New stuff...and exciting news!

I just had to show you my sweet baby!!!! Now here's the exciting news...we're buying a house! Want even more exciting news? I get a CRAFT ROOM!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I will have a whole room just for my sewing machine, knitting paraphenalia, paint, craft books, and the like. I'm in the midst of getting back into the swing of things at work, and packing at home, and decorating in my head. We close on the 24th, and we're so excited. We found a great deal on a house with a huge yard, that backs up to a river in Woodstock, and we're loving it. I've been knitting some, but haven't had a whole lot of time. I can't wait to show you pictures...it'll be my work in progress, and hopefully I can get some knitting done between now and the time my finished craft room is unveiled. =)

Great Mommy, terrible knitter

Well, not only did we take pictures, I got them developed, and here's my angel on Easter:

Isn't he precious?! Not that you can tell, but he's even wearing a little tie! My brother was successfully married...here's them the week before:

Aren't they cute together? I LOVE it!

I've been a terrible knitter...I haven't completed anything, and for about 4 weeks I haven't even picked up the needles. I'm always doing something else...like cooking, cleaning, driving, or just life stuff. Work also seems to get in the way. Oh well...at least our bathrooms are clean. The knitting will probably increase after we get settled in a new place, and things settle down in general. Back to work for me...more pictures tomorrow.

My so-called Life

Well, it has happened once again. Just when I think I have it all together, it all falls apart. We (my family and I) call this an "applesauce" moment. I'm slowly getting things together, and trying to keep them that way. It doesn't always work.

So, here's an update...Easter went fabulously. My family came over for lunch on Sunday. We ate, we talked, we took pictures (hopefully I'll have some to post from Sunday soon). We all went home. My brother's getting married on Saturday, and I'm really excited. I LOVE his fiancee. She's wonderful. We think we've found a house now; all that needs to come together is the financing, and we can make an offer. Taxes are due, and I still haven't filled them out. Oh well...they should be done this week, and if not, then the extension will be filed this week. I'm working on a *secret* project. I don't get to work on it very often, but fortunately, the hard part's done.

I have a hard time finding time to knit now. Our baby's not very high maintenance, but he's still a baby. He takes a lot of attention, and he's completely worth every second! There are several other things I want to knit...and maybe one day, I'll get to them.

Life just seems to be one thing after another. We've been house-hunting on the weekends, when we don't have other things to do. In the next month, we have 2 weddings to attend, a baby dedication to plan, taxes due, loan applications to fill out, and other social events that require our attendance. It's the season for busyness. I'm hoping once this is over, and we can move, things will quiet down and I can spend some time at home. That's what I really want...time at home.

I'm back!

Well, I'm getting back into the swing of things. I have pictures!!!! Here's a couple of pics of my sweet little angel:

Here he is sleeping, and here's one of him awake:

There will be more as time goes on! I have lots to share!!! I'm one proud momma!

He's finally here!

It's been a mad week or so, but we finally have our little one home! I still haven't knit anything for him yet...it's been too crazy to even think about picking up needles! He's a precious angel, quiet and not very fussy at all. The Cesarean went as well as could be expected, but the removal of the bandage was not pleasant. That caused as much pain as the actual incision. Mom's healing, baby's growing, and there are sure to be some new knits for Sebastian in the coming years. I will post pics when I get them in electronic format. =0) As for the vitals, he was born on January 19th, at 10:41 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. He has beautiful dark blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. He truly does look like a little angel!

He's finally here!

It's been a mad week or so, but we finally have our little one home! I still haven't knit anything for him yet...it's been too crazy to even think about picking up needles! He's a precious angel, quiet and not very fussy at all. The Cesarean went as well as could be expected, but the removal of the bandage was not pleasant. That caused as much pain as the actual incision. Mom's healing, baby's growing, and there are sure to be some new knits for Sebastian in the coming years. I will post pics when I get them in electronic format. =0)

D'oh!

I have a couple of pictures of the cardigan I finished, but I keep leaving the cord at home so I can't post them while at work. Perhaps I'll remember tomorrow and grab it before walking out the door, and I can post it then. The hat I have to reknit is still being knitted. I think I'm stuck in a knitting rut and can't get out. That, and I'm slightly concerned.

We went for an ultrasound yesterday for the position of the baby. He's in what they call a "footling posterior breech" position. Basically, he's feet first, facing forward. He's healthy, which is good, but let's face it "breech" is not a word a woman in her 9th month likes to hear...especially when she's a week from her due date. It's a little on the scary side. All sorts of visions run through your head of having a Cesarean or something dreadful happening to the baby (like brain damage from the cord being wrapped around his neck during delivery). It completely blows the whole nice image of having a normal vaginal birth. There's still no reason to panic yet, but it's just disconcerting.

