Hai.

It's been a long time since I've written here, and I thought maybe writing would help me work out some things that have been on my mind. 

A lot of things have happened in the past 18 months. Firstly, the kiddos started school full time and currently are in the first grade. Freddie enjoys school and does pretty well. Petunia is struggling. She's a whiz at math but has a hard time with reading. It's hard for me to watch her struggle as I've always loved reading and am a huge bookworm. Both she and Freddie are getting extra help for it but I hate to see her struggle. 

The Boy is in sixth grade and preparing for junior high next year. He's learning to play the drums and recently started phase 2 of his braces. He's a great kid, doing really well in his classes. He has his moments but he is almost a teenager so it's normal. 

Hubby is hubby, still working for the Man and bringing home the bacon. He lost over 50 pounds over the past year by walking 10,000 steps a day and eating a very low carb/high protein diet. His blood sugars dropped nearly 100 points  and his cholesterol improved. I'm so proud that he is paying attention to staying healthy. 

Then there's me. Health wise nothing's new - my diabetes is controlled although it could be much better. Hubby has taken over cooking duties of late to accommodate his diet and my eating habits have improved as a result. I still love my pasta but I don't eat it as often. Some foods turn me right off! I still go to the gym, not as often as I'd like, but I still do the weight machines and added the recumbent bike to my workout. I went down a pant size! The weight loss is slow and hard for me as PCOS makes things a challenge but I am trying to be mindful and listen to my body to figure out its needs. 

A broken toe (plus surgery for it), a uterine ablation and a badly sprained ankle didn't help with my gym goals. Coupled with crap sleep and over active brain weasels some days are an effort to have any spoons.  

I hadn't been knitting for a while. I often went to knit night with little progress from one week to the next. Last year I completed 12 projects, a disappointment for me as I had so many things to knit and no spoons to complete them. I made a goal for this year to knit every day, even if it was only a couple of rows, and to complete at least one project a month. So far I made a hat and a pair of mitts in January, no projects for February but I'll be finishing a shawl this weekend (hopefully!) and am well through another shawl project and a cowl. I participated in a MKAL which helped as it gave me goals to knit each week. Hopefully this means I have my knitting mojo back!

Of course with the good days there are bad days. My SiL is getting divorced. The situation blindsided all of us (SiL included). 

Lastly, my FiL died suddenly after thanksgiving. He had a cardiac event while he was driving home from a meeting. Thankfully no one else was injured. I am still trying to process his passing. Most days I'm ok until something reminds me that he is gone.  I think deep down I am depressed as I spend most of my days sleeping, watching crap tv or playing solitaire on my iPad. Some days it is an effort to get up. This was another reason I wanted to get back to knitting as I needed something g to soothe my broken heart. 

I worry about hubby as he has taken over as the male head of the family. He helps his mom a lot and I know he worries a lot about his sister, the kids and me.  I worry that the extra stress will hurt him. But I cannot allow the worries and what-ifs take over my thoughts so I support him the best that I can. And I pray that our family will find peace and strength.

All the colors

Belated old post...enjoy!

I knitted this hat a couple weeks before the ravellenics. It doesn't count, of course, but I wanted something colorful to wear during the games.

Giving Putin some RBF...

This was knit with yarn from a hat I frogged a while back becos it was shapeless and big. The yarn is steam valley yarns in a silk blend - I loved knitting with this!  

***

The ravellenics are finished for another year. While I didn't quite finish my socks or sweater, I did frog several stagnant projects. 

Patterns

I am knitting a pair of socks. I am using nancy bush's gentleman socks in the ringwood pattern. Grumperina knitted socks in that pattern, and i thought I'd make my next pair with it as well. I was delighted to find that I actually HAD the pattern, in a book that I bought years ago but never used. 

It has been ages since I knitted from a book pattern, as the majority of my recent projects are from online sources. Many patterns are stored in my iBooks, and hubby found an app for me that allows me to mark off charts on my iPad. 

