,,,

I have been so depressed lately.

I have been taking my medicine like prescribed, and I've been trying to get a healthy dose of me time, but, I am so overwhelmed...

i can't even remember how to breathe...

Must calculate in mistakes for a more accurate E.T.C.

If only I had more than a month until Christmas....

I was so excited about the Gryffindor scarf and the Juno Regina. They are special gifts to me for my niece and my MIL. The Gryffindor was requested by my SIL.

I decided to make it special for her. You know, Monogram and all:) Well, I've never made a monogram before, and after thinking it through in my head on "one of those days" I decided I would try it. I did no research, just dove right in.

So, measuring my slack roughly, trying not to pull deep holes in the stitches from the color changing... etc... and after I determinedly finished the letters, I took a step back, and marveled at my creation. I wish I had a picture for such laughs:)

Needless to say I frogged it....

So... after knit night with girlfriends who are more experienced than me, I was given advice by my personal tutor to "carry" the yarn across the back. Sounded cool. So, I went home and readily started "carrying" the yarn across the back.

Lookin good, lookin good.

Now, I'm finished with the first stripe and it looks like I changed needles four gauges too big... oh well, at least I'm just starting the second stripe.

Now.... here are my plans on the matter, let's see if I can follow through with them.

I would like to just cast on the number of stitches I need on straight needles, not joining in the round. With this method, I only have to carry the yarn for the length of the monogram. Where as before it was around the complete round....
It has it's positive points.
1. I won't be using unnecessary large amounts of yarn.
2. I won't have to "Carry" the yarn around the whole round, so quicker knit.
3. It will only looked "bubbled" between the spaces and possibly not noticeable at all to someone who's not over critical bc it's not their work.

My plan is that, and then to join in the round on the beginning of the next stripe, and just seaming up the one side when it's time.

So.... must go get started if I'm going to have this thing finished by Christmas:)
I have confidence in myself now that I have an experienced, or um.. educated plan:)


Wish me luck!

Uh-oh. Mrs. Indecisive Procrastinator, We have another difficult decision to make......

I know I said I'd be done by the 28th... birthday pinwheel for Alayna... but it just wouldn't finish itself. I knitted and knitted but this thing has erupted into too large of a monster to try and complete while rushing around the house haphazardly setting up for a party unbeknownst to the nosiest two year old in the world, all while breastfeeding full time and diapering, and juggling everyone's schedule on top of the never ending sleep deprived state I'm perpetually finding myself in.

But it is over 700 stitches around, increasing ten stitches every two rounds, and then with the lace ruffle I want to add to the edging, that will be over 1600 stitches at the end.

Now that her birthday has come and almost gone I'm trying to decide whether or not to make this thing bigger than it is and making Christmas my new deadline, but that would just be too much. Already the finished project will be (by my ragged calculations) fifty inches across. If I add more stripes to it then it will be over six feet across. I think part of me is sad to watch it end... and this is me stretching it out. It's already so big that I can't really take it out of the house to knit, and I must end it on pink, because it started on pink and I'm just anal that way, and that will be three more stripes or so before it's back on pink, because it's a specific pattern... and well, you know. The way it is now is perfect because of the stripe coloring and it's a palindrome as it is so I'd kinda like to leave it that way because I just like things even like that... that's just how I am.

So I think in a rambling sorta way I just made up my mind!!! Go blogging!!

Okay, so today we had a small (and by small I mean my husband, my son, Birthday Princess, and I) party. Last weekend was the big party, but today, it was small.

I started the day by dressing Alayna for church and scooting her out the door for church with the grandparents, and then kissing Hubby g'bye for work. Finally, just me and Mr. Sleepybaby... time to get this party started.

I though, what better way than to start a pot of coffee, that will make my two hour deadline more productive. So while the coffee is broiling I go clean up the backyard, and then the bathroom, and while I"m cleaning the bathroom all I can think is "wow, that coffee smells wonderful. I love Irish Creme!" So, off to the kitchen to make a cup. Somehow I didn't close the top and there was coffee and coffee grounds all over the counter... Let's try this again.

