WIP Wednesday

Hello Knitters.

Whew. Christmas flew by. We had an awesome holiday. N spent a ton of time playing with his cousins, hanging out with grandma and grandpa, seeing his aunt and uncle. Just getting in a lot of quality time with family. Pure bliss. Of course, he was spoiled by santa. He is on cloud 9 with all of his new toys and games. We played Candy Land yesterday with his cousins and today I think we will have a couple of games of Old Maid and Chutes n Ladders. 

I am still working on my WIPS. I finished a pair of socks for my mom. She does not have a single hand knit item from me and this needed to be fixed. The color changes in these socks are my favorite. The bright oranges to the sharp teals makes my heart sing.

 Today I will finish up my Opal socks. I am so excited to wear these adorable socks. I love how Opal Yarn stripes. This is my first pair and I am thrilled to get more Opal yarn (after some more WIPS are done!)

My flowers bloomed on Christmas. What a small and awesome surprise. Made my day. I cannot wait to see what is on everyone's needles. I hope you had a wonderful holiday and here is to a great 2016. Cheers.

Yep. I am still alive & knitting

Hello world! I am back. It has been forever, FOREVER since I last blogged. I miss blogging but things have been a whirlwind here. Now, they are clamming down and I can finally catch up! 

What's going on... well, we pick up our son everyday from school, after work. We drove past a very cute house for sale. Everyday. Finally my husband and I thought, well it does not hurt to ask and look. We went and looked at the house and lets just say the instant we walked it we knew it was NOT for us. However, it got us think... why do we still rent after 5 years. We found a Realtor and started looking. In two weeks we had an accepted offer and were moving in 30 days. WOW, that was a lot to take in. We were excited, worried, over-whelmed... pretty much feeling every emotion possible. We moved October 29th and had our duplex up for rent. It rented yesterday. Now, I feel like I can breathe. Just take a step back and enjoy the life changes. My son loves his room. We are lucky and now have a fenced in backyard for the dogs to run. It is just now sinking in that we have a home. 

On to knitting. After packing up ALL my knitting projects and yarn, I realized I could knit for the next 10 years without buying a thing. Recently, I became good friends with a coworker. She is awesome. She asked for a knitted cowl for the cold winter days (ironically the lack of) in WI. I was very excited to make her something. I started the Devonshire cream cowl and I love it. I hope she does too.

Since the weather was not creating the Christmas spirit, I decided to make holiday stitch markers.

It is the little things that can make a big difference. Tis the season.

Yarn Along

Well this will be a super quick update...

I have been working on the baby blankets for my 4 friends expecting. Here is the latest update:

This is the Chevron Baby Blanket pattern knitted with Dishie yarn from Knit Picks. I LOVE how the chevrons are turning out.
Still reading Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I cannot wait to see what everyone else has for updates! We are off to Oktoberfest this weekend. EiEiEi O! Happy Wednesday.

Linking up with Ginny.

WIP Wednesday

Hello Knitters!

This family is back at a normal routine. Up early, N gets on the bus and we go to work. While I miss summer already, it is nice to get into a routine. My knitting has been taking off lately. I cannot resist starting new projects. I guess this means I will have enough WIPS for every Wednesday post! Yep, that is a good way to justify my casting on addiction.

I received this beautiful skein of ToshSock in Ginger colorway from my birthday. I could not stand to just look at it anymore so I cast on the Monkey pattern and these socks are just flying off my needles. I cannot wait until they are finished.

I am being a good girl as well and working on the baby blanket. I have completed 8 repeats. I think I will try for 10 and finish the border. I love the leaves pattern!

 I cannot wait to see what is on everyone's needles. Linking up with Ginny today.

WIP Wednesday

The big day has come and passed. N is now a kindergarten kid and I am trying to adjust to our new schedule. He gets on the bus, all smiles and my husband and I head to work. The new routine. We go to bed early, get up early and just try to figure out the rest in between as we go.

I have 4 friends expecting and that means 4 baby blankets in queue. I started the Leafy Baby Blanket by Leyla Alieva. I love LOVE love it. It is coming along nicely. 

 

I used KnitPicks Dishy yarn. I love making blankets out of cotton for their easy care. This yarn feels great and has wonderful colors. I will do another baby blanket in the same pattern and yarn. With 2 down. I need to pick 2 more and get the yarn! 

