Nota Bene

For the record, yarn/WIP should be hidden from 2 1/3 year old persons who are "helping" you with your knitting.

That is all.

More to come when I've detangled the mess.

Why my kid is the Awesome

Scene: our living room. We've just finished singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep." Babe looks over at book with picture of sheep, then at previous page with picture of cat and mouse.

Babe: (pointing @ mouse) Duckie?

Me: No, babe that's a mouse.

Babe: Duckie!

Me: Nah, hon - do we know any songs about a duckie?

Babe: (to the tune of Baa Baa Black Sheep) Baa baa duckie...

***********

In actual knitting-related news (gasp!), I've just received a review copy for my latest pattern, coming out in the Fall issue of Twist Collective. I'm sooo excited! The layout is gorgeous, the model is perfect, and I'm super thrilled to be a part of this awesome magazine. Yay!

Go Baby, It's Your Birfday

One year down, twenty more to go...

Working It Out

I feel like I've fallen down the rabbit hole this month - I swear there should be more posts than this.
I would blame NaNoWriMo, but DH & I sort of bailed in the worst way. Instead, I'll blame the baby, since she is small and can't defend herself. ;-P
Z's been rather sad and clingy much of this month, but now we can see evidence of why:



That's my girl. Cutting her very first tooth ... just before her first birthday.

From the mouths of babes

Ssssh. Be Vewy Vewy Quiet

I'm reading.

(Who knew it was a full-contact sport?)

Babe's First Shoes

The shopping process was long and grueling...



...but my little granola baby is shod.



Not five minutes after we purchased them, baby got a compliment on her excellent sense of style. Z agrees that they are very tasteful:


I need a sweater as cute as these shoes. Hmmm...maybe that cute one by Kristin Nicholas...

Doing the Locomotion

I am so not ready for a mobile baby!

Good News & Bad News

Good News: The baby has learned to initiate play! She's figured out the hiding part of peek-a-boo.

Bad News: She decided to show off this new skill at 2 am.

We're very proud. Exhausted, but proud.

Froglegs and Prunes

"Mmm... froggie is delicious..."


"...but I really enjoy dried plums."

We Are So Kool

It's been a crafty weekend around these parts. On Saturday, we stopped at the Crack...er, Craft Warehouse to pick up some beads and string for Miss N to make herself an eyeglass chain. It is a thing of 9 year old glory (including a giant sparkly snowflake bead that is almost as big as her head). She's giving it a wear test today before tomorrow's big debut at school. Pictures to come.

While we were there, Mr. T and I picked up some supercheap bulky wool yarn to play with. Below is his first attempt at Kool Aid dyeing:


Turned out pretty good, eh? I helped a bit (COUGH*alot*COUGH), but he chose the colors, stirred it up and mushed it about. I was in charge of the microwaving and handling the hot yarn.



I am in love with these colors. I think they suit him (pardon the pun) to a T.
So much so, in fact, that later that afternoon I picked up more discount yarn (some blah colored wool from Twisted's sale bin) with which to experiment.

And don't think little Miss Z was left out of the crafty goodness:


Her project? Devising ever sweeter smiles to convince Mama to pick her up right away. ;-D

All Along the Swatch Tower

I've been swatching like a fiend for the last week, so haven't had enough time to properly blog, or much to blog about since I can't show you these. But the first of three (!) batches of swatches is out the door, and I have a moment to breathe before starting the next bunch. So the quick update:

First, and most important, the ghost of a smile, finally captured on film:


With the crazy hot weather we're having this weekend, our little Michelin Muffin will be spending much of her time dressed just this way.

Next: Colourlovers, one of my favorite web sites, is featuring an excellent tutorial on Kool Aid dyeing. Since we have the kids, that's the method I'm most comfortable with for now. I may branch out into acid dyes when they are older/less clutzy/less likely to spill it all over themselves.

Finally, I still haven't had any time to take proper shots of Streamlined, so you're getting the quick 'n dirty ones from last week:



Post-surgery, pre-blocking: I snipped and added short rows to accommodate the Nursing MegaBoobs (TM), then grafted the piece back together.
Extra work, but the fit was vastly improved by the addition. I will remember to knit those in next time I make this one.


I love details like side vents. They add a feminine, floaty feeling to an otherwise straight-forward piece. The tubular cast on I used for the edges is my all time favorite. I find it most elegant.


I'm a big fan of the cap sleeve as well. It's about as cool as a sleeveless piece, but covers up that little er, wadge of flesh many of us have at the underarms (y'all know what I mean, I'm sure).

Back to the swatching...

OPK (Other People's Knits)

While pregnant, I didn't ever actually seem to finish anything baby-related, though many a project was begun (and subsequently abandoned in my scatterbrained haze). Fortunately, people were very kind and baby did receive some sweet handknits.


This little beauty is the Tulip Cardigan, from Dream in Color. Indigo Mouse Melissa dyed the yarn, another co-worker did the knitting, and Melissa did the finishing. This was the shower gift that most impressed Boy-O, and he doesn't impress easily.

In personal knitting news, Streamlined was blocked...

...worn, and found wanting. I'm performing some super corrective surgery on it and will debut it later.
I have to say, though, this yarn (Ella Rae Shibu) lurves a good blocking. It's sleek and sexy, with a beautiful drape and lovelyhand post-block. When I first started this sweater I despaired of it, but now I'm thinking I need to get more of this delicious stuff.

Baby's First Trip to the Beach

We made a quick trip to Cannon Beach yesterday.








Ostensibly, we planned to introduce baby to the ocean.
While the big kids had lots and lots of fun...















...Z was unimpressed.


And moments later:


While we were at lunch, however, she did discover a new affection for cutlery:

so the trip wasn't a total loss for her. ;-P

Cutie patootie

Once again, she absolutely refuses to smile for the camera. Sigh.


Good thing we find her adorable no matter what.

The Binky Says It All

Mad About The Girl

A sick spouse and a snow day conspired to keep me away from the grand opening of Yarnia today, but I can't say as I minded too much. My darling Boy-O still gave me an hour to run off by myself and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Secret knitting continues apace. Since I can't show y'all that, I'll distract with more cute photos.

My current favorite photo of the kid:

Freshly washed little girl.


Boy-O and Bean.

Lest you think she is effortlessly photogenic, I assure you, there is careful editing here at Chez Boy-O. For every good pic, there are ten like this:

Smartypants smirk.

Or this:

Milk up the nose.

It's a hard job being that adorable, but someone's gotta do it!

A Rare Sight

The little one mostly sleeps and/or cries, as expected, so seeing her eyes is a surprise.
They seem to be grey at the moment, though I have noted both brown and green in them.

Things I never knew

Baby Z, born 12/10/07

I never knew...

• That it is possible to fall completely, utterly in love with a person you've just met
  
• That my beloved would be equally smitten with our daughter
• That her first shot would make me weep
• That my heart could break every time I look at her
  

Day-um

March 31, 2007.


December 1, 2007