Ketchup!

OK. In no particular order.

I. Things are trucking on the switcheroo. DH and my dad built the loft bed from Ikea. We may need to shorten it a smidge. Here are some photos to catch you up with where we are. First the boy's room, then the girls'.

A. BOY:

1. The finished Floor.


2. It's curtains for you.


3. FLOR samples. Fedora and House Pet. He likes the red on the top right.
4. The newly assembled loft bed.


B. GIRL:

1. Area rug made of FLOR tiles. The airplanes were on clearance.


2. Trying out the garland (pennant. Bunting. Used Car Lot flags? Streamers? Prayer Flags? Triangles suspended from Bias Tape? Whatever.)


II. Knitting
A. Finished the blankey for El. I'm not sure how I feel about the colors still, but DH really likes it. Hopefully Ellie will too.



B. Baby Socks for El. The Mim Knits pattern again. Leftover Lorna's Laces (Icehouse?) From the Jaywalkers I made for my sister.


C. When I went from working on the blanket to the socks, there was quite a chorus of "You never knit anything for me" from La. So, I went back to working on the couch blanket, which is a project she dreamed up. No new photo, though. It was a hassle and a half to get it back on the needles.

III. Sewing
Been doing a lot of clean up work with sewing. Finished a pair of languishing shorts for La - only needed elastic. Finished the doll quilt for La (haven't photographed it yet). Made the curtains and finished the garland. Bound the watercolor quilt. Now it just needs to be dropped off at the LQS. Not sure what's next on the agenda - more pants and shorts for the girls? A dress for me? Finishing the two Linus quilts that I started on Maternity leave (they need to be sandwiched and quilted)? Hopefully soon I'll be able to finish El and the Monkey's quilts.

Table Scraps

I totally meant to blog this sooner, but you know....

One evening, when I should probably have been doing something else, I made this:


I had read about crumb piecing and really wanted to try it. I think it's probably about 18x18" and will become a doll quilt for La. It literally was made of "table scraps" - the blue fish and blue circles were leftover from shorts for La, the fruit salad from the cloth shoes for El, and the blue calico and the blue-blue bubbles were from the Wee Bunnies that I made for the girls' Easter baskets, and they were all sitting on the dining room table next to my sewing machine. I think I'll add a border in the wiggly stripes that were the outside of the cloth shoes.

Here are the bunnies for the girls:
The pattern was simple, concpetually. However, more precise sewing skills would have made them a little less eccentric.

Let's see....what else have we been up to?

Working on the switcheroo still. We've (and by WE, I mean DH) got the floor done in the monkey's room. His dresser is moved in and it's already kind of a mess. In the girls' room, we have the unassembled crib. Yesterday I put together the pack and play and El spent her first night "away from home". Her bassinet is still in our room and it's weird to walk by it when we know she's sleeping and not see her there. DH got home from a quick trip to the office yesterday, told him that El was sleeping. He walked into our room and called out, "Where's the baby?" It's sort of making me sad in a last baby milestone sort of way. Since the photos were taken, I've sewn a string of pennant for La and El's room and the curtains for the boy's. The still need to be hung up. Oh, and La and El have a Flor area rug. And the boy has some samples from Flor to consider for his. Next Sunday? A trip to Ikea to pick up a loft bed for him.

(L to R: Hers, His)

Oh, and did you come here for Knitting? pshaw. Well, I did finish a baby hat for our old neighbor who is having a little girl this summer.

It's based on a pattern from Itty Bitty Hats, made from that Elann yarn that is cotton with elastic. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's sort of wonky, but I like the old-fashionedness about it.

Also, hopefully soon I'll be done with El's knit blankie.

It's the little things

that I've been working on. I only have a little time too - I still need to wash bottles before bed.

We had a little bit of a cold snap and it turns out El is getting big. Her newborn hats that seemed giant were just fitting and her sweater? The one that she swam in on the way home from the hospital? Well, it didn't reach her waist anymore.

I finished off the skein of Socks That Rock heavyweight and made a new little hat. I had to stretch the yarn with some stripes of yellow.



