FO: Nutkin

I finished my Nutkins this weekend, and it feels so good to have a finished knit project! I think I had almost forgotten what it feels like!!

The details (also found HERE on Ravelry):

Pattern: Nutkin
Size: to fit my size 10.5/11-ish feet :)
Yarn: Ellen’s Half Pint Farm, (80% wool, 20% Nylon),fingering weight, 500 yards/ skein
Amount of yarn: less than one skein
Needles: US size 2 (2.75mm) dpn
Started/Finished: April 29/May 10, 2008
Recipient: me!!

I bought this yarn a year and a half ago at Rhinebeck, and have gone back and forth many times on whether I like these colors together. In the end, I think I found a pattern that works well with the colors, and I am very, very happy with how they came out.

This is a very simple pattern. I memorized it by the end of the first repeat, and found I could bring it anywhere and work on it with just about any distraction (thus they were a very quick knit!). You have no idea how much I wish all knitting were that versatile.

The only change I made to these socks was to use US size 2 needles (2.75mm). The pattern calls for 2.5mm, which I do not happen to have. But, for me, sizing up a touch was okay, since my feet are wider than average (to go along with the fact that they are longer than average…). Other than that, I pretty much followed the pattern.

And, I do so love this pattern. It is very similar to the Monkey pattern (which I did last year as an exchange with Holly Jo and have yet to blog about… shame on me!). I am hoping to join in on the Sockapaloooooza fun this summer, and these are both patterns that I would happily knit again for that.

BTW… notice the hammock in the picture? I have been trying hard to take time to sit and relax. But, from speed in which I knit these socks, I am thinking that perhaps I have been relaxing too much lately!?

Surprises

I don’t know where my brain is today, (because I am typically a VERY organized person), but I totally, absolutely, 100% forgot that today is my husband’s day off.

I was being a tad grumpy (honestly, just a tad, and probably because I was ready for him to have a day off), and he said, “I wish you would stop being so grumpy.  Look at the bright side… I am home tonight”.

I looked at him and said, “no, you’re not.  You are working tonight”.

JP:  “No, I am home”.  It’s my day off.  I am home.”

Me:  “No, you are off tomorrow and Friday.  I know these things.”

JP:  (looking at me like I am totally off my rocker) “I AM off today.  Would you rather I went to work?”.

ahhh!!!  It is so rare that 1) I am wrong and he is right* and 2) I am so completely unaware of days and what is going on.

Is it possible I turned 62 last month and not 32?  Maybe I need more sleep.

*not that I am keeping track or anything… because truly marriage is NOT about who is right or wrong, but even John-Paul will admit that I am rarely wrong about anything.  It can be quite irritating at times, because he always assumes that I know everything, as though I am the internet, or something!!  Maybe now that I am been so appallingly wrong about something, he will realize that I am human, and not an encyclopedia.  :)

One little Nutkin sitting in a tree…

I finished my first Nutkin last night. I love, love, love it. I could dance around in my little Nutkin. In fact, I may have. :)

What do you think?

Pretty, right? I am already 12 rounds into its mate, and hope to finish by the weekend!!!

Knitting progress

I have been knitting a bit lately. (finally).

I finished both sleeves of my Hourglass Sweater last week (modeled by Rosie).

I made many, many changes to the sleeves. They were just way too wide, for my taste. I am including my updates at the bottom of this post, for future reference and anyone else who is interested.

After I finished the second sleeve, I decided to hold off on the body and knit a sock. I really need to sit down and work out the math for the body. (because I am not an hourglass shape… more like a narrowish pear, maybe).

Holly Jo is currently knitting a pair of Nutkins, and since I am such a copycat, I thought I would follow suit and cast on, as well.

I really love this pattern. It is easy to memorize and I knit four repeats the other night while watching a movie (Knocked Up — and I don’t recommend it, unless you actually enjoy foul language being thrown around like there is no tomorrow). Then, tonight, something happened, and I just FLEW through my knitting. I am currently halfway through the foot! I expect to be able to show you a finished sock by Tuesday morning.

