Belated Yarn Along

I am a day late but I wanted to share my progress on the blanket I am knitting for our family's newest addition (due March 2015).  I am knitting Jared Flood's Shale Baby Blanket. I am using Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage yarn in the charcoal colorway.  It is soft and I know from making Atticus's baby blanket that it opens beautifully upon blocking to display lacework.  By the way, I don't enjoy knitting with typical baby colors so I just picked a colorway that I love.

I am currently reading  Tulipomania by Mike Dash.  It is a well written and absorbing read about the tulip craze that struck the Netherlands in the 17th century.  I am currently halfway through the book and look forward to finishing it.  I am not typically drawn to history books, but this one is definitely a satisfying read.

Linking up with Ginny!

Gregory's Blanket

In January, Ish and I found out that I was pregnant with another child due in September.  On March 9th, at 12 weeks pregnant, we found out that the baby had died in utero. On March 25th, our son, Gregory Innocent was born sleeping.  On Easter Monday, surrounded by family and friends, we had a graveside service for Gregory.  He is now buried with his great-grandfather.

Soon after I found out that I was pregnant with Gregory, I started knitting a blanket for him.  I didn't get very far before he died.  I couldn't bear to finish the entire blanket, but even more so I couldn't bear ripping it out.  Last night I finally put a garter border on the blanket and bound off.

When she found out that I had miscarried, a friend lent me her copy of A Call to a Deeper Love.  It is the correspondence of St. Therese's parents, Blessed Zélie and Louis Martin.  She thought it would bring me comfort, and indeed, it has.  Zélie and Louis lost 4 of their children (3 as infants and 1 in early childhood).  The way in which Zélie writes about her children and their deaths has brought me so much comfort and a good dose of perspective.

Linking up with Ginny

A baby sweater

Front (preblocking)

Back (preblocking)

It's been a while since I've joined in on a Yarn Along, but that is not for lack of knitting.  Although it took me a little while after Atticus's birth to get back into the knitting swing of things, I am back to my craft.  My absence from Ginny's Yarn Along has more to do with the fact that my last two projects have been knit as gifts for family members who have been known to frequent my blog.  My most recent finished object is a baby sweater for my soon-to-be-born nephew.  It is a Puerperium Cardigan knit in Tosh Vintage in the well water colorway. I am quite pleased with the final result.

On the reading front there are a few things going on.  Ish and I are almost finished reading A Little Way of Homeschooling.  As Little Ish is starting to approach school age, Ish and I are starting to more seriously investigate and decide on how we want to home school the children.  On my own, I am reading Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly.  Although it is directed toward children it, there are several pieces of writing advice in it that are useful to me as an adult.  My current car read-aloud with the kids is  James and the Giant Peach.  This is my first time ever reading it, and I am finding it quite enjoyable.

For more yarn and reading join Ginny's Yarn Along!

Finished, Almost Finished, and Far from Finished

After a month of knitting away steadily, I have finished the knitting part of the baby blanket for the new baby.  I have yet to weave in ends or block it, but I am quite content with how it turned out. I will update with a photo of it all spread out once I have it completely finished.

After spending a lot of time on long and somewhat intense knitting projects I decided I needed to make something quick to knit so I spent 3 days last week knitting a Little Pumpkin hat from the Itty-Bitty Hatsbook.  I made one for Little Ish when I was pregnant with Liliana and bought enough yarn to make one for her the next year.  I decided against making her one last year as the yarn matches her red hair a little too well.  Instead I made the hat for my nephew Percival.

Now I am onto my next big project--a birthday shrug for Liliana.  I am using the Snugly Shrug pattern.  It shouldn't take me too long to complete, but I want to give myself time in case I flub it up majorly.  The yarn I settled on is Dolce Merino from Universal Yarn.  It is so soft and cuddly.

Other than knitting a lot I am also reading away steadily at a few books.  I am nearing the end of Playful Learning by Mariah Bruehl and can tell that it will serve as a fantastic homeschooling resource over the next several years.  I am about three quarters of the way through Fifteen Minutes Outside by Rebecca Cohen and although I have gleaned a few good ideas from it, I am disappointed with it overall.  I am also reading One Question by Ken Coleman and although it isn't quite what I expected it to be, I am enjoying it.

For more fiber and books join Ginny's Yarn Along !

A Blanket for Baby

Now that I am 22+ weeks pregnant, it is definitely past time to start knitting a few things for the Professor (baby's in utero nickname).  I decided on knitting the Pine Forest Baby Blanket well over a month ago, but I had another project I wanted to finish before I started in on this one.  I cast on yesterday morning and have the top border and first 4 lace repeats completed.  You will notice from the pictures that I did not opt to go with baby colors for this blanket.  After looking at various photos of this pattern on ravelry, I decided that the lace looks far more attractive in darker colors.  For yarn, I decided I wanted to use madelinetosh tosh vintage, but I couldn't for the life of me decide on which color.  In the end, I let Ish choose the color (esoteric), and I couldn't be happier with his choice. 

As for reading, I am still plugging away at and enjoying The Universal Sense

For more books and fiber, join Ginny for her Yarn Along! 