I have been reading here and there. Whenever I can fit in a free 5 minutes. I just finished Dan Brown Digital Fortress and I am not working on his Lost Symbols. I would like to read the Divergent Series once I am finished. I have an itch to read the Harry Potter Books but after watching the movies and have never been able to keep my attention for very long with those books. 

I cannot wait to see what is on everyone's needles! Happy Wednesday!

Milestones

Today was the last day of summer for us. N goes to kindergarten tomorrow. Wow, just typing that and I am tearing up. I realized over the past few weeks that having a kid is seeing them learn to do many things on their own and learning to let go. I noticed, everyday N needs me for less and less. The flip-side is you get to see this wonderful child grow up and become and independent individual. 

I decided to take 12 days off of work to spend with N. On Aug 14, he had is tonsils removed. We spend a week in recovery. I thought it would be a lot simpler but it was like having a newborn all over again. The pain he woke up with in the middle of the night was just heartbreaking. However, after 8 days he seemed back to almost normal. The surgery has appeared to be successful and he sleep appears to be much deeper and more restful then ever before. It was worth the risk but I am still glad it is over.

The second week off was a bit hectic. I spent all day Monday with him just hanging out and doing fun things. Tuesday I had to work so Paul spent the day with him at home just relaxing. Then Wednesday we packed for our last trip of the summer. We headed to Door County for 4 days. We traveled with another family from daycare and had a great time. Everyday all of us spent time in the pool, biking and just relaxing. The kids had a wonderful time and the trip was a perfect way to end the summer.

Finally, today was the last day of the summer. N and I had plans to go to Chuck E Cheese and then the park. He had a blast. We played games against each other, won the "super bonus", got tons of tickets and enjoyed a giant lollipop prize. We headed to the park to play with another little boy and followed by dinner and an early bed time. 

The whole time together was full of fun memories, pictures and laughs. I am completely at peace with sending him to kindergarten because we got time to celebrate each other, spend quality time together and bond. At the end of the time together, we decided to start a new tradition and take the week off before school every year and just bond. 

Deep down inside, I want to cry because he is at the next step in his life. However, this stage of his life is just a gift for me. We communicate well, I am learning about his own personality and he is finding his independence. While it is sad that he is growing up fast and the preschooler stage is in the past, it is exciting to hear all about his new adventures so the tears can flow but there is also joy to be had.

A little of this; A little of that

Hello world.

I feel really behind in my blogging! Wow, it has been a while. The summer is over in the blink of an eye. We are getting ready for some big changes. My little man, N is going to kindergarten. How is that even possible? His last day at daycare is tomorrow. He is excited about all the changes but still asking a lot of questions. Before he starts school little man gets his tonsils out. Ugh, I know it is routine and necessary but I always worry I am making the wrong decision. I will just be glad when the day has come and gone! 

One last adventure before we go back to the new semester, we are headed on vacation with another family from daycare. We are headed up North to the beautiful Door County. I am so excited to just ride bikes, eat, sleep, be in the pool and turn my mind off for a few days. I will have lots of pictures to show once we return.

I have been a bit overwhelmed with the number of WIPS I have lately! I started finishing them up one by one. Since the last time I blogged, I have finished 2 pairs of socks. 

 Two coworkers have had babies this past summer. I found out a bit late that their wives were expecting so I had to make something quick and super cute! I love cables and it is very cold in WI during the winters so a cute little (not too little so it still fit in the winter) hat. Here is what I went with

 Here is my current WIPS: 

 and here is the stash I am dying to jump into!!!

  

My partner in crime, M has been super busy enjoying some dying and creating.  With the distance between us I have not been very helpful but once you see her yarns, she does not need any help! They turned out wonderful. Please check them out for yourself:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WillowPondDyeworks

If you want to stay up-to-date with her new products, like us on Facebook. 

As for books, I finished Girl on the Train and Inferno. Both we great reads. I started Digital Fortress and cannot put it down.

I hope you are having a wonderful summer. Thanks for reading until the end, it was a long update.

WIP Wednesday

Hello knitters. It has been a long time since I blogged. I love the summer and I lose track of days when trying to soak up the sun. I hope you are enjoying your warm weather as well. I have finished one sock of the helix pattern and I love this pattern. I will be knitting more socks with this pattern very soon!

