. . .And Onto the Munchkin

The little munchkin received his new sweater today. It fit! He'll get a little wear out of it before the weather gets altogether too warm. It was nice to see it on him. :)

Sorry I didn't get a better picture- I thought I had, but when I loaded them into the computer they were pretty blurry. It's too bad, because Mouse is MEGA cute!! That said, there's something quite nice about this picture, I think:


Something about the mood strikes a chord for me. Anyway, just wanted to share the sweater on its new home!

Off the needles!

I finished it! I knit this sweater for a good friend's son, who is about 15 months old. Luckily he hasn't outgrown it in the many months it's taken me to knit. Unfortunately we've got very little sweater-weather left before Spring arrives in earnest, so he probably won't get a lot of wear out of it. Oh, well. It was fun to knit, and very good practice.

Here's the back:


It's only the 3rd sweater I've ever made- the first is a fun, lumpy concoction for my sons (now quite pilly on it's third wearer), and the second is a super warm, thick and fuzzy colorful thing for myself. I'm getting better. The rib-knit V-neck is a new attempt for me. :)

Here's a detail of the front:


Originally I'd wanted to do the whole sweater in the variegated blue yarn, but realized I didn't have quite enough of it, and it was discontinued so I couldn't buy more. So I matched it with the champagne colored yarn (a different brand and a different texture, but the same weight) and did stripes. I'm very pleased with the color and the softness.


Voila! :)

Crafting for Charity

Today, I mailed off a couple packages. One of them has been a LONG time coming, and is in fact about 10 days late for the final deadline. I hope that's OK. . . I finished it ages ago, but didn't manage to mail it before today. C'est la vie. It was one of several craft-related charity/group projects that I have participated in- specifically, it is a contribution to the installation art piece known as the Milkweed Project. No, I don't have a picture of my contribution. Sorry, sorry! I was so thrilled to be finally mailing it today that I forgot to photograph it for posterity. It was a simple thing though, so you haven't missed much. :) There are many photographs on the website however, of contributions from all over the world. I've enjoyed checking them out, and I really look forward to seeing how it all comes together!

The second package I mailed out was a red scarf for the Orphan Foundation of America's Red Scarf Project. I found out about this project from a friend, who learned of it through Craft Hope. Red hand-knit or crocheted scarves are donated to orphaned foster teens. I had some great red yarn leftover from another project, and it knit up very quickly. Again, I forgot to take a picture. I know, I know! Some photographer I am. It is a simple scarf though, mostly straight garter stitch. It's appealing for it's dense, cushiony softness, it's warmth, and it's deep garnet color, rather than for it's design. :) I hope it's new owner likes it. The deadline for this project is Valentine's Day, so there's still time if you'd like to make a scarf, too!

The other craft-related charitable project which I recently participated in was the Iraqi Bundles of Love (or IBOL) project. I blogged about it early on, but never posted pictures of our bundles. ("Our" meaning myself and a couple other wonderful ladies in a craft group I am in.) So, finally, here's a few photos of our finished bundles, ready to send:





(the above photos are by Kyddryn)



In addition, the boys and I participated in IBOL Sundae. It was delicious!


The IBOL project was exciting. It was so gratifying not only to help, but to see so much of the goodwill unfolding in Art's blog. I really enjoyed that. :)

Hmm. . . maybe it's time for a new charitable craft endeavor. . .
There's afghans for Afghans, or Artists Helping Children, or Project Linus, the local charity Tiny Stitches, or Warm the World. . .
Or, maybe I should just finish the numerous projects I've already got going. :P

Iraqi Bundles of Love

I just want to use this moment to alert you to an awesome project!


Iraqi Bundles of Love (IBOL)
Here is a quick summary of the project, from the intro on the website:
* * *
Iraqi Bundles of Love is a short-duration project, set to last about six weeks, to surge fabric and sewing (and knitting!) materials into the area around which I live in Iraq. It is timed to coincide with both Ramadan, and the departure of my units from Iraq.

