I finished a pair of socks I started I dont know when… I had to reknit the heel and cuff on the firstsock. It was too big. Now they are a perfect pair – non color matching – and even kept my feet toast last saterday while working.

Yes. Working. I KNOW. It was great. Just. FREAKIN FANTASTIC. I mean to get out of the house and just work. I miss those days…

Anyway, I felt so great about finishing those socks (2 weeks ago this coming saterday) that I started a new pair. Heck with the one color wirk sock needing its friend. Last week was so stressful I up and knitted the whole thing in something like 2 days. The cuff took a little planing, but its WONDERFUL! Wow. And I have the toe and an inch on its friend already going as of yesterday.

Oh. And i fit into my size 4!!! Jeans.

So with all the crazy going on, I found a new to me blog to read. Hysterical stay at home knittng mom type. Makes me feel a little more normal less crazy as a mom… and it ends. Sometime in 2009. Sigh. The link to it was from something in Knitty. Like a pattern I liked. Why is it all the blogs I like end up just ending?
No good by when something was working so well…

Oh wait. She has kids too…

Maybe she didnt survive…
Or maybe the yarn got to her.

So Im still sick. Its starting to drive me crazy.
Oh, wait. That already happened… check. The crazy is beginning to get to me.
I desperatly want to start something. But with the way things are,I cant get it together to start anything. I cant even go to the loom and pull everything out of the heddles. Thank God for lees sticks! 
And holy cow, I cant clean anything. Im that sick.
So. Nadia and I watchd TV. I think we watched 3 episodes of Extream Home Makeover. The kind that make you think anyone can qualify for that show – and OMG I would LOVE for them to blow my house up. Except I wouldnt want my newhouse here. I want my dream house with some room and in someplace that just might NOT be Wisconsin.

So did I tell you I have some new yarn?

I wish I could say I have been feverishly knitting. But I have not. And right this minute my hair is being pulled by my youngest, most loving child.

I did finish my winter sweater, I’m stuck sewing the buttons on it … I think I have 2 out of eight. I am also knitting the cuff on the second sock… One sock is still missing its mate. But that sock was from last winter, so I am not sure that counts.

I have started planning another sweater, out of a cotton blend and a diamond stitch pattern in seed stitch… I think I have the sizing done, I just need to cast on.

But I am sick. Really sick this go round. Before I went to my Mom’s I only had a cold. Nadia had a cold before and after mine, which was given to us by the middle child, Libby. Libby never really got over her thing, and now Nadia and I both have upper respiratory infections. So yesterday I attempted a nap… then when Jim was home I handed Nadia over and said keep her as much of the night as you can, I NEED sleep. I was also having a FMS flair from a weeks lack of sleep. It sucked.

I feel tons better today Body wise, just wish my head and lungs felt better.

Today I ran some errands with Jim, Nadia napped in the car. It is now Spring, and the weather was wonderful. I ordered a copy of the new issue of The Principles of Knitting, and it came damaged, so I returned it at the store and picked up a pristine copy …. I wonder if my spell check is working?

While we were away, lo and behold our other children ate every baked good they could find… Sigh. My current issue is theft of anything with sugar in it… It makes me crazy. C.R.A.Z.Y. The stupidity of it all.  And most times that’s only the tip of the ice berg. Sigh again.

Anyway, I don’t plan on making my yarn obsessed blog to be about rantings and ravings and garbage about my kids. I love my kids. I just wished they believed I loved them as much as I do. That’s it.

 

AND BOY did I get some NICE yarn at Stitches West. I was really good too. I only bought 2 things. I will save that discussion for tomorrow.