This got me thinking about how I obtain my patterns and it made me realize that I use more online patterns, and that it's been a long time since I purchase an actual pattern book. I looked at my rav stats and the numbers made me gasp:

I have 2253 patterns in my ravelry library. This includes pattern books I entered over the years plus online patterns I have purchased or gotten for free. 

I "faved" 4008 patterns. This includes both purchased, free and "I like it just 'cos" patterns. 

316 patterns are in my queue. My queued patterns started as a tickler file for projects I wanted to do, but a few months ago I cleaned it up and made it a "wish list" file for paid patterns that I liked. This is also the "gift" list, that if someone wanted to gift me a pattern, this would be the list to look at first. The list initially had absolute favorite patterns at the top but as I've added more patterns and the list grew, it became difficult to pick an absolute favorite.

I follow a few threads where ravelers post both free and paid patterns that become free with a code word.  The pattern section also has a highlight section that recommends newly released patterns that may be of interest. So, if you like knitting cowls or fancy stranded colorwork, the highlights will recommend patterns that feature your interests. I have found many beautiful patterns this way as well. Now wonder my queue and favorites is so big!

So, patterns. Lately I use my iPad for storing patterns. Another friend also uses her iPad for reading patterns, although many of hers are screen shots she takes of them. My other friends have paper patterns, which they store in plastic sheets in big binders. I used to store my patterns like that too, until I outgrew the binder and went to envelope pouches. I also outgrew those. Someday I should scan the patterns onto my computer so I have backups, can view the pattern online via Dropbox, and put the paper patterns in storage. What a day that will be!  I have a ton of patterns!

Ever buy a book of patterns where you only wanted or liked a couple of patterns?  By purchasing patterns online, sometimes I'm able to buy the pattern I like.  I realize that buying the book is much cheaper than buying a la carte, but I'd rather save space than spend money for a bunch of patterns I really didn't want. 

I'm quickly becoming a nail in the book and publishing coffin as I move to online books and publishing. We canceled our newspaper last month, and I now read it online. Lately I've been buying more books for my kindle as my bookshelves are stuffed. I also like how light my bag feels as I'm not hauling a bunch of books on trips. I told hubby that as magazine subscriptions become due, I'll choose to either go online or cancel outright. It saddens me to do this, the bookworm who loves the smell of books and feel of paper between my fingertips. Saving money and also space and time are behind many of these decisions. 

Do you prefer reading patterns from books or your reading device?

the story (so far)

Ravellenics socks...

The Boy's choral MVP award...

Early spring in our favorite park...

Ladies' knit out rainbow sock KAL...

Election Day in the park...

Memorial Day parade...

The graduates...

Baby praying mantises...

Air hockey at the campground...

Day out with Thomas...

I can make a rainbow too

I ordered this pretty before Christmas...

Then I decided to visit the frog pond...

Then I remembered this cardigan that had been buried in my attic for years, until I dug it up to unravel the yarn (except the fabric had been machine knit and therefore unravelable). But then I got an idea...

I bought this sweater 15 years ago at Martha's Vineyard. It was snug and short then, and still was. 

(What a horrible selfie!)

I wondered...what if I removed the zipper and knit a button band instead?  What if I picked up stitches along the hem and added a ribbed bottom?  It would solve the length problem, and maybe make the cardi a bit bigger.  The question was, what color to make the ribbing and button front?  Look what I have to work with...

If you've noticed a pattern with the yarn and cardi, you're right. I'm prepping for the ravellenic winter games on ravelry!  One of the themes of the games this year is knitting with rainbow dyed yarn, or knitting a rainbow project, as a reaction to the anti-homosexual laws passed in Russia. I dug through the stash and found yarn frogged from a long knitted hat. Then I remembered another hat that never fit right, so I frogged again. 

I'm playing on this team, who is also sponsoring the rainbowlenic games. 