It is intended to be a simple project, requiring little effort and little expenditures from those wishing to participate. It is based upon my assessment that sewing fanatics and quilters and knitters tend to have stashes that far exceed their actual needs, and that sewing fanatics and quilters and knitters are passionate both about sewing / quilting / knitting, and about sharing with others.

The general premise is this. I am in Iraq, and I can get mail through the US Postal System. Willing contributors can send to me a flat-rate box of sewing / quilting supplies, all bundled up. I’d open the box, pull out the fully-contained bundle, and hand it off (with others) to our counterparts in the Iraqi Security Forces (Army and others) or the local police, for them to distribute. The stated intent of this operation is to put sewing and quilting and knitting supplies into the hands of two types of recipients: locals who desperately need such things, and local sewing co-ops who have received grants or loans (typically to purchase sewing machines, rent space, etc).

That is it, in a nutshell.
* * *

So, if you happen to have a bunch of fabric, sewing, knitting and craft supplies laying around, then why not share a bit of it with Iraqi women? I think this is a wonderful project. (Oh, and international donors can help, too! Go to the website and leave a comment requesting information on how to donate from your country, if you do not live in the US.)

Check out the instructions on building a bundle. It's easy! Here's information on what to send. But hurry! Boxes must be postmarked by September 7th.

The website, again:
http://ibol.wordpress.com/
IBOL on Facebook!


Plus, big thanks go to Grace at Going to Graceland and Monique at Five Bears A-Blogging for alerting me to this great way to give! :)

New, Ageless

It's a gilded afternoon, timeless like air in amber. Unseasonably warm, bathed in clear winter sunlight. Distant shouts and laughter wander far on the soft breeze.

Yarn running through my fingers. Click, loop, slide, slip.

Grandpa seated to my right, eyes gazing at distant unseen horizons. He is reminiscing for me (for himself), relating long ago army days- a time for him of ceaseless activity, of purpose, the promise of his young family, the adventure, times of horror and of valor.

Click, loop, slide, slip.

Young boys running, flying, feet skimming the grassy field. The dogs race. Someone falls, laughing.

Click, loop, slide, slip.

I watch my husband emerge from the woods, pinestraw in his hair, smiling. Watching himself, reincarnated gleefully in these noisy, boisterous little beings we call our own. Boyhood anew.

Click, loop, slide, slip.

The wheel turns. Our time of ceaseless activity, of purpose, of the promise of our young family. Our adventure. New, and ageless. Grandpa sighs.

Click, loop, slide, slip. I set aside my knitting.

And the breeze sighs with him.

The Milkweed Project

I am busy busy, but want to pop in to pass on some information on a cool collaborative project which knitters and crocheters can participate in:

The Milkweed Project

A college Art professor is organizing a huge installation art piece- she wishes to recreate the sensation of being inside a milkweed pod. From the site:

* * *
Why a milkweed pod?

This project explores connection: between humans all over the world, between humans and nature and between small things and large. By taking thousands of tiny stitches and making something huge, we are doing something that can't be done by one person alone, thus emphasizing our connection to each other.

The project also explores our interdependence with nature. Milkweed pods are a small but important part of the ecosystem. They spread because of the light nature of their seeds, which are carried by the wind. By using the internet as the wind, and each participant as a new plant, this project attempts to mimic that process.

And, milkweed pods are simply beautiful, as is white on white and fiber craft. I think the potential for a beautiful installation is great.
* * *

To participate, you simply knit or crochet a piece from white or off-white yarn. Any size is welcome, though she says long and skinny is better than short and fat. See the linked page for more information.

She hopes to have pieces by this Spring, so she can assemble the installation and hopefully get grants to allow the finished piece to travel.

