Getting ready to send off 2013

It seriously seems like yesterday when we were just welcoming 2013, and welcoming Nathan into the family. With our little guy's birthday so close to New Year's, it hits home how quickly the days are passing. Then again, this past year has been really fun, so maybe that's why it went by so fast.

This year on Facebook I attempted to post at least one photo for video every day. It turned out to be a remarkably good photo diary of every day life, particularly since the kids featured quite prominently in them. I've been going through my old posts just to look at them and reflect on the year. Here's a few favourites that I think really captured our first year as a family of four.

Up until he was about 4 or 5 months old, Nathan was the type of kid who needed to be held in order to nap. I think I was more okay with that this time around. Knowing that he's our last baby probably was a factor.

This was Andrew and Nathan's first ride together at Canada's Wonderland. I loved how happy Andrew was to have his little brother with him, even if Nathan didn't totally know what was happening. 

Nathan has been hitting all his mobility milestones faster than Andrew did. I'm not sure why that is, but I suspect it's because he's not as heavy as Andrew was so he doesn't need to build up as much muscle. I still remember coming in to check on him after his nap and being greeted by this sight. He was just so happy with himself that it was hard to stay shocked for too long. Needless to say, Jamie's first task when coming home that day was to lower the base of the crib. 

Despite the look on Andrew's face, he loved meeting Mickey. It was on this trip that he became obsessed with Ariel, and the rest of the gang from The Little Mermaid. This was a trip that Jamie's dad arranged, and it was for the entire Wells clan. We had a truly amazing time, and I can't wait to bring the boys back to Disney World when they're a little older. 

The entire crew enjoying dinner on our last night at Disney

When Nathan was able to sit up and crawl around on his own, Andrew seemed to become more interested in what his little brother was up to. No big fights yet, but Nathan did get his first bloody nose thanks to some roughhousing.

This was the first year where Andrew actually started to grasp Halloween. I took him out trick-or-treating, and he really liked it. We only did about 5 houses before he got a bit scared and asked to go inside, but he liked the whole process of getting candy. These photos were taken at a Halloween party with friends.

Andrew had stopped drinking a cup of warm milk before bed for a while, but wanted to take up the habit again when Nathan would have his bottle before bedtime. Now, Andrew will say something to the effect of "And now gonna have milk together," before laying down with Nathan for their pre-bed drink.

Here's Nathan at around 10 and half months old (almost 11 months, I think) being a total cutie. I took this photo on an unseasonably warm day. I think it captures his cheerful nature.

There will come a day when Nathan will be embarrassed by this picture, but until then, I will post it proudly on this blog.

I've got a few more of Andrew playing in the snow, but I will save those for another post, probably lumped in with a recap of Christmas. I'm hoping Grandpa Wells didn't get the boys too much stuff, but it wouldn't be the same if he didn't.

Now, on to the requisite crafting stuff (this is a craft blog after all). I managed to finish one thing, and make good progress on another.

I finally finished the blanket! Yay! I took so long on it that I've decided not to give it to Nathan, but gift it to my brother and his wife for the baby girl they are expecting in April.

And here's all the progress I've managed on these socks in the past 5 or 6 months. Pretty dismal. I'm making the heel flap right now, so I suppose I'm about half way done? I'm not sure what I think of the way the yarn colours are pooling, but I'm not going to frog it at this point.

And that's about it for me. I'll try to post a little more often despite my lack of crafting. There's always stories to tell when it comes to the kids :) Take care!!

Trying something new

I'm guessing it was on the news enough lately, but just in case anyone wasn't aware, Toronto experienced a big rainstorm on Monday that resulted in widespread flooding. A GO train was flooded and passengers had to be rescued, and some people even abandoned their cars when they becane submerged in water. The Don River crested, and flooded out the DVP. All in all, pretty spectacular stuff.

Thanks to all that flooding, we lost power for just about 2 days. Not the most fun I've ever had, particularly in some of the hottest, humidest weather we've had in a while. I'll spare you all the details, but let's just say that it's hard to explain something like that to a 3yr old who just wants some milk to drink and some light to read by (or fend off whatever gremlins he thinks are lurking in the dark).

This resulted in me eventually seeking refuge at Jamie's aunt's place so that Nathan and I wouldn't have to hang out in crowded coffee shops hoping for some AC and working outlets. Thanks to that respite, I was able to start some socks using a technique that I've long been interested in trying - two at a time socks on circular needles. So far so good. I'm enjoying the color, and while I could probably do with longer circulars, it's not a super difficult technique to get the hang of. Not sure how long it'll take to finish, but at least I'll have a pair instead of a lonely single.

