My Very First Sweater For Me!

I've knit sweaters before, for pay (not so rewarding), for family members (definitely rewarding), and for my babies (very rewarding). But this is the first sweater that I knit for me. And I love it.

I'll admit it was touch and go there in the middle. After trying it on halfway through without the sleeves I was ready to give this away to someone, anyone who would take it. I am just not a vest person, and that's what it looked like to me. That dress rehearsal night was not a good night. I peeled off the half-finished thing and laid it on my dresser and went to bed. But I didn't go to sleep. I sat there in bed just staring at the disappointment that was to be my introduction to wondrously making my own clothes and made the determination that I could make sweaters for everyone else, but it was just not in the cards for myself. And that was a sad thought indeed for a knitter with a stash that contained yarn to make *just a few* sweaters and patterns and big plans.

Well, if I was going to give it away, I might as well finish it, I thought.

Then a magical thing happened as the sleeves took form and the applied I-cord was, um, applied. The sweater started to look, well, cute. People were noticing what I was knitting and asking me questions about it and getting excited. Knitters and non-knitters alike. And that is quite a range, I've found. Have you ever noticed that the yarn and patterns and stitches that really appeal to knitters hold little interest for non-knitters, and vice versa? If you hit on something that appeals to both, you've struck gold. At least here in my world.

As with a lot of things in my life, I'm so glad I persevered and pressed on just at the moment that I wanted to give up.

So without further ado, here is my sweater, my very first sweater for me:(My apologies for no pictures of me actually modeling the sweater. It's a classic dilemma: the person who knits is usually the best photographer in the house too. My friend Amy was just talking about this.)Pattern: Tulips for Women, size XS

Needles: size 7 for the body and size 5 for the seed stitch border

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Petal Shower, Dusky Aurora, Gothic Rose, and 2 very different shades of the same colorway, Cloud Jungle. (I used a half a skein of all the colors except for the Dusky Aurora, which required a full skein to finish the borders).There was no seaming to be done on this sweater, though the trade-off was many, many ends to weave in.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to wear the sweater yet or show it off at my Monday night knitting group or this week's knitting guild meeting, because I'll be dropping it off to be judged at the state fair on Monday morning. The fair doesn't open until the last week in August, but they like to have their submissions early. In fact, the deadline to submit your intention to enter items was August 6th. Luckily, I found that out on August 5th. Whew!

I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the left over half skeins of yarn yet. I could make the child's version of this sweater, or some thick multicolored socks. Right now I'm leaning towards the sweater, but it will have to wait, because I've already moved on to my next project.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...I Hope

*Puff*

Is this thing on?

It's been so long since I wrote on my blog that I forgot my user name, let alone my password. But inspired by my dear friend Amy's entertaining return to writing on her blog, I thought I'd give it a whirl. HTML? Magic links? Those will have to wait until I relearn this while process again.

So what happened to 2009? And the first half of 2010? Let's just say that we have felt the effects of the economic downturn like everyone else in this country. By the grace of God we have been able to keep our home and business running, and that is saying a lot, and I am thankful.

My babies are not so much babies anymore. Girlie will turn 13 in October. Yes, I will have a teenager living in my house. We've had some sensitive moments already, but she remains a sweet spirit with lots of heart.

ZimDee is now 8 and will be entering 3rd grade. This boy has charm to spare and is a friend to all.

And my littlest one? Sproutie will be starting kindergarten in the fall. All day. Be still my heart.

There has been lots of knitting and laughter amid storms and tears and friends and family. I can't wait to share it all with you again. But for now, it's good to be back. I've missed you.

Some Christmas Knitting

Just because I haven't blogged in a couple months doesn't mean I haven't knit all during that time. Oh, no. I have been a knitting fiend. And I can prove it. Here are a few of the Christmas gifts I've knit so far:

The first is the Polarknits Skull Beanie. Am I allowed to say that I really liked the pattern, but the yarn, well, not so much? My fingers ached all through knitting this. What appealed to me about the pattern and the yarn was that it was bulky, therefore a fast knit, no? Well, it did go fast, along with my desire to knit for a few days. Still, Girlie looks fabulous in it, so all is not lost:
Dare I say that I'd love to knit this pattern again, just with another bulky weight yarn?

Now, if you've read my blog for any length of time, you know how my ZimDee loves fish. Little Sproutie has also developed a love for sea creatures from hanging out with his brother, yo. So out come the knitting needles, and pretty soon this takes shape:
What a silly looking little fish. My greatest accomplishment so far where this fish is concerned has been to keep it successfully hidden, hopefully until Christmas morning.
The pattern is Kureyon Carp. Sadly, I found no link to it out on the web, though you can find it on Ravelry. The pattern calls for the fish to be felted, but that's not really my cup of tea, so I kept it as is. I used Malabrigo Seleccion Privada yarn with some Fun Fur thrown in. Doesn't it seem almost like sacrilege to use Malabrigo and Fun Fur on the same project? But I think the boys will love it, and that's what counts.

