a good day

This morning I wanted to begin working on some Christmas gifts that I am sewing. I headed on over to Sew, Mama, Sew to glance at the tutorial I was using for said gifts and saw this. I cannot even begin to say how cool that was! Thank you to Beth & Kristin for the recognition. You again have made my day & while I am at it want to give you a public thank you for such a great, inspirational site. Seeing all those wonderful ideas has been really motivating. This has been my most recent attempt at sewing, thanks to Suzanne's above mentioned tutorial over at foofanagle.com 

I may post better pictures later. I confess I didn't shoot the project in its entirety because I still need to close it up. So, I've had a good day. Seeing my project on another website (other than my own) & completing (almost) a new project. Cool beans!

First Ever Made By Me Sweater!!!

Sorry there are so many pictures. The pride is pouring out of me. Enjoy!

Winter blahs-it's not what you think

I love winter. I love snow. I miss winter. I miss snow.

It was almost 80 degrees here today. We had the doors open. The highs for most of the week are in the mid 70's. It was nice out. Very enjoyable weather. But it's December!

Ugh. A knitter needs at least a month or two of bitter cold to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Need I say more?

And the knit was on...

The tree is up, the lights are on & it was really windy & chilly last night. It almost feels like Winter. We put the tree up last night while Henry was asleep. We wanted it to be a surprise for him. We also wanted to avoid him seeing us putting everything on it hoping that would deter him from removing it all. Well he was surprised & loves it. He waved at the tree. Not everyone (or thing) gets a wave. He has removed a few ornaments, but we put soft, non-breakable ones in his reach. Having the tree up is making it very difficult not to give him his big gift. I know he will love it & I am anxious to see him play. I know it will be worth the wait.

While I'm waiting for the big day I am knitting like mad. I am on the last sleeve on the Weasley sweater. I hope to have it done late tonight. Have I said I love this project? I also have a few surprises up my sleeve for Matt & a few others. The other gifts may not be finished in time for Christmas-maybe New Years. It's okay, because they are not necessarily holiday gifts, they are more of a 'thank you' and a 'sorry my child destroyed something you made' kind of gift. I am excited to get started on those, but I still have a Harry Potter scarf that has been promised for my 4 year old niece. Luckily she's short.

Small progress on the holiday crafts. I tested out a recipe for homemade snowmen as that will be the only kind being made around here.

The recipe wasn't bad, I used a different detergent & the odor was a little strong for my taste. Henry did not like the
electric mixer (shows you how often he's seen me use it). I had to alternate mixing it with the mixer & then letting H. come mix it with a spoon. He wasn't really into getting the mixture on his hands either. He did enjoy putting the cloves, buttons, and twigs on though. He really did a great job. I thought this would be a fun craft to do together, but H. is more of a painter I think.

I have been testing my hand at sewing a little bit lately. My hand is broken. I'm not sure I am patient enough to sew.
Go figure. I have the patience to knit, but I get to see progress almost instantly. With sewing the prep work is what gets to me & the fact that I really have no clue what I am doing. I am constantly getting up to go to the computer for reference/help. I am determined though. I am trying to recycle some of my old clothing and some thrift finds. I have this sweater that I love but have not worn in a few years due to shrinkage. The sweater, not me. It turned out well. Besides a travel pillowcase, this is the first thing I have sewn in probably 13 years. Learning & growing.

The holiday decorating has begun in our home. I have been trying to enlist Henry's help as much as possible, but he does get easily sidetracked. As we were rolling our pine cones through paint, he grabbed up a small piece of shoe molding that Matt was cutting & it has now been deemed the yule log (painted & all). We have not gone to get our tree yet, that task will hopefully be accomplished on Wednesday. It never really feels like the Christmas season until the lights are up on the tree, especially when the temperature is hitting the mid 60's. Ugh.

On the knitting side, the Weasley sweater is coming along wonderfully. I am almost giddy with anticipation about completing this project. I have learned so much on this little sweater. I've learned new decreases and how to stitch a seam together (correctly). I do have to say that I think the shoulder seams look pretty darn good! I ripped out the first one after I did the second one because it looked so much more improved than the first attempt. I am very pleased so far.

This is the main reason I began this blog. For some reason, blogs eluded me for the past, I don't know, 10-11 years. Yes, I am a little embarrassed to admit that. As soon as I discovered them I was amazed at the community of people out there. It is such a great way to share our talents & ideas with each other & our families. I wanted to be in this community & in time hopefully give back to it. (I have a lot of learning to do still).* Most of all, I wanted to document my growth as a knitter, parent & human. I can look back on this post later & laugh that after 3 years of knitting I finally made a sweater (even if it is a wee one), and seamed it correctly! I will see how quickly time is going by with Henry and how rapidly he
is becoming aware that he is his own person and that he is accomplishing so many things. Hooray for personal growth!