Planning for the holidays

The last little while hasn't been devoid of crafting, though I've been pretty slow with things. I have some fun DIY stuff that I've been doing, but I can't post it here just yet because they're Christmas gifts that I'm planning to give away.

I do have a couple things that I've been working on gift-wise that I CAN post about here. The first is a Citron that I've just set out to block tonight.

It's made out of Dream in Color Starry, in the colour In Vino Veritas. This was a great subway knit since it doesn't take a whole lot of brain power. I was a little surprised how much bigger it got after blocking.


Another thing I've been working on is improving my crochet skills. I'm currently working on a doggy amigurumi toy pattern called Buffy.

As you can see, I'm not exactly done yet, but I've been having a lot of fun with it. Since it's a toy, I just picked up some acrylic worsted weight at Michaels. Cheap and cheerful. I've finished all the limbs, and am working on the body now.

In other news, I've discovered Pintrest recently, and have been having lots of fun with it. Mostly, I've been using it to keep track of recipes I'd like to try, DIY projects, and some helpful hints for organizing and/or cleaning the house. Very domestic, I know. Still, I've learned a bunch of nice little tricks that have come in handy leading up to the holiday season.

Hope you're all doing well!

Some things the same, some things a little different

Hi there, good 'ole blog. Yes, it's been a while; I hear ya. To tell you the truth, I haven't really managed to get much knitting done for a while. Here's a photo explaining a good chunk of the reason why. Andrew is a real handful these days - 2 years old already!

And just as the photo would imply, I am expecting again. Baby Wells #2 on the way sometime between Dec and Jan.

Below are some photos of stuff he's been up to this summer. We've taken him to Canada's Wonderland a couple times (getting a season's pass next year for him), and he was the ring bearer at my brother's wedding.

Even with all that, I did manage to get a few things done. I finished that Baby Yours sweater, but was on such a deadline to finish that I didn't manage to take any photos. I also finished knitting my Milkweed Shawl, but it still needs a blocking. I've started a baby blanket for the little one on the way.

It's made out of Dream in Color Classy, in the colour Good Luck Jade. From the first photo, you might be able to see that the two skeins I got don't seem quite the same. I checked that they were the same dye lot when I got the yarn, but perhaps I was mistaken. I have since lost the ball bands, so I can't confirm. Even though it looks a little weird, I don't want to rip it all back so that I can better integrate the two shades by alternating their use. If the baby isn't going to be fussed about it, neither am I.

Lastly, I've been wanting to try something a little different than my usual yarn crafts, and picked up some Pyssla beads from Ikea a while back. Here's what I made with them.

This first attempt was pretty fun, and I quite like the result. My plan is to glue some black felt to the back side, and make a few more of them with different colors. I realized a little while ago that we have no coasters in our house, so these would make a nice, if not geeky, set to fill that void.

Almost there!

I've finally finished putting all the squares together for my friend's blanket. Now, that doesn't mean it's done, not by a long shot. One look at the photos will tell you why.



See all those ends that I need to weave in? Yeah...there's a whole lotta them. Plus there's a dark blue border that's supposed to go around the whole thing. But good lord, the ends that need weaving in...It's my least favourite part of completing a project, so I'm really hoping that I don't procrastinate too much on it. I'm setting myself a goal to weave in 3 ends every day, so hopefully it won't take too long.

I've started a new project too: the Five-Way Cable Shrug by Lily Chin. I've decided to make it using some Malabrigo that I've had stashed originally intending to knit myself a February Lady sweater with it. I've obviously changed my mind about the sweater, and think that the shrug will be a nice versatile piece that will be great in the transition from winter to spring. I think I may even have enough yarn left over to make a hat, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Plugging away

I am finally going to post about something craft related!

Remember that blanket that Elaine and I were making that was still a WIP? Well, we continue to work on it. I've finished adding the crochet border to each square, and am now blocking them all so they can be joined together.


I had all these grand plans to block the whole whack of them, but ran into a serious bottle-neck: I didn't have enough pins. Of all things to hold you back! And plus it takes about 2 days for those puppies to dry completely. And so, I'm not finished the blocking process yet. Sigh. For once, it's not me that's slowing down the whole process.

Next post: Why I love, love, love, the Toronto Public Library.

Hmmm.

