High Fiber--Waiting for Stork. Again! Still! Part III

I can't believe this baby is nearly a week overdue! Well, surely something will happen this week.

I'm not sitting idle, though. I'm working on this little cardigan for BS while we're waiting for him to decide to appear. It's the Jasper Diamond Hoodie from Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren. (Links in my last week's post.) The yarn is Stroll Sport in Stream Heather. I have one sleeve about half done. It looks pretty much like the body. Same diamonds and seed st border.

Since I can't show you a photo of the new baby yet, here's a recent photo of Zachary enjoying his train quilt.

Daphne likes to get out her farm animals and play in the center of Zachary's quilt. She's getting to be a big girl. She can sit on a chair like a big person to eat her meals. 

Zachary will be needing the high chair. We're missing them both, but will soon have another grand baby to fuss over. Waiting patiently....

In the meantime, we're enjoying being in an area that has nice dog parks. This one is just a short drive away from the house.

Rocky and Sunny made some new friends, human and canine.

The Tour de France started Saturday, which means my spinning wheel has now seen some action with the Mountain Colors Targhee in "Crazy Woman." This was Saturday's spinning.

 

I have more than twice that much on the bobbin now, now that Sunday's spinning has been finished.

Surely BS will arrive before my next blog post. I will note it in a comment when that happens.

What's on my needles: Not counting the UFO's and hibernating projects, the above-mentioned Jasper Diamond Hoodie.

What's on my wheel: The Mountain colors Targhee in "Crazy Woman."
What's on my iPad: Listening to Knit Picks Podcast and the Padcast Podcast.
What's my app of the week: DogGoes Dog Parks App.
What's in my wine glass: Flying Heart Cellars red 2011, which we found at Trader Joe's. The "Fearless Flyer" describes it as "a big red blend (Merlot, P.S., Zin, Syrah, Cab Sauv & Cab Franc) with a not-so-common addition that may surprise you--Chardonnay." We found it a little sweet for our taste, probably because of the Chardonnay, but we found it quite nice served chilled.

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the MacBook. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.

High Fiber—Waiting for Baby. Again. Still! Part II

Still no appearance from Baby Stuart, but we're getting knitting done for him.

I improvised this owl hat from the Knitculture Wise Old Owl Hat pattern and the rolled-brim hats I've been making. The yarn is Swish Worsted in "Allspice." This color and the "Gulfstream" I used for the blue hat are both on sale right now. This is the largest of the hat collection. I used a squash to block it, although I've used balloons in the past.

I finished the third soaker in the graduated set, which should get BS off to a good start. (He will be wearing cloth diapers, so soakers are handy and prevent diaper rash.)

The pattern is the Milo Soakers from Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren. The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in "Bare."

With those done, I decided to CO the Jasper Diamond Hoodie from the same book.

The two fronts and the back are worked together, so I already have a great start. The yarn is Stroll Sport in Stream Heather.

We have been busy here. DDIL's aunt had a big birthday, and we went to the party Friday night. A friend made her this beautiful quilt:

The back is almost as beautiful:

I love pieced backs but seldom find myself making them.

Somehow, I finally managed to come up with the time to set up my wheel:

The Tour de Fleece starts on June 30th, and I want to get some spinning done for it, although I'm sure Baby Stuart will make his appearance in time to be a major distraction! My goal will be to spin all of this during the Tour de Fleece this year. I have 8 oz of fiber.

I've been wondering if the Tour de Fleece will have the same problem as the Ravelympics over on Ravelry. So far, there have been no complaints. (If you have been out of the loop and haven't heard about it, the USOC has demanded that Ravelry stop using the term "Ravelympics" for the event they hold in conjunction with the Olympic Games. The letter to Ravelry was rather insulting to knitters and crocheters and has caused quite a stir. The Ravelympics will go on, but likely with a different name. Our own Mitts of Steal group will have a team.

