Look What I found

I don't know if you have old magazines catalogs around, but for some reason it's hard to throw them out. I find some are very pleasing to look at and give me inspiration to how I want my house to look. We have this old 2003 Potterbarn catalog that I like look at every once in a while, until I see the prices and I just want to puke.

Is it really necessary to have a pillow cost 80 bucks? Anywho... I was looking at the catalog last night with miss Mac who loves looking at that kinda of stuff...apple not far from the tree, eh? When I sit with her, we point out different colors and objects that appeal to us and it helps with her vocabulary...when I came to page 78....here look:



Do you see it? If you didn't catch it right away, no worries...I seen this magazine a million times and never noticed. Here is what it amazing:



Yep, Knitting!!! What do you think...Looks like a scarf on perhaps size 5 wood straights...not bad.

Hallow's Eve Sock Update

I'm knitting away at Fulmar and I look over at my yarn cake that is no more...hum, I've come to the end of a ball...hurray! First skein...promise I'll post pictures soon. This milestone left me with having to make another cake...which has happened, but in the mean time I grabbed my socks and started some rib..



Couple more rows and this is finished...I've got extra and Miss Mac needs a matching pair;)

I was happy today to get out for a few minutes and capture this shot. It always surprises me how bright and powerful the sun can be during fall. I'm practically blind in these conditions.

~:: a little rant ::~

The other day I was waiting for my train on the platform like usual. When I notice a friendly familiar commuter, and we greet each other. All the niceties are exchanged...you know...how are you...the weather is getting colder...you know, chit-chat. We actually have more in common then riding the train at the same time. We both have boys in 6th grade and they are friends. Not the best of friends, but friendly as 12 year-old boys can be.

If it was any old joe asking about my family I would say, Oh, yeah...their great. But, when he asked about Eric and how he was doing, I was honest and said that we've been having some issues with homework and such.

He dives in and starts to share his woes about having spent hours on math homework with his son last night. And I can't believe what they're expecting out of these kids. I contribute and tell him about Eric's struggle with reading and writing. Folks, I got a blank stare. I tried to back it up with how he's had these issues for awhile and it's a daily struggle...Still the stare, then a slight "oh" escapes his lips.

This is not the only time I've gotten this reaction. Why? Why is having issues with reading and writing is worse then math? Why is it okay to suck at math, but not the English language? It's like your a complete idiot if you have trouble spelling, but figuring out the greatest common factor is hard, so it's okay...besides everyone sucks at math, right?

Don't get me wrong...math can get hard and I don't know how good I'll be in the homework department come High School. But hell...I just don't understand the unsympathetic attitude towards our struggle.

TGIF

Oh Sweet Friday!

Gosh how I love you so, let me count the ways....

1. Little daughter at 38 months has now gone two whole days dry. Yep, we've moved on into wearing cute panties...now if only I can manage the dryness outside of the home.

2. Big Son believes there are laundry fairies. Yeah, he thinks when he drops nearly 4 loads of dirty cloths into the laundry room at 11:30 pm, that he will have clean slacks for the morning. ::head-shake::

3. Hubby feels that it is okay to switch vehicles with Father-in-law for a week. This doesn't even bother me to much, but why would he want to switch cars? Is he up to no good? I don't think I even want to know.

and last is this website that is not knitting related, but interesting to say the least. The blog entry had me laughing my arse off...

Thursday is a Good Day

As of 11:30 this afternoon I have finished my week of Hell. It really was longer then a week...seeing it started last Wednesday. My week of Hell involves a financial paper that gets produced quarterly...so I guess I'm lucky to be only stricken with The Week From Hell every three months. This week from Hell has gotten better...I've gotten so good at it that I don't work the weekends, but work and lunch are still at war. Hopefully I'll get even better, so that I can have random potty breaks;)...I can only dream of the day.

Since I was released from my cage, I went for a walk in the park. Don't you just love it when the tips of the trees turn colors first?



Knitted a couple of stitches on the Fulmar...here she is among the leafs.



The Fulmar is coming along great. Yeah, it's slow, but do you expect from 236 stitches on size US 2's? Oh, almost forgot I even had this picture on my camera...a progress shot of my Half Blood Prince socks.



Sorry it's blurry...but early morning shots and Thomas the train don't ever come out;)

What The F***

Conversation between me and a MacDonalds employee:


"I would like one cheeseburger happy meal." requests mommy, while young child clings to my thigh.