Finally, got my coffee in me, and in two hours I had successfully cleaned the living room, front porch, kitchen, Alayna's room, and cooked brownie cupcakes (which seemed like a better idea in my head) and a chicken and shrimp white wine alfredo sauce spaghetti bake. Which was delicious. Oh, and wrapped and ribboned presents. I was rattling off whole conversations with everything I touched. Coffee is great... I can see how people become addicted to this stuff!!!

We had a wonderful day, though. Alayna had a blast, the food was good, and the house isn't a wreck quite yet... neither am I, so I guess it was great:)

Now... off to work on the everlasting pinwheel blanket:)

birthday pinwheel

I started on my daughter's pinwheel blanket over a month ago. June 29th to be exact.
I am only 25 percent into it.
I want to make it big enough for her because she's three, but I fear there aren't big enough circular needles to do so with, so off to ebay I go....
I have to have it finished by her birthday which is at the end of this month. And even though I want to work on my Mosey's I've started, and start another Clapotis, and a shrug for my daughter, and a flirty skirty for me...... I must put those aside and finish this one project.
I used to be a one at a time kinda knitter, but I don't know what happened. Maybe it was Ravelry and the unlimited access to all these wonderful patterns that I just cannot resist! Maybe it's the stir crazy stay at home mom in me, maybe it's the need to finish fifty projects by the end of this year... who knows.
All I know is, if I would've waited on the Evangelines, the Pinwheel Baby Hat, the Mug Cozy, the mittens, the bolero, the Clapotis, the Calorimetry, the Christmas Eve Mitts, the three cabled hats, and all three bookmarks, then maybe I would have this darn blanket at least seventy five percent through....
Or maybe I'd be exactly where I am now and just plain bored with it.

All i know is I've knitted fourteen things and can't seem to get half way through this, and this has a deadline.
If I finished the diaper bag that I don't foresee myself using, have even contemplated giving it to my daughter for her dolls, then I can finish the beautiful pinwheel blanket that is taking me forever.
I cannot wait to show it off when it is done. The colors are so vibrant and eye popping, and the striping is lovely.
I just hope that when I do finish it, it will be big enough for her to enjoy for at least two full years:)
And after that one, it's off to one for my son....

The cycle continues. There will always be one massive project in the background, I suppose.

Purple Mystery Yarn

Funny story.

Yesterday I was going stir crazy from being in the house for almost two weeks with a new baby and just wanted to get some sunshine. If I didn't get out of the house I was going to go mad!!
So, I put on the Baby Bjorn, put my daughter's shoes on, leashed the dog, and said, "let's go!"
We walked around our usual way, and I wasn't sure if I needed to go home yet, or if it was okay for me to take the route that would mark a full mile.
I opted to go the mile.

One point five blocks into the mile I come across a random skein of purple yarn on the sidewalk. Just lying there. No other's, no label, no needles. Just yarn.


It's like it just fell from heaven and was like, Here you go! One more for your overloaded stash!

I'm going to make something for my daughter with it since she carried it the rest of the way home;)

My husband says "see, all you need to do is go for a walk if you want new yarn."
haha, right.

slowly finding my groove

I'm going to start with the brightest news.
My son, Guntram Christian Anderlik was born Wednesday morning August 6, 2008 at 10:33 am. He was 6lbs, 19.5 inches long. head full of black hair, no problems nursing, bundle of joy!!


the really great thing about it is that my almost three year old daughter has adapted very well. She loves him sooo much and isn't jealous or regressing.
I thought judging by this picture she would...

That's her in her little brother's clothes before he was born... that's a 0-3 mo. sleeper:)

but here she is afterwards...

They seem to get along well with each other.
She says things like, "oh, sweet baby brother" and asks for me to help her express milk from her chest when she sees me pump.... "mommy, help me please" while grabbing her nonexistent chest:)
She will run from room to room looking for her brother while going "uh-oh, baby gone" until she finds him.

Since I've had him, I haven't hardly knit. I've done about four rounds of a pinwheel blanket and one cable pattern repeat on the evangelines.

I have found myself bluesy. I don't know why and it's not fun to talk about because I sound like a poor pathetic girl with low self esteem who's always fishing for compliments and attention. It's hard to explain.

I can't wait to get into a groove with my new life. A scheduled day... I can't wait until I can go on walks again. It's hard to find time to shower, I can barely walk around the house unless I'm medicated. It's depressing.

