My mommy snug!

I finished this last week on the 7th ok more like a week and a half ago:) The weather has been crappy so when it was sunny out i had Joe take some pictures so i could finally blog about it. My gauge was off a bit in the length but after washing it, it fits just perfect!














Project Stats:

Start Date: November 24th
End Date: February 7th
Pattern: Mommy Snug
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Sierra
Needles: US#6 Addi Turbo
Recipient: ME!

You can also check it out on my ravelry page :)














I don't know about any of you but when I'm pregnant I am always warm/hot. So when picking a yarn I wanted it mostly cotton with a bit of wool for some warmth and give. So I thought that this cascade sierra would do the trick, 80% cotton 20% wool.














I Started this back in November and knit about 6 inches. Then I had a few Christmas presents to whip out and once I finished those i got my first trimester loss of craftiness. I was just so tried that when i was sitting down I just wanted to sit, nothing else, just sit. It lasted a little under a month. Around mid January I picked this back up and went to town!

I still am tired but I expect that with 3 kids running around all day;)













I love the little cabling detail around the bottom, cuffs and neck, just enough detail but not a whole sweater of cables.

















One thing I hate doing is seaming up, especially fitting the arms into the sides. Not fun. But I managed and I think it turned out well!















I decided to knit the arms in the round and eliminate the button plackets. To me the buttons on the cuffs made no sense except for fashion, and I could do with 0ut that. I had a bit of math to do and figure out how to increase so it looked good, but it went really well! I did them both at the same time on 2 circulars. I love knitting anything that needs to be the same length that way.









There still arent buttons on the sweater, but I like the way the sides split open. I most likely won't use the buttons but I plan on sewing them on anyways, who knows, maybe I will use them;) Either way I'm in search for the perfect buttons to use... one of these days!


Hope you are all doing well!

tuna obsession

Yep that's what i have. I have been craving tuna for the past couple of weeks. The hard thing about this craving is that i can only have 6oz of it a week. Something about safe mercury levels... ahhh whatever... But really its hard because that means i can only eat it once maybe twice a week. Grrr. Anyways I made (and ate) the most wonderful salad involving tuna today! We (or I guess I should say they because I'm not working there anymore) make it at work. Its called the grecca salad.



















The picture really doesn't do it justice, its so yummy!

Just in case you want to know whats all in it and try is one of these days:

Tuna
Feta
Red Onion
Tomato
Cucumber
Bell Pepper (preferably red... but i only had green)

Combine about equal parts of everything, except for the feta, a bit less of that.

*Season with EVOO, s&p, red wine vinegar and oregano. Serve over a bed of greens.



On a side note the other day my mom brought over her latest find:




Some maternity shirts from Wal*Mart. I guess the store had gotten in a shipment of clothing that was way to large for their sore and had to get rid of some clothes. Everything was only $1!!!













She only paid $4 for these shirts for me! How cool is that?! I like them a lot, and think they are super cute! The black and red one are the same style and the pink and white one are the same style. Its nice to get new clothes but most days i can't justify paying for it when i already have some. So this was a nice surprise:O)















And just for fun I took these a few weeks ago... but they make me smile! These kids dress up almost daily.

say hello to my mojo

Its back! Yeah.... It was gone for a while. From about Christmas to mid January. Some of my friends were shocked... and some knew the drill. It was my lack of craftiness in that first trimester. I've been so tired its not even funny. I just wanted to sit, sit and not use my hands for crafty goodness. But that is gone now. I'm still tired but i have my knitting mojo bake! PTL!

I should also state i have been computerless for about a month and a half. Crazy I know! I had a friend's husband look at it and he fixed it for us! Thank you Russ! It was hard being without internet access, and not fun at all. I will say this first week back on line has been hard, and a bit consuming;O) But I'm glad to be back!








I haven't been working on much just my Mommy Snug. I have the front and about 6 inches of the back done. I think its smooth sailing from here. The shaping in the front is what held me up a bit. Concentrating while prego isn't the best of matches. But i need to finish this sometime soon, it being a maternity sweater and all. For more details check out my ravelry page.

