Meet Don (Dawn?)

Summertime is NOT the time for consistent blog posting. It's good to know that everyone else is out there enjoying the weather as well though.

I've had this little guy knit for about two months now and he definitely shows signs of wear and tear already. My son is in love with dinosaurs, specifically stegasauruses (sp?) and "ceri-tri-tops" (triceratops). I found this cute pattern on Ravelry, had a leftover hank of green yarn and started.

This pattern was so easy, but I had a hard time with weaving in the ends. Does anyone know how to successfully weave in yarn ends so they don't unravel? Mine ALWAYS unravel. With kids banging around the toys, they end up looking like poor Don (Dawn?) here.


As for the name, my son chose that one. When I gave him the dinosaur, he was so excited and I asked what he was going to name it. After a pause, I suggested Stanley (the Stegasaurus). No to all my suggestions. Finally, my son said, "The name is Don (Dawn?)." I am still not sure of Don's gender but the name stuck.

Catching Up

There is nothing like knitting a dishcloth to soothe the troubled mind. You can quote me on that. This week has been full of meetings and mind-bending spreadsheets and mountains of paper and products. Whew. So hopefully by the end of the week I'll have a finished dishcloth to show you. However, I did want to share an FO with you:

Ava's dress!


This was so much fun to knit and despite it's size, very quick as well. In between busy-ness and working to accomplish other pressing items, I would just pick this up and start stockinette in the round over and over and over.... repetitive and soothing. I received a bag of varying colored yarn for Christmas and the dress was the end result. I have yet to weave in the many ends, but I hope to get it on my little model soon for a photo shoot.

The cookies at the beginning of the post were baked on Monday right before I left on my business trip. I left the surprise for my husband and children under the glass cake stand on the kitchen table. Judging from last night's call home, I think that they are almost gone.

I also did a little bit of scrapbooking (I am NOT a scrapbooker) and made a laminated page for each of my babies to find in their beds when they went to sleep that night.

Each card featured a picture of me with each child on the front and some more photos on the back with as many colorful stickers that I could manage to put on the extra space.

My husband told me that when Chandler picked up his card, he was very excited and after examining it for a moment, he said in a grave tone, "Daddy, this card is very, very special." (melting heart here...)

On the path (back home) ...

My First Socks!

I am very proud and excited indeed to post my very first pair of socks! What fun they are too; bright coral and orange to perk up anyone on a cold February morning. These socks went to my good friend, Marjana, for her birthday. She said she loved them so I am very happy.

Many thanks to Pneuma for her guidance on knitting with sport-weight yarn and working out the gauge issue (always a problem for me). She was so very sweet and helpful when I threw her an email a while back. Pneuma, I am now ready to knit those hunting socks for my hubby after doing these! Of course, hunting season for him is already over, but now I have all year to knit up that birthday gift for him. Right?

My favorite part of these socks are the cheerful pom-poms on the ends. These aren't very functional (unless you are a tennis player) but Marjana wears comfy house shoes/socks in the winter so I thought I would add to her collection.

Stay tuned for more knitty goodness. I just can't keep away from the yarn lately. My sewing machine is getting a much-needed rest after the last big project.

Keeping on that path...

She said she doesn't want you here when she gets back because you've been ruining everybody's lives and eating all our steak.

I really feel like that about my camera sometimes. It eats all my steak and makes me really angry. I try to get good shots and they end up blurry. I change the settings and the picture is no longer blurry but is dark, etc., etc. I even manually set the aperture and shutter speed to no avail. I miss important moments and I am hardly EVER in any of my own pictures as I am the only one who knows how to take pictures on this thing. Whenever I hand the camera over to someone else, I am blurry. Ugh. Grrr.

So much for a glorified point-n-shoot. Someday I'll have this camera. Or if God really opened up the floodgates: this one. As well as this one for other people to take pictures of ME with.

All that said, here are the pics I Photoshopped to death. Remember this post? I was working on a charcoal hat and I really think I had to undo that thing about four times before I got the gauge right. I am still not a master of gauge. Or apprentice even.

But hats are wonderfully quick and easy to knit - nothing like a full-size sweater or even one of those loooong scarves that just won't end. I have been going hat-less this winter for the most part because a few of my hats are outdated or lost and I just can't bring myself to buy one when I can very well make one!

This hat is Couvercle from Knitty. If you look at the picture from that website and compare it with mine, you'll notice that the brims are pretty different. I would LOVE to tell you how I modified it but the simple truth is this: I completely made it up as I went. It is supposed to be a crocheted brim and I don't really know how to crochet and what the crochet abbreviations mean. I was so eager to get this hat done that I just grabbed a crochet hook and stuck it in the hat and went for it. To my complete surprise, it worked. I could not duplicate it though.

