“Since I last posted there has been a new addition to our household. Tonight I have finally sat down to update my site… and he is only three months old. Would you believe I have actually been knitting?!? He is such a wonderful baby I couldn’t have ordered one better.

Working on OSW and have run out of yarn… If anybody has a skien of Jo Sharp Desert Garden in Onyx… I will pay, I don’t want to have to rip this out.

I’ve also cast on Orangina more times than I would like to count. And I may do it at least one more time, I find myself rethinking my yarn selection. We shall see…

Now for the good stuff…

Although I have not added to the yarn stash in quite some time, I have however become the proud owner of the Knitpicks Options Set with all the fixins. And aside from a sore fingertip or two I am in love. I may grab a few of the 16” circs. and a set or two of DPN’s but could it be that I have achieved needle stash perfection.

And I finally bought myself (my anniversary gift) a Catrun Creations knitting bag. It is lovely, so well made and reminds me of all things Grandma-ish, with a twist of course. (The twist being that I am in no way a grandmother.)

I was also lucky to aquire a whole wack of “second” skeins from Louette yarns, not crazy about the colour, but hey for free I’m sure it will amount to something lovely. Yes… I do have connections in the yarn world…oh yes…

I have now to convince DH to really get me back into the swing of things here, FTP access, a photo editor, a new camera,hmm, hmm, and I’ll be groovin’”

My new years resolution this year is to keep it up. Knitting and blogging, both have petered off since my babe was born. Short of a little hat knit for him (be it ever so cute) in November (of course now too small) my needles have been idle.

This leads me to my thoughts on the holidays…
They are a wonderful time to spend with family and friends, to enjoy good food and drink, to watch kids play and laugh, to catch up. But they knock me on my ass. They squeeze out and stomp on my every last ounce of creativity, warmth and patience. I am no longer calm, inspired, or by any means merry.

So this year I say “that’s it!” No more will I spend the last few nights before Christmas baking up little gift baskets to give to people I unexpectedly have to reciprocate. No more will I create havoc in my own home to be organized on the long segmented trips to and fro. No more will I rush my family through the magic of Christmas morning just so someones turkey won’t be dry.
From now on I will RSVP “maybe, if we can make we will, when we make it.” And I vow to be content with this new approach.

And most of all I will begin to knit before Dec 1rst

Welcome New Year

So after being snubbed, my current work in progress is a selfish one. And also a recipe for dissaster. I have decided to fudge the guage, yarn quantity required and maybe even the sizing (a little). Why? I really don’t know. Maybe it’s the thought of experimentation. Maybe it’s the fact that the yarn was whispering to me that it needed to become this. Maybe because it should be a superfast easy knit. Again I’m really not sure. It was not even in the “To Knit” cue. And to be honest I don’t even love the product, it is quite utilitarian provided I finished it before “February-ish”. We shall see.

My never ending poncho is daunting, and I think has officially stalled, perhaps for next winter.
And my list of Maternity sweaters to knit, will have to make way for all things baby. I have about 3 weeks before I find out if it is a boy or girl, and it’s non stop from that point on. Blankets and booties and hats! Oh my!

*Edited to add that this was posted long after it was written… I’m such a moron.

Corynn

Just so I feel like I’ve accomplished something, I must recount my adventures in Strollerland, (literally). I have, as you know, a second child due in May. So this began the quest for the “perfect double stroller”. I refuse to make another new mom mistake and spend way too much for what turns out to be something I hate. So after what seems like weeks, perhaps even months of research, I settled on this beauty. Valco. I called, ordered, but somehow the “bug” remained. Then I started thinking about my current strollers… how can I make them better?

I have since found a wondeful invention for Canadian winter “stollerers”. A Beber stroller duvet, heaven I tell ya! A Martinelli bassinet for my classic Peg Perego and perhaps a Board to attach to it. And I can’t leave anybody out so, an organiser for my Maclaren Quest. And all of this has been fueled by the lovely women (and men) at the Yahoo Stroller Swap Board. They are so good at coming up with ways to encourage, excuse and facilitate the purchase of many, many wonderful strollers (and accessories). So now I think I’m done… I have to be. There is simply no more room. Atlthough I could be convinced rather easily to part with my Graco Quattro Tour, I’d have to replace it of course.

Although strollers could potentially have a huge yarn storage capacity???

This leads me to accessories, diaper bags being the most important. Each stroller needs a matching one capable of handling all the gear that is required for the type of outings that they were specifically, thoughtfully, chosen to accomadate. Of course I already have a few, only one of which fits the aforementioned criteria. Rather than spend more yarn dollars on baby bags. I have decided to design and fabricate all of the necessary carrying accessories. A daunting task but one that will probably lead to another obsessive whim. I imagine seas of beautiful bright fabrics…which ones to chose? I will, of course knit some of the time.

*Edited to add that I received my lovely Valco and it is wonderful but huge, so now it must go, and I have to say I’m really getting sick of strollers…It was great well it lasted, but see ya.

