Space

We are members at the Minnesota Children's Museum for the second year (thanks to my parents), and no matter how many times we go Andrew is excited to be there. And, being a three-year-old boy he also loves Bob the Builder. So, when I found out the museum was going to have a Bob the Builder exhibit I figured Andrew would love to go. The exhibit opened yesterday, and they offered a members only event to check out the exhibit and say hi to "Bob" last night. The info I read said they were going to limit the numbers so I expected it to be a smallish amount of people there - mostly to see the new exhibit. Instead, the place was packed. There was barely space to move, much less play, in the Bob exhibit and plenty of people in the other areas too. We did get a picture of Andrew with "Bob".

From Bob at mcm

Nicholas was able to visit the Habitot exhibit for the first time. He was very interested in the water-filled mat/pond. He was even able to sit by himself long enough for me to get a picture.

From Bob at mcm

Sorry about the quality of the photos - we only had our cell phones with us.

The space I have been working on this weekend is my basement. Our basement isn't a pleasant place to be. It is an old (1909), partial basement with limestone walls and who know what stored in the crawl spaces (we see that there is stuff left from the previous people that lived here, we just haven't been brave enough to dig it out) and no heating but the pipes running to the radiators. Because it isn't a great place to hang out, we try not to spend any more time down there than necessary. That means that stuff that is stored down there isn't always put away as well as it should be. There is also stuff there that we need to get rid of so we have more room to walk. I decided that with Christmas things being put away and out-grown baby clothes that need to be stored again this was as good a time as any to do some clean up. In the time I have been able to spend cleaning I have one corner organized and found some things we could use for Nicholas, as well as a book Tim can use for his writing class. Unfortunately, I still have a way to go. One thing that needs to go is three (big) boxes of Barbie stuff from my childhood. I have tried to give it away to a few friends that have girls, but no one has wanted it. I would love to give it to someone I know rather than drop it off for Goodwill to sell. There are Barbies (some in better shape than others), lots of clothes (many made by my mom), a car or two, a couple horses, an ice cream shop (I think), and probably more. My parents kept the stuff hoping the grand kids would be able to use them, but since I had a boy (at the time) and my sister probably won't have kids for a long time, they decided they needed the space. I took it before I knew Nicholas was a boy and have decided I need the space more than keeping it on the chance we decided to have another and it turns out to be a girl. So, if anyone is interested in the lot or digging through to see if they find something they want let me know. Or if you know of a place that could use them I would be happy to donate them.

Mitten update: Both of the mitten bodies are knit as well as one thumb. I only put seven stitches on waste yarn for one (for some reason or another) so I had to do a little fixing, but it turned out ok. They are still a little smaller than I was hoping. I will have to see what happens when I wash them. Pictures of finished mittens tomorrow.

Delivery For Andrew

Andrew loves getting mail of any kind, so he was thrilled when a package came yesterday.

From Delivery For...

(click on picture to see more photos)

Thanks Mom and Dad for taking care of returning the loader and getting the crane. I know it would have been nice to find one when you were in the area and save the shipping, but Andrew really loved getting a package and was even more excited about the crane. He will have quite the construction company in the sandbox this summer.

Nicholas was content to watch and work on some teeth.

From Delivery For...

Today has been long (mostly due to the teeth) so I am going to do a little knitting - my first for the day- and then go to bed. Hopefully Nick decides to cooperate.

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.

Apple Orchard

Today was just too nice to stay home and do all the things that need doing. We just don't get many October days in the 70s in Minnesota. So, after doing our usual Saturday trip to the St. Paul farmers market we decided to head off to Afton Apple Orchard. They added a couple things since the last time I was there about four years ago. They now have a large playground and straw bale pile to climb as well as a petting zoo with cows, goats, sheep, a llama and a donkey.

