Thanksgiving in Maryland

On Wednesday, the kids and I finally returned to Maryland for a Thanksgiving visit with my sister, Denise, and her family. We stopped along the way, both going and returning, at my grandmother's house and had nice visits with her too.

This is Denise's backporch view (you're seeing the Patuxent River).

This is my youngest nephew, "Bedhead Trevor." I had an absolute ball playing with him!

Thanksgiving Dinner (Denise refused to serve hot dogs, so we had ham instead).

Photo-taking was mandatory since it was one of the few times where all of the kids were together. This is the "We're sick of pictures!" photo.

and this is the "Smile...or Else" photo. ;)

And a bit of knitting content. I finished the first "Warmest Mitten." Once the second is done, I'll felt them down and see how they turn out.

Want some candy little girl?

...eye candy, that is. LOL

Here are a few of the photographs taken by the Richmond Marathon official photographer, Brightroom Photography. The "old ball & chain" does make my heart flutter....

Crossing the finish line...
Somewhere along the course....
The finish line again.

ISO Knitting Time

The family and I have been running around so much lately that I'm starving for some quiet knitting time. Y'all know the drill...cooking, cleaning, trips, grocery runs, and work (the salaried version) have just taken over lately. I was able to squeak out my cousin's scarf in time for the marathon trip.



I'm taking another plunge into something new...mittens. I've never done them before, but seeing the lovely ones that Dianne and Linda made really inspired me (they and the cold weather too).

Finally, here's Wyatt in my first BSJ. By next winter, it should fit well. :)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Marathon Highlights

We had a great weekend. Mohamed ran in the 2008 Richmond Marathon (26.2 miles)! Here are the highlights:

We stayed with my cousin, Kori, in Richmond. It was great to spend time with her and she was the soul of patience & hospitality as she guided us through Richmond.

Mohamed did the marathon with his friend, Bill.

The starting line.

Pumped up before the race.
Almost time.

And they're off!

Resting afterwards.

One of the reasons why I knit....

...is because I get to cuddle the person for whom I've knitted. :)

This is Gabrielle Elizabeth just last night.

She burped like a drunken sailor and went to sleep on my shoulder. ;)

And here's Libby enjoying Gabrielle's play thingy.

Little Things

Hi all,
We're busy getting ready for both the Richmond Marathon (Mohamed's gig) and a Thanksgiving trip to Maryland (my gig). Mohamed will be in the marathon this coming weekend and he's very excited. :) Because I've been swamped lately, I've just been knitting small projects. This weekend, I worked up two calorimetries; one for Andie and the other for my niece, Taylor.

I also found a handspun scarf pattern on Ravelry that was designed by the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. It's one repeat and so very easy.

Have a great week!

Post Election Day

YES!

Election Day

(and I pirated this from Noolie's site). ;D

Last night I finished Larry's waaaaay overdue slipper. Becky and I had trouble getting our hands on Wool Pak's Bracken colorway and I literally waited eight weeks or more to get a hank. I'm going to felt it tonight and ship it to Larry this week. It's mate is already finished and felted.

This was a weekend Calorimetry project for my boss, Linda.

And my first 8-Hour Encore baby blanket. Dianne shared her

wonderful book with me and the patterns are excellent and easy to do.

Halloween Kids

Here's a parade of assorted Alexander "babies" at Halloween. Enjoy!

Wyatt


Hannah the Jaguar, Sabrina the Butterfly and Olivia the Elephant



Andie the Witch (with friend)



Hope you had a safe and fun Halloween. :)

More Baby Knits

Normally, I'd be whining about how tired I am of knitting for babies, but honestly, I'm not. There are so many great patterns on Ravelry that I've only knitted the same thing maybe twice. Between the monster sale at Knitters Knook (ends Friday) and Ravelry, I've been going in different directions and loving it.

As a break from constant counting (the BSJs'), I knit a couple of simple hats for my nephew, Trevor, and his as yet unborn sister, Brianna.

Brianna's Newborn Hat #2 (Paton's Chunky Shetland)


Last weekend, Trevor grabbed the shades of pink Newborn Fixation Hat I made for Brianna and wore it (yes, it is that stretchy). In the interests of something warmer, I made him this hat with some leftover Plymouth Encore.

This is for a friend, Heather, who's expecting on December 11th. It's Debbie Bliss' Ribbed Baby Jacket. It was an incredibly easy knit and the only thing left to do is to i-cord the bottom so that it'll lay flat. I'll definitely make this one again and to avoid the i-cord, I'll seed stitch the first few bottom rows. (Red Heart Super Saver/Claret Fleck)

I've started a Pinwheel Blanket for Brianna. At first glance, it looks like a big, flat breast to me. LOL It's Mission Falls 1824 Cotton.

