Sunflowerfairy Knits

All's Fair...

2011-09-26T20:34:00.005-04:00

I've been knitting A LOT. This summer someone asked if I enter my knitting into fairs. I've never entered, with a list of reasons why- my work isn't up to par, I don't have the time, I don't know how to fill out the paperwork, etc.

All bull.

I was intimidated. Entering fairs seems like the big time. I hate being judged or for that matter, put under a microscope and entering my beloved knitting into any sort of contest seemed just like that.

So time passes, months go by. I knit a special shawl for my future sister in law, Meghan. There's beads, and more beads. I had so much fun making this thing. I loved every minute. It is by far my favorite thing I've ever knit.

So fair season starts. The person who asked me if I was entering earlier in the summer emails me a registration info for Haddam Neck Fair. I grabbed an orange shawlette and on a whim, the red beaded shawl.

Well, wouldn't you know? The red shawl won 1st place, the orange 2nd.

So I entered it into the Durham Fair, where the judging is said to be brutal.

I won 1st there too! And a pink "judge's choice" ribbon!

So excited!!

And Meg? Be good to my brother.

(Stats on the beaded shawl: Pattern is Arkansas Diamonds from Kay Meadors, AKA Natural State Knits. Wonderfully written. Her patterns are straightforward. Love that! Bittersweet Woolery's laceweight yumminess, in Cherry Bomb colorway. Size 6 needles. 350 small glass beads along the edges, 1000 larger crystal beads throughout the shawl. Ravelry Link...if you have more questions.)

1 Year

2011-09-22T20:42:00.002-04:00

Hello Blog, my dear old friend.

It's been close to a year. Someone on Twitter (I'm heidiknits over there, Sunflowerfairy was too long and taken) asked what happened to this place and honestly? I'd forgotten about it, mostly. I have little to no access to the upstairs desktop during the day (I have a smartphone that I use constantly) but by the time night comes around...I don't know, I'm tired. I don't want to fight with this. I want to knit and go to bed. I'm lame.

Shall I catch everyone up?!

So The Boy is almost 6. He's in first grade. He's smarter than ever. He's playing hockey and loves math.

The Baby is now The Toddler. He talks and is adorable. He's hell on wheels though, boy. He's a stinker. Keeps me on my toes.

Hubs and I are doing great. The house is fantastic. All in all, life is good.

I had ear surgery in August to correct a hearing impairment. I'm happy to say that it went fantastic and I have close to full hearing in 1 ear. The other ear gets done by the end of the year.

I'm knitting like a crazed woman. 2 shawls won ribbons at the first fair that I ever entered, Haddam Neck Fair. YAY! More on that later.

So, leave a comment and let me know (again) that there's someone out there. I promise to keep this updated now that I know I can do it with my phone. (Actually, I don't know that I can do it with the phone, I only downloaded the app, I didn't try it and this is being done on the desktop.)

Anyhow, let me know you aren't dead, will ya?!

Back Online!

2010-09-30T20:39:00.002-04:00

YAY! I've been dealing with a nasty computer virus for the last few weeks. Yes, weeks. I had no idea how to fix it so I ignored it. Finally, the internet stopped working so I had no choice but to admit my stupidity to Hubs.

It's fixed now, thanks to one of the hockey guys.

We also had another interesting virus blow through here, one of the human sort.

The Boy had Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. He had it very mildly and from what I've heard and read, it's awful. Yuuuckk.

He's fine now and The Baby hasn't shown any signs of getting it.

Anyways, more later. What's everyone been up to?

Blogger, Why Do You Hate Me?

2010-08-19T11:13:00.003-04:00

I was pumped to come on and show some photos of what I've been knitting lately. They are projects for others, which I love doing.

I uploaded photo one:

This was taken horizontally, and shows up the same. Good. I upload another:

This was taken the same way, horizontally. It shows up vertically. Sigh. So I think I'm getting smart. I go into my computer file, make it vertical. My thinking was, if it shows up vertical, and then I change it that way, Blogger will think it should be horizontal and correct it.

This is what I got.

Sigh.

Now you know why I barely post once a week.

(Top photo is Cobblestone by Jared Flood. It's a super surprise for Hubs for either his birthday in Oct. or the holidays. The others are the beginnings of Kieran Foley's Seascape shawl. It's for my Gram, who is going on a cruise. She asked to borrow a shawl and I said I'd make her one for her birthday, which is a few days after Dave.)

Bumping it up a Notch

2010-08-18T09:07:00.004-04:00

While at WOOL, I learned more than I expected. There were no classes, per say, but just listening to this group made me sponge info up.

Like, how to properly use my dusty old niddy noddy. It's not even that hard. How to properly skein yarn after taking it off the noddy. Again, not hard.

I overheard a lesson on how to use wool combs, a lesson on spindling, and was also reminded that the reason my wrist hurts so much after spinning is because I control my twist too hard (treat it like it's an eel- slippery. It should slide through your fingers like fluid. You should not pinch it like it's a bomb, which I what I do if I'm not mindfully spinning.)

I've been spinning every other day, which is A LOT for me. But I'm loving every minute of it.

I miss my WOOL girls though. :(

WOOL 2010

2010-08-09T15:33:00.004-04:00

What a weekend I had. I went up to Lake George, to Wiawaka Holiday House for WOOL, the spinning gathering put together by Tina.

Wonderful. Simply put, it was just what I needed. There was no pressure, no feeling left out. There was laughter and tears. It was really amazing.

I drove up and met Tamara of Spincerely Yours. Check out what she made for me as a thank you for driving! It's my very own colorway!!

She sells her stuff on etsy. Seriously, this stuff is delish and I know for a fact that she's a sweetheart who only makes the best stuff for your wheel!

I made new friends, got to know old friends a bit better, and was reminded once again how magical Lake George is to me.

I came home to a clean house (my mother in law stayed for a few days to help out Hubs. That woman is a saint) and the family happy to see me. The Baby wouldn't let me put him down. So cute.

Here's what I ended up with at the end of the long weekend:

Well worth it.

10 on Tuesday

2010-08-03T13:23:00.002-04:00

10 Things to bring on vacation:

1. In this house, a sense of humor is number one. Things are forgotten, we get lost, plans change, etc. We have learned that vacation is better when we can laugh about the things gone wrong.

2. Clothes. I'm a big fan of bringing old, worn clothes and leaving them at the destination. That way, I have more room for gifts. I love buying things for people while on vacation.

3. GPS. Love the invention of the gps.

4. The kids. I used to vacation in Vegas and Hawaii. Now, it's local staycations and occasionally Florida. But- exploring the world with my kids is one of the best things in my life.

5. Toothbrush. For a long time, 9 times out of 10 I'd forget mine, because I always brush before leaving the house, and think, "Hey, it's wet. I'll leave it in a place where it can dry and grab it on the way out." Every time, I'd forget it. I now have travel toothbrushes that stay in my suitcase.

6. Ipod. I don't leave home without it.

7. Same with my Flip Video camera. Love this thing.

8. Sunblock. Hello, I'm whiter than Wonder Bread. I burn in a moment's notice. I have sunblock on even in the winter.

9. Tea. I am a tea snob. I admit it. I bring tea with me while travelling. There will be no crappy tea on my watch.

10. Knitting. I can usually steal a few extra moments daily while on vacation to knit.

10 on Tuesday

2010-07-27T15:13:00.003-04:00

Today's 10 on Tuesday?

10 things to do besides watching TV

1. Knit. I know that you can knit and watch, but sometimes it's best just to turn the tv off and get knitting. The holidays are coming, after all.

2. Exercise. Get out there and move.

3. Play with the kids, if any are available.

4. Visit with friends.

5. Go see a new state park. Since we've moved, we've discovered a ton of new parks. Love it!

6. Housekeep. Sometimes I'm so distracted by what I'm watching that I forget all the crap I gotta get done.

7. Bake. I promised myself to make different recipes more often. I was afraid this weekend that I'd be asked to leave a party that I went to. I had a new dessert. It was delish though.

8. Take a drive. Explore.

9. Take a class. Check out the local adult ed classes or even online classes. Education is always a good thing.

10. Volunteer. I need to do this more often myself.

Dyeing Workshop

2010-07-26T11:55:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I took a fiber dyeing workshop from Woolybuns.

It was a lot of fun. I'm not a big fan of color- I'm always afraid that I'm going to somehow screw it up. But for that day? I blended and mixed and had a blast! We were given 4 skeins of merino and choices of colors. My first skein was sage green and pink. I love how this came out.

I did a skein in blue:

And here's 3 of the 4 skeins:

One skein wasn't dry, so I couldn't put it on the wooden table.

All in all, great time. I can see how it can become habit-forming.

Thanks, Chris for sharing your expertise!

(Also, as a side note, Blogger really sucks with trying to upload and move photos. My last 10 on Tuesday had 10 photos, which took almost 45 minutes to upload and arrange, only to have Blogger crap out on me...at some point. I thought it was good until I went back to check and I saw what a mess it was. Sigh. Tomorrow I will post 10 on Tues. again. I promise.)

10 on Tuesday

2010-07-13T12:11:00.004-04:00

10 things you like about where you live:

Let me just say that I live pretty much in my dream home, give or take a thing or two. We moved here two years ago and have settled in so nicely.

1. My neighbors. I remember driving by the houses in my neighborhood and asking myself, "What will I possibly have in common with these women?" Well, I have plenty. Hubs and I may be the youngest homeowners on the block, but that just means we have people who are willing to help us along the way. I have asked my neighbors for advice on everything from kids to pediatricians. I know that The Boy could go to any house on the block and they'd know him, how to get a hold of me and that he's completely safe there. I love my neighbors. They are part of what makes living here so special.

2. Seclusion. During this time of year you can't see any other houses. You see green out of each and every window. I don't have blinds on most windows and the ones I do have I only use in the winter.

3. Change of seasons. Regardless of whether it's summer or winter or something in between, the trees around my house are magic.

4. Safety. In my old house I never felt safe. Part of it was natural anxieties that I deal with, but most of it was the fact that I just didn't feel safe. No so here. I have slept soundly in my bed with my sliders open- not unlocked, but wide open.

5. The wildlife. Turkeys, deer, bugs galore, lizards, turtles, a tortoise, frogs, ducks, pheasants, fox, rattlesnakes, mice, bats, birds and chipmunks are just an example of the wildlife I've seen in my backyard. I can't imagine what I don't see.

6. Room to grow. We couldn't have had The Baby without the extra room. We would have been able to pull it off in the old house, but why try? Extra room means more to clean, but when you love every room, no need to complain.

7. My library. Hubs built it last year. It's still unfurnished, but has plenty of books. It's gorgeous and I swear that I just breathe differently in that room.

8. Same goes for the bedroom. My master bedroom is huge. I love it. I would love to have a professional decorator come in and change it up a bit...maybe someday.

9. The town. When we moved here it was a one light town. Now, there's 3. I feel cheated (haha). Honestly, I love this town. The schools are great, the people are friendly. So I don't have a Walmart near me. I don't see myself living anywhere else.

10.

10 on Tuesday (This Time, on Tuesday)

2010-07-06T20:29:00.002-04:00

I noticed too late that I posted the 10 on Tuesday list on Wednesday. You'd think that I'd be able to tell which day is which, but being a stay at home mom means I really don't need to.

So this week's 10 on Tuesday:

10 ways to enjoy the summer.

1. Stay in the air conditioning. It reached 102 for the second time in as many days here in CT. Our central air has been broken since Sunday. I will not tell you how gross I feel.

2. Knit with something other than wool. I'm using Schaefer Yarn's Andrea, a 100% silk yarn for the shawl. Makes my hobby bearable.

3. Find some shade and read a good book.

4. Got kids? We went here and LOVED it. Pricey- I won't lie, but The Boy had a ball. Well worth the price.

5. Slip n Slide. The Boy also loves ours. I'm still afraid of it, much to Hubs' amusement.

6. Bug watch. We have PLENTY of bugs in our yard- The Boy likes to take a magnifying glass and crawl around to see what he finds. He also likes to look under rocks for slithering things too. One rule- no showing Mommy the spiders. :)

7. Ice cream. I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be with the cold stuff, but I still love a cone now and then. Summer is the perfect time.

8. Take in a museum. Yes, with your kids in tow. Free air conditioning and a bit of education. The Boy learned about statues in preschool and is pretty excited to see one up close.

9. I want to steal every one of these ideas. Personal drive-in at your house? Brilliant.

10. Check up on neighbors. Take a walk, see who's out and about. I like to think that summer means things move slower, easier. Call a relative that you haven't talked to in awhile. Write letters or cards to far away friends. Reach out to others. It's good for your spirit.

