sherriknits

We’re still alive and kicking here.  We had company all weekend, my in-laws came to see little miss Sweet Pea.  It’s been fun.  The parents are tired but happy. Tomorrow is the new mama’s birthday….their birthdays are one week apart!  August used to be our easy month but now we have the new fiance’s birthday, little Sweet Pea’s birthday, a wedding next summer and the new mama’s birthday.  July was already a mess!  No rest for this mom!

Here’s a little snapshot of the new little family…

Daddy loves her little fingers.

Here’s the new uncle taking a picture of me taking a picture of him…

When big brother came home from Mexico, he brought something fun for him, can you guess what it is?

Daily, I have to act surprised at Spiderman in the midst of our house!

I loved the sunset the other night!

We’ve had alternating days of sun and wild rain.  Yesterday we had deep water running through the streets on our way home from church.  It was dry when we went there and pouring buckets when we came out.

And I actually have some knitting content.

I’ve started a Baby Surprise Jacket 4 times now!

This is 2 of the starts.  Actually, I started one before baby came.  It was in generic colors.  As soon as she came, I started one in the same yarn as the hat a few days ago.  I loved it in the hat, hated it in the BSJ.  So I started one out of this yarn.  The first one I think the needle was just too small and the fabric felt so tight so I went up a few needle sizes and am much happier with it.  I am almost to the end of one skein and will knit from the tight one next.  I’m sure it will work fine and I’m too lazy to rewind it.  I have been enjoying the knitting, though.

Do you remember my mystery stole from last summer?  I had never blocked it.  I wasn’t too thrilled with it and it just meant a lot to me that I actually finished it.  The pattern itself I wasn’t too wild about.  Well, one of my friends was with me the other day as I pulled it out to show someone and then stuffed it back in the bag it has lived in for this past year.  She said she felt it had too much meaning to me to be stuffed away so she took it home and blocked it for me!

I have to admit it looks a lot nicer blocked, but it’s still a strange pattern.

Hmm, I should have checked to see if it was right side out….I’ll look tomorrow.

The significance of the whole thing to me is it marked the end of a long period of time that was very difficult for me emotionally and I was determined to stick with something and see it through to the end.  I did it even when I realized it wasn’t going to be something I liked and that has a lot of significance to me.  I am very grateful that my friend insisted on doing the last step! Thanks, Lauri!

As soon as I finish the BSJ, I’m going to make a few Saartje’s booties now that I have a little girl to knit for!  Oh, the endless possibilities now!!!!

lol  Please bear with me as I adjust to being a grammy.  I am a bit preoccupied these days.

First, I want to show the great gift I got today!  I did the Caffiene Addicts swap on Ravelry.  A few days ago, I got some coffee beans in the mail, shipped directly from Peet’s Coffee.  Hubby and I are enjoying it very much.  The beans smell so good!  Today I got another part of my swap package.

Wow!  My swap partner couldn’t have nailed it better on the yarn!  I love it!

I love it all.  And she said there is one more package coming from Canada!

The little sweet pea was coming home today so we went to get balloons and made a sign.

I only briefly visited tonight…they needed some prescriptions filled and a few things picked up from the store.  Look at this precious sight.

And a bit of knitting content.

This is the one skein bolero I knit for mother’s day….and the little hat I made later to match…..she came home in them and the little dress that her daddy picked out for her. 

and now this tired grammy is going to go to bed.

pictures are worth a thousand words…..

My little Sweet Pea…..

Sorry, this is the best picture we got showing off our new little girl…taken with my cell phone.  the lighting was terrible in the room.

August 19….9:23 a.m.  8 lb 6 oz., 20 1/2 in long, came into this world after over 15 hours of hard work on her mommy’s part.  She is beautiful and although we are all exhausted, we are all ecstatic!

More later, I must rest in the 2 hours we are home before we drive back to the hospital an hour away.  We’ll meet up with #1 son and fiance returning from their mission trip.  Better pictures later.

This grammy is just flying high.

The due date hasn’t even come yet, but it’s funny how we all are so expectant.  Things are slowly getting ready and that could change at any minute.  But still no little sweet pea.  You can actually watch baby moving around in mommy’s tummy and even can tell what’s what (well, little feet and the little “hiney”…..but the little sweet pea isn’t ready yet to make an entrance.  I’m just feeling wildly excited to meet the little one, but not until it’s time.

