Monday Night Jazz

Andrew has decided he likes to listen to jazz since he gets to listen to jazz in the Jeep with Daddy sometimes. So, when we found out that a local coffee shop, The Coffee Grounds, has live jazz we decided we should check it out. Tim mentioned the first time we went here. We went there again last night. Andrew loves listening - the ice cream treat doesn't hurt either - but mostly he listens and plays with the toys they have there when they aren't playing. Nicholas wasn't quite as happy, but then he was just tired. Amazingly he did fall asleep while the music was playing. I was plugging one ear and he had the other pressed against me, but it still wasn't that quiet. Tim thought I should show up to play sometime. Andrew would think that was pretty cool to have Mommy playing jazz. Maybe when I have a little more free time.

I mentioned that I thought I might start a sweater for Nicholas Friday and I did.

From 12307

I finished the back Monday night and am about a third of the way done with the front. It is so fun knitting for babies because the things go so quick. Although, I mentioned to Tim that it is like a race to see if you can get the item knit before the baby grows out of it. I think I am winning this race. It helps that I am knitting a 12-18 month size, so it will be a little big, but at this rate I should have the sweater done in the next week or so.

Andrew had fun at tumbling again today, and he even followed his teachers directions (at least for the first 20 minutes). He loves tumbling, but sometimes he takes creative liberties with the things they are supposed to be doing. Things like when he decided that his crab walked on his tummy, he was going to leap in between the circles instead of on them, things like that. Oh well, the main thing is that he is having fun and using some of his energy. He also thinks learning the forward roll was pretty cool. He also liked playing Thomas cards today.

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This post made me hungry for chocolate chip cookies, so when Tim asked this weekend if there was anything I wanted, I of course mentioned the possibility of making some. He wasn't too hard to convince. Nicholas wishes he could have some, but he will just have to make due with his fingers for now.

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He has really been watching us eat lately. He tracks our food from our plates to our mouths and then puts his hands in his mouth. He is just practicing.

A Nice Day

Today has actually been a pretty nice day. Andrew behaved at preschool. He was good all day actually, except for a little craziness when we got home from preschool. I got some cute pictures of Andrew and Nicholas sitting together after I put Andrew's shoes on. Looking at them together makes realize how much Nicholas has grown. It's pretty amazing.

From A Nice Day

We went to the Children's Museum again and had a chance to really play in the new Bob exhibit.

From A Nice Day

From A Nice Day

We played in My World and the nature exhibit too.

From A Nice Day

From A Nice Day

(Yes, we get a lot of use out of our membership)
Then we ate dinner, watched an episode of Backyardigans and Andrew took a bath and calmly went to bed. Nick on the other hand has been to bed three times already tonight, but you can't win them all.

I thought I would post a "finished" picture of my pirate mittens, even though I still have a few ends to weave in.

From A Nice Day

They look finished anyway. They are from this pattern. I omitted the year, but otherwise followed the pattern. They were knit with wool-ease on size 4 Brittney Birch dpns. They fit my long skinny hands, but probably will be too small for a guy. They knit up pretty quick since I started them Tuesday evening last week and other than stalling with the end weaving were finished Monday. This really is quick since I really only knit at night after both kids are asleep lately and that doesn't give me much time.

This is the soaker I started last night.

From A Nice Day

I am done with the ribbing and working some short rows on the back now. The colors decided to stack when I started the stockinette stitch. The distance around the soaker must be about one color repeat. It doesn't look bad to me though and the short rows will change things up a little.

When all else fails...

Cast-on something simple that you have made a dozen times, but do it with a new twist. I am really almost done with the pirate mittens, only a few ends to weave in on the second mitten. I have either half or one and a half balls of yarn (I don't remember what Tim and I decided on right now) on Tim's black scarf. The snowman would be quick to finish too. It is just that none of those projects are really needed or have much left I could be creative with, and so seem kind of boring but require concentration to work on. And after my afternoon (Andrew managed to fall down the stairs at the Y after tumbling class - he isn't badly hurt, just a bump on the head since he managed to roll sideways most of the way - he settled down quite a bit after that) they just aren't what I am looking for. So I cast on for a soaker. It is something Nicholas actually needs (I have four covers cut out and waiting to be sewn up - I just haven't sat down at the sewing machine to do it). It is something I have made many times before. I have even sold a few. I don't use a pattern any more. Soakers are my comfort knitting. I am using the Naturally Nazareth yarn I picked up last May. My twist this time, instead of cables like I have done in the past, is twisted ribbing. I am hoping this will help with the fact that the ribbing always seems to stretch out, no matter how small a needle I use or if I use fewer stitches for the ribbing. Right now it is 76 stitches (usually 80 for a med, but I ran out of tail on my twisted german cast-on) of k2 tbl p2 ribbing for about 2 inches - until I used up the yarn barf from finding the center of the skein. The yarn has really short color sections so no obvious patterning yet. It will be interesting to see if that holds true when I increase for the body of the soaker and switch to stockinette stitch.

