Bobbles Suck and Craig Ferguson Makes Me Cry

I have nearly completed Miss Dashwood. I just have to sew the earflaps and ties on. I used the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran that the pattern calls for and that Laurie had given me 2 balls of at Wuletide. I love this yarn. I want more of this yarn. I want an entire yummy something-just-for-me of this yarn. The only thing is, that this yarn is not very stretchy. So, making bobbles -who thought k4togtbl was a good idea, anyway? - is really tough on the hands. Still, it is soft and delicious and I love it.

Craig Ferguson is another issue. He is on way too late at night. And geesh, if I accidentally stay up late compulsively knitting hand-hurting bobbles, well, I just have to watch him. Oh my, oh my. I laugh so hard that my pregnancy-compressed lungs hurt and tears stream from my eyes. I very much enjoy it when he makes me laugh until I cry, and it is nearly every time I watch him that this happens. Just so you know. 'Cuz I know you care.

I Have a Friend

Seriously, I do.

And she thinks that babies are just as cute while they are still inside as when they are on the outside. (she has never been pregnant herself- just sayin')

So, this one is for you. Me, 27+ weeks.Isn't it so cute how she makes my left hip hurt so bad?

Awwww, sweet. ;)

Another thing that makes me happy...

I just figured out that Ravelry will now let me upload pictures directly into my project descriptions. No more messing with Flickr. Very happy, much more likely to update my projects.

We survived

And the boys went back to school after 2 snow days. The first day wasn't so bad, the second, well, more challenging. Eldest read the 3 whimpy kid books that I bought him at the book fair on the first day. INBA cuddled up in the recliner and took a nap with me. There was a little webkins time for each of them, too. The second day, wrestling, teasing, antagonizing, you get the picture.

Today, after a 2 hour delay, they happily ran off to school.

whew.

oh, and they just returned... let the mayhem resume!

Pregnant Ladies Are Not Allowed...

To watch "Hallmark Hall of Fame" movies.

"Loving Leah" was on last night, and honestly, half a box of tissue later, I don't really know why I was blubbering. Hormones. ugh.

Anyway, I finished my no-purl monkeys in Vesper Yarn, Shout Out Loud.

Don't you love that you cannot really see how swollen my ankles are in this colorway?

I showed the Mister and I think he was startled by the color. The, "WHOA!" and slight jump in his chair gave me that idea. he-he. Eldest was happy to run upstairs and grab a bag for me.

Lookie-lookie, what was inside!
More Vesper sock yarn, Lovely Lollipop Sky!
The pattern is Groovy Socks.
There wasn't a picture that printed with the pattern. I, of course forgot what it looks like, and happily knit this up, right away!

I am a very happy girl :)

Now, the weather man is calling for some big snow to come tonight and tomorrow. I have a growing affinity for the 2 hour school delay... I really prefer not having to get up until 8!

Alas, as I begin the 3rd trimester of my pregnancy, the sleep deprivation training is beginning. I think that the only way not to be so tired is to quit doing laundry and dishes... and I would say cleaning the bathroom, but I kind of already have... unless the boys do some serious damage that cannot be ignored. Oh, and I guess I should quit going to school and volunteering and no more late nights knitting and... and .... nah, I can't give up my fun! Just the work. heh.

Show n Tell

Tell is fun, but Blogging is so much more fun when I have pictures to show!

This here is Eldest's Wonderful Wallaby.

Even though I am happy to have pictures, it would be nice if I took better ones...

but, as it is, the color of his sweater is really a hunter/forest green heather.The no purl monkeys that I started back in AUGUST (ugh) have found new attention.

This is the second sock, one repeat short of the heel.

A baby set in progress... but I don't think I am going to make the booties that are with this pattern, because the current issue of Piecework has a set of booties that are much more my taste... you know I am not a huge lover of garter stitch, but I like the garter rib. That magazine also has an Alice Starmore baby bonnet that is a must have.
And this is the niftiest idea! It is the real reason for renewed attention to the monkeys.
I saw that Mum was doing it and apparently she found inspiration on Ravelry. Either way, it is my personal Sock Club 2009.

I paired up patterns that I have wanted to knit with yarn in the stash, (fun and occasionally harder than I thought it would be) and then stuck it in a paper lunch sack and stapled the top. Never a disappointment, because I know that I want to make them! And, one thing that I wonder if it is considered with some of the sock clubs out there... I started with the pattern and picked yarn to go with it rather than "this is the yarn and this is the pattern" that don't necessarily go together.
I think I might need to start a set of boy bags. I am feeling a little knitters guilt that all those bags are socks for me.

