Once a month

or so, I remember I started a blog.  good job me!  Now, to post on it...

I haven't been knitting as much lately.  There is something funky going on with my arms/hands...something like tendinitis/carpal tunnel/put down the knitting needley.  Whatever it is, it's not cool.  However, being the spry young thing that I am, I don't think it's time to work myself up over it.  So, I'm just trying to do other stuff.

We have been in a full out clean and purge extravaganza over here.  The end of summer has got me thinking of those long winter days inside.  I must be trying to prep the house space for us.  I've been reading some books about organizing and simplifying, and really trying to dig in and get it done.  I've taken two carloads of "stuff" to Goodwill already, and haven't even tackled the "storage" closets yet.  I've also noticed that the more stuff I give away, the more I want to get rid of.  Purging can be addicting!

Amidst all the cleaning and organizing I did finish this little jacket for my little man.

Isn't he so cute! Looking at this picture now makes me realize how big he is getting... didn't he just look like this?

Seriously, what's happening to my baby boy?  

All that aside, I love the jacket, it will be perfect for fall (if it ever decides to show up).  It was test knit for a friend, and my first time putting a zipper into a knitted garment.  I was pretty stressed out about it, but there are a lot of helpful blogger knitter people out there who have done some great posts about this.  The zipper installation went really well, and I was pretty proud of myself for hand sewing in the zipper fairly straight.  Until I tried to unzip it all the way.  Oh, really, if the zipper doesn't unzip all the way before you sew it in, it won't after you finish?  Hmmm...interesting.  Apparently the "separating" part of the "separating zipper" is actually quite important.  I've suggested it be put in BOLD for the final pattern.

with apologies to those who sew...

We're making a quilt!  Let me rephrase that, we are attempting to make a quilt!  With a little luck, and a lot of internet searches, I'm hoping that something cute comes out of all of this...only time will tell!
After a lot of fretting, and years of holding on to my favorite baby/little kid clothes, I've decided we're going to make them into a t-shirt quilt.  I have piles of Clara's old shirts that I really really love.  I can't give them away. I see her cute little baby face when I look at them and I always want to remember that chubby little face.  
Anyway, here is a sampling of what I have in the pile.




First, I am cutting off the front panel of all the shirts.  I've just been cutting up the side seams, then around the top and back down the other side.  This has given me a huge pile of what looks like some very sad tank tops...

Then I cut out the design part of the shirt, trying to get the biggest panel I can.  There has been some measuring and line drawing, but I haven't been too careful.  I'm hoping to be able to piece it together in some cool/funky kind of way.  I'm not following any specific directions, just really going with the flow of things...This part has become very tedious, and I think I need a rotary cutter before we go too much further.  There is a fine line between "funky" and "messy" that I don't want to cross.

We're stabilizing the fabric with interfacing that was recommended on a t-shirt quilt "how-to" blog I found.  This involves pinning, Clara's new favorite activity!

Eventually, we hope to have enough pieces to make a quilt...but we're not working on any kind of timeline, so no promises on when it will be done!

i did it!

I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to get around to posting this, but I finished my Catkin.  Yay! It didn't take me nearly as long as I thought it would.  Mostly because I stayed up late and worked on it constantly...like some strange sort of addiction.  I was almost glad when it was done, because I was worried about losing myself completely.  I'm pretty sure the husband was also glad it was done.  He missed me.

I actually thought as I finished it that I would give it away.  I couldn't really picture myself wearing a shawl...then I realized how much I love it.  I have worn it twice, already.  Which is really saying something, because it's been up near 100º (seriously, why does it have to get so HOT!?) lately.

I wore it for my monkey's birthday, and again when I went out to dinner with the husband for our anniversary.  We had a fancy dinner and wine pairing with no monkeys attached.  It was wonderful!  And I looked fancy in my fancy shawl.  At least I hope I did!

i knew this would happen

So, it seems my last post was almost a month ago. I knew this would happen, because I'm terrible at keeping up with things. That's just the lay of the land in my world...

June was a pretty busy month. School ended, there was ballet and soccer camp (for the kids, not for me.) We've gone to the farmers markets and set off on outdoor adventures. My oldest monkey turned 4. I don't know how it's happened so quickly. I swear she was just born a few months ago, and yet, now she's 4. Unbelievable.

We had a Tea Party with some friends to celebrate.

There were tea cups to paint.

Pin the cup on the saucer was pretty funny. Especially when all the little girls tried to peek under the blindfold to see where to put their cup. Little monkeys can be so funny.

 

Most important, there were cupcakes to eat.

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

urban gardening

We planted some seeds last week.

We're hoping they grow.  Preferably into lettuce, basil and cucumbers.  We'll see.

I was informed that all they need is, "Sunshine, Water, and Love."  I now have a crazy Sesame Street song stuck in my head.  Happy Birthday Stinky!