A few months ago, Woolgirl was having a sale on a whole bunch of different worsted weight yarns. So I bought some Madelinetosh Tosh Worsted in the colourway "Seaglass":



I knew it was going to be a bright, vibrant green from the photo on the website, but somehow I wasn't expecting quite this degree of electric neon-ness. It's in the process of being turned into this:



Will I be able to pull this colour off? Am I carrying my love of green too far? Will it be a fun awesome sweater or will I end up blinding passers-by? Stay tuned! =)


P.S. I totally fell off the yarn diet wagon. Some Calmer at >50% off was calling my name. I couldn't not do it!

Knitting on a deadline

Went to Ottawa for Kim's baby shower, and still wasn't done the second sweater that I wanted to give her. I'm usually pretty good at knitting for a deadline, but with the whole house thing, I've been a little preoccupied. I was close enough though that I thought I could finish on the drive up. This is as far as I got.


I think I would've finished had I not forgotten my dpns at home. And so, I presented the almost finished sweater to her, and then took it back with me so I could finish the ties before giving it back to her. So close, yet so far. Oh well. It's still a pretty sweet little sweater, and since I made the 12mo size, I'll see her again before the baby fits into it. I highly recommend Helena as a pattern, and Swish superwash as a yarn - this was a really enjoyable knit.

Halfway there

Just a little update on the progress of my Fiddleheads.


The cat seems to give it his seal of approval.

As I mentioned before, I decided to knit the second using magic loop instead of dpns. I hadn't really anticipated that the simple act of eliminating the need to change between needles would significantly speed up my knitting. But it did. And so...


I took that picture before blocking. They are currently drying after a good soak, and I think most of the funny bumps and curls are pretty much gone. Now, on to the lining!

I am determined to prove Jamie wrong, and finish them before the weather gets warm.

Fledgling Fiddleheads

I've been working on my new Fiddlehead Mittens in the hopes of finishing them before the winter is over. It's been going faster than I thought. However, I'm getting the feeling that I'm not really very good at picking colours. Here's why.


While I love the look of the dark purple against the grey-ish brown, I'm not so sure about that lavender. Granted, the photo makes it look lighter than it reality. Looking at it sitting next to my laptop, I am able to see the swirly motif quite nicely, so I guess it's not too bad.

I was considering frogging the lavender part and just stick with just the dark purple and grey-brown, but as I write this post and keep looking at the mitten itself, I think I'm going to keep plugging away at it. For the second mitten, I'm considering using magic loop; not totally sure yet though.

Opinions welome

I took the opportunity to photograph what I've knit so far of Baby Yours in some natural light this morning (and let me tell you we've had very little natural light lately), and that's what it looks like.

So, before I venture forth with the rest of this sweater, I'd like to solicit some opinions from you. Keep on knitting, or start a-froggin'?

[And in case any of you are wondering, I do have my own opinions about this, but I wanted to see what you all say without me polluting your initial thoughts.]

Thanks, everyone!

Well, it didn't take me long to get back on the knitting band-wagon. I'm out of my slump! I actually wound up doing pretty much everything that all you lovely people suggested to me. I indulged in other hobbies (a little crochet, some cooking, and reading), decided to start a new project, hung out for a little bit with other knitters, and purchased some more yarn. So, thank you, all you wonderful people you.

Here's the project I decided to start -- the Curvy sweater in Zen Yarn Garden's Gemilicious.

I absolutely love the colour. Just looking at it makes me happy. (Oh my gosh! I actually knit something of a gauge swatch!)

And then, a friend of mine from work found out that her best friend is now pregnant, and you all know what that means! Just like that, we were searching for baby blanket patterns for her to try (she's a bit of a novice knitter, but with great potential), and then it was off to Lettuce Knit to look for supplies. Once there, it was impossible for me not to get something. Or a few somethings.

Some Jojoland Rhythm for another EZ BSJ for my pregnant friend who's decided not to find out the baby's gender in advance.

And some happy, orange Koigu for me. I want some fun and flashy socks. The colour in the photo is quite bad since taking photos in the middle of the night proves, again, to be my nemesis. Let me assure you, this yarn is quite a brilliant shade of orange.

Since I'm on the topic of socks, I forgot to mention that back on Sept 24, Laura Chau had a book launch party at Lettuce Knit for her first book. I really wanted to go, but had a rehearsal to go to. That didn't stop me from popping into the store and picking up a copy to support a super awesome knitter.

I lucked out, and Laura was even there to autograph it for me! Exciting! Please forgive the horrible, out of focus photo.

I understand what the Harlot meant

Remember this post? Well, I sort of get it now. I haven't even finished one measly Tulip sweater yet, but I already want to buy more. And more and more and more, in a bunch of different colour combinations (I already have one other kit, but I want like 3 or 4. Or 5).



