Saturday Laziness

Today was delightful. I took Jenny swimming and there was a bang of thunder about 15 minutes into class (and yes... they clear the indoor pool) so I took her to the Healthy Kids fair they were having at the YMCA, got her a banana to eat and a new beach ball, came home and was a SLUG for the rest of the day.

Let's see... I worked on Jenny's pink sweater (it's almost done which is good since it won't fit her for much longer!), took pictures of my UFOs (unfinished objects for those of you who aren't crafters), updated my Ravelry pages WITH those pictures and listened to a big chunk of "Deception Point" by Dan Brown (the unabridged version) while knitting. GREAT book to read/listen to.

I also took video of Jenny playing outside -- she's so darn cute! The Human Monkey Child has learned to climb the ladder on the swingset and wants to go down the big slide by herself. Problem is that it's a steep slide and she gains LOTS of velocity so hubby needs to grab her! She's a menace.

Warm, Dry weather -- AT LAST

I love Springtime. My allergies don't love the season, but there is nothing I enjoy more than that first day where the weather is warm enough to go sleeveless and the sun is shining. The aforementioned allergies kick in like clockwork on March 15th and last through mid-June. I've had severe allergies to Spring grass (and other early blooms) since I was 2 so I manage them and accept that they are what they are. HOWEVER, there is nothing more irritating to me than to have sinus pain, itchy skin and watery eyes and NOT be able to sit outside with the kids or to have to wear a coat (and I rarely wear coats). If I am going to be dealing with allergies, it needs to be warm and dry outside.

Yesterday was THAT DAY... the first one after the sniffling starts where I can change out of my business suit into a gauzy dress, where I can pick the baby up early and change her into a new tie dye sleveless dress without a sweatshirt, where my husband and I can after an after-work "coffee date" on our back patio while the baby gets muddy in the back yard and plays ball in the driveway with my next door neighbor (who has lived next door to me since I was 7; the kids call her "Aunt Kay"). That day where I forget to re-apply my moisterizer with sunblock and end up with a pink nose the next day.

This week started with me feeling pressured, overworked and unappreciated and ended with an afternoon in the sunshine and a new knitting group (1st meeting was last night) that is minutes from my home and an incredible group of knitters, crocheters and spinners -- people so talented that I would have felt completely inadequate except that no one in this group would ever make me feel that way.

It's amazing how one warm day can change a person's outlook.

A Very Long Week

Some Mondays, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. This has been one of those weeks. I'm tired, I'm emotionally drained, I've had little time for crafting and I have seven hearings, a committee meeting and a long drive tomorrow. I want to just go to sleep for three or four days! And I sound this tired AFTER a mental health day I gave myself today.

I spend too much time driving (Jenny doesn't love the driving either as can be seen from the picture taken Monday morning -- she really IS only 22 months old!). While I drive, my mind always wanders to what yarn I want to be playing with. I also sing -- Jenny only knows my bad voice so when Chip comes home and sings correctly, she gets mad at him.

I DID however hit the Sock Yarn sale at my newest favorite place -- Crafty Me Yarns. How perfect does it get...? Reasonable prices, beautiful choices, three blocks from my baby sitter's house and a wonderful owner who gave me tea when I really needed it on Tuesday afternoon. So the week wasn't unbearable (quite), but it was definitely LONG.

Need to go prep hearings now... THEN I can knit.

Four blankets for four friends

They are DONE!!! All four of them -- two actually gifted BEFORE the babies were born and I can't be held responsible about the third one (baby is a preemie and I haven't seen her yet although she is doing very well).

This is the basic crocheted baby blanket I've been making for so long I don't know its source -- it's not written down anywhere. The mom for who it was made is someone I knew 20+ years ago (and through a really strange kind of dynamic) and then re-met about eight years ago -- maybe ten. We weren't friends two decades ago but are now. She is NOT the pink and lace type (I am after 22 years between my daughters), so I decided to make her something a little funky.

I'll use the extra yarn to knit new mittens for my niece -- she's way outgrown her ones I made her 2 years ago but likes them and won't give them up. I also added an Easter picture of all five of my kids -- couldn't for the life of me get all five of them to look at the camera at once, but it's a cute picture.

