Battle of Knits

Could it be molars?

I think my son is teething! I’m excited about this because I was starting to think he might need an exorcism. He had a low grade fever today, so I gave him Motrin, which really seemed to help. That and our beautiful day… it was 73 out and sunny. We played outside all day and I got the yard cleaned up and the back porch. My son got a chance to really check out the sandbox and I think he carried every toy he owns outside.

A happy moment today.

After hours of play I made him some dinner and he would barely eat– another sign of teething… I tried to check out his teeth, but he would not let me look at the bottom. The tops seem to have some molars halfway through and I think they may be responsible for turning my angel in an aggressive-tantrum throwing maniac. Today he only threw one big fit. It was like a vacation! I thought with him running around outside that I might be able to sneak in some knitting on the heel of my sock, but I put the chair in the sun, sat down and he climbed into my lap. Then he decided he would pull down the front of my shirt. So… no knitting was going to get done, so I put the sock back into the house. I came back out with the video camera and videotaped him playing around, being silly. I thought I might figure out how to upload a video to the computer. Then I couldnt find the USB cord. I have no clue why it isnt in the video bag, I never use the thing and I have no clue where it would be. So I guess it will have to happen another day.

I have about 1.5 inches done on the first heel. I hope to finish it tonight. If I am super motivated I may start the final chart repeat on the 2nd sock. Now that I am into the hell, I am getting kind of excited about them.

Socky #1

I got my new sock club yarn and I love it. It is a sock yarn set-up. Stripey sock yarn with solid trim for the cuff, heels and toes. Fun. Now I HAVE to make more socks. I have been surfing Ravelry looking for a good pattern for stripey yarns… No luck so far. It seems most people just make plain old stockinette sock with stripes. I might do just that. I should have taken a picture of this new yarn, but of course I forgot all about it.

The weather is supposed to be nice all week, so perhaps I can remember. Perhaps my son will feel better and perhaps I can catch up on some sleep!

(Finally, looks like the Yarn Harlot has a new post… must go read it!)

DIY Lobotamy

I have been seriously thinking about performing major surgery on myself lately. However, I cannot decide between a lobotomy and tubal ligation. Both would have results that might help my situation, but I am just not sure which would be more effective.

(Probably the lobotomy, since a tubal ligation is not retroactive.)

My son is seriously on thin ice with me. If this is the beginning of the “terrible twos” then one of us is in big-time trouble. It seems that he cannot go more than sixty seconds without being held. There are out and out tantrums several times per day now, when he used to be so wonderful. We cant take him to the grocery store… crap, I tried to walk him to the mailbox today and that was a disaster! It ended with me carrying an armful of mail & a package one one side and a kicking screaming kid in the other. He is hitting, throwing things, pulling hair and being generally defiant. In a way I am sort of proud of all his little kid angst… then I have to duck to avoid being hit upside the head with a toy car. He is seriously asserting himself and telling me that he will do what he wants. Well, I have news for that little boy… he had better hope that this phase does not last or he will be spending a lot of time in “the penalty box”! I have already been talking to Josh about it and I am going to have to begin the time-out training ASAP.

You just dont picture this aggravation when you are pregnant. Or when they are learning to crawl & walk… then BAM! Your sweet little baby turns into a monster. One day I’m getting six kisses in a row, then next he trying his hardest to kick me in the face. “Patience is a virtue” and whomever came up with that saying must have had many toddlers. I just hope I survive this. PLease please remind me of all this insanity if I ever say I’m ready for another one!!! (email me the link!)

Finally time to start a heel

My socks are coming along slowly. One needs another chart repeat, the other is ready for a heel. Eventually I might finish them… by the end of the Olympics? HA-HA yeah right! It just isnt going to happen and I have accepted it. I’m just glad everyone in our house is alive… for now. Oh and I have not yet been committed to a mental hospital.

The Strongbad Without a Face

In the land of crochet… Which I visited last night since I was exhausted from averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night for the past 5 nights and a bit burnt out on lace after knitting on my socks at Hank’s Sunday afternoon. I sewed him all together. I just need some felt for his face. His head is a tad lopsided, but I’m over it. I had to sew around the head about 40 times. The body and feet are stuffed with rice and lentils so they are heavier like a beanbag, but the head is just full of fluff, so it was nearly impossible to keep it from flopping… after sewing and sewing… and sewing… I looked at it. It was not floppy, just a bit tilted. It is going to have to do!  I have really enjoyed these amigurumi projects.

