New Year, New Hats, New Hope

I haven't knitted or blogged much this fall and winter because of one thing.

We have a fussy baby.

Having had five other babies before, I thought, well you know "thought" that I pretty much knew how things would be.
The baby phase is always and by far my favorite.
Baby smells, baby snuggles, and nursings that allow a break to stop and watch TV, something I rarely do when I don't have a babe in arms.

And, I must confess,
that I am one of those mamas with really easy babies.
The kind that sleep through the night at about 3 weeks old.

Yep, that's been me.

But sometimes, your baby expectations go awry.  For some moms it a case of the baby blues, or worse.  For us, the culprit has been a case of acid reflux that has led to many months of crying, day and night.

It has really taken a toll on the whole family.  My kids, so in love with her at first, quickly figured out that it's no fun to hold a cute baby that's screaming at you.  The pure lack of sleep I've endured over the past few months is enough to drive any person insane.  This last baby, I figured would be my easy one, especially since I knew what I was doing.  While some weeks are better than others, they fool me into thinking baby is better, and then it's back to crying we go.  Many times I have laid in bed crying with the baby.

I had plans for this last baby of ours.

I would knit a million baby things.
Take a million pictures.
Savor and enjoy each and every last baby moment.

But the reality has been different.  She's already 6 months old, and I feel like I've missed so much. I'm still trying to savor the moments, to make the most of a difficult situation. I think I never really appreciated before how wonderful it is to nurse a baby off to sleep peacefully in your arms. Now I know how truly amazing that is, because it doesn't always happen.   And I also know, I know, some of you mama's out there have even more difficult babies than I, and births, and my hat is off to you!

Which leads me to hats, of course.
It's amazing how a small success can spur you on...........

It's a New Year full of New Hope.  This week, baby has been sleeping better, and while I don't know if it will last, I'm amazed at how a little thing such as SLEEP can make you feel like you can conquer the world!

While I was in line at the store to purchase yarn for hats, I was wrestling with three of my littles, and an old lady behind me in line asked, "How do you find the time to knit?"  My answer:  "When your 13-year-old boy says he wants his mama to knit him a hat, you knit him one!"

My boys, so often watching me knit girlie, pretty, things for their sisters, or special gifts for other people, have been patiently awaiting their turn for some mama knits.  First on the list of finished projects for the new year:  Three hats.  And now I have three happy boys that feel special.  They have grown-up watching their mama knit.  They know the work that's involved.  Despite all of the fart noises, the wrestling matches all over the living room couches, the dog and farm poo that gets hurled at each other, the noise, the climbing of the walls, I love these boys of mine so much.  There is nothing like the happy laughter and fun energy of those three boys in my home.  Oh, those boys of mine!

Posing with the animals was THEIR idea.  However, the cat had other plans.

Even though I've done pretty good with knitting lace and cables, colorwork is my weakness.  I never get the tension or the floats right.  I finally gave it another shot on the Tolt Hat, from my favorite yarn store, Tolt Yarn and Wool. Though it's far from perfect, it was just the right amount of colorwork to get my feet wet again, and make me want to try more!

So here's to a New Year full of hope, and that hope for me, is that I will have time for lots and lots of knitting, happy farm-living, and enjoying my family and my sweet baby!

God Bless all of you who read my little blog and I wish with all my heart that you meet with success in your endeavors in 2015!

I forgot to take a picture of my book, but I'm reading, The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency used by the Mormon Pioneers, by Caleb Warnock.  Seems the Homesteading books are on the top of the pile lately.  Sharing today with Ginny's Small Things.

A Blessing Gown for Ila

I'm a pattern follower.
Truly, I am.
And, I'm bad at math, which makes me a poor candidate, I think for designing knitwear of any kind.

Until I have to.

I am a connoisseur of fine knitting patterns, include quite a collection of vintage ones.  But even with the pattern index on Ravelry, I could not find exactly the pattern I wanted.  I had modified one for my previous blessing gown, so I figured I if I did it once I could do it again.

No problem, right?

Here's how it's gone so far:

I spent my entire pregnancy just looking at patterns, not actually knitting on a gown.  I built up quite a nice Pinterest board full of inspiring ideas.  But really, I figured I'd probably have a boy (things lead towards the boy side in our family) and I figured it would waste time to get started just-in-case.

But of course, I didn't have a boy.  I spent the first few days just being thrilled by the fact that I had a lovely girl!  I spent the next three weeks knitting samples.  The week after that, I ordered a beautiful pattern online.  The week after that, I decided it wasn't exactly what I wanted, so I started drawing designs.

So that the gowns would be different, I bought some crazy-amazing and expensive silk yarn.  It arrived and was beautiful (and expensive!) and then immediately I changed my mind and wanted to use plain cotton #10 crochet thread like my other gown.  It costs about $2.99 for a cone.