By the way, the eyes are some buttons left over from my scrapbooking days. Guess when I gave up scrapbooking? Yep, when I started blogging. I realize now that this blog has become my scrapbook, and I get just as much pleasure (if not more) from looking at all the pictures and reading my old postings. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I wrote--I don't remember being so cheeky. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry, but always I smile.

It's great to be back!

Some Catching Up Before Moving Forward

I know it's time to start thinking about Christmas, and I am feeling the excitement of the season this year like I haven't for a while. But if you'll indulge me for a moment, I'd really like to show you how adorable my babies were this last Halloween. (yes, yes, I know it's December 1st, but sometimes you have to go backwards to move forward, know what I mean?)

Here they are in all their glory. My vampire Girlie, my penguin ZimDee, and my pirate Sprout:Next came time for the Annual Walk or Bike to School Day, and this year ZimDee was old enough to participate. He got to ride in tandem with Dad while Girlie rode on her own. The funny thing is, if you look closely you can see that ZimDee's little feet aren't even on the bike pedals. Apparently he just held on tight to the handlebars with his feet spread out on either side of the bike and kept instructing his dad to "Slow down!" Of course, when he returned home he proclaimed it the Funnest. Bike. Ride. Evar.
And more knitting to show. These are the Sweet Dreams socks from Dream in Color, knit in their Smooshy sock yarn in the Wisterious colorway. This sock now lives on the shelf at Twisted, the best little yarn shop in Portland.
I may have to knit a pair for myself one day.

Now, did I hear you say you wanted to see a close-up of that scurvy pirate? But of course:Aye, Avast! Um, I mean 24 days til Christmas!

As Promised...

Here are pictures of my babies' first day of school. ZimDee is now 6 and is in First Grade. His teacher is fantastic, and we are so happy that he will be in her class for Second Grade as well. He has really blossomed this year from a sleepy kindergartner to an enthusiastic first grader.

Girlie is now 11 and is in 5th Grade. We're very pleased with her teacher as well, and appreciate the fact that she is focusing on preparing her students for middle school next year. Be still, my heart.
I figured it out in my brain (I know! I'm so smart!) and realized that this will be the last year that Girlie will be in the same school as either of her brothers. The boys will go to school together, but not so my angel girl. It makes me a little sad, but she's ready to spread her wings.

Not to be left out, here is Sproutie with his Drammies on his first day of preschool:
He is becoming quite a little man. With him in preschool for two half days a week, I am finally able to volunteer in my older two's elementary classrooms, and I'm really enjoying it.

It took a few weeks for little Sproutie to build up enough stamina to stay awake on the ride home from school. Here he is after his first day:
(Notice he's still got his little backpack on).

Fall also brings with it Girlie's birthday. This year I tried to make a quadruple layer lemon cake with lemon frosting. It turned out more like something you might see in a Dr. Seuss book:
But it still tasted fabulous. Girlie didn't mind one bit.

And lest you think that I've forgotten that this is a knitting blog, here are some pictures of Knit Purl's first sock club project:These are called Andamento Socks and they are knit with Koigu yarn, in a specially dyed colorway called The Pearl. My love for Koigu yarn is well-known, so I was very pleased with this selection. The colors in these pictures do not do the yarn justice.
And notice the pretty decorative cuff. I knit these socks up in two and a half days, fueled by the emptiness of my house with all three children in school. It was just the project I needed to get me through those first quiet days.
Now things are not so quiet anymore. Here is why:
I just had to show you the new haircuts that these two hooligans got over Thanksgiving holiday. Aren't they getting big? Please, babies, don't be in such a hurry...

No, Your Eyes Are Not Deceiving You

I am finally updating my blog!

To ease into this slowly, I will start with where I left off. That would be the pink socks and the green sweater, both of which are now completed.

Here are the pink socks, knit with Lorna's Laces Flamingo Stripe on size 0 needles:This was the first pair of socks I knit using the two at a time toe up method. I've since cast on for two additional pairs (which are in time-out at the moment) and finished another pair that you will probably be seeing in publication before too long. I'm finding this technique to be much more useful than I expected it to be.

We also left off with the start of a green sweater, knit with Louet MerLin. Here it is on the finishing table:
And here it is in its completed form:
The pattern is Camellia by Kate Gilbert. The sweater now resides in the window of one of my favorite local yarn stores, Twisted.
I've enjoyed keeping up with all of you through your blogs. If you have missed me as much as I've missed writing, then it looks like the thing for me to do is to write more often.

During my unscheduled hiatus, I got my children safely settled into their new school year. Girlie is now in 5th grade, ZimDee in first grade, and little Sprout is now going to preschool two half days a week. This allows me to volunteer in the elementary school classrooms, which at first I found completely exhausting, but now I really look forward to it every week. I really like all of their teachers, and this is going to be another great year. Pictures of Sproutie's first day of preschool will follow in another post.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the magical Christmas season.