F#CK, IT'S HOT!

2010-07-05T16:17:00.003-04:00

Central air in my house is broken (again).

This is what my thermometer outside reads:

UGH!!

The 79.7 below the 102 is the indoor temp.

So I'm spending time out of the sun- knitting (silk, not wool)

Dazzle of Dragonflies (which is coming along nicely once again after another knit-tink session) and plying:

I know that I've sung the praises of my Stitched By JessaLu bag before. Let me tell you! Thanks to her plying tutorial, I plied this in 3 HOURS,no cd spindle used either. I suck at plying. Typically it would take me 3 weeks to do this!! You don't need a bucket bag to make it work, but read the tutorial up on her blog. Best spinning advice I've received.

10 on Tuesday, Beach Reading Edition

2010-06-30T20:25:00.002-04:00

This week's 10 on Tuesday? 10 books on my summer reading list.

1. Outlander. I have no idea if I've ever admitted this to anyone, but I keep an autographed copy of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander next to my bed (as with a stack of other books) and I love to read a bit of it on a regular basis. Sometimes it's only a paragraph, sometimes it's 2 or 3 chapters. Great book.

2. Nora Roberts has a new hardcover coming out next Tuesday. I keep saying that I'm going to stop buying her stuff, but I always end up getting it anyways. Her stuff is become predictable, but part of me loves the fact that she can still make me smile. She writes great relationship books.

3. Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter's series. I'm rereading them. I found her series by accident one day at the library. I was pregnant and really sick at the time. This series kept my attention, but I found that I had questions, so I decided to reread them all.

4. I'm working (and I mean working) through Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth. Sigh. I've had some lightbulb moments, some tears and fears, and I'm not sure that any of it is helping. I still eat to cover up anxieties. Baby steps, I guess.

5. Cheap paperbacks found at the library's used book sale. I got about 15 for 5 bucks. Yeah, baby. They are sitting in my library, waiting for me to have time to check them out.

6. I want to read Stieg Larsson's trilogy. I hear that it's impossible to put down, once you start.

7. And for the bored housewife in me, I'm reading Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series. So far, it's exactly what it promised- historical romance at its best. But I'm not reading it to expand my intellectual horizons...oh, there's a joke in there somewhere....

8. Shit My Dad Says, by Justin Halpern. Love it. Makes me laugh, it's quick enough to read a page or two while the kids are busy doing something else.

9. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. The Boy has been obsessed with this book for the last few weeks. We read it daily together. Love the book.

10. The Exile, Diana Gabaldon. It's not out yet. September 21st is the release date. It's a graphic novel, based on Outlander but from Jamie's point of view. Oh, how I wish she just wrote the whole thing. I've never read a graphic novel. I have no idea what it's like. BUT, I'll give it a try. And knowing Diana, I'll love it!

Summer reading, in a nutshell. What about you? What's on your list??

Kudos

2010-06-28T21:18:00.003-04:00

I started a new shawl (Rav link) on Friday. And restarted it. And restarted it. Then I got to rows 13 and 14, only to rip, frog, rip, frog those same rows repeatedly.

Sent a pm to the designer, the lovely Sharon Winsauer. She was happy to tell me that I had been doing it right the whole time, but I was reading the "no stitch" on the chart as a stitch.

Sigh.

Anyways, kudos to Schaefer Yarn and their Andrea yarn. Even with all that abuse, the yarn still looks fresh.

10 on Tuesday

2010-06-22T13:59:00.003-04:00

I'm such a joiner. I joined 10 on Tuesdays. Here's this week's theme:

10 ways to entertain a child

1. Read to them. I love to read to The Boy and I think that's a big part of why he started to read so young. Now? He wants to read to me. Favorite book? I Love You Through and Through.

2. The Baby loves baths. He loves watching people bathe, he loves taking baths himself. Anytime he's cranky for no reason, I put him in the tub.

3. Play doh. Messy, but works in this house.

4. Legos. See above, although The Boy has been picking his up after each use, so clean up is easier.

5. Dancing. Turn up the tunes and let 'em rock.

6. Got a web cam? The Boy wants me to turn it on so that he can watch himself on the screen. He gets goofy!

7. I hate to say it, but since getting the Wii, video games. Sigh. Best digital babysitter, when I just need to shower quick. The Boy is only allowed about 5 hours a week of playing time, so it's not so bad.

8. Go outside and PLAY! How many times did you hear that as a kid? Me?? Plenty. I say it to the kids every day.

9. Look at old photos together. Even photos of them as babies. Kids love hearing stories of when they were little.

10. Bake cookies together. I love to bake (and eat) cookies. The Boy loves to help when he can. Somehow, these cookies always taste sweeter to me.

That's it! Thanks for reading my first ever 10 on Tuesday! :)

Mrs. Hope

2010-06-17T20:34:00.005-04:00

The Boy graduates from preschool tomorrow. His teacher for the last year was Mrs. Hope. She has the patience of a saint, gives great parenting advice (without making it seem like her opinion) and loves the kids she cares for more than life.

Someone that special deserves hand knits, right?

Originally I was going to make her a scarf. I had some dark blue wool, soft and begging to be worn in the chilly weather. But I realized (after getting it half done) that Mrs. Hope wore only pastels. Back into the stash closet...found this seafoamy-green laceweight, leftover from Citron.

Now what pattern? Last time I saw Rebecca she talked up the short row shawls, but I didn't get it. Then I saw Knitty's surprise, Annis. I had to make it. I hate doing nupps and I had beads...It was the perfect gift. I had only 5 days to make it though. Could I do it? Yep.

It was gifted yesterday, and she loved it. I didn't know it, but she's a knitter and crocheter! She was in awe of the beads and made sure that I knew that she knew just how much work the shawl was. It's going to look stunning on her.

The Boy is going to their summer program, but Mrs. Hope has helpers and he won't see her much. I'm sad that I have to wait 3 years to have her teach one of my kids again. But I'm also excited for The Boy's journey into school aged boy, instead of preschooler.

One of the Cool Kids

2010-06-16T09:43:00.002-04:00

I bought a bucket bag from Stitched by JessaLu.

I can't say enough good things about this cute little bag. Well made, functional (check out her plying with center-pull ball tutorial), very reasonably priced. Great job, JessaLu!

Working

2010-06-04T10:19:00.003-04:00

There's quite a few new babies coming into the world over the next few months. 3 friends and my cousin's wife are expecting and I feel the need to knit for them all. This garter stitch blanket took me over a week to do. I should have done my usual sweater, which takes 3 days at the most.

I'm also working on a scarf for The Boy's teacher. Unfortunately, the more that I pay attention to the colors that she wears, the more I think that this thing isn't going to work at all.

She wears mostly pastels. Dark blue? Not a pastel. Also? I hate knitting scarves, never mind doing so on size 4's. Ooof.

Better go check that stash for a skein in a pastel. School ends on the 18th. And more babies are coming soon!

Experimenting is Fun...Until...

2010-05-20T11:27:00.003-04:00

I would like to believe that I'm still knitting on the Swirled Pentagon Sweater. I decided to change up the neckline a bit, adding the pentagons from another scarf to the sweater, instead of the one called for. I just liked them better.

Well, that's taken some experimentation. I have the correct size I think, but now I'm running out of yarn.

And what does this knitter do when faced with this issue? That's right, the project goes into the "I'll finish that someday" pile.

Sigh.

Citron

2010-05-16T20:30:00.004-04:00

I finished Citron, from Knitty's Winter '09 issue. Loved every second of it and will knit myself one soon. This one is done with Jaggerspun's laceweight, in the sage color. This photo doesn't do it justice. It's light and airy, just as I wanted it to be. Someday it will be gifted to one of my adopted servicemen's wife. She deserves a knitted hug, don't you think?

In the meantime, still knitting the cormo cardigan. The sleeves are on the needles.

Longest process ever.

But as I say that, I remember that I don't have buttons picked out and god knows that decision can take years off a knitter's life.

Rat's Ass.

2010-05-04T12:00:00.003-04:00

I got a Mother's Day card from someone this week.

It was this gooey, lovey-dovey card, with pastel flowers and fancy writing.

Normally, I'd love it. I love getting non-bill mail. I love the anticipation of opening the envelope, wondering what the person wrote.

This time, I knew it would make me laugh. Not in a feel good way, but in an ironic, (pardon my french) "what the fuck?" sort of way.

The envelope's return address was my ex-stepfather's. He and my mom married when I was 7 and divorced when I was in my early 20's. He never called me "daughter", never showed emotion of any kind, with the exception of being quick to get angry for any little thing, often making everyone walk on eggshells when he was home. Never told me he was proud of me or that I looked beautiful. To a troubled teen with self esteem and abandonment issues, it was a big deal at the time.

In his defense, did he provide? Yes, mostly.

Anyhow, I opened the envelope and this Mother's Day card made me laugh. First of all it was signed "Dad" and his new fiance's name. Secondly, it wasn't even his handwriting.

*Sigh*

This is the emotional baggage shit I would have had to deal with, if I hadn't had so much therapy throughout the years. This is the stuff that 5 years ago would have made me an emotional wreck.

Today? I can laugh. 'Cause really? How does this negatively effect me and my family? (No, I'm NOT telling my mom about it. I may have had therapy, but I'm not stupid.)

I know it's not really a happy laugh, but one that has me thankful for the life I have, the kind of life that I dreamed about as a kid.

And best part, I no longer give a rat's ass what my ex-stepfather thinks of me. I no longer search for his approval or love.

I am content with the life I lead.

Citron-ing

2010-04-27T13:42:00.004-04:00

Someday I'm going to write a pattern for a pretty but quick shawl or scarf. It's going to be a knitted hug. Until then, I'm doing Citron for a friend's wife. She needs a hug.

The yarn is Jaggerspun laceweight, size 9 needles. I want to sleep with this stuff. Seriously.

Tomorrow? I'll post about CT Sheep and Wool...if I can pull my head out of the baby cave long enough.

Ooopsie!

2010-04-15T10:45:00.003-04:00

On April 11th, my blog turned 4. YAY! Happy birthday blog!

I think back to the stuff I knit, the crap I wrote....I've come a long way.

I'm coming along on the cormo cardigan. The back and one side are done, and I have only a small amount to do on the other side. Thankfully, I knit this from the bottom up in one piece, then split for the fronts. I think if I had to knit 3 pieces it never would be done.

And I also started Citron, for no better reason than the fact that I'm obviously insane.

I'm apparently also lazy. If you look, I'm knitting the shawl and the sweater from the same ball of yarn. I just didn't have it in me to wind another ball and I had started the Citron before running out of yarn for the sweater front. It's working for me so far.

And for those keeping track, I bought the shoes but sent them back. They were way, WAY too tight on my Fred Flintstone feet. Foot fat is never a good thing to show, folks.

And in a moment of mommy pity, I ordered the stroller. I LOVE this thing. It is exactly what I wanted. And funny, it makes me want to go for walks around the neighborhood now.

Change Starts with Me.

2010-04-05T15:23:00.003-04:00

One of the things I love most about Hubs is the way he objectively views the world. I tend to let out-of-my-control things bother me more than he does, (perhaps its a gender thing?) he tends not to get overemotional about the little things in life. For me, other people's pain triggers something in me. For Hubs, its just a learning experience for the person going through the pain. Not that he's callus about it, but he thinks that there's nothing that he can do, so why let it bother him.

Hubs doesn't really get bent out of shape for many things. But when he brought up a story that he read online, about a group of people protesting at a US soldier's funeral, the subsequent trial and retrial of the group's leader and the court's decision, I could tell that he really wanted to load up the can of whoop-ass on this "church" and go to town. To tell you the truth, I didn't believe that it was real, but after doing some research online, it is.

Despicable.

I'm all for freedom of speech. I'm all for freedom of religion. But I'm against hate. Yes, this group is protected by the constitution. We all are. But there's constitutional and there's doing what's respectful and right. This group is neither respectful nor right.

I can't stop them, but I can show support to our service men and women overseas. I signed up to adopt a service person over the weekend and I'm already in touch with him. It's a quick and painless process.

I went to www.adoptaussoldier.org and filled out the info needed. They verified my email address and within 48 hours I had the email address and snail mail address of my adoptee, along with some general personal info about him.

I can get as involved as I want to be- I can email him, send him mail or care packages.

I am totally pumped to do this.

I can't change the actions of others, but I can change my actions.

Anyone else interested in signing up??

I Like Laundry.

2010-04-01T16:40:00.005-04:00

It's been an interesting couple of days here. Hubs is working his butt off, including meetings, dinners, etc., which is wonderful for our bank account. But it means that I don't get a break. The Baby has been going through something- growth spurt, teething, mental illness- I don't know. He's been a manic baby, happy one second, whining or crying the next, unless he's on me. There's nothing "wrong" with him...no fever, no runny nose. I have no idea what's going on, but he also hasn't been sleeping as much as he used to.

