Knittymama

Well, here is my SP8 info. I’m so excited, this is my first Secret Pal! I’ve always wanted to do one, so here we go…

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I’m definetely more of a natural fibers person. Love wool and alpaca. Not a fan of acrylics. I’m okay with some novelty yarns, like ribbon, just not the really furry/gaudy stuff.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have a straight needle case that my grandma made for me, and a crochet needle case for my double points, but since it’s really for crochet needles it’s too short so they always fall out. My poor circs? Jumbled up in a bag!

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I started knitting a few months after Little Man was born, so that would be close to three years. Geez, it seems so much longer than that! I’m intermediate, I’d guess.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yup! right here

5. What’s your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
lavender and citrus, but only the all natural stuff like you’d find at a coop/natural foods place. I’m allergic to most synthetic stuff.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I’m learning to spin and bought my spinning wheel last summer. I ‘ve sewn a bit, but my sewing machine is grumpy so I don’t do it much. I like flower gardening when I get the time.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like classical, jazz, folk and folk/rock the most, but I’m pretty much open to anything that’s not mainstream pop. Yup to MP3’s.

9. What’s your favorite color? Or–do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can’t stand? Wow, that’s hard! I’m partial to reds, blues, and browns but I really love just about anything. My least favorite would be the “baby” pastels as I tend to be drawn more towards brighter colors or jewel tones. Oh, and although I love each color separately, I hate pink/purple varigated; reminds me of Barbie dolls 🙂

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I’ve got two boys, 3 years and 2 months, and a husband of 8 years. I’ve got two cats and a greyhound.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes to all! I couldn’t make it through a Minnesota winter w/out them, especially my scarves. I made one poncho, but now I think I’m kind of getting tired of the poncho thing 🙂

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I love to make socks! I also like to make stuff for my boys and sweaters for me, although I haven’t actually finished one yet! They are both UFO’s. Felted bags are fun too.

13. What are you knitting right now? A baby shawl and sweater for my youngest, socks for me, a shawl for me, dishcloths for my brother.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes I do! 🙂

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Usually circular, addis or bamboo, but the more slippery bamboo like Crystal Palace. I also have a set of Denise needles that I love.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? yup, yup

17. How did you learn to knit? My Grandma! 🙂

18. How old is your oldest UFO? 2 years. It’s the Barbara Walker Learn-to-Knit afaghan. There are 63 squares. I’m only on 9!

19. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

20. Is there anything that you collect?
Other than yarn, patterns and CD’s, I’m an anti-collector, LOL. I’ve been trying to de-clutter the past year, not that it seems to be helping much. All my new spaces keep getting filled with toys and little boy clothes 🙂

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Wow, that’s hard because there are so many new ones! I really like “Wendy Knits” or “The Knitting Answer Book.” I’d love to get my hands on some of the great handpainted sock yarn coming out of all the Etsy shops lately, or “Socks that Rock” as I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. I subscribe to “Vogue Knitting,” “Interweave Knits” and “Spin Off.”

22. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?
Lace! And although I’ve practiced on cable swatches, I’ve yet to make an actual garment. Magic loop would be cool too.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I love to knit socks. Size 8 shoe, length 9 and 3/4 inches, circ below the calf about 10 inches.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) 3/29

Thank you Secret Pal!!! 🙂 This is going to be fun!

Nothing like getting smacked around by your three-year-old in a busy parking lot…

Some days I just have very bad Mama judgement. Little Man has been cooped up all week with a bad cold and this rainy cold weather. So this morning for a treat we met a friend at his favorite coffee shop. It was great, he was great. We hung out, relaxed, and he enjoyed a giant peanut butter cookie. I forgot to watch the time and by the time he starts to get antsy, I realize it’s 12:45, we’ve had no lunch, and I still need to get to the store. Do I make the right choice, and go home for lunch?

No.

It’s cold, rainy and I don’t want to drag the boys in and out more then necessary. I make the Bad Mama decision and drag my hunrgy, sugared-up, getting-over-a-cold three year old to the grocery store. Clever, huh?

As soon as I got in thereI realized this was a bad decision but by then it’s too late. We manage to scramble through (thank god it was sample day!). I think I’m home free, but then Knittybaby wakes up to nurse, so then we’ve got to hang out for another 20 minutes. Little Man is barely hanging in there. Finally, it’s time to go. I put him in his car seat and he FREAKS. I’m trying to buckle him in and all he can do is scream, hit, slap, kick, etc. (like any normal hunrgy, sugared-up, getting-over-a-cold three year old would do.) And I’m feeling that the entire parking lot is giving me the “look” and I’m thinking to myself “but he’s really such a nice child and never hits me and I really am normally a very good mom!”……but, we all do it sometimes, it’s part of motherhood. We make a lousy decision that sets up trouble, but I guess it’s how we learn to be better parents. We’re all bound to have major in-public meltdowns, right? (Please tell me I’m right so I don’t get coal on Mother’s Day, I’m really hoping for yarn!)