However, perhaps this is what I need to assure me that I will have time to make him something BEFORE he gets here. I'm thinking an extra sweater would be good, since the weather seems to be turning cold again. I might modify the cardigan sweater and just not make it have the ridges, but still knit it the same way. I'll have to get some more buttons though. Maybe this time I can find some cute little sailboats or something. I might even get some green yarn and find some frog buttons.

Almost but not quite

I ALMOST got that cardi done. I have about an inch left on the last sleeve. The hat's still not complete. So much for my plans over New Year's. I think I can finish the cardigan tonight, and then it's on to the hat. Providing nothing major happens to interrupt my plans, hopefully next week I'll be done with both. As for my little one, he's still waiting for mom to make him something. He's patient as well, even though he's got 2 weeks from tomorrow until he's supposed to show his sweet face, he's still turned the wrong way I think.

Sleep has also been illusive this week, and I think a lot of it is worry. Let's face it, delivery is a worrisome thing. I'm anxious about it, and possible complications. There's a lot that can happen between now and then, some good and some bad. I try to keep my mind off it and relax, but that's not always a possibility. I'm trying to take advantage of the last few nights of good rest I'll get before having to get up at 2, but it's not working. Maybe tonight will be a little different if I don't rest before getting ready for bed, so that when I do get ready for bed, my body and mind can slow down. Eh, we'll see how it works out.

Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad soon-to-be mom

I still haven't knit a single stitch for my son. I have 3 weeks, and nothing is knit. I am going to knit like the wind and finish a cardi and hat this weekend (I'm determined!) for a friend at work (that I'm STILL working on). Hopefully once that's done, the knitting will commence for Sebastian Alexander! I at least want to make some booties, a hat, and mitts for him. If I'm really good, and get a bunch of stuff done this weekend, I can spend my evenings knitting. I still haven't set up the nursery, and the car seat hasn't been installed either. Hubby is responsible for that this weekend. Here's the goals for this weekend: Friday night: finish the hat and cardi for the other baby; Saturday: clean and get nursery ready for the crib assembly; Sunday: start knitting like mad for my baby; Monday (no work for me!): more knitting and getting things ready for baby. The cardi's close to being done, and the hat shouldn't take me too much longer. I'm probably going to exhaust myself getting it all done, and then again, I might not. I know I can lay back in our recliner and knit and relax, and hopefully I can stay awake! I need another set of hands...or a clone!

Another Quick Update

Oh how the time flies! I have 4 weeks, just 4 WEEKS PEOPLE! before I'm supposed to give birth to my precious bundle of joy. I'm still not quite realizing it yet. I guess I will once the labor pains kick in that this is REAL.

I have to finish Christmas shopping today (I'm leaving in 5 minutes and using my lunch hour for that) and then interestingly enough, although we weren't going to have Christmas at our place, it turns out we are! Hubby's parents are scheduled to come down on Christmas Day and have lunch (which was news to me, I was just expecting them to come and chat for a little while, then go back home). My parents have asked that we meet at our place, since we're decorated and clean. It's not nearly as clean as I'd like it, or maybe clean's the wrong word...organized is better. But, it's going to get there. I have a 4 day weekend, and I'm going to pick up a few things here and there and clean some stuff out.

Merry Christmas!

Small update and big rant

There hasn't been much knitting going on, since I've been working on the baby's room. Of course, there hasn't been much progress on that either.

I did finally finish the Pea Pod set, but I didn't take pictures before it got horribly cold and I gave the sweater and hat to the mom. She promised pictures, but the hat was too small. I have to remake the hat in the larger size (I should have done that to begin with) and then hopefully pictures will ensue.

I'm almost done with the second sweater for the wee one. It will hopefully be done before Christmas, along with the booties.

I have had 2 showers now, and received a ton of clothes (I know they're cute, but we registered for a reason!) and one set of clothes was actually handmade. I thought I would be more overjoyed at getting a set of handknitted clothes for my baby, but I wasn't that thrilled. I guess because the woman who gave them to me didn't make them, so I don't feel like they're all that special. Don't get me wrong...I know that a woman made them by hand and sold them, but I guess it's the selling that's giving me problems here. If it had come from a fellow knitter, as a gift that they themselves had made, I would like to think I'd feel differently. It's like when my mom makes an article of clothing for me instead of buying it. I always look on that one item as more treasured because of her time. She could have had someone else make it, but it wouldn't be the same. That's how I feel now. I wish another knitter would make me something for my baby, because it would be a gratitude that cannot be expressed. I've had some people give me handmade things, and I love every second of them. My socks from my secret sock pal, for example...I love those socks. I am very careful with them, but LOVE wearing them. I know they were made just for me, and no one purchased them pre-made.