And for La's soccer games, I decided she needed a "Florida Hat" (my grandpa is bald. we would send him these cotton fedoras from Kmart and he called them Florida Hats and would wear them when he was out in the sun). Similarly El's hair is very thin (I hesitate to call her bald, but some might say that she is) This is El's new Florida Hat. It's Bernat Cottontots that I've had for a while. Was very easy to make - very similar in concept to Lilly I cast on 2x the stitches that the hat required. Joined in the round and knit 5 rounds. Then K2Tog for a whole round. Then continued to knit as though I were making a baby hat (eg. knit for a good number of inches then begin decreases). I used N, S, E, W raglan decreases, I think, but sprial or spokes would have worked fine too.



Also in the small department, small shoes. These are from the stardustshoes cloth shoe pattern. They were pretty straightforward but I don't think I did the toe right (but it's good enough for a first draft).

I used an impulse buy fat quarter that I had lying around and leftover flannel from my flannel pants problem that I had this summer.





Next up? I'm working on a baby hat for a friend due in May - modeled after the Cotton Stria Stripes hat in Itty Bitty Hats. I cut out some wee bunnies for the girls' Easter baskets.


I'm having an Easter Dress moment - I found out that we're planning to go to church on Easter. When my sister and I were kids, my mom would sew us Easter dresses - it was a big production where we picked out patterns and fabric and my mom would sew her heart out. And we would have fabuous Easter dresses. Sometimes long ones. Sometimes with a pinafore. It's really hard not to start rummaging through my patterns and try to whip something up for one or both girls for Sunday. I bought material to make a spring dress for La. I might just take a look to see if I have a straightforward looking patten with a twirly skirt in her size. No pressure or anything.

In the sick house

Some kind of cold is running through the house. The Monkey was home last Friday. DH was home last Monday. El has been having sniffles but no major fever,etc. La came home sick from school today, poor thing. And I've been moving like molasses in January, with a sore throat that finally turned into a runny nose.

So, I've been remiss about the blogging. That's not to say nothing has been happening, but I don't really have an pictures. I have a good dent in the grocery bags. I need to cut out some more insides.

Did I tell you about the pennant/bunting that I'm making for the girls' room? I'm using this batch of fats to make it.

It will be fierce.

I dug through the treasure box (of scrap fabrics) to find material to try making these cloth shoes for El. Those baby socks. Knitting them seems like it would take too long. Store bought ones somehow don't get lost at school, but they seem to get lost in the wash. I was thinking about using flannel inside and regular cotton on the outside.

Last Friday I went to a spring training game - Braves vs. Dodgers at Disney's stadium. Lots of fun. I brought my "work sock", which is currently at the heel flap stage. Braves won handily. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Life's A Beach. For a while it just looked like tarnish to me, but it's growing on me (like tarnish).

Getting Back on that Horse

Not the sweater horse. That's still waiting to see if it's going to fit DH (or the Monkey).

The quilting horse. After the debacle with the needle flying out at me with the new walking foot, I was letting it rest a moment. I had an epiphany that maybe, just maybe if I dialed the tension down to something remarkably low (like 0), I might have a fighting chance. And I did manage to make it through the quilting phase. We'll see how it holds up in the wash. Now, I need to pick out binding. I'm considering making my own binding. I picked up a binding folder gizmo when the local Hancock's was going out of business.



Sometime last week, I picked up the monkey socks and knit a repeat (woo-hoo?) It was as fun as I remembered it. I'm hoping to get another one done tonight during Project Runway.



I whipped up some shorts for La. February in Florida. Means it's almost time for shorts. They're McCalls 9206 - a boys pattern, because they are the ones that seem to ever have pockets. Apparently little girls don't need them. News to Amelia.



And I saw this bag pattern on WhipUp and made one out of leftovers from La's quilt. I'm thinking about using some beat up sheets to make a whole set of bags. DH has been hoping that I'd make some shopping bags for a few years now. This one is lined (vs. overlocking the edges, as described in the pattern). Figuring out how to sew it together so that you can still turn it right side out was a little tricky. I sewed two bags (one seam from the left "armpit" corner around the bottom to the right armpit corner). Then I sewed the two bags together, right sides together at the armpits, front of the neck and back of the neck. The tops of the handles were the openings. I turned it right side out through one of the handles. It got a little bunchy and challenging, and would have been more difficult with thicker, stiffer fabric. But with this thrifted sheet, it worked OK.

