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!

Resorting to Spinning

I headed off to the resort for the weekend with Andrew and left my husband home to do some painting and general fixing around the house. That really sounds worse than it was since the resort is my parent's home and most of the painting and fixing was in Andrew's room, which is really hard to accomplish anything in when we have to work around naptime and bedtime. Andrew's room is now yellow on three walls and the ceiling and red on one wall. We still need to get him a twin bed to replace the toddler bed, and I found some great fire engine fabric to make a duvet with but I want my serger to get back from its cleaning before I do too much sewing.

I wasn't sure if I would bring my spinning wheel, but there was so much room left in the car that the decision was pretty easy to make. I finished spinning the Misty Meadows roving that I picked up at the Shepherds Harvest. When I asked Andrew what he wanted out of the roving he immediately said socks. Although the second skein is much more consistent than the first, I am very happy with how the spinning and knitting is turning out.

The yarn is a bit more green and yellow than the picture. Andrew seems to think that the socks are pretty cool too. This weekend if he ran into something and hurt his feet at all he had to have his woolly sock on to make it feel better. Hopefully I can get the second one done tonight. I should have enough left over that I can make the baby matching socks too.

I also worked on the baptismal gown I am making for the baby. It started out with me following a pattern, but I am redesigning it from the waist up since I didn't really like the top, but liked the skirt.

I still need to finish the front and make the back and sleeves. I do have until October at least.

Yarnworks is on our way up north (and with a three year old and me being pregnant we stopped a lot to use the bathrooms) so I had to see if they had anything interesting. I knew that they carried some fiber, but didn't really remember what since I wasn't doing much spinning then. I was planning to try to find some dyed wool that I liked, but it seemed like there was some VM in the wool and it just wasn't appealing to me. So, I bought some yarn for wool soakers instead.

Malabrigo worsted in Curacao and Naturally Nazareth in Spring. I haven't used the Naturally Nazareth before so I mainly wanted to try it and see how it knits up. The Malabrigo will just be a nice soft newborn/small soaker.

I also started spinning up some grey shetland while I was there. It is really fluffy and loose, so I started seeing how fine I could actually spin it. I seem to be getting a lace or fingering weight. It should be interesting to see how it turns out. Right now most of my spinning is just experimenting.

Baa, Baa, White Sheep

We went to Shepherd's Choice last Saturday for their sheep shearing. The weather wasn't wonderful, but we had fun anyway. I picked up a bar of soap, a shampoo bar, a bag of navy corridale locks and some beeswax. Now I just need to decide what to do with the wool. I don't have any cards or combs so I am teasing the locks open with a pet comb. It isn't going fast, but the stuff I have done seems like it will be easily spun.

They had a drawing to pick kids to feed the lambs and Andrew won a chance. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera at home, so no fun pictures. I think this event had more of an impact on him then Shepherd's Harvest because he has been singing "Baa, Baa, white sheep, everywhere wool" for the last week. Or, maybe back to back sheepy weekends were just a little too much for him.

We ran into Jess and her family. It was kind of funny because I had been in U of MN marching band with her husband about nine years back so I had the feeling that he looked familiar and since I was wearing my marching band windbreaker he figured it out right away. After talking to them for a few minutes it dawned on me that the Jess was the author of a blog I had just started reading. It seemed kind of funny then since I suddenly knew a little about someone I had just met. Just one more reason to blog.

Intro

I have been reading other people's blogs for a few months and have started to feel guilty about how much I have learned about knitting and especially spinning from them with and then keeping it all for myself. I also need a spot to keep track of my projects and maybe share them with people who are like minded.
I am a SAHM with a three year old son and another boy on the way late in Sept. I have been knitting for about three years and bought a spinning wheel this winter. I also sew and garden.
This blog will probably be a little about knitting, spinning, sewing, my garden, kids, pets (3 cats, 2 birds, one big dog), and life in general.