What's on my needles: Besides the Dogwood Blossoms Cardigan and Fiji Socks, the Jasper Diamond Hoodie described above.
What's on my iPad: Finished Celia's House from Audible. Trying to decide what to put on next. Still reading The League of the Scarlet Pimpernell on iBooks.
What's my app of the week: Redownloaded Zite. I've been reading about the USOC/Ravelry controversy.
What's in my wine glass: Trader Joe's own Charles Shaw (Two-Buck-Chuck) Merlot 2010. So nice to be in Trader Joe's country!

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the MacBook. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.

High Fiber--Waiting for Stork...Again...Still!

Still no sign of BS, but some of his layette is completed:

The Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) is made from Swish DK in Grain Heather and Cinnamon (discontinued). The little hats are made from Stroll Sport in cork and Bare, Swish DK in Grain Heather and Swish Worsted in Hollyberry. The booties are in Stroll Sport in cork. The buttons on the BSJ are little duckies. I have since finished another baby hat in Swish Worsted Gulfstream:

It's a simple pattern. CO about 78 sts, join in the end, K until you have 5.5-6.5 sts, depending on size, do a round of K1, K2tog, then K2tog until you have about five sts left. Work I-cord for a few inches and tie in a knot, or just run the yarn through the sts on the needle and tie off. The brim rolls up, and you and roll it up or down to make it larger or smaller. I started the hat Friday evening when we were out for dinner, so I could participate in "Knit In Public" Day/Week.

Earlier in the week I finished the first of several soakers for new Baby Stuart, who will be using primarily cloth diapers, and the environmentally friendlier choice.

The pattern came from Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren. I'm using WotA in Bare and making one in each of the sizes in the book, plus one in newborn, which is easy to do by just casting on 4 fewer sts than for the 3-6 month size. It's a quick, easy knit. The soakers will need to be treated with lanolin to be leakproof. (Directions are in the book.) Ravelry also has patterns for soakers, and I saw one in Piecework Magazine, Nov/Dec 2008. 

The baby shower for young Master Stuart was held Saturday at the home of the other grandparents. He got lots of goodies. The knitted and quilted items from me were all in this diaper bag:

The diaper bag is made from the Tahki Stacy Charles Eco Tote pattern using Knit Picks WotA Bulky in Porcini and Navy, felted (fulled) and then lined with a coordinating dinosaur fabric that has pockets for smaller items.

My friend Joanie sent a lovely articulated teddy bear, and another friend, Ilene, an avid quilter, send this cute baby quilt:

A friend of the new Mommy-to-be knitted this cute sweater out of a color named "Pond Scum." The color is much lovelier than the name would indicate!

Now that the baby shower is over, I will be knitting up more of the soakers, maybe some baby socks and booties, and another hat. However, my spinning is calling to me, and since I have my wheel, Stanzi, along with me in the trailer, I plan on working on this lovely fiber:

It's the Mountain Colors' "Crazy Woman" Targhee. I've been looking forward to trying it out. 

What's on my needles: Newborn soaker from Vintage Baby Knits.
What's on my iPad: Celia's House by D. E. Stevenson from Audible and The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel from iBooks.
What's my app of the week: DogGoes Dog Parks, find a dog park near your location.
What's in my wine glass: Enjoying some Two-buck Chuck (Charles Shaw) Shiraz, normally Three-buck-Chuck outside of CA, but just $2.49 in Hillsboro, OR.

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the MacBook. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.

High Fiber--Travel

We arrived in Beaverton, OR, yesterday. Lots of knitting time in the car!

The BSJ is turning out well. I haven't decided on the buttons yet. Will have to look around for some nice ones.

The hat I made last week was so much fun, I decided to make a couple more. Here are the two little ones, for newborn, and I've started a bigger one. The red one will have a button or something. The white one is Stroll Sport in Bare. The red one is Swish Worsted in Cranberry. The tan one is Swish worsted in Doe.

I love traveling by car! Lots of knitting time!

We stopped in some interesting places on our trip. One was a winery--a real one, that has its own vineyard. That was Idaho. In spite of a wicked headwind, we reached OR Saturday and stayed at a nice place campground. I don't want to know what the gas bill was! I think it cost us double because of the headwind!