Sigh.

Babies should come with a manual and a troubleshooting guide.

Anyways, I have some progress on the knitting.

The cormo cardigan has a front...at least on one side. Still loving it. I might have to start collecting Foxhill Farms cormo worsted weight with this year's round of fiber fests. Yes, it's that delish.

I'm also cruising on the Pentagon Pullover. I made a mistake while drinking wine and knitting in front of friends, but even with that frogging session, I'm still moving right along with it.

And say hello to my new toys. Every housewife's dream. Brand spankin' new washer and dryer. (Ok, I will admit that most housewife's dream would be a housekeeper, but this is a close second.)

I never thought that I'd actually enjoy laundry or be able to keep up with it. These Maytag Bravos machines ROCK! I was able to fit a king size duvet cover along with a regular load from my old washer in these things. My whites have never looked better. Some reviews have said that clothes come out tangled and wrinkled. My first load did. I figured out immediately that you can't fill them too much. Since there's no center agitator thingy, clothes need room to spin and cycle. Stuffing the machine makes it impossible for it to do that. Now I make sure that things aren't loaded too tightly and so far, problem solved. These machines are idiot proof- you turn a dial and *blamo* things get clean. I love these machines!!

I Will...

2010-03-31T12:08:00.000-04:00

I will blog today. I will blog today. I will blog today.

Later.

Need vs Want

2010-03-24T22:10:00.003-04:00

I have no idea if everyone is neurotic about need/want items or if it's just me.

Seriously.

I grew up poor. Like- welfare, free cheese, and 4 sizes too big hand me down clothes- poor.

Anyways, I sometimes get things that I want into my head and can't shake it out.

Like a stroller that I want. Jamie is the last kid I'll ever have. I know from experience that a good stroller is necessary. I have a battle-ram travel system stroller that weighs about 49 pounds, takes up every last inch of my trunk and is impossible to steer. I want something small, that can fit in my trunk with extra room for stuff, that I can take out one handed and not feel like I'm going to burst a back muscle. Seriously.

I did research. I want an Uppababy G-luxe stroller. It's $160 bucks. Youch!!

There's no way in hell I'm paying that much. Sigh.

And LLBean....oh, don't get me started. They have a new Signature line. I want everything...

These!! $100 bucks for shoes that I can only wear 5 months out of the year and I can't chase down kids in!?! Do I need these?? No.

I really want to go places and see things. Fiber fest season is coming. Hubs gave clearance for me to go to WOOL....sigh.

Sometimes I feel like I'm back in the 6th grade, wishing that money grew on trees.

Oh well, at least I have knitting to keep my mind busy!

Distractions

2010-03-21T16:47:00.002-04:00

I know I said I wouldn't do it, but I did. I started a new sweater.

The Boy had to go into the hospital for a quick surgery on Friday and I needed something to keep my hands busy. I'm still working on the cardigan, but now I'm using 2 balls of laceweight. Not too good for travel. Or mindless knitting. Which is what I needed on Friday.

Why is knitting so therapeutic? I would have gone nuts if I had to wait repeatedly and not have something to do. Hubs was half way there before The Boy even went in to the OR. The half hour or so that the surgery took was the longest and I was so happy to see the doctor and to hear him say that everything was fine.

Recovery was difficult and I never, ever want to repeat it. The Boy was not happy and pulled out his IV- yikes.

Anyways, it's over. The Boy is doing fantastic and we've been reminded just how blessed we are to have 2 healthy boys to love daily.

The Problem with Laceweight

2010-03-11T13:53:00.002-05:00

I'm still working on the laceweight cardigan. It's coming out lovely and I do enjoy working on it. The problem? It is taking SO long. I'm somewhat of an instant-gratification kinda girl so this is an issue.

Part of me wants to cast on another project, But if I do that, then this thing is NEVER getting done.

And I want it done.

It takes between 13 and 22 minutes to complete one row. It depends on how many stitches I drop (happens repeatedly every row...grr) or what's going on around me. It's not the "watch tv and have a chat" kind of project. It's like doing intricate lace, but without intentional holes.

Anyways, I'm up to about 11 out of 13 inches on the body. I'm hoping to have all 13 done today and start the decreases for the arms soon.

"Friend" in Need.

2010-03-09T17:48:00.003-05:00

Questions:

Say I had a "friend" who wanted to go somewhere drive-able for a weekend.

Perhaps that "friend" wanted to knit and spin for the entire time, and when not knitting or spinning, was eating, drinking, and laughing with others who were either knitting, spinning, eating, drinking or laughing too.

And, say that the "friend" wanted a yarn store or two to be close by...you know, in case she was into that sort of thing....or maybe to take a class- dyeing or intermediate spinning would be nice.

The "friend" had only a small amount of money, so ideas like Squam (I dream of doing this....someday) or Omega Institute were out, but staying at a bed and breakfast might work.

This "friend" has a few weekends open in the spring and early summer.

Any ideas??

Oh, Delightful.

2010-03-07T21:02:00.001-05:00

Not pregnancy, only PMS. YAY! (As if the anxiety, breakouts, bloating, headaches and mood swings weren't nearly enough to satisify the period gods.)

Yuck.

Sensitive.

2010-03-03T22:22:00.002-05:00

I've always had a sensitive body. Not as a mind-set or emotionally, I mean my body is sensitive, both inside and out. I'm sensitive to some foods, allergic to most kinds of fabric cleaners, and I sometimes have a tough time with touch- which is difficult to explain to most people.

I also have difficulty with hormones, as you can tell from my two very trying pregnancies. The past week and a half I've been tired and nauseous all day. I thought it was from drinking, after having a glass (gasp! one glass!) of wine with dinner last week.

Yesterday was the worst. I felt like I was going to hurl all day. Today I felt a bit better and I took a nap this afternoon which helped.

Tonight I'm back to feeling like I'm green. What the hell is going on? I have no other symptoms, other than the tiredness.

There is NO WAY that I could be pregnant...the doctor was kind enough to tear out, stomp on and burn my tubes during my c-section (per my wish) last year. And no, I'm not going out to buy a test.

Perhaps it's just a stomach virus running its course. Funny thing is, no one else in the house has it.

Sigh. Now what?

Gold!

2010-03-01T10:41:00.003-05:00

Like I said yesterday, I finished my sweater at Jay Peak, VT.

This sweater was worked on for 16 days straight. Was it the most difficult pattern? No. But there were some days that I knit on 4 hours of broken sleep. Some days I knit with a baby in one arm and a 4 year old sitting next to me, chattering non-stop. With a life as crazy as a stay-at-home mom's can sometimes get, it's a miracle that this thing was finished.

Hubs and I planned a weekend of skiing (he skis, I don't. I was to rest, read and knit. That's exactly what I did.) and it happened to fall at the end of the olympics. I was able to knit on the way up, which was a life saver. Seriously. We had nasty bouts of rain, wind, ice and snow on and off the whole time. I'm a nervous passenger. When I felt the need to scream, I just knit. And knit. And knit. It was wonderful.

We stopped in White River Junction, VT- the US Men's Hockey team was playing at 3 and we needed a break anyways. We drove through town, looking for anywhere that would have a tv tuned into the game. We found a place called the Filling Station. It was Nascar from one end to the other, but they were kind enough to put the game on for us. I broke out the sweater, much to the dismay of the other men at the bar. (Hubs is used to it, and it never bothered him anyways.)

We left after goal number 5. As we were packing up to leave, the bartender came over and told me that my knitting was a first. One of the other patrons joked that I "sullied the bar". I told him that if I sullied his bar, it had nothing to do with the knitting. They laughed, wished us safe travels and off we went.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful. I enjoyed Jay Peak's new hotel, the Tram Haus. Lovely people, great food...good times.

But now it's back to the daily grind.

But hey, at least I have a new sweater and a gold medal!

Olympic Knitting Sweater .

2010-02-28T21:11:00.002-05:00

It is done, just waiting on photos! It was done last night, at Jay Peak. Yay!!

More tomorrow, with stories. :)

Try, Try Again (?)

2010-02-23T10:50:00.003-05:00

I'm up to the arms on Sahara. I've never liked knitting sleeves in the round, I have no idea why. I'm not the best dpn user in the world so I think that's part of it. I also like to knit sleeves at the same time, that way you know that they are the same length.

Decisions, decisions.

I decided to suck it up and knit them as the pattern states. Got out my 16" Denise cord.

That's not going to work.

I found another metal 16" needle to work with. The shoulders are formed by picking up stitches, then doing short rows, knitting back and forth. I picked up the correct number of stitches and it looked so sloppy.

So I decided to knit them flat. First of all, I could use my other Denise cord and the needles that I love, and secondly, I could avoid the DPN's at the end.

So far, so good. I have NO idea if this is going to work or if it's going to come back to bite me in the butt.

Either way, I'm proud of myself for trying something new, even if it failed.

I Got a Body!

2010-02-20T16:25:00.003-05:00

Wow! I should knit under pressure more often. This morning (6:00 am...yuck), after a week of knitting, I was binding this bad boy off!

I did fewer decreases (also started them later than the pattern called for) and more increases. Post pregnancy, many-cookies-body isn't pretty...I think I've mentioned that before. :)

The bottom edging is pretty, but I think it may curl over time. I did the fancy-pants bind off that Rebecca showed more for more give. (After every 3 bound off stitches (keeping in mind that you could do it for every number of stitches...3 just gave me enough stretch for me), do a yarn over, treat it like a normal bound off stitch, then repeat the bind off 3, yo, bind off for the whole thing.)

It fits great. I'm pumped to get moving on the sleeves, but...I thought I had size 6 dpn's but I don't. So I guess I'm running to town tonight to get them somewhere...(good luck on that one).

In the meantime I'm going to start the neck edging with size 4 wooden. I had been using my Denise needles, which tend to be a bit easier on my wrist. The wooden one grabs the yarn and I think it makes me work at the knitting more.

That said, my wrist is tingling again. No idea if it's from the cortisone shot wearing off, too much knitting or what. After the Olympics I have a feeling that a break is going to be needed.

Today the Sun is Shining

2010-02-19T09:20:00.002-05:00

Thanks for the comments from the post from the other day. I should have mentioned that I've done everything- calls, emails, trying to go through a third party (other family members), approaching her face to face- to try and figure out what was going on with her and I. She insists that nothing is wrong, that it's all in my head and "all my drama". She is in denial or just doesn't want to deal with what her issues are. I live a good life and think that having positive people around me is a big part of that good life. I'm at the point where I know I've done nothing wrong to her and that I need to accept her decision to not be a part of my life. Or my children's lives. It is sad and painful, but it is what it is.

And let me just say that no, I haven't been a perfect person. I understand, embrace and accept my humanity. I have skeletons in the closet just like everyone else, but they are MY skeletons, not hers and she has no right to judge me for them...or so I think. And even when I bring up said skeletons, she denies that these are the issues she's upset about.

Ok. On to Olympic Knitting, shall we?? Here's what I have so far, if not even more. I can't find my camera (gulp...where the heck is it?) so I can't take a more recent photo. I'm about to start the short rows and switch to the second color (RED!). I'm excited about this project still. It's even better because I know that it fits. Gotta love top down sweaters!

Also- Jessalu is having a contest. She's celebrating FIVE years with her blog and is giving away SWEET prizes. Leave a comment on her blog, but tell her I sent ya, ok? (I think it humorous that I want to win, but I'm telling others to go and comment, lowering my chances of winning. Part of me wants to tell everyone tomorrow to go and comment. Strange.)

Private

2010-02-17T11:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday and today have been difficult for me. I'm feeling heavy and I need to get it out somewhere, anywhere. I'm feeling really alone on this.

Some back story- I have a sister who is 2 years older than me. We are complete opposites. She recently told the world on Facebook that she got married. My family had no idea. His entire family was there to witness it. She said it wasn't planned, yet made favors, had a professional cake made and wore a wedding dress. I found out through Facebook that my sister got married. Sadly, that's not the worse that's happened over the last few weeks.

Yesterday I found out that she moved to Puerto Rico to be with her husband, a pilot who got a job down there.

How did I find out? Facebook.

She never said good bye, never called, never emailed. Nothing. Just left.

I'm so upset by this. I have no idea why. She hasn't really spoken to me in years, and for no reason that I know of.

But I still feel like an abandoned 10 year old. Seriously. This has dragged up so much harshness in me.