Handmaiden Casbah Sock ~ Ruby

Everything on the needles and hooks will be going ON HOLD in March. March 1st I am starting an Ishbel shawl. I have been committed to this for a month and I am very excited to start it. The yarn is delicious. This picture is terrible, since it was cloudy today, but dont worry. This blog will be saturated in photos of this shawl. I would like to gift this one too, however, this might have to be mine, since I am completely lusting over this yarn. I have named my project the “Ruby-ISH-BELla” because I am super lame. (I have accepted this too.) 

So on hold will be: The Vancouver Socks, the Tea Leaves Cardi, the Toodee doll and one day I might finish the crocus scarf. I had intended to work on it during the Olympics, but never even took it out of the bag. I think it is that yarn. Someone cursed that yarn. (Good thing crochet projects dont count on my 2010 goal.)

Off to knit a heel.

(BTW I absolutely LOVE this new theme!!!)

I love lamp.

I sit here, blogging away, feeling antsy. I thought I had a cold bottle of wine chilling from last night, but I was wrong. So all day I anticipated blogging and sipping a glass of wine and then having my second glass while watching TV and knitting my Tea Leaves Cardi. I dont really need a drink so much as I was just looking forward to the ritual of relaxing while writing my ramblings… do I complain enough? Wait, dont answer that.

Do not even ask about my title. Sometimes I am positive that my ADHD topics in one post will never be cohesive enough to come up with a title that ties it all together and then, some nights, I just dont care. (Damn wine!) It is 51 degrees out there and I am ready for some Spring! Yesterday I went by Hanks for Sunday “Stitch and Bitch” and I was knitting away on my cardi until the Super Bowl started. I got exactly the length I needed to get too so I could YET AGAIN separate for the sleeves. I went and did some super fast grocery shopping, then got home during the second quarter, finished up the baby bath and put the kiddo to bed. Then I watched the worst half-time show in history. Seriously. I pulled out my cardi and did a lot of counting, poured some wine  and went crazy… I got at least 3 inches knitted up by the end of Undercover Boss (loved it). I went to bed and today I wanted to take a pic in some good light to show off to my wild and crazy blog readers (because I know how to party) and to my dismay horror, I found that I had miscounted terribly since the sides were completely uneven. I felt ill. So a few hours later when my little Damien Love went to nap I pulled it out again, ripped back to the sleeve splits and re-counted… and then I counted again. Then I counted once more. I split for the sleeves and was nearly done knitting through the row when my son decided he was done sleeping. I was hoping I could at least get 4 rows done, but no luck. Tonight that damn cardi is mine. I will conquer this damn thing and even if I never even wear it I will feel completely satisfied! —Which brings me to why I brought this up in the first place… leaving Hanks last night around 6:30 it was just dark and it was chilly! I was thinking about how warm the sweater will be, you know, in like 2012. Because it might just take that long.

Today my son hit the dog in the head with a block. More than once. I saw him do it, didnt really get it, saw him do it again and jumped up to react and he had nearly conked the poor dog again when I grabbed the block and told him “No! We dont hit the doggie.” and then “Be nice to doggie” as I pet the dog, he then of course pet the dog, which resulted in the dog forgiving him, or I can only assume by the tongue bath he gave my son! This was my first instance of that– probably wont be the last, but nonetheless, I was pretty shocked. At the same time I realize it is just toddler behavior and I am glad that my dog, Monster is docile with my son and did not react. He pretty much just stood there. Poor dog. I gave him a chicken nugget for being a good sport, so I think he is okay about the whole ordeal.

