Three Years of Yarn Collecting

My knitting bag is quite full these days. I feel energized and optimistic about all the things I can and will make. Part of the reason for this are the things that I have finished recently and particularly this sweater. It’s the Tulip baby sweater which I have wanted to make since I first saw it over three years ago.


Since then I have dreamed about these sweaters and tried to settle on which baby I’d make it for since, until recently, I had none. But in all honesty the Dream in Color yarn is kind of pricey and you need quite a few skeins. I’d have to really, really, love a baby to make that kind of investment. So for three years I dreamed of making the sweater and bought yarn. This picture was taken in March. Since then I bought a *few* more skeins.



When I finally sat down to choose my color line up my daughter was kind of shocked at the amount of yarn I was choosing from. I could probably make one of these for Miss M for the next 4 years and still have yarn left over. And I may just do that because there are so many color combinations you can go with. Part of the fun (and challenge) is in selecting just the right colors in the right order.



Once I chose the colors the knitting itself was fast and easy. Based on notes I read on other completed projects I made the 2 year old size but added 2 rows to each stripe (changing every 10th row instead of every 8th). It was a good call but I inexplicably decided to go with 8 rows on the sleeves and they came out more ¾ than full. This is really ok for a baby because it means that she drags her sleeves in her food less. It’s worth noting though.



Ultimately, this sweater lived up to all the anticipation and Miss M loves it. It’s a good thing that the yarn seems pretty sturdy because she tries to put it on herself often and stretches it this way and that. No worries though, because it still looks great every time she wears it.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Mittens/Mitts I Want to Knit

This is yet another perfectly timed topic for a list. We spent our Thanksgiving in New York and it was cold up there. We spent Saturday morning walking around in the city and I suddenly realized that Miss M has no gloves. What kind of Knitty Mom lets her child walk around with cold hands.

Wouldn't they look better covered in hand knits?


Hence the first item on this list of 10 Mittens/Mitts I Want to Knit is the Imagine Mittens from the current issue of Interweave Knits, Holiday Gifts. I don’t know exactly which version I’ll make but you can be certain that she will not have cold fingers for long.

Beyond that there are many patterns for mittens and gloves that call to me. Many are calling loudly enough for me to have purchased yarn for them already. Here is my list, in the order hat I suspect things will actually get made.
1. Imagine Mittens – for my sweet baby girl.
2. Citrus Mittens  – there is something so delicious about making mittens with a summery motif.
3. Knotty Gloves  – I bought black cashmere a few years ago to make these. It’s shameful to let cashmere marinate in ones stash
4. Postwar Mittens  – I just like these. I can’t put my finger on the appeal but it’s certainly there.
5. Latvian Mittens  – I may not make this specific pattern but I am going to make a pair of Latvian Mittens for myself. I have a book of them at home and I seriously love them.
6. Horatio & Oren Mittens  – Hello, you’ve gotta love cute owls.
7. Gnome Mittens  – and gnomes.
8. IO Gloves  – these aren’t mittens but I’m a fan of gloves too and these are so freakin’ cool.
9. Skull Mittens  – When I get around to making these it will be for Stinkette. Come to think of it, she’s been nagging me about making a new pair of mitts for her lately. Perhaps I ought to move these up higher on the list.
10. Anna’s Mittens  – After all the crazy mittens and gloves these are a sweet end to my list.

Thanksgiving in New York... Again

We survived another Thanksgiving trek to New York. We visited family and friends and had lots of laughs and good food.

We also did a wee bit of sightseeing. So who is buried in Grant's Tomb anyway?

We also checked out another little spot in Harlem. Care to guess where we went?


We really had a great trip.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things I am Thankful For

This year, more than ever before, I am thankful.  Why?  Here's a list.

1. DQ - I love the person that she has become.  More importantly, I'm thankful that we have the kind of open relationship where we talk to each other about most things.
2. Stinkette - My crazy red-head is still crazy.  She works so hard for the things she wants and I'm so thankful for all the color she brings to our lives.  She makes everything more interesting.
3. Sweet Miss M - I am beyond thankful for this sweet girl.  She has brought such joy to all of our lives.  Having another baby after so many years may have seemed like an insane decision but it was absolutely the best thing.
4. My husband - I am thankful that I have a great partner for all of life's adventures.
5. My family -  I really love my siblings and all of my extended family.  I am so thankful that my thanksgiving holiday will include a visit with my grandfather. 
6. My friends - I am thankful for fabulous friends who we can laugh with and count on to be there when we need them. 
7. My home - Now, more than ever, I am thankful for my home.  It is so much more than a house to us.  In the 13 years that we've lived at the same address we have built such memories here but now the physical structure is worthy of those memories.  A sanctuary that makes us yearn for home every time we leave.
8. My knitting - it keeps me sane and makes me feel accomplished.
9. Living in Northern Virginia - I am thankful for the life we lead and all the opportunities that we have been able to offer my daughters.
10. Gainful employment - Need I say more

The Tile that Ate My Weekend

It seems that the process of finishing off the house goes on and on.  While it's certainly lovely and livable there are all these little details and I really want them to be just right so I'm going very slowly.