To Frog Or Not To Frog

That is the question.
Tis nobler to finish up already after such a long time on the needles
Or to redo five inches of the body to add increases for the chest
As it is, will it show off the chest with negative ease or will it be too tight to wear with a shirt underneath?
Now that the sleeves are joined and it's almost time for the saddle
is it Too Late to decide that it's too small?
Gauge you fickle mistress.
Measurements even fickler.



I joined up the sleeves to the body this weekend. I knit 1 1/2 inches after the join. (lots of good couch time on Saturday) I read the saddle decrease instructions several times. Finally got out a calculator and tape measure and figured out that it fits DH at the waist, but probably not at the chest. I'm sort of on the fence about how to fix it. The right answer is probably to rip it back south of the joining round by about 5" and add in some increases under the armpits and he'd have a spiffy, tailored sweater. But I'm not quite there yet mentally. I think I'll work on the monkey socks instead.

40 Days of Finishing?

I finished a pair of baby socks to send to Afghans for Afghans Newborn Campaign. They are from the Mim Knits Baby to Toddler Socks, knit on size 0 needles, using Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, leftover from my Monkey socks. It was a fun pattern, a little fiddly, but with socks that small, it's hard to avoid a certain amount of fiddliness. I will probably make more sometime.



The insides, I thought, were pretty neat too.



Next, I'm really looking forward to finishing some stuff that's nearly done. The sweater for DH is about a sleeve-inch or two away from being done up to the armpits - all it will need is shoulders and a neck. Also looking forward to finishing the 2nd monkey sock for my friend. And El's knit blankie. That's three projects right there on the downhill slope. It might also be nice to finish my shetland triangle. The couch blanket might be nice to work on also. At the very least, I should get some update progress shots on all of them.

This can't be good.

When I picked up my sewing machine, I bought a walking foot (finally). I'm having some technical difficulties with it. The guy at the repair shop showed me how to put it on and warned me that if it wasn't on square, it could break the machine (the needle holder part).

When I was finally up for using the machine, I took off the walking foot and put the regular presser foot back on. I made 4 recieving blankets for a friend who is having a girl.

Today, I pin basted the "watercolor" quilt, reinstalled the walking foot and began to quilt. Much more often than I would like for it to happen, the needle flies out of the thingamajig that holds it. It doesn't break, and doesn't make the machine all out of sync again, but it's a little scary.

Unless the internets have any other advice, I think tomorrow I'm going to try using a new needle and not stitching in the ditch, but stitching near the ditch. For now, the machine is in time out.

A Swing and A Miss

I may need to stick to patterns for a while. Here are two things that I tried recently that just didn't work (both were attempts for the Afghans for Afghans 2008 Newborn Campagin.):

1. Toe-up, socks with a flap heel. Up to the gusset was fine. I ended up finding a pattern in Favorite Socks that had similar construction and I totally melted down when it was time to do the math to scale the heel down to a 24-stitch sock from a grown up sized sock. No photos, sorry. I had these grandiose plans of writing up a recipe and everything. Maybe one day. Seems like it'll be a good exercise.

2. Newborn sized Thorpe. It's an earflap hat, knit from the top down in chunky yarn, sized for grownups. I tried moving it to DK weight yarn, sized for a newborn. I think it would work if I picked a set of numbers to follow in the pattern, actually. But I didn't. The top of the hat kept looking too small (probably because it was limited to the size of the needles I was working on), then all of a sudden it looked too big. The hat ended up more platter shaped than cup shaped. Still feel like it's a good concept, but I might need to stick to established patterns for now.

Now, I think I'll try one of any number of newborn sock recipes out there (in my Ravelry queue are: Baby to Toddler Sized Socks from Miriam Felton (PDF), Newborn Sock Recipe by Lies (PDF), and Hunca Munca by Beth LaPense.) For hats, I think I saw some nice patterns at the knit along for the campaign.

Winter in Florida

Inspired by the amaryliss photos at Yarnstorm, here are the paperwhites that I managed to grow. I know nothing about the specific variety of flower. The bulbs came in a felt bag kit and they were a Christmas gift. I'm just pleased as punch that they worked.



While I had the camera out.....

