FORGOT TO SHARE THIS

Easton's Baby Blanket

I wanted to make sure my daughter Dani had input into the baby blanket 

that I wanted to make for our little man,

so I had her chose a pattern and the yarn.

I knew she would never like what I would have chosen.

Our tastes are very different so I played it safe.

Both yarn and pattern were from Shelly Brander's Knitstars shop. 

Have I talked about Knit Stars?

Can't remember,

but it is the most wonderful knitting/crochet store/community

of famous knit stars from all over the world.

And I mean really famous!!

Every year Shelly and her very professional crew

 travel the whirrled to find knitters who are trending.

Then she films their beautiful landscape surroundings,

their studio space, 

and the pro knitter demonstrating their trending patterns and designs.

I have done (paid for) all 8 seasons/years

 and have currently signed up for number 9 at her early bird pricing.

And you have the Seasons forever!

I feel the pricing is very reasonable for all that you get.

I have now traveled the world by armchair with Shelly and her team 

to some of the most amazing locations on earth

 to watch these incredibly prolific fiber artists.

And oh my,

I've learned so much in the process!!

Tomorrow I will show off a baby sweater I knit for sweet Molly.

Just finished it last week and I'm hoping the weather continues to be chilly.

The Knit Star was featured recently in season 8.

And it's probably one of my most favorite patterns to date.

So stay turned dear friends as I try very hard to be more present on my blog.

 

A side note:

After some recent blood work,

 2 of my doctors told me to get my butt to the gym.

:( :(

I have a fatty liver and pre-diabetes 

which I understand is something else that is trending here in America. 

Realistically,

 I need to shed at least 30 pds. 

which as of late,

 I disguise rather well under baggy tops.

I've gained that weight since I married my husband 12ish years ago.

He is a fast food junky because he worked in that industry his whole life,

and he's been a very bad influence on me.

When he had his gallbladder removed a few years back his doctor told me

it was the "biggest shit show he'd ever seen."

Ha ha!!

LOL  :):):)

So I'm not the only one who needs to loose weight in this household,

but that's a whole other story for another time.

Anyways,

in the last month I joined a Pilates club and average 2-3 times a week there,

 as well as 2-3 times a week at the gym for weights and cardio.

Love going to Pilates which really surprised me,

but I still HATE going to the gym.

That I have to force myself to do.

Have I noticed a difference?

YES!!!!

I've lost my first 5 pds which thrills me

 and an inch in my hips and another inch in my big old tummy.

My arms are looking way more toned and defined,

oh,

and I also lost weight thru my legs which look slimmer thru the thighs.

Woo Hoo!!!!

Now to just keep it up.

I also feel different when I walk.

I'm standing up straighter

 and my thighs are not rubbing together as much.

But let me tell you I'm spending a fortune at the Pilates Club.

Over $200 a month.

They are all very expensive in our community,

but I talked them into giving me a senior retiree discount,

but it's still a ridiculous amount of money.

:(

ANOTHER BABY ON THE WAY

Back when I was teaching,

 I featured my Art Assistant Alyssa Olea often. 

First as my Ceramics student, 

then T.A.,

and she actually came back after she graduated High School

and assisted me a few days a week as her second job 

while putting herself thru college.  

I featured her wedding to her High School sweetheart Lucien Morales 

here

but what I haven't shared yet is that they are pregnant.

The baby is due soon in December and for her shower I gifted her a baby sweater

 I had knit several years in this post.

Back when I posted about it I thought it was destined for my step daughter Julie,

but she seems to only produce boys and she and hubby have decided NO more.

And since my daughter Dani had a boy I thought it was time to let it fly away.

The original post of it is much brighter and nicer if you are interested. 

So anyways, 

 I'm super excited to see this on her little girl.

Probably won't be till later in 2024 as it is for a 3 month old or so.

I'll keep you updated when I receive that pix. 

Besides the yummy Noro yarn I used from Japan, 

my favorite part of the sweater were the antique buttons

 from my husbands mothe 's button box.

Her family called her Cappy. 

I never got to meet Cappy but her son tells me she sewed all her own clothes 

and was quite the fashion plate and as well as a character.

I love that !

EXPERIMENTING...

with a super soft self-stripping baby yarn that fades/ombre's in and out.

Knit up a sweet little baby blanket with it,

just so I'd have a project for the car going to and from cabin.

Blocked and ready for the next baby.

Saving it for a friend of my son's,

Ria and her husband.

She went to Kindergarten thru High School with him,

and is now my daughter and my Dental Assistant.

Small world.

We adore you Ria!

In The Nick of Time

My beautiful Step Daughter Julie is having her first baby in February.

His name will be Sydney 

and we had his baby shower last weekend.

I asked Julie to look thru all my knitting books

 and pick out something special that she'd like me to knit up for Syd.

