Modular Striped Vest:: finished

It's been a very long week. Very long. Did I mention how it's been a long week? *Eugh* One of our worst nightmares was realized. Monday, Jacob got the stomach flu. Tuesday, he started getting better and then I, my husband and my other son Sam got the stomach flu. A very bad case. If you don't have kids, or if you've never had the "privilege" of having a gut-wrenching ailment while your child(ren) are sick-oh how completely helpless you feel- what an experience! There's nothing like not being able to get out of bed without blacking out while your child is that sick. We were VERY fortunate to live closely to our parents and to have them risk their own health to take care of the young'ins. I don't know how we could have taken care of them.

But, anyways. Here we are in the present. The boys are pretty much back to normal one week later, and I have finished the Vest.

Weaving in ends...quel nightmare. Wasn't looking forward to doing it. Eventually, I lost count while sewing.

Pattern: Striped Modular Vest by Andra Knight-Bowman
Yarn: 4 skeins of Yarn treehouse "Daisy," in bulky and 1/3 skein of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride (heavily) worsted yarn in black.
Needles: US9 straights
Project started: December 28th(?) 2011
Project finished: January 29th, 2012
Modifications: arrangement of squares to form an "X," Crochet edging & for sewing, no collar, bottom edge with seed-stitch.

Above, the back.

The front.

The vest is a little large. I might even felt it a touch to get it to the size needed. We'll see.

Take the squares challenge... I dare you.

Hey everyone.
I'm finally done with the eight squares for the Modular Vest. All I have left is the bottom edge where I'm supposed to garter for a few inches, and then of course piecing them all together. It took a while to figure out which configuration I was happiest with, and I thought of a neat little challenge for you. Can you guess which positions I chose? I'll start you off with half of the answers, so take your best guess. It'll be cool too see if someone can guess correctly. I apologize now for the color variances. The sun kept changing the lighting.

The squares will be turned so that all of the cast on edge (the edge with the most stitches) touch eachother.

So...if you'd like to play the "squares challenge," here's four answers to start you off:
A= 3
B=?
C=?
D=2
E=5
F=?
G=?
H=7

1 ,8, 5 & 3 are the smaller and upper squares:

2, 7, 4, & 6 are the bigger and lower squares

Is your head hurting? I know mine is.

OK, a little more help., I guess.

Project Complete: Ribbed Baby Jacket #2

I guess I made an unofficial New Year's resolution to post more, which means that my little short time to myself after the boys go down is starting to be spent more on knitting, and not just being slumped half-dead on the couch after a long day of taking care of the boys & the constant cleaning. Even after a year or so of motherhood, I'm still not used to the never-ending mess. They literally undo the tidying at the same rate, and I feel like I can't quite keep up with the 'Jones.' Gone are the days when I did one or two loads of laundry a week.

You're looking at the second baby jacket...and now the boys can each wear one! The real jacket is a lot browner than in the photo I took during the morning light. They will have to grow into it a bit, which means success! I'm one step ahead of them...

Project: Ribbed Baby Jacket by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in a tweedy brown; 2.5 skeins
Needles: US7
Project started: October 12, 2011
Project completed: January 11th, 2012

I think that this version is fairly better. I changed the pattern from the first jacket to have ribbing continuously on the bottom. The button's loops are more snug, which helps. The color is better, and tweed is always handsome as a sweater.

What's next? I'm slowly working on the modular vest. It's almost 3/4 done. I'm tying to get shake off the "startitis itch" to make the boys a colorful rug...and socks...

Roundabout Shawlette Complete!

The shawlette is blocked, folded, tagged with care instructions and shipped off to its recipient! Yay!

Pattern: KUAS' "Roundabout Shawlette"
Needles: US7 circulars
Yarn: MacKintosh Chubby Sock Yarn in "Minotaur" and KUAS fingering weight yarn in "Morning Roast"
Started: November 8th, 2011
Finished: January 8th, 2012

I think it turned out well. The roundabout circles are a little more distinguishable now, post-block.

Plus, it kind of looks cute as a curtain.

This one was plastic-wrapped in photoshop. Looks wicked weird, but cool.

Cutout version, good for showing off the ruffled lace edging.

