What I've Been Making, Besides Dave

If you go over to the sidebar and click on my etsy link, you can see all the mittens and fingerless mittens I've been working on this winter since I got my knitting mojo back. There are twice as many there, I just didn't want to put all those pictures here and make the page load so very slowly.

Anyway, my mojo went away for awhile, but not really for very long. It got a big boost on New Year's Day when Sister and I hit the annual sale at Patternworks. My favorite part of their sale is not the 20% off all yarns, but instead it's the "orphan" baskets all over the store that are full of single skeins all marked down 50%. Sometimes there are multiple skeins of a single type or color of yarn--I've scored some Koigu this way, among others--and it's one way I can try out different yarns that I might not be able to afford any other way.

Case in point: that first pair of gray cabled fingerless mittens. It's made of Pure Merino by Berrocco and it's lovely to touch and to work with, but I could never afford a sweater's worth of the stuff. However, one skein at 50% off is doable. And just enough for a pair of mitts. Apparently that particular yarn winds up in the orphan bin quite a lot due to the fact that the skeins don't stay wrapped particularly well. Patternworks doesn't put skanky looking loose skeins out on the floor. They mark them down, God bless their sweet hearts. I don't care about loose yarn!

I made some Klingon mitts, the purple and teal ones with black trim over there, from a single skein of Plymouth Boku. It stripes up a lot like Noro. In fact, it reminds me quite a lot of Noro. It doesn't felt like Noro, though. Not as well, anyway. Found the one skein of that and scoffed it up.

The red lacy mitts are from a very soft 100% merino wool whose name escapes me. But I got one ball in red, one in white, and one in yellow.

So, while on that day I added to my stash, I've been chipping away at it bit by bit.

Right now, in an exercise in stash-busting, I'm making the Bug a sweater from some yarn I purchased to fill a customer order, only to have her change her mind before I could start it. It was just as well because I didn't much feel like knitting it at the time. And now I'm making the sweater for Bug but with some modifications.

I also made a sweet short-sleeved cotton baby sweater out of leftover odds and ends of sport weight cotton that I had hanging around. I'll probably get that listed next, along with a toddler cotton sweater as well. And a few chemo caps as well. Then some felted and not-so-felted bags. And hats.

Not to mention the three tiny gowns I made for Christopher's Angels that need a bit of finishing before going on their way to England.

Why am I sitting her typing? Sheesh!

Dave's a BOY!

Check out the junk on that kid! That's no umbilical cord, baby...that's a weenie! Side view. He obligingly turned head down to show his twig and berries, then turned sideways so that the tech might get some good hearbeat, spine, and leg and arm shots. He's very cute.
We're having a boy! Time to go buy some "boy" yarn!

Houston, We Have Pee

Bobo has been using her potty all morning! I'm so excited I don't know whether to shit or go blind.

Honestly, this is probably the happiest day of my whole life, or at least my happiest day of her whole life! A few piddle accidents here and there, but she knows when she has to go and she gets on her little potty chair and does it.

So, she might--MIGHT--actually be potty trained before she's four, and more importantly, she MIGHT actually be trained before Dave comes and gets all the diapers.

Oh, that would be so sweet...

And in other exciting news, God willing and the creek don't rise and we can get the tickets, DH is taking me to see Def Leppard for my birthday! And better than that? REO Speedwagon and Styx are opening for them!

I don't know how this day could get any better. Perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket...

The Trouble With Snow Days

Well, besides the fact that Bug will be in school in July. Honestly, why do schools have the summer off? Wouldn't it make more sense to have the winter off so that if it snows, no harm done? And think of the money the district would save heating the school! How often would they have to call off school in the summer because of weather? Around here, not much.

Anyway, the biggest problem with a snowy day is that it's the perfect day for me to wash and photograph all the new fingerless mittens I've been working on for my etsy shop, if only it wasn't so freaking DARK in here! I've got 8 pair done and one on the needles. My New Year's Day purchases from Patternworks didn't even have time to make it into the stash!

I also have a bit of finishing work to do on the tiny baby gowns for Christopher's Angels before I can send them out. It's just a smidge of sewing, but I'm not feeling like sewing these days, to tell the truth.

