My new yarn came today!

It's super soft and I can't wait to cast on. This will also probably be turned into a pair of socks for a Christmas gift. Not sure yet for whom.

Woman crashes while teaching dog to drive

Really, what more can I say? Read about it here.

The REAL reason I've been slack on blogging...

I've been nauseated and exhausted. Thankfully most of that has passed now, though I still have to take a nap every day and eat seemingly constantly.

Notice the baby is sucking his (we don't know the gender; I call it "he" to avoid calling it "it") left thumb. I am left-handed and F only sucks her left thumb - like her mother before her - so I think we've got Bob vastly outnumbered.

For those of you who are curious, the due date is January 5.

'Nother hat

I finished another hat today. Again, just a simple stocking cap. I love the colors in this yarn (though I no longer have any clue what yarn it is; I bought it years ago and the label is long gone) and have been meaning to make it into a hat for some time now. This is for me.

My current "stash reduction" strategy is that I have to finish two projects before I can buy yarn for one more. Since I recently purchased that Twilight yarn from Dani I needed a quick project that I could finish before it arrived! Mission accomplished.

E's birthday shirt

Here is the little shirt I made for E for her first birthday. It is a (major) variation of the Party Dress from Knitting for Baby. That pattern has a short knitted bodice with a sewn skirt. I thought it was very pretty, but E isn't walking yet (well, now she is but she wasn't at the time) so I thought a shirt would be better.

I changed the bobbled edge (I don't like bobbles) to a picot hem, then worked the pattern as written only longer; it's about 10". As I was sewing it up - the morning of the party - I realized that there was no way it was going to fit over her head so I added a little strap, miraculously found a matching button, even more miraculously found some pink thread (in a hotel sewing kit that I've saved for years and years), and decided that the neck and armholes looked fine the way they were. Phew.

Back in the saddle again

I made purpley goodness socks! I love love love these socks but I think I'm going to have to give them away for Christmas. I have someone in mind, but I'm nervous about whether or not she'll appreciate socks as a gift. Especially as an only gift, because the cost of the yarn is what we have agreed on as our gift budget limit.

Anyway, these are the Madder Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. The yarn is Violets by Sunshine Yarns. It's the old non-superwash yarn that she doesn't sell anymore, but I loved knitting with it; it feels great. I just ordered some Twilight - in the superwash - and am anxious to see how that yarn feels.

Speaking of Knitting Vintage Socks, I love that book and think it is worth every penny. I like all but about two of the designs and I think that I will (slowly) knit my way through the book. But not in order, because I would get bored that way.

Things you will never say until you are a parent

"No, I don't want your carrot in my belly button."

Police Blotter

From our local police blotter:

June 25

Deputies were dispatched to respond to a domestic dispute in which a girl threw a boneless pork chop at a family member after being told that she needed to finish school and get a job. The police report says she then threw a stuffed animal at another family member. The victims did not complain of any pain.

I heard a funny story today...

My sister M is a nanny. One of the children she cares for is I, just turned four. The other day they watched Richard Scarry's Best Busy People Video Ever!, a video telling stories about various people and what they did all day. Afterward, M asked I what she wanted to be when she grew up. She answered "A baker!" and M replied "My sister is a baker! She makes cookies and pies and cakes." I's eyes grew wide, her mouth dropped open, and with awe in her voice she said, "You sister is growed up?!"

What I've been doing

Kntting-wise, that is. Putting the sawtooth border on my Pie are Square shawl (from Knitting Around). I really like this border. I like the way it looks, plus after the first couple of teeth you don't even have to think about it anymore.

I really haven't been knitting much lately; I've been catching up on my reading instead. I've reread several Lois Lenski books from my childhood: Strawberry Girl, Judy's Journey, and Cotton in my Sack. I've also read children's books about Florence Nightingale - my heroine as a child - and Marco Polo. I'm currently reading The Coconut Oil Miracle; I know, hokey title, but it's actually a very well researched and written book, as far as I can tell. The author argues his points very logically, which I like; I hate it when authors state something as "evidence" when there's really no evidence there. Sigh. Again, I lament the fact that I have become a crunchy-granola diet type of person.

Another thing I've been doing recently is watching movies. I'm watching the Prisoner - a British TV series from the 60s - and I think I'm about halfway through now. My husband and I also just finished watching the Masterpiece Theatre version of Anna Karenina. Neither of us have read the book, so perhaps it would be better, but we weren't engrossed by the story. We only really liked one of the characters (Constantine), and Anna herself caused all of her own problems so we had no sympathy for her.

I have been somewhat discouraged lately because on all the knitting blogs I read, everyone finishes things so fast! My husband is kind and reminds me that not all of them have a one-year-old to care for and are on a special diet which requires making just about everything from scratch. Very true. I just have to remind myself of it often.

I really want to start a few new projects, but I'm telling myself that I have projects already going that need to be finished up first. Oh, the temptation!