Don’t blink,

because it all goes so fast! Everyone says it, but you don’t believe it until it happens. 10 years ago on the first day of Spring Corra was born. She was the perfect little baby, so sweet with a small bit of hair, a cute little mouth, 10 fingers, 10 toes.  Her Dad and I talked about names, we wanted something unique but not bizarre, and it helped that he always wanted to name his baby girl Cora after one of the women with a name in the Last of the Mohican’s. It is a perfect name for her.  We added an extra r, cause we think it looks better.

It wasn’t until after we moved to PA that we learned of more name connections. My husband’s (at the time, now ex.) parents found that 2 generations ago there was a woman who lived in their house named Cora. When I purchased this house I found out that the woman who lived here the longest was named Coral. But her friends called her Code or Cora. Occasionally we will run into someone named Cora. Not very often. But its fun when we do.

Anyway, I blinked. And it all went by so fast, before I knew it she was entering double digits and growing up. I don’t know who gave her permission, it certainly wasn’t me. I want to take every day slowly, from the moment I crack open my eyes and slam the snooze button to the moment that I lay my head down to go to sleep. No matter what I do the days zoom right by, and the kids grow up. I know I can’t slow it down, but I’m certainly going to enjoy it while I can… And give them plenty to talk about in therapy, cause there is a good chance they are going to end up there anyway. Might as well have something “good” to talk about, like how damaging it is when I act like a pirate and only let them get out of the starboard side of the van. *snicker*Its way too much fun.

Isn’t it crazy how much she looks like me? Which means she looks like her Mema too (sorry Mom, gesh! ; ) . Anyway, more on her sweater which has been finished forever. Her sweater is her February Lady Sweater, which I made her wear today so I could take new pictures since her looks have changed so much since I took pictures in September.

stats:

Pattern: February Lady Sweater by pamela wynne

Started August 16 2008

Completed September 9 2008

Yarn – 3 skeins Dream in Color Classy colorway some summer sky purchased from The Loopy Ewe.

Needle’s US 8 (5.0mm) and US 10 (6.0mm)

Mods: Didn’t cast on for the 7 underarm sts. like I did for mine. As mine seemed really wide on her. I ended up picking up some stitches and decreasing them down, so there wasn’t a hole under the arm.

more notes on ravelery here. Wayyyy more pictures on flickr. The beautiful buttons are from Phenix Potter. (so pretty!)

Happy Birthday kid. Double Digits. Wow. Quit growing up so fast damnit! And by the way, if you want another sweater, wear the one I made you more often.

Holy crap. My mother just came outta my mouth!

PS. Made a bunch of clutches for Corra’s sleepover party. The girls loved it, and had a blast at the party.

PPS. Started Acer Thursday, had to frog back last night and start over since I wonked out the yoke.

PPS. Last week started out good, Monday the porch was finished yay! Then it started to suck, got a speeding ticket (first one in 5 years. gr), the furnace died, then replaced the furnace. This will be a better week. Urgh.

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It’s Stripe-tac-ular!

(sung to the tune of 007’s theme song) Stripe’s, Stripe’s, Stripe’s

Stripe’s, stripe’s, stripe’s

Stripe’s, Stripe’s, Stripe’s

striiiiiipppppppeeeeee’s!

(don’t worry, I’m starting to think that there is something seriously wrong with my brain too. Who else looks at this sweater and starts humming 007’s theme song and thinking stripes in there head?)

onto the good stuff, I *think* I figured out the whole top down raglan shaping thing! It took me a bit to figure it all out (like what 8 months I’ve been thinking about it?), and a bit of head hurting too. I measured where I wanted the sweater to fall on my neck 21″ and then I multiplied it by my gauge (4.5) and then fudged the number so it was divisible by 3 (CO 96sts). Why three? Cause the front and back are each one third, and the sleeves are half of a third. (Make sense?) I have no idea why it took me so long to figure it out. But after I finished the green tweed it totally clicked and I’m thrilled. (If only I had this much time in geometry, I probably woulda gotten a B!) Anyway, I knit 8 rows of k2, p2 then knit one row with the MC (white). Placed raglan markers as follows 16(sleeve)pm, 32 (back)pm, 16 (sleeve)pm 32 (front) eor marker. Next row increase using MC by knitting to 2 sts before each marker kfb, k1, sm, k1 kfb. around. Next row change color using stationary jogless stripes technique. Increased on 2nd row, not on color change row.  I kept increasing until the sweater was just under my arms, put the sleeves on hold, and CO 8 sts for underarms. Added a bit of waist shaping and Finished body with 2” of k2, p2 ribbing BO in pattern.  Now onto the sleeves. I wasn’t sure if I had enough yarn. So, I split the last ball in half, I had a little bit leftover from the body which I used some of on the sleeves.  Anyway I picked up the 8sts casted on for underarm, decreased every 1.5 down to 34 sts for cuff then knit one row before starting the ribbing. K2, p2 for 16 rows before binding off in pattern. See where I screwed up a bit and added a “design element”? There are two sets of 3 rows of the noro on both sleeves. I didn’t discover I did this on the first sleeve until I started the cuff. I kinda like it, and wasn’t about to rip it out. Mostly because the mohair in the yarn was starting to bother my hands. And now all my stash that has mohair in it is up for sale or trade here on the blog or on ravelry. Funny, cause the finished sweater doesn’t seem to bother me…. much…. I’ve worn it three times already…. anyway…

