Just a little knitting...

I've got to say, quick and easy projects are the best! This only took a couple days to finish off, and is a very simple knit. This sleep sack was made using the "Sheepy Sack" pattern, and was knit with Patons Merino in the Retro colorway. It is a gift for a special mama, so shh! Don't tell! ;) It is being modeled by a Cabbage Patch preemie doll I've had since I was a girl. I usually have funny issues with pooling when I use Patons, but I was quite pleased with how the colors distributed in this sack!


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Listening to: Alicia Keys - Karma
via FoxyTunes

Shoes and Swifts...

Robert made me a swift for Christmas! Hooray!! No more tangled mess of yarn around my feet trying to wind it into balls!! I sanded it down and made the dowels a bit shorter, and now I'm waiting for the paint to dry so I can finally use it! I couldn't decide between paint or stain, so I let Nate choose... Shockingly enough, he chose *purple* paint! Though, that was only after I rejected his "Red Sox Colors" idea. Shame on me for only wanting to paint it ONE color! ;)

Here's a before pic:


And how it looks right now... lol

Before I forget... A HUGE rave for Pedipeds soft shoes!! Trish and I went to Lamey Welleham last week to find K some snow boots, since he's got fat feet and we were having a hard time finding something that would fit, and still be relatively easy to get on him. We finally found a pair that goes on well, though he does NOT like wearing them! Can't blame him though, with those big thick soles! At least he has something to wear so he can play outside now, though! A very good thing considering all the snow we have!

While we were there, I was looking for some new soft sole shoes for him, since he's outgrowing his Robeez. In addition to the Robeez, they had Pedipeds there, which I'd never seen in person before. They didn't have a large selection, and only had one style in K's size. Darn those big feet! I LOVE them though! They have a bit thicker sole than Robeez (or their comparative knock-offs), so they can be worn outside. Despite the thicker sole, they are still *VERY* flexible and good for the feet. I'm also really grooving that they look like "real" shoes, and thus go with everything. They are also really easy to get on and off, which is a major plus!

Best of all? Kaiden LOVES them as well! He keeps asking for them, even! This is the same kid whom we can't even keep socks on, so I am VERY pleased! I can't wait to get another pair! No action pics right now, but they are "Charlie" in brown. Next on the list are a pair of XL white/blue Liam's!

Big News!

Kaiden took his first independent step today!! Hooray!! We've even had a couple repeat performances! Way to go Kaiden! It's hilarious to watch too... He'll take the first step, then lets himself plunge forward into your arms instead of taking a second step. Silly guy! Video will come if he'll stop trying to grab the camera every time he sees it! ;)

In other news... We went up to Greenville again last weekend for the International Seaplane Fly-In. It ROCKED! Kaiden LOVED the planes! We also went out hiking the gorge up by Rip Dam. Beautiful! I *will* eventually get around to uploading and sharing the photos! We saw a bunch of moose while up there, of course! Even got a video of one cow and her calf!

I also got my invite to Ravelry this past week! I love it! Imagine your a knitter, and the internet is ALL knitting. You can find any pattern you need easily, see what other people are making with different yarns, keep track of your stash and projects, see photos of everything, and have message boards and groups where you can find other people with similar interests as you. All in one place! Did I mention I LOVE it?! If you're a knitter and haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? I will warn you though, it's addicting!



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Listening to: Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline
via FoxyTunes

Some WIPs

Here are a few WIPs to tide you all over. These are both knit using the LTK Picky Pants pattern. They have ribbed waistbands, and I'm doing increases and short rows for the rear shaping, with an extra short row added about halfway down.






This is 3ply Purewool in Fresh Blue. I love how the colors are coming out, and the yarn is so incredibly soft to work with! I really enjoy it. I've finished the body shaping, split for the legs, and just need to finish it up. These will become a pair of longies for K.










This yarn is Patons merino that I dyed a few months ago, along with matching trim. I had to add a couple extra increases to fix some wonky pooling, but I'm loving the effect now. These will become a pair of shorties, and with any luck will also fit him next summer!



