Mommy Knits

In my Next Life

2007-03-11T00:55:00.000-08:00

I've been watching The Devil Wears Prada and thinking about my life. Well, about what choices I've made in my life. I'm a stay at home mom in a small city with a husband who works at a job he hates. Sounds exciting, no?

And I was thinking that in my next life, I'll go conquer the world first. I'll finish school, go to some huge city, work my way up, and have some fabulous job. I'll wait to get married until I'm 30 and I'll date all sorts of men. I'll have crazy fun and then settle down.

I was really feeling sorry for myself when I walked upstairs to check on Abigail. She's been having horrible tummy pains and just crying and crying. She finally fell asleep in our bed, and I had to check on her to make sure she was breathing. I worry like that.

So I walked into the room and she was lying there on her back, the stream of light from the hall on her face. The brightness illuminated her features and she looked angelic. I touched her hand lightly and she remained completely relaxed. Her breathing was light and she stayed asleep. Angelic. Absolutely perfect. And she left me slightly teary-eyed.

I'm not looking for something better. I have it right here. My children are amazing, I'm smart enough to exist and thrive in everyday life, and my husband is actively searching for new jobs. Sure, my life isn't perfect, but what I've created makes me happy. And even more importantly, it fulfills me.

2007-03-06T01:44:00.000-08:00

So I haven't posted in 2+ months. Oh, well. Life has been busy.

Jeffery moved to a new permanent home. Yes, he moved. That means I have just my 2 kids. I feel like a free woman again. I miss him sometimes, but I do love having time to blink without the mommy guilt associated with having too many kids too close in age.

I can't even think of what else has been going on. We paid off $5700 worth of credit card debt with our tax return. Yes, we've changed our withholdings for next year. But it's sure nice to be almost out of debt.

I did exciting things with the other $300 from the tax return.

We had a plumber come and fix our pipes. I know my life is too cool for school. I guess pipes are an ongoing problem for this house. Good thing the previous owners forgot to mention that when they sold to us. Lovely. But now I can do laundry every day, not just when the moon is waxing and it's an even numbered day and the sky is clear. Makes life easier.

Next, I spent almost $200 on cloth diapers. Yes, cloth diapers. And I'm loving them. I actually spent $100 on Kissaluvs diapers and found that I didn't like them, so I sold them today for $90. It was worth $10 to try them. They're good diapers, just not for me.

So I bought bumGenius diapers. Love them! More to come on them later.

Onto my kids. Sam turned 2 on January 9 and he's a wild man these days. Jeffery moving threw him for a loop, so he's really clingy, too. Wild and clingy. Seems impossible, but not for my kid. He's taken to announcing what drives by our house, and things are either a "bus,", a "VU" (suv) or a "fuck" (truck). He also announces trucks in public. Nothing like my two year old yelling "FUCK" at the top of his lungs to keep me humble.

Abigail is 5 1/2 months old and is a chunk. She's over 15 1/2lb and just keeps growing. She's short and fat. Just like Mommy. She's pulling everything to her mouth, and especially likes Sam's fingers when they're covered in food. So much for the exclusive breastmilk for the first 6 months. She's tried "messy fingers" one too many times for that.

Jimmy is now applying for jobs all over. I told him I'd live anywhere except Colorado for the next two years. Let's hope I don't live to regret that.

I've also actually been knitting. Socks. Lots and lots of socks. And hats for charity. Maybe I'll start writing about knitting sometime in the future. Who knows?

Recent life and FOs

2006-06-16T02:53:00.000-07:00

I just realized it's been a month since I posted anything. Lovely. I guess that's what I get for trying to do too many things, and being pregnant and prone to preterm labor.

So, since I've been sitting on my behind to ward off preterm labor, I've accomplished a lot.

I learned to make socks and made a pair for Jimmy from some Opal I had:

And then Sam needed a matching pair.

I started some Jaywalkers, but they're driving me nuts. . . way too tight for my liking. So I may frog them or I may just finish them and give them to my sister who has teeny feet (yes, smaller than my 6 1/2 feet).