I wish more people would make gifts for Christmas. I try to keep lots of things for Christmas simple, by making gifts where I can, and doing old-fashioned stockings. We get fruit, nuts, cookies and peppermints in these stockings. It's meant as a reminder that there are more important things than consumerism and commercialism, and we should be thankful for the simple things in life. Family should always be more important than what the stores have, and for the past several years, we stress quality over quantity in our house. Most years we don't have a lot to spend, so all gifts must be thoughtful. I'm going to try and do a pair of socks each month for family next year, and then everyone gets handmade socks for Christmas. If we don't have anything else to give them, at least their feet will be warm, and hopefully their hearts as well.

Something accomplished...finally

I didn't get as much knitting done this weekend as I had hoped, but I did further my progress. I have over half of the Pea Pod hat done, and I finally found some buttons for the cardigan. I have to say...I'm still not thrilled with the buttons. I might go Saturday to JoAnn's and see what I can find there. I'm not about to venture out on Friday. Friday is reserved for cleaning and wrapping gifts and knitting. The more knitting the better on Friday. Today is my Thursday, and if I'm good and sneaky, I might be able to knit a little at work tomorrow. If I can finish the hat, then I can hopefully work more on the KTC project. It might take me more than one month to finish that one. I didn't think it would take that long. I'm beginning to think I should undo what I've done and go smaller. If I reduce it by 20%, it will go faster. Hopefully I can post some pictures on Friday of what's been done. =0)

Knitting on the Horizon

I haven't had time this week to knit! Can you believe it?! Monday I went to bed as soon as I could, around 8. Tuesday, a friend was supposed to come over to talk about the baby shower, but that didn't happen. While I waited for her, I cleaned up a little around the apartment. Last night, I fixed dinner and went to the store. Then I collapsed in bed around 10. Maybe tonight and this weekend I can get in some knitting time. I have lots to work on. There's another baby sweater, a hat, some booties, and my KTC project. Not to mention the other baby sweater I was going to make out of the CottonTots. I'm still not really happy with it, so I think it's going to get ripped out until I can decide what to really do with it. This weekend, we're heading out of town, and I'm hoping that I'll get some good knitting time in. There's not a whole lot to do in a suburb of Birmingham, so other than a trip to Wal-Mart, I think I'll be stuck watching movies and knitting inside, and trying to avoid the cat. Long story short, the cat's not too fond of people to start with (which means he's not friendly) and I'm allergic. It isn't a bad combination usually, but with the pregnancy, there's no telling what will happen. However, it can't be all that much worse than what's going on at work. They've started renovating our building, so dust, mold and all sorts of crap are floating in the air. I take advantage of lunch to get out and clear my lungs.

This has got to go!

It's just not working for me. I'm going to frog it, and I think I'll make the woman at work another sweater for her son. I still have to get buttons for the Pea Pod sweater, and do the hat and booties. I think another cardigan is in order. The first one turned out nicely, so #2 will be on its way.

I knit NOTHING this weekend. I just didn't feel like it, since we went to visit with my parents and grandmother, since my grandfather's in the hospital. I know that at least he knew and was excited about having a great grand-son. I am sorry he won't be able to see him. The stroke was extremely damaging, and it seems that the damage is irreparable. The doctors don't give him much chance of even being able to swallow on his own ever again, and even if he does, it seems he's blind and won't regain his speech capacity either. It's sad, but we knew it was coming.

I'm working on some patterns, and I might post one on here for free, and I think I might submit the other to Knitty. We'll have to see how it comes together, particularly while the baby's on the way. One of them is for Knit the Classics, and the other is in memory of my grandfather. I don't know why, but he seems to inspire something that needs to be created. If I can't get the pattern accepted somewhere, I'll post it here as well. I am thinking about the rest of my grandparents, and potentially creating patterns in memory of them as well. I will have one grandmother left (my mom's mother) after my grandfather passes, so I find the patterns will all be "in memory of" rather than "for" them.

Working through it

Well, I think I've worked through most of the problem I was having with my pattern for Knit the Classics. I'm going to work on it tonight and the rest of this weekend, and see how things go. If I wrote the pattern correctly, there shouldn't be a problem. If I didn't, I can hopefully fix any problems and correct the pattern. I can't believe people do this for a living.

