Christmas come and gone

We had a great Christmas! Lots of family, noise, and fun! I hope your was the same!!

I did finish a project just in the nick of time. Grinch pajama's for my boys. When this fabric had come into the shop I knew that I had to have some!! I machine appliquéd the shirts and the bottoms are cozy flannel. This project was definitely fast and easy especially getting to use my serger on the pants. The Grinch ended up being one of the boys favorite books and movies this year :)

Please excuse the sleepy goofy faces.....

I have been saving all my tiny scraps and batting scraps to make a bed for Oakley. This is the result! It's cozy minky fabric but it sure was crazy cutting it! It shedding all over the place, I was very glad to use my serger on it as well. All in all it was a 30 min project tops!!

My grandmother (who is 87 and soon to be 88!) just finished this wall hanging! It is a good 30" in diameter and she said it's the biggest doily that she's ever made. I love seeing it on her wall and just thought it would be cool to share. I feel lucky to come from some pretty talented women!

Please excuse the photo quality! We have so little daylight right now and trying to wait for the right lighting is just impossible for me right now!

5 Years of Sweaters

My firstborn Corbin is FIVE. I can hardly believe it and have been staring at him lately as he plays and pretends. I cannot believe how big he is and how much he has changed. I am so proud of him and the boy he is growing into. He has tons of energy and it can be hard for others to see past that initial craziness. However he has the biggest heart and is constantly thinking of the others in his family. The day before his birthday he "surprised" us all with breakfast. He got us each the cereals we liked to eat and had the milk poured. It was on the table and ready to eat. Another family tradition is going out for breakfast on their birthday. When we asked Corbin where he wanted to go he turned to Noah and asked if he would like to choose. I just love him so much and can't wait to experience the fast approaching school years. Christmas has already been so fun and I love getting to talk to him about the Christmas story.

It may be obvious from previous blog posts, but I make sweaters every year for each of my boys' birthday. As I was updating my ravelry projects page I realized that I had the history of sweaters and growth right there.

One Year Old, Not much of the sweater to see but it was the Wonderful Wallaby. It was also the first sweater that I ever knit :)

This is Corbin at 2, This was actually knit for Easter, I hadn't established my "tradition" yet. It is the Cobblestone Vest. It was knit from my handspun.

This is three! I loved this sweater and he wore it quite a bit! Only two skeins of Cascade 220 for this Twisted Tree Pullover.

Corbin's a fan of showing off his muscle's lol. This is four years old and I knit this out of Highlander a super yummy Alpaca and Merino blend. The Pattern is Langstroth it was a very fun knit.

And here he is a five this past Sunday. Sheesh!! So much bigger yet still a fan of showing off his guns lol.

His sweater for this year is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Tomten. I am in LOVE with this sweater and can't wait to make one for Noah. It was super fast and makes a great jacket with lots of ease for movement; as well as having a functional and fun hood! I knit it out of good ol' Cascade 220 and couldn't be happier with it!

Christmas Rag Quilt

I love Christmas Fabric. However I know myself and restrain most of my impulses to buy it all. I did last year buy this super cute line of Christmas Flannels! I colors all went with my house and my other decorations. I got busy and the fabric languished.

This year I conquered. Pulled it out and finished it up!! The result is this lovely, cozy, and comfy flannel rag quilt and pillow. After clipping all the edges I took it to the laundromat for it's first wash. Corbin accompanied me :) To him is was a grand adventure and he told me he "loved" being there. He was very well behaved and entertaining. He sang Frosty the snowman, Only a boy named David and played football.

Yesterday this same boy turned FIVE years old. So hard to believe :) I have an ornament on our tree that is recordable. It was a gift from my mother when Corbin was two weeks old. We recorded his sweet new born cry. It is my favorite ornament to hang on the tree. My husband and I tear up every year when we hear it. :)

The holidays have already been so fun. I have been waiting for this age with my children. They TOTALLY get that Christmas is coming and have loved everything that we have been doing to get ready for it! We have two advent calendars that we are doing this year and Corbin especially is grasping the countdown. Can't wait to decorate some cookies with them.

In other life news my husband is now a sworn in probational firefighter with the Anchorage Fire Department! His first day on shift is today!! I can't wait for him to be home tomorrow so I can hear all about it! I am so proud of him and the dedication that has brought him this far. I praise God for his faithfulness in our lives!! My God is so great!!