It was exciting to see Mt. Hood, because it meant that we were almost there! We were overjoyed to arrive in Beaverton before BS put in his appearance.

In quilting news, Julie finished quilting my Sparkling Gemstones quilt just before we left. I will put on the binding when I get back home. She used a pantograph and wool batting. It will crinkle up nicely after I wash it in hot water.

Stay tuned! We may have a baby by next week. I'll add a comment if the stork arrives this week.

What's on my needles: BSJ, Dogwood Blossoms, Fiji socks, various baby projects.
What's on my iPad: We just finished listening to Dean Koontz's The Good Guy. Very entertaining.
What's my app of the week: Fireplace. It's so realistic, and it kept me feeling cozy in the trailer.
What's in my wine glass: Old Moon Zinfandel, 2011. Very nice!

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the MacBook. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.

High Fiber--Odds and Ends

We're still at home, since BS hasn't put in his appearance this early, but we'll be taking off soon, regardless.

One of my projects this week was to finish the baby hat DGD1 started when she was here. I used it to teach her how to knit in the round, and then I continued it, but it has been on the back burner, with all the other things going on.

I topped it off with a little I-cord tied in a knot. The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Sport in Bare. It's 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon, so it can be washed in the washing machine. Perfect for baby things.

I finally got back to my spinning and finished plying my Caramel Full Circle wool roving. It still needs to be washed, though. 

Spring has finally arrived at the higher altitudes, and friends are having parties on their decks. This party was at a neighbor's house. At this party, DH and I met a couple who own llamas. Guess what? They neither spin, nor do they reap the fiber from these lovely fiber beasties, but just give it away! Uncarded fleece, of course, but do I not own a hackle? Do I not own a drum carder? Yes, I do! We will be gone when the lovely creatures are shorn, but they will save me some. I can hardly wait! It will be a nice welcome-home present for moi!

On the baby front, little Zachary is gaining weight and doing well. Daphne is turning into a little mother, helping look after baby brother when he needs something.

Daphne is turning into a real little girl. She now (finally) has enough hair to have ponytails! Soon it will be time to teach her cat's cradle, and then knitting, spinning and quilting! What fun!

My next blog post will probably be from the road. I'll try to take lots of photos to share.

What's on my needles: BS's BSJ, Dogwood Blossoms Cardigan, Fiji socks. Some of these projects are already packed away for the trip.
What's at the quilter's: The Sparkling Gemstones quilt. It may be ready before we leave town!
What's on my iPad: Celia's House by D. E. Stevenson from Audible, and The Scarlet Pimpernell by Baroness Orczy from iBooks.
What's my app of the week: Trail Explorer, from the Sierra Club, in case we want to do some hiking during our trip.
What's in my wine glass: Roccalta Sangiovese 2010. Nice! (DH picks the wines. I have to say, I haven't had a bad one since about 1996.)

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the iPad. (I used the Notes app to write it.) No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.

High Fiber--Packing To Go

The larger Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) for BS is done except for the hood (You will have to scroll down if you use the link).

Shoulder seams still need to be sewn, and there are no buttons yet, but that shouldn't take long. This one is made from Swish DK in Grain Heather and Cinnamon. (Cinnamon is no longer available. This color was left over from my EZ Nethergarments.) The DK version of the BSJ should fit 6-9 months, I believe, so not for a while yet. I hope to have this done before we leave to go to Oregon to meet BS in person.

The baby is due June 26, but we're planning on being there in time for the baby shower. That explains the title of this post. If the baby comes early, we will need to be ready to go. (BS isn't really his name. It stands for "Baby Stuart." The parents are saving the name for a surprise.)

We're taking the trailer, and this will be its first time out for the season, so there's a lot to be done. "Packing" includes food, easy things to heat up or throw together quickly. We had taken all the liquids out of the trailer, and this means we will have to restock on things like mouthwash and cleaners, besides food for the trip. 

I plan on taking the Dogwood Blossoms cardigan to work on, as well as the Fiji socks and some extra sock yarn, in case I run out of knitting. I want to take my wheel, too. It would be nice if I can get my current spinning project plied so it will be ready for something new. My Kromski Sonata folds up nicely and fits in its bag, so it will be easy to take.

