A Good Day

Well, a mostly good day.

LouLa came and crawled in bed at about 7:00, which is a great time.  It’s not too early, but not too late.  We cuddled and talked for awhile and then she and her dad started tickling.  She brought her head back and hit me in the eye with the back of her head.  It wouldn’t have been too bad, but I had my glasses on.  I have really horrible eyesight, so my lenses are really thick.  It was quite painful and poor LouLa was scared.  I thought I might end up with a black eye, but it looks okay. 

We’ve spent the rest of the day watching tv, playing, and making Valentine’s Day decorations.  I had to run to the grocery store and LouLa and Josh hung up a little heart garland.  I’m not one to decorate for holidays except Christmas, but LouLa has decided that it’s important.  She had me cut out a heart the other day from black construction paper.  I told her it was black like her daddy’s soul.  She said, “Black like Daddy’s soul?”  Yep. 

It snowed yesterday and it’s snowing again now.  I love the snow.  Now, I’m not going to go out in the snow, but I love how cozy it feels in the winter with snow falling outside.  I hate the summer time.  I hate the heat.  I hate the sun.  I’m making lasagne for dinner tonight, which is a great winter meal. 

I expect to be done with the Secret Swap Project this week.  Maybe I’ll have some knitting to show you next weekend.  I think the Hot Waffle Mitts will definitely be next and I still need to finish up the Hill Country socks.

My Knitting Basket

I can’t show you the knitting that I’ve been doing, as it’s for a swap and is a secret until the second week of February.  So, I’ve decided to show you my knitting basket.  It consists of the main projects that I’m working on, with various odds and ends. 

Here is the basket area.  Not everything fits in the basket, as you can see. 

Next up, the Secret Swap Project Bag:

I also have a sock project bag, holding my plain stockinette sock using Hill Country Yarn.  I’m on the second sock, but the pair has been taking me some time because I’ve been busy with Christmas knitting, and now the Swap Project.  I like the yarn, though it’s thicker than I’m used to, but it knits up to a nice, cushy fabric.  The socks will be very comfy and warm.

Here’s another sock project bag holding a skein of Dream in Color Classy.  I’m going to use it to make the Hot Waffle Mitts one of these days.  I’ve actually already made one.  It fit, but was a little tight and I didn’t like how the pattern came out because of the tightness.  So, I messed around with needle size and gauge and now I have that all figured out.  It’s just a matter of actually knitting them.

Cone O’ Cotton.  Leftover from Christmas dishcloth knitting.  I do want to knit up some plain garter stitch dishcloths for myself because they work so nicely.  Again, finding the time is an issue.

There is the ever-present Cozy Bag.  I’ve been working on Cozy for two years (!).  I would love for it to be done, but I’m rarely inspired to knit it.

These were both going to be hats.  The yarn on the left is Noro and it was/is going to be a plain ribbed hat.  As usual, I started knitting it without paying much attention to gauge and it’s too big for anyone.  The yarn on the right is the leftover Manos that I used to make my hat.  I had hoped to make a matching hat for LouLa, but there isn’t enough yarn.  I think I’ll rip back a bit, end it in ribbing, and have it be a neckwarmer or ear warmer thing. 

This bag has all sorts of odds and ends that I don’t use on a regular basis, so they aren’t assigned to a specific project, but they are things that I may need sometime.  I can’t remember the last time I actually used something from it, though.

Leftover sock yarns that I was using for Christmas mini-socks. 

The Fetching pattern and some dishcloth patterns, as well as an assortment of Burt’s Bees lotions and lip balm.  I got the Burt’s Bees for Christmas from a dear friend and I absolutely love it.  One of the hand lotions and a lip balm is in my Swap Project bag and they are used quite often. 

And last, but not least, the bottom of the basket:

It’s always something

I haven’t been knitting nearly as much as I would like.  But, it’s picked up in the last couple of days and I should get a bit done this weekend.  I can’t show you what I’m working on, because it’s for a swap, The Loopy Ewe Swap, to be precise.  The idea is that you knit something, anything, using yarn bought from The Loopy Ewe.  I’m really excited about what I’m knitting and it’s turning out beautifully.

Of course, there’s a problem.

I started it without checking to see if there corrections for the pattern.  I thought things were a little odd, but what do I know, I’m just a lowly knitter?  I still tend to prefer to blindly follow patterns, too.  I did a quick check a few minutes ago, just to make sure.  Sure enough, there are errors to the pattern that I have.  It looks like I’ll have to start over again, since tinking back would be way too time consuming (for me) and I don’t trust myself to rip back and be able to pick up the stitches properly.  I’m not that far in, but I’m feeling a bit of a time crunch.  I have until the week of Feb. 11th to get it mailed out, but I’d like to get it done before that and not have to rush. 

Knitting Resolutions 2008

Here are my knitting resolutions for 2008:

-Knit a sweater (preferably a cardigan) that I really, really love,

-Knit a lace stole or scarf or something, using actual lace-weight yarn and a semi-complex pattern,

-Knit more socks and buy less sock yarn, 

-Knit a sweater for Josh and LouLa.

I think they can all happen, though the sock one might be tricky.  I can only try.

My Kid Has a Big Head

Twenty inches around, to be exact.  This has always been something I’ve known, even when she was a newborn.  When they did head circumference measurements, she was always in the 95th percentile.  I can’t tell you how many shirts she hasn’t been able to wear because we can’t get them over her head.  

I made myself a hat recently.

I picked up a skein of Manos del Uruguay in color 113 this past week.  I had a gift certificate to a yarn store and I’d never used it before, so I thought I’d try it out.  I love the color (the picture isn’t as nice as the real thing) and the yarn is fine to work with.  I cast on 76 stitches on US size 6 (I think) and made it.  It’s a little long, but better too long than too short.  I have quite a bit of the yarn leftover, so I thought I’d make LouLa a matching hat. 

I measured her head, then measured my gauge on the hat, and measured my head.  My head is an inch bigger than LouLa’s.  I even had her try my hat on.  It fit, though it was too long.  I know that little kids have big heads and that it’s just the way they are, but she’s still got a nice melon on her.  I’ll cast on 72 inches for her hat and go from there.