"What kind of drink with that?" asks cashier.

"Diet Coke, please"

"You know it's not good for you."

"Excuse me? Did you just say that the soda was no good, as in it's gone bad. Or are you saying that the diet is not good for me in general?"

"I've been doing some research and studies show that diet coke stunts growth in young children."

"Oh, I see. So, your telling me that regular coke is better for you."

Does anyone see how ironic this whole thing is? I mean seriously...is he for real? If he's so worried about health, then why not warn me of the fries and cheeseburger... gosh, I'm sure those food items are 50 million times worse then the damn diet pop.

And just to clarify, for those of you who don't eat with my family day in and day out. No, we don't eat at MacDonalds very often (only as a treat), and yes MacKenzie is getting a balanced diet and half the time she requests to drink ice water. sigh.

It's Not A Race

Okay, so I'm working on the Fulmar and I saw some of the KAL members saying how long it took them to knit one row off the main pattern. Several mentioned 30 minutes and 40 minutes...Needless to say, I'm trailing behind. It took me an hour and 15 minutes to complete one cable row. sigh. I have gotten better, but I'm certainly not going to watch the clock again. Kinda stressful knitting like that.



It is hard to see beautiful the cables are turning out because I haven't gone through a complete set, but soon.

Twins Update:

The babies are doing great. Both are off oxygen monitors and are eating on their own. The mommy has named them, but for the life of me I can't remember how it's spelled. I know bad step-grandma.

Get Skinny 4-Stash Update:

I will have to breakdown and buy a digital scale. I think I lost, but it's one of those...squint one eye you get a gain, squint the other you lost...talk about a roller coaster of emotions;)

Get Skinny 4-Stash

I mentioned about a week ago that I was planning on starting this diet healthy balanced weight loss in trade for stash. My goals are simple and easy to follow, but unless you have motivation you'll get side tracked.

On Sunday I weighed myself and I was surprised to discover that I only gained 7 lbs from my last diet low. Yet, my cloths feel so tight and restricting. I then had this light-bulb moment. Exercise. I've been seriously doing less and to be honest..none. This lack of movement has lead to a less firm and tone body.

I really wasn't going to add exercise to the list of guidelines, but I don't think I'll reach my goal quick enough and stay motivated without it.

I did see that some of you out there are interested in joining in, which is AWESOME! I'm totally here to help push, motivate and be your blogging cheerleader! I have a list of guidelines that I'm planning on sticking with, but you can certainly change them to fit your lifestyle or goal.

First off here is the button if you wish to plug it on your blog, go for it. I still don't know if I like the wording...but it's ultimately the idea right?



My Guidelines:

• For every pound lost, I will put one dollar aside in my "stash jar". If I had a digital scale I would probably put the full amount lost..for example if I lost 1.3 pounds, then a $1.30 would be put up in the jar.

• For every exercise minute I complete, I will put in one penny...for example if I work out for 30 minutes, then 30 cents will be tossed into the jar.

• I will drink 6 - 8oz glasses of water a day. Not including diet soda or coffee/tea.

• I will maintain healthy portions. This part gets tricky, but as long as I don't stuff myself, overeat, or go back for seconds, then I'm good. Labels can really open your eyes to portion size.

• Try to stay away from the worst villain of all. SUGAR. I'm not going to say that I wont have a cookie between now and when I reach my goal, I just wont have a whole box of cookies;)

My Goal:

To lose 20 lbs over several of months to buy one skein of Jitterbug sock yarn.

Weight loss is tricky and it doesn't come off fast. If it comes off slowly, then it will more likely stay off longer. I estimate that I'll lose a pound a week. Which can be disappointing when you look at the fact that it might take 5 months to loss this weight. BUT, on the other hand it could happen quicker too. Plus, if you think about it...by March I'll be 20 lbs lighter and have some cash for stash.

If you want to join me in this healthy lifestyle, by all means do. Pick a goal and picking something that is tangible too. I certainly need to loss more then 20 lbs, but it's a number I'm comfortable with. Then set up guidelines to get to your goal. Join Weight Watchers or a GYM. I've been through this game so many times that I know what I need to do in order to loss the weight. It's all a matter of sticking to it and having that motivation there.