This is a hat for an ongoing rainbow K/CAL in a parenting group (which has an awesome game name, team Putin Out).

My goals for these games will be to finish the hat from the KAL, make another hat with the other unravelled yarn, make a pair of socks with the lollipop yarn, and hopefully rejigger the cardi. Wish me luck!

catching up

it's been a couple of months since i last posted here.  quite a bit has happened.

i went to maryland sheep and wool with my friend kristin and her mom and aunt.  this was my haul.  i see two sweaters, several shawls, two cowls, and the motherlode of wollmeise. 

the verdant gryphon had a codex update, and i bought the devil's dictionary.  at first i was thinking a shrug sweater but i think it really wants to be a shawl.


clearly i lost the april through june pantsdown stashdown.  :/

after many starts and stops and some mixed up skeins, my age of brass and steam shawl is steaming (ha!) ahead...


i'm going to KDO again this fall and am taking a steeks class and a intro to crochet (!!) class.  here is my homework (i still have a seed stitch square to do.  i loathe seed stitch.)


i took a class at a new yarn shop and learned to do a sweet tomato heel.


i signed up to do tour de fleece this year.  i am on team spindler.  clearly i am deluded, becos my spinning sucks, sucks sucks!  i really need a wheel...


black betty came out of hibernation so i stitched up some project bags...


it's canning time again, so i made two kinds of strawberry jam, two kinds of cherry jam, and black forest jam (cherry and chocolate and almond, yum!).  i'm hoping to add some sliced and whole fruit and veggies to my canning, provided i can find a pressure canner.


i got serious about my garden this year and planted three heirloom tomato plants, three roma tomato plants (for sauce!), two pepper plants, two cucumber plants, and a couple of herbs.  i have some dill drying down cellar, picked two huge (albeit green) heirloom tomatoes and downed these little beauties. mother nature has been kind to our garden and has kept our rain barrels full, so we don't have to rely on our public water.  i also shredded irish spring soap to deter the squirrels (still finding holes, the little dirtballs!) and bought slug repellent to chase the slugs away (might be working?)  i also planted my usual variety of flowers and they are flourishing as well.


speaking of rain barrels, i finally painted these after looking at their gaudy blue exteriors for nearly four years.  now they blend in with the scenery.


my mojo wavered quite a bit, so i read.  a lot.  and i have more to go.


the kids keep me hopping.  school has been out for nearly a month, and in that time they attended two bible schools (our church and my parents' church), celebrated the end of school with a trip to chuck e cheese and the book store, and play with the neighbor kid.

the kiddos enjoy visits to the park...


they graduated from preschool (the three year old class, anyway...)


and freddie is obsessed with the movie cars.  we watch it at least once a day, sometimes twice.  the kid can do movie karaoke with it, and i actually have a couple favorite scenes and songs.


the kids are learning to ride bike.  petunia quickly learned and often flies past her brothers.  freddie is more content with his trike.  not to be outdone by the kiddos, the boy is learning to ride too.  they ride up at my parents' house, who live across from a large cemetery, the same one where i learned to ride my bike.  they ride around in circles and sometimes take a tumble, but i'm glad that they are getting exercise.


the boy participated in his second soapbox derby.  he said he didn't care that he didn't place, he enjoyed just doing it.


this summer the boy will be going to church camp.  it's his first time away from home without family.  he's a little nervous, but i think he'll have fun.

prolly the kids' favorite summer activity - playing in our backyard.



we have other activities planned for the summer - visits to knoebels, summer reading at the library, sleeping over at grandparents' homes and a family picnic with hubby's extended family.  before we know it, we will be shopping for notebooks and pencils, new sneakers and jeans, and trading evening play in the yard for settling down for homework and early bedtimes.  there's so much left to do, and i don't want to miss anything!

whoooo will keep your cup warm?

i made the boy's teacher and reading teacher owl coffee cup cozies for christmas.  they covered insulated cups from the dollar store, and the boy's teacher also received a target gift card in his package.