I'm going to HAVE to learn how to crochet though. There are so many cute, cute toys on Ravelry that will be perfect for using up those half used balls of yarn from other projects. I love this yummy cupcake, and this little guy I'm going to make asap.

Ever since returning from Jackamo's house, I have also been sucking down the hot tea this winter. So, obviously I need one of these: Patty mug covers. I am reallying loving the moss stitch.

On the path...

Again and Again...

Now that the holidays are over, I am just super busy! Work is heating up, the temperature outside is way down, the to-do list is growing and I'm just one girl. I knock out ten of the items on my list in one day and there are 20 more to replace them. Do you feel that way? Hey people, it's after the holidays - isn't this supposed to be the slow time?

Since it is the coldest time of the year, hot soups are in order at our house. I whipped up this carrot soup this morning to have something warm for lunch. Very low fat and very yummy too - I didn't need to over-compensate with crackers on this one. Just some carrots, onions, chicken stock, salt, pepper, grated ginger and fat free sour cream. Dill for garnish. Very yum!

I'm feeling very homemaker-y and even going as far as making my own chicken stock this winter. Now that I'm into the soups and sauces mode, I find that I need more and more chicken stock. Why not make my own and save a couple of bucks? Just got off the phone with a friend and she gave me some tips on how she makes her most excellent stock - whole black peppercorns are included.

I have so much to post - especially about the wonderful holiday exchange gift that I received from my exchange partner, Kate. It was such a wonderful, well-thought out gift that I feel I need some time to really take some good pictures and write a good post to do it some sort of justice. Check out Kate's great photos on her Flickr site, HeyK8, and say hello. She's really nice.

I am also knitting like crazy this winter. It's not that I have a lot of time, but it's that I don't have a bunch of functional hats (I have a big head) and the fact that I have yarn already and am a knitter makes me feel that I shouldn't go out and purchase any knitting headgear. It seems sort of redundant. So I'm trying to figure out what the heck I did to this hat in moss stitch while watching a movie the other night. It wasn't that great of a movie, but apparently I was intent enough on it to really mess this sucker up. I may just go on with it and put a little bling over the area that just isn't working.

Another fun knit is the little dress below for miss Ava. I received a bunch of different colored yarns from my mom for Christmas and this is what I decided to do. A stripey dress is just the ticket to bring on an early spring, don't you think?

I have had to stop knitting my easy socks again, until I can get some direction on what I am doing with the heel. Bummer. I also had to stop knitting my son's striped sweater/pull over as I ran out of yarn. Sad! Now I'll have to shop for more yarn - always a burden I must bear. ;)

Stay on the path!

Whatnot

Tis' the season for time to fly. After my last post, I headed out for an out of town business trip, an out of town concert (and to see a family member in that concert) and then finally unpacking (although my suitcase is still in the upstairs hallway) and some crafting...

I started a hat for Channy a while back with the thought that it would be yellow (his favorite color) and with some earflaps and ties. I wasn't sure if he would wear the hat since he's pretty particular about fashion (i.e. he demands to wear only a few items for reasons unknown).


Once I presented him with the hat in a nonchalant way, he immediately put it on his head and wore it all weekend (be still my heart!) and protested when I took it back to make a few adjustments. This is his favorite hat!


I am still trying to finish up my quilt(s), and a toddler sweater but I am not even thinking about Christmas and birthday presents - yikes!

Back on the path...

Back in the Saddle

What a whirlwind of weeks. After my last post, I prepared to head out for my "Finally People Can Safely Label Me As Certifiable" road trip. It was around 740 miles one way and we played this song a lot. This very much provided the perfect theme song to our trip.


Our first stop was in Louisville, Kentucky to visit my brother and his family. Much fun was had by all. The big day was spent at the pumpkin farm where I had to do some fancy illusion tricks to get my son to forget about his very large pumpkin and opt for a small gourd instead. Ava, as usual, loved everything.


Second stop was in Nashville, Tennessee to visit my brother-in-law and his wife. How cool of an aunt and uncle are they? My kids arrived there to presents and playing and lots of fun. Ava started crawling at my brother's house and perfected her technique here. She also perfected her pulling up and cruising technique. (Oh well, no time like the present, right?)



We spent some wonderful play time at the dragon park where the kids got to stretch their legs and run around and play. For October, this afternoon was very warm and Chandler requested to have his shirt off - which I granted.



Third stop was to an undisclosed location south of Nashville to visit friend, Jackamo and her family. Jack and I have been friends since college and haven't seen each other in three years. She's NEVER met my kids! Sad, I know. This was the main point of my whole road trip. We always email each other and sometimes will call to chat, and our conversations always ended in a You really need to come and visit me, on both sides, knowing that was an empty request but asking it anyway to show our affection for each other and the desire to see each other again.