I want to eat every piece of chocolate in the world. I want to get drunk. I want to go somewhere by myself. I want to crawl back into bed and cry until next year. I want to call her and swear at her up and down. I don't want to deal with the kids, the husband, the housework, any of it. I want to steep myself into my 10 year old broken body and pout.

I unfriended her on Facebook. It was the only control I felt that I had. She doesn't want to be a part of my life? Well, I won't let her be.

I'm sad.

I'm pissed.

I want to know what I did that was so wrong in her eyes.

But most of all, I miss my sister.

Fronts and a Back

2010-02-15T15:41:00.003-05:00

After a couple of false starts, I finally have something worthwhile going on with this Sahara. I'm not 100% sure that my post-pregnancy, all-the-time-cookie-eating body is going to love it though.

Here's the fronts and back in one piece.

I'm going to keep on trucking on this and we'll see where we end up.

Let the Games Begin!

2010-02-12T19:47:00.003-05:00

Inspired by Yarn Harlot's post about the Knitting Olympics, I decided to join in.

At first I thought it would be a great opportunity to use some of my handspun. I was going to make Ditto.

Checked the yardage...no go. I'm short by about 200 yards. Sigh.

So I decided to use some yumminess, as if the cormo I've been knitting with wasn't tactile-sensory overload enough.

Nuna, by Marisol Project. Making Sahara. God, I hope this sweater fits me.

And I know...it should be child's play for me. I should be able to finish this thing lickety split.

I have a feeling it's going to take a miracle for me to find time throughout my day to knit. Toss in the fact that I've been going to bed every night by 9:30, which was prime knitting time, and you have barely any knitting.

Still working the cormo cardigan. I was able to stay awake during the Super Bowl last week and during The Boy's hockey practice. This is what I have to show for my 2 weeks of knitting this thing:

Did I mention that working with laceweight yarn takes FOREVER to make a row?

It's Like Knitting with Clouds

2010-02-01T17:46:00.009-05:00

I've made the executive decision to start making more sweaters. For me, of course.

I love Foxhill Farms Cormo yarn. It's the mushiest, smooshiest, softest wool yarn ever. It's also kinda expensive.

I started picking up a skein of their lace yarn every time I went to a fiber fest. I finally have enough to make a sweater using smaller gauge needles.

This weekend I swatched.

I have some crystal beads that I got on sale that I thought I'd use in the design, but my crochet hook wouldn't fit through them. So I was forced to just knit.

I found what gauge I liked, had Hubs do some math, and cast on.
300 stitches, size 3 needles, laceweight yarn.

I'm about to go into non-stop stockinette land. This may take awhile.

But I'll be in heaven the whole time.

Off With Their HEADS!

2010-01-29T13:05:00.002-05:00

I finished my Montana Tunic last night.

It's a very cute sweater. Rebecca wears not one, but TWO of them (not at the same time though) and pulls them off.

I however, look like a Card Guard from Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

Not an attractive look.

Rebecca was kind enough to offer advice on how to possibly fix my issues, but I have a feeling that this sweater will be moving along to someone else.

On to more hedgehogs.

Hedging and Hogging

2010-01-23T18:41:00.004-05:00

At Rhinebeck last year, I bought a kit to make a hedgehog puppet. I started it 2 nights ago, finished last night. Awesome.

This is what it looked like without hair:

And with:

A top view:

The underside:

Too damn cute.

Anyone out there ever own a pet hedgehog?? I'd love to have one. So adorable!!

(Sorry if the photos are wonky. I have no idea if it's blogger or me. Could even be a bit of both.)

Yeah, About That Baby

2010-01-16T21:31:00.004-05:00

So Jamie is 4 months already. It went by FAST! He went from a cranky, needy baby to a very happy, loving baby seemingly overnight. For the first 3 months (THREE MONTHS!) he slept ON me. Not in the same room, not next to me- on me. I had had enough and was about to call Supernanny, when my Mother in law came to the rescue.

She somehow got Jamie to sleep in his crib, with minimal fuss. I have no idea how she did it, it just happened.

He goes down like a dream every night. Unfortunately, he doesn't stay down. He's up every 3-4 hours for feedings, still. We're working on it.

He had learned to hang out in his bouncy chair or in his swing and to be OK for awhile. It makes living in my house much more sane.

Now if we can just work on the sleep deprivation...

Anyways, here's some video from the Flip. (Did I mention the Flip love?? Love it.) It's Jamie laughing/talking.

It should go without saying, but you don't have permission to copy or share this video for any reason without my knowledge...just saying. ;)

Radio Silence, Again.

2010-01-14T12:18:00.007-05:00

I tried to come back full force, I really did. I came on to Blogger twice in December to upload and post, only to be denied, got completely frustrated and haven't been on since. This mommy-ing stuff isn't the best for daytime blogging and at night I just want to veg. (The Baby and The Boy are doing great!)

I do want to keep this thing going so I have photos. Santa brought me a Flip Camera. Seriously, I LOVE the thing, but it caused me to stop taking actual photos.

Today I had enough. I grabbed the camera and here's what I'm working on, knit-wise. (Hang in there, there's a lot.)

Baby sweater for a friend who had their kid already. Like, back before Christmas. I'm awful. I just need to put the arm on and to do the button bands. What am I waiting for? Sigh.

Handspun hat. Too small, I need to make it bigger. Frogging, eventually.

I'm working on a Montana Tunic (Rav link), from Gale's Shear Spirit, sans pocket:
I love this pattern for no other reason than just mindless, easy knitting. The 1X1 ribbing around the neck is killing me though.

I finished this Wool Peddler's Shawl (Rav, again) by Cheryl Oberle (OOH! She runs a knitting retreat....didn't know that until just now...guess where I'm internetting to after I finished this post. Haha)before Christmas. Serious, serious envy from people whenever I wear it. All hand knits should garnish this much attention. I have no idea if it's the striking color of the indigo yarn or the pattern or what...I get people stopping me and asking about it all the time.

And Hey, Teach.

I started this while pregnant. It took under 2 weeks to complete. I love it. I tried it on while still nursing and since my boobs were too huge I couldn't button it. I literally threw it into a ball in the bottom of my drawer. You can still see the wrinkles, which I have since removed thanks to the power of my dryer.

(Did I mention that I'm the worst handknitter, ever?? Who treats hand made sweaters that way??)

I wish that I did buttons all the way down, now that it's finished and I can actually wear it, you know, when it's not 8 degrees outside...

And I did complete a bunch of Christmas knitting, but didn't take any photos of any of it. I knit a shawl for my library's annual silent auction, no photo. I did wrist warmers and a scarf for my mom, no photo.

Hopefully I'll be back to posting on a semi-regular basis. I'll add that to my New Year's Resolutions....

Four Came Fast.

2009-11-23T18:01:00.004-05:00

The Boy turned 4 last week. He was sick for a few days before his birthday but was ok on his actual day, so we went to Mystic Aquarium as a family, sans The Baby.

My favorite:

The tank of baby Loggerhead Turtles. Cute beyond belief. Doesn't it look like he's smiling??

And, for all to enjoy...The baby. He hung out with Nana for the day. This shot was taken a couple of weeks ago, I think the day before Halloween.

So. Freaking. Cute...but perhaps I'm biased?

Thanks for hanging around, also. It's amazing how disconnected I've felt over the last couple of months without steady internet access. I can't wait to share some of the finished items that I've done. Hey, Teach...another Forest Canopy, Christmas knitting....good stuff!

And We're Back...

2009-11-21T16:06:00.002-05:00

We finally got a new computer. I'm in love.

More later, when I don't have The Boy trying to type while I do. I'll have photos galore. Perhaps I should space it out a bit...I don't want to burn out. Haha.

Anyone still around??

I'm Not Dead...

2009-10-25T01:32:00.002-04:00

But my computer is.

Until then, I'm hanging with the kids and trying not to go too bat-shit crazy.

Sunday, September 6

2009-09-19T13:14:00.005-04:00

So on Saturday night it was decided that I would have a c-section early Sunday morning, no ifs, ands or buts about it. I had to get this kid out. My blood tests were the issue. My liver was getting worse and the doctors decided not to play russian roulette with my son's life.

So I woke up Sunday, (starving my ASS off! Everytime they decided to operate, I had to fast...which meant I fasted A LOT) and Hubs came in. We talked, got everything ready. Said a few private words to each other.

And off I went. Into surgery. I had a spinal block. Chatted with the nurses...asked "Dr. Steve" (my nickname for the anethesiologist) questions about the surgery...when suddenly I had a panic attack. I felt like I was going to pass out. I was sweaty and really felt like I should try to get up and leave. (I had a spinal for god's sake...where was I going to go?)

I told Dr Steve that I was having issues. He immediately got me a cold cloth for my forehead, put different drugs into the system and just talked me into calming down. He was wonderful.

He went to get Hubs, who was in the hallway in his scrubs. Hubs held my hand the whole time. I love that. I know he hates hospitals, surgery, and everything to do with both of those. To have him there meant the world to me.

The rest of the surgery went like clockwork.

I had the tubal ligation done. I'm proud of myself that I stuck with it. Many people wanted me to have more kids- family mostly, and they were pretty vocal about me being so young and having permanent birth control done.

Jamie made noise quickly, even though he was a preemie and needed some rubbing and suctioning to get his lungs working. I got to hold him pretty quickly, all things considered. Here's a photo:

You can see how yellow I was. Scary.

And after returning to my room:

I was all smiles. I was so happy to have him out. I felt so blessed that he was healthy. The outcome could have been totally different if it weren't for the doctors who were vigilant.

He was born 6 pounds, 10 ounces and 18 inches long. Tiny peanut.

We are doing great. I'm tired, but what new mom isn't? I get sore, but I had major surgery and I'm still recovering.

My family is now complete and I couldn't be any happier.

Saturday.

2009-09-17T21:30:00.002-04:00

So Friday night into Saturday morning I had contractions every 3-5 minutes. Some I didn't feel, some felt like a big uterus hug, some really f'ing hurt. I couldn't relax. Finally, at 5 am I asked for something to make me sleep. My doctor gave me a very low dose of morphine.

Yahoo. It was given to me in my IV, and I swear that I felt it in about 3 seconds. I must have drooled on myself by 10 seconds. Delightful.

I slept one hour. ONE HOUR. I woke up having the mother of all contractions, asked for more morphine. I slept another hour.

During this time I was also doing a 24-hour pee test. I had to save all of my urine in a jug so that they could test that. I started it at 8 pm Friday. By 10pm on Saturday we'd have the results and if they were bad, we'd have a c-section that night. If the results were good, we'd wait a few more days before taking the baby. Remember, he was only 36 weeks and every hour that he stayed inside counted.

They came in Saturday morning, bright and early to get blood yet again. Hubs came by and we hung out. I stared at the walls, I knit, I did nothing, I itched, I peed alot (it was the only time I got out of bed and did it as often as I could.)

We got the results back that night, and the nurse said that we'd be having the baby ASAP. We get Hubs into his scrubs, I get worked up (won't go into details there, you thank me...trust me) and we start the phone call tree.

About 30 minutes goes by and one of the nurses comes into the room with a phone. It's the doctor, still at home. We're supposed to be in surgery in 30 minutes.

There's been a mistake in reading the results of the pee test. The urine test was fine, but my liver tests are awful. They're not sectioning me tonight, but at 6am tomorrow.

So, another long night at the hospital begins.

Friday, September 4th.

2009-09-16T19:31:00.002-04:00

I had a normal, scheduled obgyn appointment on the Tuesday, Sept. 1st.

I had higher than normal blood pressure, which is low to the normal human, but a spike for me, so the dr wanted me back in the office Friday the 4th.

The Boy was in Florida on vacation with the inlaws. Hubs had the day off. He decided (with some begging on my part) to come with me to the drs. As we sat there, asking a few questions, he said, "Don't forget to tell the doc about the itching."

Oh yeah, the itching!

I had had unexplained, all-over itching for about 2 weeks. My wrists, chest, belly and bottom of my feet were the worst. It felt like my skin was on FIRE. I could not itch it enough. Hubs was constantly saying, "Quit itching."

The doctor had that look. You know, that "well...that could be something bad" look.

She decided to send me to the lab for blood work. I went right away. Hubs and I had lunch. I got a call on my cell phone as we left the restaurant.

It was the doctor. She wanted to treat me as if we knew for certain that I had the liver issue. Apparently, the tests take about a week to be done. If there was an issue, it may be too late to reverse damage done. (At the time, I had no idea that sudden fetal loss was a side effect or that I could die too.)

She wanted me at labor and delivery by that night. I went immediately, after going home and picking up my knitting, my ipod and changing my clothes.

I thought I'd be home in time for Bunco at 7 pm, which the neighborhood gals and I play once a month.

Man, was I wrong.

