Yarn Along

Yarn Along time!

I haven't had much time for reading lately. 

I sing with two choral groups and we begin our concerts in about 2 1/2 weeks, so most of my reading has been our repertoire.

It's challenging stuff, but so much fun to sing.

On the needles I have a pair of booties for She-Who-Has-Not-Been-Named. 

Actually, you can see that those are off the needles, but now I am making a matching hat.

I am totally digging this set of baby cuteness. 

The hat has a flower on the top of it, and there will be a sweater too, at some point.

What are you knitting and reading this week?

In Which Jess Shares a Bunch of Links and Makes Grand Predictions About Her Activities for the Next 10 Weeks.

Last Wednesday I got to spend some quality time with my Mom, which was awesome, at the Urgent Care/ER, which was not.

I have a pregnant cold. This seems to be like a Man Cold, in that I was completely incapacitated by a stuffy head. Low-ish blood pressure, combined with what was probably mild dehydration, and low hemoglobin made for a weak, fuzzy-headed and sleepy Jess.

Anyhoo, the Hubby has demanded that I take it easy with my volunteer commitments and so I shall.

This has opened up many of my days and so it can't hurt to start a few baby-prep projects in the meantime.

On Saturday I finished up teaching a class at the Yarnery and one of my students gave me a thank-you gift certificate so I could make something for the baby. (Sweetest thing ever, that)

Since I was working at the store again yesterday, I picked out some yarn and a pattern and I started knitting these adorable booties.

I also got yarn for the matching sweater and hat, and they're all 6 month size, so I have a little time before they'll be worn.

Also on the docket is a rag rug.

As I was perusing the blogs yesterday I came across this Rug-A-Long at Ric Rac, and it reminded me that I have been meaning to make something like this. 

So, with that in mind I set out for the thrift store and picked up this pile of loveliness.

The energy necessary for cutting and braiding strips of fabric should not be overly taxing to this 30 weeks pregnant lady, and I am excited to see how it all comes out in the end.
I think a rainbow rag rug will be nice to haul along to the beach this summer.

What's on your list of things to do?

The Last Post About This Blanket (for now)

I finished the blanket today.
It came off the loom yesterday, and I got a start on the fringing.
I went with a random stripe, usually I am a very concrete person, so this was a departure for me.
You can see in this photo that about 8 inches from the right-hand side of the blanket there is a pretty clear flaw.
When the Elder and I set up the warp we twisted two strands, and twisted they remained for the duration of the weaving process.

So, this morning I pulled those two threads out and re-wove them using a tapestry needle and now you can't see a thing!

I still have gobs of yarn left, so I think I may just make this snowsuit for the wee bairn and then she'll have a matching stroller ensemble.

When I decided to get weaving again I went to Interweave Press online and downloaded a couple of how-to e-books.
The next thing I want to try is some more challenging warp set-ups.
For this blanket I did a zig-zag twill weave; every 4 inches or so I just reversed the order of the pedals that I used.
One of the books I downloaded had really complicated-looking patterns that they swear can be accomplished by following a chart.
I may keep you all apprised of my progress as far as that goes, faithful readers.
I hope all is well with you out there.

You Know How it Goes...

So I may have gone to the yarn store yesterday and bought a couple of skeins of yarn to coordinate with the blanket project, just to add some fun stripes.

Stash reduction can never really occur without some additional purchases, can it?

A Weaving Project

Well, it all started about 3 years ago at a stash swap at the Yarnery. 

I got a bag of Sierra from a co-worker and while I did use a ball or so in a project for Christmas 2010, the majority of it was still sitting in my basement waiting to realize its destiny.

The other month I had a visit from my friend Susan who loaned me the amazing, beautiful, floor loom that I have had in my basement for over a year, and she suggested that I weave a blanket from the Sierra.

Saturday, I finally got down to it and brought out the warping board. I spent some time setting up the loom yesterday and this morning I have made an actual start on a blanket. 

I think this will be for the baby, but it might just end up on the couch (it's chilly up here you know).

Warm Up To Winter

Here it is Wednesday and I haven't posted for Yarn Along yet.
Well, I dropped the ball on that one, sure enough.
But, I was cruising the blogs and found this great knit along on Love in the Mommy Hood and I decided to join in.
This is especially timely since the Younger refuses to keep his mittens in a state of not-being-lost.
So, I pledge to knit a pair of mittens for the Younger by the February 18th deadline.
Will anyone else out there join me?
Click the button for more info.

Six!

My young son, The Younger, celebrated his 6th birthday today.

How I love this sweet, independent, kind and friendly boy.

Please Humor this Mommy...

The Younger brought these home from Kindergarten today. 

He spontaneously wrote these notes during class.

My Dad is at work. 

My Dad teaches computers.

My Sister likes to play with me.

My Dad likes to play with me.

My Mom is pregnant.
What an exceptional child he is :)

Red!

This season has been all about the cables and the red yarn for me.
I didn't quite realize it until this morning, when I was considering the next step on my current red sweater.

I made these slippers for my mom for Christmas, they were a super quick knit, and so satisfying! I may have to make some for myself as well.

Add these two projects to the sweater that I finished up just in time for Christmas Eve, and that's a lot of red cables.
Also, there is a lot of baby in this photo.
We've reached Trimester #3 and I am feeling fine. She's moving all the time, and even kicks the kids occasionally when they're on my lap, which leads to no end of giggling.

Yarn Along

Yarning Along with Ginny. 

My husband got a Kindle for work, and I got sucked in to The Hunger Games. We have a deal where we can download a book a month for free, so after we both devoured the book last week we downloaded the second one on Sunday. 

Unfortunately, Catching Fire, the second installment, is such a speedy read that now we have to wait a whole month before we can get the third book. 

I may have to go to the library...

The sweater is Sylvi from the 2008 Twist Collective. It's on nice big needles and is going fairly quickly. My husband and I have been catching up on Breaking Bad, so I have had some nice, uninterrupted knitting time. I may have this one finished by Springtime.

 What's on your needles today?

The Best Things About 2011

A couple of years ago I started a tradition of celebrating the best of the year just past.

2011 brought us

Beauty
Creating
Dance
Friends
Love
Music
Nature
Surprises

 1. Heading Uphill, 2. Talking over Breakfast, 3. Limoncello in the works, 4. Bury Dada!, 5. Scrabble Maze, 6. Fifth Lamp from the Car, 7. Minnehaha Creek, 8. Sleeping Beauty, 9. Henry at the Playground, 10. Annie the Ballerina, 11. Cardinal, 12. First Outdoor Meal of the Year, 13. Let's Do Jumping Jacks to Keep Warm!, 14. 2 Egrets, 15. Waves on Rocks, 16. Pinning the Pattern Piece, 17. Blossoms, 18. Sweet Sunlit Lady, 19. Soccer Monsters!, 20. Through the rows, 21. The Family, 22. DSCN4293, 23. Blurry Little Boy, 24. Snapper!, 25. Watching Allie Swim, 26. Crosby Tree, 27. Caterpillar in the Sand, 28. In the River with Auntie Donna, 29. Annie at the Fair, 30. Henry and His Pumpkin, 31. Gully, 32. Princess and Pirate, 33. 16 Weeks, 34. Punkins, 35. Cradle for Kit, 36. Beautiful day for a walk

Let's hope that 2012 will be as fun.