De-Stashing II

I have this habit of buying a ball or two of a yarn I find irresistible, and then I don't really have enough of it to do much of anything. I mean, really. How many hats can a girl have? I finally collected enough of these random hanks to make a shawl. And while I don't really see myself as much of a shawl wearer, I find myself reaching for it at night when I am watching TV and the house seems a bit chilly. And it's made up of my favorite yarns. What could be better?

Pattern: Odd Ball Knitting, Triple Triangle

De-Stashing

I have been on a tear lately to use up my yarn stash. (Probably because the basket is overflowing making no room for any new yarns.) In that vein, I decided to make these adorable little beer cozies. They don't use much yarn at all and I get to feel like I have made the best use of my stash. Win, win. And just in time for tail-gate season too! Notice these are in Colts colors.

I would never have come up with these on my own, but the first time my knitting instructor met my son, she asked him what project he might like to make. He stood by the bins and bins of yarn and thought. Finally he said, "I think I'd like to make a beer holder." Just like that. As if it was the most natural thing for an eight-year-old to say. Thank heaven Maureen is the mother of boys and thought it as funny as I did! So when I found this pattern in a book (Knitting with Balls) at Half Price Books, well, it was as if the Universe was telling me what I needed to do.

I used Jelli Beenz yarn, which is a wool/acrylic blend. Perfect for a wet surface. I also decided to do a different pattern on each one, so they would not only serve as insulators (for the beer and your hands), but also as a sort of marker, so you know which beer is yours. Here are some close-up views:

Perfect Morning

Yesterday was just the perfect morning. The recipe for a perfect morning, you ask? Fall must be just around the corner. It has to be cool enough (finally!) to sit outside and knit, barefoot, in jeans, with a mug of hot tea. And the mug really should be a mug you purchased in Disney World. It makes the tea, and you, so much happier. And you really should have your old-fashioned, transistor radio, tuned eternally to NPR. And the knitting on your needles would be a darling little baby sweater from the softest cotton ever. Because without any one of these components, the morning would be slightly less than perfect. And that just wouldn't be right, now, would it?

Jail Break Pants

These pants just might be my favorite baby item yet. I once again raided my stash of yarn - all acrylic hand-me-down, I'm sure - to produce these bad boys. The stripes just kill me! They are so "Oh Brother Where Art Thou," don't you think?

The pattern is from One More Skein by Leigh Radford. She has the most adorable baby things in there. I plan to knit them all by the time February rolls around. I opted to use an I-cord for the drawstring instead of a ribbon, as I felt it gave the pants a more unisex look. But seriously, are they not the most adorable little things ever? Hello, Baby!

I Spy

Every play that game where you see a very close up photo and have to guess what it is? Well here's one for you. What is this?

Give up?


It's a cucumber! I think it looks like one of those tribal tatoos. Found as is, in our garden.

Ordinary Miracle

When Hayes was still in utero, we received a lullabye CD as a shower gift. I loved it so much I played it almost every night as I went to sleep. It didn't have that "made just for kids" sound. And I didn't realize what a wonderful thing this was until we brought Hayes home from the hospital. He was fussy that first night but when I laid him down and turned on the CD he calmed right down. That music was like magic the first year of his life.

Needless to say, now that we have another little one to love, I wanted to create a playlist that we could all listed to and be soothed by. And I ran across this Sarah McLachlan song, Ordinary Miracle, that I had almost forgotten. You may have heard it during the Winter Olympics opening ceremonies. I'm so glad I found it again. It could be the pregnancy hormones, or just my sentimental nature, but the song is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. So here it is, just for you.

Baby Sweater III

Oh how I love the Grampy Sweater! I just knew I would be making at least one for our new babe. After all, a baby born in February will need a supply of warm little things. And when I saw this amazing yarn at Frivolous Fibers, it was a done deal. (By the way, the samples they have in that store are truly blissful! If you ever have the chance to stop in, I would HIGHLY recommend it.)

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know how I adore the self-striping yarns. How could I say no to this? Plus, I love using bold colors and jewel tones for babies. They tend to get every shade of pastel in their tiny newborn wardrobes. This should make snuggling up, that much cuter!

Yarn: Adriafil Knitcol

Pattern: Baby Sophisticate

Sleepwalker Socks

I have been busily knitting this summer, even if the posting has been a little lacking. I wanted to share these socks with you because I absolutely adore them and would love to knit up an entire week's worth! Who knows, it could still happen. Personally, I think socks are the best sort of vacation knitting: light, portable and quick. What could be better?

I wish I knew what yarn this was, but when the ball was wound, the tag didn't get tucked in, so it's only a guess to say I think it was Blue Heron something or other. I found it at Frivolous Fibers in St. Michaels, MD. Probably not so helpful. Sorry. But the pattern is available by Dream In Color at Webs and they have a very similar yarn there. I was concerned that this would be a slow and difficult pattern, but it's not a true cable and the pattern was rather simple. I really enjoyed making these.

And it's almost sock weather; ahhh. I'll be needing something to cover the Birkenstock tan I've deepened this summer!

Virgin Harvest: The Onions

This year we decided to try onions. Walla Wallas to be exact. Never having tried these, I was not sure what to expect. Would it be worth all the space in the garden? I ordered the starts the spring and they looked like little soldiers all lined up. But just give them a couple months and see what they will do!

We wound up with over 2 dozen onions - and boy are they sweet! I even learned to braid them, but quickly ran out of room to hang them, so reverted to the onion bags. Holy cow these onions are big! And fragrant. The entire pantry smells of onions, and if I weren't so pregnant I am sure it would smell heavenly. At the moment, however, I have to hold my breath when I go in there. Nevertheless, I will not be deterred from eating them. They are delish!

Proof of Pregnancy (3)

The nesting has commenced. Not only have we started the great migration (shuffling beds and furniture from here to there), but I have become a purging machine. A machine, I tell you. Nothing shall escape me, no matter the amount of dust it kicks up, the sentiment it stirs, the potential it once held. Nothing should feel safe.

I've started purging the boy's room of all manner of flotsam and jetsam. Toys, trash, old books, old homework, parts of science experiments, rumpled up lego blueprints, all of it is out of here (or will be soon). And we've begun purging the "Man Cave" of it's (what we shall lovingly refer to as) shit. ToxDrop, here we come. Trash men, be ready. It all must go. And as if that wasn't enough (and believe me, it is,) I've been purging my studio right along with everything else.

We must find room for all the fabulous stuff I bought at IKEA this week. And buy I did. A loft, a mattress, a recliner, a shelving unit, bedding, toy bins, and a lot of random little goodies. (Apologies to my sister who graciously rode for 2 1/2 hours with her knees under her chin and tried to convince me it was actually quite comfortable. I know. I have the most incredible sister ever.) Once the purge-a-thon is over, we will have to start assembling said furniture. I swear my kid is going to have the coolest room on the block. But until then, I would recommend keeping your valuables behind closed doors.