Jack and I had a conversation like this in September and I thought about it and had a sort of awakening. Why not go visit? My husband was about to embark on a ten day quest to find the big one on October 1st, my kids were still in diapers but on a very easy schedule (i.e. good naps and no bathroom stops). Well, Chandler is in the midst of potty training but only demands to be changed if he goes #2. So ... why not?

It was so good to hang out with Jack and her family. They were very gracious and the best hosts. I enjoyed MANY cups of tea as Jack is an excellent tea brewer and has a lot of fun teas that don't necessarily come from the grocery store aisle next to the instant coffee. (See her recommendations on the sidebar of this blog.) Of course, each cup of tea was accompanied by a shortbread or carb-y/sugar-y concoction of some sort. VERY yummy.


The kiddos were off-schedule and tired and cranky sometimes, but were SUPER troopers for being ages one and two. It was so much fun just to pack up and go. I have always had an "I Can Do" attitude which has sort of gotten me into trouble in the past (note to self: never assume - especially when using the parental car). I never want to just say "I wish I could" and never actually do. So, when I felt that I was in a good spot ... I did. I definitely don't want to say years from now, that I wish I visited my friends more often.


Finally, we traveled back up to Lexington, Kentucky to stay the night with my other brother and his wife in their new home. They've only been married two weeks and are still trying to settle into their new home and they were the most gracious hosts. They picked up an extra box of crackers (I had finally run out on our journey) set up an extra pack and play and had everything ready for us.


By this time, we were exhausted but Chandler still had tons of fun in the park and he is totally in love with Aunt Katie so time with her was the best. He, Kyle and Katie spent Saturday morning at the local park while Ava and I ate and re-packed the car for our final leg home.


We finally made it after 7 days of traveling and we had so much fun. There was a lot of excitement when we finally pulled in our driveway and Ava squealed at the sight of Daddy and touched his nose.

I would do it again. Not any time soon but I would do it again for the fun, the experience and to keep my friendships going. Does that inspire you? Shall I quote that NIKE commercial that won't go away? Okay, I won't.


I did do some knitting while I was at Jackamo's house believe it or not. While we caught up in the evenings, I made two of these washcloths for her boys. I'm telling you, if you haven't tried them, you really should. They are so easy to whip out after you get the hang of the loop stitch and so cute as a gift. So yes, some crafting was still going on. Jackamo is an expert a this apron and hopefully she'll post an official picture of it someday.

Whew! I came home to the arrival of my new Knit Picks Shine Worsted yarn - a whole bag of it! I am now finishing up an earflap hat for Channy and will start on some sweaters for the kids after that. Will keep you posted.

In the meantime...

Stay on the path.

Okay, No Mid-Week Lift

It was really weird this week. There are lots of good stories out there, but I'm just looking for a laugh; a lift. Not anything too heavy or preachy, you know? Anyway, I came across a headline that made me laugh ... until I read the story. A man in Peru tried to go through the airport security with 100 birds. Isn't that funny? Can you just imagine a little old man trailing along a bunch of bird cages behind him wondering why on earth people are giving him such a hard time about some birds? Well, that story didn't turn out that way. Let's just say he was more of a smuggler and some of the birdies didn't make it. Ugh.

So, it's no longer mid-week but as the weekend approaches, here are some fun jokes to share with your kids:

What do you call a deer with no eyes?
No ideer.

Why do gorillas have big fingers?
Because they have large nostrils.

Why do cows wear bells?
Because their horns don't work.

Why do hummingbirds hum?
Because they can't remember the words.

Why do birds fly south for the winter?
Because it's too far to walk.

What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work?
A stick.

If you're Canadian in the kitchen and American in the living room, what are you in the bathroom?
European.
(This is a favorite of my nephew's! Of course, his aunt taught him that one.)

Sigh. Sorry people.

On the knitting front, I decided to try and make a yellow and orange hat for my son, Chandler, and that really didn't work out! The weight of the yarn was too small (it said sport weight but was closer to fingering it turns out) and it ended up looking more like a prison cap than a cute, striped hat. Soooo, I'm thinking of turning that into some fun socks for Chandler and Ava.

I am ordering some more of that super-yummy yarn, KnitPicks Shine worsted weight. It is hands down the best value and the prettiest yarn I've found. I still buy from my lys once in a while but I can't get over the prettiness of the Shine Sport and Shine Worsted. Love it. I'm thinking of making a couple of BETTER winter hats and a sweater or two. Better limber up those fingers!

And now, I had better get moving. I am preparing to go on a MASSIVE road trip with my two little ones tomorrow. This should be interesting ... but also fun! We plan on visiting friends and family. Happy days! Unfortunately, I'll be driving so I can't knit during the trip. Argh. When will they come out with auto-pilot? Work on that, Detroit!

