There’s a Monster Behind You!

Here’s another cute FO.  It’s a design based on the Crankypants “Monster Booty” using a variation on Alison Hansel’s baby bell bottoms.  Though it’s not an exact match, I think they turned out really cute!

Project Specs:  Baby Bell Bottoms with out the bells (I started the leg with the number of stitches required after the decrease) using size 7 DPN’s .  I used duplicate stitch for the face.  The yarn was Plymouth Encore DK in khaki and red.  I made the 12 month size.  The length will be great to fit next fall, but I would have made the torso a bit longer.  Next time.

Woo-hoo!

We’re famous!  Well, Nate is.  Well, maybe not famous, but he’s been written up on a subsidiary blog contributed to by the author of Z Recommends, a kid blog I read.  How exciting!  Follow the links to Nate’s blog and then to Gardenaut.  Yay- Nate!  How reaffirming!

Let the Games Begin!

Yowee, wowee!  The Sock War starts today!!  I think I am ready, with all but uninterrupted knitting time.  The pattern is supposed to be released any time now, so when the kids go to sleep, I’m casting on!  I’m hoping to have these done in a week or so, and to at least make it through the first round of eliminations, but you never know.  I’ll try to post my progress, but I might not be able to take the time to be online while trying to survive…  I only know of one other local person participating out of the 1200+ people signed up.  This is crazy!!  Who would have ever thought knitting would be such a big deal?  Wish me luck!!

Oh, and if I don’t post on Sunday, Happy Mother’s Day to all you courageous ladies out there  who have someone to call you Mom.  It’s so worth it!

Now for Something Completely Different

We’ve had some funny surprises out here lately.  We’ve been spending lots of time outside gardening, cleaning up, enjoying the sun and birdwatching.  So far we’ve seen blue (jays and indigo buntings), yellow (finches), orange (orioles), red (cardinals, grosbeaks, woodpeckers and robins), gray (titmouse) and lots of brown (sparrows, etc).  We have been trying to find their nests so we can watch for babies.  We came home from breakfast the other day to find a particularly industrious robin building away…

…on our wheel!  The second picture is what is left of the nest that was being built on the wheel of the car we took to breakfast.  We’ve been watching for mama robin to try again, but she seems to have found a more suitable place to rebuild.

That evening we drove home through swarms of what we thought were gnats.  Turns out the mayflies have matured (it happens all at once each year) and there are what seems like millions of the buggers swarming around any land within a half mile of the river.

The black specks aren’t dirt or ash, but mayflies.  They don’t bite, and they only live a few days, so it was interesting to see them.  Apparently they are very pollution-sensitive, so our water must be clean (good to know since we drink from a well!).   There are still a bunch outside today, but nothing like the pictures show.  Julie D, aren’t you proud of me for not being freaked out like it’s a plague?

Speaking of plagues (just to make you laugh a bit)- M and I have been reading her children’s Bible lately and just read about Moses and the plagues in Egypt.  You probably all remember how the male children were “taken” in the final plague.  The picture in our book showed a very sad Pharaoh and I tried to explain that he was sad about his son leaving.  M asked me if Pharaoh had brothers or sisters.  I said probably, but I didn’t know where they were and she said, “Probably in Canada.  Shopping for food.”  Such an imagination on that child. 

6 for Me (in 4’s)!

SIX Things About Me (originally tagged by Pam)

1) FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER: preschool, the cupboard, W*l-Mart, my nursing chair

2) FOUR PEOPLE WHO E-MAIL ME: Nate, Mom, Pam, Small Group

3) FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS: Pizza, bagels, cereal, apples

4) FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW: Sorry- not sure there are four places better than here.

5) FOUR PEOPLE I THINK WILL RESPOND: Mom, whoever might read this?

6) FOUR MOVIES I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER: When Harry Met Sally, The Wallace and Gromit series, It’s A Wonderful Life, Anything by Pixar

I’m not very specific, but that will give you the big picture! Consider yourself tagged and happy Cinco de Mayo!