————————-

Hourglass Sweater sleeve notes:

(on size 7 dpns)

1. cast on 46 stitches. join and knit 5 rounds
2. purl one round
3. knit 5 rounds then knit up cast on edge
4. knit 5 more rounds
5. decrease:
   • decrease 2 stitches (44)
   • knit 3 rounds
   • decrease 2 stitches (42)
6. knit 34 rounds even
7. increase:
   • increase 2 stitches (44)
   • knit 6 rows even
   • increase 2 stitches (46)
   • knit 6 rows even
   • increase 2 stitches (48)
   • knit 6 rows even
   • increase 2 stitches (50)
   • knit 12 rows even
   • increase 2 stitches (52)
   • knit 6 rows even
   • increase 2 stitches (54)
   • knit 13 rows even
   • increase 2 stitches (56)
   • knit 34 rows

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!!

My baby turned seven today. Seven. It happened waaay too fast. (but I swear to you, I never, ever want to go back to his baby days!).

Seven years and five days ago (my due date), this is what he looked like:

Seven years ago today, he looked like this:

On the day we came home from hospital (John-Paul looks so young here!!!):

At three months:

7 months:

a year and a half:

Two and a half:

three and a half (he is so happy because his baby sister had just been born!)

a few days later at home with his new sister (see how much older — in a good way! — John-Paul looks in just three and half years? Don’t you just hate how men just get better with age? Also, that is the only time, ever that he has grown that much facial hair. He was off from work and just didn’t bother to shave. It’s scruffy, and makes him look a bit edgier than his normal conservative self. Also, note the tired, “there’s a new baby in the house” look in his eyes. But enough about my dear husband…).

his fifth birthday:

Six years old (with Rosie):

a few weeks ago (with three teeth missing on top!)

and today…

I feel so proud of the incredible little boy he has become and am SO excited to meet the person that he will be. But… today, for just a little while, I feel sad that he is growing up so fast.

You probably already knew this…

I just discovered that the “favorites” feature in Ravelry is much more extensive than I thought. You can “favorite” yarn, patterns, designers, yarn brands, forum posts, clipped ads (what’s that??), and news. And, of course, projects, which is what I have always favorited.

Now, I should probably turn off the computer, before I get sucked in and obsessed with favoriting everthing under the sun.

And, I have a knitting update post to get ready for you.

:)

Bloggy Winners

The winners of my Bloggy Giveaway are:

• Dawn from Three of a kind

• Bren J. from Stranger in a Stranger Land

Dawn and Bren — you have each won a tube of Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry Toothpaste. I will be contacting you for your mailing info.

Thanks to everyone who played!

Back in the game…

I know that I promised both running and knitting in this post, but you will have to wait a day or so for the knitting portion. The running was just waaaay too good to smoosh into a combo-post.

I am going to go on record right here as saying that my iPod was the best thing that I ever didn’t pay for. It has done more for my running than I ever imagined. I think I am just someone that needs constant feedback (like every ten seconds or so, when I am really feeling like the running is killing me!). I truly do love it.

When I got the iPod and Nike+ attachment a few weeks ago, I could barely run outside. Seriously, it was killing me. Even with using my inhaler, I would cough for 45 minutes after running a mile. And just running a mile was agony.

I was feeling pretty low about my running. I had come so far last year, and then it was just gone.

Or so I thought.

I worked, and worked, worked.

Then, today:

Look!!! I ran 6 miles today! And I truly ran them… no walking. It may have been a slow pace at times, but I did it. In 56:26!!

I have also logged some personal bests this past week:

• I ran my longest distance outside (6 miles). I had never even run more than 3 miles outside before today. :)
• I ran my fastest outside 1 mile in 8:28 (my fastest treadmill time is 7:32)
• I ran 5K outside in 29:01

If you are interested in viewing my running data, you can see it on the Nike website here.