I also made my first sock for ME ME ME out of Mountain Colors, and I'm in love! Oooh! It has mohair and wooly goodness. So soft, and machine washable.

I finished my sweater for Abigail last night (my baby to come in September). It's made from 100purewool and is amazingly soft.

Pictures to come

Answers about me

2006-05-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

I am....a wife and a mommy.
I want....to go on a honeymoon after baby #2 arrives.
I wish....Jimmy was finished with school and we could move from this city!
I hate....the fact that my house is very messy. Chalk it up to being on reduced activity for this pregnancy, but Sam takes things apart faster than I can clean them!
I miss....Seattle and the big city feel.
I fear....my babies being hurt or suffering.
I hear....my foster son whining. This is how he falls asleep every night. . . saying "aaaaaaaaah" over and over.
I wonder....where we'll live after Jimmy finishes school.
I regret....not finishing college.
I am not...a morning person. Unless you count 1am. Then, I'm really a morning person!
I dance....with Sam. In the house, in the bathtub, in public, anywhere.
I sing....to Sam. He sings back to me. Precious!
I cry....a lot during pregnancy. I'm an emotional pregnant woman.
I am not always....a people person. Sometimes, I just need 5 minutes to myself.
I make with my hands....all sorts of knitted things. I bake, sew, crochet, everything. Also some scrapbooking when I feel like it.
I write....Lists. I can't think without lists. I write myself notes, I write in my calendar, and I write on my blog (sometimes).
I confuse....the days of the week. Being a stay-at-home mom with too many meetings does this to me.
I need....a personal masseuse. For my sore back.
I should....clean my house. But it gives me contractions. So no dice.
I start...lots of little projects, constantly. Sometimes I even finish.
I finish....some of them.
I tag....anyone who happens to read this.

On the Knitting Blogs webring

2006-05-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is big news for my new little blog. I'm on the Knitting Blogs webring. That means other people can see what knitting I've been doing (and the rest of my life that I choose to share). I guess that also means I should learn how to upload pictures so people don't just have to hear about my knitting. I'll ask Jimmy about it tonight. And how to attach the button to link to it. But until then, I'm on the internet.

I joined a swap

2006-05-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

I actually joined a yarn swap. What's more, I joined one that requires making a project for someone. I'm excited and a little nervous. For one thing, I've never done a yarn swap. I know what yarns I like, but not what other people do. So, my swap partner will probably get what I like. Second, it means I'll be making a project for someone else. My swap partner. I'm getting to be a better knitter, but I'm not a pro (yet, I think to myself, but that's a little far fetched for now).

Either way, it's the "One Skein Swap". I think this makes a link, but I'm really no pro at this. Let's hope it does.

Bad blogger!

2006-04-29T02:03:00.000-07:00

So I've been the worst blogger ever. I'm way behind. Surprised? I'm not.

Here's what I've been up to:

I finished and felted my booga bag. It's cute, but didn't felt really great. Oh, well. Also finished the handle, but haven't felted that. Will photograph soon.

Started a new felted bag, with my own measurements. It's maroon, and cute. We'll see how it goes. I've done the bottom and maybe 2 1/2" of it, but that's progress for me.

Then, the gold medal item: an alpaca scarf. This is an accomplishment for me. I've done maybe 5" of it, and it's tough. Increases. Decreases. New kinds of directions to read. Also, there was a problem with the pattern, in that the designer forgot a row of directions. SO, I took apart and remade several rows about 4 times. This is WAY more patient than I usually am. But it's working. And beautiful. And alpaca!

the camera, Sam?

2006-04-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Sam has recently taken to hiding things. Mostly, it's food or fun little treasures he finds around the house. But this time, it's the camera. I know I'll find it if I look hard enough, but darn it, I just want to take pictures.

So, updates of my life will soon have pictures.

Once I get my kid to tell me where he hid the camera.

Flash your stash!

2006-04-12T01:20:00.000-07:00

Well, as I've been looking through everyone's stash pictures for the last 10 days, I've had a realizaton. My stash is small. Tiny, actually. Which is good. I don't have much room in my house. And, I have a baby coming. I don't have millions of dollars for yarn. And I have a 15 month old and a 7 month old foster son. It's not like my hands have much free time.