I think this is so cool! Any skill level can easily participate. I will be starting my white knitting very soon!

http://sticksandstitches.squarespace.com/the-milkweed-project-you-p/

take 2: circular breathing

Monday, March 17, 2008

take 2: circular breathing
Current mood: sleepy

CRAP CRAP CRAP.
I had this great blog post almost complete, and my laptop (at more than 30% battery power) shut off unexpectedly. It's been having serious battery issues lately. And *!@^*!! myspace does not save your work until you finish and post. So the whole damn thing is gone. I have got to do something about this battery, and I really must start composing my blogs over at blogspot instead, or in a word processor. Dammit.

Sigh. Lesson learned? Old habits die hard.
Oh, wait. Here I am again. Composing in myspace. Nosir. Nosirree. Off to blogspot I go!

* * *


Anyway, what I was saying is that there's one in every family, I think. The vortex. The conversational black hole. The one who practices circular breathing. Once they corner you and start talking, there is no escape.

In our family, it's Billy's "Aunt" M. She is visiting Billy's folks right now, and today I brought the boys up to see everyone. Babyman was unusually good, which meant I could sit outside and knit for some time. Now, there are good and bad things about knitting in Aunt M's presence. On the one hand, I become a sitting duck just waiting for Aunt M to come sit beside me and crochet (and TALK!). On the other hand, I can concentrate on my knitting and just nod my head and murmur once in awhile to show that I am not ignoring her. Aunt M's conversational black holes are, shall we say, imaginative. It's too bad she won't write some of these stories down- unfortunately, she prefers voluble oral storytelling. I can't remember everything she told me of today, but here are just a few examples:
- By about 1 1/2 years old, her son knew his full name, his address, and he could dial his home number on the telephone. He knew all about strangers and knew he shouldn't tell this information to anyone. He was also speaking in full, coherent sentences, and could hold an adult level conversation. (Her son tragically died at about 2 years old or so- this I know to be true- so I can understand why she would wish to fantasize about what could have been).
- In the same vein, there was a lengthy story about how her son could play any piece of music by ear on his toy piano, everything from TV show themes to complicated classical pieces. He requested a baby grand piano. He was really quite a prodigy.
- I learned that Jerry Lee Lewis was an SOB who cussed out little kids. It was Aunt M who put him in his place, of course. She threatened to "go public" with his disgraceful behavior if he didn't shape up.
- However Frank Sinatra was a lovely man who knew Aunt M on a first name basis. He had a beautiful Chinese Junk (green) that Aunt M got to tour.
- There were a number of anecdotes from her disgraceful marriage, all of which ended with Aunt M standing up for herself and putting her husband in his place. There was also the tale of when she had a miscarriage 3 months into her pregnancy, when she'd not been aware that she was pregnant. It was twins, and the miscarriage was her husband's fault. She never told him. Some of these stories made me a little uncomfortable, because I don't know if they are true or not. I didn't know how to react appropriately. I'll have to ask my mother-in-law about it. Luckily Aunt M never stays with one subject for too terribly long, because to pause for breath would be to lose her captive audience.
- She told me about the wild lizard who fiercely "protected" her while she was napping- another in a long tradition of tales about her special affinity with animals.
- Oh yes, and there was the goose who could communicate with her.

I wish I could remember more of them- they really are quite interesting. They do start to blur together after awhile, though. I was starting to get a little desperate when (thankfully) one of the older boys needed something from me, and then Babyman woke, and finally Aunt M was called away to do something. Whew.

* * *

Oh, guess what I was finally able to order yesterday? A wii! We've been wanting one for the studio for quite some time, but have been unable to find one available. I'm excited! It looks like a lot of fun. I am sticking to my plan not to have video games here in the house, but Littleman will be able to enjoy it when he hangs out at work with Daddy. Plus it will be fun for our clients. Anyway, I mention it here just in case one of you are looking for one- as of yesterday, there were still quite a few in stock at. . . oh, wow. Damn. Well, I just went to get the link to post here, and they are all gone. Wow. I'm sorry! But it was here at www.toysrus.com that I'd found it. Maybe check your local Toys R Us store? Probably better to call ahead.