Here is the news spot they did on our local news. My hubby and Noah have a little spot at the end :)

Sweet Pea Cardigan and Capucine

Two more knits are off the needles and I am in love with them both.

The first is a darling cardigan for my nephew Rowan. It has many sweet details that make it such a satisfying knit. For some reason I did not get the sleeves in but there is a picot hem there as well. I knit it out of cascade 22o and it delivered as expected. My only disappointment is the sizing used in the pattern. It lists this size as 18months and it fits my 3 year old. And my gauge and measurements are correct. Heavy sigh. I am still very happy with it though.

Second is a hat knit for the Yarn Branch as a store sample as well as a class I will be teaching. It is the Capucine hat. It is so comfy and really don't want to bring it back to the shop ;P. It is knit out of one skein of Noro Nadeshiko. It has wool, angora, and silk. So soft and yummy with great colors!

My oldest will be going with my mother to see the Nutcracker this year. My mom first took us girls when we were five and I am so excited that my son will get to join in on this tradition! We have been reading The Nutcracker everyday and both the boys are loving the story. We have watched a couple of online videos as well. I want to make sure he is prepared and knows what to expect :) He is VERY excited and loves searching out any nutcracker decorations in the stores.

Noah fell asleep in the evening service at our church yesterday. My mom was delighted to have his warmth on her lap. There is just something perfect and sweet about a sleeping child. :)

Quick Knit!

I have been bit by a trend. All over the place I see people wearing these super cute and chunky knit/crocheted head bands with these dramatic flowers on them. I wasn't sure I could pull one off. But I jumped on the bandwagon and whipped one up yesterday and it's on my head this morning :)

Some gratuitous pics of my boys cracking me up yesterday. Noah with his goofy faces and Corbin spent a good deal of yesterday "scooting" himself around in his new favorite toy. Life is never dull with them around.

Baby Shower

Yesterday evening was the baby shower for my sister that I hosted through our church yesterday! There was a great turn out and it was so fun to get to together and fellowship! Our church is so full of young families right now and it's just wonderful to see all the babies. Though I will admit that I feel like these last months of my sister's pregnancy are going 5x slower than before. I am so excited for my little nephews arrival and I just can't wait to snuggle him!!!!

Here's some photo's from before the event started :) We did a woodland theme as her nursery is decorated in that theme. (We used my sister's camera for the actual event so I am sure we will get some photo's with people in them from her)

Spinning!

I finally got my spinning wheel back out. I can't tell you how long it had been. I would look longingly at my beautiful wheel and think tomorrow! Quite a few "tomorrows" passed and I finally sat down!

I can't remember what the fiber is as it is a wool blend that my sister bought. However it is dreamy! A very lustrous silky yarn is the result. I navajo plied the yarn and ended up with right about 200 yards of this yummy yarn. It is going back home to my sister and I am excited to jump back into spinning more.

Unfortunately I have some knitting that is in the front of the queue. A baby sweater, hat, cowl, and socks need to jump off my needles before I progress with any other projects get the front seat. The above are all samples I need to knit for my classes and I really would like them done before Thanksgiving. I want to be able to enjoy the holidays without them hanging over me :)

Halloween Catch Up

I think we had the best Halloween ever this year! I did lots of cooking with the boys during the day and then they took off with their Daddy and went Trick or Treating. It was Noah's first year and he was SO excited! I stayed home to help my Grandmother hand out candy and I had a great time talking and chatting with them. Whenever we (my grandparents and I) spend time together I learn more and more about our family history. I have been working on lots sewing and knitting projects and I hope to get to them soon!

Bag and Log Cabins

I finished a bag yesterday. I love how it turned out and it is exactly the size and type of bag I have been needing. Plus it has fabric on the pockets that I LOVE and find hilarious. I call them the creepy knitting ladies. I knew the instant that I saw the fabric that I had to have a project bag with them on it. The fabric is by Alexander Henry and it's called The Ghastlies. I for some reason could not get my head around this bag though. It took several tries, buying more fabric, and settling for a few things that I wouldn't normally accept but it's done. I think I would do much better the second go around, however I am still happy with the end product and love my new bag.