So Nadia and I are getting ready for our trip to the Bay. I have
begun a belated gift for her cousins and I am almost finished with it. Half way through the sewing, Nadia decided that she was not happy watching from the baby gate, so I strapped her into the old baby carrier and we almost finished before naptime. Its rather interessting to have your baby try to peer over/around your shoulder while sewing. It makes me want to do something different with the shoulder straps

Lets see if this works, shall we? Just.startedusing wordpress app on my Nook and I am already having issues…

I have been busy. Nadia has been busy. Holidays came and went. I am happy to say I have finished 2 knitting projects. Catkin and a scarf that I designed myself from some yarn Norma sent me (nownormaknits.com) sometime last winter.
My sweater is almost done. I have one last band to knit and its facing. Then buttons and blocking. I am very happy with how its turning out. I hope to wear it in February when I go visit my Mom. She purchased this yarn for me last year at Stitches West, and I am going with her this year. Its only fitting to wear it to the convention.
Life is a little out of control lately with 2 kids going through puberty. Im starting to feel like I am going through puberty again myself with hormones settling down after having Nadia.
Nadia turned 1 in December and has been hard at work crawling and cruising. She is almoxt ready to be walking on her own. I have been slowly adding safty latches to a few drawers in the kitchen to keep her from pulling their contents out and onto the floor. For the most part she has free run of the kitchen. She has been a very wonderful baby – even if my kitchen is littered with tupperwear and plastic placemats.
I am now a happy owner of a Nook Color. Its very nice to be able to read again and read the few blogs that I enjoy. My next projectt is to figure out how to start designing knitting on it. Nadia loves to grab my paper and tear it up.

Last week my mom visited. I had a nice visit with her and we even visited 2 yarn stores.

We were prepared for rain. And it didn’t happen. It got hot. Really Hot. Like summer hot. It was wonderful.

I started that sweater I have been wanting to start since mom sent me that yarn from Convergence. And I frogged it. Charted it and restarted it. I am very happy with it. I also finished my knee highs on the way to the airport to pick mom up. Sadly I have not worked on Catkin. I DID buy buttons for it and the new sweater.

Yesterday Jim wanted to go buy a new tool chest. Nadia and I went with him and then since he ended up having to shop around I had him drop us off at the book store. I ended up buying a new book. Modern top-down knitting. Funny. I just started my first top down sweater. I didn’t really buy it for any technique, but for the wonderful dress and sweater patterns. After getting the book we went to the craft store next door. I found some bamboo crochet thread and some purse clasps. I need to make a knitting repository for Nadia’s new around town stroller. The tupper ware bucket does not fit. I had been thinking of making a few of those nifty project bags. Not sure I like the zippers on them, but maybe an invisible zipper might not snag yarn. Anyway, I ran out of time before I could really get through the store.  What I need to look for next is some fabric to make Nadia a Mei Tei. I want some knitted jersey for shoulder straps so that I don’t pull my clavicle out of joint (again).

I started cooking dinner for tonight. I can smell wonderful scents wafting through the house. I love using a slow cooker. I need a new one. The pot on this one is slowly degrading.

So Jim is outside right now mowing away all the leaves that have fallen. Most of the leaves are gone from our trees. I should go to the barn today and ride my horse. I want to, but I just don’t feel like it. sigh. I need to get back into the groove before it snows … then it will be too cold to ride outside.

Maybe I’ll just knit some more and then go when the kids get home.

I think it happened Sunday. I do remember Saturday we went to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival.

I’ve been trying to go for the past 4 years.

I managed to control myself and only bought 2 skeins of yarn and 1 bag of Shetland wool from a small auction.

  I scoured the two market place buildings. The first building was so busy I had to go around twice. By that time Jim had already been through the other building with Mark. Libby was helping me with Nadia and her stroller on the second go round. The booths were way too small to fit her stroller into.

The second building I was not quite so thorough with. I managed to find Miss Bab’s half way through and Nadia and I went in immediately. She grabbed at all sorts of women and their yarns. I picked the New York color way from the Yet line. It had the yardage I was looking for.

  It took some time and a little help, but I found Obsidian to go with it. They even let me take the skeins outside to check their colors. I originally picked a green color that was already in the New York color way, but I wanted something that would stand out more.

Especially since I was specifically looking for a yarn to make Catkin.