*Gabe took this picture so i think it makes me look bigger than what i really am. Although i do think that I'm finally looking prego and not just fat and chubby. Actually with this pregnancy i have felt like the moment i found out my body changed. Like it said "been there, done that" and morphed into pregnancy status. I've been wearing maternity pants for quite a while now.... and I'm only 16wks.








I have other exciting fiber news... I got my wool back from being processed into roving! I think that was early December. I haven't spun any yet... but once my mommy snug is done you bet I'll be hitting my wheel hard! It looks good and Carol the wonderful owner of Hidden Valley Farm and Woollen Mill said that I had cleaned it really well! I was nervous because that was my first time cleaning wool. I just can't wait to spin it, but I'm forcing myself to hold off until that sweater is complete...





So much has gone on in the past two months i have forgotten half of it. Isn't that sad?!




Lets see early December i was kitchen coordinator of my churches annual Ladies Christmas Brunch, feeding 410 women.









That was quite the challenge. With the help of my husband, family and many friends I rose to it! The menu consisted of quiche, a winter vegetable hash, my grandma's cranberry salad and a pumpkin cranberry muffin(not pictured).




I think we made somewhere around 35 quiches, here are just a few of the smaller ones:
















I knit a white-ish elephant for my LYS's Christmas party, we did a white elephant gift exchange! It think he/she turned out cute:O)

















I finished some socks for my nieces for Christmas... then the knitting block came. I just didn't want to knit. Even when I went to a knitting night at my LYS, I didn't touch my projects. Somehow I was ok with it though. I knew my love of knitting couldn't be lost forever, and it hasn't





I had a few doctor appointment and the baby is doing fine, i even had a ultrasound at my first one "just for fun" as the nurse called it. Because i was a little under 12wks they could do it themselves and didn't need an ultrasound tech. So i got to see my newest peanut, he/she even showed off a bit and was moving around and flipped over in there!





At my next appointment i had to talk to my Dr about traveling late in my pregnancy. My sister is getting married... on June 28th in CO. (I'm due on July 12th) That's about 18 hrs away from WI. But to my surprise he didn't forbid me from going. I can't go on a plane because i will be past the 36wk point that airlines allow, so we will be traveling by train! I am really excited about going, seeing CO, watching my sister get married, visiting with tons of family, I can't wait! Well i guess i can because that means that the baby would be here two weeks after. The end of June and beginning of July are going to be quite exciting!

























My goodness look at me go... I'll be back soon, hope you all have been well and had a wonderful Christmas, and the start of a happy new year! Thanks for staying with me throughout my sporadicness!

busy as a bee

I haven't been around lately... but i have been busy... and a bit nauseous but that hasn't stopped me from being crafty!







I've knit a few things...









First of all Dawn...(my sister) If your reading this STOP.......... don't spoil your(and Chris's) Christmas presents...












I knit some socks for my sister and her fiance. He is a bronco's fan and thought these would be appropriate! Cascade 220 on size 4's, nice slipper socks!





















Then i made some sleeping socks for Gabe! He loves them



















I also made Leah a piggy tail hat out of my handspun! I'm not to happy with the holes, they are kind of tight to get her hair through... but I should go and rip out the little hair turtlenecks... like that's going to happen.... maybe if i really dwell on it for a bit....


















then i made a hat for Chloe, but a friend at church has a newer baby that just needed a hat, and since i don't swatch it was sort of tight on Chloe so i gave it to the cute little baby.

























Felted mittens, I guesstimated the pattern, then ended up hand felting them so they would shrink to my liking, Leah loves them! After felting them i picked up sts and knit a ribbed cuff in a superwash wool.




















Then i made myself some mittens out of some Malabrigo chunky. This is by far the softest merino wool I've ever felt, seriously. LOVE IT! I have two more skeins and want to make a hat and scarf....



















You can go to my ravelry page for more details on all these projects....


I am now knitting on a mommy snug. From interweave knits (2006 i think) I'm using Cascade Sierra because i am always hot when I'm prego... so its a cotton/wool blend(80/20). I had about 3 to 4 inches done and realized that i forgot the button holes... so i ripped it and this is where i stand.



















So I'll be back with more later, also i should really be picking up Gabe's weasley sweater and finishing it and making one for Leah too.... I wanted to have a Christmas pic of them in it for Christmas cards..... we'll see. Maybe they will end up being Christmas gifts instead....