 

Simply stunning if you ask me! I received a skein of yarn from a friend called "Cloudy with a Chance of Rainbows"  I cast these on and the sock knitted up so fast. I love the bold colors within the rainbow and the contrast with the gray. Just beautiful.

 I will end with some family pictures of us fishing and just relaxing. My husband's birthday is tomorrow and I cannot wait to celebrate with him.

As for reading, I finished the Hobbit and have moved on the Rippler series. It is about a teenager who can go invisible at any point and a group of unknown people trying to kill anyone who can ripple. It is a teenage book but I love the suspense and basic love story. I read journal articles about chemistry all day, anything simple and easy to follow is my kind of bedtime story. Happy Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by.

WIP

Hello Knitters.

Wow, WIP Wednesdays have been sneaking up and passing me by lately. It has been crazy busy because of the end of the semester. I love working with students. However, it can be so overwhelming and at times life is just flying. The end of the semester is always a flash. However, we have 3 days left. The light at the end of the tunnel is pretty bright!

On my quest to finish some WIPS, I picked up my zigzagular socks. I finished them and wore them right away! They are so comfy and cute!! They will be perfect for cold winter mornings.

 While digging through my stash I found these socks that I started 3 or 4 years ago. Maybe it is time to finish this project?

 These are the South Fork socks in Tosh Sock. These colors remind me of the fall leaves we drove past while in college. I never knew how beautiful they were until we moved and I did not see them daily. 

Mother's Day was quiet. We just relaxed and hung out. The evening before my husband and I had another date night. We celebrated many things and went to a concert after dinner. It was a great time and I love that we have scheduled date night. We have another scheduled for tonight!

I cannot wait to see what is on everyone's needles. Happy Wednesday!

WIP Wednesday

Hi there.

It has been a long week and weekend. Ugh and it is only Wednesday! GAH! This past weekend was suppose to be an uneventful, sit at home and do nothing weekend. However, everyone got the flu. It was still a do nothing weekend except we were all very sick. Oh well. It was over as fast as it came on. Thank goodness.

This week I am tackling Kindergarten. It feels like a huge decision but it really should not be. After school programs, bus options, lunch... and what school we should go it is just the beginning. Everyone has an opinion and I have no idea which one is right. Truthfully, our son is very lucky, he lives in a safe town with good education all around. His parents are both highly educated and value a good education. He will turn out just fine but for right now, I am flooded in paperwork and decisions.

I was able to gain some focus and regroup by knitting and exercising. It has been officially a month since I started running and I love it. I bought new shoes (and was given a second pair, THANKS SUZIE!) for running.  They helped so much. A good pair of shoes goes a long way.

It took a while to get use to finding an hour a day to work out. However, I cannot imagine not working out now. It is my time to relax and just forget about everything else. I have lost 5 inches on my waist, no actual weight loss yet.  Now that I have made running a habit, I would like to tackle my eating habits. Anyone know any delicious salad recipes??
My knitting has been going well. I have decided to stop casting on new projects and to finish some of the WIPS I have. I just finished my Rah Rah socks. I love how they turned out and the fit like a glove.

It has finally become spring and my roommate introduced me to a new park. I love it. It was calm, relaxing, and the perfect place to regroup.

As for reading, I finished the Time Travelers Wife. I loved it. The end was amazing and I cried. While, I am sad it is over,  I decided not to watch the film. In my head, I have a version of what everyone looks like and the whole picture is just how I would imagine and I do not want that to change due to the movie.

I have started the Hobbit. It is such a fun read!! I cannot believe I did not read this sooner. I am excited to also move on to the Girl on the Train. It looks awesome!

I will end with a quick picture of my husband and I on a date night. I love that we have scheduled date nights to be husband and wife not just mom and dad.

thanks for reading until the end. have a great wednesday knitters.

WIP Wednesday

Hello Knitters-

I hope this Wednesday finds you well. I am just working on random projects. Of course they are all socks and none of them of them are finished.

Above I am working on the Intrepid Traveler socks using Claudia Hand Painted Yarns in (I believe) the ancient pottery colorway. I love doing socks 2 at a time because I actually finish the second sock!!

I am still reading the Time Travelers Wife. It is turning out to be a great read. I am excited to find out the end.

Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams.

WIP Wednesday: A quick update

Hi!

I have started yet another pair of socks. But who blames me when you have such beautiful yarn:

This was purchased by my knitting buddy. Her family was in town this weekend visiting for my sons big 5th birthday. It was such a great, relaxing weekend but it always goes so fast.