It was really important to me to be able to run 6 miles this weekend, because a friend has asked me to run a 10K with her next Sunday. Now, I actually believe that I can pull it off.

ps: does anyone have a suggestion for a power song (I can push a button to have my power song play when I feel I need a burst of energy). If you look at my chart, you can see that my speed increased each time I played my power song. I am currently using a free song that I got someplace, but I could really use something that revs me up a bit more.

pps: note that not all my runs are on the nike+ site. I deleted some from when I was trying out the nike+ features, and my calibration runs are not listed.

Thankful Thursday

I am so very thankful for the signs of Spring in my yard…

ps: knitting and running updates tomorrow!!!

we’ve been poisoned

I was SO proud of myself, because in the past two weeks, I have gotten two CFL light bulbs completely free after sales and coupons.

Pride is SO not a good thing.

I had temporarily placed them on top of my refrigerator until I found time for the ten long seconds it would take to actually screw them into a light fixture.

Today, when the refrigerator doored slammed closed (it does this if I just let go… so irritating, and painful for the the little one if she forgets and just lets go), one of the bulbs slipped off, fell to the floor, and broke.

Thankfully it was still in the package and I just had to pick it up, bag it, and get it out of the house. I also opened every window and called in the Hazmat team (just kidding).

So, we’ve been poisoned.

But just a little.

Fiber

I’m sure I have mentioned before that I am fiber-obsessed. No, not the fiber that you knit with — the kind you eat. I always think about the fiber content of foods. My 85 year old future-self must be sending me messages, or something.

Anyway, my husband’s Aunt (Aunt-in-law?) was lamenting the other day about how her doctor wants her to be eating 28 grams of fiber a day. She and my mom-in-law were talking about how hard that is to do. I didn’t really say too much, because… well, just because.

I added up my fiber from today for just a few of things that I ate. I consumed at least 31 grams of fiber today, without even trying. Here’s what I had (this doesn’t include any fruits, veggies, nuts or the yummy vegan peanut butter cookies I ate too many of):

• breaksfast: Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal (8 grams of fiber)

• lunch: chick peas (7 grams of fiber)

• dinner: lentils (9 grams) and whole wheat couscous (7 grams)

I emailed my aunt-in-law with the grams of fiber from each and offered to send some recipes, if she was interest.

Maybe I will make a vegetarian out of her.

Probably not….

Bloggy Giveaway

I have a few blog giveaway ideas stored up in my head, but never seem to get around to posting about them. While reading blogs this morning, I realized that this is Bloggy Giveaway week. (Go check it out… there are lots of great giveaways linked through there).

I am giving away 2 tubes of Tom’s of Maine flouride-free toothpaste, in the Silly Strawberry flavor (my kids LOVE this flavor).

All you have to do is post a comment here and include an email address. I haven’t decided yet if I will give 2 tubes to 1 person, or 1 tube to 2 people. It will probably depend on how many people actually comment!

edited: open to US residents only. (Sorry!!)

**************** This contest has ended **********************
winners will be posted this weekend

Relaxation

John-Paul mentioned a few times recently that he thinks I need to take more time to relax… that I am always running around, on the go, doing something.

There may be some truth to that.

I think I have found my solution:

We bought this hammock with some gift cards we received for Christmas (I also received over $4 in rebates from Mr. Rebates by clicking there to get to the Lands End website).

Finally, after many months, the weather is nice enough to actually hang the hammock! Once I got past the “oh, my goodness, I am going to vomit from the motion,” it was amazing. Truly the most perfect place to spend an afternoon. Not that I got to spend an entire afternoon lying down, but I had at least a good solid half hour to myself just lying in the hammock listening to podcasts on my new iPod.

The kids, meanwhile, were doing this:

Okay. They were doing that. AND they were taking turns lying on the hammock with me. And once, for a little while, John-Paul and I were both on the hammock with the kids (I checked… our combined weight is within the weight limit).