(crappy picture is crappy.  the transfer between phone and laptop wasn't easy).

i used leftovers from the kiddos hoots sweaters.  the cozies were a quick knit.  the first one took a couple of days (mojo issues) but the second one took about a day.  

barbies get cold too

last month i gave petunia my case of barbie doll clothes.  barbies were my favorite toys when i was little, and i hoped that one day i could share my love with my little girl.

a lady at my childhood church made barbie clothes, and once she invited my mom and me to her house to pick out several outfits.  she made skirts and pants, blouses and jackets, dresses of all kinds.  i picked several evening gowns, a couple of skirts and blouses, and even a silk wedding gown and pillbox hat veil.

i hadn't played with my barbies for years, and it was fun looking at the clothes she had.  petunia would give me a dress to put on her doll then walk away.  i also discovered that my barbie clothes really don't fit the dolls of today.  they are snugger in the waist and and huge in the chest.  i guess that means barbie is more realistic than the dolls of my childhood.

anyway, i was delighted to find this in the clothes - a sweater!

(gee what a craptastic picture!)

mrs. k matched the buttons to the yarn.  they completely match.  amazing.


petunia's tinkerbell doll modeling the sweater (plus a skirt).  look how big it is on her!


sweater in action.  perhaps a turtleneck will fill out the sweater?


the lady who made those clothes passed away recently.  i hadn't seen in her nearly 20 years.  i wonder if she was still making barbie clothes and knitting?  i hope she knew how much i loved her clothes, and the hours of fun i had dressing my dolls, making up and acting out stories.

i found a couple of sweater patterns to make petunia's dolls sweaters (plus hats too!) on ravelry, and i spent a few hours on etsy looking up doll clothes.  there's a lot of lovely things out there!  maybe someday i can learn to sew barbie clothes too.

right now petunia is more interested in building with blocks and stealing freddie's cars, but i hope that someday petunia will enjoy playing with her dolls and the clothes too.  

holding pattern

i'm juggling several knitting projects.  i'm in a knitting lull and i can't muster the energy to finish them.

petunia's sweater.  i only have a couple inches of neckline and one leaf of the button band.  if i don't get cracking on this, petunia will out grow it before it's even finished.  

mom's shawl that never ends.  i would like to give this to her for Christmas so it's a sort of deadline.  it's not a hard knit, but the drop stitch row is a bit of a PITA, spesh as the shawl grows.  i'm almost finished with the first ball of yarn...and i have another ball to go.


my galaxy capelet.  a couple of inches in, almost finished with the first (of five) skeins.  it's also not a hard knit, but i have to focus to make sure i have the correct number of stitches.  i am using stitch markers to help with this, but i just lost focus on it.  i love the yarn - it's crazy soft and nice to work with - but right now i feel meh about the shawl.


my boo socks.  the first sock took me two days to knit.  the second will prolly take two months.


my knitmore girls vanilla sock.  i started these on a cold fall day.  i haven't worked on them since.  they're older than my boo socks!


i thought i'd make grams a pair of gloves for christmas this year.  so far i have a wrist.  i'm dragging my feet on these becos i am dreading the finger part.  challenge accepted?


my weasleys pants hat is at least on the road to completion.  i have about another inch to go before i can start the crown decreasing.  once i finish this hat (and hopefully hooty becos i'm so close to finishing that one) i can start finishing up my other WIPs.



i also need to make a couple of coffee cup sleeves for the kids' teachers for christmas gifts.  hopefully these will be easy to knock off in a day or two.

being sick this fall (and nursing three kids back to health when i wasn't sick) has severely cut into my knitting.  i got some good knitting time waiting during the boy's choral rehearsals (got great podcast time in as well) but i need more than an hour of knitting a week.  also, i'm discovering that as i grow older i'm lousy with knitting deadlines.  and if i'm this bad with knitting, what will i be like when i go back into the working world?!