At least they are already getting their share of love.

catching up

We went to a Strawberry Festival last weekend. I'm not sure what happened, but now it's almost this weekend, and I didn't post about this.  I did want to share a bit though, so I mustn't get too behind or pretty soon I'll be posting about summer birthdays at Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations on Valentine's Day.  That would be terrible, and confusing.

Anyway, about the festival.  It was way out in the "country".   We have to take these city kids out to see some trees and bugs every once in a while.  So, we drove and drove, stopped at the best bakery  and then drove some more. I was excited for the strawberries and whatever else there was to see...




Wouldn't you know, the second craft table I passed was selling yarn bowls! Yarn bowls at the Strawberry Festival! Only I could be so lucky. It was an early birthday to me. Here he is in his new home.

Of course my littlest monkey loved the petting zoo. He tried to feed the horse and the cows. He wanted to snuggle the chickens. He really, really loves chickens. Here he is admiring some chickens we saw when we went to Penn State a few weeks ago.  You can't really tell, but I know he's just itching to get in there with him.

I was surprised though, it seems he likes goats even more than chickens. He tried to climb the gate to get into their pen. I think he wanted to snuggle with them. Who could blame him, wouldn't you want to give this guy a kiss?

My other monkey had a pretty good time too. Although, I think she would have enjoyed it more if we had just let her have a Strawberry Sundae the minute we got there...Silly us trying to eat lunch and enjoy the festival first...She had her daddy though, and that's all you really need.

And, just in case you were wondering...There were no "real" strawberries at the festival (hence no fun strawberry pictures).  I guess the strawberries didn't know they had been invited...

102º

what else do you do when the Heat Index reaches 102º?  Knit wool socks of course!  Well, toeless socks, that is.

I am so very mean to my feet.  Once it is above 60º I never wear socks.  I don't think this has much to do with why my feet are in such rough shape, but it definitely doesn't help.  I need something to help these poor feet.  In a perfect world I would lotion them up, then pull on some socks and sleep the night away.  I'd wake up with smooth soft feet, right?  Except I never remember to put lotion on them.  And I don't like to sleep in socks.  My toes cant' breath in socks.  So, I decided to knit a pair of toeless socks.  I lanolized them so that the lanolin can work its magic and I don't have to remember the lotion.  I hope my husband doesn't read this because he will start quoting Silence of the Lambs, and I'll get the hibbie jeebies.

Super Sexy, no?

wish me luck

I think I am going to need it!

Last night I swatched for the most difficult thing I have ever knit. Seriously, the pattern is 13 pages!  There are charts, and more charts, a full page of legends for the charts, and Mirrored Double Decreases. What??? I'm not really sure what that is either. I'm in the process of learning as I go. The finished project will be the beautiful Catkin, by Carina Spencer.  

The swatch is about 4" by 4".  It took me 2 hours.  The final shawl measures about 50" by 18"...I'm unwilling to do the math to figure out how long it will take me.  Not only am I not capable of doing math after 9pm (or before 9pm really, who am I kidding, I'm not even sure I know how to add any more), I don't really want to know how long it will take.  Why suck the fun out of it, right?

Anyway, here is my swatch.  It is not perfect, and I am really glad I made it, so I know what to expect as I venture off to knit this crazy beautiful shawl.

My goal is to finish this project by the end of July, wish me luck, I think I will need it!

I have also managed to fold 1 load of laundry this week, it's still in the basket, but it's folded!  Let's not talk about all the other loads though, ok?

sock knitter

because I said this blog would include something about knitting...

I am not a sock knitter. My mom's cousin Maureen (my second cousin, no my first cousin once removed...ack! I just looked this up on Wikipedia and I still don't know the difference!) is a sock knitter.  She can knit socks like the wind.  Seriously.  I'm pretty sure she knit 243 socks one weekend.  Well, maybe it was 242...but who's counting.  Anyway, I'm not a sock knitter.  This is the only sock that I ever knit:

Sad, Lonely, Unfinished Sock

notice it's unfinished state, and lack of a mate.  This poor thing is still sitting in my project basket, 2+years later.

My lack of sock knitting does not prevent me from buying beautiful sock yarn.

Luckily for me there are many things you can knit out of sock yarn, that do not resemble socks in the least. Perhaps the most common would be shawls. There are so many beautiful shawl patterns that it is almost impossible to decide on one. Especially if you are not a shawl person. I have knit 3.1 shawls. None of them have been for me. The first was a fabulously easy scarf/shawl that I made for my mom. If you are a beginning knitter and would like an easy to knit shawl, then check out the Clapotis, by Kate Gilbert. It's from the Fall 2004 edition of Knitty, and has been knit 17,649 times according to Ravelry. Wow! That is insane. I don't have a finished picture of this project, but perhaps I will be able to trick my mom into letting me take one the next time we go visit.