I know this doesn’t seem much like a knitting blog anymore, but I actually have been knitting a bit here and there.

My son took these pictures. He said that he had to take a picture of me knitting so that I “could put it on the computer for everyone to see, so they could see how careful and good” I am with my knitting.

So. There you have it. I am careful and good.

As you can see from the second picture, I am actually making some progress with my Hourglass Sweater!

I have one sleeve completed and am currently about four inches into the second sleeve.

If I can figure out a way to knit while lying in the hammock, I should be able to pound out the rest of the sweater in no time.

Just in time for… summer ice skating. :)

no words

A friend just called to tell me about a bad accident that happened a few hours ago. Then John-Paul called and gave me a few more details. I am actually shaky after hearing about it. It is just too close to what could have been the outcome of his accident 2 1/2 years ago. It was even on the same road. Thankfully, John-Paul was able to crawl out of his car and away and not get trapped in the burning car.

Please say a prayer for those involved and their families. I’m not sure how I would have managed had my husband suffered like that. I still thank God all the time that he was as fortunate as he was.

Brought to you by the Letter “I” and the number “8″

So, today is Monday. Except, that it’s not. Here, at Yarnsticks Central, we are pretending that today is Thursday. Thankful Thursday.

I last promised you this post on Friday. That was after leaving you hanging on Thursday. So what happened?

John-Paul’s job, of course.

He was supposed to be off on Saturday. Supposed to be. This meant a lot to me, since he had worked 6 hours of overtime on one of his two previous days off. And, because we had two extra children at our house overnight on Friday. And, because I ran around all day Friday and Saturday baking, doing fun stuff with the kids, and maintaining order in the house.

I think I might have been trying to prove (to myself) that I could handle having more kids in the house all the time.

Around mid-afternoon on Saturday, John-Paul got a call from work that there was an emergency and they needed him, if he was able. Because this was a HUGE emergency, we agreed that he should go. I knew he would be gone a while, but I had no idea he would be gone for 9 hours. Nine. Nine long hours.

If only I had been wise and not run around like crazy for two days straight exhausting myself. But that would make me not be me, and then who would I be…

In the end, he came home, which was good. The emergency ended tragically, which was not so good.

I took all of Sunday to recover from my self-induced exhaustion, and then, of course he had to go to work for his regularly scheduled hours.

I decided that even though I could handle more kids in the house, life is a lot easier being married to John-Paul having just the two.

But, that’s not why I am thankful. In fact, I really don’t see much reason to be thankful for that. :)

So, why am I thankful?

Because of this, of course:

I finally saved up enough “free” money to get an 8gb iPod Nano!!!

and… I got a free $10 itunes gift card as a sign-up bonus, back when I joined ebates.

But, that’s not all!

Wait! There’s more!

My parents were up visiting from Florida when the iPod arrived in the mail. They were so impressed (or quite possibly appalled…) by my freakishly frugal spending habits (my mom actually said, “Kristina, you need to spend more than $300 a month on groceries”) and clever ways of earning “free” money, that they decided to buy the rest of what I needed wanted as a birthday gift.

They gave me the armband, the Nike+ thingamabob, and the pouch to hold the Nike+ thingamabobber on my shoe.

The sneakers are also new (and were SO desperately needed) but I bought them myself. Freakishly cheap, of course. ;)

I am so, so enjoying using my iPod to run. Especially since I did not have to spend a single penny on it. That’s a good feeling, folks.

(I’ll post about the details of how I paid for it tomorrow. This post has gotten long enough).

This week (technically, last week…) I am thankful for my ipod and all its accessories.

Too materialistic?

Okay. I am thankful that my parents so generously supplied the missing pieces. I meant a lot to me that they took the time to get me something that really speaks to my materialistic, consumeristic inner-self. (giggle).

Friday

I would have posted my Thankful Thursday post today… but I’ve been a bit busy:

• I baked a loaf of whole wheat bread (dairy free, of course!)