Last, but not least, my first 8 Hour Encore Baby Blanket (the blocks pattern).

Friday night, Dianne and I went to Jersey Lilly's for Becky's going away party. I had a great time, laughed until I ached and got to meet and/or know a couple of really wonderful people, e.g. Laura and Lynette. Rae sat across the table from me and kept me in stitches as only Rae can. I took a bunch of photos, but my ever present bad luck with cameras held true and the photos were blurry and indistinguishable. I will remember Friday for a long time to come and every time I think of it, I smile from ear-to-ear. :) Good luck Becky!

More F.O.s'

I really am waiting to "burn out" on knitting and take a small break, but it hasn't happened yet. Here's the latest finished objects...

A Mason Dixon Kimono for my niece and

her Baby Surprise Jacket (the neckline got too small on this one too). I really have to learn how to crochet edges. Have a great week everyone!

Baby Strangulation Jacket

Note to Self: Make the i-cord looser and/or learn to crochet a neckline. (As long as the top button isn't buttoned, the baby will survive). LOL

And another BSJ using Berrocco's Lullaby from Knitters Knook.

Have a great week everyone!

ISO Advice

Arrgghhh...my skull hat has lost it's "spring."

This was the unwashed, but "springy" cap that I made for my nephew, Tyler.



I let it soak in a cold water wool wash for a couple of minutes, rinsed it gently and laid it out flat to dry. Unfortunately and ever since, it's been hanging like an overcooked lasagne noodle. Any advice on how I can tighten it up a little? I thought about the two minutes in the dryer (to at least make it a bit smaller), but I thought I'd check with you experts first. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. It's made from 100% merino (Brand Name: Takhi Torino). Thank you!




And on the flip side, yaaaayy! My first Baby Surprise Jacket (and first real garment) is all knitted up. I love it and can completely understand the whole "Zimmermania" philosophy now. Like everyone said, just trust the pattern (and notes & Becky's instructions) and knit. I still have put on the buttons and I want to dress up the neck line too, but the big part is complete.



This is my Cascade Fixation Newborn Hat for Alexandra Brianna (See, I can compromise). ;)



And I began her Mason Dixon Kimono yesterday. The pattern is really neat and I'm enjoying the easy knit of it all.

Have a great week everyone!

Saturday at the Knook

Saturday morning I went to Knitters Knook and had a GREAT day. Yes, the sale is going on, but the infinitely more pleasurable part of the afternoon was just hanging out with Becky and Nikki.

The three of us sat of the couch, laughed, talked, and had lunch. The subjects ranged from Becky's arachnophobia, knitting patterns, films, what we've been doing lately and so on. Nikki and I also watched the comings and goings and I think this is commentary on Becky and even more so, how her departure is going to truly affect our knitting community.

At some point in the day, Nikki and I started keeping count on how many people came through the door and said, "Becky, please help" with either a pattern or some knitting in hand. I had done it earlier in the week via e-mail, but four different women, none of whom were together, walked in with a request for assistance during this one day. There was "Would you take a look at this scarf?", "What I did I do wrong on my sock?" and others. Becky always fixed the problem or reassured the knitter that everything looked good. She did it with a smile and was happy to help. This kind of selfless mentorship is incredibly rare and it's one of the reasons why Becky is so very, very special to everyone.

Now, before I start bawling, I'd better let this subject go.

Onto the pictures and purchases...

A Bryspun knitting bag



Nikki and I had this discussion:

"Dana, stop fondling the bag and just buy it. You know you want it."
"Yeah, but I'm really not fond of pink."
"It's not pink, it's rose-colored."
"Okay, I'll buy it."

And this Jordana Paige (if I remember correctly) tote became the "Alexandra" bag. My sister, Denise, is having a girl and I've named her "Alexandra." [Denise likes the name "Brianna", ergo the poll to the right. Please vote!] I plan on keeping all of my Alexandra knitting projects in this.



Mission Falls 1824 Cotton for Pinwheel Blanket No. 2


Cascade Fixation for the Ravelry pattern, Newborn Fixation Hat


Lang Bebe in a creamy peach color


Mission Falls 1824 superwash for the Mason Dixon Baby Kimono


Noro for Baby Surprise Jackets No. 2 & No. 3


Mission Falls 1824 superwash for Berry Hat


And finally, four skeins of Encore in autumn colors (for me & my knitting corner during winter).



Becky & Nikki, thanks for Saturday; it was the best!