So you are getting the picture.  At four weeks postpartum I still hadn't even started! And all this time I should have been knitting.

I started the gown, then after about 3 inches of Horseshoe Lace decided against it and ripped it out. Nice one!  My husband was thinking that I was truly crazy.

Needless to say, after ripping and re-knitting, and ripping and re-knitting, I finally made some progress.

I found myself:

Knitting while nursing

Knitting while the baby slept

Knitting at the dinner table

Knitting at the doctor's office

Knitting in the car, waiting to pick up and drop off my kids

Knitting on our summer road trips

On the Ferry from Port Townsend

Knitting my way through A&E's Pride and Prejudice, yes, the one with Colin Firth.  I wonder how many times I've seen that.  Ahem.

Then I found myself:

Ripping out

Ripping out again

Dropping stitches and picking out stitches.

Easing the stress of it all by listening to my Funk station on Pandora.

Stopping the Funk music because it was way too distracting!

And changing my mind over and over again.

But finally, I am making progress; I'm almost to the finish line!  At this point, I am so sick of knitting this, I swear I'm not going to want to knit anything ever again (but I will, and soon).  I have only three more days to finish.  Here goes, folks.

Sharing today with Ginny's Yarn Along.

Charlotte's New Pixie Hat

My all-time favorite baby/child hat is the Pixie Hat.

It's a Vintage Pattern.  It has an old-timey, old-fashioned feeling to it, yet is modern too.

My first one was a success, and it was worn absolutely everywhere.  It grew with my little one from about 4 months of age, and after some adjusting, until she was almost 3.

After about 12 months of age I discovered that I didn't like the button band at all, picked it off, and threaded some I-cord through the bottom.

Voila - now it fit her much longer.  And in subsequent versions of this hat, I've knitted in eyelet holes along the bottom edge.

I had so many people comment on this hat over the years.  One older gentlemen stopped me in the grocery store, saying he loved the hat and it reminded him of something from older times.

I missed her 'fairy hat' so much that it was time for a new one.  Truth is though, I always seem to be a bit behind on knitting for myself or my own kids, especially this year, as I've had lots of babies to knit for this year.  I got lucky this time though, since this new hat was one I intended for my newborn neice,  but ended up about 5 sizes too large!!  Yep, that still happens.  It was a perfect fit for my three-year-old though, and will fit her for a long time to come.

On the needles now:  A teeny matching version of her hat, for her stuffed kitty and her dolls.  Hopefully I'll finish it soon along with my crazy long list of things to knit right now.  Hats for this fall for my boys, baby layette items and toys for the new baby, a shawl for me......

Sharing With:
Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On
Ginny's Small Things Yarn Along

I Finished the Slippers!

 

 

New Year's Eve and the following day was shared with wonderful family.  We had kids running around and playing games, good chili, and lots of happy noise. It was wonderful!

Sometime on the evening of New Year's Day I finished knitting the slippers.

I had big plans for December. I was going to install a mantle over my fireplace.  Decorate my house with fresh cedars clipped from my own trees.  Make more tree branch buttons for my knitting friends.  Bake French macarons (quite a process, but fun) for some special holiday deliveries. Put together presents for my kids school teachers.  Make gingerbread houses with my kids.  Oh yes, and sew a waldorf doll.  Really.

I didn't do any of those things.  I'm not sure that I normally would have, but my health did not permit me to do much through December. 

It's so hard to let go.  I was a little depressed about all the things I didn't get to do.

There was one thing on my list that I wouldn't give up on.  Those slippers.
By the time Christmas rolled around I had only been able to finish one pair.  I couldn't bring myself to give up, so I made no promises to myself, and set no deadlines.  I just kept going. 

On five pairs of slippers.

On Christmas Day while the kids were playing, I kept knitting.  On the vacation days to follow, when I was only feeling well enough to lie on the couch, I kept knitting.  When the kids all went to bed, I kept knitting.  I just kept knitting every moment I could....... 

It was wonderful, to have the hustle and bustle of the holidays over with and just one thing to focus on.  Good thing the knitting was pleasant as well.

On the eve of New Year's Day we sat together in the living room, and I pulled out each pair of newly-knit slippers!!  Each kiddo getting a pair in their favorite color.

 

Of course, If I am being technical about things we are officially short one pair of slippers. But maybe not until June, when our new baby comes. And by then I'll have probably knit all kinds of lovely baby things.  :) Some of my favorite baby knits are here among Ginny's wonderful baby layette.

The kids kindly let me take some pictures - which aren't the best I know.

I would get some more pictures, but well,

I can't easily get the slippers off their feet.