* * *

Today's thumbs-up is for these awesome photographs by Michael Eastman. Enjoy!

Some days, I should have just stayed in bed.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Some days, I should have just stayed in bed.
Current mood: amused

The other day Billy was free to hang out with us all day (yippee!) My mom was supposed to take Sweetcheeks to stay the night- but to make a long story short, that fell through. Instead, Billy, all the boys and I headed to the park. When we got there I needed to nurse Babyman, so Billy headed out with Littleman on his scooter and Sweetcheeks on the trike. Once Babyman was ready, I started gathering a few things for the diaper bag so that he and I could catch up with everyone else. Lo and behold, we had no extra pants for Sweetcheeks. And let me tell you, going anywhere without a spare pair of pants for him is just asking for trouble. I checked in with Billy (what did we do before cell phones?) before driving back home to pick up some extra pants.

As I near home, I notice a large van parked in front of the house. I've never seen the van before, and I can't see anyone around. It strikes me as odd. I pull into the driveway, hitting the button to open the garage. Looking inside, I see that the door inside the garage (going into the house) is ajar. Now, I'm creeped out. Still it's possible that, in our typical mad rush to get out the door, we might not have closed it properly. So, I decide to leave Babyman sleeping in his carseat while I have a look.

I quietly creep through the door and pause in our little basement storage room (it's a split-level house). The dogs are not waiting to greet me at the top of the stairs, as they normally would after hearing the garage door. I listen carefully, and then I can hear dishes being shifted around in the kitchen. It sounds like silverware clinking. It's definitely not the cat! Somebody is in the house.

I silently hightail it back outside and into the van, hitting 911 on my cellphone as I go. As I lock myself and Babyman in, I report my suspicions and await the police. The adrenaline is pumping. The dispatcher keeps me on the line until the cops start arriving- not one, not two, not three but four police cars show up. As soon as I hang up with 911 I call Billy to let him know what's going on. He's a bit alarmed, of course. . . but then he asks me if it could be our friend Jeremy. Jeremy and my brother had planned to drive a dishwasher out to the house that week (long story), and it hadn't worked out. Perhaps Jeremy had borrowed a van to drive it out? Sitting there in my van, looking at the cops gathering on my driveway, a curious mixture of relief, amusement, embarrassment and dread flooded me. Of course! Somehow I knew immediately that Billy had it right. That was good- my house wasn't being robbed- but now I had to tell all those police "Oops, sorry! It's just a buddy of ours. Didn't mean to call you out here for nothing- (insert airheaded giggle) My bad!" I let the police know it might be a friend, and described Jeremy. Sure enough, a moment later Jeremy comes out to get something from the van, only to discover police everywhere! Police, and my sheepish, relieved self. Luckily, everyone involved was very good natured about the whole thing. I was very, very embarrassed.

So, after calling the cops on a very good friend, I snagged some pants for Sweetcheeks and headed back toward the park. Billy decided to continue down the path with the boys, and meet me at a restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner. We had a nice meal, during which Littleman dumped out his ENTIRE glass of water and Babyman fussed for much of the time. (My sandwich and veggies were still quite yummy, though). Afterwards, the plan was that Billy would take the boys out to play some more, and I would settle in at the coffeeshop to sip tea and knit while Babyman napped. Ahh.

I get my tea steeped just right, and pour a nice cup with some honey. Just as I begin casting on the next section of the sweater I am knitting, Babyman gets fussy. I spend the next 30 minutes or so trying a variety of things to get him to calm down, while my tea grows steadily colder. Finally, he falls back asleep in his carrier. Just about then, Billy and the boys show up.

The boys are cheerful and wired, climbing all over the chairs and crawling under the table. (I was in a back corner of the room, where some cushy chairs were grouped together, so at least they weren't bothering anyone else. Much). While Billy figures out what to order, Sweetcheeks poops in his pants. So, Billy (what a great Daddy!) takes Sweetcheeks and some supplies (I told you we'd need those pants!) off to the bathroom. I manage to drink a couple sips of tea, then I sit back again to knit.