pattern stats:
3rd nakniswemodo
raveled here.
Started March 1 2009
Completed March 8 2009 (I don’t know how, it just flew. I was compelled. Had to see what color came next and if I would have enough yarn.)
Needle’s US 7 (4.5 mm) for the ribbing and US 8 (5.0 mm) for the body.
Yarn- Main Color 2.9 skeins Naturally Hand Knit Harmony 8 Ply (purchased on sale at Natural Stitches)
2.84 Noro Silk Garden Colorway 232 (purchased at Knit Happens in Alexandria, Virginia 4 years ago)
Notes:  Should have added more shaping. It’s a little boxy. This was the first time I have ever used a jog-less stripe technique, so of course I thought it was best to you know, learn on a sweater. Not handwarmers, or a hat. Next time (yes there will be a next time, even though there are times I find the stripes a bit intoxicating cute) I’m going to put the color change right after the right shoulder’s raglan marker. Where the k1 is, before the increase. So the jog is right under my arm, and a little more hidden. Yes, it does bother me a bit that is so visible on the back, the sleeves as you can see are better. But I’m a nit picky PITA. However, I still love the STRIPES!

PS. Happy Pi day tomorrow! We’re going to measure round stuff and have pot pie’s for dinner and chocolate pie for dessert.
PPS I have another obsession. Had to get this design outta my head!
PPPS see the new bed pillows? They have a story too, and I know as soon as Mike sees them I know he’s going to sigh and say more pillows? hehehe. (Hopefully soon I’ll have a headboard for my bed, its way to hard to find a headboard for a California king!)

Dear Mom and Dad

Jess too,

I am so sorry for all those little weird little food things I did. Dad, for leaving a spoonful all of your Ben and Jerry’s Heath bar crunch (might have been Jess’s for all I can remember now). Jess, for eating the filling of some of your double stuff oreo’s and leaving a pile of just the cookie part. Mom, for leaving you with that little square of those butterscotch brownies (you shoulda taken them to work with you) and for the candy corn incident where I ate the white tips off the candy corns and left a pile next to the computer which you ate, cause you didn’t realize till you where done all the tips where missing.
I’m getting my retribution.
The other night I let the kids play restaurant, they wanted to use real food. Since we have an abundance of GS cookies I let them serve cookies. Everyone got to have one of each flavor. I didn’t finish mine by Allysa and Bryce’s bedtime and I left my plate next to the computer. I let Corra play on the computer while I put the others to bed. When I was done it was her turn. After all the darlings where sound asleep I got ready to read my bloglines and picked up my cookie. There was something missing.

someone licked the peanut butter outta the middle of it.

PS finished my stripe-ta-cular sweater last night. Pictures soon, it sure is stripey!

green tweed

A few weeks ago, after the last session of the BSJ class I took at Stitch Your Art out in State College I had a hankering for some tweed. Boy, did they have some good choices. But the Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed in this awesome green color (292111) couldn’t be ignored. I wasn’t sure how much yardage I would need since it was a chunky weight. This stuff is a bit pricy, but oh so pretty… I asked Cynthia how many hanks she thought I should get and she pulled out the knitters handy pocket reference (I can’t remember its exact name, it has a chart based on gauge and bust size to tell you about how much yarn one would need). My only griped about the chart is… it says I have the chest size of a 8 year old.  Srsly, I know that I don’t have much up top, however  I didn’t need a laminated chart to tell me that.  I’m going to try to look at it as a good thing cause it meant that I would need a little less than 6 hanks.  And cause I’m ok with my body image.  Now yarn usually hangs out in my stash for awhile before I start something with it, but with this I was worried about having enough yarn. A part of my brain kept saying “650 yards for a sweater?! No way.” I had to cast on right away, and finish it quick, quick, quick. Just in case I needed more, it would be easier to find.