What kids want their Mama's hand-knit slippers? Mine do.

Lesson learned for me for 2014.  Sometimes you can't do it all.  Sometimes you have to adjust your expectations.  Sometimes you have to let go of your big plans, and deal with disappointment.  But some things, are worth the fight and the challenge.  And it's OK to finish late. 

Happy New Year! 

So grateful to be able to share today on Ginny's YarnAlong. 

In a Knitting Rut - December Knitting Projects

 

The past few weeks I've found myself in an odd position.

I couldn't, 

 

I just really couldn't,

bring myself to knit anything.

I was in a knitting rut.

I kept trying out my slipper pattern with my own handspun yarn.  But I didn't like how it was turning out.

So,

I organized all of my knitting supplies and yarn into a lovely cabinet - inspired by this post.

 

 

 

But I still didn't want to pick up my needles.

Usually this is a stressful and busy time of year for me.

But knitting is a part of my stress-relief.  It relaxes and soothes my spirit.

It slows down the hustle and bustle for me.  Stitch by little stitch.

It took awhile before I figured out what was wrong, and my oldest daughter provided the answer.

While I was sitting there frustrated, she said, "Mom, what happened to all the yarn you bought to make those slippers last year?"

I had forgotten.  I had a stash of yarn in the basement for my slippers already sitting there. 

But I had latched-on to this crazy idea that I should be spinning all the yarn for slippers for all five of my kids!!

What was I thinking!

I love spinning, I love knitting, and I love knitting with handspun.

But,

Sometimes you can't and shouldn't do it all.

I came across this inspirational quote the other day.

Something that a friend of mine put on pinterest.

I can do ANYTHING, but I can't do EVERYTHING.

So, I left the spinning and the handspun yarn aside, and pulled out my cheap, acrylic yarn that I bought last year.

And I cast on.

And suddenly a pair of slippers appeared before me.  One down.
Four more to go? 

 

 

 

 

I'm so excited about how they turned out I think I'll try a tip from another friend.

And I'll try them on my little girl while she is asleep at night, to see if they fit :)

Next slipper is already cast on.

In someone's favorite shade of green.

 

 

Will I finish 5 pairs in time for Christmas?

Who knows?

But in the middle of a hectic and busy holiday season,

My fingers have found their solace yet again.

And I feel much more peaceful as I click click click away.

Thank goodness for knitting.

So glad to finally be sharing again with Ginny on her YarnAlong.
And Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On.

 

 

"But I just don't like it!" - Milo Vest Giveaway

It just happened to me.


You know that scene, in A Christmas Story where the Aunt makes a bunny suit for Ralphie that he can't stand??

Of course that was like a 9-year-old boy and it was a pink bunny suit after all.

But I am starting to know how the Auntie feels. In reverse. 

At first, I started knitting this vest for exactly the purpose of giving it away on my blog. It was supposed to fit a 12-month-old.  But when I finished, it was exactly the right size to fit my 3-year-old!  Fate, it would seem?  Not so.

I brought the darling owl vest over to my little girl, and well.......

She ran away.

"But I just, I just, don't like it."

So of course, thinking that she was being fickle, as they are at this stage,  I grabbed her and did what any good knitter would do.  I forced it onto her. Now she can't help but love it.

"Just get it off me!"  "Please (yes, she finally used the word) get it off, Mama."

It was at this point that I was about ready to choke all the cute little Disney princesses in the world.

Apparently, my lovely hand-knitting wasn't pink enough.

So, going back to my original plan.

Milo Giveaway

I am giving the vest away!! 

Here are the badly-written official rules:

1.  You must be in the continental US so I can ship it to you without too much pain.
2.  You must be over 18.
3.  You must leave me a comment on my blog or my FB link to this post with some way for me to identify you or contact you if I don't already know who you are.
4.  If you are a 'follower' on my blog, you get entered twice  - but remind me in your comments - please!
5.  Entry period ends October 31st, and after that my daughter will help me to draw a name (last time we put them all in a jar). 

And I reserve the right to make changes to my badly-written rules because I'm sure I'll think of something later that I should've paid attention to now.

This is of course a BIG Thank YOU!!

For all the kind words, the encouragement and support, the compliments, the comments, and so much more.  So many people have been so kind to me as I've been blogging along - making mistakes - and figuring out this giant cyber-beast of a world.  It's been so much fun, and so amazing to hear from all of you.  Stopping me at school, at the grocery-store, at church, and meeting new people all over the online world.

It's overdue, but here is the Milo Sweater.

Since it's not fit for my own little princess, but might be cute on your little tyke, and is unisex in design so it would look cute on a girl or a boy. Should fit between 2-4T. 

 

 

 

 

 

And No, if you were wondering.  I am not going to knit a pink one.