Roundabout Shawlette: blocking

A little peak at what's on the brink of completion...

Edging: done.
Soaking: done.
Blocking: commenced.

Morning Roast & Knitivity

While the babes were sleeping, I got the chance to dye up a colorway to match the "Roundabout" shawlette that I'm knitting because I ran out of yarn like yards before the end of the pattern. This will enable me to do the edging that I looked forward to doing. The colorway is brown with redish tones. It reminds me of coffee (a mother of twins with caffeine always on her mind). I think it matches pretty well. The base is merino and alpaca, and I'll most likely have to double it up because it's fingering weight versus the sport weight of the shawl. A little beading is in its future, with simple single crochet & lace edging.

My mother tagged along to the mall the other day because the boys were trying out their free Gymboree class (it would have cost $110 for that one 45 minute class for both boys to attend!!). It was a lot of stimulation that the boys are not used to...all go-go-go-go with the teacher, and the boys were a little freaked out, so I decided to start out with "open gym" passes, because quite honestly, it would almost be the same thing since it's not one-on-one.

Anywho...we went to Barnes & Nobles afterwards and found this cute book that my mom forced me to buy. She even mentioned that she (the person who WILL NOT knit because she doesn't have the "patience") wouldn't mind helping me knit up the "knitivity" scene. Ha ha. I didn't take her claim for face-value because I knew when it comes down to it, I'll be the one who will end up knitting the whole thing, but I had to admit that it was a good idea as a Christian & knitter to make one for myself (or for others). Did I mention that it was practically 60 percent off? I love to do my shopping for next year's Christmas a day or two after Christmas because they still have the good items leftover and because things that add up in the long run (like 5 dollar wrapping paper!) are dirt cheap this time of year...and why not stock up before you put the decorations away?

The book includes a crib and also the background scene to the set.

I think it's a really neat concept because it encourages you to knit different versions, like pregnant Mary and sitting Mary and standing Mary to suit your needs. This Nativity scene would really be great for the whole Advent season. Why shouldn't you have pregnant Mary out right before the "big night?" Or Mary riding a camel next to Joseph? I think that would impress a few people. Stash-buster? I think so!

...Not to mention, they make really great gifts next year!

Modular Striped Vest: back complete

A good start to the new year. The Modular Striped Vest is well underway. The backside is completed, which leaves me a little exhausted to knit up the exact same (monotonous) 4 squares again...but half done with the vest, nonetheless.

I'm still tinkering around with the layout with the squares. I might switch the upper left and right squares. This is exactly why I refused to pick up stitches and follow the pattern of the decrease lines both going "/" on the left side and "\" on the right side. It looks better as an "X." I plan on crocheting the squares together instead of sewing it...and don't forget my I-cord edging idea. Also, no collar and no buttonhole. I plan on doing the button like Jake's "Ribbed Baby Jacket."

I might put this baby on hold so I can dye up the brown colorway that I need for the edging of the "Roundabout Shawlette" that I haven't quite finished completely. The hubby got me a yarn swift that hooks onto the edge of the table for Christmas (I had a solid wood tabletop version that is adjustable through pegs) so maybe it will be easier swifting.

I hope you all enjoyed your New Years. We are back on track for exercising. . .you know how that goes. I fully intend to slim down this year, so people can stop asking me whether or not my "not-fully-bounced-back-yet-from-twin-baby-fat-and-c-section pouch" body is expecting! Just a few people, and mostly middle-age men or older. Boy were they embarrassed. Especially the one helping me buy the stinking elliptical. Duh.

Holiday Greetings

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas (and of course any other holiday you might celebrate instead) and wish you a happy New Year! It's been go-go-go around here, so I'm sorry about not posting this like I promised after the last post. My camera was loaned out and I couldn't snap anything until I got back from my cousin's wedding in Seattle. But, anyways, here are the pictures as promised...holiday rings! I was basically fiddling around Dec 5th with the leftover yarn from my Merry Xmas Wreath.

this first one is my favorite, and reminds me of the Winter Season in general.

This one is called "Christmas Wreath."

"Happy New Years Eve" ring.