I've been meaning to photograph this experiment too:


Pumpkin plants. This is the second go at starting the plants from seeds. The first try started OK but it took to long for me to get the plants into dirt. I started them with a trick I learned watching Sesame Street when La was little - take a glass jar, add a loosely crumpled wet paper towel, then add a few seeds on it. This works well for sprouting dried beans - you can see the roots and it's pretty neat. Turns out it works well for pumkin seeds too. Then I transplanted all of the seeds that didn't sprout and young shoots to an old Lunchables container that I punched a few drainage holes in the bottom. And last week or so, I transplanted them into old margarine tubs.

Then looking around the yard, I found:

1. A young pineapple. We have a lot of pineapple plants in the back yard, either started from grocery store pineapple tops or from the babies of those plants. Not sure if these are good eating or not. I think you have to pick it at just the right time in order for it to be delightful and you probably have to be more regular in your irrigation, too.



2. This is our golden raintree. Really, it's kind of a pest - making too many babies and shading most of the whole back yard. Mostly I wanted to show off the sky.


3. Bougainvilla blooms. Whe have a giant sized bougainvilla in the back yard - it's kind of untamed. We haven't had a really good freeze to prune it back for us in a few years, it seems.

Knit-wise, I'm working on a baby-sized version of Thorpe to send to the Afghans for Afghans newborn campaign. I'm at a tricky part of figuring out how to center the front with respect to the crown darts.

More maternity leave fun

It's nice to be working on things that are open ended - things that I'm working on purely for the pleasure of working on them. Not to say that things for the baby or things for the holiday weren't fun to work on, but there was a certain sense of productiveness that went along with them. With the new baby + the 2 big kids there's not much time to do what I want to do, and I have to limit the stuff that I want to do, to stuff that I'm actually physically able to do - I can't swim yet, I can't go places where I need to cary the baby carrier at all (C-Section recovery. Not supposed to carry more than what the baby weighs. And if I have the baby in the carrier, then that is baby + C, as my mother pointed out to me, even if I have the baby in one hand and the carrier in the other.) So, here's what I've been doing for fun:

1. Chocolate Marshmallow Blues hat. Adapted from Itty Bitty Hats (a Christmas gift.) Most of it is the Chocolate Blues pattern, but the bottom edge and chin strap are from the Marshmallow Bonnet, but done in garter stitch as in the Chocolate Blues hat. Both hats had similar construction, gauges, etc., so it was an easy adaptation and confirmed, "Why not just do it this way?" instinct. It's for the Afghans for Afghans 2008 Newborn drive, due at the end of February. Needs blocking and a button.


2. I finished the "Eleanor socks". Not technically challenging, but nice to make something for me. :^) Socks that Rock lightweight in Thistle. 2.75mm needle, over 60 stitches.


3. "Random Rail Fence" as I've been thinking of it. Used up the rest of the Moda jelly roll that I bought. Probably not the most efficient constructino method, but OK for not having a lot of direction. I followed the construction strategy that I used in my "lego" quilt until it was 4 strips thick. Then I cut them into 8" blocks and put it together in a sort of helter skelter way. The strips need to be squared up, then the rows will be sewed together to make the top. Eventually this is destined to Project Linus.


4. Another Project Linus quilt - the "watercolor quilt". I really like how this one turned out. It was going to be 5 blocks square, but I was short one blue square and didn't want to cut one out. So it's 4x6 instead, which I think I like better anyway.


I guess that's all I have to show right now. I'm working on a crazy invetion right now- newborn baby sized socks with an afterthought heel. The cuff is sort of fiddly, but it might be neat.

My sewing machine is under the knife. We brought it to the shop on Saturday for "regular" maintenance. Hopefully they don't find anything major wrong with it and it's like new when it gets home again. Gives me some time to write thankyou notes. :^)

Maternity Leave

It's never too soon for your first trip to the fabric store.
El and I went on Monday. I might be overdoing it a little. And frankly, my days at home might be more overdone than the days when I plan an excursion.

This group of fats was an impulse buy. La saw the set and asked if I could make something for her and her sister. I was afraid that I was the only one who would like it all together - it's a little wild and crazy.



"Watercolor" quilt - for Linus. Should end up about 40x40. Probably worth it to click on it to see the bigger view. Still thinking about how I want it to be put together - if I want the non-blue squares to be oriented the same way or if they should be random.