She picked out the "Little Old Man Cardigan" from

What to Knit When You Are Expecting

by Nikki Van De Car,

and she asked me to do it in a heather grey.

And of course the only way I finish something is with a deadline hanging over my head,

so two nights before the shower I finish,

 get the buttons on,

wash and block it.

It finishes drying the morning of the shower,

in time for me to wrap it up.

Phew Shuuuu,

it was a close one.

LOL

The buttons I found in Julie's grandmother's sewing box.

And I found the Carter's romper with penguin shirt at Kohl's.

But the best part was I got to feel Sydney move in her belly.

Can't wait to meet our little guy!

Another Baby Sweater

I just can't seem to resist making baby sweaters.

I think it's because they are small and I actually will finish them, unlike something larger.

I saw this one in a Noro magazine from Japan when I was at Barnes and Noble.  

But it was the only thing I liked so rather then buy it, I copied the pattern down on a napkin I had in my purse.

Yah, I know that's not right, but I hate buying a knit magazine unless there are at least 2-3 things inside I want to make.

Wish I'd taken a pix of the napkin when I finished this piece a year after I started this.

Falling apart  LOL

The yarn for this was a Noro yarn called Shiraito, 45% Cashmere, 45% Angora 10% Wool, super soft and perfect for baby skin but very pricey at $32 a skien.  This sweater took 2 1/2 skeins.

The buttons all came from my husband's mother's sewing box.

I'm hoping to give it to his daughter when she has her first baby girl.

Hopefully real soon  :)

Spinning Out of Control

Did a fair amount of spinning yarn on my wheel this summer.  It's a super relaxing way to spend the evening while catching up on my Dexter's and Breaking Bads.  Last year I purchased these earthy batts from Drucilla Pettibone who lives out on a farm in the Carolinas I believe.  She raises a lot of animals and she loves to combine all their fleeces and coats, along with vintage fibers and laces into her art batts.  If you look closely you can see bits of ripped fabric along with other goodies floating around.  

I bought two different batts from her, one darker and one lighter, the lighter one has a softer feel to it then the dark one.  Anyways I spun them both up...

Andrean piled each to itself...

Skeined them onto my Niddy Noddy...

then rolled them both into balls.

I used a size 15 circular needle and knit them up together as one...

for a really lacy looking child's cap.

I added buttons to both side of the ties, and now this is off to My Shop.

My Daughter Knits

For the past two years my daughter Danielle has gotten back into knitting.  I taught her and her best friend to knit when they were 8ish, but it never really stuck.  But two years ago when Dan got out her wisdom teeth and had to lay low for a couple days, she expressed and interest to start up again.  Oh yeah!!  :)

So off we went to the yarn store, and she has been knitting her brains out ever since.  so much so that she has sold a few of her hats and scarfs at a local gallery in Yorba Linda called the Drawing Board.

As you can imagine I'm over the moon with happiness that she has gotten bitten by the fiber bug.  Now she enjoys going with me to knit stores.  LOL

The hat above was knit by Dani recently for her boyfriend's mother's baby shower.  You can believe it was a big hit at the party!

Hoodie for Kenzie Lou

I want to share my sweet grandbaby, Kenzie, in the hoodie I knit for her 2 years ago that finally fits.   Yeah!!!  Isn't she a doll? 

Her mommy told me she wanted to wear it the other night to go with her parents to Open House Night at her school.  Ahhhh, makes my heart so happy  :) 

Love you Kenz

xoxoxox  

Baby Uggs - My Work

Just had to share the little booties I made for the newest baby in my life.  My step-daughter Julie's best friend, Oana, had her first little one 2 months ago, so I wanted to make her something special.  I bought the leather ugg forms at my local Michael's, then I used some of my hand spun yarn to knit the cuffs and sewed them in.  I can't wait to see them on Alesia, just wish the weather would cool down so she can wear them before she outgrows them.  LOL

One More Finished Work

This was a fun little pattern that I picked up last month at the Shepherdess in San Diego. It's knit from the top down with no seams to sew (love that). I had 2 left over skeins of Noro Yarn (wool/silk mixture) from another project, and I really like how they knit up into this sweet child's vest. This ended up under the Xmas tree for a very lucky little girl I know.

Michelle Petersen Palmer - Crochet Vest

My cousin Michelle sent me this great photo of her daughter Grace Elena wearing one of her newest creations. For Xmas I gave Michelle several skeins of this lovely fiber thinking she might enjoy whipping something up for Grace. Lucky her, Grace will still wear her creations! Not so with my 14 year old. Anyways, Michelle came up with this vest design that she just kind of worked out as she went along. And I couldn't resist sharing this cute picture of Gracie wearing it. Isn't she a doll?