I’ve come to believe that there was a larger messege in this waisted day. (yes, one bigger than the obvious “read the whole pattern stupid!”) And it is this, “there are excactly two weeks left until Christmas, and you need to stop pissing around with a project that should have be done three months ago and at least put up your tree!” So I’m putting the sweater away, I vow not to even look at it until; christmas cards are sent, my house is spotless, beatifully decorated, the gifts are bought and wrapped, my baking is finished, and I’ve sufficiently argued with D.H. about any number of holiday related things.

As of this moment, I’m officially letting down the guard, let the craziness of the holiday begin. Oh how I love the holidays, I do I really do.

So that leads me too my knitting, and christmas. I don’t see any last minute knitted gifts making it under the tree this year. Although ‘tis the season for miracles.
I ordered the new Malanie Falik book last week and I think a may be able to get out a few of the knitted ornaments. Eureka! I’ve finally figured out what to do with the years worth of samples I’ve been getting from Elann
Other than that a don’t think I’ll be able to swing much else.

I have however been working on my sons Robinhood Sweater, and have managed to get the back panel done. I anticipate being finished in a week or so. It’s knitting up fairly quickly. I think I could really get into this knitting for kids thing. WAAAYYY less time consuming. I think the most exciting thing so far is that I actually successfully managed surgery on one of the cable panels. (One of those “you’ve got to be kidding me moments”) My first critical operation ever.

And finally as proof and promised the finished Rebecca Tunic. Please ignore the “fatness” of the picture. I do have a belly when you look at my profile. But this pic just makes me look wide. I wasn’t to happy with the outcome of this one but, it’s making a great maternity shirt. Who’d a thunk it?

Cheers for now

So first I’ll show you what a lugged with me half way across the world, due to my purely delusional thoughts of seamlessly uninterupted weeks apon weeks of knitting. Yeah right! Somebody slap me and give my head a shake… I somehow forgot that I am still the mother of a two year old. One who had serious jet lag for a week and a half, and who cut two back molars over the span of three weeks. Needless to say, I didn’t get much of what I expected to, done.

So, not only did I drag half of my stash, and pretty well all of my tools, (not to mention a few books) I took 6 large balls of that yucky poly Boucle yarn to make into ponchos for my little sisters. It was absolutely horrible, nearly impossible to knit with. Which in and of itself would be okay if it was some beautiful fiber that felt and looked wonderful. But it’s not, and it doesn’t. After casting on at least 15 times I gave up. My mother can have the stuff back, I think I can officially say that I loath it.

On the other extreme, I did finally try my Addi Turbo’s, I have to say I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about, I mean come on how different can they be? Wow, I was in velvety smooth dark chocolate heaven. I can’t believe the difference, you have to try it to know. My only problem is that now I want a whole lot more and I already have most of my circular collection in bamboo. There should be a needle library that you can borrow from when you have to have such things.

I did however get the Rebecca Tunic finished… I’m happy with it, but man I have to say, those models can really throw you off. Of course I did not look as good in it as she did. It’s okay, I’ll definately wear it, but I don’t feel as “fab” in it as I thought I would. And it was alot of effort and money for “not so fab”. My weekend knit poncho has pretty much stalled although I may do some work on it today (long drive,) somehow I was not really interested in knitting that in the 40 degree heat. I did cast on the hooded sweater for my son, I didn’t get past 5 rows on one sleeve. It seams the knitting gods were not looking down on me, every time I tried to start a project I realized I was missing needles, photocopied the pattern wrong, etc. What about picking up what I needed at the store you ask? Well there was one… no needles to speak of and so tragically few good yarns. I thought I would find all that wonderful luxurious eropean yarn at wonderful prices, Hah! I did come home with a whole wack of the Greek Butterfly cotton yarn and at half the price than I can get it for here. (I should think so.)

Of course during the whole trip I kept mental notes of what wild wacky and wonderful things I would recount here… But mostly I forgot. I may slip in a few trip pictures when I get them sorted out but I looks like sadly I will dissapoint in that regard.

And now for the excuse… I’ve just crossed into my second trimester. (I made more than a sweater in Greece wink). And for those of you who have been preggy before you must understand my predicament. No energy + night time sickness = little to nothing.
Alas, I have only in the past few days picked up needles. And I won’t even discuss the state my family has been forced to exist in over the last few months. It’ s gotten so bad that my husband suggested hiring a cleaning lady Ummm let me see… Okay

In any case, ever so slowly my life is slinking it’s way back to some state of normality. Having said that, this sad little apology will have to do for now, my kitchen is screaming obscenities at me, and if I don’t get this load of laundry in the dryer pronto, I’ll have to wash it for a third time.

Forgive me.

As for the whole knitting thing? What was I thinking? I’m in the process of sorting out pictures, so I’ll explain when they are ready.

So in short, still kicking, will post soon…