I also want to put in a clause here that states that this doesn't mean I will stop buying yarn. I do have plans on buying yarn for projects that are already underway. My want for Jitterbug yarn was had after I had discovered that Knitche in Downers Grove carries it.

So, Who's With Me?

They're So Small

Well, not these two...



Those are the proud parents (Alexis & Tyron) of Baby A (boy) and Baby B (girl) born one minute apart. Names are still being argued discussed.

Now look at the smile on Grandpa's face as he looks in on Baby Boy...gosh, a grandpa. sigh. Baby Boy was born first at 2 lbs 6 oz and is 14 inch long.



Here is another shot of the little peanut.



Baby Girl was the one who started all the drama, but can you blame her? With the baby shower on Saturday, she wanted to make an entrance. She weighed in at 2 lbs 8 oz and 14 inches long.



Even with them being so small, they really seem to have a presence. I have a good feeling about them and their outcome into the big world. Mom and Dad have that glazed over, totally in love look that parents get.



How can you not just melt when you see these miracles. Our family has just grown in numbers and it also opens your eyes to be thankful for small things and not take anything for granted. When I got home I hugged my kids extra tight.

Half Blood Prince

I really got the urge to cast-on for a pair of socks...and now I remember why I hadn't knit socks in a while. My needles need replacing. I was hoping to order some Knit Picks circ's soon, but until then I'll just manage with what I got.

The new socks are Mackentosh Yarns and was a great find at The Fold booth during Stitches. Kinda feels just right with Halloween around the corner.



Half Blood Prince is the color way...gotta love that. I love knitting my socks toe-up on two circ's...and as of Monday, this was how far I got.



Well...life happens and no blogging was the after effect. Since then I've gotten this far..



And why would I be working on socks, since I have a huge FULMAR sweater in my life? What happened was after reworking the increase row and starting the main body..I was short stitches. Two to be exact. After tinking back and reading my stitches, I produced an increase correctly, but some how it didn't work. In the end I just fudged it. The cables don't naturally line up and this makes for a perfect reason to fudge. While figuring out my dilemma on the train this morning I was using my cable needle to tink back some stitches. Train pulls into station and I stuff my things back into the mother of all knitting satchels. However, when lunch came around I pulled out my project to discover my cable needle missing.

I then dumb everything out of the bag, check pockets...literally searched every nook. I then remembered my hoodie was on my lap during the trip. I pull out my sweater and looky what I found.



I seriously can't believe I didn't lose the damn thing. sigh. I'm a bad knitter for puncturing my knitwear?

Just a Little Scary

As of 10:15 this evening my step-daughter Alexis just got rushed into surgery. Two little babies are about to enter this crazy world and they've got quite a battle ahead of them.

She is only 28 weeks along and the doctor gave her steroids to strengthen the little lungs. I don't know much more then that. Please keep her and these precious little lives in your thoughts.


~ UPDATE AS OF 11:30 pm ~

Mom and babies are out of surgery and doing well. Baby Boy cried right away and Baby Girl needed some help. Both weight in around 2 lbs and are on oxygen. Doctor seems to think things are looking good as can be for now. Boy, this sure did happen super quick...now the new parents are in a rush to name the little peanuts.


~ UPDATE as of 9:30 am Next Day ~

Talked with Alexis this morning and she's doing great...well, as great as any young mom can be after delivering two little babies at 7 months. The Boy is breathing on his own at 2 lbs 2 oz and the Girl is on a breathing monitor at 2 lbs 3 oz. Mommy will be leaving the hospital just in time for her baby shower on Saturday. The little ones will remain most likely until the new year. The one thing that Alexis says she wishes she could do is hold them. I told her to get her ass out of bed and head straight to the nursery...you might not be able to pick them up, but you can certainly touch them!

I'm hoping to figure out a time when I can get over to the hospital to visit...work is on HIGH right now, so getting away is difficult. I'll post more when I can. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I didn't think I would want to be a grandma... or even a step-grandma... but I think I'm okay with it. I came into work today and announced to everyone I was a grandma...they looked at me kinda funny;)

A Little Indulgence

Nana's Knits had their 2nd year Anniversary Party this past Friday...and sorry to say, no pictures. Alas, I did indulge in some Noro yarn.



The pattern was discovered in the Knitting Pattern-A-Day Calendar for 2007...it's the October 13th pattern. It called for two skeins, but I hadn't read the pattern correctly and ended up with a different fiber. Which means I'll have to pick up one more skein to finish this "poncho" style capelet.

