Making Progress

I am really enjoying knitting. Ask Mark. He makes fun of me all the time. I should have known I would like it. My favorite part of making sugar cookies (or cakes) is the icing/decorating part. I like to work with my hands in a creative way.

After making the doll blanket for Emma and scarf for Davis, I moved onto some little hats and booties for the baby. This was to give me some practice in knitting in the round as well as some other stitches. All those projects taught me a lot of the basics. They also taught me how to make my hands do what they needed to do to make the needles and yarn do what I wanted it to do.

After that, I felt it was time. Time to pick up the longies pattern and go for it. The first round was a hot mess. For one, I tried to do too many things in one pair (learn not only short rows, gusset, and grafting the gusset together but how to make increases in the legs? Bad plan.). Second, I got turned around at the legs and was knitting inside out. Hard to explain, but basically I was knitting backwards. Those first pair were gifted to Emma for her dolls. She was very sweet and told me they were very nice.

After that, I was more determined than ever to figure out how and where I had messed up and correct it. Time to cast on round two of practice longies. As I already have a list of pants to knit up both for the new baby and for Xander for the fall/winter. Got to get moving.

I cast on and began. I worked the waist, getting the ribbing just about spot on. At this point I am fairly good at discerning what is a knit and what is a purl stitch. Then, I attempted the jogless jog to change yarn colors. This time I got it right. Off to work the body, making short rows to allow for a cloth diapered bum. While they are still not perfect, they are much cleaner this time. I finished up the body and was ready for the gusset. I admit, I goofed the gusset up. I tried to do it without watching my videos and I needed to be talked through it. So my gusset is messy. I then divided for the legs. This is where last time I got completely turned around. After a few minuets, I figured it out and began working leg one.......CORRECTLY! I finished leg one, with a decent seed stitch cuff and went to graft the gusset. Because the gusset was already a mess, grafting was not the best. In other words, the crotch of the pants is a bit wonky. But they are holding together. They just do not look pretty. I got leg two worked the right way much quicker.

Here is the work in progress.

The front:


The back:


Once these are done, I am going to move on to my list of what I want to knit. Emma and Davis have requested a couple of things as well, so I will try to work on some of those as well.

Way Behind

I am way behind in posting current belly shots. I decided at 20 weeks to go for every 3-4 weeks between. As now, while I am getting bigger, the change is not as noticeable weekly. And it is hot.

I am already getting, "SO, you are having the baby soon huh?" To which I say, bite me people. Not until September. I am "officially" at 26 weeks now. My OB will likely schedule me a week early. I think we are thirteen weeks out now.

17 weeks


18 weeks


19 weeks


20 weeks


23 weeks


Looking.....big.

Next Up.......Socks

I was able to figure out how to knit little baby hats. My circular needles were too big so I had to do Magic Loop. Once I got that down, it was easy going.

Here is hat number 1. I used cotton yarn, Lily Sugar 'n' Cream in gumdrop. I think.



And here is hat number two. This is Lily Sugar 'n' Cream Naturals in browns.



Next, I am going to try to make matching socks. I also want to knit a bigger hat for Davis. And Emma wants that little purse. Those are on my list to have done no later than the end of July. Then.....time to try my hand at longies.

For My Emma

I told Emma I would make her something as well in my learning to knit project. I picked some pink yarn for her and it was the first thing I cast on. I abandoned that and finished Davis' scarf first. Then came back to Emma's.

I cast on far too many stitches for it to be a scarf. So we decided she could use a doll blanket. She picked out some ribbon (this was mostly to hide the not so good knitting at the top and the couple of holes that I managed to do.) to embellish the blanket.

Last night I finished her blanket. It is kind of wonky. But it works for her dolly. It is also very soft (cotton yarn).



Next up is knitting in the round. My next project is going to be newborn hats and matching socks. In these projects, I will not only learn knitting in the round but also increase and decrease stitches. I hope that by August I am ready to tackle some longies.

Also, Emma has requested a purse. More like a pouch type purse. So I will add that to my learning projects. That should be good for learning how to do a cord.....