Littleman by now has drunk more of my tea than I have (it was rooibos, which is decaf). He's using my coffee stirrer as a straw, leaning over the cup so he doesn't have to pick it up off the coffee table. Just as I get about halfway through a purl row, he comes over to me looking crestfallen. "Mommy", he says, "I'm sorry but when I was drinking your tea a drop of my mocos fell in it". Now, for those of you that do not speak spanish, "mocos" basically means "snot". (It's the word we use for snot in our household). So you can imagine how delighted I was with this little tidbit of information. Sigh. Seeing that I was looking a bit downtrodden at this turn of events, Littleman comes over to give me a sweet hug. He leans over to hug me where I'm sitting, wrapping his arms around my waist and laying his head on my lap. Awww. After a moment he looks at me with his sweet, curious face and innocently asks, "Mommy, why is your tummy still fat?"

Geeeez.
What a day.

(The evening was an improvement, though)

* * *

Thumbs-up tonight goes to this fun little site: http://www.ericmyer.com/blue/stereotypes_II.htm. Swapping out the halves of faces is surprisingly amusing. . . I played with it for quite some time! Check out Editions I and III as well. Enjoy!

just a note

Thursday, January 17, 2008


just a note
Current mood: blah

The snow and ice did not stick around. But I slept in, anyway. I feel guilty, but I just wasn't up for it this morning.

I did get a shower though! Yea! It felt good.

Also, this afternoon there was actually a long period of time when all 3 boys were napping. It was divine. I didn't sleep- too much else that needs doing- but I did get to do a variety of little things that I've been needing to do. For instance, I finally finished unloading the dishwasher. I've been working on that for 3 days, now. Seriously. I'd unload a few dishes, and have to go see to one of the boys. When I could get back to it I'd unload a few more, and the microwave would ding. Next opportunity, a few more. . . you get the idea. Now there is a sink full of three days worth of dirty dishes. . . I didn't actually manage to load the dishwasher today, just finish unloading. But it's a start.

I was going to mention in a blog post that my sweater I am knitting is going great- much faster than I'd anticipated. Just a couple more rows or so, and I will shape the armholes and be done with the back! (Then I'd start the front, then each of the two sleeves). However I've been stuck there for a week now, unable to pick it up and get any knitting done. So perhaps it will take a year to complete, after all. We will see. But anyhow, when I do get to work on it it's going great! So that's good. :)

I'm nodding off at the computer again. Maybe I can blog tomorrow during the day, so that my brain's not mush.

Brr, Happy New Year, knitting and boring you to tears

Wednesday, January 02, 2008


Brr, Happy New Year, knitting and boring you to tears
Current mood: cold

Whew, here I am! I am actually blogging today! (Aren't all the new internet verbs fun? "google", "IM", "blog". . .) It's a good day to sit inside and blog- the high temperature today is little more than freezing, and it's WINDY. Around here, this is polar bear weather. Unbearable weather. COOOOLD weather. And without any snow to make it fun, I'll just as soon stay inside, thank-you-very-much.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a nice celebration and are looking forward to a joyful, prosperous 2008. Billy and the boys played at the park, burned sparklers after dark, watched ET and stayed up too late. I was nursing at midnight, and Billy was changing a diaper. Cheers! LOL. We all had a toast and went to bed.

One of my Christmas gifts this year was 6 skeins of lusciously soft, colorful yarn. I thought of many different things I could make, but nothing seemed right- I wanted to do a bigger project like a sweater for the boys, but the colorway is really a bit girly for them. I've never knit a project larger than that- when I made a sweater for Littleman, it seemed like it would never end. (I did finish it though, and it turned out pretty nice). After much pondering and flipping through pattern books, I've decided to be brave: I am attempting a full, adult-size sweater for myself! I only hope I actually finish it before next winter rolls around. :) In the meantime, it sure feels nice to knit, especially with this luscious soft wool blend. Mmmm.