So ater I finished up Kailey’s BSJ (yeah, its done. I’ll show you. Soon. Its hard to get decent “action shots” where you can actually see the sweater not a colorful blur). I knit up a little swatch, measured it, washed it and hid it from my children just in case I would need the extra yarn. Swatches are usually stolen to be used for doll blankets, doll house rugs or pirate eye patches. Yes, my children can be very imaginative. They are also driving me freaking nutters, is it Spring yet?! I got a crick in my neck and my eye won’t stop twitching.  Gesh, they have cabin fever, b.a.d. Anyway, I don’t know why I knit a swatch really, maybe to see what the yarn did after it hit water? It did help me choose what size needle to use. I loved the fabric on the US 10.5 (6.5mm) US 11 ( 8mm) seemed way to loose. The yarn does really bloom up and drape after a good soak. But it didn’t help me figure out how many stitches to cast on for the yoke, I get raglan construction now. That I’m done with this sweater, cause yeah I’m slow like that.

I searched all around ravelry for a pattern to use for this yarn. Couldn’t find anything that spoke to me. I absolutely wanted something super simple in this yarn, to show off the friggen gorgeousness of it. I envisioned a garter yoke cardigan and my vision wasn’t wavering. After I searched and searched. Tried one of the raglan calculators, didn’t agree with it. 40sts for the collar? Um, no. I had my oh-duh-aha moment. I thought about the shalom sweater and how high it sits up on my neck. I thought about how many I cast on for that and thought well, maybe a couple more would work. (Very mathematically scientific, right?) So I CO 64sts knit 4 rows. And used a bit of EZ genius I put buttonholes on both sides (just like the bsj) so it would be easier when it came time to sew on the buttons. My button hole rows (which I repeated a total of 6 times, ever 8th garter ridge) k3, y k2tog, knit to last 4sts k1, yo k2tog, k2. kit one row. While doing this I increased to 70sts and then placed my raglan markers (k14 pm, k13 pm, k16 pm, k13 pm, k14) for no better reason than I thought I should, and so the collar area would be a bit smaller than the yoke area. Yeah, makes no sense. I know.  I increases before and after each marker (increases where next to each other making a visible “line”) I kept increasing until just under my shoulders. (30 sts for each front, 41 sts for each sleeve, and 42 sts for the back.) after I put the sleeves on hold I casts on 3 sts for each underarm. I’m not to sure how I feel about the increases being very visible, granted this might just be something that I see.

It wasn’t until I was almost done, way past my waist that I thought of waist shaping. I probably could have used some, but its ok with out it.  For the bottom hem I worked 7 rows garter. Cast off on the purl side. Cause I just like they way it looks, it looks so much cleaner. And started sleeves, while I trolled around etsy searching for the perfect wood buttons. I searched through so many pages, and pages and pages of wood buttons. There where many choices. And I wasn’t quite sure how big my buttonholes would end up being. I feel in love with Jay at Wooden Treasure’s buttons. Really, how could I not? I ordered a set for this sweater and another for a future, while I was waiting I worked on the sleeves. And for the sleeve decreases I k5 rows, decrease 2 sts 8 times (started with 47 sts, decrease down to 31) and knit it till I came to about 1″ before my wrist. Worked 4 garter ridges, using the jogless garter technique. (Kathryn Ivy explains it well right here.) And again I bound off on the purl side, that would be right after the last ridge.  It didn’t take long for the buttons to arrive and they are perfect, beautiful and extactly as pictured.

pattern stats:
2nd NaKniSweMoDo sweater.
pattern: my own. if you want to go that far.
yarn: 5.42 skeins (590.8 yards)Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed Colorway 292111
purchased at Stitch Your Art Out in Pine Grove Mills, Pennsylvania
needles: US 10½ / 6.5 mm
started: February 17 2009
completed February 24 2009
raveled here. With the notes too.
notes about the yarn: of the 6 hanks that I wound, 2 had knots where 2 yards where added on to make the correct yardage. (gr) Still a lovely yarn to work with, blooms beautifully and surprisingly soft!

Final notes: green + tweed + wood buttons = L O V E
Cynthia, I ran outta yarn….. I think I need more ; )

PS. Lest you think I’ve been having a good run with sweater luck, last week I casted on for Wisteria. Hoping that if I dropped down needle sizes I could get a smaller gauge using yarn that I purchased for it at Rhinebeck. No such luck. The smallest size is a 37″ and for my apparent 8 year old chest, that’s ubber big, I’m going to need some dk weight yarn. Cause the solana, isn’t going to work.