Here's a pic of my current project, a Striped Modular Vest that is mitered. I plan on tweaking the pattern so that the stripes form more of a "X." Also, an I-cord edging seems necessary, so I plan on adding that to it. (I'm thinking about deleting the collar too.) Since I wouldn't ever wear a turtle neck shirt, I'll wear a boat neck, or similar with it.

My boy's first professional photoshoot. Aren't they cute? They are growing up soo fast!

Enjoy the rest of your holidays! Relax a bit if you can.

Merry Knitmas Wreath

Back in business with my laptop that my hubby took with him on his first official work trip. Here's what came off the needles several days ago, along with another holiday items that will be posted in the next day or so:

I dub thee the "Merry Knitmas Wreath." It hangs proudly on my door, despite the fact that I haven't put on the LED lights to go along with it. It's really a simple wreath, meant mostly to display the glitter ball cheer.

The pattern is easier than pie, it's a quickie project, and the covers fits like a glove on the styrofoam balls. My mom's a funny lady. While I was knitting these puppies up (she comes over throughout the weekdays to help out with the twins), she was like..."hey, why didn't you just roll them up into a ball and call it a day?" LOL. "Because, dearest mother,...that wouldn't be knitting, would it?"

Pattern: "Merry Knitmas Wreath" (KUAS original)
Needles: US8 needles
Yarn: Martha Stewart's glitter eyelash yarn in green, silver and red
Other materials: Styrofoam balls, package of 6; Wreath: in white; white/silver battery-operated lights (LED preferred because it lasts longer)

Stay tuned for more holiday knits. In the meantime, make yourself a hot cocoa and knit by the fire (or TV) and take a load off. Or, if you're like me, treat yourself to a holiday flavored coffee if you need the caffeine buzz. It's the holiday season, it's easy to forget to take a moment to chill. Chill, ha ha. It's getting COLD out!

"I feel like I'm taking CRAZY pills"

October has been a crazy, crazy month. What with the baby colds (while I and everyone else was sick in my family--nothing quite like taking care of twin babies while you're feeling miserable and don't have help), the birthday planning & cleaning, and another round of colds AGAIN right in time for their birthday! (By the way, Jake has a cold, again, right now). Sam was worse than usual for the wake-ups, but for Jake I started seeing every hour like it was going in fashion. *SIGH* Even now, young Jacob has learned how to throw temper-tantrums and while sick, I'm wondering why I'm not already clinically insane and bald.

Here's my most recent cast-on, the "Roundabout Shawlette" that I'm designing for a family friend who has been really thoughtful & generous to our family even though she's out in California. She, by the way has three sets of twins and a singleton...and I wonder, did she have a whole stockpile of tranquilizers or sedatives? I really don't know how she did it!

I’m pretty peeved at the ugliness of the roundabout circles. Maybe it’s just the pre-block blues, but I know that it will have to be blocked to heck to have the integrity it deserves. In retrospect, I should have chosen a semisolid…but you know how certain colorways whisper seductive lies to you while you're passing by. “You. Yeah, you....Come to me. Knit me up. Sure, I’ll look good knit up in lace even as a variegated colorway…don't you trust me??” I’m wondering if the lace would look better as a worsted though…probably. Oh well. Next time, something thicker, one color and silkier (and maybe beading).

You guys haven't seen this either, yet. It's the second of the Baby Ribbed Jackets. It's in tweed and I'm SLOWLY but surely getting to the end. I only have a couple of ribbing rows left to the collar and then sewing and ribbing on the bottom. Close, yet so far... I'm really dragging my heels on this one since I have Second-Sweater-Syndrome.

Here's pictures of the boys' actual birthday. The party was the day after and I still haven't taken the picture off yet.

YEAH---I do realize AFTER THE FACT that maybe sprinkles was NOT a good idea, as well as chocolate. They were lucky enough that I still had a few braincells left to remember to buy a cake after all the sickness going around.

Sam, interested.

Jake, not interested.

Sam, playing around.

Jake, stuffed up and miserable.
"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...cry if I want to...cry if I want to...you would cry to if it happened to you!!!"

By the way, the boys are walking already... Sam randomly walks around the house more (looking like a drunken sailor though...lol.)