Good Day

Some days just turn out right. Today was one of those. I focused on God and his wisdom. I got to see my husband. I got to snuggle my babies. I got to knit.How does it get better than that? I am blessed.

Knitting Success and today

I did it! Without much pain or struggle I completed my knitting goals for this month. I knit two dishcloths, a pair of mittens, and a hat. As well as the sleeves for my sister's buttony sweater, half a baby sweater, half a hat, and swatched for a few other things (but they weren't on the list).

Ta Da (Yes, I realize that I have already posted a pic of this hat but I am doing it again for good measure):

I am excited to start on next months projects!

Today I also went for a walk in the snow, it was wonderful to get outside and my toddler was wore out enough that he took a three hour nap afterwards! Plus I am pretty sure I burned some good calories too. My sister (who initiated this whole walk) took a pic on her blackberry, but hasn't sent it to me yet. So I will just have to post the one I just took from our front door.

My baby is four months old today, and I can hardly believe it. I just took this pic of him napping, I think the walk wore him out as well. He really enjoyed looking around at everything!

As I was taking pictures, Corbin asked that I take one of him, so here he is yelling "cheese" as emphatically as possible. :)

Phat Fiber Sampler Box

Whew I finished all my samples for Phat Fiber for the next two months and they will be going out in the mail today! What is Phat Fiber? An amazing sampler box containing all manner of yarn & fiber goodness by indie artists. I am super excited to be a part of it! Especially since I am sending enough samples to get my own box! Jessie (the powerhouse behind Phat Fiber along with her hubby Marcus) even put up a YouTube video of what the upcoming samples were for January. Sixty-six boxes sold out in a manner of minutes and Jessie has set-up a sign-up list through which you can find out the secret stocking time on Etsy! Check out her website for more info and to see who's participating!

February's Theme: Romance & Chocolate
March's Theme: Celtic

I updated shop today as well

Target

I wanted to get out of the house today, so thinking of a few things I needed decided I might as well drive the extra distance out there. I easily found what I needed and made my way over to the clearance aisle of baby related items (which my sister had told me about) and found the exact carseat that I had been looking at getting for Noah for 50% off. They had four. So I called my Mom (she has been on the hunt for a convertible carseat for having in her vehicle) and She wanted one too. So with some struggle (I was wearing Noah on my hip in a sling and he was asleep) I got the monster carseat in the cart. I realised then that the second one would not fit. With an inward groan I realised I was going to have to make a trip out to the car and come back with the kids again to purchase the second.

When I got to the cash register I decided to just ask the crazy question of whether they would mind helping. Not only did they run back with a different cart to get me the second car seat, they sat with both my carts while I pulled up the car and then loaded everything in for me. Without ever grimacing or acting put out. It was amazing! This is the kind of thing that makes a customer for life.

My new yarn is all dry I am in love (so far ;) I have a miniskein that I will be test knitting into a cowl, so more info on that soon.

I got quite a bit of knitting done on the mittens considering all the other things I have done today. I am just a few rows away from doing the thumb gusset. So I am fairly confident of my ability to finish. Though it took all my will power not to cast on the aforementioned cowl.

Oh and I got to be a pin cusion for hubby, he has an EMT III class coming up and has been wanting to brush up on his IV skills. Luckily for him needles don't bother me!

Off to bed!

Gaining and losing

No this is not a post about weight :) Though it does refer to my goals. As is clearly evident by the dates on my posts, I have not been sticking with my goal of posting 5 days a week! But I am still working on that! I just need to not let my excuses get in the way. This is my main area of "losing ground"

BUT! I have been gaining ground in that I am very close to finishing all the knitting that I am to finish by the end of the month. I just have one mitten (knit in bulky weight - so it's a quick knit!), and 1/3 of a dishcloth (again, not a large item and on size 8's). Plus I have been working on a fair isle hat (which is on hold until the above is finished). I am taking a knitting class on stranded work and have been learning a great deal as well as getting in some good practice. Here are a few pics of my recent knitting.







Ok, so this post is just a little bit about weight as it is one of my goals to have lost 6lbs by the end of January as well. I am doing even better than expected and have lost 7.4lbs!! I have been eating lots of salad, which is interesting to me as I have always been a meat and potatoes girl (which isn't surprising, since I am now trying to lose weight lol) But I must be growing up or something as I am actually looking forward to eating it! I thinking nursing Noah has been really helping as well. So I am glad to have at least 8 more months of calorie burning from that!