Mission Accomplished

I have finished a small scarf for Davis. It is a bit wonky. You can tell it was a first project. But it was fun to knit and to learn. There is a sense of satisfaction in completing it, even if it is not perfect. And it was made with love.





In that one you can see my oopsies. Where I lost focus.....

Now onto my next learning project.

Creature of Comfort

Once I found out I was pregnant again, I really thought about learning to knit. Why knit, you ask? Because I cloth diaper and love to use wool shorts and pants as a diaper cover/clothes for Xander. I knew I would want to do the same with this baby.

Mom taught me some knitting techniques years ago. I vaguely remember the needles and yarn and her teaching me to cast on and knit. I seemed to have not really retained it though.

Finally, a week ago, I bit the bullet. That is how I am. Jump in with both feet or not at all. Off I want to Wal-Mart to get some needles, a simple how-to book, and some yarn. I came home and started looking things over.

It seemed overwhelming. I turned to the internet for some how-to videos. Still overwhelmed. I lack patience and get frustrated easily as a result. I am also a creature of comfort and do not take to learning new things easily or readily.

The first night, I figured out how to cast on. Score one for me! The knit stitch was giving me a headache though and after two days I still had no idea what I was doing wrong, but it was not right. Finally, a breakthrough. I got it! Off I went. Knitting row after row.

So today I picked up my needles, a new ball of yarn and was determined to figure out a few knitting things.

After watching some videos (KnittingHelp.com), my goal was to weave my tail into my work, learn to slip the final stitch on a row to get a better looking edge, and figure out how to purl.

While the youngest napped and the big kids played the Wii, I sat down and got to work.

WOOT!!! I figured it out! I was able to knit one row, purl the next and get the stockinette stitch. It is still loose where I cast on and I think my knitting is a tad uneven still...and the edge still do not look very nice, but..... in a week I managed to learn: cast on, knit, purl, slip a stitch, weave in tail, and stockinette.

Since I lack patience and as a result get frustrated and overwhelmed easily.....knitting is teaching me not only how to knit for my kiddos but also to have patience, take things one step at a time, and stick with it.

Look mom, I am knitting!

Here is my frist attmept. This is a garter stitch, where you knit every row.


This is the stockinette stitch, where you knit one row, purl the next and so on.


I am going to work on these two things, scarves or small doll blankets for the big kids. To continue to hone my skills. Then I hope to learn to knit in the round and will tackle maybe some itty bitty socks and a hat for the baby. Once I get those down, I will move to learning the pants for both Xander and the baby for the fall.

YAY for learning new things!

Life Keeps One Busy

Yep, that is what has been going on. Life is keeping us busy. Running around like chicken with our heads cut off. Awesome. I am not one for busy either. I do not like to be busy. It does not work for me. I am a cloud dweller, my personality type, and we cloud dwellers need time to just be man.

It seems our calendar (another thing I am not fond of.....calendars. Goes along with the dislike of schedules. Gag. Ties you down dude....) has been jam packed for the last two months. I have found a moment to just be on this rainy Saturday. Though Emma is trying to rob me of that ("Mom, let's play Life. Come on." )

We spent the last week taking care of my two nieces and nephew so my sister and her husband could actually take a vacation ALONE. And not be running in 400 different directions every day.

I always enjoy being "mom" to six. Even though the girls are now 16 and 14 and it seems I am not ready for that yet. Teens are from a different planet. And the 16 year old can drive and has a car and a curfew......and you just have to let her go?!?!? Yea, that does not work for me. I am not there yet.

I thrive though in chaos and noise. I liked the activity of that many kids around. If it were not for the c-sections I think I could have six kids of my own. Mya make me a freak but I am okay with that.

As a result of our chaotic life lately, I am behind on posting. So to bring you up to speed here are the newest belly shots.

14 weeks


15 weeks


16 weeks


And a look at what we have been up to...

My men at tee ball practice




Emma riding the pony



Be still my heart



What happens when you give a Xander a cookie


And now you all are caught up. Sort of....

Lucky 13

Here are the thirteen week belly shots.

Not much else going on. Other than the freakish weather we are having.



Davis and I are thrilled to be experiencing pregnancy together.