And women who just gave birth should never ever pick up a mirror, especially in the bathroom. That would bring Chuck Norris to tears:(

I don't know what normal is anymore, so my perception of normal is far fetched. I can't say "I just want to be normal" because I haven't been with two kids before... so I have to find a new normal for myself. Something comfortable to me.

I wish I could find a way to tell my husband that I want more attention without sounding clingy or needy. It's not like i can make love to him or anything at the moment.

I just can't wait to feel healed enough to get out of the house. I'm ripped so bad I can't even drive. And I'm going stir crazy lately. My husband is working doubles, and when he's home he watches tv and just wants to relax because he works so hard, so it's hard to say "watch the kids while I take a shower" or "baby, pay attention to me"

I just want to curl up into a ball until I feel right again....

The Neverending Project.....

I have been working on this diaper bag for three weeks now. I haven't worked that long on anything since I first started knitting!!

There were a lot of firsts on it. There was the twisted stitch, the double strand, things I had never done before.

at first I got discouraged because my gauge was extremely too tight, but after the fiftieth row, I started on a flow.

Then there was the precipice of seaming, which involved three pockets, and two straps that extend all the way to the bottom of the bag..... very tiring. I was going to do it through a movie, but ended up doing it through two movies, an episode of Monk, and about two hours of silence on the couch, and finally, I was through!!

Twenty four hours of seaming!!

I am not that pleased with it. I am because it took me soooooo long, it was made by me, and I love the colors, but I wish I would've put more thought into the pattern.

It was a pattern free on label. Carons Simply Soft Brites Diaper Bag. I followed the pattern to a T, except for the extra side pocket I made, because, well, what's a diaper bag with only one side pocket??

I would've made the side wider, i.e. knit 8 before the slip to create side gusset, and made the bottom wider, i.e. knit two inches then binding off instead of the one inch it called for.

I should've thought about these things before just jumping into it and saying "well it looks pretty usable in the picture."

Now I have two side pockets that are only good for sticking thermometers in, because you can't get your hand to the bottom of the pocket to pull out a binky, and they are clearly too small for a bottle.

Hopefully after I wash and block it it will loosen up! It doesn't call for that, but I don't really like the way the bag leans to one side, due to the whole thick twisted stitch, I'm guessing? Like I said, never done twisted stitch before, but none of my other projects lean, so I'm assuming.

I think it will make a splendid bag for toys and extra clothes. I love it, and even though I would do things differently next time, I have to take this time with a grain of salt because there will never be a next time!!! That bag took up so much time!

I guess it's a good thing, though. It's out of the way now!!

I am now currently into a pinwheel blanket. I just started it, and can't wait to get it on circs. It was crazy starting out, but I am grooving on it now. I am not working on it that steadily being that I was finishing the freaking bag, but now that's out of the way!!

I am also working on the third bookmark for my three nieces, so they are almost finished. I am just really ready to have these things out of the way!!

I love knitting............ even when it's not so fun!

On the road to Contentment.

My double pointed needle problem has been solved for the moment.

I now hold in my stash twelve brand new pairs of double pointed needles ranging from sizes 1 to 10 1/2. Seven inches long five needles per pair and bamboo.

This is the first time I've ever knit with bamboo. Now I want to go replace my needles with bamboo needles, they're so smooth!

Now all I have to work on is my circular set. I want the harmony wood set. If my husband will ever give in and just let me order it.

I did a few quick projects that only took a day or so to do a piece, finished off some gifts to my nephews, still have two more nephews to knit hats for.

I found a quick, simple cabled hat pattern that are quick knits for my nephews, so I know all their heads will be cozy this winter. It was a great thing to start on, and really really easy! Now I want to try my needles at something a little more pattern studying. Or maybe just make some fingerless cabled gloves on my new double pointed needles so I can practice with that, and working cables with it... a new challenge for me! (keep in mind, I haven't been knitting that long.)

I know I said I was tired of time consuming projects, but I've now found myself full fledged in a diaper bag. Twisted stitch (new to me) double stranded (new to me) picking up stitches (new to me) so it should be fun. So far, the first side of the bag took me a long time because my gauge was soooooo tight, but I've fixed that. Got that finished, got two side pockets finished (even though it calls for one.., I felt a diaper bag would look naked with only one side pocket.) I'm working on the other end, then the front pocket, then the straps, then I'll pick up all those stitches and knit borders. Hopefully I'll have it all done by August!! jk.