I have yarn in the oven right now. I am testing out some new yarn bases, so if all goes well I will have a new sock yarn base and a new luxury base (50/50 Merino/yak). I am super excited about the merino/yak blend for several reasons:

1. I love yaks, hubby and I have dreamt of owning yaks even before I starting spinning.

2. I am trying to expand my lines so that I have a wide range of yarn bases, and this is one of the yarns making that a reality.

3. I am loving the feel of it and can't wait to "test knit" this yarn into something pretty for myself.

So officially I have now dyed yarn twice in one seven day period! I just did a big 5lb batch of roving too! I am making a consious effort to dye roving in one pound lots so that there is enough for bigger projects. Here's some pics of the fiber I dyed 3 nights ago.







I am now participating in Phat Fiber and will have samples in February's and March's box for sure. I will be including hand-dyed yarns, rovings, and locks. Don't miss out!

I can't believe I almost forgot to post this, but I cannot emphasize enough the importance of tightening the knob on your yarn swift before use. If not done correctly bad things happen. I am just thankful that it was not lace weight. I am slowly but surely untangling the 40g of fingering weight sock yarn that I mutilated.


After this post I think I should get extra points for pics. But that's just me.

New beginnings and Clean Floors

Unfortunately no Etsy feature today. I didn't get my stuff together fast enought, so maybe in the next few days.

Anyhow as I am sure anybody who pays even the slightest bit of attention knows that today was inauguration day for President Obama. I missed the speech, but got to see the rest of the special news regarding it and it was exciting to see the changeover of power. I thought the media was tasteful, and I truly hope that we will be moving forward in this country regardless of political party. I am tired of bickering, as I think most people are. It will be an interesting year to say the least. But enough politics.

I got a new vacuum today! Not just any vacuum but a Kirby! Our second vacuum since Hubby and I's marriage had broken about a month or so ago and we had been trying to decide on what kind of a vacuum to buy. We decided that we would much rather shell out the big bucks to have a vacuum that would last. So today we had the demonstration done (wow!) and we were sold :) So I now have MUCH cleaner floors. This vacuum actually makes me excited to clean!

In my fiber world I have started knitting these. I would show pics of my progress but my camera battery is dead :( So pics to come soon! They are knitting up fantastically! I can't wait to get them finished!

Ouch! I just realized how long it had been since I blogged! Ah! I will do better!

Oh and just to get points for pics here is one of the family in Disney World!
Ah, green grass! I can't wait for summer.

The World is Weird

I didn't blog about it but it was freezing here for around two weeks. I had been going crazy staying inside, but with two babies (one of which is only 3mo.) I found it just too much to go outside without reason. Finally in just one night it warmed up from -15 to 20! It was wonderful, it felt like a heat wave and me and my family rejoiced! I even took my boys out for a great walk down at West Chester Lagoon, Corbin repeatedly told me that he had "fun in the snow". Unfortunately yet again in one night it warmed up to around 35 with freezing rain. Blah! It makes it such a mess around town and I would much rather have it be -15. It has been two days of this warm weather and it supposed to last for at least another day. Yet now down-states it has been crazy cold for them.

The world is weird.

January is now officially half way over and I have been doing okay on my goals so here is an update:

• Blog at least 5 times a week, with pictures twice a week - I have been blogging more regularly, though I don't think I have made it with enough pics.

• Dye 2 days a week - I have dyed once, maybe by the end of the month I will average out

• Spin at least 2 50g skeins a week - Yep! I made a great hat for my Dad's b-day!

• Develop and finalize my marketing plan for 2009 - Not finished but I have been working on it!

• Knit 1 pair of socks a month for myself - I can only do this after completing my other projects, which I am making good progress on!

• Knit 2 pairs of socks for hubby (per his request) - Not there yet

• Knit all of my Christmas Gifts for next year before November (lofty goal I know!) - I am started on this one! :)

• Lose six pounds by the end of January - I am down 5.4 lbs so I should do even better! I am already planning lots of sweaters for a skinnier me!
  

