Knitty Gritty Thoughts

The Grand Canyon

In the spirit of keeping up with my goals and making a point to travel- we made a mini trip to the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Montezuma Castle this past weekend.

The grand canyon is breathtaking - every time I see it I am completely in awe and amazed at nature. Now I can tell Abby when she gets older, "see you were there!"

2011 Goals

Well it's that time again, goal setting time. I was thinking about letting the list pass this year since I was out of town but I didn't want to let this year start without a list, a roadmap of sorts of what I want to focus on. The list is my plan, it helps me get organized and focus on what's important to me, so here we go -

Invest in Me

I have a hard time spending money on myself for classes, books, videos, etc. This year I want to invest in me both professionally (for my career as a project manager) but also with my hobbies. I'd like to invest in becoming a better spinner, photographer, sewer, etc)

Minimize the extra

I've become a bit of a minimalist the last few moves - dragging your stuff up and down stairs, moving it across country yourself, moving into large homes and then tiny apartments, it's enough to make anyone a minimalist. You know how they say you only use 20% of your stuff, 80% of the time? I'm trying to get to that 20% and love and use everything I own.

Make my space cozy

I'd like to focus on learning how to decorate and how to make my space cozy and welcoming. I have difficulty spending $$ in this area but my house sometimes feels more like a college dorm than a actual home with all the moving. I need to learn how to make these temporary places home.

Save money on the things that aren't important so I can spend it on the things that are

I want to continue minimizing my expenses in the disposable goods categories of items and redirect those funds to fun experience-based things. I want to focus on taking trips, long and short. Hikes, camping, etc so that Abby can have those experiences too.

Feel comfortable in my own skin

I want to make a point of getting fit this year. I'm about 2 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight but things have shifted and my old clothes don't fit. I want to feel comfortable in shorts again and feel confident walking around.

And what would be a list without crafting goals? I want to -

Spin for a sweater

Knit a sweater (not necessarily with handspun)

Learn how to process a fleece

Get better at spinning on a drop spindle

Learn how to make yogurt

Learn how to make soap

What are your goals this year???

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Vacation!

I've been away from this space waiting for my camera which broke on me to be fixed.  At first I thought it was a faulty CF card but after receiving a new one last night it's actually much worse than that - the pins inside the camera where the memory card goes in somehow got slightly bent.  Sending it off to Canon to be fixed outside warranty was estimated to cost around 200-400 dollars.  A new one is about 1100.  So - hubby is going to be working his magic to see if he can bend them back into place.  I really hope so - I have a fancy lens rental coming my way from Camera Lens Rentals for the Christmas/New Year and I'm so disappointed if I won't get to use it.

Anyhow - so I'll be away from this space until the camera issues get worked out and doing a mini digital sabbatical to spend time with my family over the Christmas Holiday.

In the meantime I'll leave you with a photo of our Christmas card this year - Abby was so cute and I just wasn't feeling it being photo'd this year so she got to take center stage.  Photographing her was like trying to hit a moving target!  Every photo was so cute, I wish you could see them all!  
Merry Christmas!

Starting to go crazy :: Holiday Style

It's official -- I feel like I'm starting to lose my mind.

I was so proud of myself this year - I had finished all of my Christmas shopping early, before Thanksgiving and was feeling so proud of myself.  Nevermind I forgot I was planning on doing a mostly hand-made Christmas and most of those hand-mades haven't even been started!

So of course, I had to start something new -
a little handspun hat for me using the Madtosh Slouch Pattern. 
Such a fun knit!
Hanging out with is my favorite bag of all time. 
A gorgeous Freda leather bag hand-crafted by my friend Joanna
and purchased from her awesome etsy shop. 
Get thee over there to drool at all the amazing designs! :)

I feel like the list keeps going on and on.  I'd love to -

Make a stocking for Abby's 1st Christmas - (plans are in mind for colorwork/reindeer design using some more Shelter yarn I purchased.  Something like her dad's stocking but rework the gauge for the yarn and make it bigger.  Too much thought process involved, argh!)

Knit Advent Calendar - (this one is a biggie.  I have 5 stockings done.  If I can just do 1 stocking a day I can make it.  Nevermind I barely have 1 hour a day to knit.  Let alone sew.)

Knit a hat for Hubby - (I knit him a hat every year.  Here's one of the previous year's version.  Now if I can just sit down and do it!  He has a big head!)

Make a bender for Hubby's stocking - (He's been bugging me for years about this bender doll.  I have no idea how to amigurumi or even how to spell it but I need to figure it out prior to Dec 24th!)

Make a toy ball for Abby - (I saw these super cute balls on etsy and found the tutorial here.  I can't wait to make a minkee material ball for her.  She loves watching me toss things in the air.)

Sew zip pouches for Mom and Grandma - (I got a start on these here.  Now to finish.)

Figure out handmade goodies to put in advent calendar - (Any ideas??)

Re-do the lining of Hubby's stocking so it's more stretchy - (Right now it won't fit anything!)

Sew all the wrapping paper using my leftover fabric and using the Japanese art of Furoshiki(!)  - Wrapping gifts with fabric.  You can get the idea of what it is over here.  And here's a neat link to the Japanese Ministries image of How-To's)

I'd also like to make potholders.  Oh yea and make some more fabric balls. 

Make heat pads filled with flax seed for Hubby's Dad

Knit a handspun hat for MIL.

I'm enjoying my new super fabulous fabric weights from this etsy shop. 
Ruth is super talented!