I also got a bit farther on my Rah Rah socks, the first one is complete!

I am still reading The Time Travelers Wife... I am not reading as much lately. That tends to happen when I am grant writing. I get home and just want to not think, at all. I promise, next week will be a better, more detailed up-date!
Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams.

The Bear

His nickname is the bear and he is dearly loved. I cannot express how grateful I am that our friends and family cherish him just and much as Paul and I do. This past week, S and T came to visit and spoil the bear. He turns 5 and I can hardly believe how fast time has gone by.

This week I spent plenty of time relaxing and of course that includes knitting. S asked me to make her a hat this weekend. It is almost becoming a tradition. This is her third hat request. She picked the shroom pattern by knitty.  We found yarn at the Sow's Ear in Verona, WI called Katia Junior yarn. I am not sure the colorway, I threw away the label. 

I worked steadily on my Intrepid Traveler socks. I am so excited about their progress! Hopefully they will be finished soon! It has be a cold past few days in WI and I could use some knitted socks to keep me warm, yes at the end of MARCH!

 

Suzie is great at spoiling everyone, even me. She treated me to some sock yarn that I could not stop drooling over:

 

I am a snob about the twist of yarn, especially sock yarn. I love Kogiu and Claudia Hand Painted Yarn (shown above). The twist is so well defined and yields great definition in the sock stitches when knitted up. Makes my heart happy. 

Of course she also helped me keep up with my routine. I just started working out again and we went 2.44 miles together. It was amazing.

I wish she was here everyday.

I am linking up with Frontier Dreams & Ginny. 

WIP Wednesday!

Hello Knitters.

I am so thrilled to share my new project with you. I think this projected has cured my need to keep starting new projects. I am so excited about my two at a time socks.

I am using Claudia Hand Painted Yarns in conjunction with the Intrepid Traveler pattern. My sweet friend S is flying in today to spend a week with us. Should be a very fun week of catching up. Hopefully I can finish my book, the Time Travelers Wife.
I cannot wait to see whats on everyone's needles!

WIP Wednesday

Hello Knitters!

I hope you are having a splendid Wednesday! This week was spent catching up and getting back into our routine after our trip to FL. My son had his end of the year hockey tournament. I wanted to surprise him so I stayed up late and finished the scarf he requested.

He did great! He had so much fun and tries with all of his heart. It is amazing how young he is but he has so much dedication. After the tournament all the skaters get a medal. N will not take his off. His coaches work so hard at helping the kids and making sure it is all about fun. They donate all of their time and I greatly appreciate it.

 After a morning on the ice, I went to a local yarn store, The Sow's Ear and had a cup of apple cider. I cast on my second ZigZagular socks and relaxed in the sunlight. I met a friend from work there and we knit for hours. It was lovely, relaxing and so great me time.

I am addicted to casting on and starting new projects... Not sure why but life is too short to care. I wound this skein, cast on and worked the first few rows. I love the colors. I am a sucker for striping yarn... Just one more stripe then I will stop! These socks will be done in no time (well as long as I do not cast something else on). 

This week has taught me a lot. Enjoy life knitters, it is the only one we get!  Now that the weather is getting warm my son and spent time outside. He rode his bike and I jogged. I have been doing really well with better eating habits and exercising. The key for me is being flexible. I thought before keeping a routine was about doing the same thing constantly. However, some days it is easier to run at the gym. Other days it is easier to come home and jog while N bikes. In either case, it is exercise. Hopefully, I can stick with it.

I am still working on the Time Traveler's Wife. I have not made a lot of time to read. Hopefully this week I can make some progress. 

My dear friend and an amazing knitter, M has been dying yarn for a while. In my opinion, she really has an eye for colors and art. It is her stress reliever from a busy week. Check out her new skeins here:

 Willow Pond Dye Works on Etsy

No pressure, just look. All knitters window shop, right? I hope it's not just me!

Hello knitters!

I hope you are having a fantastic week. My family just returned from FL for a relaxing vacation. It was so amazing to see my niece and nephew; how much they are growing! I am so glad we were able to have time to just be family together. The week was about enjoying each others company and just being.
I was able to get a little knitting in here and there. I finished the first zigzagular sock and I am in love!

I have started reading The time travelers wife. I enjoy the book but it is a bit confusing. I am excited to read what happens.

Happy Wednesday!