Super easy, super fast...and I've also cast-on for another pair of socks...more later;)

Pinwheel for Munchkin

Saturday was the day that all secret gifts were revealed. It was the Froebe Baby Shower and fun was had by all.

The story of the secret gifts started some time ago with some yarn and needles which then came together to make a Pinwheel baby blanket for the Froebe Munchkin. Fell in love with the pattern so much so that it became addictive. I couldn't put the blanket down. Here is a early morning shot before heading into the office.



Here is the full shot all knit up.





Started: August 27, 2007
Ended: September 16, 2007
Yarn: Plymouth Encore
Needles: US 6 dpn's and Circ's

It's not a hard pattern at all, but if you don't watch your Yarn-Overs it can be a serious pain. I had to get into the habit of checking my YO every row to make sure I got them all in... no tears where shed, but a few choice words were spoken. At one point I was also cussing myself for not remembering how to find the circumference of a circle. Why, in fact when I got home that night I told Eric don't ever say you wont use math later in life.

The baby shower was a smash and I would like to thank Megan for joining me in hosting the event and to all the South Side Tinley Park Stitch 'n Bitch for bringing a dish and enjoying an afternoon of sweets and baby stuff.



Here is the other secret gift, a Baby Bag. I'll get into more details on this baby knit soon. I'm hoping to have a free pattern available for all to enjoy.



Here is some random shots of the shower and what fun we had!







I love this shot...the adorable outfit is all Knitterary's doings.







The last of the secret gifts are these adorable baby Saartje bootees. If you had a good eye you might have seen these hanging up as part of the decorations in the above photos.





There super cute and a very quick knit. I do recommend finding buttons before finishing...or you can tack down the flaps and skip the buttons all together.

phew...what a day. Thanks again ladies and cheers Becca & Jason! Now at least I can blog about EVERY knit I'm working on...no secrets;)

Making a Change

Over the past couple of weeks I've been thinking long and hard about my weight. Last year I joined Weight Watchers and over a 10 month period I had lost 30+ pounds. I was feeling so good...so good that I quite going to the meetings. This isn't that hard, I can do this on my own kinda quite. Well, it's been several months and I've gain some back...not all, but enough that the new cloths that I purchased are no longer comfortable to wear. OUCH! talk about a wake up call.

I'm not planning on joining Weight Watchers again...and not because I don't need support but motivation. It's cost of the meetings that really bits...were talking 40-45 bucks a month. My budget just can't handle that extra expense, plus think of all the yarn you could buy?! I know sounds kinda crazy...swapping my health for some fiber. The thing is I can totally do this on my own. I fell off the wagon...didn't care about my sugar intake and portion control or even how much water I should be having.

So, I then started thinking about motivation. What could I do to motivate my self into losing weight and tie it in with fiber.

Fat-4-Stash!

I tried a whole bunch of other names...

Pounds-4-Cash
Weight-4-Stash
Loss-4-Cash

Hey, if you can think of something better please speak up. I'm totally not a creative writer.

So the idea is that for every pound I lose I will put the same amount of cash into my stash fund and because I'm all about a goal...I totally want some Jitterbug sock yarn. It runs about $20 for a skein. On average I can lose a pound or two a week...so it will be slow, but worth it.

I haven't officially started yet, but I'm hoping to weigh in on Sunday night and start my Fat-4-Stash goal. There really aren't any rules associated with this idea...if I happen to gain half a pound, I'm not going to take 50 cents out the stash jar. Each Sunday I'll weigh in to calculate the loss for stash cash.

During this Fat-4-Stash period, I'm also restricting any yarn purchases. With tons of babies on the way, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the evil money sponge Christmas... don't really have the the funds to buy more yarn. Don't take this as I'm not interested in a yarn crawl or even the occasional needful purchase (like more skeins of Silver Creek merino for my Fulmar ~ because I'm an idiot and didn't buy enough) anywooo... I've already got a sketch for a button if anyone is interested in joining me..pretty simple, set a goal and go for it.

At this point anything is better then the weight I'm at.

Just Had Too!!

As I was starting my next purl sided row...I thought Hey, If I Can Fix It...Then Why Not Now?



