Oh.

Hello there little blog! I TOTALLY forgot about you.

Slowly, very slowly...

... creeps the garden snail! Little by little I begin to knit again. I have a large project in store (a wedding gift for some very dear friends) but while I was waiting for the yarn to arrive, I knit up this little guy:


Pattern: Easy-Care Cacti by Carol Meldrum and Julie Marchington
Yarn: The nylon yarn I inherited. :D
Needles: 7
Mods: Um, this is kind of the pattern. I basically looked at a picture and made it up as I went.

My in-laws bought a place around the corner from us so they could come stay as long as they wanted without feeling like they were overstaying their welcome (they never have). Since it's a part-time residence, they can't really have plants. I thought this would be an amusing little housewarming present. It was. They liked it!

The gift yarn has arrived - bare swish worsted from Knit Picks. The swatch is YUMMMMM. Washed and dried it is SO SOFT. I can't wait to start knitting this gift!

PS - I hope you all are doing fantastically! I check in on your blogs as often as I can... which isn't all that often with two 14month olds running around. But know that I do try to keep up and I follow many of your projects - which in turn inspires me to knit again! So I must add - Thank you for the inspiration!

Whooooaaaa Mama.

Oh boy did my knitting mojo come back. I started perusing potential gifts to knit for a friend's wedding and WHAMMO.

Now I just need more time. Whoever made the day only twenty four hours long was certainly not a knitter. Much less a knitter with small children!

I shall be back. With pictures.

Lo and behold...

I knit something. Two somethings, actually. For Halloween. On size 11 needles. In eyelash yarn. Yes.

Hope you all had a marvelous Halloween!

I dreamed about blogging last night...

...so I figured I ought to do so. Unfortunately, I have no pictures, but I have managed to find time to knit. At the moment, I'm finishing up a set of Thuja socks for puttering around the house in. The yarn is inherited. Pretty colors, but it's the old type of nylon yarn that isn't as soft as it could be. Is okay for house socks though - keeps my toes warm!

I also just ordered some knit picks options needles, size 4, to start in on the Skinny Empire. I have some beautiful Shine Sport in willow, and I have at least one major modification in mind. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes me to knit this up with the twins in the mix...

Anyone know of any good speed knitting techniques? :P

The gifts we miss...

My husband and I were visiting my parents a few years ago, and my Nana happened to be sitting at the counter, knitting away at a blue bobbled thing.

My husband says to her, "Hey - that's neat. What are you knitting?"

She responded with "It's a baby blanket for the next one of you that has a boy."

And as he said "Oh that's nice" and started to walk away, she yelled "Did you HEAR ME?!"

I laughed a good long while at that one. And I still giggle every time I look at this blanket.

we are growing, we are healing...

Oh, herro there!

I am still alive! But to be honest, friends, it was a very close thing. Very close indeed.

To make a long story short, on Jan 4th I went to the hospital with mild contractions. My doctor did a blood panel, and I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome - something that affects 0.2-0.6% of pregnant women and is characterized by renal failure, liver rupture, and general ickyness. I was already in renal failure when they sent me to Denver. They could not stabilize my condition for more than 24 hours before the boys started showing signs of stress.

As a result, Elijah Joel and Edward Charles were born by emergency c-section on January 5th at 6:35 and 6:36 pm. They are still in the NICU, with round the clock care by some of the most fantastic people imaginable. These nurses and doctors - they have answered our every question, they have explained patiently everything that is happening to our boys and their best options for survival while still allowing us to feel somewhat in control of the whirlwind around us. All of this while I'm still recovering my kidney, liver, and platelet function in addition to a c-section - trying to manage the whirlwind around just recovering me. That is an amazing thing, people. If you EVER need care, come to Denver and University Hospital.

The boys are 3 pounds each - so tiny - and yet they are so strong. They cry vigorously and throw fits and then calm down to hear my voice. It's amazing. They are amazing. As my doctors have and continue to remark upon, I am a very VERY lucky woman.

For now, I spend most of my days either at the hospital with the boys, or home resting and recovering myself. Blogging content might be a bit slow for a while - I'm attempting to keep up with the knitting, but between the drugs and the general recovery, I am doing a LOT of sleeping. I'll try to photograph what I knit and keep you all up to date though.

And more pictures of the boys are SURE to follow. :D

four little booties sitting in a row....

...waiting for owners to fill them with toes!
Are you surprised to hear from me? I have taken a short hiatus to... well... grow a few people. And to knit them wee garments. Double of everything. They have little sweaters to go with these booties and little hats to match. I have actually been quite the knitting fool, in between eating ridiculous amounts of food and sleeping 13 hours a night. And still working full time. And getting the nursery set up. And did I mention sleeping whenever possible?

Where were we? Ah, yes. Knitting for the babies. At some point I realized that as a knitter, I cannot in good conscience clothe the new monsters in anything I have not knit for them myself. Ergo, baby knitting. Which ROCKS. I've been using Debbie Bliss patterns for the booties and cardigan, and a Louisa Harding pattern for the beanie caps. Here's one of the cardigans:
I just need to sew the snap bands on these guys and they will be good to go. Cuz buttons on a wiggly baby? Not so much. Especially not with TWO wiggly babies. :D

Baby knitting is fast becoming my favorite pastime. It's quick, it's easy, it uses up remnants, and it's SO FREAKIN CUTE. What's not to love?

The skinny bitch is skinny no longer

I realize that I have been quiet for some time, and I do apologize, but I actually have a very good reason for my silence. For the better part of two months, I've been unable to do much besides try to get through my day. Yes, dramatic and sad sounding, right? Not so much.

