30/365: I Needed a Hat

On Monday I realized I could not find my hat and I was going skiing the next day.  So, having some free time on my hands without the kids, I sat down and I knit a hat.  I really, really like it!

4/365: The Christmas Sweater

I know, it is a little late, but I am knitting new sweaters for both of my kids.  Olivia's should be done this week.  She picked this pretty pink and she is so excited to watch its progress.

A friend recommended that I read "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck.  Gasp!  I know.  Glenn Beck? Really?  But he insisted it was a good read that would have me in tears.  Not sure I have any tears left, but so far, he was right.

What I Learned This Week

What did I learn this week?  It is never too late, and I am not too proud, to admit defeat.

Well, in a year and a half of knitting, I have never not finished a project I started.  I have always been happy with the way a project turned out.  This hat, however, was just not flattering on my tiny noggin.  To be completely honest, it was hideous!  It looked like I was wearing one of those old leather football helmets.  So last night, at midnight, I started ripping the entire thing out.  Problem was, it was a double strand knit, so it turned into a big jumbled mess very quickly.  Being the perfectionist that I am, I could not leave the mess until the morning, so I spent a good hour untwisting the two strands and balling them back into happy separateness.  (Yes, that is my Magic Hat #9 in the background.  And to top it off, the bottle cap asked me, "Are you really ready?")  I suppose I should have listened to the wisdom of the Magic, but I didn't.  So, at 1 a.m. I crawled into bed and snuggled up to my three favorite people.  6 a.m. arrived awfully quick!

For more lessons learned, visit Musings of a Housewife.

Bunny Family

This sweet little family of bunnies has taken up residency at Charlotte's house, my niece who just turned two yesterday.  I know that Charlotte will take good care of them and give them the love that they deserve!

Cameron and Olivia were very excited about the creation process of these bunnies.  These bunnies are very special as they were created using yarn given to me by a friend from work.  She found this yarn for free at a swap shop, and knowing how much I love to knit, she grabbed it up for me along with about 30 other balls of thrifted yarn.

Each time a bunny was finished the kids would snatch it up and start playing with it immediately.  The last two bunnies were created with help from both kids.  Olivia helped stuff the bunnies and Cameron helped to make the tails.  Of course, as with all things that the kids see me create, they would both like a bunny family of their very own.  I will honor their request as soon as I am finished making their fingerless mittens :)

On the morning of Charlotte's birthday party, the kids could not wait to package up the bunny family and give it to the birthday girl.  We used a shoe box we had saved and a paper shopping bag from our stash.  Cameron stamped little animals on the paper and the frugal gift was wrapped in the most frugal way!  Cameron, my sweet and generous big boy, wondered out loud where Cole's gift was.  I tried to explain that it was Charlotte's birthday and that we would make a gift for Cole this summer, but Cameron would not accept that.  He went into his play room and found two cars.  Then, he had Olivia stamp a gift bag and bingo! a gift for Cole.

The two excited little kiddos paused for a photo before we got in the car for the "loooooooong" (Cameron's words) drive to Cole and Charlotte's house.

I love these kids!!!!

First 2010 Knits

Now that Christmas is done, I thought I would take a break from knitting for a little while, but I can't stop. Knitting is so comforting to me.

Here are the two hats that were not pictured in my last post and technically knitted in 2010!

Purple Hat and Mittens

While there certainly has been a lack of blogging over here at Sevin Stitches, there has definitely not been a lack of creating.  Among many other things, I knitted a hat and mittens for my dear sweet Olivia.  She loves purple and tells everyone we see that Mommy made her purple hat and mittens.  She also thinks it is fantastic that her mittens are "attached to mine coat".

Broken leg in a cast still does not stop our little girl from playing in the snow!

One Row at a Time

t has been two weeks since the new baby joined our happy home. Two weeks and we have a rhythm to our days. The children are all comfortable with the events and schedule of the day and know what is going to happen before it happens.

In the morning we eat breakfast together before warming up Baby's bottle. After breakfast we change and feed the baby. Then we get our shoes on for an outside activity, usually a walk or a trip to the playground. If we don't have snack outside, we come back in for a light snack. Baby is usually sleeping in the Ergo at this point. Then we do puzzles and read stories, followed by an activity that incorporates the story we read. Baby usually wakes up at this point. The other day we read "Pete's a Pizza" and had a lot of fun making each other into pizzas. Then it is lunch. It gets a little chaotic while I am making lunch, but everyone is usually in the kitchen playing together at this point. After lunch we read quiet-time stories. Then, all I have to say is, "OK, it's nap time." No fuss, no whines. They march their cute little fannies up those stairs and get right into their beds. (There are enough to go around!) My daughter naps in my bed, my son in his, Beastie in my daughter's bed and one more in a portable crib. Baby is ready for his bottle and a little more play time before he falls to sleep.

This routine makes nap/quiet time quite joyful. No matter how many children are in my home, they are all sleeping (or resting quietly in the case of my oldest) for at least one hour at the same time!

That's when you can find me doing this:

Peace. Quiet. Calm. And one row at a time.

Knitiversary!

One year ago this month I took my very first knitting class. To commemorate this momentous one-year knitiversary, I decided to pull out the very first pattern that I ever knitted and knit it again. It amazes me how far I have come as a knitter in one-year's time.