*if anyone is reading this, please, be patient. I am a bit timid about the idea that other people are reading my dull ramblings. I am just warming up (i.e., learning as I go) & am crossing my fingers that my writing improves the more comfortable I get. Stay tuned ;)

Sandhill Cranes

I am not overly fond of the area we live in. It is over-populated, over-developed, traffic is a nightmare, the builders have a grudge against trees, and it doesn't snow here.

With that said, there are a few things I really do enjoy about where our home is. There is a small airport about 8 miles from here & Henry loves pointing out every bi-plane that flies overhead. Our neighborhood is quiet, tree friendly, we have a great big yard, and our neighbors are generous & nice. We are near Lake Allatoona & on mornings when geese fly by I take it as a sign that a good day is ahead of me.

And one of my very favorite things about living exactly in the spot that we live is that we are in the path of migrating Sandhill Cranes. We can hear them coming & usually run outside to see how many are coming (or going, depending on the season). Yesterday they were directly over our house for around 20 minutes. The sunlight was reflecting off their wings so that they appeared a brilliant silver. It was a beautiful thing to watch. Nothing like nature to make you feel blessed.

On a side note, a tidbit from a phone conversation with my sister this morning:

She: "Whatchya doing?"

Me: "Cutting fabric. What are you doing?"

She: "Laying on fabric."

Yea! Knit Night!

IMG_5620.JPG, originally uploaded by gonzo_mama.

Here are the pictures of most recent FO (stocking) & most recent favorite project (Weasley sweater). I am using Berroco's Ultra Alpaca for the sweater and am loving it. Very soft & I don't think it will be too warm for down here. My fingers are crossed that H. will be able to fit his head through the hole. The sweater has been a great first sweater to knit so far. The pattern is simple and extremely easy to understand. Thank you, Alison Hansel. I go to my LYS knit night this evening, so I am hoping to make progress on the sleeves. Wish me luck!

Ben's stocking

Ben's stocking, originally uploaded by gonzo_mama.

Home again, home again....

Waiting to go home, originally uploaded by gonzo_mama.

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was wonderful, it was nice to see the family & Marcellus was a bonus.
The Ben stocking was received with great joy yay!)!I think I did well for my first sock/stocking. Progress on the Weasley sweater is slow but going. I will post pictures tomorrow. Hope everyone has returned home safely and is recuperating.

I am glad you support your writers, but I miss you Jon Stewart.

H. and his first Hot Wheels

H. and his first Hot Wheels, originally uploaded by gonzo_mama.

I know this may seem silly, but to me it was kind of a big deal that H. got his first Hot Wheels car. I know they don't cost much more than a buck, but it's such a boy moment. I love that he makes car noises and drives over Mason's back when she is sleeping. I love finding his car in the odd places he leaves it (or abandons it). I love that he gave me back the decked out, muscled-up sports car as I was handing him the 50's something looking taxi without a second thought.

I have been trucking away on Ben's stocking, which I was really enjoying at first. Then it was frogged not once, but twice.
I have finished the pattern and will begin the heel this evening. Have I mentioned that instead of Ben it reads "Den". Thank goodness, for duplicate stitch. I have some other issues with this stocking. The pattern is a bit odd. I have made some slight
modifications, but seeing as how I have:

a) never knit a sock or stocking, b) never modified a pattern, or c) never given a knitted gift other than a scarf or hat- I am nervous about the reception this will receive. Ben will have this for the rest of his life. Hopefully it will hold up.

In other knitting news, the Weasley sweater is coming along wonderfully. Maybe some of my knitting anxiety is coming from the fact that I am taking on 3 different projects, all of them completely new to me. I just have to accept that the time has come for me to grow as a knitter and endure my shortcomings.

yarn resting on bronze ass-now that i'm off mine

yarn resting on bronze ass, originally uploaded by gonzo_mama.

Right now I am a nervous nellie. I have never blogged before
and in all honesty I have been reading others blogs for only
about 2 months. So I expect lots of changes as I get the hang
of this.
I was compelled to begin blogging by all of my fellow knitters
out there. What a great community we are! I was blown away
by how many knitters are actually out there & I couldn't resist joining
the crowd.
So, this is my arrival and forgive me for my blunders. I will
soon get the hang of this and hopefully make it interesting
in the meantime. If not, hopefully my family will enjoy this!
As for knitting, I have recently come off a knitting
hiatus. Cause is unknown but is sure to never happen again.
So I am going full throttle (well, trying to) and have since
finished Henry's baby blanket now that he is one (which Jenny
and Nicole mention on episode 31!)(the blanket, not H. being
one; started Ben's stocking, gone to SAFF, and will soon be casting on my first
sweater and first sock(s).