The other 2.1 shawls I've knit were all the same pattern. The Far Away, So Close, by Carina Spencer is such a beautiful shawl. It is also very easy to knit, but looks stunning in a variety of yarns. These were all knit for friends and family going through rough times in there lives.

The last is currently still in progress and is being completed by a group of my knitting friends.  Friends are awesome, especially when we can all work together to make something beautiful.  I'll let you know what the finished product looks like!

I do plan to knit a pair of socks though, some day. Seriously.

In other news, I folded 2 loads of laundry today! yay! I also forgot to clean the kitchen after dinner...boo!

learning to fly

but I ain't got wings...

A few years ago, when I was a mama to just one monkey, I found this website: FlyLady.net.  It is a bit crazy, and has gotten much crazier since I first found it.  I'll admit that I never officially became a "flybaby" but the thought somewhat appeals to me.  She gives you some basic steps to take back your house.  To get it in order and keep it that way.  Oh, this would make my husband so happy!  I just can't seem to do it though.  Every time I accomplish something in one room, another falls apart.  Does this happen to you?  I hope so, it would make me feel much better about myself.

Anyway, I recently stumbled upon the site again, and decided to do her first step, shine your sink.  Well, I mostly really, really cleaned the sink, I did not "shine" it with windex.  I don't really want to spray windex in my sink.  

I also did a little reorganizing and cleaning in the rest of the kitchen.  I threw away 4 bags of cereal, all with less than 1/4 cup of cereal in them.  Why did I keep those in the first place?  I don't know.  Since we are lucky enough to have a lot of counter space in the kitchen, I'm clutter-y enough to fill them up with stuff.  In the long run, it's not a good idea to put a bunch of stuff on your counters.  Turns out you have no space to prep/cook meals that way.  So, I went to work to clear them off.  

This is what I managed to do one day.  Well, maybe it took a day and a half.  Nap time is very short around here.  

Messy Before

Organized After!

I know those side pictures are a little small, but it's just the insides of my cabinets, so it's not really all that exciting.

If you are a closet-clutter-bug-but-you-really-do-love-to-have-things-organized kind of person, I suggest you pick one room in your house to work on.  It will make you feel like you've accomplished some thing great, which you have!  Now, if I can just manage to keep it that way...

oh, and in case you were wondering, I have done 4 loads of laundry so far this week, and haven't folded anything, yikes!

howler monkey

My littlest monkey is a terrible napper. If you are in a moving vehicle of any kind (car, stroller, backhoe...well, probably not a backhoe, but you get the point) after 11am, he will most likely fall asleep. “That sounds lovely,” you say. Yes, in theory. However, if he happens to wake up 10 minutes later, he has only taken a 10 minute nap, and that is it for the day. Then you have a very cranky howler monkey clinging to you for the rest of the day.

How does one knit when there is a howler monkey in the house? Unfortunately, you can not. It is possible to dream about what you would be knitting if you had the time. Today I imagined myself sitting in a big comfy chair, sunlight streaming through an open window, knitting away on an unidentified project. It was lovely. And quiet, oh so quiet.

The dream lasted less than a minute. There was so much noise in the house I couldn't focus on anything, let a lone a lovely daydream. So, I threw the monkeys in the car and took them to their natural habitat, the park(ok, I didn't throw them, just lightly tossed, like a salad). I love taking my monkeys to the park. It is somehow quieter there. Their friends are there and they play. It is very cute. Especially when they play together. It was warm, breezy, sandy, and also lovely.

Also, just so you all know (I have one follower!) I've done 6 loads of laundry this week. I folded 2.5, the other .5 went straight on the bed (clean sheets!), there are two loads in baskets that are getting very, very wrinkly, and one load still in the dryer. That's actually not that bad of a laundry week.

and so it begins.

Jumping into the blogging world.  I have been reassured that at least my sister in law will read it, so I hope she wasn't fibbing!

Like most people out there, I don't feel like there is enough time in the day to do all the things that need to be done.  Namely, the laundry.  No matter what I do, there is always so much laundry.  I sometimes feel like I am catching up, and then, boom, 3 loads of unfolded laundry.  Sitting there, wrinkling up by the minute.  So, I decided to start a blog, so that I have yet another thing I can do other than laundry.  yay!

There are also 3 wip's (or for you non knitters, Works In Progress aka unfinished knitting projects) sitting in my basket.  Well, actually one is sitting in my lap, but you get the idea.  Two of these projects have been sitting around for almost a year.  No! It can't be...but it is.  They are very mistreated projects, and I must try to finish them soon, before I completely forget what they were meant to be.

There is one thing that I manage to do everyday (other than brush my teeth) and that is sweep the kitchen floor.  The crazy monkeys that live with me are very talented in spreading their crumbs all over the place.  We eat at a table like civilized people, but somehow the floor looks like something from the petting zoo.  It's true.

So, join me in my attempt to document this silly life of sweeping, laundry & knitting.