Time to Kickstart the Spinning Mojo

Here's some beautiful blue faced leicester that I picked up from the talented sweetgeorgia more than a week ago. oh...so.... yummy!!!..... and the colors are just mesmerizing together ...hey, coincidentally, they're almost my blog colors too! The only problem is I can't bring myself to pull apart the braid and spin it!!! What to do!!!!

Maybe I'll have to give myself a bit more time to admire it, and think about what I might like to knit out of it first while re-setting up my spinning space... yep... gotta' think baby steps....!

Stay Calm

When K started crying yesterday, R quickly ran over to rock her, calmly reassuring her that we were not aliens. And he meant it.......... not in a "ha-ha" sort of way, but "as-a-matter-of-fact", "honest-no-joke" sort of way! D, who overheard the conversation, just couldn't help but wonder if his brother is insane.

Sushi Picnic

A sushi picnic at Kits Beach last night was in order for K's three-month-old birthday. The sun was shining and the playground way too distracting for the boys to eat their kappa rolls and tempura, but we all enjoyed our sushi and did our best to eat as much as we could without spilling too much soy sauce on our blankets and mats.

K is 3 months old!

This past month, K's been cooing, smiling, and trying to "talk" to us, manipulating her lips and tongue to produce as many different sounds as possible. She continues to enjoy imitating conversation. She, surprisingly, doesn't seem to be a big fan of taking baths though, crying at the top of her lungs through most of the bath as though we were torturing her. Could it be our technique, the feel of the water? She is our third child, after all. Whatever it is that bothers her about bath time, we just hope that it eventually changes. One good thing that's developed in the last little while is that she's been sleeping for longer stretches through the night. She falls asleep before 11:00pm or midnight, and I manage to get some uninterrupted sleep between 1am and 5:30am sometimes!!! Yaay, some peaceful knitting time before bedtime!

Above, K's finally modeling the cozy handspun, handknit EZ Best Baby Sweater that I knit before her birth. I super love this pattern and sweater, which I substituted stocking stitch for the gull lace pattern in the original pattern design, just in case K turned out to be a boy. See this post for details.

Out and About

As the weather gets warmer and the days become sunnier, we've been trying to get out more-- to nearby parks, playgrounds, and even just our own backyard. In recent days, we've had the bikes out in the park and in the alley behind our house. The bubble wands and various bubble blowers have all been pretty popular on the back deck too. I'd really like to get out into the garden to attack the weeds, but these days, knitting always seems to win out as the more comforting activity after nursing baby.

And I finally took the time to start something for me -- a Liesl! I know, I said I wouldn't start any more new projects, but I've been meaning to try one of Ysolda's designs for some time now, as many of her designs are in my faves on Ravelry. Besides, I am using up stash yarn as justification. As many others have mentioned on Ravelry, this pattern is really very well written and easy to follow. I'm enjoying it so far and can't wait for it to be done and possibly modelled for you (if I'm up to it). If only I had more hours and stamina in the day...

Boheme Complete

I'm on a roll.... here's another FO-- Boheme for my niece. It is a slightly modified Boheme though, as I substituted the gull lace pattern (from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Best Baby Sweater) for the tulip lace pattern in the original pattern. I think I've mentioned before how much I adore this gull lace pattern, which is quite bold and full of personality. Again, I've knit in Cotton-Ease for its easy care.

One Finished, Many to Go...

So, I've made a conscious decision to finish more projects before starting any new ones today. I don't dare tell you how many UFOs I have around the house, but let's just show you one I finished today for my one and only nephew who just turned one.

This is the ever so popular Owl Baby Vest designed by Jodi Haraldson, which can be found on Ravelry. This was such a good knit that I couldn't put it down once I started it in the middle of April, and I was working on an equally fun knit (for the twin niece) at the time. Knit out of machine-washable Cotton-Ease, I lengthened the vest by about an inch and embroidered the owls' eyes instead of sewing on buttons to account for the nephew's age. Wouldn't this vest look dapper for a summer outing to the beach or park with just a plain white t-shirt underneath?

I'm still waiting to hear from the insurance people, so please excuse the less than stellar photography. It took forever just to capture this photo showing the color at its truest (to my eye, anyways). I had to dig out the seven-year-old point-and-shoot camera, so my posts wouldn't be photoless.