Material for a quilt for me. I started picking out material for this in the last days of pregnancy. But once I got it home, I realized that a queen sized quilt was not a short term project and I needed something NOW. So I ordered 2 (wholecloth ?) quilts from overstock.com. Sophisticated and lovely, good prices. Now I can take a little more time to figure out how I want this to be.


I've picked up El's blanket again. We had blanket weather recently and it was nice to have a project that covered my lap. I'm on the downhill side of it. It's good to be knitting again.


The Eleanor socks are moving along at a good clip too. Turned the heel yesterday and started working on the gusset during project runway.


Oh, and at the fabric store, another impulse purchase was a Moda jelly roll. Much easier to resist online. Then I got it home and didn't know what to do with it. So I sewed half the strips together from selvage to selvage to make about a 40x44" quilt top (reminiscient of this one). I think the next one I'll sew the strips end to end and end up with something kind of like this one.


And, lastly, I'm "this" close to getting back into my pre-preg. pants. I can button them, but then it hurts after a few minutes. So I'm making a test pair of elastic waist pants with pockets. Like La has. Hopefully they fit. This is what is on my list for today. They are cut out and ready to sew. This funny shaped piece is one pocket. It's kind of a grey-green (think Spanish moss) linen.

Got the sewing machine out last weekend ....

Finished a set of bags that were meant to be Christmas presents. Hope to get them in the mail today.




Also whipped up a batch of coasters for a friend's housewarming:



For knitting, I've been working on my Eleanor sock:

(This one just needs to have the toe kitchnered now.)



I really have a hankering to start making baby hats. Oodles and oodles of them. I ordered yarn from Elann - that cotton with elastic stuff in a whole slew of colors. It's being sent parcel post, so I figure I can finish up a few things while I'm waiting -here's a roundup (sans photos)

1. garter stitch blanket for El. I think it's on the downhill side. But too big to be portable.
2. square blanket. This needs a lot of work, and also, it's too big to be portable already.
3. DH's sweater - the second sleeve is almost done, and from there it's the home stretch.
4. monkey sock - I think it's just through the ribbing.

One day, I'll be back to working on my shetland triangle.

Hopefully I'll zip through the second thistle sock. Then I'll tackle the monkey sock and DH sweater next - hopefully they complement each other - the sleeve is good portable knitting, then to do at home once it's joined. The monkey sock is for at home knitting until I get the heel turned, then it's portable.

Oh, and I started cutting out a Linus quilt - Once the monkey goes back to school next week, I'll venture out to the quilt shop for a few more fat quarters for it.

On the switcheroo front, La is enjoying the top bunk in her "new" room. We have paint for the monkey's room. DH has cut in the corners, but the walls need paint.

Make Hay While the Baby Sleeps

Isn't that how it goes? Hope you all are having a nice holiday. Lots of family here. Kind of whirlwindish for not doing very much.

Starting to feel like myself again. Here's how:

1. I'm halfway through the heel flap on the "Eleanor" sock. (it's not very tall, and it's on 2.75mm needles and just regular stockinette. But lots of fun.)

2. I'm considering what I can make for the Afghans for Afghans Newborn Campaign. Probably baby hats.

3. I'd also like to make a few hats to give back to the hospital where El was born.

4. A little friend turns 1 the week after new years. She got a pretend kitchen for Christmas (to share with her big brother). I'm thinking about making her an apron and some cloth food. (I've seen this on a blog somewhere, but Google is not helping me right now.) Or making her a softie might be good too (like the pointy kitty or the Wee Bunny.)

5. I do still have one batch of Christmas presents to send out yet. But, I think, otherwise everything made it to where it was supposed to go in a timely manner.

6. The Switcheroo is coming along. We're at the point where we need to commit to trading the rooms. The first needs the trim to be reinstalled. The second needs to be emptied and painted and we'll be off to the races.

7. Not to mention that I'd like to get El's and the Monkey's quilts finished so I can start on a quilt for me and a quilt for Project Linus.