• I baked a pan of hearty vegan cornbread (I’ll post this recipe soon!)

• I made a large batch of hummus (I heart hummus)

• I made homemade pizza (including dough) for one adult (not me) and four children

.

Now, I am off to help John-Paul put the four children to bed. He keeps saying, “see Kristina, this is what it would be like if we had the four children you always said you wanted”.

I don’t think it’s so bad….

;)

So… see you tomorrow for Thankful Saturday??

hello? anyone out there?

Can this week get ANY longer? I mean, come on folks!!

Thankful Thursday post coming as soon as I can get those little monkeys to bed. That is, of course, if I can manage to stay awake.

Oh, and it’s a good one.  Totally materialistic.  No frilly, sappy, lovey stuff this time.  Just pure American consumerism.    :)

!!!!!!!

Thankful Thursday

I have not done a Thankful Thursday post in a really, really long time. Too long.

I am thankful for so many, many things.

Sometimes (too often) I forget to be thankful.

I think things like, “wouldn’t it be SOOO nice to live in a house all by myself, where there is no one else to move things around, leave their toys or work paraphernalia around, or shed dog hair on every single solitary surface (not to mention the random dog-butt-wipe spots on my rugs… sigh….).

It is so easy to forget that having everything in it’s place and house free of dog hair is NOT what life is about. (I am struggling with including the butt wipes in that list. I’m sorry, but I just can’t write down that life is ABOUT butt wipes on my carpet).

I am thankful that I have two wonderful little children that move everything around and forget to put away there toys. And clog the toilets. Okay… only one clogs the toilet.

I am thankful that I have two wonderful children that do things that embarrass me and sometimes scream so loud my ears hurt.

I am thankful, because, without them, my life would not be the same. It would be a mere shadow of what it is now.

I am thankful for my wonderful, caring, loving husband. Not only did he give me my two adorable little children, but he is an amazing husband.

I am thankful that he took the time today to make my birthday extra special. I know that he felt challenged, because I have been a bit down lately. He tried so hard. He did great.

I am thankful that he made a cake (which I couldn’t eat) and an absolutely scrumptious non-dairy chocolate pie, from scratch (which I could eat). Okay. I actually made the frosting. But, no matter. He did the rest. That is an amazing accomplishment. I am proud of him, and grateful. He did good. Really good.

Oh, I am thankful for my dog, Rocky, too. He is good dog. A really, really good, sweet dog. He doesn’t mean to leave little Rocky marks on the carpet. Poor old thing.

And in case you are counting the candles and confused, I am actually 32, not 9.   :)

FO: Lace Beanie

Pattern: Lace Beanie, from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders
Size: one size
Yarn: The Alpaca Yarn Co. Classic Lite, (100% alpaca), fingering weight, 182 yards/ skein
Amount of yarn: less than 1 skein
Needles: size 2 knitpicks circular
Started/Finished: February/March 2008
Recipient: me!!

details are HERE on Ravelry.

Finally! I am only posting this about three weeks after I wrote that I finished this cute little hat! Don’t ask me what took so long. Don’t ask why I couldn’t bother to give this lovely lace hat a proper blocking in that period of time. We will just pretend that I didn’t wait three weeks, and that I did in fact take the time to block. ;)

I am enjoying wearing the hat, and that is what really matters. I even wear it in the evening after I turn back my thermostat to 57 (yes, I am crazy… but not as crazy as she-who-sets-her-thermostat-waaaay-back to freezer temperatures (what was it again? 50 or 52??). brrrr!!!

A big thank you to Liz (Transplanted Knitter) for gifting me with this scrumptiously soft yarn. And thank you for insisting that I make something for me. :)

I finished something!

I finally finished the lace hat I was working on! I seamed it up last night (and did a fine job, thank you very much), and I love it!

Pictures and an FO post coming soon.

The sun is shining!!! Spring is coming*!!! Enjoy your day!!!!

*yes, it is still freezing cold outside!    :)