Present Day, In a Galaxy Near You…

No, not in theaters near you, but definitely in your county, if not your own town…

SOCK WARS III

I read about this last year- just caught the tail end and figured I’d never be able to play, but I have just signed up for the “bloodiest” knitting contest ever. The motto is “Kill or be Killed.”

So what is this, you may ask? Sword fighting with pointy sticks? Noose making with yarn? No, much more harmless than that. You are to fight to the “death” by making socks as quickly as you can, or atleast before your “assassin” finishes the pair being made for you. Best case scenario? Lots of free yarn and new socks. Worst case? New socks and the chance to compete with thousands of knitters from all over the world. Last year’s war was actually written up in the Wall Street Journal. Funny how a homely craft can gain such stature!

I signed up on Wednesday. I don’t expect to make it past the first round or so, since I do have lots of other things to do with my time than knit socks, but it will be fun, nevertheless. Sign ups close tomorrow and the war begins next Friday. Watch for updates- I’m planning on posting my progress on this completely new, original sock pattern. Wish me luck!

I’m on a Roll!

I’ve got more FO’s!! I’m just so efficient… Must be because I’ve stopped doing large, complex projects. Guess I gotta pick those up again soon. Anyway, I finally finished Nate’s Christmas socks! Finally. I’d been slacking on them, but I grafted the toe last Monday night. We were worried that the colorway would be too feminine, but the brown stripe really helped and they are a great fit (picture is on my foot- ignore the baggy toes)! I liked the pattern, but I’ve started feeling like I need more variety than some varigated ribbing.

Project Specs: Random Rib socks found online. I made the men’s medium size and had plenty of yarn leftover from two skeins of Regia Canyon Color (bought at Webs). The colorway is Mineral. I used size 2 bamboo DPN’s.

I’ve been messing around with some patterns from Cat Bordhi’s book New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One. It’s got some really interesting ideas for how to put together a funky looking sock. I’ve completed the tutorial socks for B and am hoping to have a few adults sizes done soon! I do like the fun ways Cat constructs the socks. I made Little Sky Socks (not pictured in brown Bernat Cashmere) and Little Coriolis (in leftover yarn from M’s baby sweater- the ball band has been long lost).

See how the increases swirl around the front instead of by the arch? Neat design.

And, I’ve started on B’s baby bell bottoms. I’m about to finish up the body- just need to make the waist and duplicate stitch a design. So far they are really cute, too!

Happy Belated 4!

OK, OK- on popular request, I’m finally able to get on here and show you all some of the fun we had celebrating M’s fourth birthday. The official day was the 22nd, but we had about a week of festivities. I’ll let the pix speak for themselves starting with the “Blue’s Clues” party for a few friends.

It was a beautiful day and fun was had by all! The kids figured out Blue’s Clues, played pin-the-paw, went on a bug hunt, decorated notebooks, did their nails (well, the girls did, anyway) and ate a ton of sugar. Definitely fun.

M got a number of nice presents, including a big-girl bike and pads. Here she is all ready to go:

She did a great job riding- with training wheels.

Then, on the day after her actual birthday, we went out to JCC for Earthfest. All the kids had fun, especially at the petting zoo.

I’m glad my girl got to enjoy her days in so many ways! Happy Birthday, my big girl.

And Her Name Was Aiken Drum

Anyone familiar with the aforementioned song should know exactly what Aiken Drum was made of. For those of you who don’t know him, it’s a kids song about a man who lived in the moon (although the wikipedia entry I’ve linked to indicates some more ghastly roots to the song). His hair was made of spaghetti, his eyes were meatballs, his nose was cheese, his mouth was pizza and he played upon a ladle. I personally think the version we know is really catchy and my kids love it.

This morning M told me that in the sun, my hair looks like hot spaghetti.

Just call me Aiken Drum.

Movie Stars, Supermodels and General Cuteness

Here you see my movie star and my supermodel. They were testing the mics at a coffee house our church put on last week. M was really belting out the words! Professionals, already!

Further movie star photo ops. This was backwards day at school. She really enjoyed being backwards until she had a wardrobe malfunction and had to turn the pants back around .

And the general cuteness, of course.

Now get out there and enjoy the warmth!