Yesterday we started the new year with biscuits, apple cake and hot chocolate for breakfast (a special treat for the boys!) and then we went out to visit some good friends and share the traditional New Year's Day meal of black-eye peas (for luck/protection) and collard greens (for money). Since I didn't have time to purchase and cook them myself, we swung by Whole Foods and bought our dinner off the hot bar. Yummmy! With a few other things I bought, and some goodies from our hosts, it was a delicious spread. Littleman and Sweetcheeks had a wild fun time playing with our friends' boys, who are all very close in age. It felt great to hang out with adults! Though I must admit, I do have a tendency to run my mouth on and on in these situations. . . I've always been rather talkative, but I think I'm worse since having kids. I read a blog post (at http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/ ) in which the author (a mom to six kids!) was on a trip to NY without her family, and called her husband to see how he was faring with the kids. Her husband yammered on and on about some minor detail at home, finally thinking to ask how her trip was going. She wondered if she did that to others when she'd been cooped up at home caring for the kids, and realized the answer is a resounding YES. Well, I can certainly relate. I'll have to remember in the future that unfortunately, most details of my day-to-day existence are not very interesting. Better to leave them unsaid in adult conversation! Listening makes for better conversation anyway. Oh, well. So in hindsight, if y'all read this, sorry for yammering on about myself most of the evening! LOL. Y'all are so sweet! We had a great time.

Right now, the boys are napping (babyman too, on my chest). We have a birthday party to attend this evening, which officially begins in 1/2 hour. I need to start getting ready, so that we have a prayer of leaving quickly once the boys awake. We'll see how that goes!

Thumbs-up today to the web site www.knittingpatterncentral.com, a one-stop shop for free knitting patterns! Look up whatever you're interested in and find a variety of free patterns. There's a crochet pattern site, too!

Cookies! And a link for knitters.

Thursday, December 20, 2007


Cookies! And a link for knitters.
Current mood: sleepy

Cookie Success!
Sweetcheeks' Montessori class has a holiday party and cookie swap on Friday. I'd hate to send store-bought cookies, and I also wanted Littleman to have the opportunity to help bake- but I knew trying to handle all three boys singlehandedly while simultaneously baking and monitoring Littlemanm would be cookie chaos. SO, I arranged for Auntie G and my Mom to come help. It was great! Between cleaning, laundry and caring for Babyman, unfortunately I didn't actually do much cookie preparation. But Mom and Auntie G had that covered, and both Littleman and Sweetcheeks had a blast helping! They made my Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal cookies for the swap, Sugar Cookies to roll, cut and decorate, and regular chocolate chip cookies because Auntie G requested them. :)

The Cranberry White Chocolate cookies are my own invention, created by modifying existing recipes. They are my favorite of today's baked goods:

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
just a drop of almond extract
3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
- Stir butter and sugar together until just blended. Mix in flour, oatmeal, eggs, vanilla and almond extract.
- Stir in cranberries and white chocolate.
- Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls two inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake 15 - 18 minutes or until lightly browned, and tops spring back when touched. Transfer at once to wire racks to cool.
Makes approximately 3 dozen.


Oh and incidentally, this morning was really chaotic: poor Billy accidentally broke a plate, which cut his hand so badly that he had to get stitches! Good grief, the excitement never stops around here. ;) So between that, cleaning and cookies, we've had an exciting day.

* * *

Today's thumbs-up is for a blog that I just found today (thanks, stumbleupon!) but I already love:
Yarn Ball Boogie

It's for knitters, and I think it's quite cool. :)

Also, I wanted to expand a bit on the last "thumbs-up"- the hotslings. I have a hotsling pouch, and it is so awesome! I am using it a lot with Babyman, and he loves it.

I am falling asleep at the keyboard.