Come on!

Can you even stand it?? Look at this adorable baby...how on earth did Mandy have her lay so perfect? She's beautiful. I love this hat too. I couldn't stop once I started because I was so excited to see how the ears would turn out. Perfect for Easter pics.

You have to see these...

I'm still in shock that my hat is part of such a great picture! Of course Jayden looks like a professional. Also the dress, green scarf and the backdrop Mandy chose all go together so well. I am having so much fun with this and am happy to be along for the ride...

Fin's One year pics

Here are Fin's 1 year pics Mandy took. I could not be more in awe of how she captured him just as I know him right now. It was no small task; he never stayed still. Some of you have heard our nightmare story of Anthony and I "turning" on each other during a family portrait at Proex (never again!). It's hard getting the authentic moments we all want to remember. I know when he's older I will look back at these and it will remind me of how he was at this age...his rubber band wrists, expressions, smile, eyes. Thank you, Mandy, for making sure I never forget how he is right now.

Jake

Here's Jake wearing the hat I made Mandy. He didn't want to be left out! It's great how the same hat fits his sister and his Momma too.

Finished scarf

Hi Everybody! It's good to be back. We had such a great time with family. It was fun to see the cousins enjoy each other and Anthony and I got a chance to see our niece and nephews in their element. It was special.

Here's a quick picture from the wee hours this morning of Anthony and Fin. Neither were too excited about getting their pic taken, but that's just part of the deal! I think this scarf is one of my favorites. I love all the luxurious yarns out there now. It makes for some great knitting (and maybe a little bit of hiding receipts).

On Holiday....

Hi Everybody! We caught a flight to AZ since we missed our chance on Wednesday. I set the alarm to be the first in line to buy my favorite yarn that's being discontinued...opps woke everybody up 1 hour early. Forgot about the time change. I may have heard a crabby grumble from Anthony. Also pretended I was busy so I didn't have the first diaper change of the day. Moms get a little break too! :) We'll be back on Friday and I'll share then. Have a great week!

Switchin' it up

I think anytime we try and turn our hobby into something bigger, it's important to keep sight of our passion for it. It can be easy to get into a "slump" and feel stale. When I feel like that, I give myself permission to take a break from my orders and switch gears to a just-for-fun project. Sometimes I still knit, sometimes I switch to sewing or playing around with family pictures. Last night I started this scarf for Anthony. It's a cashmere blend. I love that it's dressy enough for him to wear to work but he won't be afraid to throw it on when he's outside playing around with the boys. It is so soft and peaceful to work with. It's fun to make something for him. It's a visual of how much I appreciate him and our life together.

Jayden with her Momma's hat on

Here's Jayden in the hat I made Mandy. I usually make the hats for J so when Mandy came home with a hat from me she hat to try it on.

I was going to wait...

I was going to wait until tomorrow but I can't stand it!!! This pic was taken as part of Mandy's photoshoot for Baby Grand Mainstreet. I am so proud to have this beautiful baby wear one of my hat and bootie sets. When I make newborn things I'm always amazed we start out so small. Look at those wrinkles on his arms!!! I can't stand it...no wonder we squeel when we see them. God must do that on purpose so we want more. :) Beautiful pictures Mandy. Thank you for sharing them.

Brynn in her Hat

Here's Brynn in her hat. Thanks to Mandy for taking the pic for me. I love those beautiful curls peeking out!

A couple hats before we're off...

Here are a couple hats I've just finished. We are off for a few days. I won't be posting while we are gone but I'm sure there will be plenty of knitting. I'll share when I'm back. Have a great week everybody!

Another of Brynn's Hats

I am so proud of myself! Ever since I decided to stay home with my kids I've felt like I am slowly losing touch with computers (ok, much more than computers but that'll be a different post). I've had trouble getting my pictures on my blog this weekend. I am pleased to say I figured it out! As silly as it sounds, it's a big accomplishment. I won't tell you how long it took me...

Any way, here's a hat I did over the weekend. I love the flower so much...it was very putsy but so worth it. I went down in my Mom's craft stash and found these great beads...thanks Momma! That must make her feel good that I'm having at all her fun stuff while she's basking in the hot sun in Mexico. We are all ready for them to come home. I made pancakes yesterday and Graham asked if Grandma mailed these from MX. I said no and he yelled, "Well, are they at least her homemade recipe?!" When he talks to me like that I have this fear my 3 boys will be in their teens towering over me...I'll be lookin' old and exhausted and they'll be talking sass and barking orders at me.