After that I want to make a pinwheel blanket for my daughter. I've already bought the yarn for it and tested out a couple of color variations with color pencils, I think I've found the one I want.

I just can't wait to get this diaper bag knitted. Between that and the pinwheel blanket I think I may have enough time to knit a hat and a sleeper bag before he's here. I hope!

Oodles of needles

It seems I've run into a slight problem.

My stash just isn't big enough anymore.

My husband can't fathom how one person can have twenty pairs of straight needles and ten circulars, one set of dp's and not have anything to knit with!
Fifty balls of yarn, and nothing to knit with!

It's every girl's delima.... thirty pairs of jeans, fifty sweaters, one hundred pairs of shoes, and nothing to wear.

I am coming across this same problem recently. I'm in search for the most perfect cabled hat. I have never cabled a thing in my life, have new cable needles, thought I'd give it a go.... and the most perfect patterns just aren't at my access right now:(
I also want a quick knit that won't take more than a day or so being that my last two were blankets that seemed to take forever.
So I found the cutest cabled wrist warmer patters, (I know, off subject from the hat, but could later knit hat that matched) and it calls for double pointed needles that I don't have.
I have a very poor needle collection. I wish I had every needle in every size, straight, circular, double pointed, all inches, you get it! And access to any yarn store at all hours of the night with all patterns at my fingertips, just waiting for me to make them!
Oh well, until then, I'm still in search of the perfect fill me up quick knit fun and easy floppy cabled with the needles I do have on hand. The yarn, however, I believe I have a big enough variety to not yearn there. That's just pure selfishness:)

coasting coasters....

I knitted coasters today. I was happy with how they turned out, and the pattern turned out to be easier than I had expected. I got to try out a few stitches I had never done before. I learned how to increase using k1inc1, where you knit into the front and the back of the same stitch. It seemed confusing at first, then once I figured out what was happening it was difficult until I figured out that I could release the tension and give myself a little more slack. I'm just glad I have fingernails, I couldn't imagine doing it without them!
I also learned the bind off using three needles. I enjoyed not having to seem anything up at the end. I hate seeming. But I didn't enjoy the whole having to swap the stitches around on needles before positioning them into proper places. If anyone has any suggestions on an easier way to do that, please let me know!! That was tedious! The first two coasters it was hell, but as I got the hang of it, the only tedious part became swapping the stitches around on needles, the knitting the two at once was fairly easy.

About six months ago I knitted a fairly good sized swatch to try out a new pattern I had seen. I haven't been knitting that long so there's a lot that is still new with me. I have used it on my end table for my wrought iron coasters to sit on and to gather the moisture that falls off the coasters. I used the same yarn for my coasters I knitted, so it's a nice little thing I have going on.
I was pleased with everything. I really love the colors in this yarn. I knitted an entire bag with this yarn. The color change becomes hypnotic. I really wish it were another material, though, instead of just worsted weight but I like it just the same.
I still have a whole skein to use up!! I'm thinking of making dish cloths or a pinwheel blanket with the rest... not sure yet.

This is my first entry.

I haven't been much of a writer lately. I usually have words pouring out of me, being that I am a writer and all... but not so much the past few weeks.

It's weird, I don't have anything to write about. I could write about everything, like the topsy turvey tail I saw today that reminded me of broccoli bangs, my two year old daughter who is getting more and more verbal, which with that comes more rebellion, my up and coming pregnancy complete with braxton hicks contractions daily, and the nearing completion of my second baby blanket I'm knitting, on top of the frustration my husband gives off whenever I'm knitting away. I'm not sure if he's frustrated because I knit so much, or that I'm not currently knitting anything for him... not sure on that one. Either way, he'd never really admit it.

But, there's not much to say about me. I'm happily married, I knit, I have a two year old little princess who will be three at the end of September. My first son will be born in August. I have a puppy named Piper, and I like to talk a lot. When I say a lot, I mean a lot. A real lot!

So, maybe my writer's block will cease soon so I can put this blog to good use....