Mittens - Pirates and Bunnies

Andrew had his first swimming lesson at the YMCA today. He had a blast. He maybe could have stayed by the wall a little more when he was supposed to, but he was just so enthusiastic. Nicholas had a good time too. It seems that he is very interested in the water and all the people moving around in it. At the end we went upstairs so I could feed Nicholas, and after eating for a minute he noticed that we were overlooking the pool. After that he just watched the sunlight on the water until I decided we would just go. After the lesson I asked Andrew if he used up some of his energy and he said no, and then ate a huge lunch when we got home and didn't have any complaints about going upstairs for a nap.

From Mittens - Pir...

I thought I would share a picture and some info about the angel I cross stitched. I bought the kit a couple years ago thinking I would make it for my Grandma. I got a little ways into it and realized that the light blue-grey fabric and pastel thread made it really hard to see what I was doing in the dim living room where I usually work on things like that in the evening. It also disqualified it as a project I could work on in the car (the other place I tend to work on projects). So it rode around in my knitting bag for a long time before I decided to pull it back out and finish it, now that we have had a new light fixture in our living room for almost a year and I have a floor lamp by my spot on the couch. I am glad I finished it. I have to admit that I was happier with it before adding the french knots, but that could be because I'm not very good at making them. Most of the french knots were also done with shiny gold thread and I like things a little simpler. Now I just need to put it in a frame and find a time to drive to Mankato and give it to my Grandma so it can join the angel I made a few years back.

From Mittens - Pir...

I accomplished a lot on my pirate mittens and decided to join the knit-a-long. This is where I was yesterday afternoon.

From Mittens - Pir...

And this is where I am today.

From Mittens - Pir...

I haven't knit the thumb on the first mitten yet either, so it isn't quite done.

The week after Christmas, Tim found something for me on Craig's list. Two listings for vintage angora yarn.

From Mittens - Pir...

Each box should be enough to make a pair of mittens. The red is definitely for me, but I'm not sure about the pink. Andrew was really excited about bunny yarn, but then I would want to dye the yarn if I was going to make him mittens. Or, I could make them for a gift and figure that Andrew wants pretty much everything I make so it won't be a big deal. I might make mine first and gauge his enthusiasm. I suppose I could find a different color on eBay. And for those that don't know me and think I am overlooking the simple solution of making the pink for myself, I don't like pink - and Andrew has decided he doesn't like red (in general, not specifically this red yarn).

Back For A New Year

Hi
I'm finally back to blogging. This fall was just too crazy. I realized that I could either get the projects done I wanted to finish or I could blog about not getting anything done. So, since I blogged last, I finished a baptismal gown,
a red velvet "C*aptain Mor*gan" coat (sewn),

From Back For A Ne...

a sweater for Andrew, two pairs of felted clogs, five washcloths, a pair of socks, and one cross stitch angel. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of most of that. Tim also went back to school (again) and had class Monday nights. Plus, of course, getting used to having a baby in the house again.

I don't think the winter will be much better activity wise, but I have a better handle on my schedule and not so many deadlines. Tim will be at class two nights a week pretty soon, plus I have choir once a week. Andrew is loving preschool and was very happy to be back. We also added a tumbling class once a week at the YMCA (to give him a chance to run around a little this winter) as well as swimming lessons once a week. He has been so excited to go swimming and loves being in the pool. I figured we would try some lessons and if Andrew enjoys them that is great and if not that is okay too. The YMCA offers you a free land class (non-swimming) per session - and swimming lessons are pretty reasonable- so we might as well see what they are like since we aren't playing outside much.

Project wise... I really want to do some spinning, but don't really have time to pull the wheel out. I have a scarf almost finished. It is black, worsted weight alpaca in a basket weave pattern. I also have Icarus started and one pirate mitten half done (started yesterday). The mittens are being knit with wool-ease and size 4s so they will fit a guy's hand. They are going very quickly since they are interesting, but not complicated.

I'm not sure what to start next. I really want to design a sweater for Andrew and have a sweater I want to make for Nicholas (which would probably go pretty quickly) and a couple other bigger projects rolling through my head, but I might do a couple quicker things first like make some soakers and mittens and hats. I guess it will probably come down to doing whatever I am most inspired to start when I finish the current stuff.