Today I am also singing at a funeral, snow or no snow. I expect the snow will keep some people away, which is bad for the family but good for me. Less people to make me nervous and all. I live just up the hill from the church, so no big commute for me or anything. Another plus, and I hate to say it, is that the choir members who are retired won't come out to sing with us. The choir director would prefer it if there was only a cantor, herself, and the organist at funerals. It's easier to get quality control that way. After all, like weddings, funerals are special occasions and you want the music to be good. And if the whole choir came, that would be great. But it's just the elderly ladies of the choir. One makes up her own descants. One is a soprano that always sings sharp and loud and consequently sounds a bit like a cat in heat. And Ellie...dear, sweet Ellie...she's an alto and can't carry a tune in a bucket. Blended in with a full chorus, one doesn't notice these things, but when they're your backup singers, it's noticed.

I actually think it's sweet and kind of funny. As long as they don't throw me off. It doesn't take much. I'm susceptible.

Wow, it's really coming down out there. It's pretty. We've had our annual January thaw and things are icy and grey and ugly, so this is a timely addition to the landscape. I don't mind snow, but I prefer it to be pretty. This is pretty.

In stomach ailment news, Bug spent Saturday night awake and puking, but was better on Sunday. Sunday went by nicely until about dinnertime when Bobo started fussing. She fussed in the bath and said she wanted to get out, so I got her into clean jammies and onto my lap for a snuggle.

You know what's coming, don't you?

Yeah, she puked all over herself, me, and the living room.

Had to haul Bug out of the bath so I could put Bo back in, wash her jammies and my clothes, change, and start the laundry. DH was up at my Sister's watching football so I called him down to clean up the living room while I attended to Bobo. Then when Bo was clean again I went it and recleaned the living room to get all the barf he missed.

I was actually in tears last night at the lastest recurrence. I'm starting to think that this 'thing' will never go away. Just when you think it's gone...RRRRRRALLLLLLLPPHHHHHH.

It's enough to make a woman go off the deep end, you know?

Ah well, I better think about getting some clothes together.

(Bobo just came up to me and asked if she could get up on me. I said to her, "Last time you were up on me, you puked on me. You gonna puke on me again?" Her reply? "Yeah, so Papa will have to come down from Tanta and Baboo's house." You see what I'm up against?)

The Creeping Crud

Or as it is otherwise known, the Fungus Amongus. Have you heard? It's humongous.

Whatever it is, we've got it.

I got it first. I was eating supper nice as can be on Wednesday night, felt just fine, and then the noises started. Disturbing noises from the depths of my being. Rumbling, churning noises. Now, being preggers and all, I'm pretty used to my guts making all kinds of unholy sounds. So I paid it no heed. I felt fine.

But all that night, I felt awful. Couldn't sleep, couldn't get comfortable. It was bad. Finally got up a couple of times really early in the a.m. because I felt pukey, but no go. Mr. Poops stayed home and got the kids moving whilst I slept fitfully until 11.

I got up and had some toast. Wasn't hungry, but felt weak and shaky and thought nourishment might help. It did, until about mid afternoon when I went in and took a shower and promptly vomited in the tub.

I'm not a puker. I don't do it unless my life depends on it. Apparently, my life depended on it.

The good news is that after I got sick, I laid down on the couch and felt miles better. Ate some crackers and drank some Gatorade and had more toast for supper and all went well.

The next day I got up and treated my stomach gingerly. Easy to eat and digest foods, or so I thought. I felt great until I lay down for my afternoon siesta, or more accurately, when I got up from it to take a shower, as I was going out at 5:30 to a party.

Puked in the shower again. I was starting to think it was the shower's fault.

I dressed and went out, feeling okay but definitely not hungry which took some of the fun out of the party, I tell you. By the time I got home, though, I felt fine. Went to sleep and didn't get up until the next morning.

Felt fine all day Saturday, though my appetite still wasn't back full force. I started feeling queasy around suppertime, but I managed to eat and keep it down so I thought whatever was wrong was gone.

Until 6 a.m. Sunday morning when I woke with explosive diarrhea.

Delightful.

Felt sick all day Sunday, but still managed to get my hair cut even though I didn't eat a full meal if you put all three meals together. Felt better at bedtime, went to bed at 9.

Woke at one to Bobo puking in her bed. Toddler puke is the worst. She doesn't quite get what's going on and tries to swallow it back down from whence it came, and seems to think that puking while lying down is a good idea too. It's not.

Which reminds me that I have to switch the laundry over.

Anyway, she was sick on and off until about 4:30 when I finally got back to sleep, only to get up at quarter past seven to get Ms. Grumpy Pants (aka The Bug) ready for school.

I get downstairs with the kids and Mr. Poops is on the couch. He got up and puked first thing this morning.

So now I just have to wait for Bug to get it too, and we should be all set. Poor Bobo keeps drying to drink something--anything!--and everytime she does it just comes right back up.