This weekend (and the one before) was consumed by tile.  This is some of the tile that I used for the backsplash in the kitchen.  I knew that it was the one as soon as I saw it and now that it's up on the wall I am so happy.  Part of the happy is that I'm the one who put it up.  I took 3 colors and mixed them up a bit.  It satisfies my need to literally have a hand in the renovation. 

One note about this picture.  The bright blue bits were unexpected when I took the picture.  They are the reflection of blue glass bottles that line the window ledge above my kitchen sink.  They add a pop of color to my kitchen just as they do in this picture.  Very cool!

ECF - Bloomington Edition

Before I went to Bloomington my impression of it was of a little college town in the middle of nowhere.  And it is definitely that.  But it's also quite charming.



This is the little yard at Wonderlab.  The kids had such fun exploring it.  I had fun watching them and looking at these flowerlike sculptures.

Tree Sweaters

I obviously went to Bloomington for the family time but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t check out the fiber situation there ahead of time. I found that there were at least 2 yarn stores there and made a mental note to check at least one of them out. On our first stroll through town we encountered this and all of us were kind of blown away by the coolness.

There were several trees that had sweaters. Some were just pretty and many had themes. We all grinned at the one above with it’s decidedly adult theme. There was also one covered with knitty sea life. We all had fun searching for Nemo who was hiding in some knitty coral.

I took a picture of this one on that initial viewing. I thought that it was lovely. It wasn’t until the following day, when I visited Yarns Unlimited, that I found out that this one was not supposed to be quite so short. It had been vandalized! How sad.


It was a very nice surprise to find the tree sweaters. I may feel a little inspiration coming on. Hmmmm…. There are trees behind my house that may be cold. Maybe I should use a bit of the yarn I brought home from Bloomington with me. It was from a local Indy dyer so it would be very appropriate.

Red for My Nephew

Amid all the running around and general craziness I've been super busy knitting. It seems like now that I've gotten back to it again I just can't stop. It's like I'm compelled to finish all the WIPs and try all the patterns that have been languishing in my queue. As a result I have a backlog of FO's to share. Can you believe that?

Since I just got back from Indiana I'll start with a baby gift I delivered there.

Normally I wait until a baby arrives to start knitting for it. It's kind of a superstition I guess but I just can't shake it. This time I had a gift ready when my new nephew arrived because it wasn't originally meant for him. I started it quite a while ago for my cousins baby. He just turned one.

While it wasn't the right size for the baby it was originally intended for, my nephew "M" has plenty of room to grow into it.

Isn't he handsome?

Trip to Indy

There was a lot of craziness recently that kept me busy and away from the blog. My recent trip to Indiana was crazy in it's own way but only the travel part. Thank you Amtrak and Sandy.

The family visit that we had looked forward to was great.
We went to welcome the newest member of our family. My nephew M was born the day before my girls and I arrived in Indianapolis and came home late in our first full day there. Timely. He is very cute and does exactly what you would expect - eat, sleep, and poop like a champ! We foresee big things in his future.

As with so many vacations and gatherings, it felt like an endless succession of meals and planning for meals. Much of what we ate was new to us and we needed lots of instruction on what it all was. My sister-in-law is Korean and her friends were making lots of Korean dishes for her to eat while she recovers. Most of it was really good and other stuff is still a mystery. One thing for certain is that there is more Korean food in our future. Stinkette did some of the cooking under her aunts tutelage and she is inspired.
We were mostly concentrating on spending time together so there wasn't much sightseeing going on. But we did take the time to identify and visit (repeatedly) a local ice cream place that made their own. What interesting flavors! Still not sure what I think of Cherry Wasabi.
We did take the time to go to the Wonderlab. What a fun place! Even the big kids had fun there. In fact, all of the pictures in this post were taken there. So.Much.Fun.

ECF - First Flight Edition

I'm still recovering a little bit from my recent travels.  Until I'm totally caught up and normal blogging resumes, here is a quick shot of Miss M on her first airplane ride.



She found the experience a little underwhelming.