I bought a book for my Kindle today. Don’t laugh… but please comment away! It is Dr. Laura (okay I hear you laughing) and the title is “The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands” (is this a ROTFLMAO moment?) and I was pointed towards in after reading another woman’s story. Her issues were similar to mine, her’s being a bit worse, and someone had asked her if she had ever read the book. I was curious. I remember listening to Dr. Laura when I was younger (of course regretting it every time) so I went on Amazon and bought it. I really hate the tone already. I already feel like she is yelling at me. Then I think about it… she is quite the career and power woman, conservative, yes, but also balancing a husband, kids and work. I want to know her secret. I dont work, but I do some side things with my knitting. In any case I usually end up feeling stressed at the end of the day, wishing I had just 4 more hours and 8 more ounces of coffee…I’m constantly stuck in that classic Saved By The Bell scene where Jessica Spano is hooked on the speed pills and trying to everything and she is screaming “There is NEVER enough time!“  before she collapses. It was truly the climatic acting moment for that series, but I feel like that is my life. I feel like a lot of moms feel the same way. You try so hard, but you can never do it all… well Dr. Laura says (so far) that if we (as women) take that out on our man we are selfish and doomed to be alone. She mentions that men are simple (Agree) and that to please them we need to do nothing more than feed them (Mine does not eat) and have sex with them (duh.). This apparently equals a happy man. Now as much as I would love to test this theory and really put it too the test, I still have to clean my house and maintain our everyday life. Plus, as I mentioned it is rare when josh eats dinner. He is very unhealthy and tends to eat one huge meal between 1pm and 6pm during work. Honestly, I do not think he is a fan of my cooking. Even before I went Gluten-free I dont think he liked my food. He is not your typical male who eats red meat often and could live on chicken and potatoes… he was raised vegetarian, so he did not grow up eating burgers, steak, meatloaf, shepards pie, casserole of any kind, chicken dishes or BBQ… so he always requests side dishes as meals… like Mac and Cheese… I get it. I know why he is that way, but I still to this day cannot wrap my head around it. I pretty much eat vegetarian these days, but I still do not eat the things he loves– pasta or sandwiches, unless they are gluten-free, which he wont eat. So I am stuck making 2 meals. I dont mind, since I eat before he comes home most days, but really he does not eat at home much. So Dr. Laura… does this mean I am screwed? That there is no hope??? That is 50 % of your equation! So for now, I will just keep reading  (and having sex). These two things are never really an issue, except when I feel like I have been disrespected (often) so I think this book might be a waste of $8.59. I am really trying to be optimistic though. (really, I swear.)

(really!)

(Is my friggin wine cold yet?)

(Now there is a title! HA!)

So, another fun thing today was the introduction of carrot sticks. I have been nervous to cut him up some for fear of choking, but I think raw food is important for children (and adults), besides, he has like a million teeth, right? So I took a carrot and sliced it into toothpick like strips–seriously. He loved them! He munched away on them until his Daddy came home. Then with carrots in his mouth he decided to run to the bed to play wrestle-fun-time with Dad… which resulted in him spitting chewed carrot all over my blanket and side of the bed. “Well, at least he didnt choke,” was all I could think. I am currently washing my comforter and sheets. So much for getting to bed early!

I was poking through blogs today. If you never surf my blog roll, you should. I felt like I was on a visit… I went to visit Marr Haven farm, Stephanie Japel, to see if she had her baby yet (go see for yourself!), I popped into my bitch Jen’s blog, Laura’s PhrogBlog and of course Yarn Harlot. It was fun. **Good Times**

(Remind me to talk about the new TV next time. )

Shawl (again!) & some updates + news

Yeah, I am going to make you look at that shawl again. Sick of it yet? I seriously love that thing. If i didnt mention already, that shawl is going up to Maine to live with my cousin Allie. She will appreciate and I know it will safe from grubby little toddler hands! Besides she has much more time to wear something like that. If it lived here it would be hanging on something for 363 days a year… what kind of life is that? That shawl was made to party!!! Ha, yeah… okay in all seriousness… I bragged like a little kid who just won a spelling bee on my LYS’s forum on Rav and Lorena is going to post some picks of it on the Hanks blog. Without further ado…

BEHOLD:

Traveling -up to Maine shawl

I think this my biggest accomplishment since carrying a child for 9 months inside my body.

It has really brought me back. I was out of sorts for awhile.

…

Totally unrelated news…

I have some more donations lined up for the big giveaway! I was hitting a lot of walls at first, but now I am having better luck– Keep checking in for more info!

Josh is in Miami tonight, for some work related conference. Now I have gone to many work conferences back when I was in the corporate world. Most of my conferences involved drinking tasting wine and trying to hold important conversations while completely buzzed worrying about how red my teeth were from the wine, but never once were they ever held in a strip club. What you say? A strip club? Well, he didnt tell me that is where they are held… I can just only assume he will be going to one and then will sleep in far too late to attend the conference. We will see. In 2010 I intend on exposing much more of my personal life. Why? Well, why the hell not? I Facebook and Twitter all day anyway. I would like to give ya’ll something interesting to read besides just pics of my knitting, pics of my kid doing crazy stuff and general whining. The stats have gone up considerably in the last 2 months. Now, dont let me scare you off… Stats just tell me how many people are reading, not *who* is reading. So you are still an anonymous reader. How do I know you wish to stay a closeted reader??? You dont leave comments. Come on people. I think you can do that anonymously too. So keep on stalking reading!