In the meantime….I made a little hat.  I just had new yarn, I have no idea who will get it but it was a fun, quick project.

I kind of made it up as I went along.  I just wanted to get through all the colorways.

I got a fun package in the mail the other day.

All the way from Austria!  Look at the fun little surprise inside.

I love looking at it so I haven’t opened it yet to taste.  I am quite sure I’m going to love it.  This was from a sort-of trade.  A friend on Ravelry wanted an Elizabeth Zimmermann book so I sent her that and some other things and she sent me some yarn and candy!

I got my coffee delivered from the Caffiene Addicts swap, too!  It’s so good!  Peet’s coffee.  I’m not sure I’ve ever had it before but it was roasted on Aug. 12 so it couldn’t be any fresher!

The other night we met up with the kids after they’d been to the midwife. (very little progress in a week)

They’re so much fun!

When we left, I was so taken with the clouds in the sky.

All the way home, the colors kept changing but it’s really hard to get pictures while the car is moving.  This one is the best I managed and it was only about 3 minutes after the first one which I took in the parking lot before we left.

I’ve gotten my mindless knitting started so when the big call comes, I can just grab it.  I started socks out of the yarn from Austria….it’s Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton.  I’m using 000 Addis.  I am so not thrilled that my gauge has gotten so much looser so I went down another needle size and I’m liking the fabric but sheesh.  I was concerned about it but when I read on Ravelry about people’s frustration, the clear message was…. don’t try to change your gauge, change your needle size.  I knew that but really.  I used to be able to knit on 0s and get the same gauge.  Before that, I was happy knitting socks on 1s. 

I also started a Baby Surprise Jacket.  I bought a kit in February, but it was 4 colors and I really don’t like to stripe the way they planned it and for the life of me, this wasn’t  making any sense to me so I decided to use some Poems yarn that softly changes color itself and after I’ve made one, I can figure out if I want to make one striped or not.  Everyone says you pretty much need to make one before it makes any sense.  I’m getting to where it’s pretty easy now to knit almost mindlessly but I do know there are a few rows that everyone seems to get confused on.  I’ve got to find the notes everyone seems to be referring to before I get to that point. 

I keep packing and re-packing my knitting bag so when we get to go to the hospital, I’ve got everything I need…..mindless project, BSJ, extra camera battery and charger, iPod (if it makes it into the bag).  What else is important?  We have a bag in the trunk that has munchies and water…but I keep joking that if Sweet Pea doesn’t get here soon, I’m going to have to buy more water.  The rest I am staying out of.  yea, me!

I have the best sp12!  I know she is leaving on a trip, but she still took time to spoil me

. 

Chocolate once again…yum.  She got me the most beautiful, soft yarn, I love it!  She also got me this fun bag, I turned the edges down so you can see the inside of it.  The yarn looks great with it!  I also love the cherry blossom note cards.  One thing I do know about her, she loves pink.  I like it, too…so it’s fun.  I think it’s going to be fun finding out about her after we reveal who we are.

Isn’t the bag pretty?  I love pink and red together and it has this bright green cord to close it with … I love it!

Yesterday felt grueling to me.  It was really hot outside, it was hotter inside and I felt like I just got wiped out.  Right after I got to work, I heard sirens and more sirens but I was busy with someone then.  Afterwards, I found out that there was a rollover accident a block from us on the main street!  Evidently a car was trying to change lanes, clipped the back of a little pickup and flipped over onto the top and came to rest with the hood on the ground and the back end up in the air.  The driver was still inside, upside down.  I did have to watch them take her out, I don’t think she was hurt badly.  Bizarre.  All day we kept hearing squealing brakes.  I was happy to come home.

I was so overheated, I took my knitting and Ravelry and sat on our deck until the wind came up and I was cold.

Today was hotter but for some reason, it didn’t get as warm inside.  I had 2 fans going and that must have helped.

The sp12 question of the week is:

What Olympic event would best describe you knitting/knitting style? 

I am at a bit of a loss.  I finally looked up the Triathalon  and this is exactly what I’d been thinking about:

The very first triathlon was in California in 1974. The Olympic committee announced that the triathlon would become an Olympic event in 2000. Triathlons have three parts swimming, cycling, and running, and they happen one right after the other.  