The Sparkling Gemstones quilt is ready to go to Julie for quilting, and I plan on taking it to her before we leave town. You may remember the quilt when it was on my design wall:

I added a border. The backing and binding will be the same fabric as the border.

The pattern is from Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam & Nicky Lintott. The quilt name is from the book. The fabrics are from my stash. If I were going to make this pattern again, I would simplify the piecing. The block borders/sashing don't need to have as many seams as they have, and simplifying them it would make putting the blocks together easier.

I've been waiting to get a photo of our Easter/Passover baby, Zachary, with his eyes open. He's very strong, and can hold his head up well already.

He slept so much in the beginning, I didn't think we would ever see what his eyes looked like! Daphne, on the other hand, is hard to catch with her eyes closed! Here's one, though! We all get sleepy when riding in the car, don't we?

I will definitely try to stay awake while on our trip, so I can make progress on some projects! But I may be in town for another week or so. Just need to be ready to go, just in case.

What's on my needles: Finishing up the BSJ, still the Dogwood Blossoms and Fiji Socks.
What's on my iPad: Celia's House by D. E. Stevenson from Audible.
What's my app of the week: AAA's TripTik, for the trip, of course!
What's in my wine glass: Long Lake Pinot Noir, 2009. Spicy!

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the MacBook. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.

High Fiber--Adventures in Colorado and Other Stuff

Progress on the Fiji sock!
 

I just returned from a weekend trip to Grand Junction, Colorado, to help register voters. It was about five hours each way, so there was lots of knitting time in the car. (It's amazing how much you can get done cooped up in the car.) The yarn is Knit Picks Glimmer in Fiji. The pattern is the "Scrolls" design under "Eight-stitch Patterns" in Charlene Schurch's More Sensational Knitted Socks. It's a fairly easy pattern, just YOs, SSKs and K2Togs. I'm using an "Eye of Partridge" heel.

The visit in Grand Junction was a lot of fun. My friend Liana and I stayed in the home of a nice lady who turned out to be a quilter. She was doing some square-foot gardening in her backyard and had a grape arbor that was decades old.

All day Saturday, we called on people who didn't vote in the last election. According to new Colorado law, they would not receive a ballot in the mail unless they re-registered. For the four of us in our car, this meant driving around looking for addresses. We received maps and well-organized materials before we set out, but finding your way around Grand Junction isn't very easy for people who don't live there! We found that out when we tried to find the home of our hostess. It was like Mr. Toad's wild ride, and the GPS wasn't much help! During the day, it was easier, but still challenging. This photo says it all, I think:

Who ever heard of streets with fractions? Actually, it makes sense, as we found out. The numbers are miles from the border. We never found out what the letters with fractions were for. And so many streets didn't go anywhere at all! We had great weather, though, great food and great companionship! Best of all, people seemed genuinely happy to be able to register to get their ballots in the mail. I hope I can go back again this summer.

Earlier in the week I got the dragon quilt back from Julie:

The binding is on, and it's ready to give to our new grandson when he arrives next month. Also in the works for him is a larger Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ):

I didn't take it to Colorado because I was trying to just take something small, because other people were sharing the car. I was sure I would have finished it, so needed another project. The sock took up almost no room. This BSJ doesn't need to be finished very soon. I'm using Swish DK and larger needles, so it should fit at 6-9 months, quite a bit bigger than the earlier one. One of the neat things about the pattern is that you can vary the size by changing the size of the yarn and needles.

We Skyped with Daphne on her birthday, and got to see Zachary with his eyes open. Here's a shot of the screen:

Stay tuned for more babies, knitting, quilting, travel and dogs. Have a happy week!

What's on my needles:Fiji sock, BSJ and Dogwood Blossoms

What's on my iPad: Just started Celia's House by D. E. Stevenson, one of my favorite authors. It's from Audible.

What's my app of the week:Flipboard. Great for news summaries on the go.

What's in my wine glass:Crane Lake Petit Sirah 2010. Very nice with a relaxing evening meal.

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the MacBook. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.