I got to the hospital, was hooked up to monitors, gave more blood, knit, laughed with the nurses, returned some emails by phone...

Boring.

(I also forgot to mention that I sent Hubs to play 9 holes of golf. I seriously thought I would be home that night.)

So I'm sitting there, the nurse comes in. She says, "Heidi, we know something is going on. Your tests are funky, we have no idea why. It looks like you're delivering tonight...I say around 7."

It was 3pm.

What??

I think I might have sworn. Loudly. Perhaps even said the F-word. Loudly.

We were so not ready for a kid to come.

The phone call to Hubs was delightful. Please feel the sarcasm dripping from my words.

He rushed to the hospital, with clothes for me (at the short end, I'd be in the hospital 5 days post-op. I brought NOTHING with me...well, knitting, ipod...but no essentials.)

We found out that the baby was too small and since I was in a controlled environment, we were going to wait on the c-section.

The doctor said that she'd like to hold on for as long as possible, even as long a 10 days. But no, I wouldn't be going home for those days, I'd be hooked up to monitors, getting bloodwork done 2-3 times daily and basically bedridden.

Shoot me.

So, knowing that we would deliver that night, I sent Hubs home and I attempted to sleep.

But wait- the contractions started.

Jamie.

2009-09-14T19:40:00.005-04:00

We welcomed a new addition to our family on September 6th. He's blonde, 6 pounds, poops like a champ and cries little noises like a kitten.

I also learned a new word. It's cholestastis and it almost killed both of us.

I'm fine now, Jamie is fine too. Early and small (but gaining quickly)...the kid wanted out. What can I say?

I'm so in love.

Central Park Hoodie- Done!

2009-08-11T12:11:00.002-04:00

I started a CPH a couple weeks ago. Jenn and I emailed each other back and forth, she was interested in making it- I had the pattern. It's a sweater that I wanted for awhile, but never started.

Well, once I started, I couldn't stop- including seaming in 90+ degree heat.

The sweater fits, except across the belly. I'm hoping that nature will take care of that in...oh, 6 weeks.

Yes, in 6 weeks I'm having a scheduled c-section. And my tubes tied...tightly, haha.

I look forward to living the rest of my life knowing that I will never, ever have to bear children ever again. I'm HORRIBLE, I know- but I can not do this again. I want Hubs to get lasered, just for the hell of it (hey, if I can go through 9 months of hell, then delivery, he should get his fair share, right?) and to double the re-assurance.

I have to figure out my next project. I bought a ton of yarn at Webs a few weeks ago and I know I have to start Christmas knitting soon. There's also a few babies being born to friends and I want them to have something special. :)

Roses, Roses.

2009-07-27T19:03:00.004-04:00

Last year we moved into this house.

The rose bush on the side was chewed beyond repair, but a bud came out and bloomed. It was pretty. Roses have always had a special place in my heart. My grandfather lovingly tended quite a few bushes while I was growing up. I never asked, but I always assumed that he did it for my grandmother.

This year, I decided to spray some organic anti bug crap on the plant after Hubs hacked back the dead stuff in the spring. It worked. The leaves are green and relatively clean.

We had 6 or 7 buds. I was so excited for these things!

Well, we got hail. Then rain, then heavier rain, then much, much heavier rain. Then more torrential downpouring rain.

Sigh.

Here's the state of the bush now. I'm heartbroken, but so much progress was made this year. Next year is going to be even better.

And for someone who DOES NOT garden? Wow.

(Damn you, RAIN! PPPPPFFFFFTH!)

Finally, a Finished Something!

2009-07-25T11:41:00.004-04:00

I started to a Mara, a pretty straightforward shawl, a few weeks ago. I thought there was going to be pleating on the edging. It's not. It's basically ribbing, which while looking cool, wasn't what I had wanted.

I grabbed my copy of Folk Shawls. I've had my eye on Wool Peddler's shawl since I got the book.

I only had to do another 4 rows and I'd be at the correct number of stitches to make it! So...

Wool Peddler's Shawl.

Pretty.

Jenn inspired me to start a Central Park Hoodie. I realized at some point that I wouldn't be pregnant forever (although it feels like that most days) and that I'd be able to fit in normal sized clothes by the winter (hopefully).

It's going quickly. I started it Thursday night, and I'm almost done with the back! I'm using my favorite- Schaefer Yarns Miss Priss in the Georgia O'Keefe colorway. I had some pooling, so I decided to tie on another ball and work 2 rows ball 1, 2 rows ball 2 for the rest. So far, no pooling and it's coming along nicely.

What Would You Buy?

2009-07-15T18:44:00.002-04:00

I have an Amazon gift certificate worth $130 bucks. It's burning a hole in my pocket.

Part of me wants a new video camcorder. Part of me wants more books. (Please don't say books. haha) Part of me says to save it for when the baby comes.

So tell me, what would you buy? The certificate doesn't have to cover the entire cost.

As Promised.

2009-07-14T17:22:00.006-04:00

So here are some photos of the library. (No our living room is NOT that green color. It's beige. Why it looks so green in the photo, I'll never know. The blue is pretty close to true.)I know it looks like we still have alot of room, but trust me when we say that we're in a bit of a panic over how little room is left. We don't want the kids to be able to get into our "good books" so the first and second level are basically useless for the time being. We're planning on putting baskets on 3 of the bottom shelves (for toys for the boys) and letting them have a shelf for their books.

My favorite part? Stars. I love stars. Hubs found these wooden blocks with etched stars in them, just for me. Sigh. He still has some finishing work to do- as you can tell by the reflection of the nails seen above.

I'm so proud of him for moving on this project and for almost having it done. It felt GREAT to unpack our beloved books. And even better to have the boxes out of our basement, attic, closets, and gargage.

What do you think of the room?

YAY!

2009-07-13T22:37:00.001-04:00

Library is about 98% done. Books are in. Photos are coming.

(My camera is downstairs and the very idea of climbing all the way down and then *gasp* all the way back up is super-daunting...I just get out of breath so easily these days...please be patient with me.)

At the Library

2009-07-07T15:46:00.003-04:00

Once again this morning I get up, turn on the early morning news and the weather man is pumped. Sigh. Summer storms rolling through as I type this, with more on the way. No hail, only thunder and lightning. But the sky is a bit murky green...keeping an eye on the weather channel and (I hate to admit this) Michael Jackson's memorial.

Also, knitting.

Still working Buttercup. I thought it was going to be too big. Christie finished hers, I commented that I thought mine was going to be too large. And as a voice of reason, she emailed me and told me to make sure it wasn't too big or I'd have alot of work to redo.

I tried it on. It was huge. I decided to knit the neckline, going down to a size 4 (should have used a 5) and I added a couple extra rows. I tried it on and it fit better. It's still a bit....blouse-y, but I think it looks good. I'm also adding width and length. I'm getting bigger (7 months yesterday!) and I have a feeling I'm going to wear this thing out.

In other news around the house, Hubs started working on the library again. Remember that project?

This is what the room looked like when we moved in. Toys, carpet, white paint...yuck.

He started it in March or April, stalled because of my sickness, then the warm weather came and outside stuff needed to be done. Now, he's picked up the nail gun once more and has been tearing it up! The painting and floor has been done for awhile. The shelves went up over the weekend. I'm loving how it's coming along. We already have books on some of the shelves.

His attention to detail is amazing. There's still alot of work to be done, but I'm so excited to have a library that I can't stand it!

This is the only furniture we have for the room, but that will change once he completes the shelves. We have different visions furniture-wise, so this could get interesting.

Rough Weather

2009-06-28T17:21:00.005-04:00

Friday we got some rough weather. I knew we were in for some heavy stuff when I turned on my TV at 5:30 am that morning and the weather guy is PUMPED for the afternoon. lol

Anyways, we got a lot of thunder, wind and dime to nickel sized hail. We lost power for about 4 hours, long enough to be bored out of our skulls.

The Boy was awoken from his nap during the storm. He asked what the music was, and that was when I noticed the hail was getting larger, hitting the glass of the windows and making high pitch pinging sounds. Music. To me, that means get into a room without windows. lol

We sat in our interior half bath for about 10 minutes, playing flashlight games and calming each other down. We left the room when the rain had backed off considerably.
The neighbor down the road lost 2 trees, one of which spread across most of the road. This is what it looked like after someone moved it out of the road and onto their grass.

What a mess.

We still have streets that are closed and although we have our power back, some in town are still without.

An F1 tornado was confirmed 2 towns over, associated with this same storm.

Ah, summer.

I'm still knitting on the socks for the AIDS charity. That's my take along knitting. I started Buttercup (Rav link) Friday. Lovely, but I think it's going to be big on the top, too small on the bottom. The wonders of a pregnant woman's body. Anyways, Rebecca knit it and it looked so pretty on her. I thought since it's A-line that I could make it work. But, due to the fact that I have zero patience for knitting swatches or any sort of test knitting at all these days, I just cast on and went with it.

It may be wonderful, it may make me cry when I first try it on. We'll see.

Ohh! I also have a beautiful new nephew to welcome into the world. His name is Aiden and I got to meet and hold him on Saturday. Hehee, my baby brother is a dad. Wholly crap. Maybe I'll post photos when I get some (bad auntie. I totally forgot to grab my camera as I headed to the hospital the other day.)

Rain, Rain...

2009-06-22T19:23:00.002-04:00

So it's rainy again today. I need sunshine, STAT. I'm feeling crappy after 2 nights of little sleep. I'm getting to that uncomfortable stage. Yuck.

With all the rain I noticed something new about my car. In heavy rain I was turning my wipers on high, but when I came to a stop (such as a stoplight) the wipers slowed down. When I sped back up, so did the wipers. So cool. It's pretty much the one positive thing that I've found with all this rain. That, and how much I love LL Bean's waterproof shoes and jackets. LOVE!

This shot was taken a few weeks ago. Any idea what plant it is? (Iris maybe? God, I'm so flower-challenged.)

Still

2009-06-19T17:37:00.002-04:00

Still among the living, just busy and thanks to the fine New England monsoons we've been having daily, can't take worthwhile photos.

Tomorrow is the big family gathering. It's going to rain.

I'll check in later in the weekend.

Got any plans??

Charades

2009-06-13T15:45:00.004-04:00

So what do you think is in my knitting bag these days?

Yeah, I'm sunk.
Sock one of Charade, from I May Be Knitting a Ranch House. (Does she still blog? I loved her stuff.) These are on size 1's, which I got FREE at SnB a couple of weeks ago (and the very same day that I went to 2 stores looking for size 1's. Strange, eh?)

Anyhow, Gale asked some New Haven SnB'ers to knit something for the upcoming AIDS Project New Haven Annual Gala and Auction. Somehow, I felt the need to knit a pair of socks. I think we're getting a few pairs together to be sold as a lot, but maybe I'm mistaken on that. lol.

I'm somewhat bored with this pattern already, perhaps because my mind is so cluttered with the 1000 other things I have to get done around here. I'm officially in my third (gulp) trimester and I have nothing accomplished regarding this kid.

We are also expecting guests tomorrow, in the middle of the week, and next Saturday, most of which haven't seen the new house and who I expect will want a tour of it. So copious amounts of cleaning have been going on.

Audi Love.

2009-06-08T09:52:00.005-04:00

This is sitting in my garage. We brought her home yesterday.

Fast doesn't even begin to describe it. Seriously, I'm used to a V-6 Pontiac Grand Prix with a supercharger, and this thing BLOWS that car away. Hubs, who had the GP since his bachleor days, agrees. It wants to fly, but at the same time sticks to the road. It corners like nothing I've ever experienced before. And it looks adorable too.

I love this car. I tried really, really hard to hate it. In my mind I thought we'd get a cheaper new car, with some bells and whistles. This car is used, but has all the bells, whistles, and then some. It gets way better gas mileage that the new cars we test drove and it has TURBO! Best part, it was cheaper than the new cars that I was looking at and still has almost 30K left on the warranty. We got a crap financing rate, but Hubs made the point that he would be getting a commission check in August that would cover the cost of the car and we'd be able to pay off the loan then. (Gotta love sales.)

Unfortunately, I now have the task of calling the super-sweet Subaru dealer and telling her that I bought the Audi instead. I really connected with her (and the Impreza) but it wasn't the right one for me.

Should I buy blue aviator sunglasses and fingerless gloves to match?

