clean something up by themselves without me. They are trying so hard to keep their mother's day gifts for me a secret right now. It is so cute; 'Mom, could you not go into the living room for a week?' Hmmm. They are also determined to cook supper now after watching Lauren cook supper by herself on an old episode of Judging Amy. For a moment I imagined what it would be like to be the mother of an up and coming chef. Then I tripped over a backpack and discovered yesterday's pajamas under the kitchen table. Sigh.

Pink tank

This is what the big ball of yarn turned into. A tank for me! ;-) The color fades into white, then back to pink. And the best part? It fits great. Except for one thing..... (next pic)

Corner issue

I followed the Shapely Tank pattern. (modified it a bit to fit). But the short-row corners turned out really weird. Do you see how they stick out? I will see if blocking it will fix it. Otherwise I'll have to get creative. Any ideas?
I also still need to put some edging for the collar and by the arms. I'm off to a conference tonight though. I'm just tickled pink that it fits so well. (ok, lame joke).

Night alone

It is Saturday night and I find myself alone. My children are off to be spoiled by their grandparents. This is my time to enjoy extra sleep and get some rest. I've got the essentials:


Season 3 DVD from the series 24, chocolate treasures, a favorite drink, a little yarn swatch and check out the tray I picked up at a garage sale today - it's the Friends one that came in a special party pack.
Cont. with next picture....

Pink yarn

This is the yarn I'm using for my new project. My son asked me what it was. ;-) Notice the pink wall behind it. One of the privileges of being divorced is that I can paint my room pink.
The yarn is working itself into a tank top for me. I needed some boring stockinette to do with Phoebe-Bamboo.

It can't be

I've been knitting Phoebe-Bamboo. I was loving it, I had figured out how to do the side stitch correctly with my first Phoebe and everything was looking beautiful. Then suddenly I looked and my eye caught something out of place......


Cont. with next picture.....

The stitch gone wrong

There it is. Gleefully out of place. Snickering that I had gone this far without noticing it. I tried putting it out of sight, tried ignoring it, tried to tell myself that it added to the design. None of these things worked. So, I tried to find another Phoebe on-line with a flaw. They were all perfect.
So, Phoebe-Bamboo is no more. I could have tried just going back to that row, but honestly that is how naughty stitch got there in the first place. (When I was trying to redo the edge that had been just a little off, not even that bad).

I will cast on for the new Phoebe-Bamboo tonight during Family Movie Night. I am exited to see this done.

Bamboo with Bamboo

May I present to you my new Bamboo yarn sitting on my Bamboo footstool:


Once I realized this yarn was in my town, I had to buy it. I choose the Tequilla color, which will transform itself into another Phoebe. Yummy.

Bunnies

While playing yesterday, my boys discovered baby bunnies in our yard. Can you see them? They are hidden, but you can see an eye and ears.


How cute are they? I did some research and I think they are around 4 weeks old, ready to leave the nest. This was confirmed this morning when we checked on them before the boys left for school and they were gone. I'm so thankful we were able to witness this little miracle of life yesterday and hope they will return to visit. ;-)

What absolutely amazes me about this is that 4 weeks ago my life took an unexpected turn due to my health. After trying to ignore the return of a chronic illness that had more or less been in remission for 10 years, I ended up in the ER. Suddenly the plans I had for my life were thrown from my hands. I'm trying to heal, still unsure of what will come next. I had been working on completing the degree I started years ago and had to take a leave from school. But, through all this many good things have happened. My faith has become much stronger and I'm forever thankful that God is in control of my life. I've realized that I'm very content and happy with my life. I've been blessed with wonderful children who amaze me every day. As I watch their character develop, I could not be prouder of them. I'm very grateful for my family who do way too much for me. I'm lucky enough to be able to say that my best friend is Dee. She is awesome, and I'm not just saying that cause she will listen to me babble for hours on the phone about my kids and my knitting. (Girl, you need to move here!!).
I don't know if my health will ever return to normal, or what my future holds. I do know that I am blessed and in God's hands. And to witness these baby bunnies has just reaffirmed my outlook on life. While my body may be failing me, life is grand, it is filled with incredible miracles.