It called for a sock yarn, but I could not find one I liked with the yardage and in a reasonable price range to make it. Yet had the yardage and not too much silk in it. I loved the price even better and the colors were JUST AMAZING. I don’t have that to say about a lot of hand dyed yarns. Most look like something I could do on my own at home. Others are just so expensive and there are no special fibers in them.  I am seriously considering trying Miss Bab’s sock yarn. It’s about the same price range as some other high quality INDY yarns. It has BFL in it, wish I always though was less costly than merino, but I remember spinning BFL for my sister in law’s wedding shawl. I loved working with the fiber. I bet I would love to have it on my feet. And the colors that are available are amazing.

So here is my swatch. I made two just to make sure I had the color combination just right for this project.

I now need 8 buttons.

I have already started and I have about 35 rows knit already. Its a nice change from my sock.

 

Oh, and since it is fall already – sigh – I have been itching to start that sweater I have been trying to design.  I need to order a 9″ needle for the sleeves. And I have been thinking about knitting a blanket… I have already purchased a tarp to make an out-door blanket, but I don’t have any other materials to make the blanket with… Thinking a thick-ish quilt.

Something about this weather is making me feel more normal. I really really want to make stuff. Its a nice feeling since most of my energy lately has been non existent.

 

Oh, and my car smells GREAT! I have yet to bring the fleece in from the car. I am worried the cats might try to eat it.

I have knit enough this month to “qualify” for finishing a pair of socks. I have knit one whole knee high and I am also to the heel on the second one. I used up a whole skein of Imagination on the one sock. I can’t wait to try them out this winter.

The month has been busy. We have been to Milwaukee and to Ohio. I even took the car for service and new tires yesterday. Holy cow that knocked to snot out of me. I forgot how taxing driving had become. Makes me VERY glad I am not driving to River Falls and back for school.  UUUGH.

OH, we also went to the Seam Tractor and Engine show. It was neat. Nadia slept wonderfully through most of it and I started my second sock. I had a few looks and three people spoke to me.

I have begun to think about the next project. Its just about September, and that means winter will be here soon. I really HOPE we have a wonderful long fall. Or just a fall would be nice. So yesterday I started to swatch that yarn my mom sent me from her last conference. Its a bamboo alpaca blend in a wonderful oatmealish color. The yarn company said that its excellent for cables. But I am still in my cable hating phase (although I might make some cabled sock in the near future) so I have been swatching lace and brioche stitches. I even tried the linen stitch. Nah. That is wrong for this yarn. Its wonderfully smooshy and glistens and has grate drape. I think I found something I like, so now I just need to re take my measurements. I’ve lost enough weight to fit into my pre pregnancy jeans. So maybe my upper body measurements wont look to freakish in Garment Designer.

I have also added a few ideas and a few patterns to my ravelry page. I found a shawl recommended by the Yarn Harlot that I am excited about. I will have to look at the yarn requirements and look at my stash and see if I have something that will work with it or if I need to buy something for it. I wish I had seen it before Nadia was born. It would have made a perfect nursing shawl…. Or if I had found this pattern before my yarn trip! Lol. I could have bought the perfect yarns for this pattern.

Nadia is 8 months old today. She has 2 teeth still working on some more and is trying to walk. She is SO adorable! She has made so many trips this month and has surpassed our expectations. She has also tried so many new foods with glee. I am hating all the ugly pink baby clothes on the market. I should check her measurements and start to make some clothes for her for winter.

 

Today started out well. Nadia woke me at 10:30 and we went about our day as usual (minus the washing of the bedclothes) and I went to working on my current sock after eating.

I have about 4 inches knit after the heel, and so I decided to try it on . I thought about trying it on after I turned the heel, but I didn’t. I wish I had. Its just a smidge too short.

About the time I started to debate the fate of my sock, Nadia decided to snack and nap. On me on the couch. So I slept a bit too.

Now its raining and I have a migraine. I had hoped I could avoid them this year. Guess not. So I can’t see much and I’m light sensitive… So I can’t do a thing with my sock. Poor Nadia feels rotten too. Thinking she is working on her top teeth today.

Sigh. Its such a nice rain too.