Carla's Page

This scrapbook page was done by Carla at our craft weekend. She used some of my left over yarn for this page. I love how she used staples to hold the yarn in place. It all comes together well. She is so creative and great for a chat. Thanks for sharing Carla...

Baby Girl Hat

Here's another hat I did at our craft weekend. I tried a button this time in the middle of the flower and I really like the way it looks. I also like that since I stitched it on, it will hold the flower in place more securely. I'm always looking for ways to "anchor" down my embellishments well. Little hands tend to tug and pull more than we civilized adults do. :)

Those crazy moments!

Although this has nothing to do with knitting I had to share. I had one of those CRAZY parenting moments when everyone needed me at the same time. The big boys were getting ready to go sledding (thanks Rich!) and I realized Fin needed a diaper change. Was changing Fin and he got away from me before I could get clothes on him, big boys yelling for me to help them, throw away dirty diaper, better wash my hands, chasing after Fin, looking for mittens, more yells from the boys, heard our beep from our door alerting me the boys had gone outside (I'm sure I made some sort of growl noise at this point), turned the corner and noticed the boys decided to bring in their snowy tubes from the backyard. It was a first...a snow pile inside our house. Fin was so intrigued. I wasn't sure what to do first...get the camera or clean up the mess! I think I made the right choice. :) I stand by my plan for my 40th birthday (although I may have to move it up to 35). A trip far away with wine, spa treatments and a soft white robe the entire time. Anyone game?

Carson's Hat

Here's one of the hats I did at our craft weekend. The frog started out as a wool square that I then felted. I made a frog pattern and then cut it out. I finished up by hand sewing the frog in place. It was so much fun! Can't wait to see him in it.

Baby Sophia

Here's Sophia in her hat. She's so tiny...I love their little faces when they are so brand new. Even when their noisy!

Here she is with her Momma. So sweet....

Her Mom said she had a fussy morning but I think it made for some great pics. Thanks Ben and Court for the pictures. I'm glad you let me share them with everyone.

Some pics from our craft weekend...

Here's the hat I made for Miss Mandy. Doesn't it look adorable on her?

Here's the first scrapbook page I've ever done. We did a little surprise book for Krista for her 30th birthday. I used all my knitting supplies. It's interesting how things come back in style. All these colors remind me of the 70's. Our first house had a lot of these colors and we had to change everything immediately. Now, the colors are all back in style.

Kerrie is one of my neighbors and good friends. She is amazing...creating a scrapbook for each of her 3 kids, a family album and an album for her parents. It's fun to sit near her and see what she's up to. We had some good giggle fits this weekend. I bought the hat I'm wearing at a local shop and embellished it with all scrapbooking materials. It's my tribute to all the women and their beautiful creations this weekend.

Here I am in the massage chair. It worked so well our muscles were sore after. Those goofy glasses I'm wearing are called Prism glasses. They are great for knitting and reading so you don't get a sore neck.

Here's what our work spaces looked like...like a bomb went off. When it was time to pack up and go home it was amazing how quickly it all got cleaned up.

Here's Mandy in one of the hats I made this weekend. She was nice enough to take a few breaks to model for me.

Brynn's Hat

Don't tell my husband that I'm having Fin model the girl hats now. I know I should get one of those maniquin heads but they seem a bit creepy to me. I'm off to a craft weekend with 16 other women today. I am so excited! I have to make one last stop at a yarn shop and then I will be all set to create all weekend. I'm sure I'll have tons to share on Sunday when I get home. Maybe I'll make progress on my secret project....

Sneak Peek

Here's Jayden in the latest hat that isn't quite finished. I'm adding ribbon so I'll share after I put it all on tonight. This hat is for Brynn, who is one of Jayden's friends. I hope she likes it!

Almost forgot...that's Mandy in the backgound dodging air hockey pucks.... :)

Gav in the latest hat

Gav just got home from school so I thought I'd try the hat on him too. I love that it fits both of them even though they are 5 years apart. He said he loves it so maybe he'll claim it. I hope everyone is staying warm. The wind is so loud Gavin thought the police were coming.

Earflap Hat

Here's the hat I did this morning while Fin was sleeping. It was tricky getting a picture of it on him. The kid is on the move! He took his first steps yesterday. He was so proud...grinning ear to ear. He smiled so hard he lost his balance and fell. My husband says he's now a bi-ped. :)

The yarn I used on this hat is very soft. I like that it's not itchy. but still has the weight of wool. I made it for Graham but he took one look at it and said it was too silly. "It's better for Fin, Momma." At least he's honest. :)

Another hat....