My one saving grace was the fact that just prior to the meltdown, a super nice shopper offered to push my cart and put my bags in the trunk (she knew we were about to blow!) and told me she had 6 kids and knows what these days can be like. So, God bles ya, whoever you are. Your kindness kept me from losing it too!

Okay, enough of the saga…

OTK? I am a mere 16 inches of I cord and a washing machine (gee, what on earth could it be?) from having my mom’s Mother’s Day gift done. Hopefully tonight, if Knittybaby doesn’t have another gas attack, poor guy. Thank God I have an understanding mother! Pictures as soon as she gets it.

Hope to see some of you locals at Shepard’s Harvest tomorrow! I know Chris and Kate will be there, and Susan will be doing a Sheep to Shawl. It will be fun to finally meet some other bloggers. If you’re there, look for me. I’ll probably be the only one with a baby in a pink flowered sling. (I promise Little Man will be rested and well fed:-)

And since I probably won’t post again before then, Happy Mother’s Day! May you all have a nice lady help you with your groceries, or wherever else you may need it!

Wow, lots to write about that has sort of been piling up. I’ll save Little Man for last.

It’s been fun reading about all the other Minnesotan bloggers who were also at Yarnover a couple weeks ago. Knittybaby and I were there, but just for the shopping as I figured class with a 6 week old is not that practical. I got some very pretty Atacama alpaca yarn to make a shawl with, as well as a cute t-shirt. (Fresh out of my wrinkly laundry basket. Folding has not been a big priority lately, as I feel accomplished if we have anything clean at all!)

Aside from making a cute shirt/shawl combo, Arthur also says they make a nice bed:

I didn’t buy much as I’m waiting for Sheperd’s Harvest.

My third and last purchase I’m mad about. I’ve always wanted to do Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Baby Surprise Jacket. Well, the shop with the Atacama had some samples and patterns for sale. I looked at the pattern, which was a pamphlet along with the original newsletter with the price of $3.00. I thought that was pretty cheap, so I bought it. Knittybaby was getting hungry so I just signed the receipt and left. We sat down and while he was nursing I took out my receipt and saw it was about $10.00 more than it should have been. So I went back, and the saleswoman told me the pattern was really $12.00!!! She said it had something to do with licensing and the fact that this woman basically wrote out the pattern line by line, which I’m sure is very helpful for a beginner, but the original Zimmerman pattern would have worked just fine for me! She was pleasant enough about it, but I could tell she didn’t want to deal with a return and Knittybaby was getting fussy and ready to go, so I decided to just leave. But as I drove home, the more I thought about the fact that I just paid $12 for a pattern I can get for free at the library, the more irriatted I got. Oh, and the $3.00 price? That was on the original newsletter enclosed with the pattern. They definitely need to mark that more carefuly as there was no $12.00 marked anywhere.

Speaking of baby knitting, I just signed up for the Baby Sweater Knit-A-Long. Hopefully it will inspire me to finish Knittybaby’s garter jacket and get started on something else for him.

I did decide to sign up for SP8, but I’m still waiting for the info on my pal.

Finally, the sock. It’s not too dramatic, more funny. I had made the mistake of leaving my sock on the coffee table, and while usually Little Man leaves my stuff alone, something about those little double points is irresistable. So when I showed him the evidence with my usual mom-like “what-on-earth-you-know-better-please-don’t-touch” speech, he looked at me very seriously and said: “But I put them back.”

Based on where he stuck the needles, I don’t think he’s quite ready for his first knitting lesson.

Hubby took off with the camera today, along with the sock pictures, so I’ll introduce you to Grace, our retired greyhound. We adopted her four years ago from Greyhound Pets of America-Minnesota. If you are ever looking for a dog, I highly recommend adopting a racer! They are wonderful, sweet dogs who deserve a nice home after having a tough life in the racing industry, which is not the kindest place to be a dog. She is the dearest girl you could ever have!

She looks pretty skinny now, as she’s getting over a long stomach bug, and she’s a very finicky eater as is. But she is now on the mend and should be fattened up pretty soon (or at least fat by her skinny standards!:-)

Tomorrow: what Little Man did to the sock…….

Those of you who are mothers may or may not have gone through this, but with a new baby I’ve found I usually have three different types of days:

1. Frozen to my rocking chair, not dressed until lunch, one disaster after another until I am left a sniveling and exausted mess. (Wednesday was one of those days)

2. Super-mommy-goddess in which I manage to cook real food ( not just re-heat) do laundry and GET STUFF DONE, all while my baby sleeps or nurses in my sling. (Today, so far, has been one of those days).