When I came to the section of uncabled stitches, I would undo the ladders to expose the third row of active "suppose" to be cabled row. Then switch the order, thus producing the cable. Re-knit the ladders an voila...



Cabled row is fixed...and then after spending 3 hours undoing and redoing...this is what happened:



Yep fellow Knitsters, I twisted the cable the wrong way. sigh. I swear I can't win with this thing. My Fulmar is just going to have to be special. Yeah, the incompetent, stubborn, doesn't know right from left and obviously HOLD TO THE FRONT verse HOLD TO THE BACK kind of special.

And actually in the larger scheme of things, it wont be noticeable.

Pumpkin Season

So it's about that time of year...and with my October month filling up quickly we decided to hit the pumpkin patch. I was over on Ravelry forms and the Corn Maze topics where drawing me in. Did a quick search and lone behold Monee, Illinois has a patch. cool...well more like HOT DAMN!! What have Chicagoans done to deserve 90 degree temps in Freakin' October!!!

Even with the freak of nature temperatures, we headed to Butterprint Farm's where they have tons of cool stuff...only wish it was 10 degrees cooler to really enjoy it.

When you get there, they have an admissions fee, but it pays for the hayride out to and from the patch, petting zoo, corn maze, the nature museums and other historical stuff.

Took the hayride out to the patch...now this is no Charlie Brown patch at all...were talkin' acres of patches.



Mac found her perfect pumpkin...



After hauling our finds back on the hayride and loading up the car, we went back to check out the rest the interesting stuff there...Big E was really excited about this one...



There was tons more to discover and worth the ride out to get flavored honey sticks...yummmm! Just a quick note if you go...bring garden gloves, as the pumpkins are fresh from the patch.


Knitting Update:

Well, I've done it again and I'm at a point where I just want to bang my head on the table. First major cable row on my Do-Over and I didn't even do it right.



What your suppose to see is a little 4 stitch cable...yeah...just kinda skipped that part.



So...I could just keep knitting or tink back three rows. I just don't know how I feel about it...one voice is telling me, oh keep going...what's one set of cables not done...then another is saying...you know it's going to bug you.

It's only knitting...there are no rules...I'm moving on.

I Goofed

You know, math used to the one thing that I could do. Yeah, not so much anymore. I managed to put enough cast-on stitches on and stay in line for the 10 stitch repeat...not just one extra repeat, nooooooo....but TWO FREAKIN REPEATS!!!! That's twenty extra stitches. My brain just happened to skip over numbers. So when it was time to add my increases and start my main body charts...I was off. WAY FREAKIN OFF. I figured it was late and no need to stress my self over figures. A good nights sleep does nothing for the math.


::pout::

::sob::

It's a do over people. It was only 14 hours out of my life. Good thing it's only knitting.

Happy Monday Knitsters

Tasty Yarns at Loopy

Friday night I decided my week totally sucked the big one...so I adventured out to Loopy Yarns to take part in the Fall Yarn Tasting.



The place fills up quickly and getting there early is definitely key. If you think you'll be just in time, bring a chair with you. This picture didn't come out to good, but you can see that the place is narrow and seating can be limited.



With my little plate of cheese, crackers and wine I sat down to look over the menu for the evening.



I couldn't stay but for an hour, but the next Tasting will be marked on my calendar as a must do. Being there for a short time only allowed me to sample four yarns, but each is lovely in it's own way.

I did get a chance to finish the ribbing for Fulmar and started the main charts, but for some reason I'm off on my count. Back to the drawing board.



I would just like to give a quick shout out to my husband. After months of the lost camera cable...I'm now able to blog on the weekends. sweet! thanks hub for finding the cable in the same spot I've been looking over for EVER!

Knitter Quiz

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!








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Not sure what's up with the code...but here is what the copy is suppose to say:

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.

The Big Girl Bed

Do you think she likes it?



Yeah, she really likes it. Now the bedtime routines can involve snuggling between squishy blankies and long stories of princesses and unicorns. Ignore the old stained carpet...it's clean...no poo insight.





Guess what the best part is about her having her own bed? Of course, I get mine back!

Knitting is still happening. Secrete gifts are on there finishing stages. Just in time phew. Fulmar is my love as of yet...Stitch 'n Bitch is tonight, so I'll be working on the Sahara...simple stockinette. Or I think I'll cast on for a pair of socks...hummmmm, the possibilities!