(Does this mean I need to hit the spell check once in awhile?)

I have a bunch of gluten-free product reviews to post. I just have no time. Clingy child= neglected blog. Sorry! Do I even have any GFree readers? Most people think this is completely in my head, with the exception being Josh, since he knows how sick I get. GLUTEN IS EVERYWHERE!!!

I am really feeling for the survivors down in Haiti today. Normally I live the usual selfish live, believing if I cant see it, it aint that bad. Well, today I watched Oprah (sue me.) and Wyclef Jean (dont be hatin’– I love him) was showing actual video his brother shot on a flip cam. There are piles and piles of bodies everywhere, dead children and lots of people just freaking out in general due to lack of supplies and care. He said the stench is overwhelming and the graveyards are full. Here I sit in my nice big house, drinking my wine, listening to music on my laptop, typing away on my blog— and it makes me feel terrible! I dont know what there is that I can do. My only idea is this baby hat pattern I made. I am going to post it on Ravelry tonight and sell it for $5 and list it under the Patterns for Haiti. All proceeds go to help Haiti. I was going to type it up and give it out for free. I mean, its just a baby hat… but if you need to get something for your donation… here you go! I sometimes wish I was independently wealthy and didnt have a young toddler to chase right now– I would go down there and help out the people. That would be a great life. Might be hard work, but at least I would sleep soundly knowing I did what I could for my fellow peeps. Yeah, if I had a billion dollars… I’d be there digging through the rubble in Haiti, trying to save people… children… and well, humanity in general. Until then… I will cherish my son and raise him to be as giving and caring as his mommy is. The kid is golden though, he will be a a wonderful addition to society, I just know it.

(LISTENING TO WYCLEF)

Okay off to post my pattern, then off to knit and watch some Nip/Tuck. Wait! I cant leave this on such a somber note… SO here you go:

Don't be hatin' on Wyclef.

PEACE.

Holy purls!

I have 8 rows left… Technically 16 if you consider that it is RS (right side) and WS (wrong side) rows. The WS rows are killing me… They are mindless and they seem to take forever!!! I feel like I am doomed to be freaking purling for the rest of my life!!! What a fate! I had a genius idea for a design during a purl row though! It is an idea for a sleeve-less little number and I am excited to put some ideas on paper. I just bought some yarn today that will be perfect… It is only a matter of doing some math really. Then sketching and knitting up a test… I guess purling isn’t so bad. At least it gives youind a chance to wander.

I am hoping to finish this shawl this weekend. I hope I remember to bind off super loose… So many Rav folks mentioned this in their notes. Then I will get working on a few fun crochet projects… Strongbad and Homestar Runner for Josh and Toodee from Yo Gabba Gabba for my buddy Boo bear. All while designing this IDEA. I think it will be the perfect pattern to include in the BIG GIVEAWAY… Yes! I am teaming with another mommy blogger to do a big giveaway! Expect it this Spring!!! There are 3 planned for the year so far, so bookmark this blog, check back often and tell your friends. This will be fun!

Enjoy some pics of the shawl…

MY first Knitting Design: MIL Cowl

I wanted to knit something for my mother-in-law for Christmas. I know that she doesn’t understand my obsession with knitting so all the more reason to make her something. I started knitting a lace scarf and it was going well, until I had a moment of frustration and had to frog back about 6 rows… I was less than halfway done so I decided to rip it all out and make something stress-free. If you are a lace knitter who finds lace “relaxing” then please pass me that crack you are smoking and disregard this anti-lace post. Okay, its not “anti-lace” but this certainly is a design to overcome stress during the holidays. Even if you are like me and you do very little Christmas shopping, very little gifting and avoid get-togethers like the Christmas plague, you still feel the stress of December. Knitting a lace scarf was the wrong idea for a December project! So I started knitting a cowl for the MIL and never looked back… and seriously, I made it up as I went along. then I decided to share it with anyone who has no clue what to make for that person on their list… but you know you want it to be a hand knit gift… Enjoy!

Do not stress during December!

MIL COWL

I used worsted weight wool, Madelinetosh Eyre. It is a blend of Merino, Silk and Baby Alpaca.

I used size (US) 10 needles.

Cast on 70.

Row 1- Knit.