My husband and I decided that after almost 10 years together, it was time. Yup. I'm expecting. But that's not all. I'm expecting TWINS.

If ever I needed my knitting mojo back, it's now. And lo did the sun did shine down and I started going through the many baby patterns that my loving Nana left to me. Yes, I will knit again. I MUST knit again, and I must start post-haste. I need to get it all in now before the twins are born because heaven knows I'll have NO time after.

Anyway, now that I can look at a computer (or anything else for that matter) without getting ill, I will be writing more often. Hopefully with knitting content. :D

It's not knitting, but it's not nothing either

The knitting mojo has gone. She is on summer vacation - probably hanging out with Santa Claus on some beach in the Caribbean. On the other hand, the sewing mojo has returned. Since the niece turned one, I figured I'd make a little somethin somethin for her...Cute little monster, isn't she? This is Simplicity pattern 4243, and it was so easy it was almost ridiculous. The edging is just red hem tape. There's a hat in this pattern that might make it to my sewing board too - I have plenty of the Amy Butler fabric leftover....
Schmoo.

I also made myself a nice summer dress... pics to follow shortly...

Hope you all are enjoying your time outdoors! Hooray for summer!

Success!

The wedding was a resounding success, and my dear friend Andy has pledged his life to a wonderful woman. I wish them many years of love and happiness!

Wherefore art thou?

I must say, after that behemoth of a project, I'm feeling rather... uninspired. I have enough stash to knit around the world and back (egads. wait till you SEE what's in my stash now.) and I've been perusing Ravelry and finding a few cute patterns, but nothing that I must cast on for NOW.

Come to think of it, the only moment of emotion during my Ravelry hunt was when I found a rather cute baby pattern on a weirdly deformed baby, until I discovered that the aforementioned deformed baby was under a smudge on my screen and it was actually quite a cute baby.

Other than that, meh.

Mojo, oh mojo, what has happened to thee?

I really really hope

That the recipients of this gift are not reading my blog. I hope. Hope hope hope. Because here she is:

Pattern: Girasole by Jared Flood

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Superwash - ~15 skeins
Needles: 9 circs
Mods: I left off the last repeat of chart G (last one before the edging)
I liked the 3-2-1 effect of it, plus I wasn't sure if I was going to
run out of yarn or not.

This is a wedding gift for a very dear friend of mine. I had thought it was going to be a wrench to give away, but actually, I'm kind of looking forward to it. She's going to have to go out for a few more photo shoots though... once she's done blocking.

I'm pretty sure I'll knit this again - the pattern is really well written and easy to follow, once you remind yourself how to read charts. Plus I think I would like one for my own living room - maybe in a deep burgundy red... jes?

Girasole...

...is done. Waiting patiently to be washed and blocked by its ridiculously busy knitter.

A shiny red wagon...

...that I have fallen off the back of. *sigh* How could a month go by and I haven't noticed? Actually, I know how, but I won't depress you with the details. The point is, I am back on my shiny red wagon. And despite my silence the last month, I HAVE been knitting, but it's secret knitting and not available for public consumption as of yet. Soon, my pretties. Soon.

You're calibrating the what?

The cigar knucks. I had originally knit these for my Uncle Scott, but... but. I am sorry to say that he is no longer in need of gloves of any sort. These are to be bequeathed to my Uncle Norm (my aunt Melody's husband).

I asked my darling husband to model these for us and told him to just do something with his hands.

"Well, I suppose the flux capacitor needs some calibration..."

Melodious gloves

In January, my immediate family reconnected with my father's sister, Melody. It's been years, both sides have had troubles, and we all just kind of fell away. And despite the circumstances, it was wonderful to see her again - I had forgotten just how warm and funny a woman she is.

At dinner one evening, my aunt Melody bequeathed to me a beautiful scarf that she had knit herself. A discussion of knitting ensued, and she mentioned that she hadn't gotten the nerve to try gloves yet... enter the Melodious Gloves.These gloves are the result of two beautiful patterns... the Cigar gloves from Knitty, and Susie's Reading Mitts, by Janelle Masters. The colors were inspired by my aunt Melody - her favorites. I am hoping she likes these - they are a surprise...

And just in time for summer. I *REALLY* need more time to knit.

The Duchess

My yarn arrived, and I knit my fool head off. Only took me two evenings to finish this sweater, mostly due to my lack of skills with scissors and some mad ripping. So without further ado... voila.

Pattern: The Duchess Raglan
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Closeout - 11 skeins
Needles: 10 circs
Mods: None

When I first tried it on, it was a bit snug. So I blocked the hell out of it and now it fits like a dream. I might make a few mods though - I might crochet on some edging to keep the lower edge flat, and I might put even another inch or two in the midsection. I like my sweaters long in the middle. But! All in all, I'd have to say that I'm totally in love. The yarn is a dream against my skin... snuggly warm and smooshy and soft. Not one itchy from it! And the color is lovely - the color of ripe raspberries. Oh! Raspberries! Yummmm....

How is it that knitting always brings me back to food?

A poem

Roses are red...
this sweater is too...
I've run out of yarn,
So sad, but so true!

Thank heavens for ebay. I have three more skeins coming to help me finish - same lot and all! The yoke should be no problem - I'm going to have to do some creative editing of that midsection though. Can't have my belly button peeking out!

I can't believe it's been a month since I've updated. Where does the time go?! I've been knitting, slowly but surely. The shawl collar sweater is coming along... slooooooowly. The collar takes forever! I'm also knitting a pair of pretty pretty gloves for my aunt, in return for a delicious scarf she gave me last month. So it's coming along. Hopefully I'll have some FOs for you on my next post... I have a rather ambitious project waiting in the wings, and it's got a deadline. I got to get knittin!