I have decided however, to work on at least one pattern each month at work. It sounds like cheating, but since most of the month I have virtually nothing to do, the last 3 weeks are incredibly boring, and I have to create stuff for myself to do. I figure why not start with something that I enjoy, and can just do on the side, like patterns for knitting. It's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

Figuring it out

I think I figured out the pattern for the KTC project I'm going to be working on. I spent part of today working on that. I'm also writing it down...technically, I'm writing it out before I get started, at least most of it.

I also decided to write down the baby cardigan sweater I'm working on. If I decide to finish it, that is. I still haven't made up my mind.

There's lots of creativity going on in my head, and not all of it is in knitting. I remember a recipe from college that was FABULOUS...and I emailed for the recipe. They can't find it. So, I'm going to try and recreate it to the best of my memory. If you're lucky, I'll post that as well. It's a semi-original recipe. I haven't seen another like it, and believe me, I've looked. I can't say I've exhausted every resource, but most of the websites I've looked at haven't come close to this recipe. I remember watching the chef prepare it once (it was actually a vegan meal prepared fresh) and I'm hoping I have remembered all the main ingredients. I think I might bake cookies this weekend, and a cheesecake, for the office (but the cheesecake stays home). We'll see what happens.

It's been a crazy week. Tuesday morning, my grandfather had a stroke, and was hospitalized. He's stable, but they're not sure what his prognosis will be just yet. They're going to keep him sedated for a couple of days, and let his body heal as much as possible, and then see what damage has been done. On the bright side, he can't get any worse (without another stroke), and he could get up to 90% better. We're hoping for close to 90%. Thoughts and prayers are welcomed with open hearts.

Not happy

Ever have one of those years you just want to stop, before the year's over? That's this year. I'm so done with this year. Can we start the new year now?

I wasn't happy with the baby cardigan I had started with the CottonTots. So, I ripped it. I started it over, but when I started it, I thought about making a pair of mommy and son socks out of it. Cheesy, yes, but KEEE-UTE! I'm just not sure how they'd turn out. Any suggestions or ideas?

I still haven't budged on the baby blanket. I really should get cracking on that thing. It's just SO BORING now. I'd rip it out too, but I feel there's too much invested in it. Here's a shot of it so far:

It's probably about 10 inches so far. It just takes so long. I have thought about ripping it out, and then doubling the yarn and using a larger needle, and just doing the whole garter stitch thing.

Quick Update

Well, I am still not working on the baby blanket. How sad is that?! In any case, I got sidetracked with a cardi for my own little one in Bernat CottonTots (pictures soon to follow) and now I'm in to Knit the Classics, and will be working on a project for that. When I get a good start on it, I'll post more about it. =0) I have to leave something for you to come back and read. I'm in the mood to organize my knitting patterns. That doesn't happen very often, and usually indicates I have some energy. That's a good sign, since I'm at week 29. I'll post more later.

PICTURES!!!!

I found the camera this weekend, and had the batteries charged and ready to go, so yesterday I took some pictures! Woot!

Here's the blanket I made for my grandmother about 2 years ago for Christmas:

It's a huge afghan, and kind of holey. I didn't realize how holey it was, until I tried to curl up under it with a fan blowing. The pattern is nice, but lets in too much air.










Here's a close up of the pattern.













Here it is draped over a chair. It's big enough to really wrap up in, but it does let air seep in. I wish I had know that the holes would let in that much air. I would have changed the pattern for her so she wouldn't have been so cold.









Here's a picture of the baby cardigan I finished...it still needs buttons though.

Here's a close-up of the leaf pattern down the front:

More to come later!!!

Rain, rain, go away

It's pouring down rain today. It's been raining all day, and it's not stopping. I did finish sewing up the sleeves on the baby cardigan, but they still haven't made their way into the sweater. Perhaps tonight I will have enough energy and brain power to put them in CORRECTLY. It's amazing how that helps.

That blanket keeps staring at me from beside my bed. Perhaps once I finish the sleeves I will have the courage to pick that back up.

I still haven't found that digital camera. I know it's there somewhere. Of course, it would be helpful if I made a decent attempt at finding it. My hubby did find the charger, with only one battery (the other one is MIA) and it's completely charged now. Tonight promises a good movie night curled up on the couch, eating putin and perhaps knitting a little. Tomorrow boasts of errands and lots of people stopping by (friends and family). I think I prefer tonight to tomorrow. I think the rain has affected me. Shouldn't we all be under the covers taking a nap now?