So not too bad all in all!

I would love to hear what "resolutions" or "goals" you've been working on!

Stay warm!

Oh yeah and here are some pics from my last batch of dyeing

Etsy Feature: Retro Crochet

A fellow Alaskan shop, I remember noticing Retro Crochet shortly after it opened through the "shop local" feature. I was so impressed! Sharon's photo's are great and I love the way she has used crochet to make amazing jewelry and other assorted fiber goodies! My favorite items of her are the peace earrings and ornaments. They are done very delicately, but are still bold and fun! Several of her items are made using upcycled materials. Every little bit helps!




She offers some great patterns including one for this Anime Ninja Doll, my sister is a big anime fan and this pattern has me ready to pick up crochet again!


I know everyone if tired of hearing the words "econimic crisis" but please make the effort to still shop local and handmade. This directly influences that person's life and how much better is that than just being a transaction number at a big box store!

ravely & flickr

I am proud of myself. I now have my knitted gifts lined out for 2009. Not only that but I have them loaded up in my queue on ravelry and even have some of the yarns picked out etc. My plan is to have all the birthday and Christmas gifts knit by September. We'll see if I am able to stick to my plan! I also managed to whittle down my queue to a mere 66 patterns lol. Next winter should see me and my loved ones wearing more and more handknits!

of course the pessimist in me is mumbling in my head "...yeah right, lets see you try to stay on track!"

My rules are:

1. I must accomplish the gifts for each month as planned before starting anything else
2. I do not have to follow any particular order as long as it's the right month for the project.
   
3. I am not working ahead, if I finish my planned projects I get to work on something for myself.

oh yeah, I have learned the hard way to not mess with your flickr settings just to see what they do. This results in having to redo every photo in your ravelry notebook. Not fun.

Time flies

My baby sister is now officially 17! I was waiting to post this until I had pics of the buttony sweater that I made her, but I will just have to do another post with those! One of my most vivid memories was of her birth, I can't believe it has gone by so fast!

I do have a shipment on the way with some new yarn bases that I am so excited to try out. One is a 50/50 blend of wool and yak! I can't wait to feel this yarn! I only ordered a small amount for now, but hopefully it will become a staple for me. I also am trying out a new base for my solar flare sock yarn. I am happy with what I use now, but I keep getting "the grass is always greener" syndrome so I decided to try it out. More details to come!

Regarding my personal knitting I am more than ready to be finished with "deadline" knitting. In fact right now I really should be working on the EZ February baby sweater that I am making for my cousin's new baby. It is supposed to be done by 1 tomorrow. I am about half way. ugh I guess that means that's all for now!

Etsy Art

Today I would like to feature one of my favorite shops on Etsy.

Katie m. Berggren art & design

She does some of the most amazing intimate and heartfelt artwork that I have ever seen. I ordered one of her prints as a gift for our midwives after the birth of my son Noah. I really am hoping that I will get another print for myself for mothers day. Artists like Katie do such an awesome job capturing the complex and intense bonds of family. When I received her package in the mail I was inspired as to how well it was packaged and the professional nature of materials and information included. I am hoping that we will be able to bring by her print to the midwives tomorrow and I just know that it will be a beautiful addition to the birth center and I hope it is an inspiration to them and the new and growing families that will see it there.

Alaska has been in the middle of a cold snap and it is wearing very thin. Supposedly it should be over Friday or so but I think I have heard "it should be warming up in the next couple of days" at least three times now in the last 2 1/2 weeks or so! Which reminds me, I need to go plug in my car - negative 12 degrees is not kind to my engine.

Movitation Monday

So I was so inspired by another friend and blogger this morning, and I have been thinking about her goals all morning and decided to make some of my own.

• Blog at least 5 times a week, with pictures twice a week
• Dye 2 days a week
• Spin at least 2 50g skeins a week
• Develop and finalize my marketing plan for 2009
• Knit 1 pair of socks a month for myself
• Knit 2 pairs of socks for hubby (per his request)
  
• Knit all of my Christmas Gifts for next year before November (lofty goal I know!)
• Lose six pounds by the end of January

January is a time of new beginnings and I am definitely looking forward to improving myself this year!

I do have a plan in the works for some give-aways of my fibers so stay tuned!