3. The usual day, which is a little bit of both.

Of course, with two kids now I’m more likely to get a #1 and less likely to get a #2, but it sure was nice to have a #2 kind of day today, especially with today’s rain!

On my goddess days (or moments) here’s how I knit:

Thank God for baby-slings. Frankly, I’m mystified about mothers who don’t use these. Knittybaby spends many happy hours sleeping or nursing in here, and then I get both hands to eat, do laundry, vaccuum, entertain Little Man, and yes, even knit!

My sling is a Zolo Sling. I love this thing! Not only is it cute (they have lots of fabric choices) but it is light and even has pocket for your keys, wallet, or of course, a sock-in-progress. Girls, if you plan to have a baby (or just had one) get a sling! There are lots of different types (just search for baby slings or baby wearing) and it does take a good week to get used to them, but stick with it. You will get the hang of it and it makes for much happier baby and mama. My hubby even has one.

So what have I knit?

Squares for Warming Grace. If you haven’t visited Cynthia’s site yet, be sure to see what she is doing to help her niece, who is ill with lukemia.

These are 5 inch squares, knit in a cotton/angora blend by Artful Yarns. I’m sending them off this weekend.

I also finished up Knittybaby’s socks, but need to re-take a picture, so I’ll get that up another day.

So I make this smoothie for Little Man and myself that we call “Meanie Greenies.” I have no idea why we call it that other than the fact that all the spirulina I throw in turns it bright green. So we each have a glass and we’re sitting at the table enjoying our drinks and Little Man starts to get a little playful with his beverage, blowing bubbles and the like, spattering all over the place. Then he decides that he needs to pour it back and fourth into two glasses. My motherly powers sense disaster from this activity, so I go to intervene and end up spilling it myself, all over the table.

At this point Knittybaby decides he was mistaken and really wasn’t sleepy after all, so I go to pick him up and find a dishrag and I hear Little Man yell, “I can lick it up, Mom!” I come back to see my dear son covered in green smoothie: face, shirt and his long hair, with bits of flaxseed stuck all over him. All with Grandma and Gomme due in just a few hours and an already trashed house. I have to say, he looked so funny that my sense of humor took over and I was unable to get mad, so I just threw him in the tub.

Knitting content? While Little Man was soaking his green stuff off, I was able to peruse the 2005 Spring Knits all while nursing Knittybaby in the bathroom. I need a real chair in there. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to nurse a baby when the only place to sit is the toilet seat cover? Anyway, I re-read the article on brioche stitch. Has anyone tried a project using that? I haven’t tried it with needles yet, but everytime I read about it my mind gets all twisty.

Another contest, this time by Kat: five places you’ve knit other than home or a knitting store. See if you can guess the theme…

1. Walking up and down, up and down the flightline at EAA’s Airventure.
2. In the hayfield behind my in-law’s farm, watching Hubby and Little Man fly model airplanes.
3. At our campsite at Airventure. (We go every year, by the way).
4. At numerous small airports, watching airplanes with Hubby and Little Man.
5. Not to be too theme oriented, at parent-teacher conferences, while waiting for parents to talk to me. Since no one usually talks to the music teacher, I tend to get a lot done.

Did you figure it out? Hubby loves airplanes (small aircraft and homebuilts) as much as I love knitting. While I find airplanes interesting , I can only look at them for about 20 minutes before I start to get figetity. Having knitting means we are both happy.

Moving on from the contest, Knittybaby is one month old today!!! I forgot to say thanks before to those who left me notes of congratulations, I appreciated it. I can hardly believe it’s been a month. He already has changed so much already, and is starting to have more awake time now, which is fun. I’m starting to feel a little more settled in. Thank goodness for all the friends who have brought us meals, and that the weather has been beautiful so Little Man can play outside. Spring is a great time to have a baby!

Also, thanks for the SP8 advice. I think I’m going to give it a try!!

Not much knitting action here….Knittybaby seems to be going through his first growth spurt and Little Man is having a hard time sharing his mommy. I’ve been spending a lot of time nursing my baby and trying to keep my Little Man from feeling left out. Needless to say, I could use a couple of extra arms! (And a lap) Luckily, the warm weather is helping in that we can get outside. I don’t know what I’d do if it was January.