(And funny story- it was about 9 pm last night and Hubs was sitting watching tv. He suddenly jumps up and says, "Hey, want some ice cream?" Um, yeah man. I'm pregnant. I never say no to the cream. Anyhow, he grabs MY keys and says, "I'll be taking the long way. Be back soon!" I think he likes the car too. lol)

Asphalt. (Image Heavy)

2009-06-06T20:57:00.007-04:00

Last year I talked at length about my driveway. It was one of my favorite things about this house. For those who don't know, we live off the street several yards. You can't see the house from the road. I love the privacy. Anyways, our driveway was paved at the end (by the street) and in front of the house. The middle part was unpaved, a mix of dirt, rock and some brave shoots of grass and moss. Take note of the grassy hump in the middle of the driveway.

Last year I would love to walk down to the mailbox, breathing deep, taking my time. It was a 5 minute sanctuary in a day of 2 year old chaos.

In November, we hired a plow guy. Since we were new to the area and the place that the previous owners used had closed, we went with the guy that took over for that company.

We asked him to come out, since our driveway is a bit tricky. Reluctantly he came, gave us an estimate, we agreed on a price and trusted that he knew what the hell he was doing.

Well, he didn't.

Basically, with the first snowstorm (we got 16 inches, if I remember right) he came barreling down the drive, scraping everything in sight. (These photos were taken last week. We didn't take any in the winter, partly because there was constant snow/ice hiding the damage. Partly because it broke my heart knowing that my sanctuary was gone.)We didn't know it at the time, but he completely ruined our driveway. Notice the center "hump" is gone. Gone. The entire driveway was flat, large stones were thrown to each side so that Hubs couldn't mow without it being a danger to the mower and himself. I can't imagine what damage he did to is plow.

We noticed something was strange when we came home one day to find a stack of rocks in our driveway. Strange...

Then our neighbor across the street called to tell us that he basically ruined HIS snowblower from our rocks, which the idiot plow guy dug up and pushed into his driveway.

Sigh.

We went over the next day and shoveled all of the rocks into a wheel barrow and put them on our property.

But still, we felt like a-holes.

Anyways, with the continued beatings that the plow guy gave to the driveway each snow storm, we realized this spring that we'd have to do something about it.

We interviewed rock guys, asphalt guys, and landscapers. We went with the asphalt.

They started on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon, we had a driveway!

It breaks my heart that I'll never be able to take the walks like last year, but the guys did a wonderful, professional job. I know in my heart that asphalt is safer for The Boy to play on (you have NO idea how many scrapes and boo-boos I treated last year from him falling on rocks.) Plus, now he can ride his big wheel all the way down to the mailbox.

Here's some shots:

This shot was taken after they graded it. It's more level and some of the larger rocks were removed.

During. They cut away part of the already paved area to filled it. It was cracked and crumbling from someone (cough, cough) driving off it. The big truck was full of ground up rock, concrete and dirt. I didn't take any other during shots. The beginning of the new asphalt and the bend:

Looking up towards the bend in the driveway. They widened that area by 4 feet so that delivery trucks had plenty of room. There was alot of damage done by them to this area. Hopefully this eliminates that.Looking down the driveway to the street.

They married up the new and old so well. Great job.

I'm looking to this as a positive thing, not because I have to, but because I want to. I'm looking forward to my walks to the mailbox on my asphalt driveway. I can't wait to smell that summer rainstorm smell.

And the plowguy? Yeah, he has no idea, but these photos are being sent to him and the Better Business Bureau. We probably could have sued him for the cost of the new driveway, but we just couldn't do it. I'm sure the damage done to his stuff was more than the driveway...

I'm No Stunt Woman.

2009-06-04T10:20:00.003-04:00

So 2 nights ago I fell down our stairs. Part of me wonders how I lasted in this house almost a year without falling down (or up) the stairs before.

But anyways.

I ran up stairs to get a ball of yarn. As I was coming down I got lightheaded, tried to grab the bannister and down I slid.

The worst of the damage was to my shoulder. I tried breaking my fall by reaching my right hand behind me, but as I slid down the stairs the arm was pulled farther and farther back.

Hubs heard the fall, ran to see what had happened, but I was in so much pain that I couldn't talk. I felt like I had dislocated the shoulder and I just wanted to catch my breath.

After realizing that I was in one piece and that the baby was ok, he started asking me questions. I could make a fist, but my fingers were numb/tingling. I could move my elbow without issue, but couldn't move my shoulder without pain.

We got ice on the shoulder. I took 2 tylenols and after about an hour I knit.

It still hurts like hell. I've been doing stretches for the past 2 days, massaging the area a few times a day and trying to remember to take it easy.

It was scary though. Perhaps it's time to install an escalator?

I'm going to try to find time to post another interesting thing that's been going on in Castle Campbell. It involves many men, a few big trucks and lots of steamy asphalt.

More later!

For the Nay-Sayers Out There*

2009-06-02T10:01:00.004-04:00

I present to you:

A pair of finished socks. That match. And don't suck.

I've come to the conclusion that I don't hate knitting socks. Perhaps I even found joy in making these. It was great to have them finished in under 2 weeks. I'm positive that it would have been sooner if it were just stockinette instead of cabled, but a quick knit, either way.

Perhaps...and I'm just saying perhaps...I might be winding another ball of sock yarn. Now, I'm not saying that I'm knitting socks again so soon, I just want it to be handy in case of an emergency.

*I know that you guys were just teasing and not really being mean. :) I like a little snark to my day. Feel free to bust my balls any day.

Mass Sheep and Wool

2009-06-01T20:35:00.005-04:00

I've been waiting to post an outstanding photo of my new pair of socks. Unfortunately, I was rather green most of today so I didn't get to finish them. Yet.

That's right, a PAIR of socks. All ya'll askin' where the second sock was can bite it.

Tomorrow. Haha.

For today, I have Mass Sheep and Wool. I went Sunday with Baby Beth. We had a great time, she had no problem with me peeing or eating every 20 minutes (but not at the same time) and was happy to leave when I was.

It was quiet. It was weird being up there and having NO ONE around. Seriously. I joked with Beth that I felt like I should start throwing elbows at random people because typically at fiber shows to get close to most of the popular booths, sometimes you need to elbow in. (Oh, come on...like you don't do that!)

We also met up with Rebecca and her husband. He made a swift getaway and we shopped.

I bought some fiber, I'm a sucker for the non-mohair sparkly stuff and found some at one booth. Pretty. I also found cormo-soy silk blend. HEAVENLY!! I wanted to by every ounce in every color, but I've never spun it before and was a bit intimidated by it.

Cormo/Soy silk on left, Cormo/Angelina on right. Close in color, and super smooshy!

I got a set of stitch markers. They were a bit on the expensive side, but I have no problem paying for handmade things like this.

And the Leslie Wind needle. Sigh. I love this thing. Seriously, I want to wear it around my neck! It's THAT beautiful. I also asked her why she never makes smaller (like dime/nickel sized) round shawl pins. I'm small and the larger ones just overpower me, I think. She offered to sit and make a proto-type while I was at the fair. Whoa. How's that for customer service? I told her that I'd email her because I wasn't sure how long I'd be at the fair.

We came home in the nick of time. We drove through one hell of a rain storm and after we got home, the storms really fired up.

All in all, it was a good trip. I wish I brought my wheel (and Alice) but it was fun.

Tomorrow, more bragging about my socks!

Semi-Converted.

2009-05-28T10:48:00.004-04:00

So I decided on my birthday to knit a sock. I saw this pattern, swooned, argued with myself that maybe I could barter with Rebecca again and she would knit them for me, chastised myself because I'm a grown adult who knits perfectly fine and I can make my own damn socks.

So I hopped into Village Yarns in Glastonbury (totally in the middle of renovations and a mess. Will go in later in the summer and see how the store should look. High prices, but that's to be expected for the area.) and bought a set of size 2 DPNs.

I have plenty of stashed sock yarn, don't ask me why since I don't knit socks. So I wound it, printed the pattern and I casted on.

At first it was a mess of poking needles, swearing, dropping stitches...then something clicked.

I was getting it.

And it was looking like a sock!

YAY!

I finished the first one this morning. It fits perfectly.

Perhaps I'm not a total convert- yet. I can see why people like to knit them. It knit up quick, even with the pattern. It's hard taking photos of yourself wearing socks in general, try factoring not being able to see your feet while standing upright, thanks to the big baby pot attached to your front.

Tomorrow, what was purchased at Mass Sheep and Wool. Here's a preview. Ah, Leslie Wind....how I love your pretty pretties.

Hey, Camera! Where Have You Been?

2009-05-26T15:36:00.004-04:00

So I haven't had a chance to post, mostly because once again, I couldn't find my camera.

I have a bit of catch-up to play. The last weekend of April is CT Sheep and Wool Fest. This year Alice was kind enough to drive me. I had fears of having to stay patheticly home, whimpering that no one loved me enough to come all the way out and drive me to the show. At that point I think I still had the IV in, but was not using it. I remember that I didn't have my strength back and was worried that I wouldn't make it walking around in the sun, never mind driving around the state by myself.

Anyways, we went, we saw sheep, we bought stuff.

6 Ounces of merino/silk from Hampden Hills Alpacas in Mass.

2 Skeins of pretty purple Comfy Sock "sale" yarn from Dye Dreams. It says that it's a color experiment, but I love it and saved a ton of money. I'm using it now to make...

a sock. Sigh. More on socks tomorrow. (Ignore the color on the photo below. I swear it's purple yarn.)I also bought a stitch marker from Glastonbury Glassworks. Adorable!! I didn't take a photo of it, but this is the one I bought.

I also celebrated a big birthday on Saturday. I turned 35. I love it.

So Disney...

2009-05-16T10:26:00.003-04:00

(Hubs, The Boy and my MIL. It looks very crowded, but that's just because the main gates JUST opened and everyone was rushing in. Really, it wasn't crowded at all.)

Let me first start my saying that I love Walt Disney World. Love it. I've been there a few times, including with a big crowd of people and being by myself. I love this place.

That said, Disney with a three year old is tough. Disney with a father in law and husband who don't want to be there is near impossible. It was hot (about 93 degrees on the day we went) but most, if not all of the rides are inside with a/c. Plus, it made us take things slower, which was right up to speed for me. The two men just do not like crowds, don't have the child-like wonder that you need to make the parks fun, and were really ready to leave about an hour after we got there.

(The Boy cooling me off with his favorite part of Disney- THE FAN!)

My mother in law was great. She watched The Boy while Hubs and I ate (I still need to eat every 2 hours or I get cranky/nauseous), even though it was 11 and she knew that I wouldn't be hungry for lunch when everyone else was eating. My mil packed snacks and water for everyone, paid attention to The Boy's needs, found the stroller rental place, told us when he had had enough, and got us to the boat back to the hotel for family naps. Really, she was wonderful and picked up my (very large) slack.

The Boy holding the map of the park, asking a very large white bird where "It's a Small World" could be found. So not making that up.

After the family nap we returned to the park. We went on a few more rides, ate dinner, and then my MIL asked if we could split up. She and my FIL would take The Boy back to the hotel for bed and we could have an hour in the park by ourselves to shop or go on rides. We meandered through the Main Street shops, bought a nice frame to gift to them as thanks for the trip and then headed to the boat for the return to the hotel. As we're stepping onto the boat I see a boy about The Boy's age. I'm about to say, "Hey, Hubs- doesn't that look just like..." when I notice my inlaws too. They went on another ride while we shopped. Even though we parted ways an hour earlier, somehow we ended up on the same boat. Silly.

So, yeah...Disney. I have a feeling that it's going to be a few years before we go back (sans Hubs and FIL). And even though this trip had it's difficulties and low points, I can't wait for it!

I Miss You, Ponce Inlet.

2009-05-13T12:50:00.003-04:00

It's good to be back and have positive things to say. People ask how I'm feeling. Some days are good, some suck ass. But for the most part, I take it one day at a time. Some days I need to rest, some I feel like I can walk around Disney World in 90 degree heat without wilting.

Since being home I've started to be sick again. Not totally out of control, but it raises some red flags. I'm trying to eat every two hours, trying to remain active. This to shall pass.

Anyways, I have photos. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you'll see more. I made a promise to Hubs that I wouldn't upload The Boy's face to the blog (I've only broken that promise once or twice).

So, here we are walking on the beach. The Boy loved the beach! You can

also see my baby bump.

I'm knitting, The Boy is messing with the umbrella, which I was under up until Hubs took my photo and asked me to change chairs. Please note the fine (invisible) tan I got while on vacation.And lastly, The Boy's footprint. I love beach footprints. Seriously.

It's a Small World After All.

2009-05-12T09:47:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the radio silence. I'm fine, baby is fine, the family is fine.

If anything, we're exhausted from vacation.

That's right, vacation. We made it to Florida (and Disney) and back in one piece.

I have funny stories to tell of our trip, but first I have an announcement!

The Boy will be welcoming a brother in September! I'm having a boy! YAY! I was worried that I'd have to buy everything new again, but I won't.