I also have officially just had my first non-knitting post. ;-)

The sweater

My son's Einstein sweater is done. I tried to be creative and add the orange color where I could.


Here it is. Buttons got sewed on by Mom after the picture. I could not find any needles small enough. They must have gotten lost in the boxes still to be unpacked. (yes, I've lived here for 8 months and still have boxes to unpack). It was interesting to knit this sweater. I'm disappointed with it though. The design was fun and my issues have nothing to do with the sweater. My biggest issue is that my son is growing. Yes, from the time I measured him and started it in February until now, he has gotten bigger. In fact, I believe he has grown since last week. My proof? The sleeves. I measured him 50 million times. They were a little long last week. Today, they seem a bit short. I knit these sleeves after picking up stitches and knitting down to the hand. He had to try the sweater on so I could check the length. The other issue is that I measured extra room around him, yet now it is tight. I could have knit this sweater a bit bigger, but I knew he wouldn't wear it if it was too baggy.
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Cute find

One of the things I love about this sweater are the buttons. Do you see the bubbles?


I found these at the new yarn cafe that opened here. My son loved these too, yet after wearing the sweater a little bit yesterday, the verdict is that buttons just do not work for a very active boy. We decided that if the sweater still fits this fall, we will replace the buttons with a zipper.
Cont. with next picture....

Yuckies

This sweater has already snagged in a few spots. I do not know on what. These little 'yuckies' just kept appearing.


Has this happened to anyone else? I'm thinking it has to do with knitting the Encore on size 10 needles, making it a little looser.
I suppose I should keep in mind that out of all the sweaters I have knit for my sons, this is the first one that had a few issues. If it does not fit him next fall, my younger son will get to wear it. And I'm consoling myself with the fact that I have a younger nephew and that this sweater may also fit my brother's finance.
I'm trying to throw myself into other projects now. Can one be in mourning over a 'not-the-way-I-had-dreamed' sweater outcome? I did get Scarf Style in the mail this weekend and have one scarf almost done. I'll post pictures later this week. I also am working on the purple knits that will all become my nieces' birthday. Pictures later too. I also recycled some white cotton that is going to become a tank top or me. Not sure which one yet. And I'm going to start knitting the various wedding knits for my brother's wedding. This will include beads, silk, possible dyeing, etc.
Now I think I will go and enjoy this beautiful weather! Maybe the sun will help clear up the sinus cold that finally made the rounds and got me.

New yarn shop requires a new chenille scarf

Much to my amazement a new yarn cafe opened up in my town. I was in such amazement when I visited the yarn cafe on my last trip to my brothers and to think I can now drive down the road and find one! (sadly no fireplace in this new one, but then again I've got 2 at home). Tuesday I met my mom for lunch there. It was so much fun to sit and eat amongst yarn. They had so many cute decorating ideas that I would love to incorporate in my house.
As I was getting ready to 'meet' my new yarn store, I realized that I was attempting to dress up. Was I trying to impress the yarn? I also realized (again) that I keep giving everything away that I make. I need little scarfs, more poncho-type things, anything. I wear my knitted socks all the time, but I needed something more. So, I pulled out some hand-dyed chenille yarn I had gotten from e-bay last fall and a pattern from the internet and watched a couple of re-runs of Judging Amy and I have a new 'nice to meet you - new yarn shop' scarf.

Einstein progress

This weekend was all about Einstein. I'm determined to get this sweater done. I had forgotten that sleeves that forever. Seriously. And my son was getting a little tired of trying the sweater on every 15 minutes, only to have his mother (me) mutter something about the impossibility that they didn't seem to be growing longer.
So, here is my progress picture. It is not the greatest, since it's a dark and rainy day out.



I attempted to add pizzazz to this cardigan. 8 year olds like that. We found an orange zipper last week. I'm now trying to decide if I should add some kind of collar. He did say something about a hood yesterday. I think there will be a orange stripe on the bottom of the sweater too add a little length. (they were out of the 20in zipper, so we got the 22in. The boy is growing like crazy so it will hopefully fit him fine next year too).
He already has the matching hat, but I was told today that even after I took it apart and added more length, it is still not as long as he likes his hats. Isn't it fun to watch your kids grow up and develop their own likes and dislikes? And then the challenge becomes to help them develop their independence while still hoping they will be the one who thanks Mom after that big moment.

