Fountain Pen Shawl - DONE

Short blog absence for computer malfunction - wow is this new computer fast (!) But still installing and feeling around the new set up, so blogging, not so fast. Yes, it got to the point where we just said "its time" Still hoping we can pull our unbackedup (I know, I know) photos off the old hard drive, my new job with the new 'puter is learn more about picasa, organize, tag, and BACK UP our photos. Its already been fun seeing photos from what seems like a million years ago - 2006! 2005, how little we knew ye!

OK, check out how close this was - this was the tail remaining after binding off ... phew! You will notice this is after running out of the original color and thankfully finding an appropriate weight in white. I love how it turned out. Sweet P helped with the photo. Thanks Olympics and Knitting Olympics, for getting me to attempt it. I feel kind of at a loss now - next project will be ...??

Amaryllis update: Gorgeous! We still have another bud to go. What a luscious deep red.

Gosh, I'm seeing what Mr. Sycamore means - that whole middle photo is different shades of beige. In my defense, I didn't pick the slip cover or the wall color. I DID dress my daughter - but look - pink! a pink shirt! And did I mention the Amaryllis?

Fountain Pen Shawl Update

Have done 6 of 10 reps! And there is still a week of Olympic goodness (I thought Shaun White was all hype before, but man he really rocked last night's second run!)

The only tedious thing about this shawl pattern is going to be figuring out when to stop doing reps and start on the border. Happily, it is going so fast, so ripping the border out if I make a mistake shouldn't make me lose too much time. Ah, estimating yardage...

And I'm really glad I switched to tan - although the other night my valentine noticed that the shawl I was making matched the sweater I was wearing... which just is an indication to me that it is .. me.

Tree of Growth

So, this is a WIP from waaaaay back. Back before Gina left for the outback. Luckily, she walked me through felting these trees before she left or who knows what I would have come up with on my own (I should learn to start small! But Gina knows all about felt so it came out ok!!)

Here is the photo from last August, in the heat of summer, the wool roving (custom dyed here) laid out to be felted. Which we did.

Now, I bought the white duck fabric for the back ages ago also, and finally Mr. Sycamore said "won't they be grown up before you finish their growth chart?" which coupled with the TWO WEEKS of snow days, spurred me into (slo-mo) action. So here is the partially complete growth chart up in our hall way, marked with 12" intervals. I guess I knew but had supressed that J and Sweet P were equally long at birth - 20" - but it said so in the records (good thing we wrote that down). We had a fun time finding out how tall they are now.

The remaining steps are to needle felt in two white bunnies at the base of the trees, and to attach knit leaves (I have a bag of them ready to go. Check back in twenty years to see if they are all still in the bag, or on the chart) The trees were a big hit with the small folk, although who knows if this will help win the battle to get J to eat enough meat to get big enough to go down the water slide. If he never reaches the pedals then we won't have to worry about his learner's permit, right?



Thank you Gina for such a fun afternoon. We miss you!

Fountain Pen Shawl Start

Well, we didn't really get to see much of the opening ceremony, but I managed to do one pattern rep with the first yarn I tried, decide I didn't like it, and choose this yarn instead from my stash. Yesterday I knit the pattern again once and a half, and I'm much happier with this yarn, it is more "me." Not that I'm sure I'll even wear a shawl, ever, I just felt like attempting one and the Knitolympics are supposed to be a challenge. And believe me, it is insanely challenging to read the pattern chart while doing anything else, especially everything involving two toddlers. "Who are all those people? Why are they wearing red hats? Why are they dancing? Is it cold there? Who's that guy (the camera kept cutting to Joe Biden)..."

Knitting Olympics!! on Yarn Harlot

In 17 days - cast on at the opening ceremonies tonight and cast off at the closing! - I'll be making (!) the Fountain Pen Shawl by Susan Pierce Lawrence from the spring 2009 Interweave Knits, in a light tan stash yarn - however much I have is how big the shawl will be. I've been putting off making it because lace patterns are hard when you are overseeing two toddlers, so that is the challenge. And I have never completed anything bigger than a baby hat within 17 days, so that is a challenge too.

Pretend Food - Yum

More boy crafts.

A healthy breakfast.

Bowtie and penne

Sandwich fixin's. One issue I didn't anticipate - by making everything approximately life-size I made it so nothing fits in the mini pots and pans set, which leads to some giant soups. Not that they are any less delicious.

Beanbag Bliss

From an idea on Chez Beeper Bebe. And check this out - bean bag dogs and cats! or bunnies? or...

Boy Backpack

I had meant to purchase and make up Rae's fabulous toddler backpack, but when the two hours presented themselves I hadn't done it, so I just winged it. Happily it came out ok! The illustration is from a favorite bug book, printed out on that fabric you can put thru the printer. This also coincided with a Dora obsession after someone gifted us a DVD. So all around a good project for a boy.

Longing for Spring

In my twenties and thirties I pretty much lived in a modernist minimalist wardrobe - black, white, lots of greys, and sometimes a tan or two. I still think grey is one of the prettiest and most versatile colors there is, despite lots of ribbing about this preference. But for the past few years - since having kids I guess - I've been more and more drawn to color - maybe not allover color, but spicy crazy color accents and even a few pink sweaters (!) This hat just makes me smile, especially with the lime-apple scarf. Topping, of course, my big black coat. My first crochet hat - I'm still working on how to switch to (knit?) ribbing at the brim in the future, but since this pattern came out kind of shaped like a cloche it works that it is not snug (but it does fall off quickly when wrestling little ones into the car, so the next one needs a bit more stretchiness to stay on)

Oh, and it did snow another 5" last night, so our third snow day in a row (but lots of opportunities to play outside! For which you need: a hat that makes you smile)

Lunch Sack from Oilcloth

Finally! Poor J had been hauling his lunch to school in a plastic grocery bag! I had the oilcloth sitting around with no plans for it, I just loved it (from the Homespun Boutique in Ithaca NY, I may have mentioned how much I love this store and I always check for oilcloth there because she stocks unusual funky patterns, not the usual table-cloth-y stuff) and J loves to click backpack clickers, so attached one for him specially. I made the bag fit his lunch container, which is also bright green, and I had a big citrus turquoise napkin that has become his lunch napkin. Now I just need to make the sandwich wraps from Sewing Green and he'll be totally sustainable at school. Mr. Sycamore wants one too, just not in this polka-dot, not manly enough.