This is the squishiest yarn ever! And so easy to work with! And look at the pretty colours! Yeah, I know that everyone else in the entire world has already knit with it, but I didn't realize just how great it was until I finally tried it for myself. Must. Buy. More.

This little cardigan isn't being knit for any baby in particular, in fact it's MINE and will stay MINE so I can pet it and look at all the pretty colours forever and ever. Oh, and humiliate my cat with it, too. I think she actually liked this one, though.

Like a giant colour card

A couple of weeks ago, I needed something relatively mindless to take to knitgroup. I'm sort of tired of knitting socks for the time being, so I dug around and pulled this out.



That's a Sophie's Toes Magic Ball that I bought from someone who was destashing on Ravelry. I'd admired this sock yarn from afar for a while because the colourways are incredibly pretty, but I've never actually bought any because a)I usually miss the updates, b)I can't decide which colourway to get, and c)I have way too much sock yarn and am trying to be good.

The Magic Ball is several different colourways put together for a total of ~15 different "blocks" of colour (there are a couple of repeats). It came with a pattern for a simple scarf, so I cast on and started a little basketweave pattern.



The knitting is indeed very mindless, and it's incredibly fun to see all the different colours emerge. I think a Magic Ball is a marvellous idea, because I get to play with several different gorgeous colourways (yay! pretty colours!) without having to actually knit an entire pair of socks out of each one.

And, just because, here's a photo of the "real" Sophie's toes. =)

Kitty pieces

Stackable cat fever hit, and I decided to finish knitting up the little appendages today, and felt them.



Doesn't look like much yet, but I have faith that a cute and cuddly kitty is hiding in there somewhere. The pieces are drying as we speak, so I should be able to sew everything up this weekend. I decided not to felt it too much because I wanted the stitch definition to still be there. I'm quite a novice felter, so I'm not really sure if what I did was correct, but I guess we'll see!

No monkeys on my back

So, it seems that I have fallen prey to 'second sock syndrome'. It's not that I haven't started my second Monkey, because I have (only on the 3rd repeat of the lace pattern for the leg though, and definitely not worth taking a photo of), but I couldn't help falling victim to the cuteness of some of the patterns over at Mochimochi Land, and wound up buying a couple of them. I wound up getting the patterns for Stackable Cats, and Pepto and Tums.

Sad to say, I've already cast on for the small version of a stackable cat - the body, and 2 ears are finished. I just need to finish up the arms, legs and tail. All the little pieces seemed a bit odd to take a picture of, so I'll take a picture when it's all done. I'm a little scared of how much seaming is required, but I need practice anyway. And what better way to do it than to churn out lots of cute little kitties?

I seriously wanted to buy a lot more patterns (Tubby was just so cute!), and this has kinda gotten me on a toy making groove. It's going to take some discipline for me to get my sock and garment projects done now! Haha!

Peer pressure knitting (aka Karen is neurotic)

Two posts in one day! Must be a blue moon out or something =D

Have you ever been kinda peer pressured into knitting something? This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Here's my story about it. Through Ravelry, I participated in a Knit it Forward exchange. For this exchange, we didn't have to make a finished item - rather, we were to send yarn and a pattern. I received a lovely, lovely package, and stored it away for later knitting.

That is, until I checked the group a couple days ago, and people are starting to post pictures of things they knit from their packages. All of a sudden, I wondered if my package giver would think that I was an ungrateful recipient if I didn't start on the project she had sent me.

And so, I cast on 108 stitches to make the lace cowl pattern that she sent me using the fluffy Red Heart Symphony she also sent over. The pattern itself is nice and simple, but I am reminded of why I don't usually like working with fuzzy yarns. Still, it's knitting up so airy and light that I think I can forgive it.


I added a slight twist, literally, to this project. I always wanted to try that Mobius type scarf/cowl thing, so I intentionally twisted my stitches when I joined in the round. We'll see how it turns out.

Out of curiosity, do any of you know how to block a lace item knit in the round? I've only ever blocked flat lace items.

Pretty....

Colinette Absolutely Fabulous throw in the Antique (#11) colourway, halfway done. Being knit at a rate of 8 rows per hour. Approximately 12 hours left to knit, not including fringing (I'm usually not a huge fan of fringe, but I think it is definitely called for in this case). That's a lot of Law and Order reruns!



I'm really liking this knit so far. Some of the yarns are a bit fiddly to work with, and I've managed to mess up the pattern already (I added in some extra rows to compensate), but you can't tell at all and the final product will be very cuddly and soft and warm.

This is a present for my mom, I can't recall which occasion (birthday? Christmas?) it's supposed to be for. At any rate, it will get done this year. =)