Monthly Archives: December 2010

Snow Play

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Yesterday Davey took his first ride on his sled.  Not a lot of snow had fallen, but there was just enough.  It actually was a little faster than when we went back out this morning.  There were several more inches this morning, and so the little bitty hill was slower.

We got several more inches overnight.  I just came in.  It is about 4 degrees out.  I think it is supposed to be 12 today.  That is cold.  But we were bundled up in coats, snow pants, snow boots, and several cpeezers knits!

Davey and David are still at the playground.  It may not be easy getting him (Davey that is!) inside.  He is flying, absolutely flying down all the slides and tubes.  He emerges from the tube in the midst of a small slide avalanche.

Then David was shaking the snow down from the top of the equipment which Davey found hilarious.  I never get tired of taking Davey laughing photos.

As I am writing, David did get Davey inside.  I looked out the window and saw David balancing two large snowballs stacked on top of each other.  They carried snowballs home.  Somehow that inspired Davey to come in.

Now we are all warm once again.  We have a fire going.  It’s really the first time since we left Oklahoma (when we were 20 years old), that we have had a fire going.  We love it.

Ok Davey wants to continue with the New Year’s Eve preparations.  We are getting to make a torte.  I have only made one once or twice in my life.  I hope it turns out.  It’s our Happy Birthday to 2011 cake!

Back of THE SWEATER

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I am hard at work on THE SWEATER.  I have the first section of colorwork done.

It’s hard for me to take a good picture, but my size 11 needles should be a little longer, or I should brave the snowy streets and go buy some 11 longer circular needles.  So the stitches are kind of bunched up on the needles.

But I do like how the colors look.  My gauge is a little bit large, but not incredibly off, so hopefully this will be ok.

Now I am ciphering like crazy trying to figure out just how to do the rest of the back.  I have to figure out where to put the colorwork sections and how this will fit in with decreasing and shaping the raglan armholes.  Thinking about raglan and sleeves makes my eyes just kind of glaze over.  It sounds so difficult to me.

We have had quite abit of snow.  I’ll share my kind of view that I have as I type this.

First Bike

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Davey got a new bicycle for Christmas.  His first bike.

Riding a bike is not too easy at first.  I’d forgotten that. Even with training wheels it takes a little getting used to.  Davey hopped right on and began practicing.

I am not sure what was going on here.  Davey was making a run for it.

Then he was focused again.

And then he decided that bikes are multi-purpose vehicles.  (He tends to find multiple uses and variations for all his toys.)

As I write this, I can look out the window and see where Davey was riding yesterday.  Today the snow has begun to fall and is gradually getting deeper.  Davey is ready to go sledding now!

Home Sweet Home!

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We made it back home last night.  We got ambitious and decided to drive it all in one day.  It really wasn’t bad at all.  Took us 12 hours.  Davey did great.  I  have to say he entertains himself so well in his carseat.  He just played and played.

Today though he is “poop-ted”.  I need to go to the grocery store.  He does not want anything to do with his carseat, and I can not blame him.  So I will wait until David returns from picking up the dogs.

I am going to make a little post Christmas dinner for us.  We still have some presents for Davey here, and so we will have one more little celebration. I have to try to redeem myself for my Thanksgiving dressing which you could slice and use for sandwich bread.  It was tasty, but the consistency was not right.

David drove all the way to Oklahoma and back.  Usually I pitch in, but this time I just knitted.  I knitted so much that my right forearm is sore.  I was knitting hats all the way back, and I was even able to knit in the dark.  I think I may have done just a little too much knitting.

I started THE SWEATER.  I am working on the back and have started the first colorwork section.  Tomorrow I will put up some pictures.  I’ve also gotten busy on my Joy of Sox sock again.  I have been a total slacker on my Joy of Sox project.

I tried to document our trip, but I had a tendency to forget my camera, so I had to rely on family and friends for some of these photos!

Christmas Morning.  Davey was ready to open presents.  I love his expression when he first saw the tree and presents from Santa.

As he opened each present, he’d say “It’s just what I always wanted!”

He was very interested in seeing what his cousin Addie had as well.  I love seeing them together here.

We had second Christmas Day (26th) with my family.  I’d knitted a little owl and a penguin for my nieces. (The owl pattern was from the winter Knit Simple, and the penguin was from Knitty.  Both were very fun patterns.)

One of the highlights of our trip home was the mini reunion with old friends.  (Old refers to the length of our friendships, not their ages – although I guess at some point that will become one and the same.)  Davey played with the four children of two friends (married to each other) whom we’ve known since we were all kids.  Brandon and Angie (the parents) graduated with my sister.  I used to babysit Angie and her 2 younger sisters. David was best friends with Brandon’s older brother, and he still is great friends with him actually.  So it was really neat for us to see Davey playing with their kids.  They really hit it off and had a big time.

A BIG time.

Then they played a game where they all gathered in a small group.  They must have been putting their hands in the middle.