I am taking a quilt class right now, Classic Log Cabin. I have been anxiously awaiting a class like this. I am two weeks in and LOVING it. I didn't have much time last week to work on it, but all the logs are now cut and I am happily chain piecing away. I have four finished blocks and 16 that need one more round. This quilt will be for John to take with him to work for his bed there. I am hoping to get a maltese cross quilted onto it or something like that. It will be a gift for John graduating the Anchorage Fire Department Academy. One of the things I love best about a log cabin quilt is how amazing they look regardless of your fabric choices. I really stepped out of my comfort zone and bought all of the fabrics at 50-70%. As long as they were a light or a dark and weren't too similar to each other they went into the "buy" pile. I bought the backing at the same time for 70% off and enough of the center fabric to do borders and binding (although I am leaning towards doing a log cabin border too) at 70% off. The cost for the top and backing of this twin sized quilt will only be about $45. That is smoking! Anyhow I love a good deal and am excited to see the blocks coming together. I am using Judy Martin's method and I LOVE how easy it has made it. I am also using the organizers she recommended and they have been keeping my fabric so nice and ready to piece. I can't wait to post a finished picture!

Also here is a picture that my sister took from Noah's birthday party. I love it :)

My Noah

My baby is three! I just can't believe how fast it has gone (the mantra of all parents I believe). Although I think Corbin's is going to hit me even harder this year. Five is just such a big kid age. School age. My sister picked some amazing pictures (that totally had me crying) to show Noah's changes from year to year so I will refer you there :)

Catch up

So I won't even try to play catch up but here are a few pictures of what I have been doing craft wise (well and the fair!) the past 2 months or so :)

Board walk, knitting, and boys

This morning Corbin had his second riding lesson (which went great!). But we had an hour to kill before heading to his lesson and decided to spend it at Potter's Marsh. I have great memories of exploring there as a child and love that my children get that same experience. My Dad had taken them earlier in week, which had made me realize how long it had been since I had gone. The boys enjoyed showing us everything and the day was so beautiful and the air so fresh. I needed that hour of respite in God's creation more than I knew.

There was also knitting (Skype socks)

While I was attending (another) baby shower the boys enjoyed more time outside! I came home and promptly gave them baths (although I am not sure how wise that was as they are camping out with their daddy in the yard tonight). This was Noah's feet just before bathing. I used to cringe at the thought of the kids getting this dirty. I feel joy in it now, a boys feet should look like that in the summer. As Corbin told me this morning "TV is boring" I must be doing something right!

Go Dog Go

I have a baby shower to attend tonight for a little boy that will be here soon. I got the dog fabrics from a friend and then had coordinating fabrics in the stash! So that made me happy and I think it turned out pretty cute. I am still working on my free motion quilting skills, but overall I am very happy with the finished project.

I have been knitting away like mad during my spare moments preparing for my fall classes. All the projects are going well, I just wish I had more time (Like everyone).

In other news, my husband is currently in the middle of testing with the Anchorage Fire Department and that has added a little stress to the mix. A family member also has some serious health issues going on right now and that has had me struggling to hand over the worry to God. I know He can handle it and knows the big picture, I just need to let go.

In happier tones our church just called an associate pastor. I am so excited for this man (and his family) to now be on full time!! The Lord has worked so amazingly in his life and he has done a lot for the church already!! I know it can only get better!!

Riding Lesson

Corbin had his first Horseback Riding lesson today!!! I must admit I am living a bit vicariously through him as I have had a life long love of horses! He took a bit to warm up to his instructor (as expected) however he was talking normally to her by the end of the lesson! I look forward to many more. He did so well following her direction and it was exciting to experience my child's success. He had a session in their riding corral and then he got to go on a trail ride. He and I can't wait for him to go back.

Here's a couple of pics :)

also an apology for the !!! I am really excited about his lessons :)

New Zealand Pullover

So my pattern for the New Zealand Pullover (rav link) arrived in the mail and so the shawl has to take second seat at least until I can determine how long this pullover will take. I am SO excited to be working on this though as I am making it for my husband. He has wanted me to make him a sweater for a long time. When I saw this pattern I knew it would be for him. I did the swatch as prescribed by Elizabeth and washed and blocked it. I am getting 5.75 stitches to the inch and this will be the smallest gauge that I have ever knit an adult sweater. This will also be the largest sweater I have ever knit. So....I am a little nervous at how long it will take me. It is mostly stockinette so it will be fast on that account, but with probably 4-5 hours knitting yesterday at least, I have 3.5-4" on the body. I'm knitting it in Elsbeth Lavold's Silky Wool, their Burnt Orange color. It is one of my favorite yarns. I LOVE the resulting fabric. Below is a picture of the yarn, I will try to get some WIP pics when there is more to show :)

Also this will be one of the classes I am teaching in the fall at The Yarn Branch. We're doing "A Study in Elizabeth Zimmerman", with a choice in projects of either the Baby Surprise Jacket or the New Zealand Pullover. Both are unisex and can be knit in any weight yarn. I think this will make for a great class!