We watched apple juice being made with a press and then were able to sample the juice that had just been made. I have never tasted apple juice that tasted so much like fresh apples before. We rode out to the apples on a tractor pulled hay ride and picked connell red, honeygold and sweet 16 apples. We asked Andrew what he liked best and first he said eating the apple (we ate one of the sweet 16) then he said picking apples. I case you are wondering, Nicholas slept or nursed in the sling the whole time we were out. He does sleep well in the car seat too.

I am so glad we are able to do fun things like this with our kids. I know Andrew remembers many of the places we have gone, and they are the kind of memories that will stay with him.

I want to thank Aunt Neva for the cute baseball outfit for Nicholas and Aunt Barb for the card and gift of money. We appreciate your thoughts and gifts. Tim is going to link the pictures on the past post to our web picassa account so if you want to go back and see the cute baby gifts they should be there tomorrow.

Just Checking In

We have been busy eating, sleeping (some days more than others) and trying to get the basics taken care of. We have decided to have Nicholas's baptism on the 22nd, so I am going to try to get the baptism gown done by then. If it doesn't happen I can just use Andrew's outfit. If I do three pattern repeats a day I should be able to funish the skirt in a week, and that is most of the knitting. Thankfully I can knit and nurse.



Blogger actually cooperated with this picture. I tried to upload pictures for the last post and they weren't showing up. I will keep trying though.

One Week Old

Nicholas is one week old today!

The past week has been spent eating lots, sleeping, and being a very mellow baby hanging out with Tim or me. Our weekend was pretty mellow. Saturday, we did our usual trip to the Roseville bakery and Caribou in the morning, followed by a trip to the park. Tim and Andrew played while I grabbed a camp chair out of the trunk and nursed Nicholas. Unfortunately, as much as Andrew was having fun on the tire swing, his stomach wasn't quite as happy. Tim was spinning him and Andrew kept yelling faster, until he yelled that he needed to stop. He stopped, dropped to his knees, and revisited his breakfast. Rather than get in the car, possibly aggravating the motion sickness, Tim and Andrew walked to the gas station a block away and got some water. By the time they were back at the park Andrew was feeling ok again. We went home for lunch, a nap, and then a drive to Grandma Kathy's. She offered to let Andrew spend the night, and we figured it would give him a chance to sleep all night without being woken up by Nicholas. He is really good about it. He just gets up and turns his CD back on and goes back to sleep, but he really could use more sleep. Going to Grandma's also gave him a chance to run. Tim and I had a nice dinner, which Nicholas slept through. Then we went home and went to bed early. Nicholas surprised us by sleeping one four hour stretch.
Sunday, Nicholas received a warm welcome at church. After church, we came home and did lots of sleeping (yea!). Then we went to pick up Andrew, stopping at KFC on the way, and had a picnic in the park with Andrew, Grandma, and Trevor. Andrew managed to fall asleep in the car on the way home and Nicholas was quiet last night, so Andrew is doing a little better on sleep now. Tim even managed to sleep through a feeding last night. One other big event, Nicholas managed to roll himself from back to tummy twice while Tim was hanging out with him. He really likes to sleep on his side, so I think that is what he was trying for, but then he went a little too far.
I want to thank everyone for the gifts we have received. You can see an album with pictures here or click on the individual links below
From my parents-

Flowers

A pillow, quilt, blanket, and Burt's Bees baby kit

Pillowcases and M&Ms for Andrew

From Tim's mom-

An outfit for Nicholas

Thomas cards for Andrew

From our Pastor and his wife -

An outfit for Nicholas

A coloring book for Andrew

From Katrina-

A cute crocheted hat

From Andrew -

An elephant toy and zebra rattle

From my Grandparents -

An outfit, a sleeper, and a Great-Grandma made blanket that matches Andrew's

A Veggie Tales DVD for Andrew

From my Grandma, a card and gift of money

Also thanks for cards from Angela and Ryan and Aunt Maxine.

Today was Tim's chance to show Nicholas off at work and everyone thought he was adorable. Naptime for the three of us went a little better too. Hopefully we will soon settle into having two kids.