If there's a bright side to all of this it's that I had toast for breakfast and I'm still hungry. It's a good sign. Appetite, where have you been? I've missed you!

So, after slogging through mountains of soiled bedding, today I am working on some donations to a new Knitty-born charity. Some of us are making tiny preemie clothes in honor of our friend Yorkie who lost her son just before Christmas, born too early at 20 weeks or so. The hospital that took care of them has a dresser with tiny clothes in it for the babies to wear, or to be buried in if need be, and we thought it would be a nice idea to make some stuff in Baby Christopher's memory to stock up those drawers.

So far I'm in various stages of progress on three tiny gowns that would fit a baby Christopher's size, or a bit bigger, and I got some more baby yarn to make several white ones too. Maybe those will be bigger since they need all sizes.

It's sad to think of the babies that will wear the gowns, but at the same time it's been a spiritual exercise to work on them. Particularly since Dave is now about the size Christopher was when he was born. Yorkie and I were "Belly Buddies" on the Knittyboard, which makes my heart break twice over.

It's not much, but it something.

So you'll forgive the lack of pictures and other knitterly content these days. The house is trashed, we're wandering about in our pajamas, and just trying to keep our heads about water. Or puke, as the case may be.

Eventually, I promise!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2008 already. I'm not sure where 2007 went, exactly.

I start the new year with a piece of glass in my finger. I think there is, anyway. Mr. Poops broke a glass baking dish on the counter and apparently some of the glass got on our dish sponge. And said glass shard went into my finger when I used the sponge. I thought I got it out, but the spot is still really sore and I suspect there's still some glass in there. Hurts to type. But not to knit, thank God!

Christmas was excellent, if a bit long and drawn out. It's still not quite over yet, for Pete's sake. I have a party to go to on Friday night still, and that should bring the celebrations to an end.

Our Christmas started on December 23rd at my in-law's house. We all have so many places to be on Christmas day that my MIL decided that we should all get together the Sunday before to spend the day opening presents and stuff, which we did.

Monday, of course, was Christmas Eve. We went to my mother's house that night and ate Chinese food, then we came home and I wrapped "Santa" presents for the girls until 11:15 when I headed to church for Mass.

Sang at Midnight Mass; didn't get home until quarter to 2 in the morning. I am too old and pregnant for such things. Mass was lovely, if long. And late.

We were all up by 7 to open gifts here before going to my sister's house next door at 10 for more presents and lunch. Because we didn't have to be at my in-laws by any certain time in the afternoonm we got to hang out and talk and watch movies for awhile. We did decide to go to my in-laws anyway just to visit and hang for awhile, but when we got there my MIL and FIL were taking a nap. My BIL was up and his wife was putting their son down for his nap. He went in "to check on them" and never came back. He lay down for a nap. SIL came out and visited for five or 10 minutes before saying she was going to go "check on them" and never came out either. So we left a note saying "catch up with you later" and drove all the way back home.

Yeah, we thought it was rude too. Not my MIL and FIL. I know if they knew we were there my MIL at least would have come down and visited and put on some coffee. I felt bad for DH the most. They live in TX and we only see them at Christmas, yet it seems that they're always so busy visiting with friends from church when they're here that they never hook up with DH. And when we go out of our way to make the trip over on Christmas day, they leave us to chill out on the couch while they nap.

Allow me to point out too that I was the one that was up until 2 the night before, up at 7, and am nearly 5 months pregnant to boot. If anyone needed a nap, it was me.

Annnnyway....

Christmas continued on Friday night with the choir Christmas party, and then on to Sunday with my mother's side of the family for presents and dinner at 1.

Monday, of course, was New Year's Eve and we go to our annual party with friends. It was my turn to dive headfirst into Shake's fabulous margaritas, only I got robbed this year. So I get to partake the next two years to make up for it. 2008 is going to go so slow!

And New Year's day, yesterday, Sister and I went to Center Harbor to use up our Patternworks gift certificates at their annual New Year's day sale. I got a whole bunch of "orphan" skeins at half price, then we had lunch at George's Diner in Meredith. I spent the rest of the afternoon making turkey soup, knitting, and watching the snow fall.

One more party to go on Friday and that ought to just about finish the season for me. I'm tired.

I have been knitting and have some stuff to wash and block and list on etsy and stuff. I'm going to try to get to it today...perhaps there will be a part two of this entry, complete with Yarn Porn and Knitterly Content.

But now, I must get the girls ready to head to the bus stop. We had a two hour delay, thus easing us back into our routine after a very long week off. Gotta go dig out the boots and hats and mittens and scarves...it must be January!

Happy New Year!