To be in the triathlon you need a swimming suit, a pair of swimming goggles, a bicycle helmet, a bicycle and a pair of running shoes and a running vest. Some athletes also wear a wetsuit and cycling shoes. 

 

The Olympics triathlon is a distance triathlon. The athletes swim for about one mile, cycle for about 25 miles, and then run for about six miles.  

That’s all you need so … Swim your best! Don’t give up on Swimming!  You also have to run up the mountains. Run your best! Don’t give up on Running! Cycle your best! Don’t give up on Cycling! 

This is what kind of knitter I try to be.  I try to do my best, I try not to give up.  Sometimes I fall down, sometimes I get stuck….but I’m always up for the challenge and I like to push myself in a variety of “events” … but all I have to do is do my best and don’t give up!
 

Yes, I have done it!  It was totally painless.  Of course, it was a sock and not a fair isle sweater….but how fun to have tried it and had it work!  I started Cat Bordhi’s Houdini sock at Stitch n Pitch and hadn’t worked on it since the game.  Tonight I finished the “footprint” and inserted the needles for the steeking.

Then I snipped and unravelled.

The sock fits!  I knit the inch before starting the pattern on the cuff of the sock which was to use another method (the name escapes me right now).  It took me so long to do 3 stitches even though I knit the previous row very loosely as she suggested but for all that work, I wasn’t horrible fond of the look so I’m going to find another cuff pattern.  I’m thrilled, though!

I got my Olympic knitting done….my share of the Relay blanket.  I think we decided to call ourselves the Friendship Knitters.  We are so far ahead of schedule.  I was 3rd on the list and the knitting started at 5 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8.  I got my call to start my block at 12:35!!!!!!   I was no where near ready to start.  I had gone to get my hair cut and foiled and had barely gotten to work when I got the call.  #4 on the list was knitting there already so I traded places with her.  She, too, is a fast knitter so she passed the needles to me again in the early afternoon.  By then I was ready and got mine done that night.  I think we are on number 8 now.  Such fun!  I think we’ll do it again but maybe in a different format.

I love the color of these blocks.  We had 6 colors I think.  We each got to pick a page of patterns.  The garter stitch was my warm-up event.  The first square (triangles) was my relay block, and the checkerboard is my final event.  These aren’t blocked yet, but I’m happy with them, they are the same size and so far every one I have laid it up against it has been the same size!

Tonight I got to deliver a baby gift for Sweet Pea. 

I absolutely LOVE this.  The pattern is “Moonbeam” and it’s an adorable little cape with a hood. 

I love the little wall plaque.  This baby is fortunate to have 2 very wise parents….but I am so happy that this new father is going to make us very proud.

Isn’t the card cute?

And I love the little label inside. The designer is Kim Hargreaves.  I want to knit this myself.

Another friend gave her a copy of this drawing from the 40s.

I also wanted to show the little bear that daddy’s grandma made him when he was a little boy.  She just passed away so it is even more special.  His mom put a very sweet card on his neck.  I could just cry it’s so sweet.

#1 son and his fiance leave in the early morning for their mission trip to just south of Tijuana, Mexico.  They have been to the same village several times.  In fact, mama-to-be went down there and stayed for 6 weeks all by herself because she wanted to experience life in a village without having the comfort of her friends and team.  She stayed with a missionary family that our church as come to know quite well.  The kids are going to build a home for a family.  The only hard thing is they are sad to possibly miss the arrival of the baby that will make him an uncle for the first time.  God knows the day and the hour and He knows they were going to be on this trip so it’s all in His hands.

No, no baby yet although things are moving right along and the midwife said she is in a good place for this stage of the game.  We had a shower today and now feel all the things we were concerned about missing have happened except the fact that brother is going on the mission trip and really doesn’t want to miss out on the baby.

But first….we do have news.

Yep, another wedding!

So now we have another bride and groom-to-be!  We are very happy.

This time, I do not have to be the mother-of-the-bride so it will be much easier, so they say.  She also is pretty organized and has been collecting things for years.  It will be fun.  We have a year to get ready, too.  By then who knows if we’ll have more grandkids or what, our life has changed so drastically in the last 2 years!

This is the funny imp who knew right away that meant…wedding….when he saw the ring.

He’s happy….he loves his new sis-to-be.  She’s been part of our family for over 4 years so he already sees her that way anyway…but now he has to get straight the fact that she takes our name.  These name changes have been horribly confusing to him and he’s changed his own name with every wedding, or so he’s thought.  I used to hear him trying to work it out in his conversations with himself.

