We're back!

We were away.  Where? 

You get one guess...



 The Happiest Place on Earth!

 Seriously, I don't think these kids stopped smiling the whole time.

After putting it off for years (yes, I confess, I kept putting my husband off about taking this trip), Rob just up and booked the whole thing--flights, hotels, parks, even dinner reservations.

 I'm so glad he did.  Did you ever experience something with your kids and you just know that it will be one of those memories they cherish forever?  We just had four days of that!

It was even better than I had imagined it would be.

Works in progress

Time for a little show and tell.  I finally finished my Aran mittens.  I just love the design.  I learned quite a bit about following a chart--namely to color code the various cables.  Life was so much easier after I color-coded the chart!  I started the first mitten...back in September, I think?  And then they went into hibernation.

 My only gripe?  They're HUGE!  Like, super-large man-hands huge!  I'm considering felting them ever-so-slightly (is that even possible?), or just putting them into the closet until inspiration strikes.

On to other hibernating projects: these are legwarmers for Caitlin.  They were supposed to be a birthday present.  Last March.  I have brought these back out, and they're going to be a Valentine's present.

 And here's Libby.  Back and Left Front done.  Working on the Right Front.  Also a Valentine's present.

 Hey, I made a hat--back in October?  It's for Caroline.  I haven't given it to her yet because it's suppose to coordinate with some mittens.

 These mittens.  The first stranded knitting projects I worked on.  In August or September!  They're done--but the ends are not woven in yet.

 See all these ends?  This is a Kristin Nicholas pattern, and that woman is not at all afraid of weaving in loose ends.  It's ridiculous how many loose ends there are on one mitten!  That is why these lovelies are still in the knitting bag.  Maybe by Valentine's Day...

And for two out of three of my kids, that should be more than enough homemade love for Valentine's Day.  I'm feeling guilty about my little man, though.  Especially since he has ASKED me to knit him something!  (Actually, he wants me to teach him to knit so we can make it together--isn't he the cutest thing ever? )  I have wanted to make him a Tomten jacket for a while, but I don't think I could get it done in time.  Maybe I'll take him yarn shopping and let him choose the color.  He can be surprisingly picky at times--and after I've knit the thing up is not the time for picky.

So that's me right now: knitting up yarn that has been lingering.  Next up: girl scout cookie season.  See you all in a week.

First sweater of 2011: Lia

So, it's done.  Here's Lia.

 Five skeins of bulky yarn. 

Size 11 needles.  Knit from the bottom up.

I'm pretty happy.

Derby Surprise

Last night was the Pinewood Derby for Bobby's Cub Scout Pack.  Rob and Bobby have been working hard over the past few weeks to create the car.  There were many trips to the hobby shop and the hardware store.  Books were checked out from the library.  Many coats of paint were applied.

 After I almost sent the precious car crashing into the refrigerator, I was banned from touching it.  When we arrived last night, Rob was getting tips from other dads (like glue the axels or they'll pop out during the races) and adding weights.  When he wasn't camped out in front of a scale, he was applying more graphite powder to the wheels.  This was serious business.

 The boys just ran around the cafeteria.  Until race time.  Then all eyes were on the track.  That super-shiny black car on the right is Bobby's.

 It was also pretty fast.  Bobby placed second among the Tiger Cubs, and third place overall!

 Rob is already planning next year's car.

Congrats to the Evans men!

A new year!

Happy new year to you!  This year, I'm going to give the 365 project another try--last year I took 250 pictures.  Not even close, really, but a broken camera mid-year will do that!  I'm going to shake it off and keep on going.

 Here's how my "tube top" is looking now. I have one sleeve completed, and I started the second sleeve a couple of nights ago.  This sweater is knit on size 11 needles, and my hands really do not like working with needles that big, so I'm giving myself permission to take it slow.

I wanted to thank you all for the encouragement and compliments on the hats and mittens that I made for Christmas.  Getting positive feedback during that process really kept me going!  And if you're thinking about trying stranded knitting, my advice is just jump in!  Mistakes can always be frogged--but you'll never know unless you try.  Start small--I think hats are easier than mittens.  Kristin Nicholas has some beginner projects in at least two of her books (whose names are escaping me right now).  I do not knit with both hands--it's recommended that you learn to carry a color in each hand, but I think that's more hard-core than I need to be.  [For the record, I am a left-handed "picker."]  I alternate the colors of yarn in the same hand, and occasionally I have to stop and un-twist the skeins, but it's not the end of the world.  As much as I enjoyed the end result, I am ready to put stranded knitting on the back-burner for now.

As I think about this year's knitting projects, I am firmly in the grips of a cable obsession!  As of now, my next couple of planned projects involve cables.  And now that Christmas is behind us, I am thinking of Valentine's Day and red and white material...

Happy, happy

Christmas 2010 is now in the books.  This room is a complete mess now.

 Here they go, ready to attack some wrapping paper.

All the nieces and nephews wearing their handmade goodies.

We really didn't get all that much snow.  Once the winds kicked up, most of the snow blew off our lawn and across the street.  Not fun for sledding, but pretty to look at.

I started a sweater.  After I tried this on, I decided to frog it.  It puckered at the raglan increases, and I could tell I was going to have big holes in the armpits when I started the sleeves.  The beauty of knitting is that I can stop mid-sweater and undo it!

See, I decided to make a cabled tube top instead!

And the paperwhites are blooming!

I wish you all a very happy new year.  See you in 2011.

Catch up

Hey there.  What's the quickest, most fun way to catch up?  Pictures, of course!  Here we go!

The Next-to-last set!  For my 16 year old nephew.  I wish you could see the hat in person.  So much texture going on--cables, seed stitch.  I may make one for myself.  And those mitts.  Simple and fun.

The "keeping it real" department.  Laundry is threatening to take over--but really, when is it not about to take over--it's always just in different stages: dirty, clean but not folded, folded but not put away... you get the picture.

 We tried hanging this pine garland outside.  The command adhesive hooks did not want to cooperate (I wouldn't want to hang out in twenty degrees, either.), so it came inside.  Looks festive, don't you think?

 Hey--this is the last pair of mittens!!!  The first one is done (except the thumb), and I'm on the second one.  Please, do not let me take on four sets of stranded hats and mittens again.  It nearly did me in this year.

 This is where I like to spend my afternoons.  At one-thirty or two, this is the warmest place in the house.  If I had a cat, this would be the cat's favorite place.

 This morning, I played with sugar and dough.  Always fun.

 Then I packed these up and went to the post office. Less fun, but now it's done!

 And then I started cutting some fabric.  I figure if I cut some now, I can take my time and have it ready for next Christmas!

And that's what I'm doing in between class parties and dance lessons and Girl Scout meetings.  Rob is off all next week, so my computer time will be limited...but I'll try to pop back in here at least one more time.