Last but not least are some pillows I made (minus stuffing). My Gram gave me her sewing machine, along with a bunch of fabric. These don't match anything in the living room, but, I can't say no to pillows. Besides, it was a good way to use up the fabric!

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Listening to: Barenaked Ladies - Hidden Sun
via FoxyTunes

New FO! Zen String shorties

Here's my latest finished item. It is a pair of shorties knit with the WW Perfection Pants pattern. The trim is knit with white Peace Fleece, while the body is knit with Nirvana worsted Zen String in the now retired Pumpkin Pie colorway. The waistband is a 1x1 ribbing, while the legs cuffs were done in seed stitch. I still need to add a drawstring, but they're otherwise finished. I LOVE the way these came out, and the Zen String was a dream to knit with! So luxuriously soft and smooth in your hands, and the color is just beautiful!

I was a bit worried about the length in the legs, but it came out just right!

Recent FO's!

Finally uploading pics of some of the items I've finished making lately! Here you go...

First up is a project gone wrong... First mistake, what I *thought* was normal merino wound up being superwash wool. For those that don't know, it means it's machine washable, but not waterproof, and therefore no good for a diaper cover! Mistake two, I messed up on the crotch. When I kitchenered the crotch seam, I did it inside out. Functional, but ugly. Mistake three... They're way too long! These were supposed to be a pair of shorties, but fit like highwaters on Kaiden. So, they may work as pants, but it doesn't look like we'll be getting much use out of them!



Nest up is a wool soaker. This came out pretty nice, and works great! I made it from the LTK Hybrid Rib pattern, but didn't bother adding the gussets. It's made from Paton's Merino I had leftover from Kaiden's longies. I finished this a while ago, but I'm just now showing it off.



And, not a finished object, BUT... Some incredibly yummy yarn! I purchased 5 skeins of Zen String through a recent co-op, and received them Friday. I can't wait to knit with it! It is a wonderfully smooth yarn, and smells wonderful. Angelina has so many gorgeous colorways, it was very hard to choose! In the end, I wound up getting Pumpkin Pie and Emperor, as well as a skein of Chick for a matching trim, all painted on her Nirvana worsted wool. There were many other colors I would love to own though! They're all gorgeous! Pumpkin Pie (now retired) will become a pair of longies, as well as the trim on a pair of shorts. Emperor will become a pair of longies with Chick for the trim, as well as a matching hat. It's my first luxury yarn, very exciting!! The pictures do NOT do it justice either, there are some beautiful color variations in the yarn, you just can't see how pretty it is through a computer screen.

Finally, longies are done...

I finished my first pair of Picky Pants tonight! All I had left to do was kitchener stitch the crotch closed, bind off the second leg cuff, and create an I-cord for the drawstring waistband. It's now been finished, washed, and dried. I made them a size larger, so they've got a TON of growing room! The legs are way too long, but they're still cute rolled up. Considering it's my first pair, I don't think I did too bad! Now I just need to remember to work from two skeins at a time when I use Paton's again - talk about long color repeats!




For those wondering specifics, I knit these in Paton's Merino, using Forest for the body, and Leaf Green for the trim. For the pattern, I used LTK Picky Pants, size large with a 1x1 ribbed waistband, backside increases, and the ribbed leg cuff options. Now I finally have another pair of longies I can use!



Here's the crotch with the kitchener grafting. Look Ma, no holes!

It's a... Booga bag!

Another FO for you all! This time, it's a Booga Bag! It's made of Noro Kureyon, color #154. There's an area craft store going out of business, so I managed to get a whole slew of yarn on the cheap! I needed a new bag, so this was another late night creation. It still needs to be shaved, but it's otherwise complete. Perfect size too, room for my wallet, phone, keys, etc plus I can throw in a diaper or two if I'm out with K and don't want the whole diaper bag!

Knitting needles

Knitting needles are *much* neater when they're properly stored! For the longest while I've had all my needles laying loose in a wicker basket. Not any more I tell you! While I was out buying fabric dye for some prefolds I'm getting, I picked up some fabric to make a roll case for my knitting needles. Much neater, and now I don't have to search for a needle's mate! Yay!