Not only did we have that big excitement today…but there was the shower, too.

It was a lot of fun once again.

Notice the little girl crawling across the top of the couch.

Notice another little girl sitting up on the couch this time.

Notice the little girls who never left her side.  They were just totally into it.  What’s cute is the mama-to-be said she got so hot because they were so close.  She loved it, though.

This little one found a place to plop down and rest.

And here is one of the games….what is in the diaper?  Hmmmm, it smells like…….

We got to play that game on the way to getting our food.  lol

I actually won one of the games.  We took the name “Sweet Pea” and had to come up with as many words made from them as we could in 2 minutes.  I came up with 29….love those word games!  I won the door prize, too, but they redrew names.  I got some sweet pea hand lotion and hand soap!  The mama’s best friend really picked up on the sweet pea thing.  She and I both had a bag full of sweet pea related gifts.

I am sooooo tired.  Tomorrow is my day off.  I am going to put together some clothes for us to be ready to grab if we have to go in the middle of the night.  The little imp will go to big sis’s house but he needs to be ready to head out the door, too.  I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep this week so I hope to manage that tonight, although I won’t mind one bit if we get a phone call!

It’s been so crazy busy here.  Here’s a long, picture-heavy update.

Last Saturday, the mama-to-be had a shower on the daddy’s side of the family.  I couldn’t go because I have been missing so much work and will miss more when baby comes.  Here she is with a gift from a knitting friend of mine that I gave her before the shower.

These are little leggings from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitters Almanac.  How cute are they!  They’re made from sock yarn.  What a treasure.

I’ve been trying to get myself prepared for that big trip to the hospital.  We got some snacks to leave in the car.  Now it looks like there will be more of us headed to the hospital than I thought.  #1 son is going on a mission trip next week and is really hoping baby makes it’s appearance before that.  He and his girlfriend want to be there even if it’s in the middle of the night.  I’m thinking we may fill the waiting room!

Things are definitely progressing…she went to the doctor today and she’s beginning to dilate and all those good things.  She continues to swell terribly but so far no sign of danger there.

She was horribly disappointed that she didn’t get to go to Stitch n Pitch this year but when the time actually came, she was happy her hubby said no….she can barely walk because of the swelling.

But….we all took off for a day of adventure. 

He’s ready.

We stopped to fill up….we actually got 30 cents off with our Safeway card.  Who’d ever think it would be exciting to pay only $3.89 for gas!

We got there early and got a great parking place a block from Safeco Field.

I always get excited walking up to the ballpark.

It was especially fun to see Shanda and Julie standing there in front.  Right after I snapped the picture, Shanda tried to call me not realizing we were waiting to cross the street.  Shanda managed to disappoint a little lady who was excitedly running around the stadium looking for the ballplayers who were signing autographs.  She told her they were Devil Rays, not Mariners.  lol  She wondered why the poor lady had walked right by the ballplayers a few minutes before and wasn’t interested then.  Methinks the Mariners wouldn’t be hanging around outside the stadium before the game.

We always end up waiting outside, the first ones to get through the doors.  It’s all because we don’t want to pay for parking.

On the first leg of the trip to the 3rd level…we found all the escalators, including the one that almost did me in.  It was 2 stories high and me with my fear of heights was getting pretty shaky by the end of it.

The family.

The first pitch was thrown by Larissa Brown, author of Knitalong.  She said she practiced a lot but was really nervous when she got out there.

I started the Houdini socks by Cat Bordhi…a great mindless project for the game.  I’m almost ready to close the heel.

Ichiro in his famous stance.

and Raul Ibanez, my favorite Mariner (who happened to win the game for us once again!)

We walked down and got our books signed by Larissa Brown.  Isn’t her pinwheel blanket beautiful?  She’s so sweet.

It was such a beautiful day and evening.

Here’s the little bride with her knitting….she’s making leg warmers.

I always love the people who come out and rake the dirt.  They didn’t dance for us this time, though.

It was pretty exciting when JJ Putz came out to pitch.

And then the best part of all….and unfortunately, my memory card filled up….but this is when Raul hit the homerun that won the game.

 I bought a new memory card tonight…this is so ridiculous how often my silly card is full.  I need to figure out how to auto-delete on this camera, I’ve only had it a year!  I had meant to buy a new card on the way to the game, though…and forgot every time we went into a store that would have them.