Surprises

I have been knitting and reading a lot lately.  My knitting right now consists of a few gifts so I am not revealing what my current projects are here on my blog.  I am however enjoying the Plymouth Encore Tweed yarn way more than I expected to.  It knits up nicely and fairly evenly too.  My current reading choice is The Universal Sense: How Hearing Shapes the Mind by Seth Horowitz.  Some of the science is a little bit over my head, but I am still learning a lot.  My perspective on sound and hearing is now much broader.

For more books and fiber, join Ginny for her Yarn Along!

Ends and Beginnings

I finally finished my shawl last week, and boy am I glad to be done.  The weight of the shawl was making for very sore wrists during the last 40 some odd rows.  On Sunday, I cast on a pair of Sheepy Pants for Liliana.  I am loving the yarn which is Cascade 220 Paints in the Carribean Sea colorway.  I kind of wish I had purchased a couple of extra skeins in this color because it is absolutely gorgeous and the color has been discontinued.  I am not the only one who likes the colors either.  Aside from Ish complimenting it, a random gentleman in a waiting room stopped me to tell me that it was pretty.

As for reading, I am still reading about fermentation, but I have also been listening to a lot of books.  In the past few weeks, I have listened to L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, and I have moved on to Anne of the Island.  All three books are read by Karen Savage on LibriVox.

For more books and fiber, join Ginny for her Yarn Along!

Still Plugging Away

During Holy Week, I came to the sad realization that my gauge on my shawl was far tighter than what the pattern had prescribed.  This will not be a problem in the end, but it did throw off my plans to have a pretty new shawl for Easter Sunday.   I still have about 10 repeats of the lace pattern left and then the final border.  I am hoping to finish it sometime next week.

During my visit to Massachusetts, I made a pretty serious error in my shawl.  Note to self: Unless Lily is in immediate danger, push stitches down onto the needles before jumping up to remove her from whatever she is climbing on or swinging from.  I did manage to somewhat salvage my shawl but there is a very messy spot on one edge of the shawl.

I am still reading and enjoying The Art of Fermentation.  I am only reading a short bit each day, as I am more focused on finishing my shawl right now.  I am, however, planning on fermenting some lemons next week.  I am very excited to try this out and am fairly sure that it is impossible to cause myself any serious harm in the case of botched fermentation.

Hopefully by next week I will be showing you a finished shawl, and have a pair of longies for Lily started on my needles.  The yarn, pictured above, is so lovely that I have been tempted more than once to put down my shawl and preemptively start in on the longies.

For more yarn and reading, join Ginny for her Yarn Along!

My Knitting Helper and Even More Fermentation

I do the majority of my knitting while my children are asleep.  Usually I knit between 5AM and 6:30AM.  Sometimes I knit during naptime or on car rides, but most of my knitting is done out of the reach of little hands.  On Sunday, I was knitting while Little Ish played quietly.  Eventually he tired of whatever he was playing and decided to come see what I was up to.  He asked me if he could help me knit.  Since I was knitting a (very long) wrong side row on my shawl I agreed to let him help.  He sat on my lap.  I worked the needles and he took care of wrapping the working yarn around the needle for each knit stitch.  It was a very pleasant way to spend some one on one time with him even if it meant the row took 3 times as long to knit.

The shawl itself is progressing nicely.  I am not moving along particularly fast, but I am pretty sure I can finish by Easter which was my original goal.  I have memorized the pattern at this point, so I don't have to be constantly checking the book for what comes next.  It makes for fairly relaxed knitting.

I am still reading and thoroughly enjoying The Art of Fermentation.  Since I've been so focused on finishing my shawl for Easter, I have been reading this book fairly slowly.  I have yet to ferment anything, but I will be sure to share my experiences when I do.

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For more knitting and reading, hop on over to Small Things  for Ginny's Yarn Along!

A Sweater, a Shawl, and More Fermentation

This week has been productive in terms of knitting.  I am 99% finished with the Baby Surprise Jacket.  I just need to finish weaving in the ends and to sew on some buttons.  Just a word of advice, if you find something you really like on etsy, don't pin it on pinterest; it's almost a guarantee that someone will buy it before you do.  This is what happened with the buttons I was hoping to get for this sweater (and on several other occasions); I think I have finally learned my lesson.


This morning I started working on my next project.  I am knitting a Lacie Prairie Shawl.  I wanted a warm and practical shawl and this pattern definitely fits the bill.  Lets hope I finish it before all of the cooler days of early spring have passed.  It'd be a shame to have to wait until autumn to try it out.

Reading wise, I am still reading and enjoying The Art of Fermentation.  I am getting more and more excited about fermentation.  I just need to figure out what I want to ferment; I am drawn to the idea of pickling lemons so perhaps that is where I will start.

Want to read about what other people are knitting and reading?  Join Ginny over at Small Things for her weekly Yarn Along!

