Smokestacks and Puppy Love (and more of the Baby Shower Project)

Even though I love being a night owl, I've put myself on a strict 10:30PM and-no-later bedtime, to attempt to keep up with my children.  There's also the thing about making myself wake up at 6:30 to do Yoga or Pilates in the morning, which, painful as it sounds, actually sets my day to rights, and besides, it's the only way I'm going to exercise.  I speak the truth.  All of this to say, I'm off to bed on my self-imposed time-line, but I wanted to quickly show you my Baby Shower Project progress.  (Oh, and for those who are wondering -- I got a reprieve!  I read the invitation wrong, and it's actually on FRIDAY, instead of this morning!) 

Here are the latest additions:


Propeller hat - Ravelry link (another from the Wee Wooly Toppers booklet), and tiny, newborn-sized thumb-less mittens (I'll be posting the pattern soon for posterity here).  I'm in the middle of the first of the light blue mitten set.  They're a great, lightening-fast knit that's perfect for taking along wherever the children are creating adventures.

While I'm sure that the recipient will be much more fetching in this hat, I had no one small enough, so here we have a yarn cake (Time Of The Month Spunky Eclectic sock yarn, no less), modeling it for us.

It appears a bit breast-like to me...(or is that just the sex-deprivation talking?)

I completed the boy's yarn, and they are eagerly awaiting the knitting of their winter warmers.


(Sparky on left, and Max)

Here are their skeins, in portrait:

Sakina Needles Smokestack BFL (from The Loopy Ewe), 2ply, 4 oz, 230 yds


Hanks In The Hood Merino Batt Puppy Love (from Paradise Fibers), 2-ply, 3 oz, 260 yds.

Both yarns were roughly wet-finished to full them slightly, and have ended up bouncy and round, and hopefully able to withstand the rigors of Little Boy World.  I can't wait to get both of these skeins on my needles!

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Meet Rose (and some handspun!)

When Greg and I were dating and engaged, most of the time our relationship was long-distance. One day I found this cute, innocent little Precious Moments pig, so I bought it, scented it with my perfume, and sent it off in the mail to him. At the risk of this story getting even more saccharine-sweet, I named it Rose, so that it could be like a little part of me (those of you who know my maiden name will get the reference.)

Later on when we got married, Greg unpacked little Rose in our new house, and it seemed that she must have gone out at some point and got a few well placed pieces of jewelery.



Last week, Rose took a second journey. The boys and I decided to send her off to Iraq to keep Greg company and participate in photographic adventures so that the boys can feel a sense of familiar in the different things that Greg will be showing them. (Idea thanks to my mother-in-law.)

Sparky and Max are looking forward to seeing where Rose turns up next!

The fiber that I was prepping the other day turned into this:



After all of the doll's hair-like super fine Tencel blend I'd been working on, I was totally in the mood for something much squashier, fatter, and faster.



Strawberries & Champagne, 4oz, 200 yds worsted/bulky two-ply. 60% Merino, 40% Bamboo, handpainted by Rachel. Here's her Etsy: KnitMommy.

I stripped the roving into four pieces lengthwise. Rachel had dyed it in a repeating pattern, and I decided that I wanted the repeats to be a little on the short side, and also that I wanted the colors to do whatever they were going to do -- marled, matching, whatever.

I love this yarn. It has a sheen from the bamboo, with the super-softness of Merino. And the dying job was wonderful too!

I'm thinking of a Foliage hat -- since that hat is already worked in a little bit of an open pattern, it would make sense to knit it out of a slightly less-warm fiber blend. The perfect fall hat, I think. I was thinking mittens, but I'm not sure how well it would stand up to the abuse that my mittens would take. The bamboo was not very slippery in the drafting though (not anywhere near as slippery as the Tencel), so I think that it will hold up pretty well to whatever I do with it...we'll see.

At the moment, I am just going to enjoy the hank for what it is. I have been reading some other spinning blogs lately, and came across someone (can't remember who or I'd link) showing off an entire shelf of their handspun, and I thought -- hey! I want a shelf! This goes against everything I usually do -- regular readers will have noticed my compulsion to not waste a single shred of fiber. Fiber must be spun with project in mind, and knit into said project post-haste! Yarn stash (although I've got a fair amount) has the tendency to make me nervous. My fiber stash, on the other hand, is a comforting cushion of possibility. I've got a bunch though, and I think that I'm going to turn some of it into a shelf of handspun. Just for a little bit. (Let's see if this actually happens.)

Some cute Daisy pics:

Yesterday I went to get her from her playpen (where she naps during the day). Apparently, I must have left my shorts slung over the side of the crib when I changed last night, because she had dressed herself in them by the time I got to her.



Head through waist-band, arm through leg-hole.



I couldn't stop laughing!

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