Here's a hat I finished the other day. I bought this yarn a few years ago to make socks and that never happened. :) The yarn is so soft. I wasn't quite sure how this yarn would work for a hat. I love that with knitting if you take a little risk it usually pays off big. I suppose some people would say that's how life goes too....

Baby Boy Booties

Here's those Baby Boy Booties to match the hat. I made these last night while we watched X-men (my favorite movie). I think it's great that Anthony will hang out with me while I do 2 of my favorite things. He thinks he's the lucky one because I love sci-fi movies. :)

Baby Boy skull cap

Here's a hat I made for a baby boy that isn't yet born. I'm working on the booties so I will share when I'm done. I used one of my Mom's buttons again. I can't seem to find any buttons that are as cute as hers. Gav says his Grandma has the best button collection around. He thought it was so neat he started his own. I love how excited they get about simple things. We adults could use a little more of that!

Kate with Ruffles

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted...I've been sick, sick. Wasn't it worth the wait, though? Mandy took this pic this morning of Kate. Can you even stand it? She's perfect...and I absolutely LOVE this hat. I saw a hat like this in one of my books. I decided to change the ruffles a bit and I think it turned out just right. The sizing is always a guess the first time I do a hat so I'm glad that worked out too. I hope everyone is surviving the cold!

Summer Mary Janes

Although it is FREEZING outside today I thought I'd share a summer version of Mary Jane booties. These would be so cute with a little summer dress and bloomers. The yarn has some give so the strap could be tighter if need be. I think the button adds such a cute touch. Another reason these are great is because they show their tiny little ankles.

Gav in his "Library jacket"

Here's a sweater I made for Gavin a while ago. It's a pattern from one of my favorite knitting designers, Debbie Bliss. He calls it his Library Jacket. I was cleaning out my closet the other day and he wanted to help. He was such a great helper and asked me why I was giving away a lot of my clothes. I told him when we don't want our clothes anymore we donate them to people who will wear them. He kept asking why I was getting rid of certain things. At one point I said something like, "Well, Bud, I guess I don't like it enough to keep it." Then he disappeared with a garbage bag of his own. He came back with some of his clothes in the bag. He was so proud of himself! When I opened the bag there was his Library Jacket and another sweater I made him. He told me he didn't like them enough to keep them. He's lucky he's cute.........

Ava and my hat

Here's Ava in my beret. She and her Mommy hosted our craft night last night. It was really cute because at first she wasn't too sure about me since she doesn't know me. The second she saw my hats, though, she warmed up instantly. I never knew they could be an ice breaker...I'll have to remember that! She's Sam's older sister. The whole family is just adorable.

This is Ava's new hat

This is going to be Ava's new hat. I made the other purple one too big. Her head isn't as big as my kids'. :) I finished it up at our neighborhood craft night last night. It's nice to get out of the house and talk with other Moms going through similiar things...all while knitting.

Abby in her hat

Here's Abby in her hat! Look at how adorable she is. I was so excited to get this picture because I have never seen Abby before. I met her Mom, Debbi, at a scrapbooking weekend this fall. All the ladies were so gracious...I was the only knitter. My Mom made me promise I wasn't going to come back a scrapbooker because she knows I don't need anymore crafts! Here I was amongst all these fabulous scrapbookers and I was VERY tempted! You can see some of their creations on Mandy's blog. We have another one coming up and I am so excited! It takes me two weeks to pack because I always change my mind on what projects to bring. I'm in "cautious" mode with my back so I can be certain I get to go. I guess that means no ice skating this weekend. :)

My new Hat

Gavin took this pic and has now climbed up on my stool to make sure I post it. I really don't want to because...look at those tired Mommy eyes!!! I was up 4 times with the kids last night. These are the days I like to put a little make-up on to pretend I'm amongst the living. I know, though, it would be smeared all over my kids' clothes in two minutes. Maybe I'll look back at this blog someday and these crazy nights will be a distant memory. I can dream, right?

I started this hat last night at Knitting Club (thanks for the great night, Ladies!) and finished it up today. It was quick and fun.

Baby Girl Hat

A quick post of the baby girl hat I finished yesterday. This is one of my favorite variegated yarns.

Booties Mary Jane Style

I made these yesterday for a friend of mine who is having a baby girl. Can't wait for her to see them. I loved doing them! I think they would be cute with leather soles for slippers. I'll have to put that on my list....