Knitting Lately

I can't post pictures of every item as soon as it is made because many of my knitted items are gifts and I need to protect the element of surprise. I am basically the knitting FBI, expertly stashing different things away depending on who is coming over to visit me. (I like to pretend as though people are waiting with baited breath to see what I have knitted. Humor me.) But here are some recent creations from my sticks and balls o' yarn.

Some sponges for the kitchen sink. My last store-bought sponge fell apart so instead of buying a new one, I just whipped one out. Oh, and you can toss it in the wash if it gets gunky.

I got my niece a necklace for her baptism, but I didn't have a gift box for it. So I knitted a little necklace pouch.

It was also my niece's birthday, so I made her a blanket for her dolls.

My sister-in-law finally got her fingerless gloves:

I tried out a pattern for a braided baby ball. This sucker took forever. Topher loves it.

This is my first attempt at a baby blankie. It's a smaller, car-seat size blanket. I added a loop on one corner so you could clip a pacifier or favorite toy to it.

And finally, some booties for my new nephew, Miles.

That's all I can post right now. There is just one more project that I could show you.

But then I'd have to kill you.

--KC

The best part of cookies

It's been awhile! Last Friday we went to Wiggle Bug class again. It did not go as well as the first time. Topher woke up at 5am that morning, and by his 9am class he was already exhausted, which resulted in a 45-min tantrum to the horror of myself and the other mothers there. It was most unpleasant. He paused in his kicking and screaming long enough to go around the obstacle course a few times and then long enough to jump on the big trampoline (the one set into the floor that the bigger kids usually use). But other than that he was out of control, and I drove home in humiliated tears. Please be kind and tell me this happens to everyone. Even if it doesn't. Luckily, after a long nap, he was a lot happier and we drove to KC (to see my niece be baptized) in utter style. Topher had SO MUCH FUN with his cousins. I kid you not, he would disappear for hours at a time, lost in the giggling throng of cousins. It was amazing. This week is turning out to be a beautiful one. The sun is out, the weather is warming up, and we were even able to open the windows today. And with the crisp, fresh air blowing gently around the house, it just felt like the perfect day to bake chocolate chip cookies. Topher LOVES to help me cook and bake. But he is two and messes ensue. When things get too messy, the batter-covered shirt must be removed. Last week, Topher started randomly giving thumbs-ups. We don't know where he learned it, but the cookies got 2 thumbs up.

These are going to be good, I can tell!

And they were.

The best part of cookies? Hearing Topher say "more cookies" with his mouth completely full and crumbles spewing out at me.

--KC

Wiggle Bug Class

Topher had his first tumbling class on Friday. He is in the Wigglebug class. For reference, that's higher than the Bugaboo class but one step lower than the Jitterbug class. That clears things up, yes?

He was very excited:

He was a little lost during the opening song, but once we got to the obstacle course, he was a natural:

Then it was on to the looooooong trampoline:

Finally it was on to the beams:

During free time, I told him to dive into the pile of foam. He decided to be more constructive than that:

It was a lot of fun, and it led to a 3-hour nap! Friday mornings aren't just the cusp of the weekend anymore. They are a bit more wiggly than that now.

--KC

Learning to S-P-E-L-L

Our little boy is loving his letters!

--KC

An Outside Sort of Day

It was warm enough to go outside! In the middle of February! We took a walk in the morning...

Followed by a walk to the park in the afternoon. Note that the pond is still frozen over but TJ is in shorts and a t-shirt. Crazy.

Finally, Topher tried his footie pj's from his mar-mar and thought it was funny that both he and Curious George had monkey feet. :)

--KC

Mom's Hat

My most recent knitting project was a hat for my mom. She requested a "black hat with an aqua flower." (My family is very particular about the colors they want, in case you hadn't noticed.) I honest-to-goodness wanted to knit this hat in the round and I gave it a valiant effort. But it fell very flat. I'm going to need a formal class to learn how to do that. So I'm still limited to knitting things flat. Bummer. I did a lot of things differently from the first hat I tried. First of all, I divided the yarn into two balls and used a double yarn throughout my work so the hat would be nice and warm. (Actually the hat is quite heavy now!) Secondly, I tried a new stitch called a "seed stitch" because it makes lots of little "seeds" in the fabric that I think look interesting. Lastly, I found a pattern for a flower that I really liked, and attached it with a button. I didn't have a specific pattern for the hat (okay, I didn't even have a scrap of a pattern), so once again I was just kind of winging it, but it actually turned out okay! It almost has a Mary Englebright look to it. I was able to nab a picture of my favorite little model wearing it for me. He must really love me. Mom, I hope you like it! I wove a LOT of love into it for you. You're the best. :)

--KC

P.S. Aby, I'm working on your "black and white fingerless gloves", but my first attempt is a bit of a dud I'm afraid. And unless your hands are enormous (which I know they are not) they are just not snug enough. Plus they are not as interesting as I envisioned. Back to the drawing board, my knitting friends.

Katie's Scarf

My sister-in-law is an extremely lovable person. She's hilarious and bright. She's resourceful and surprisingly tough. She's gorgeous, too, on top of all of it. So when she said she wanted a sea-blue scarf, I knew it would have to be something special. (Spoiler alert, Katie, if you don't want to see your scarf yet, do NOT read on!) What's funny is that all you need are two sticks and a ball of yarn. It's archaic, really, this new hobby of mine. I might as well be Mrs. Flintstone and knit up a neck warmer for the family dinosaur. And yet I love it. The pattern I chose was a new one for me. It was impossible for me to memorize, so I made myself a set of flash cards that haven't left my sight for this entire week. It starts innocently enough. One little row of cast-on knots. I knitted a border and then the main pattern (it is an 8-row pattern, hence my 8 flash cards) four times before stopping to evaluate it. It was around this very point that I wasn't sure if I liked the pattern. At all. It looked like granny's potholder. I forged on, however, because once you're invested in a project, it's hard to quit. Luckily, by the time the week was over and the scarf was done, I had fallen in love with it. It really helps to know who you are making your scarf for. That way, with each stitch you can think about all the reasons you love them and how glad you are that they are in your life. Otherwise, when you realize (for the umpteenth time) that you messed up 8 rows ago and have to pull it all out, you might get a little frustrated.

Katie, I hope you like it. I chose a diamond pattern because we both know that diamonds are a girl's best friend. :) I can't wait to give it to you in person in a couple of weeks!

--KC