So I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to do Secret Pal 8. I’ve never done one before, but I have to say I’ve been coveting all those great boxes I see people get. The whole thing just seems fun, and I’m a sucker for getting anything in the mail. But here’s my hang-up: every time I do a secret pal (usually a Secret Santa) I end up with the lousiest one. In 6th grade, everyone else was getting cool things like neon jelly bracelets. What did I get? A half melted, squished box of Junior Mints from some boy I didn’t even know:-( Then there was the time in college when the accountant in my office was my Secret Santa, but didn’t get the whole concept of it and didn’t understand he was supposed to get me anything. So everytime I sign up for something I have fun buying for my pal but usually come up short on my end. As I write this I’m thinking I sound like a greedy girl! I’m really not, it’s just a bummer when it seems to happen every time. I had actually given up on these until Secret Pal came along.

So what I’d love to hear is about your experiences. Have you done a Secret Pal? How was it? If not, why? Should I try it out or go snag a “Not a Secret Pal” button and go drop $60 at the Yarnery sale this weekend? Right now, I’m leaning towards trying it out. After all, these are knitters here, not 6th grade boys, right?

The boys, including Hubby, are all asleep upstairs, and I have my first moment of real quiet since Knittybaby has been born. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself, so I thought I’d get out the heaps of pictures I’ve been saving up. Despite the fact that Knittybaby is not quite three weeks old, we have had actual knitting going on, because what could be more perfect than snuggling with your sweet baby, asleep on your lap, and knitting a sock for him? You can’t beat that!

I love these early weeks, when you get to spend so much time just nursing, rocking, and enjoying this new little person. It is much different this time, as Little Man wants to share my lap too, but we all manage to fit into the rocker together and overall we are all doing well.

So first, my knitting: The garter stitch booties. Way too small, for starters, (I never checked the guage, I know…) and I’m not convinced they are the most practical item. They will be frogged for a pair of Knittybaby socks.

Next we have socks that I started for Little Man back in January. Since then he seems to have grown about two inches and gained about five pounds (or maybe it’s having a new baby but he seems HUGE lately!). There is no way these will fit him, so Knittybaby can grow into them istead. These have been my nursing knitting. How does one nurse a baby and knit? We’ll get to that another day.

Next, a quick hat I knitted up for my friend’s baby. She had her son a little over a month before me, and I missed her shower the other weekend. So this will be going to her next time I see her. I use Knitpicks Andean Silk for this one.

This is the Garter Stitch Jacket from the Debbie Bliss “Baby Knits” book. I started this before Knittybaby was born, and although it is supposed to fit three to six months, it seems huge. I got gauge, so I’m not sure what is going on. I’m ready to start the sleeves so I’m going to do some measuring and see what changes I might make first. I’m using the Rowan Baby Soft I picked up last month. I like it; it feels like I’m knitting with fleece.

Moving on from my knitting, these are gifts that Knittybaby received from my grandmother. Aren’t they lovely? My grandma is the one who taught me how to knit. She made sure that I got a good start, making me practice my knits and purls until I got them right. I credit her with the fact that I typically get nice, even stitches and a steady guage. She has given me a gift by teaching me to knit, and she has given both my boys some beautiful sweaters that I will save to pass on to them once they have children of their own.

These are the icing on the cake: crocheted booties from my Great-Grandmother. She passed away about 12 years ago, and these booties are a legacy of hers. I’m sure that she churned out hundreds of these booties. I’ve inherited about 8 pairs myself from family members who saved them. She made them for anyone she encountered who had a new baby, even if she barely knew them. She loved babies and loved making these for people, and I have fond memories of watching her make them. She is the reason I still would like to learn more about crochet than the basic potholders she taught me to make. She was a wonderful, loving woman and I miss her very much. She would have gone crazy over Little Man and Knittybaby!

Finally, something just for fun. I came across this contest at
Kate’s website and thought it was a hoot. So here is my “cupboard over the fridge:”

It isn’t really over the fridge. We have a pre-fridge house, so instead I just have “the incredibly high cupboard” that I need a stool to reach. So what do we have? First, all the vitamins and herbal remedies that need to be kept out of reach from Little Man, but since they are so high we often forget to take them. They are the only thing that actually comes in and out. Otherwise I’ve got old tupperwear flour containers (I HOPE they are empty!) the dogs toothbrush, a piece of pottery with a wolf on top, and my old asthma measurer (I can’t remember the actual name of it, and my asthma rarely bothers me anymore). Oh, and some rice flour from when I planned on making dog biscuits.

The side view has the popcorn popper that we do actually use, a neti pot, and the espresso maker that makes such bad espresso now that we never use it. I’m sure there is more behind it but I am afraid to look!

This is by far the longest post I’ve done, and Knittybaby is up again and nursing, so I’d better stop here. One thing I am not good at is nursing and typing! So I’m off to snuggle with my little guy and enjoy a relaxing Sunday evening.