Busy Day

Today has been kind of tiring, so just a few pictures.

Nicholas Daniel Pearson

Nicholas was born at home Monday morning. Labor and birth weren't easy, but there was nothing really unexpected, except his size. We weighed him at the pediatrician later that morning and he weighed in at 9 lbs 14 oz. I could tell he was bigger than his brother was (8lbs 6oz) as soon as I picked him up. At least now I know why I was having so much trouble walking at the end of pregnancy. He is a very calm baby so far. He usually has a couple of times during the day while he is contented to just look around and take in his world ending with a little fussiness. Otherwise, there has been a lot of eating and sleeping. Thanks to my parents we were able to have a restful first few days and we are starting to ease our way back into our routine. My parents left this morning, Tim went back to work, and I get to take Andrew to preschool by myself tomorrow. Andrew loves school, and is looking forward to showing off his new brother. Andrew seems to be adjusting well. He has been a little antsy with the excitement, but he has been very helpful too, like Wednesday on the way to preschool. Nicholas started crying and Andrew gave him his pacifier and sang him rock a bye baby and the abcs. By the time we reached school, Nicholas was fast asleep. I will post pictures tomorrow, but for now you can check out our website.

You can go now

Tonight we visited Andrew's preschool. I was sitting on the floor and playing with him when he looked up and told me "you can go now". I explained that tonight we were just visiting and I would be dropping him off on Monday and leaving then. He was pretty disappointed. He also didn't like it that we only stayed for about 30 minutes, since he has been looking forward to school all summer. We would have stayed longer, but just standing and watching the kids play got kind of uncomfortable. I have no doubts that he is ready for school.

I finally got the snaps on the newborn diapers I was making. I now have six newborn diapers to go with the previously mentioned stash. They are all knits, so maybe they will stretch enough to get a couple weeks of use out of them.

After applying the snaps I noticed something.

Obviously, although the file cabinet is a very convenient place to apply snaps, being right next to my sewing machine and serger, it isn't quite up to the task. I don't feel too bad since the cabinet already has a drawer that doesn't work too well, and I could probably push the dent back out. I guess I need to find another place for my snap press. While I was at my sewing area I turned a bunch of fabric scraps into wipes. I spent about an hour a few days ago cutting scraps from diaper fabric into 8 by 8 squares and about 30 minutes tonight making those squares into 16 wipes. With the five we already have, we should have plenty wipes. I just think it is cool to be able to make something useful from fabric that would otherwise have been thrown away.

I also have been doing some knitting. I have a pair of socks for Andrew that are close to done. I do have more yarn. It is left over from socks I made my mom. With the other ball I have, I could probably finish these socks and make socks for the baby. Once again, a chance to use up leftovers, especially with projects that go quickly. Andrew loves hand knit socks too. After I finished the first I gave it to him and he immediately took of his socks and put the wool one on. He ran around with one wool sock and one bare foot for a while. Eventually, he put one of his other socks on the bare foot and wore unmatching socks for the rest of the day. I am also working on the Faux Russian Stole from A Gathering of Lace, but unfortunately not getting very far. I seem to be having difficulties with counting, as well as reading and following directions.

Finally, a couple fun pictures. Andrew wanted his picture taken, but didn't. So, peek-a-boo!

30,000 - 50,000 Scoville Units

Just how hot is a cayenne pepper? Why don't you ask Andrew. When we were weeding and working out in the yard yesterday we picked some peppers from the garden. Some happened to be cayenne peppers. I warned him that they were very spicy. After that, he decided to ask Daddy if he wanted to try a pepper. Daddy said no, so he decided to try it. He took a bite, spit it out and told us he needed some water. Tim said that water wouldn't help much and Andrew got pretty worried. They went inside and after some juice, bread, and chocolate covered blueberries he was feeling much better.

Now for promised pictures of finished projects.