Excellent.

Here's some of what I did on my vacation, you'll just have to return tomorrow for more.

Beach knitting. Gotta love it!

Firsts, in a Long Time

2009-04-23T12:08:00.002-04:00

I went grocery shopping for the first time since January. Miracles upon all miracles, we now have fresh veggies and fruits in the house. (Hubs, the green stuff won't kill ya.)
We battled with the insurance company and actually got them to agree to pay for meds that work...but only 5 at a time, which means a $40.00 co-pay every 5 days. I have no idea how people without steady money have kids.
The Boy and I walked around the neighborhood for 40 minutes yesterday. It exhausted me beyond belief, but felt wonderful at the same time.
Knitting! YAY! I'm knitting again!
Um, possibly TMI- but Hubs and I are "having relations" again. (It's been since January. Poor man.) While I was worried that it would hurt or be weird, it was really wonderful just to be loved.
Feeling the baby kick and move strong enough that others can feel it too. But yeah, that dancing on my bladder thing was uncomfortable (not to mention embarrassing.)
Having a positive outlook on the next 5 months. It was touch and go there for awhile, but now I feel like I can actually do this pregnancy thing with some semblance of grace.
The pic line is still in, but still unused. The doc is afraid to have it pulled until she's 100% positive that the insurance is going to pay for the promised meds.

That's about it. :)

New World Record.

2009-04-20T11:42:00.003-04:00

I haven't barfed since Thursday of last week. Wow. What a difference being able to keep food down makes. I'm still lightheaded sometimes, but I think that's more from having a bit of a head cold than sickness. I'm also off balance sometimes, but I had that with The Boy too....center of gravity changing and all that.

I spent the past weekend at my inlaws, which I'm going to kindly call Boot Camp Marilyn (BCM) from now on. Not a half hour went by without her asking me if I was hungry, thirsty or if I was feeling sick. The first day it was helpful, the second day it was annoying, the third day I wanted to drive down the driveway so fast that I left flames. She meant well. And in all honesty, I think if I didn't go through BCM, I would be still throwing up.

I think my pic line can come out this week. I'm looking forward to being able to shower without assistance or plastic wrap on my arm.

How was your weekend??

Anyone else planning on going to CT Sheep and Wool on SATURDAY?? (Originally I wrote Sunday. It's on Sat, not Sunday. Nice catch, Beth!)

The View From Here.

2009-04-13T14:06:00.003-04:00

I'm out of Zofran, the one drug that made my life bearable. I was paying $20.00/ dose. I can't afford that any longer. My next appointment is tomorrow, I'll find out then what my options are. I've lost more weight- I'm down to the 120's. I'm vomiting (out of control) now that I don't have any drugs in me. Lucky for me, I have the home IV's pumping me up, twice a day, every day. This is my second bag of the day, which means I have some freedom for the rest of the afternoon. I say "some freedom" because I need to stay close to the bathroom.

And the bills have started to appear.

Good Christmas.

Even with insurance covering 80%, we're still going to be responsible for thousands of dollars. And we haven't even had the c-section yet. Sigh.

Oh! And we're supposed to be going on a family vaca to Disney World and Daytona Beach, Fl. in May. How the hell am I going to pull this off?

Dear Baby to Be...

2009-04-07T10:03:00.001-04:00

Stop trying to kill me.

Thanks,

Mommy

(15 weeks and still barfing daily!)

Past 48

2009-03-25T23:05:00.003-04:00

I've returned home from yet another lovely stay at the hospital.

This time they got serious though.

I stayed overnight. All by myself.

Sigh.

I honestly feel so out of control right now, but I have hope. I KNOW things are going to get better. I feel like my OBGYN's office is now realizing how critical my situation is and they are being very proactive, which I am so thankful for.

Sunday night and Monday were 1000 times worse that I could have imagined. The Boy didn't sleep on Sunday night. I was up every 20-45 minutes with him, until finally getting out of bed at 5. The worse thing for me was to have such a drastic change in sleep.

I got really, really sick. Seriously, Monday night took the cake. I should have gone in for IV then, but decided to be brave (or stupid) and wait it out. Tuesday I was sick before my feet even hit the floor. By 10AM I knew I needed help. I called Hubs, but it's his busy season and he couldn't make it home before 3. I couldn't wait. I called my mom's boyfriend. He showed up in a half hour, with the plan that he'd stay with The Boy and I'd drive myself to the hospital, about 25 minutes away. He took one look at me and said, "Get in the car, no arguments. I'm driving. Go!" We buckled The Boy into his car seat, Walt drove me to the hospital, came back home and wrangled The Boy until Hubs could make it home, much, much later than he anticipated. Words can't express my gratitude for that man right now.

I was so sick that by the time I made it to the Maternity ward, I had to grip the edge of the desk to hold myself up. What the hell was I thinking trying to drive myself?? Hello??

The nurses took charge. They got me hooked up to the IV, told me to rest...and did the best thing- found my doctor and brought her to me while I was in that state. The doctors only saw me after I had had fluid. I think they just didn't realize how sick I was getting or that I was getting worse.

My doctor gave me more meds, including an acid reducer. She told me if my blood work came back iffy, that I'd stay overnight. Needless to say, they came back way iffy.

Long night. I was hooked to a machine that beeped and rattled all night. I couldn't get a good rest.

This morning I woke with a headache. A hormone headache. Anyone who gets PMS headaches know exactly what I mean. Painful. I typically take two excedrin every 6 hours to help with it, but you can't take that drug while pregnant. The headache laughed at the tylenol I that tried to suppress it with. It's still laughing. And pounding.

In talking with the doctor last night, I told her that I wanted a pic line put in. She agreed. This way I could get my fluids at home, I could finally stop being a human pin cushion AND have instant relief with iv drugs, which work faster.

So this morning they put the pick line in. I was petrified. But like a brave beaver, I had it done. I didn't hurt since they numb the area. It was surreal though...it was treated like a surgery...can't wait to get the bill from that procedure...

Anyhow, I'm home again. No nausea. Pic line ready for the nurse to come tomorrow. I'm also going to check out nursery schools for The Boy. He desperately needs the interaction with the other kids and I can't give him the attention that he was getting at home while I was well. His behavior is starting to show it. So we had a family meeting and nursery school it is!

And best of all, Hubs has stepped up and decided that it was high time this place got cleaned up a bit. My downstairs sparkles. He promised to help me tomorrow with the upstairs.

Now if I could just get him to wash some underwear...

Day at a Time.

2009-03-22T14:17:00.004-04:00

I'm not dead. Yet. I swear this child is trying to kill me. I've been in the hospital 3 times in 6 days for I hydration. I spent most of Thursday (when I wasn't in the hospital) and all of Friday and Saturday in bed. Today I'm forcing myself out of bed. I feel dizzy and lightheaded, but I just can't stay in bed one more day.

My inlaws have had the Boy since Thursday. He comes home tonight. The house has been quiet, except for Hubs doing work on the library. I have to somehow find the strength to make it through tomorrow. At this point, I can't even think of Tuesday.

I'm on a new mix of drugs that make me sleepy beyond belief. There's no way I can take care of a 3 year old like this. So, tonight is the last dose. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring.

The worst part- I'm still barfing way more than I should be. I've lost 10 pounds in 4 weeks, with 5 coming off in the last week. I went from being in my fat clothes and some maternity, to my skinny clothes.

And there's been little to no housework done. No one has clean clothes. There's no clean dishes. There's nothing clean anywhere in my house. Sigh. I'll get right on that.

Tomorrow is a new day.

How?

2009-03-07T15:31:00.005-05:00

Question: How do you dress a three year old who wants to play in the beautiful 63 degree weather, knowing full well that the first thing he's going to do is lay down in the 4 inches of snow still on the ground or stomp in the largest mud puddle in the world (which currently resides in my driveway)?

Answer: T-shirt, long sleeve lightweight fleece top, lightweight snowpants, lightweight mittens and snow boots. He was sweaty but he ran himself into exhaustion. Yahoo!

And look what I discovered:

SPRING!

And the temperature today (upper left hand corner):

This is even in the afternoon, after the sun went behind clouds. I think it was warmer earlier.

I am so done with winter. Unfortunately, due to the complete lack of any birds (besides crows) in my back yard, I thinking that winter isn't done with me.

What a Deal!

2009-03-06T15:15:00.002-05:00

I've wanted a fancy-schmancy Kitchenaid mixer for a long, long time. I enjoy baking a lot. Stand mixers just make the process easier. But Kitchenaid was just too costly.

I told Hubs that if he didn't get me a weather station for Valentine's Day, that I was going to go blow $300 bucks on a stand mixer. Well, V-Day came and no station. Sigh.

We bought a station that night, after many apologies from Hubs. He knew he screwed up, not only V-Day, but also Christmas (which is when I first begged for the damn weather station).

We were in Lowe's together and although I drooled over the mixers, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't friviously blow that much cash on something that wasn't 100% necessary.

I knew Kohl's had sales. I waited for the next one a couple weeks ago. Stand mixers were an extra 10% off.

And again, although I stood there like an idiot, drooling over the mixers, I couldn't bring myself to spend $299, less 10% on the thing.

My mother in law lives near a Kohl's in her town. She called last Saturday to say that she was going there and would look at the mixers, that perhaps she could find a better deal. I told her to get me black or red.

She called a few minutes later, literally giddy. A blue 5 quart mixer was on special- it was the display model, but came with everything. No box, but the accessories were all there.

How much?

$179.00

Get it, I told her.

Oh wait, she said...Mixers are 15% off today. They'll give it to me for $153.00.

I told her to take it and run.

A few minutes later she calls again.

They let her use a 20% coupon on top of the 15% off price.

Total for the $299.00 mixer?

$129.73

Well, that's a good deal, I'd say.

But wait, there's more.

There were no instructions with the mixer. No biggie, I'll go on the site and ask to have them sent to me.

Yesterday I went online to the Kitchenaid site, went under customer service and live chatted with a rep. She sent me a link to the instructions and warranty info. As we were signing off she wrote, "Don't forget to fill out and send in the rebate info by the end of next month."

Rebate offer??

Yeah, $30 back on a prepaid visa card, a year's subscription to Food and Wine magazine AND a free cookbook.

That, my friends, brings our total for a $300 mixer to under $100 bucks.

Now THAT'S a bargain.

Find any good sales lately?

Today I Feel Human.

2009-03-05T13:02:00.002-05:00

It's a miracle! I feel human for the first time since early January. Like I can do human things- clean my house, chase after The Boy outside in the snow, make pizza dough, even knit without barfing.

Amazing what less nausea can do for a girl. (Notice I didn't say total lack of...I'll deal with on and off bouts of it.) I haven't thrown up since Monday. It makes a huge difference on every aspect of my life. I feel strength again. I feel like I can walk up and down my stairs without shaking. My attitude is better, although I could use a nap. Amazing.

Sorry for the lack of photos. No idea where my camera made off to. Promise I'll have something soon.

I feel like I could honestly do anything today.

And Here We Go Again.

2009-02-26T15:09:00.002-05:00

I was doing so good yesterday until 3pm. It's gone downhill sharply since then. The nausea started, then I guess I didn't eat enough dinner, then I tried eating a second dinner...then my body didn't like that and well, my toilet has been my best friend ever since.

I've been throwing up on and off since 10 pm last night, including all night.

Waiting for 5:30 so that Hubs can come home to watch The Boy so that I can go to the hospital and get fluids.

My only wish is that I had someone to bring me, I shouldn't drive in this condition.

That, and it's really boring watching the iv drip. (No knitting since I can't knit when this sick.)

*Sigh*

How many more months of this?

Battle Weary.

2009-02-19T15:15:00.004-05:00

As expected, this pregnancy has been kicking my ass.

Seriously, I have bruises.

And drugs.

The drugs are to combat some of the nausea that I've had 24-7. How do I know that I was sick 24 hours a day? I would dream that I was barfing or seasick. So gross. And no escape.

The drugs cause drowsiness, which would be fine if I didn't have a 3 year old to mind. And I'm still puking, which is worrisome. I'm going to give the drugs another day or two in my body and see if it improves.

I had the pleasure of an ER trip last Sunday. I was spotting very heavy after doing housework. It went away eventually, but not before a really embarrassing (I think for him and me) internal exam by a male ER doctor. He was very gentle- it was the first exam by a male doctor ever for me- yikes.

All that time in the ER meant knitting! YAY!

5 Hour Baby sweater that took 2 weeks. Love it though! It's for my friend from middle school's baby to be. Robyn and I lost touch when she moved out of town our freshman year. She contacted me on Facebook in May and we've been chatting ever since!