Fermentation, Vikings, and a Sweater

Since getting back to knitting after my long hiatus, I have cast on what purportedly will turn into a baby sweater.  I have been meaning to knit a Baby Surprise Jacket since before Lily was born.  I actually was talking to a friend to help me make sense of the pattern a couple of hours before I went into labor with Lily.  Not so surprisingly, I never made one for Liliana.  This sweater, provided that it doesn't turn out to be a failed attempt, will be going to my newest nephew.  Unlike the name of the sweater, it is not intended to be a surprise that I am knitting it.  After knitting baby blankets for his older siblings, I decided to deviate from tradition.  So far, the pattern is fairly easy almost to the point of being boring as it is all in garter stitch with 2 double decreases every other row.  I really like what it is supposed to look like when it is done though. I have started a search for the buttons for the finished product.  I am thinking wooden ones, but I am still not sure.

Aside from my knitting, I have been reading a lot.  I finished reading Enchantment earlier this week and found it to be both charming and well crafted.  I have now moved onto reading The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz.  I had been stalking amazon for a reasonably priced copy for well over a month and was very pleased to come across one last week.  I already am enjoying the writing and I am looking forward to putting some of what I learn to practice.

Little Ish and I are currently enjoying a longer read aloud together.  This week he pulled Voyage with the Vikings off of the bookshelf and asked me to read it to him.  The book is historical fiction and is part of the Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station series.  So far we are really enjoying it.  I am not sure how much he is retaining of it from day to day, but since he wants me to keep reading, I figure he must be following it somewhat. I think after this book we might move onto something a little more classic though such as Winnie-the-Pooh.

To hear about other reading and knitting adventures, feel free to visit Ginny over at Small Things .

Back to my needles...

and  my reading.

After a 6 month hiatus from all things knitting, I finally picked up my needles again this past week.  I  have a larger project to get working on before its recipient outgrows the size of the pattern I have, but I knew that I wanted to start back to knitting with something quick yet interesting.  I settled on an Elvish Leaves Dishcloth.  It is a fairly simple yet beautiful lace pattern and it has the added benefit of practicing lace techniques on larger needles with a heavier yarn.  After finishing the dishcloth, aside from weaving in ends because my darning needle is among the missing, I finally chose a yarn from my stash for my next project and wound it into a couple of balls. 

Another one of my hobbies that has taken a nosedive since having children is reading.  I probably read more than the average Joe if you consider that I am reading picture books to Lily and Ish for a good portion of the day everyday.  My own reading, however, has really fallen by the wayside.  I have made efforts since January to read more and it is going well.  I am not reading as much as I would like, but I am well on my way to completing my fifth book of the year.  Right now I am borrowing a friend's copy of Enchantment by Orson Scott Card.  So far I am enjoying it.  It is nice to be reading a carefully crafted fairytale retelling; the last one I read was a train wreck--one of those books I finished because I had already gotten so far into it that I couldn't not finish it. Enchantment is definitely a breath of fresh air in comparison.

Want to see what other people are knitting and reading?  Join the Yarn Along over at Small Things. 

Rosalyn's Blanket

As those who frequent this blog already know, I spent the last several months knitting a baby blanket for my niece. She was born a little over a month ago, and I finally gave her the blanket on Thursday evening. As promised here are some photos of the finished product.

The pattern I used was King Charles Brocade  found in A Treasury of Knitting Patterns.  The blanket has a garter stitch border.  Overall I was quite pleased with the end result.

The little things...

My mom and I have been talking a lot lately about the many little things that we use each day, such as sugar bowls and face cloths, and about how these little things are less mundane if we find ones that bring smiles to our faces. Mostly we have talked about this in relation to my grandmother who seems to really need some spots of sunshine in her home. My mom and I are currently on the lookout to replace the impractically huge and rather ugly drug company marketing freebie that she is currently using. I was put on the mission because my taste is more like my grandmother's taste than my mom's is; I am, after all, the old fashioned one.

Anyway, with all of this talk of little things making us smile, I have put myself on a mission of sorts. I am currently using my love of all things crafty,especially knitting, to create some spots of sunshine for other people. With that said, hopefully I will be posting some of these creative endeavors here on my blog. Since some of my recipients are also readers of this blog, I will be making sure that I don't post those projects until after I have been assured that the package has been received.

Let me know if you are interested in joining me on my mission by blessing those you love with a little sunshine. I'd love to see what you are creating to bring forth a smile!

Snowed in!

Anyone who has known me for long enough eventually learns that I do not like snow. I think it is a result of growing up in New England. I have been griping about the snow since the age of 11 or 12; I really just don't enjoy the combination of being both cold and wet. I really thought moving further South would help me beat the snowy winter blues. Not so! This year Delaware has seen two large snow storms (the 1st was 17 inches of snow and the one we are in the middle of has hit my town with about 22 inches or more!)

One might think that being under 22 inches of snow would make me irratable or at least mildly annoyed. Again, not so! I am, for perhaps the first time since I was in elementary school, enjoying the snow. It looks absolutely beautiful outside, and I have absolutely no place to go or worry about going. Yesterday, Ish and I stocked up on DVDs at the library so we have plenty of movies to watch. I have started working on the sweetest baby blanket for Ish's sister's 2nd child, and I am loving both the yarn and the pattern. Today has been so incredibly relaxing, and because we live in an apartment complex the only shoveling to be done is to clear off the car. Life is so very sweet.