3-6 month Cardigan in Galway. Knit top down with cables at the raglan increases and seed stitch borders.

A close up of the buttons

Soaker pants knit almost to match. Unfortunately, I have the cables twisted in the opposite way from the sweater. The pants are knit from my own pattern with short rows in the back and a gusset in the crotch.

Blue Garter knit sweater with little bear buttons. The button hole spacing is a little funky, but not a big deal. Stay-on booties knit match. I altered the bootie pattern to use worsted weight yarn instead of the called for sport weight. The hat was knit in the round with an i-cord top.

Finally, finished newborn crawling booties.

State Fair Again

I didn't quite get around to taking pictures of the finished baby sets yesterday. I took Andrew to the fair again and was completely exhausted. The sets are still damp anyway so it probably didn't matter. Andrew choose to go to the park and ride lot so he could ride a bus, so we parked in Roseville after grabbing some muffins and a container of strawberries for breakfast. He thought riding the bus was pretty exciting. I figured I would give him the option, knowing that it would still be pretty easy to find a parking spot near the gate if he chose to park and walk. After eating a little muffin and a bunch of strawberries, we visited the barns, starting with the new Miracle of Birth barn. While we were there we watched a pig and a cow give birth. Andrew was more interested in the pig than the cow since we were sitting right in front of the pig and only saw the cow on one of the TV's. We spent about an hour in there and then walked through the poultry, sheep, cattle and swine barns. We didn't spend quite as much time in those barns, but Andrew did get a got milk tattoo in the cattle barn and a pig tattoo in the swine barn. Next we walked toward Heritage Square, stopping to eat a cream puff on the way (which Andrew said was just ok). At Heritage Square we watched the blacksmith for about 30 minutes. After which, Andrew told me that he wanted to make metal and use him hammer. We walked through the log cabin and saw a girl weaving on a loom and then outside to see a man doing some chip carving. After that Andrew told me that he wanted to sit down and talk about weaving, chip carving and making metal. He told me he wanted to do those things and I told him that he could learn, but he would have to wait until he was a little older since they use tool that could be dangerous if he wasn't very careful. Then we started toward the kidway, after having a soft pretzel and eating some more of our strawberries. Andrew shared a couple of our strawberries with two girls that sat down near us. He got a cheese curd in exchange. Later he told me that the pretzel was his favorite food. We took the trolley up to the little hands farm, both things Andrew just loved, and then caught the parade as we walked the block to the kidway. After a few rides we were both done for the day and started back for the gate, stopping for a couple treats. Andrew got cotton candy for the first time and I bought myself my cashew nutroll for the year. As we were walking toward the gate, Andrew told me that he wanted to visit my shawl before we left. I was happy to do so, especially since the Creative Activities building is right next to the gate. I think going a second time was great since there weren't so many people and we had a chance to see the barns, which just aggravate Tim's allergies.
Today wasn't quite as exciting, although the evening was productive. I weeded (for the first time in a couple months) the beds in front and the asparagus, serged together 4 newborn diapers (leaving two to serge and all six to apply snaps), and finished the newborn booties. Now I really should work on weaving in ends on my sweater, but I think I am going to cast-on for some socks for Andrew. I am using yarn left over from socks I knit my mom, plus they are small. I also figure that I knit the baby some socks so I should knit Andrew some too, right?

Hard to keep from casting on

I am really trying to finish up some projects before I start knitting anything new. I have a number of things I would like to make and I am tired of sewing things together and weaving in ends. But, I have two completely finished baby sweaters drying now. One has matching pants and the other has a matching hat and booties. I am pretty much down to my sweater and Andrew's sweater to finish. I have to admit that I have been working on some newborn crawling booties using leftover yarn. I needed a size gauge for the booties that match the sweater and figured I could make the second so I have a matching set since they go really quickly and only have two ends to weave in. I also have six newborn diapers about half sewn together. I will have pictures of all finished projects tomorrow after I take Andrew to the State Fair again. We all went on Sunday and had a good time, although I think I sat more and saw less than I ever have. I guess being a month away from my due date might have something to do with that. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing my knitting on display. We skipped the barns and the kids farm on Sunday, with plans to see them tomorrow when there might not be so many families. Plus, Tim is allergic to most of the animals so we never look at the barns much, so going without him will give Andrew a chance to see more animals. Andrew's favorite part Sunday had to be seeing the construction and farm equipment. We could have stayed there all day if he had a choice. He also liked the parade, but thought the U of MN tubas were a little much.