Handmade at the Hospital

On Thursday, my daughter was born. She was 6lbs, 13oz, 19 1/2" long and thankfully darn near perfect. Due to a surprise C-Section, we got some extra days at the hospital. It was funny to see what turned up there. At one point I saw the scene above: The baby in her hospital T-Shirt, diaper, and swaddle with one of my flannel blankets and a Christmas hat knit by a hospital volunteer (white brim, red fun-fur stripe, ecru top, green pom-pom with jingle bell. she jingled when we burped her), DH in his flannel pajama pants and the quilt from our living room.

Early one morning when I was starting to feel better, I started this:

I'm calling it my "Eleanor Sock" - (no relation to any pattern of the same name) STR Thistle, lightweight, 2.75mm needles, 60 stitches, stockinette socks for ME!


Here we are waiting to go home. El's wearing her sweater and flannel pants and the onesie made by La in the big sister class.

What 5 looks like

La turned 5 today. Here are the highlights:

1. Three cakes. Hannah Montana, Scooby (both from the Publix bakery), and these cupcakes (from a mix. French Vanilla, with Chocolate Fudge icing, sprinkles and Barbie sugar decorations. Highbrow. But delicious.). La helped but was "secretly" all about licking beaters, spatulas, forks, the bowl, etc.

2. A friend party at Monkey Joe's on Sunday and today a school party (goody bags for both parties) and presents at home.

3. Picking McDonalds for her birthday dinner. (As a comparison, the monkey usually picks sushi.)

4. Opening family gifts before breakfast. She got good loot - princess pajamas from one of my aunts (the fit great and she's looking forward to wearing them to a school event), handmade tic tac toe, an apron, and nurse hat from another aunt of mine (she and DH played a game of tic tac toe before school - it'll be great to bring to restaurants), roller skates and a hotwheels track with a loop-de-loop from us.

Made it through this one. Two more birthdays in the next two weeks.

Nearing Commencement

OK. Sort of a random update today:

1. I have an induction scheduled for 12/13, if I need it.

2. Almost no knitting has been going on. I have ambitions, and at the same time doldrums. I would love to make a pair or two of mittens for Soaring Eagles, but I just can't seem to cast on. The last thing I've been knitting was the sleeve for DH's sweater.

3. That fleece quilt project is finished - I found a piece that was just the right size in my stash and lined the back. It's a very popular blanket for couch loungers.



4. The other fleece project (for Christmas gifts) is winging it's way to upstate NY (Schaghticoke and Deansboro). Hopefully it's not tropical weight fleece or something dorky like that. My Grandma Mercier was always skeptical of any wool/winter coats sold in Florida and I can't help being suspicious of the fleece I used. My mother told of her adventures of outfitting my other Grandma with a winter coat, talking about a "stadium length" coat. Had to remind her that I grew up in Florida and had no idea what stadium length is (apparently, it covers your fanny.)

5. There is some sort of Pack and Play fairy out there. One evening, I came home and the monkey had come across the pack and play that we registered for on the front porch along with a box of aluminum cans from two houses down. (He brings them to the aluminum place and makes money off of it.) The neighbors who brought the cans denied knowledge. The other neighbors (in between us and the can-givers) denied knowledge. Our old neighbors who moved around the corner denied knowledge. Our friends who have a boy the same age as the monkey and who live in the neighborhood across the way deny knowing about it. So, we're still on the quest for the pack and play fairy. We haven't asked DH's little sister if she knows about it, but we saw her last night and she didn't mention it. There was no label - to/from, receipt, nothing.

6. La is having her birthday party at Monkey Joe's Sunday afternoon. We are officially out of the "convenient" window for having the baby, until after the party, at least, prefereably until after her real birthday, early next week.

7. I decided since the baby will be born by Dec 13, we could wait and have picture cards made. I found at least 7 boxes (some full, some partial) of Christmas cards in my desk this week and was tempted to send some of those out, but we'll just send out late cards with 3 kids.

8. On the room swap front, the first room is painted, the carpet is out and the slab is partially "evened out" (using some kind of scraper to get rid of high spots.) It's hard to take a picture of it right now.

Recently Overheard

We were playing a version of hide and seek last night where the purpose was to scare the other person. La and I were on one team, DH was the other. DH was "a monster", La and I were "pirates".

me: "What's a pirate's favorite letter?"
La: "A. What's yours?"
me: "V. Go ask your dad that question."