Row 2- Knit 1, Purl 1, Knit 1, Purl 1, repeat.

Row 3- Knit.

Row 4- Knit 1, Purl 1, Knit 1, Purl 1, repeat.

Row 5-7- Knit.

Row 8-15- Repeat rows 1-7

Row 16- Knit 2, *Cable 3 forward-(place 3 sts on a cable needle or spare dpn, knit next 3 sts, then knit the sts you held forward from the needle or dpn) Knit 4, Cable 3 forward, Knit 4* repeat until last 2 sts, Knit 2.

Row 17-19- Knit.

Row 20-24- Repeat rows 16-19.

Row 25-28- Knit.

Row 29-33- Repeat rows 16-19.

Row 33-35- Knit.

Row 36-49 repeat rows 2-15.

Bind off LOOSELY. Weave in the ends.

Wrap and gift it!

NO STRESS AT ALL!!! I think I knit this in about 2 hours total, with wine and interruptions.

(Note: the bottom edge on mine tends to roll, I like this effect, but if you dont, Purl your last row.)

For personal use only please.

Time to mail this off to NY

Download the PDF File

Raverly Page

I intend on re-posting this with some tutorial pictures for newbie-knitters. Stay tuned or bug me if I forget to do this in a timely manner! I know I only ever have about 3 people who post comments, but I know for a fact that I have a lot of readers every day. After installing my stats I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people visiting from all over! Thank you so much for reading and please feel free to leave a comment, email me at BattleofKnits@gmail.com or send me a message on Ravelry.com… find me as Slychikadee! If you knit this design, I would love to see a picture!

Why I heart Twitter (today)

There are a billion reasons why twitter is so cool. I tweet almost daily and love it. Every once in awhile something really cool happens to me on twitter and I meet such cool folks. This morning I had a brush with someone pretty cool. I was trying to tweet Martha Stewart, long story short… she was having a technology show and tweeted that you could tweet live on her show, so I tried and failed, tried again and failed… (Well, I was doing it wrong!) I noticed this guy @ShepardJim was tweeting Martha to and he tweeting wondering if it was live, I tweeted him saying I doubted it was (found out later– I was right, she is too much of a perfectionist for live tv, if you ask me) and I noticed he had mentioned being from Maine. I tweeted something to the effect of missing Maine, having grown up there… well I check my twitter tonight and he had sent me a link since he noticed I am a yarn-fiend…  http://www.hatchtown.com/ Well, he is a real shepard and has a CSA farm. I love it! They have fiber and yarn, so here is yet another reason I need to learn spinning! There is absolutely nothing I love more than people who raise sheep. So if you are looking for a good fiber deal, his fiber looks luchious! The yarn is semi-worsted and undyed according to the site and it sounds very tempting right now! Maybe after I get all my dental work out of the way I can afford to join! There is nothing more appealing to me than getting yarn straight from the farm. My only wish is that I could pick it up in person. I miss Maine… but not November-May.

That is why I love twitter (today)

Octoberfest.

Lorena posted the October square and I like it. If I wasnt in the middle of the March square and a plain old stockinette square, I would cast on right now.

I joined a congo…

http://hyenacart.com/Home2Home/ I joined the Home 2 Home Congo. I will be stocking my items with some other mamas who make diapers. There is some nice diapers and other things in the congo, so be sure and check it out! There is nothing more wonderful than cloth diapering… well, except supporting stay at home Moms!

I am going to let my Hyena Cart lapse, since it is cheaper to go with the congo and it easier to advertise when you have 7-8 other Moms helping! I can also focus more on stocking the congo. Stop by and check it out, tell me what you think!

Our logo

The owl.

We had a vistor today and I was lucky enough to get a few pictures of him. Please dont mind my terrible photo. I really need to get the flash fixed or at least play with the settings.

Owl, hunting squirrels, I hope.

 – If an owl hoots at the moment of childbirth, the child will have an unhappy life.

 – The Irish believe that if an owl flies into a house it must be killed immediately. If it escapes, it will take the luck of the house with it.

 – If an owl nests in an abandoned house, then the dwelling must be haunted. An owl is the only creature who can abide a ghost.

 – By eating salted owl, a person can be cured of gout.

 – If an owl hoots during a burial service, the deceased is bound to rise from the grave and haunt the living.

 – An owl living in the attic of a house will cause a pregnant woman to miscarry.

 – If a pregnant woman hears the shriek of an owl, her child will be a girl.”