Random thoughts on time management

I have always loved using what little downtime I have as "Craft Time." Crocheting, knitting, cross stitch (not so much now as I used to), painting little ceramic figurines and t-shirts -- so long as it doesn't involve me actually drawing something. I can't draw. I know HOW to sew (pretty well actually) and choose not to do so if at ALL possible. I started learning scrapbooking last Summer (2007) and really enjoy that too. But it's all about the time!

I bring my yarn with me everywhere I go. There is almost always a small project within reach or in the car. I find socks are a wonderful time-filler in between court hearings or while waiting for a trial list to be called. I always was opposed to knitting socks because I couldn't get past the idea that I could go to Target (pronounced in the French style) and buy them for so much less money. Then, I had minor surgery in September of 2007 on my wrist. I wasn't allowed to knit or crochet for a week (I wasn't supposed to write either, but I'm left handed and had about 15 hearings that week). It was also very uncomfortable for awhile after to knit anything with any weight so I bit the bullet, used a couple of books and a great website to teach myself how to knit socks and never looked back.

Summer swim practices and meets are a great time to work on afghans (usually crocheted). Crocheting is completely mindless for me -- I've been doing it forever. I could try and be moralistic and say something like "The Devil likes idle hands," but that's simply not true -- I just like to feel yarn in my hands and it's very soothing to K.I.P. (knit in public) because I can pretend that I'm focusing on a very difficult stitch when, in reality, I hate sitting around wasting good Yarn Time!

My kids and husband don't get it (my oldest daughter does a little since she is a wonderfully talented crafter herself). I've mentioned Ryan's love of all things knitted for him, but the others are just as "knit needy." Sweaters with hoods, gloves, hat replacement and just a hint of expectation that "Mom is going to make me something" that permeates the house on a regular basis. Of course, it would be uncool for the older boys to actually ASK for something and there is the ongoing Chip's sweater issue (STILL haven't found a pattern I like that doesn't require me to knit it up in pieces and sew!). Four friends have either just had or are about to have babies -- new babies should have something handmade.

The list is endless. I can't even take the time to list everything I need to make on Ravelry. BUT... the pair of pedicure socks I'm almost half done are for ME... not for the kids or the husband (ok.... Jenny is too young for pedicure socks and Melissa has a pair; the boys probably wouldn't want those)... mine, mine, all mine! I honestly can't remember the last time I made something for myself.

Going to knit now.

Easter Sunday

I have had a delightfully sluggish day! Since Easter dinner is a pre-baked Honey Baked Ham and twice-stuffed potatoes, everything is already done so I took the opportunity to expolre On Demand movies and watched "The Interpreter" with Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. REALLY worth watching and incredibly well acted. I also worked on my own pedicure socks since my daughter's pair was (reluctantly) placed into her and the boyfriend's Easter basket where they belonged.

As to the hat posted yesterday, it was knit from Charmed Knits which is a non-authorized Harry Potter knitting book. I picked it up last year because I thought I might make something for the kids, but the "beanie pattern" is the only one I've used so far. I love Harry Potter, but am really not into knitting "yarn cozies" or other things in the book. I have so many kids, family members and friends having babies that my knitting and crocheting tends more toward the practical.

Some notes on the pattern... I have made several of these (Ryan consistently loses his hats -- I keep meaning to get labels that say "handmade by... " so he can find them at the Lost-n-Found at his school) and I think the ribbing at the brim is too short. The hat tends to flip up along the ribbing because it's only an inch wide. I'm planning on making the beret for my niece (along with some mittens) so I plan to try a wider brim -- maybe 1 1/2 inches instead of only 1 inch. The pattern itself took less than 3 hours to knit -- it's done in the round on circular needles and double points at the top. Probably not a beginner piece, but advanced beginner/intermediate for sure. I prefer round knitting so it's a quick, "oh no! I forgot to shop yesterday" option. Who am I kidding??? I rarely forget to shop

I wish all of you a Blessed and Happy Easter... the picture is of little Jenny's face today when she found the Princess pail the Bunny had left her and discovered that Peeps make an AWESOME breakfast!

Easter Knitting

My daughter's boyfriend has this hat he adores, but Melissa said it was getting ratty. So I grabbed some yarn at Lamb's Wool yesterday and knit this up. Also got yummy yarn for some other projects, but daughter reads this blog and one of the yarns is for a nice surprise for her so will post after it is done and gifted.

HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER TO ALL!!!!!