6 years of marriage!

Its been 6 years since we said our "I do's". Sometimes it seems like forever ago. Its taken a long time to get where we are, and other times it seems like the time has flown by. Where has it gone?! Hmmm I think the kids took up some of the time =)






Gabe....








Leah...











Chloe....





I'm so thankful for Joe and the life we have together. The commitment we made before God to each other is awesome. To love.... in good and bad, sickness and in health, for richer or poorer...(I don't ever think we'll be richer)... I don't think most people in the world today take those words seriously. It saddens me to see all the broken families. But on the other hand it gives me an extra bounce to my step to know that we will NEVER be one of those broken families. We took our vows seriously, and look to God when things get tough(and even when their not). We know that the D word is NOT and option. We have faced some problems and have gotten through them. Marriage isn't easy, and it shouldn't be. You have to work hard at it to keep it strong. I'm looking forward to working at our marriage for another 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36..... you get the point.... years!

Joe thanks for loving me and helping this marriage work!
















My sweet husband made dinner reservations at a restaurant... as a surprise to me. I was blown away when we pulled up to The Melting Pot.

















It was great! We went all out and got the full 4 course "big night out" meal. Silly me forgot to ask someone to take out picture together... oops!
















Cheese fondue(we had the spinach and artichoke version, there were quite a few options to choose from). Our waitress added all the ingredients right at out table, very cool to watch! Dippings included, a variety of breads, chips, carrots, cauliflower,celery and granny smith apples.
















A salad(forgot to take a pic, bad bad blogger) Joe had a portabella mushroom salad and i had the California salad(tomatoes walnuts and gorgonzola, with a raspberry vinaigrette).





















The Main course: a wide selection of meets, veggies and some ravioli, cooked in a Coq au Vin(red wine, broth and yummy seasonings)



















See the ceramic stove... right in the middle of the table, too cool!


And the best part... the chocolate fondue!!! we picked the turtle, chocolate, carmel and pecans. Dippings included strawberries, brownies, cheesecake, marshmallows, rice crispy bars, bananas and pound cake. MMMMMM soooo goood!!!!


























Oh and our waitress lit out chocolate on fire!!! I felt silly braking out the camera while she was right there, but hey, flaming chocolate! Not the greatest pic i know.... i was under a time crunch!






So that was our night, lovely and wonderful! Thank you Joe! I Love you!

one WIP

I just found out that i have a wonderful WIP in the works...























I'm Pregnant!




We are super excited about this and I'm looking forward to a new addition to the family, the kids are excited too!





On Monday we went out to the yarn shop and i "cashed in" some of my hours. Because i work out there i sometimes just let the hours add up and then go shopping with "free" money. Joe thinks I'm crazy, and that its not free. But i don't feel like working out there is really work, i love it. So to me its free money, free yarn that i don't have to use our bill money on. Your know what i mean right?!








Any who I got some cascade 220 for some Christmas presents, 3 balls of Regia for some "sleeping socks" for the kids, US#4 addi turbos, and a sock mending kit. I have two pair of socks that have holes on the bottom and all you have to do is needle felt them and they are as good as new! I'm looking forward to fixing them and wearing them. Its getting chilly out! Yea for hand knit socks!























The kids picked out this yarn, Regia Softy Color, Chloe, Gabe and Leah... in respective order. It is going to make their feet super happy!

Socktober....

October + socks = Socktober....



















Well it really wasn't full of socks... but i did manage to finish my Socks last night and get my "O"!




















I was test knitting a pattern for my sister Allena


























Starknits(ravelry link)



















She rocks my socks off!




















What a great pattern!
























Diamond Wrap Socks

























I love my socks!



















Project Specks

Start Date: Sep 5th
End Date:Oct 31st
Pattern: Diamond Wrap Socks
Needles: US#1 addi turbos
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill (Supersock Potluck, color~ Water)
Method: toe up, heel flap, EZ's sewn cast off!
Recipient: ME :O)
















This was my first time using Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn cast off... LOVE IT! it is really stretchy! Wonderful for toe up socks! And when i googled stretchy bind offs i found this site (Stretchy Bind Offs), what a wonderful resource! I bookmarked it! you should too!