Stay on the path...

FOs - Avita Revisited...

I finished the Avita camisole quite a while ago but haven't had the chance to share it as an official FO on my little model. You can find the pattern here. Saturday was cool and pleasant and we decided to spend some family time at various parks around town.

Ava was so interested in every plant I plunked her down by that I was able to actually get a few good photos of the top before she tried scooting away.





The plants at this botanical garden are beautiful and I have decided to start recording the ones I love for future garden ideas. I kept seeing these little trees all over the place and couldn't get over their bonsai-like shape and the bright bursts of color by their flowers - great color for the fall weather. Here's the picture:



And here's the name:



I have never heard of these before but then again, I am no botanist - or avid gardner. Yet. I'm just storing these ideas away for future reference.

Oh, and on another note, I had a great surprise when I went shopping the other day. I found this fizzy drink that I practically downed at every festival I attended when I was in Japan about ten years ago. At the time, I had no idea what their names where but would see them being peddled on the street by vendors with huge buckets of ice with each light blue bottle nestled down into the ice just waiting for me. I loved these things and I just remember calling them the marble drinks and would grab a couple when I would be at a festival with a steaming hot street-fare dish and a gigantic thirst. The vendors always had what looked like an oversized hole punch or well pump handle. When I would buy one, the vendor would place the bottle underneath the hole punch/well pump thingy and it would blast the marble that was sealing the drink, down into the neck of the bottle. The drink was fruity and full of sugar, I'm sure, but I loved them.

So imagine my happiness when I found them on a little display shelf when I was checking out at World Market. I am surprised I haven't seen these before when visiting our local Asian market, but I didn't so this was a nice surprise.

I decided to enjoy the drink with the last of the year's herbs. I'm slowly cutting them all, trying to use them up before the weather turns cooler.



On the path...

Meow (Hiss hiss...)

I am done with Ava's Kitty Hat and it is SO cute I just can't stand it. I got the pattern from this book and made a few modifications as the hat seemed like it was going to be too big for her. I love the easy way the pattern had me put on the earflaps and the ears of the kitty. I'm going to have to try that same technique with a hat for Chandler.

The only problem is: Ava hates hats. It's a good thing I knitted some long i-cords for this hat so I can tie it under her chin - something that made her pretty mad. (hiss! hiss!)


She can shout about it all she wants, but I'm sure she'll find out soon enough that you can't go through a Michigan winter without a good hat. Even better if it's a berry-colored kitty...



On the path...

Legwarmies - Done!

These are so cute and so easy, you should really try some legwarmies yourself!







Have a great Thursday and stay on that path!

August!

Isn't August supposed to be The Dog Days? Well, I guess I can't complain about the 70-80 degree weather, but some mornings we've had to break out the sweatshirts around here. So, that means that my tomatoes are still green! Okay, for those of you that think that Michigan is so cold that we can't even grow vegetables, don't worry. I'm growing them in pots which makes them go a little slower but the cool weather and lack of sun has made them very sleepy.

The above picture is about how far my basil has grown since May! I expected them to be as tall as trees by now, but they are only little guys. I am glad, then, that I planted so many! I'm hoping for a warmer, pesto-laden fall. My little tomatoes are still green, but I'm still hopeful. I'll keep everyone posted (as I browse your blogs with harvest tables full to bursting - grrr).

I am ready to block my toddler tunic! I'll send a picture as soon as I get her blocked. I am very excited. I bought enough pretty red yarn for a long dress, but we all know how that turned out. Sigh. So I have some leftover yarn that I'll turn into these ultra-cute legwarmies. Give it a try if you have some small ones to knit for!

New on the store-front: I've added red, white and blue to my cache of barrettes. My friend, Em, suggested that I add those colors because a lot of private schools use those colors in their uniforms and how great is it to color-coordinate? Thanks, Em! So I whipped up these lovelies for her darling daughter, Taylor Anne. I hope you like them, T.A.! Thanks again, Em. I'll be posting a set of these guys on my store site next week.


New on the kid-front: frozen monsters! I went garage sale-ing last weekend and ran into a really cool mom and her boys who shared with me the fun activity of freezing small animals/insects/dinosaurs in an ice cube tray. The PERFECT toy for bath time, swim time ... anytime! Chandler had such a great time watching the ice melt in the bath last night. Of course, the downside is that fits are thrown when it's time to put the Ice Age animals away and go to bed. Such is life.


And I have been loving the iced coffees this summer. Recipe courtesy of my uber-creative and fun SIL:


You can find the recipe here.

Oh, and for your Mid-Week Lift:


Did that make you smile?

Stay on the path...