And then – Big finish!

We had so many good visits.  A great Christmas in Oklahoma.

 

 

Oklahoma Christmas

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It’s been a great few days.  Davey has had a grand time.  He’s played with family and friends.  It’s been a non-stop celebration.

Tonight we had a mini-reunion of friends from our small Oklahoma town.  Davey played with the children of our childhood friends.  After we got home, it was bedtime, and I think Davey was asleep in under 5 minutes.  He was happy tired.

Tomorrow we will spend time with family and more friends, and then we will have to begin to make our way home. 

I took lots of pictures of both families, but I’ll spare most of them “blog exposure”.   You’ll have to take my word that they are beautiful families. 

Here is one representative sample:  (Davey with his Opa.)

And I can’t resist sharing a picture of Davey in his new little dragon hat.  He loved it.  It has little claw mittens too.  I know I am a biased Mama, but it was just so darn cute.

Oh knitting!  I have started THE SWEATER.  I have approximately two inches of ribbing done and have started on the stockinette.  It is almost time for my first fair isle section.  I am kind of winging it on the back – as far as the placement of the colorwork.  We shall see how it goes.  My David deadline is fast approaching.  I do have that I-70 drive back to Denver coming up, so who knows how much I could accomplish!  (Although I think we all know that the deadline is going to come and go.  I anticipate requesting several extensions.  I probably should start hoping for a record cold summer, so that he will be able to wear it when I finish it.)

Christmas Eve

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It’s Christmas Eve, and we are in Oklahoma.  It looks cold and raw outside.  I think it is supposed to rain today, but I am not sure how much we have had.  You can be sure that there will not be snow though.  For some reason,  David and I seem to be snow repellent.  Not Davey – he’s too sweet to repel.    It’s cosy and warm inside though!

It’s been a nice morning.  Davey has been playing and playing and cooking with his Pa and Nanny.  Soon we are going to my parents’ house.  I have been knitting.  David and I have also been watching our new favorite show.  It may not sound to Christmasy, but it has been a “Pawn Stars” marathon around here.  

I knit up another hat made out of Cascade Eco.  It is a bulky soft and squishy yarn and it made a great beret.  It’s an interesting pattern by Rowan.  It’s that drop stitch pattern when you wind the yarn for 3 yarnovers, and then drop them on the next row.  I like the way it turned out.  Now I am knitting a scarf to match.  That pattern is a great traveling pattern.  I need to put up some pictures.

I made another neat Boyfriend Hat.  I love that pattern.  This time I used the Noro Silk Garden.  I’d never used that yarn before.  It’s a silk and wool blend and knits up so pretty.  It is almost self-striping.  I have got to take a picture of that as well.  It’s great yarn. 

So it’s been a knitting, visiting, Pawn Stars morning. 

Merry Christmas!

Knitting on I-70

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We are in Salina, KS this morning.  We have about 4 and 1/2 hours left per google maps.  Of course google maps projected 7 hours to get to Salina from our house yesterday.  It took us an additional 3 hours.  Traveling tends to be more of a meander for us.  We took long breaks for lunch and dinner.  We wandered through Walmart for awhile.  We also stopped for breakfast about 5 minutes after we left our house.

I-70 must be one of the straightest roads in the country.  There is absolutely not a curve to be found.  The only thing that changes with this road is that it must be slightly downhill all the way from Denver to here.

I tend to get carsick in the car if I do anything but look out the window.  Not on the straightness of 70.  I was able to knit and knit and knit.  I could even refer to my pattern without problem.  I was able to finish a hat.  I have started a scarf.  I offered to drive but I told David that he would have to take over the knitting.  He drove all day.  I actually did volunteer to drive several times without the knitting condition, and he was fine.  Maybe I can chip in today.

There is a continental breakfast downstairs.  David went and got us a plate of food.  Davey wanted no part of any of it except for the banana.  At least his choice was the healthiest one.

So it’s back into the car for awhile longer.  Davey did so well yesterday.  He had his dvd player and several other things to help keep him entertained.  A dvd player can’t just be a dvd player though.  He really wasn’t too interested in watching it. He had to move it around.  He had to push buttons.  At one point it was upside down.  Luckily this is a light player.  I finally told him that he couldn’t push buttons anymore.  We didn’t want to break the dvd player.  So he’d watch for a few minutes.  “Mommy, I have a question, and I need to hit pause to ask you my question.”  I said. ok, and watched him try to quickly think of some type of question that would justify the pause (button pushing excuse).

He did great though.  Happy and no fussing!

So it’s about time to get ready for the last few hours of driving.  (and more knitting hopefully!)

Merry Christmas!

Hulda

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I really want to knit this sweater.  I think I must be a little crazy.