Next up:

Model knitting for Schaefer.

I should get cracking on it!

So, what have I missed in the last couple of weeks?

Vengence.

2009-01-31T21:40:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning with breasts afire and within 20 minutes I was greener than a golf course.

Excellent.

Soon, a post with photos.

Thanks.

2009-01-30T14:57:00.003-05:00

Thank you all for reminding me that I'm not always crazy. She was very inappropriate. Repeatedly. And no, if I was a consumer shopping in store and was treated that way, I wouldn't continue to support them. That said, I didn't call to complain yet. And no, I didn't find a new doctor either.

I have been calling other OBGYN offices in the area and think that I found one that meets all my requirements- mostly female doctors, onsite ultrasounds, and other little things...but I want to see what happens with this appointment.

I also have some worrisome things going on. 2 days ago my boobs stopped hurting (with The Boy they hurt for 4 months), last night I had cramps that woke me up, today I haven't had any morning sickness (and I've been really nauseous for the last few days).

I called one of the other offices in my doctor's group (I didn't want to talk to that shark again) and the nurse assured me and reassured me that it's totally normal. She told me what to look out for with a miscarriage- spotting, bleeding, heavy cramps. Since I've had no spotting, I'm trying to stay positive.

But I can't let go of not having any morning sickness. Seriously. I have such a weak stomach that anything throws me off. To suddenly NOT have it makes me think something is wrong.

(Also, my orginal doctor couldn't give me any references. I asked, but since she's in another county she really had no clue who to refer me to. And CTJen, I'd love to be in your area, but Southbury is an hour away, Danbury is even farther. Thanks for the imput though. They sound awesome.)

A Case of the Tuesdays??

2009-01-27T15:14:00.003-05:00

Good Christmas.

I'm even crankier today.

I need a glass of wine. And some time away from my house, other than chasing The Boy outside in the freezing cold.

So today I called my OBGYN's office. I've called before and I've always had an issue with the receptionist's attitude. Never anything that I could explain, other than saying to Hubs that she wasn't as warm and fuzzy as the receptionist at the other doctor's office.

Anyhow, I call today and this was the beginning of our conversation:

Me: "Hello, I took a home pregnancy test and it confirmed that I'm pregnant."

Her: "Oh. Is this a good thing?"

After a couple of stunned silence I said, "Yes. I need to make an appointment to see my doctor."

Inside I'm screaming- "Wholly shit woman, that was totally inappropriate!" What if I was a young woman who didn't view this event as a good one?? What business of it is hers?

Ok, we talk for awhile. She's not really getting on my nerves until she tells me that my first appointment will be in another office 2 towns over and will take 2 and a half to 3 hours. Um, what do I do with my kid during that time?? I ask if all of my ultrasounds will be there. She says yes. Sigh. Whatever. (I wish I was told this before I started going to them. It is a huge pain in the butt. Something that should take a half an hour will now take multiple hours each visit. Not good.)

Then comes the kicker- she said that I'll get the ultrasound, then see the nurse practitioner. Ok, I say- but when do I see my doctor?

Silence.

She says, "During this visit you won't see the doctor. You'll see the nurse practitioner."

I say, "But I want to see a doctor...a medical professional. My last pregnancy was very difficult from the beginning and in my other doctor's office, I'm considered a high-risk pregnancy."

"Well," she says, "You are no longer going to that office."

I said, "Can Dr... call me back?"

She says, "Is there another issue that you need help with?"

I dropped it. Obviously, she didn't care what I had to say or what I needed from the doctor.

Ok, so what she's telling me is that my baby isn't high risk because I changed doctors?? Perhaps if I had changed to them last time I wouldn't have had 5 months straight of vomiting daily, coupled with 9 hospitalizations, followed by preeclampsia, followed by an emergency c-section. Why didn't I think of that??

Hubs made me agree to go to the ultrasound and if I didn't feel any better than I could seek out another doctor.

How do I complain about this woman?? It's a small office. I have no idea what to do.

I know I'm overemotional. I know I'm cranky. But... what the hell?

A Case of the Mondays?

2009-01-26T21:18:00.004-05:00

Thank you for all the well wishes on the pregnancy.

Things are well, but I'm moody. Really, really moody. Like- Hubs better sleep with a face mask on, or he'll wake up with a fork in his eye one of these days, moody. lol

I'm only knitting barely an hour daily. I have no energy most days other than to see to The Boy's needs and right now, that's fine with me. But being true to my New Year's Resolution, I finished the black Deep Breath Sweater. It's huge on my today, in a few weeks I bet it will be tight. Sigh.

Here's a close up of the decorative stitch I did around the neck, bottom and sleeves.

On Saturday we (by "we" I mean "Hubs"...just so we have that clear) started yet another home improvement project.

The library!

Blue is by far my favorite color. Hubs likes it too. This is a deep blue and it makes the room feel a bit cozier than the plain white that was up there before. I love it!

Hey- I never showed off the new bathroom, did I? Well, guess what tomorrow's blog post is going to be about? lol

Be well everyone! Thanks again for making me feel so special!!

(In)Conceivable

2009-01-23T13:16:00.002-05:00

I can't hold it in any longer. (I'm such a sucker.)

January 4th my breasts hurt so much that I thought I had cancer. (I don't.)

January 5th I was nauseous ALL DAY LONG. I thought I had a touch of the flu. (I didn't.)

January 6-10th I had hot flashes and thought that I was going through an early menopause. (I'm not.)

And on January 13th I took a pregnancy test, thinking that I had a 50-50 chance. I wasn't yet late, but something was up. I took the test before the rest of the house woke up, thinking that I couldn't be...but maybe I am...

Perhaps karma heard me, perhaps it is just the right time. A new baby will be a wonderful addition to my already fantastic family. It's really early, only about 5 weeks in- but I'm so excited. I was hoping to wait another few weeks before spreading the word....just in case something happened. But since I'm already nauseous all damn day and my pants are already fitting tightly, I figured that it's safe.

The next few months are going to be interesting. :)

500

2009-01-22T15:22:00.004-05:00

My last post was number 500. I'm really proud of myself. I went from being really scared of blogging to opening up and really showing myself to the world.

Which is why I'm having a hard time with something. I have really exciting news to tell everyone, but I can't talk about it yet. I'm awful at keeping secrets, too. lol. Stay tuned, though. I'll blab at some point.

I'm still working on Lush and Lacy. I'm up to the neckline on it. The sweater is too small in the front. I'm going to have to find something creative to close them with.

And in keeping with my New Year's Resolution of attempting to complete the backstock of knitting sitting in the closet, I picked up the black Deep Breath sweater I started months ago and started the arms on it.
At first I was disapppinted that it was going to be huge on me. But then I tried it on and I think with the right pair of jeans, this sweater will look cute. Cute in an 80's baggy sort of way, but cute nonetheless.

Hubs (finally) comes home tomorrow after being away for a business trip. We needed this time away. But I'm exhausted from having The Boy all on my own and I never sleep well without Hubs next to me. Tomorrow, tomorrow.

Lush and Lacy Updated

2009-01-20T16:55:00.003-05:00

This sweater is coming along so sweetly. I'm in the middle of sewing it together, while watching TV and enjoying the quiet.

I also dragged the wheel out this afternoon. I'm spinning green wool/silk blend from Cloverhill. Beautiful stuff to work with.

I just wish that I had more than 4 ounces of it.

(When's fiber fair season again? I'm getting twitchy. lol)

Further Proof of My Insanity

2009-01-17T13:08:00.003-05:00

It's been bone chillingly cold here in the Northeast for the last few days. Normally I'd suck it up and take The Boy outside anyways, but with temps at 2 degrees at noon in the sun, I decided to do inside things. We went to the CT Children's Museum in West Hartford yesterday. Fun times.

The Boy got to pick one item from the store. He could have picked the stuffed snake, the cool magnetic rocks, or even the astronomically (hehe) expensive space men. Instead he choose bubbles.

Sigh.

He was adament that he wanted the bubbles. They were 30% off. How can I argue with him?

So, we walked into the door at the house, he begged to play bubbles. What's a mom to do except let him play?

In his bathroom, with towels on the floor.

I didn't hear a peep out of him (with the exception of random laughter) for almost an hour.

Yes, there is soap from one end of the bathroom to the other, ceiling included.

But he had fun. And that's all that counts...right?

(Anyone know where I can buy bubble mix in the middle of the winter? hehe)

Pride

2009-01-15T14:36:00.004-05:00

We've been looking into area things for The Boy to do. He behaves so much better when we don't sit on the couch all day. (Shocking, I know.) He's going to the library's storytime and if he ever decides to piss in something other than his own pants, he'll go to nursery school.

It was pretty much a given that my kid, being a product of my hockey-playing-and-loving husband, would one day learn to ice skate. Hubs found a learn to skate program open to kids his age so we decided to sign The Boy up.

There is nothing cuter than 3 and 4 year old kids getting on the ice for the first time.

The Boy spent a majority of the time either on his butt:

Or on his knees.

Regardless of his position, he would not leave the yellow cones that the instructors set up alone. (He's also on the wrong side of the cones in each of the above photos.)

Finally, with a bit of help,

he stood.

And by the end of the session,

He skated.

Yesterday was a good day to be Jack Henry's Momma.

Disney Planning

2009-01-13T16:27:00.003-05:00

Not much is going on here. Seriously, things are boring and normal- just the way I like them. (Hear that karma?? No need to get involved.)

Of course, it doesn't make for the most interesting blog material to have a boring life.

The big thing that I've been doing is researching Disney. We have our dates, in early May. Perfect time of year to go.

The Boy has no idea what's going on. Since he's so young, it's tough to get through to him....

Otherwise, things are status quo. :)

Lush and Lacy Pockets

2009-01-11T13:27:00.005-05:00

We woke to more snow this morning. Only about 4 inches, but enough to make the roads slippery. I was supposed to have Second Sunday Spinning today, but it was cancelled. Instead I get to listen to the screams, bellows, and swears of 5 or 6 grown men watching football downstairs. Oh, joy.

The Lush and Lacy cardigan is coming along. I haven't had a load of time to work on it the past few days but with the large needle size, it's moving quick.

And I corrected the front pockets. Here's photos.

Wrong. Just wrong. You can see the purl stitches behind the ribbing. I knew this was incorrect, but couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.

Corrected. Everything flows.

And the backside of the pocket. It gets tacked down in the back, instead of sewn into the front of the garment. Oh...yeah, that makes much more sense.

It's corrected now. (And can I just say how happy I am that I didn't email the designer and embarrass myself completely??)

One Hand in My Pocket.

2009-01-09T23:29:00.000-05:00

I WAS totally doing the pocket wrong.

Tomorrow, photos...tonight, bed.

Later!

Lush and Lacy.

2009-01-08T15:40:00.004-05:00

I'm so happy with the way Lush and Lacy is coming out.

I started the fronts last night and this morning attached the pockets, but they look funky. I've never done pockets and I didn't have a chance to read ahead in the instructions so I set it aside for now.

Thanks for all the kind words on Terrazzo. I'm wearing it on Saturday, which is my neighborhood's progressive dinner party. I'm making dessert for a lot of people. I found a great flourless chocolate torte, but since I know some of the neighborhood ladies despise chocolate (Imagine that? I asked them if they were communists. They said no. And didn't laugh.)...so I'm also making an angel food cake with rasperries and whipped cream.

We also started to plan our 2009 family vacation! DISNEY! Ok, it's only for 3 days, but it's DISNEY! I seriously get butterflies just thinking about it. DISNEY!!

Winey-Whine.

2009-01-06T18:19:00.003-05:00

I just finished the biggest glass of pino grigio that I could pour without getting "the look" from Hubs.

I seriously thought about leaving my house today and running away to Bermuda.

Sigh.

Not enough sleep, too much time away from the gym, too much crap food...makes for a cranky, tired, overwhelmed knitter.

I just need a break.

Or more wine.

Thistle Buttons

2009-01-05T15:03:00.003-05:00

I think buttons really can make or break a sweater. Terrazzo is no different.

I have a soft spot for all things Scottish (perhaps because my husband is so damn proud of his heritage that it's rubbed off on me) so when I saw these buttons at Maryland Sheep and Wool last year, I had to get them.

Terrazzo completed, sans 2 buttons.

One of the most gorgeous things I've ever knit. Ever. The buttons just add to the beauty.

I can get a modeled shot when I shower before 4pm (it's dark out after then). I'm so lazy lately.

What do you guys think?

Have 9, Need 10.

2009-01-04T20:53:00.001-05:00

I was sewing buttons on Terrazzo this afternoon and realized that I was one short.

Sigh.

Why would I only get 9 buttons??

(Anyone know a good button shop?)