Lastly, a glimpse of my Out n About Tote in progress.

All that fabric was in my stash.

The green was used in a quilt for INBA, the pink batik and the "Barbados" floral were just, "I love it, I must have it, I will use it someday" purchases.

Sweet, eh?

I am super looking forward to finishing it. (waiting for the feet I ordered)

Imagine the Potential

Nesting?

I don't have the energy, but I have been cleaning. Walls, baseboards, trying to declutter the counter where all things get piled. I have even been trying to get ufo's off the needles (only to begin more.) Can someone say... beginning the 7th month very soon? I am going to have to sweet talk the Mister to paint the nursery on his next Friday off... then I can think about curtains and that gorgeous little quilt I want to make and, and, and.... I am definitely going to need a nap this afternoon.

One other thing.
I didn't say enough about the sweater that Laurie made me for Christmas. When I read about it, I had no idea that I would be so lucky as to receive it. And having since received it... wow, what an awesome gift. And, I have received so many compliments! I think that even better than being able to say, "Oh, yes, I knit this." is to be able to say, "My friend made this for me!!"

Thank you, again. I am super lucky to have you as my friend, for so many reasons.

I'm So Excited!

Pictures!!

from New Years with cousins...of my Christmas present from Laurie (that is baby girl, there, making her blog debut)
of belated Christmas mits with my first use of the loop stitch on the cuff,
btw, I used jiffy yarn for the hand... it is so warm and soft! And I don't like acrylic!

of some baking... many birthdays this time of year here at Chez Mayhem. My cheat has always been a box cake with homemade frosting... I used the stand mixer this year to mix the batter... OMG! Way improved the texture. And the Betty Crocker chocolate frosting recipe is always a big hit, and very easy, too.

of chocolate chewy cookies...INBA loves to watch video clips on the internet and seems to especially enjoy the Cook's Illustrated website's video library. Good thing, it seems, because we found these cookies there. I promise you, if you love chocolate... well, INBA has added these to the family recipe binder under "INBA's favorite cookie." I cannot over state how awesome these cookies are.

And finally, of the Mister's Birthday.

Wow, check out the glow.
Happiest of years to you!!

Uninteresting

No pictures, again. I am going to guess that it is the firewall. I am secure, for sure.
Either that or my pictures are so bad and my blog so boring that I am being cut off.

So...
Everyone went back to school and work on Monday. I have been doing laundry and grocery shopping and having lunch with a friend. The lull is short lived. I looked at the calendar this afternoon and silly busy is about to strike again. Welcome to 2009.

I continue to be pregnant. Apparently, she has a trampoline in there. The boys have each felt her moving. INBA thinks it is pretty cool and frequently touches my belly and asks me to make her move. I am not sure that Eldest really believes it when he feels her. But he finds it fascinating and mistakes every gurgle of my abdomen for his sister. I tricked the Mister into feeling the baby. I have to trick him because he won't touch me when I tell him that she is moving around. He claims that it doesn't weird him out to feel the movement... but he jerks away when he feels her and won't touch me if I tell him that she is moving around. What would you think?

I have startitis in a bad way. I made a beautiful (if I do say so myself)bag for Julia for Wultide and now I am going to make one for myself. Different fabric, no matchy matchy here. And I didn't even take a picture of it before I gave it to her-not very secretly hoping she wouldn't like it and I would trade her a cocoa trio for it back :) I have high (probably too high) hopes that it is a perfect bag. Even if it falls short, it is darn close. And I want to make things for baby girl- I have a little cardi in progress that I was hoping to be the welcome home outfit, but I am not loving it like that, and I have this crazy notion to knit her baptism outfit. CQ gave me a great book for Wultide and I actually want to knit everything in it, but had better start on the baptism gown first if it has any hope of being completed in time. I could sew one for her, too, but... I don't know what. And I bought some yarn, just some wool-ease on sale at Michaels, to make Eldest a wallaby. Not to mention the lonely glove with 3 fingers and the single mitt and the mis matched pair of socks waiting for the perfect mates. I guess if my calendar isn't crazy busy, my mind makes up stuff for me to be busy just wishing I could get done tomorrow!!

This is too long for a post without pictures. I will try to get my issues resolved with my tech guy, um, Mister. Until then... I hope something interesting happens that I can tell you about.