Finished and they feel sooo good

I finished these alpaca fingerless mitts awhile ago actually. Just never posted the pic. I hope my friend Dee will like them and will forgive me for being so slow with mailing them.


I had to add the light blue because I did not have enough of the dark blue. (The label said app. 110 yards, turned out to be under 100 yards). Can't wait until I get to knit my matching pink pair!

Gotta love a bargain

Yes, it's a yarn tangle. While out looking or a zipper or my son's Einstein and buttons for my younger son's game bag, I came across this bargain. A yarn tangle for $2 (non-tangle $4.94). That is a $3 savings! Taking the challenge, I wound the yarn in a ball and surprisingly had no problems at all.
Now, what to make with this? It could become part of a hat or mittens, perhaps a short fun scarf ? Or maybe a potty mouth? Yes that's right, a cover for your potty knit out of fun fur. This was designed by Sarah, who also has her Mariposa in the new Knitty. While I will probably not be knitting the potty mouth (With boys and cats in the house it might not survive), I do really like the Mariposa. My only question is: how do I fasten the broach in the back by myself? I guess I will need to practice and see if it's possible.

More socks

My youngest son told me that his green St. Patrick Day socks were the best. They were apparently the best for sliding on our hardwood floors. And looking at me with those beautiful brown eyes of his, he asked if I could make more.


Here they are. Knit with Plymouth Encore (Confetti Twist) and size 4 needles. He happily wore them to school today.
A fun thing for me that I've learned that everybody likes their socks a certain way. My youngest likes them to be short, while my older son loves them long (he's be happy if I knit knee socks everytime).
I'll end this with a question: how do you like your socks? And because my son found his preferred sock yarn: what is your favorite sock yarn?

Fun weekends

This weekend was very much about family. We had a big get-together with lots of fun and eating. (and knitting for me).

I got to wear my Phoebe. I think I will make lots more like this. I really hope that the poncho is not going out of style soon (like the rumors tell us). I also forgot to mention the greatest part of Phoebe! I joined the Thrifty Knits not that long ago, mainly cause I hope to get tips and I'm only willing to buy my yarn when I get a good deal. The yarn I used for Phoebe I got on e-bay, where most of my yarn comes from. So here's my thrifty story: I had lost the bid for this lot (included 4 Goddess Carmen, a Mission Falls Cotton skein, a partial skein Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, and a skein of Den-m-nit). Now mind you my bid was only for $5, but that was my limit. Amazingly enough, I was offered a 2nd chance on this lot! It was a happy day.

I'll leave you with this news bit. Although I barely made it to the hospital before my youngest son was born, this women gave birth by herself - with 2 preschoolers in the back of the van! Now that is what I call a supermom.

Ready to be worn

Very bad picture, sorry. I finished Phoebe last night. I'm really excited about this one. What a great thing it will be in the summer! It was much easier to knit than I thought. I did make a mistake on the edging of one side, but mid-way through I got it. That was a great feeling, to understand and correct my mistake. (at the end of the row the slip 2, yo from previous beginning of row was twisting/overturning the stitches. But only on the 1st row of the pattern). So, I left it the way it was. So when I look at it I can smile, because I had a revelation.
Anybody else had those moments?

Finally blocking

Yesterday I finally had T-pins and took over my sons bed to block Phoebe.

April has arrived

Hard to believe April has arrived! The boys and I celebrated by eating breakfast in our courtyard. (We are the lucky ones who found a house built with a courtyard in the middle of it). Today is also therefore April Fools Day. Check out Knitting in the Valley. Agnes did a great job with the history of April Fools Day.
Today is the beginning of Flash your Stash. I did not sign up, mainly cause I still live in denial that I have a stash (don't laugh, just because all you see is yarn when you walk into my room does not mean I have to admit anything yet). Of course, this makes you wonder how much yarn do you need to officially have a stash? 1 skein? While I linger admits my yarn in denial, check out those brave enough to show their stash. What's a better way to start your day than looking at yarn? (I do believe drooling is allowed). Thanks to everyone who opened their closets (bins, bags, secret places all over)!