Trolling for Presents - Not Really

We finally created a gift registry at Target. We didn't do it earlier because there really isn't a lot of baby stuff we need and it usually isn't too hard to find something cute for a baby if you are looking for a present. I was asked yesterday though, for ideas of what Andrew might want as a big brother kind of present. So, last night we created a registry containing a few things that might be nice for the baby as well as some items Andrew would be interested in. Please don't feel that you need to buy him something if you want to get something for the baby. He understands that the baby will be getting some presents and that he got lots of presents when he was a baby too.

Valleyfair

We went to Valleyfair two weeks ago and I thought I would share some pictures. It was a beautiful day. Being pregnant and going with a three-year-old actually worked out pretty well since I couldn't go on anything and Andrew was too short to go on much other than the kiddie rides. A big thank you to Jessica for parting with one of her free passes so I could go and take Andrew. We were there most of the day and Andrew had a blast. He said the merry-go-round was his favorite.



We went on the carousel, the Ferris wheel, all the kiddie rides (including Mild Thing, the kids roller coaster), saw a movie in the Imax, and played in the water park. We had a very full and fun day, and I was exhausted afterward.

Project Update - Knitting and sewing

I know it has been a while, but I have been busy knitting and sewing instead of blogging. I thought I would put up an update of all the things I have been working on.

First-
The trellis scarf was frogged. I really disliked the nupps and since I wasn't enjoying it and had lots of yarn to make a shawl instead I decided to start the Adamas shawl from knitpicks . It has been finished and entered into the MN state fair along with a hat I knit last winter and a blue cotton cabled sweater I finished last spring. The hat actually won first place in the plain knit hat category and the shawl placed fifth. Funny considering that I wasn't going to enter the hat in the first place. I just kind of threw it in because I like it. Sadly, I didn't take pictures of any of the projects. I will try to remember when I get them back after the fair.

Second-
I was going to enter the red sweater I have been working on this spring and summer, and I was almost finished, but I didn't feel like working on it to the exclusion of getting anything done around the house, so it didn't get entered. I still need to weave in the ends and sew the zipper in. It will be done before it gets cold though.

I am looking forward to wearing this sweater. I am thinking I will still enter it in the fair next year, but will have to see how much wear it gets this winter.

Third-

I found some cotton/angora yarn on clearance at the Yarnery earlier this summer and couldn't resist buying it to make a baby sweater. There were four hanks and that seemed like a good amount to make a sweater with. It turned into this sweater and hat with booties almost done (but not pictured). The sweater is just a simple garter stitch and pretty much the same thing I made for my friend's baby last year so it went quickly. I just need to sew the buttons on, little brown bears.

The yarn is artful yarns Serenade in 6005 which is a marl consisting of light blue, medium blue, and grey. It is extremely soft. The sweater, hat and one bootie used up three balls of yarn. I am making the second bootie while pictures upload for this post.

Fourth-

Since this baby is due in a few weeks, I wanted to make sure I at least had some small diapers finished (since they have been cut out most of the summer). I made a dozen. Three are Very Baby knit diapers with print outside and hemp/cotton fleece inside and nine are made with flannel and hemp/cotton french terry using the Very Basic All-in-one pattern. All were made with snap in soakers and actually dry completely in one dryer cycle.