But looking through everyone's stashes makes me want more! I've been using yarn up (yes, knitting) so I think there should be more to replace what I use. I think I'm going to go shopping on Friday morning with the boys. They should keep me from buying too much, since they have no patience.

I'll put up pictures tomorrow.

Sam's hat!

2006-04-11T01:25:00.000-07:00

I started Sam's hat last night, and cast on and knit about 2 rows before I was exhausted. So I picked it up this evening and completely finished it. For me, that's a HUGE accomplishment. So now Sam and Jimmy have matching hats.

I do need to finish a cord for Sam's hat, because he hates wearing hats and removes them faster than I can even blink. I have about 10 yards left of my skein of yarn, which will be perfect for the cord. Wow! How perfect! 2 hats from a skein of yarn, and no scraps. Yay!

Shorts and a hat

2006-04-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

I've almost finished the shorts for Sam. They now have elastic and are bound off. I just have to sew the crotch closed now (because I started from the legs up, so there's a crotch hole). But otherwise, they're done. And they're HUGE! I even measured him. These would fit the big brother he doesn't have. So, I'll have to make more. And check my gauge. Oops.

Second, I'm making a hat. I keep telling Jimmy that it's for Sam, and my sweet clueless husband has no idea that it's sized for his own head rather than his child's. I am planning to make them matching hats. Ooh. . how sweet. Or something. I just know it's cold here in the winter and maybe matching Daddy will be a good way to convince Sam to wear a hat. A mom can dream, can't she.

I'm getting bigger!

2006-04-02T01:44:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with crafts, but my belly is getting bigger and I'm posting shots on here. First, up close with a better smile.
Then, a little further away and looking confused, but it does show off the belly.
(taken at 15 weeks)

A way better project

2006-04-02T01:41:00.000-08:00

Now, I'm working on the blue, green, and yellow shorts. Much cuter than the ugly orange pants Sam chose, and, what really matters, I like them. Because I'm so proud of them, here are some pictures.

First is my progress on them so far, from the outside:
Here's an "up close" look at the leg, because I think they're just so cute up close:
And here's the inside to prove that my stitches are even and gorgeous (and this is how I look at them as I make them, so I'm showing it):

Ugly Orange Pants

2006-03-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

I've been working on projects, even if I haven't been posting.

I started a leg of the ugly orange pants for Sam, and knitted about 4" before I got sick of the color and wanted to see if I'd like the pants before I finished making them.

So, I stuck them on DPNs and started another pair of the "pants" but am making them as shorts. They're much cuter than the orange ones, and are yellow, green, and blue. I've only done about 1", but I'm liking them so far.

2006-03-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

So, here are the 100purewool yarns. They're super soft and gorgeous.

And out of all of them, Sam chose the BRIGHT ORANGE one on the top right (it's actually brighter in person, if that's possible) as his favorite. So, I'm going to make him some little pants out of them. Hopefully, they'll be big enough for next fall, too. Nutty kid. I have tons of normal colors, and he chooses the blinding one.

I made a hat for Sam

2006-03-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my new effort at documenting my learning to knit, and it's starting with a good thing! For the last 2 days, I've been working on my very first knitting project. It's a hat for my little guy Sam for next winter. I think it's going to be too small for him, but that's ok. I'll use it for baby #2 for some winter. It's made from 100purewool, which is the best yarn ever! I'm left handed, and it didn't unravel as I knitted with it. Also, it took less than half of the ball, so I can make either a second hat (one for Sam) or a pair of mittens to match the hat (when I learn to make mittens). I used size 7 Addi turbo circular needles, and a size 6 cheapo dpn at the end (when it was too small for the circular). I definitely need a second Addi circular. But for a first project, I'm in love. Here it is:

Also, Jimmy made me a swift. It's definitely not the $50 kind, but it's wonderful. I bought all the supplies for $5.50, and he worked really hard to put it together. The wood on top rubs the bottom a little sometimes, but it's made me able to wind a ball of yarn in 1/2 hour instead of 1 1/2 hours. A huge improvement!