Through the Loops Summer Shawl KAL

So I jumped in! I have tons of knitting to get done, but I could not resist joining this KAL. I started the Cladonia shawl yesterday. I had purchases the pattern within minutes of seeing it. I am doing it out of my Cashnyro yarn in Big Blue World and Verily Verde. I am already about half way through the stripes, but I am getting into the "long" rows. Still trying to decide which color I will use where in the lace borders.

Also this is definitely helping to tide me over as I wait for Elizabeth Zimmerman's new book Knit One Knit All.

Also here is a gratuitous darling pic of Corbin with Oakley

Summer

Well we're now into Alaska summer. The leaves have popped and I have definitely been keeping busy!! We now have a puppy and we LOVE him. He has been the easiest puppy ever so far. Easy to train and very loving. He's done really well with the boys and they are doing great with him too.

Lots of sewing and knitting have been happening and I have so much to catch up on picture wise. I will try to do a collage or something. Just the thought of catching up is daunting so I might just let myself off and the hook and do better with future projects.

Here is a sweet picture of Oakley sleeping in Corbin arms :)

Valentines Day

I find this holiday more fun now that I have children to celebrate it with. I told them we would have a special lunch....pink pancakes and eggs! They got a huge kick out of it :) I even made the pancakes into heart shapes! John and I are going out tonight after I get off work and I'm looking forward to that. Although today's lunch was a pretty fun way to celebrate our love as a family!

P.S. The eggs turned out prettier then the look in the picture lol.

Finished - Yellow Brick Road Gone Girly!

So yesterday I busted out the quilting and binding on this Yellow Brick Road quilt. It took right around 7 hours! Whew, the boys were super co-operative (Noah napped during most of the quilting) and this was done without *almost* any strife. Only the end of the binding gave me fits, as I was trying out a new technique for meeting up the binding. It turned out great though I had to use my seam ripper a couple of times! I backed the quilt with minkee and I have to say I was VERY glad to have "basted" this using fabric spray adhesive. It really did a great job keeping the minkee in place rather than stretching. Now this quilt is ready for the baby shower on Sunday and I have a big weight off my shoulders. Just have one more coordinating burp rag to finish which should take all of 30 minutes!

Also finished up a pair of socks this morning, but as I was taking my first picture of them the battery on the camera died, so until next time on those. I am also waiting for my personal photographer (also known as my sister Whitney) to take some pics of me in my Undergrowth Hat and Hallet's Ledge Sweater so I can post about them!

A couple things from a BUSY Week!

So I won't touch on EVERYTHING I was busy doing this last week, but here are two accomplishments.

1. The boys room.

I forgot to take a before picture. But the upper half of the walls had been tarp blue. Not a bad color but it had been waiting a year for me to finish the room and I just woke up and realized that I never was going to want to spend the money on the paneling and chair rail. We have many more pressing fixes around that house. So I went to Lowe's and picked out some new paint. Went home and the next day jumped into painting mode! I taped, primed, and painted. here are the results. I'm very happy with it, and the boys (Corbin in particular) though it was a "beautiful blue". I had gone through their room a couple days before that and was ruthless. Now they have a nicely organized room with a place for everything. They have been doing much better at cleaning it up as well (which had been the real goal!).

2. Started a four patch posy quilt top.

This is one of the new classes this session at work. The sample is done in oriental prints and was just lovely. BUT! I have been dying to use a really bold and fun print and decided this was the time to try it! This is easier than some of the other patterns out there using the "stack and whack" method. It means layering four repeats (where the pattern 'repeats" across the fabric) exactly on top of each other and cutting them simultaneously to creat a kaleidoscope effect when they are pieced together. This was harder than I expected (though I should've known) and took me a long time (well longer than I thought it should have). I got it all cut out and have pieced 9 of the blocks so far. I think they are pretty cool. Here's how it looked as I went from step to step :)