Here is why I think I am crazy.  The sweater is knit with laceweight yarn.  Laceweight.  With Size 2 needles.  I don’t know that I would like this sweater on me, but I could find someone it would look good on.  (This may involve finding the smallest person I know.)  I just really like it.  I’ve always been interested in the idea of knitting a sweater with a really light yarn.  I’d thought more maybe fingering weight, but LACE weight?  I’ll think about it some more.  Besides that, it’s time to get going on THE SWEATER.

I am reading a really interesting book about a lady who documents her year long process of knitting a very complex sweater.  She also interviews many well known knitting bloggers (at least well known to knitters who read such things.  Like me.), and she shares quite abit of knitting history.  So somewhere in this book she writes that the idea of knitting a fair isle garment flat, instead of in the round, is “exceptionally silly.”  The pattern I found is fair isle knitted flat.  I tend to agree with that so this has had me flusterated, as Davey says.  But, I am going to just give it awhirl and see how it goes.  It may be fine.  I am already trying to substitute my colorwork for what is on the sweater.  I really don’t want to have to figure out how to knit the pattern in the round as well.  Especially since I am not the most experienced sweater knitter in the world.   I plan to cast on today.  I hope.

Finally, Davey went to a 3 hour camp at the Little Gym today.  He had a big time.  I went to the mall across the street and spend a few hours knitting and reading in Panera and then Borders.  We hadn’t both left Davey since we moved here, and I don’t leave him much anyway, so it always kind of leaves me anxious just the entire time he is away from me.  I am going to have to work on that.

So I returned about 10 minutes early to pick him up.  He saw me through the glass and ran towards me as fast as he could.  He had a very anxious expression. I could hear him yelling through the glass, “No Mommy, can’t you leave for a little while longer?  I am not ready!”  I assured him that I was going to sit and knit and we didn’t have to leave yet.  Back he went.  They were playing with bouncing balls and Miss Heather was blowing bubbles.  Then they did a fun crazy dance which was hilarious to watch.

There was a boy doing his own thing.  This consisted of rolling himself  up inside a long mat so that he was like the inside of a burrito.  I saw Davey walk over to him.  This boy was about 6 I think.  Davey spoke to him for a moment and then walked away.

When I picked Davey up, I asked him what he was talking to the boy about.  “I was telling him not to be a cheater!”  I didn’t realize that Davey knew what a cheater was.  Apparently, he’d learned that at camp.  I asked him what the boy was doing that was cheating?  “Mommy.  I don’t want to talk about that.”  Also, “Mommy, don’t ask me that.” I got a lot of this, but eventually through my sporadic persistence, he talked to me about his day.  Apparently the boy had pronounced himself to be a cheater.  Davey did not like this.  Not one bit.

 

Dam Beavers. I mean Beaver Dams!

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I know.  Dumb joke!  I never get tired of that joke.  Or as David might call them:  Beaver Darns!

This afternoon we took Davey over to see a beaver dam.  David runs by it on his trail run, and we’ve been wanting to see it.  I am really fascinated by beaver dams.  Beavers are a hardworking bunch.  This was a dam.  A multi-generational big dam building family.  (I know.  I can’t help myself.)

We saw trees that had been chewed down by beavers – but they looked like they’d been chewed down a LONG time ago.  Here’s their result.

And here is their Lodge!

Amazing.

Davey liked it too.  He wanted to throw rocks.  The rocks hitting the water probably sounded like big sonic booms to the poor beavers.  (They have very keen ears!)  We tried to discourage this.

Davey really just wanted to run.  That boy loves to run.  He and Daddy ran way ahead of me.

Then he ran back to me all the while yelling, “Mommy!  Can you Hear me?”  It’s hard to get this little running blur in focus!

And then he was thirsty.  Very thirsty.

Birthday!

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I am  having a fun birthday on another Spring-like day in Denver.  It’s beautiful outside!  We just had cake a little while ago and opened presents.

Timber is always hanging out in the background.  For some reason, I guess he thought the cake was his.  He’s nuts about baked goods.

I changed my blog header today for a celebration of winter.  Not snow.  I won’t start complaining about that again.  I bought this pattern from my favorite tiny creature knitter Mochimochi.  This pattern was very fun.  These little snowmen are only about an inch and a half tall.  Teeny little guys.  I altered the pattern abit.  Now that I’ve learned magic loop, I try to apply it everywhere I can.  For me it was much easier to have 8 fingering weight stitches arranged on the long circular needle then to balance them on 3 double points.  I am just not very good at that.  Also, I don’t know if it is because I did use magic loop, but my increases looked much better when I did kfb then when I used m1.  Maybe I need to review on how to properly do a make 1, but I couldn’t get it to look too nice.

I love these little goofy snowman.  The poor guy in the orangey colored scarf is really kinda wonky, but I love him anyway.

Davey and I made Christmas cookies yesterday.  Davey is a very good chocolate chip placer.  He was very focused.

He also helped me decorate.  He was being silly here.

He is a very good sprinkler!

Ok I think it’s time to go outside with Davey for abit.  Once the sun starts to drop, it does get cold in a hurry!

Happy Monday!