I remember sitting at the first day of class, struggling just to cast on 30 stitches. Seriously, I think it took me 15 minutes. Then we started to knit. My hands just didn't seem to want to move the way the instructor was telling me to move them. After about 15 more minutes when I was completing my third knit row and just barely getting the hang of it, I was taught how to purl. "What? Now I need to make my fingers move that way?" Then the instructor began talking about the pattern we would be working from.  In the back of my mind I had been thinking a washcloth or maybe, if we were daring enough, a scarf. But she pulled out the Knitting Pure and Simple Roll Neck Sweater pattern and I think my jaw dropped.  There was absolutely no way I would learn to knit and have time to make a whole sweater! Granted, it was a toddler sweater for my 16-month old baby girl, but still, a sweater!

The instructor assured me that I would be able to do it as long as I put in the time and paid attention to what I was doing. After three weeks of class I'm pretty sure I hadn't even started the sweater yet. I was still learning basket weave, k1 p1 ribbing, increasing and decreasing and so on. At the very end of the third class I finally cast on for the sweater. I surely did not feel comfortable about it, but I brought it home and tried my best. I think I ripped it out after four rows and started over about 10 times. By the next class I was feeling a little more comfortable, but there were only 3 classes left and it wasn't really looking at all like a sweater to me. I had to go in for "extra" help mid-week to divide for the sleeves and that's when I finally saw it. It really looked like something and I had made it!

After many trials and tribulations, picking up stitches (and dropping some stitches, oops!) I knitted my very first project. A whole entire sweater, with only two sleeves (the same length) that actually fit my beautiful daughter, and it only took me 7 weeks!! Let's take a journey back in time shall we? The finished sweater and original blog post can be seen here. (Yes my friends, new and old, I have unblocked my private blog for you to take a gander!) Isn't my baby girl just so precious?

So what has changed in a year? I picked up that pattern and re-read it and the first change I noticed was that I did not feel intimidated by it at all. I went to one of my most favorite yarn stores, Patternworks, and found the yarn in no time at all. When I got home I wound the yarn and cast on in less than fifteen minutes!

After only three days of knitting I have already finished the body. What once took me seven weeks will now be finished in less than one. I only cast on once and (knock on wood) have made no errors...yet. My stitches are looser, the armpits don't have holes, all the stitches are even. Wow! What a difference a year makes. It also helps that I am now sharing my knitting experiences with people I love and who love me back.

I plan on making another sweater this weekend for my son in a similar, more..ahem..manly color, just in time for the first day of Fall and in time for our favorite NH fair. I see a Christmas photo opportunity in our future!

Happy Knitiversary to me and happy knitting (and creating) to all of you!

Going to New Jersey

Not me. These are going to New Jersey today...



A friend of mine from college had twins two weeks ago (well, his wife did anyway). A boy and a girl. I hope he sends me a photo so I can post it because I'm sure it will be squeal-worthy. They are teeny-tiny and just so darn cute! Their Mommy is my hero as she is tandem breastfeeding in the middle of the night. You go girl!

I wish I had learned to knit before my babies were born because knitting for newborns is so much fun! Maybe I should have another...hmmmmmmm.

Beret and Leg Warmies

Olivia is sporting her new beret and legwarmies. We walked to the Lynch house today and my kids both got all dolled up. They also love holding hands with each other instead of Mommy or Daddy!

Legwarmies

Olivia absolutely loves her legwarmies! The first pair got left at the mall this weekend so between yesterday and today I made her a new pair. I am starting a matching beret this evening. I think Legwarmies are my favorite thing to knit. Olivia saw them on the needles today and said, "Oooh, legwarmies. For me?" Then she sat and watched me knit for a while. When they came off the needles she jumped for joy and did a jig!

Finally!

My Mom's scarf is complete. Olivia models it here:

Busy Me

Ah, vacation. It just so happens that my winter break fell on the same week as Damien's "Kelly Week" at the Fire Department (5 days off) and annual week off from the Post Office. So we took a family trip to NY to see Jennifer and Evelyn while Nate was away at military training. On the way there I knitted. Knitting has evolved into a peaceful, leisurely activity for me. I am knitting for the pure pleasure of creation and the end result of seeing my children in their handmade knits!

I call this my "Six Day Sweater" because it only took me 6 days from start to finish! It is knit using yarn from a local NH farm and Knitting Pure and Simple Tunic 232.


Then I knit the Ann Norling fruit hat using super soft merino wool. The hat only took me about 4 hours of total knitting time, so I made two. One for Olivia and one for Maria whose Mommy gave me the yarn (thank you).


After Cameron took the sweater off Olivia wanted to put it on. She wore it for a couple of hours this morning with her eggplant hat. She was so warm, and kind enough to model for me!


I forgot my camera for our trip to NY. Hopefully Jennifer will send me some so I can post them. We had a blast! The kids really enjoyed playing and I taught Jennifer and Lisa how to knit.

Sunshine and Leg Warmies

It's February. While it is very cold outside, the sun is shining. Not only is it shining, but it is staying around longer, which to me means Spring is right around the corner!

The girls enjoyed the sun coming through the window in the kitchen.


I knit these leg warmies for Olivia in January and she wears them almost every day. I plan to knit some more of them for next winter. Add it to my cue. Notice Olivia is still holding "my people".