I thought my dad would especially like the camo one with the bright orange inside. I also have six small covers cut out that I am waiting to get fold over elastic for. It should arrive in the mail in the next couple days.

Four wool and two PUL. This brings the total small diaper stash to 12 home made fitteds, 6 size one Kissaluvs, 12 newborn prefolds, one home made Very Baby fleece all-in-one, two small Bumkins AIOs, one home made Very Baby pocket diaper, one wool-in-one one knit wool soaker and one modified Very Baby snug wrap wool cover.

Much better than the newborn stash of three Bummis covers, three flannel Very Baby fitted diapers, ten birdseye flats, and a dozen terry washcloths.

Fourth-
Andrew's "blueberry sweater" is almost done. This picture is the two sleeves with one almost done. That sleeve has been finished, the neck hole steeks have been crocheted and cut and one armhole steek has been crocheted and cut. I just need to do the other armhole, sew the sleeves in and knit the neck. His sweater should be done by the time it is cold out too and I know he is looking forward to wearing it.

Fifth-
I also have a baby blanket started. It is acrylic boucle yarn, simple blocks knit into strips that will be sewn together. I figured I better make the baby a "momma made" blanket because Andrew keeps telling me that he is going to let the baby use his blanket and I know he is pretty attached to it.
Others-

I also have started putting joint compound on the new drywall in the baby's room. There is still a lot to be done in there, but we don't figure he will be in there much at first anyway. Plus, I may have a few free mornings while Andrew is at preschool before the baby is here.

I also have a sweater and pants set almost done except for the bottom of the pants and some buttons. It has been sitting for awhile since I originally was planning on just making the sweater, then thought I had quite a bit of yarn left and decided to make pants, only to find that the pants will be on the short side. I figured that if I was going to make them, I might as well make them long enough to wear for awhile, so they are waiting until I get around to ordering another skein of yarn since no one has it locally

Tim revamped his desktop computer for Soledad, a woman from Peru, who will be going to school at Bethany for the next four years. Our congregation is kind of sponsoring her through Terry and Mary Schultz with stuff she needs for college other than tuition (she actually has a 4 year scholarship). We also donated a bike after hearing that they thought they were getting one somewhere, but it had fallen through. We had one in good shape sitting in the shed unused, so we were happy that she will be able to use it.

I also took Andrew to Valleyfair two weeks ago and he had a great time. Hopefully, I can get pictures up tomorrow.

Plus, I am definitely feeling huge and getting ready to finally meet this baby. Especially after the heat this summer. The cooler weather is much better, but it is still getting harder to get around. I will try to update more often, especially as my due date gets closer, but sometimes it is hard to put a project down only to write about it.

It's Friday already - where did the week go?

It is hard to believe the week is almost over. The weather was strange. One morning I woke up freezing and now it is hot. I feel like I have been watering almost everyday and really wish it would rain. But, the watering has payed off. I had enough strawberries to make strawberry cream cake (recipe from Cooks Illustrated May 06). It turned out really well, exactly what I was hoping for. I love garden strawberries. Andrew and I picked another 2 1/2 pints yesterday and there will be more to come. I also have flowers on my tomato plants and a banana pepper ready to pick.

I did realize that I needed something to work on other than the lace so I am continuting to work on the red cabled cardigan that I started in January or February. I have the back and one front side done and the second front almost done. Kind of amazing, since I started on the second front last Friday. I will post pictures when I get the second front piece done. I thought it was kind of funny that since I needed something to knit that I didn't need to concentrate on as much as the lace, I pulled out something with a bunch of cables instead. I guess I just knit too much.

I have also been busy sewing on the duvets for Andrew's room. Lots of fun matching patterns to make a wider piece of fabric. JoAnn has denim on sale this weekend, which is what I was planning to use for the back of the duvets and for the curtains so maybe I can finish that up next week. Then on to more diaper sewing.

Bullet got a little grooming done last night since it felt cooler outside than in the house. A nail trim and brushing.


He is a very happy dog.