Today as the Olympics started, a group of us started our Olympic event.  We’re doing a relay, knitting squares for a blanket to be donated to a women’s shelter here in our community.  Each person gets a “training” square that could be started during the opening ceremonies.  (5 a.m. our time).  I know of at least one person who actually got up at 5 to start knitting.  Then they can start their “relay” block when they get the call from the person before them.  We had 2 very fast knitters in the front of the line.  I suspected I’d be getting the call sometime today because I was 3rd in line, but imagine my surprise when that call came at 12:30 this afternoon! 

I had such a crazy morning.  I went for to get my hair cut and foiled at 9 a.m. and got out of there at almost noon.  I wasn’t ready for work or anything so I was late getting there.  One friend was there working on her training block and when I got my call, I switched places with her.  In no time at all, she finished hers and I was back in the starting gate.  I’m afraid I have slowed up the progress…lol.  I feel for the person following me because I’ll call her in the morning and I’m sure she expected she’d be doing hers next week sometime!  I’m sure things will slow down at some point, but it’s so exciting to see the enthusiasm.  I was reading my Knitalong book while knitting this evening and I get to frog back a few rows as a result..but I’m really pondering her insight on knitting together.  Lovin’ it!

When we finish our relay block, we have our final event….our last block.  When we’re all done, we’ll get together at knit night and assemble the whole thing. 

And now, I must get this block done and get to bed so I don’t end up being a very tired Grandma when I get to meet my little sweet pea!

We are halfway through sp12.  I have a great secret pal who has made it a lot of fun for me because she really tries (and succeeds) at doing things that I love.  That makes it fun and I do hope to make it more of a 2-way get-to-know-you after this is over.  She’ll be fun to stay in touch with.

Here’s this week’s question….

Have you ever entered your knitting (or anything else) in the fair? Would you ever consider it?

No, I have never entered anything in the fair.  I think I never think my finished objects are really good enough.  I know I’m a good knitter, but I am so critical of my mistakes.  (aren’t most of us?)

I have watched a good friend of mine with delight as she knit the yarn that she spun into a shawl and entered it this year.   I guess I will vicariously live through her fun.  She finds out today how she did because the fair opens today.  She’s headed right after work.

Sadly, at our fair you see mostly Red Heart projects….pot holders, afghans, those dish towels with crocheted tops, and many, many stuffed animals. 

It is my hope that the judges see the worth of my friend’s project.  If they do, I think it will inspire other friends of mine to participate again.  In the past some did but clearly the judges were on another wavelength.  I don’t mean to sound critical but a very intricately knit shawl of one’s own design really does not compare to some of the things they were put up against and the comments were heartbreaking.

Ok…this is making me think. 

I never realized before I started knitting again what a huge world it was as far as how endless the opportunity to learn is.  I realized early on that one could knit socks for the rest of their lives and never learn it all.  There is top down, toe up, short-row heels, standard heel flaps, lace, plain stockinette and endless patterns.  Then if that isn’t enough, you get Cat Bordhi coming up with her new pathways methods.  You can use double-points, 2 circulars, magic loop.  Then if you think you got that all figured out, Cat comes up with her Houdini sock (have you seen that?  wow!)  I could go on and on, but do you get my point?

From the beginning of my return to knitting, I somehow caught the vision for the opportunity to learn.  A friend recommended “Knitting Without Tears” and that blew my mind wide open for opportunity to understand knitting in a whole new way.

I would never have thought socks would become a mindless project for me.  I was one who couldn’t knit 2 stitches without constantly checking out the pattern.  I was nervous and terrified of errors.  Now it doesn’t scare me at all…anything is fixable or so what if you have to frog it all and find another project for the yarn?

It’s really funny how some people look down their noses at knitters.  When people ask me, “Do you ever do anything but knit?”  I’ve learned to respond, “I bet you watch tv at night, too.”  Knitting gives us a way to redeem the time.  I am almost never worried about having to wait for something if I have my knitting along to fill the time.  I love that it has taken the edge off my fidgeting.  I’m almost disappointed if I don’t get a few minutes when I have to wait for the kids or an appointment.

So…I didn’t expect that this simple question would get me thinking so much….but there you have it.

Today I’m trying to plan my Stitch n Pitch knitting for tomorrow!