Tomorrow we have a graduation in Jordan and dinner with Tim's dad in Burnsville. At least I should have time to knit in the car.

Socks, a Scarf, and Sewing in the Sauna

First the socks.


I finished Andrew's handspun/handknit socks at knitting night Saturday. Knitting was just Bobbie (who was hosting) and me. It was quiet and gave me a chance to get the socks finished. They are basic socks - no real pattern. 48 stitches, 2x2 ribbing till the heel using size ones, short row heel on size threes, then ribbing using ones on the top and stockingette stitch using size threes on the bottom. Contrary to what the picture shows the cuffs are both the same length. I made them a little long so they should fit Andrew this winter. It was interesting to see how much more consistant the yarn is at the end of the second sock than at the beginning. I still have some yarn left and will probably make matching socks for the baby. Andrew is very happy to have his woolie socks. The other day when we went to the playground I told him to put his shoes and socks on so his feet didn't get hurt while he was playing. He responded that if they did he would put on his woolie socks and his feet would feel better because they were so soft. He is the best three-year-old to knit for, although not the easiest to have hold still for a picture.

Next, the scarf. I have wanted to try lace knitting for a long time, but haven't wanted to jump in with a shawl. It just seemed like a big commitment for something that truly isn't really my style of clothing. I did find some silk laceweight at Shepherd's Harvest that I decided to splurge on. I am kind of thrifty, so I don't usually spend much on yarn. The Trellis Scarf in the Spring Knits magazine had already caught my eye, so I decided to try it with the silk.

I am 2 1/2 repeats into the main pattern and it is getting easier now. I don't need to constantly look at the pattern and even the 7 into 5 clusters are getting better. I'm not sure if I will keep it or give it away at this point. I mainly want to see if I can knit it.

And sewing in the sauna? My sewing machine and serger are in a bedroom upstairs that is on the southeast corner of the house. Because of the way the upstairs is layed-out it doesn't really connect well with the rest of the upstairs, so there isn't much airflow. It gets really hot. I tend to put off sewing projects in the summer because I don't want to be up there in the heat. Unfortunately, there are diapers to be made for the baby and curtains and a comforter cover to be made for Andrew's room so I have lots of sewing to do. Since blogger was down this afternoon and I couldn't put off the sewing by blogging I braved the heat. Tonight, after dinner we went to Menards and bought an air conditioner for the room. It is currently the only one we have in use in the house. I can usually keep the downstairs around 80 by closing curtains during the day, and the bedrooms cool down pretty nicely during the evening, but the sewing room is just hot and I decided it really isn't recommended for pregnant women to be spending time in a sauna. Hopefully, the air conditioner will motivate me to do some more sewing. I do have nine small diapers mostly sewn together though. So, I did accomplish something today.

The Pool

Do you ever put something away so it won't get lost and never find it again? Last summer we put away the inflatable pool and the three plugs were set on the kitchen counter. Sometime this winter I was tired of looking at them and was sure they would be lost sitting there on the counter so I put them away. Today we decided to set up the pool since it will be in the 80s for the next week or so. Do you think we could find the plugs? It took five hours and finally I found them. Of course, Andrew was upset that we couldn't blow up the pool and put water in it. He had all kinds of ideas about what we should do; so to the gym (the pool at the Y), use someone else's pool (our neighbor has hers set up), go inside and look again, etc. I finally told him that we could go get another pool after his nap so I could convince him to go inside and have some lunch. I did find the plugs while he was napping and filled the pool, but then the water was freezing when he woke up. Andrew woke up just before dinner and since the water was still very cold and we were going to eat soon we told him he needed to wait until he could go swimming. He had other ideas. We were in the living room and we heard the side door open into the backyard. I walked through the dining room, glancing at the pile of clothes on the floor, and out the side door. Andrew was in the pool, naked. I guess he didn't mind the cold after all.

On another note, knitting night tomorrow. Yea!