And the list goes on and on!  I'm crazy, I will never get this all done.  And in the meantime, I really need to sew Abby some more diapers and make a few bibs - she's 6 months so we're starting on solids!

Freebie Friday :: Giveaway

Hi All-

Thought I would hold a mini freebie friday giveaway today.  All the items in the pictures below are up for grabs.  I'll ship them anywhere in the world - free shipping to you.  All you need to do is leave a comment saying what you'd like and I'll pick a name randomly from that group on each item after the giveaway closes (tuesday afternoon, AZ Time)

It's totally free to you!  Feel free to pick more than one, or say you'd be interested in them all.  I'd like to pass on these items to a good home!

So here we go - sewing patterns!

Up for grabs from left -

Amy Butler Midwest Modern Pillows

Amy Butler Betty Shopper

Montessori by Hand Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag

Singer Apron Pattern

Sugar Rush by Chickpee Quilts

All patterns are brand new, unopened and have no pieces missing or cut out.

 

Brand-new Bobbin Side Winder, auto winding bobbins for sewing.  Great to have next to you as you sew so you don't need to keep re-threading your machine every time you need to wind more bobbins. 

Knits and Grits DPN organizer/Crochet hook organizer up for grabs

Scott Mountain Crafts Hand crafted silver shawl stick up for grabs -hammered silver, very pretty!

** See anything you like?  Leave a comment saying what you are interested in(there's no limit to the number of things) and I'll pick a winner for each item randomly from the group and ship it to you free.**

Happy freebie friday! :)

Putting on the 'knits

Every day, Abby and I head out for a 2-3 mile run/walk.  It's one of my favorite parts of the day, everything is peaceful and quiet.  Abby loves looking around and I love having the time to myself to think.

It's just started getting cold here in the mornings and today was the first day I got to break out the knits.  Remember my adorable pixie baby hat and baby blanket?  They've been waiting in the closet and finally were put to good use. 

Hi!  I'm a pixie!  Let's go Mom!

This is the view on our walk - isn't is gorgeous?  You probably wouldn't realize that based on that scenery that this was AZ.  Southern AZ is suprisingly mountainous.  We're actually at about 5,000 feet elevation.

Happy Wednesday!

Learn to be still

When Abby would nap I would run around the house trying to take the opportunity to get everything done on my todo list.  Laundry - check.  Dishes - check.  Make bed, sweep floors, check work email.  Check check check!  The list goes on and on.  Until this last week, where suddenly she wouldn't sleep unless someone would hold her or was sitting next to her (I hear it's the 3 month sleep regression).  She just wanted company and to be cuddled.  And who could blame her?

Since that time I've had to re-learn to be still.  I've been enjoying these quiet morning hours.  To sit and enjoy the fleeting moments like this, cuddling with the baby in bed in the early morning hours.  Sitting next to her, sipping coffee.  Watching the birds at our feeder out the window.  Watching the bees buzz over our garden.  Crocheting a few rows.  And I'm loving it.  This embracing the moment and taking things how they come is a good thing. 

How are you embracing the moment today?

Back to the grindstone...

Thank you all for the welcoming baby love!  Time sure flies when you've got a little one - it's like I blinked and almost 3 months has gone by.  Abby is growing so fast and we're slowly establishing a good schedule and it's starting to feel like things are going back to normal.  I finally got back to running last week!  And I started working from home again when Abby was about 1 month old. 

In the meantime, I'm grateful to my baby carriers to give me a sense of normalcy and even better some freedom.  I've been trying to make it a point to get out of the house. 

Here a wear.... (Moby Carrier:: walking around the house doing chores)

There a wear.... (Ergo Carrier:: colossal caves, tucson, AZ)

 

Everywhere a baby wear... (Ergo Carrier:: Mt.Lemmon, AZ)

I've also been keeping my hands busy in the meantime - spinning...

 

Pigeonroof Club Fiber (BFL/3-ply)

 

Southern Cross Fibre Club:: Zeus (2ply)

My latest obsessions have been involving my sewing machine - all the projects take much less time.  I've gone a little crazy and bought a snap press, joined a bunch of fabric co-ops and am now learning how to sew my own cloth diapers.  Fun!  I love learning new things!

Nursery - Check!

Whew!  Time has been passing so quickly lately and now I've blinked and it's almost the first of May!  I've been busy working on putting together the nursery for the baby who's arrival will be any day now. 

I hadn't originally planned on doing a room, since she'll be sleeping with us for the first year or so and will probably never use it - but - it's the first grandchild on my mom's side and my mom and grandma really wanted to.  They picked everything out and delivered it to AZ and all I needed to do was set it up.  They really think girls need girlie girlie colors so there is lots of pink.  I negotiated some green and some polka dots to de-girlify it a bit - and I think it turned out really cute!

I made another zigzag quilt (told ya I couldn't stop!) and finished knitting her baby blanket .  The quilt itself is crib-sized.  I've been saving the fabric for oh, 4 years or so and I'm thrilled to finally have "quiltified it."  I modified the pattern I linked to above to make the zigzags smaller (4in square instead of 5) and I love the way it turned out.  I love love love the rug - it makes the room!

I have some other mini wall quilts in the works but for now I'm calling the room done!  I put up some polka dot wall decals to take up the empty wall space.  Isn't that window adorable?  I can't wait to sew up a cushion and make a little reading nook!

All of her cloth diapers are washed and prepped and her cloth wipes too.  All of her clothes have been washed and folded and put away and we are ready, all we need are baby!

I love things with a bit of history - this bassinette has been in my husband's family for over 70 years.  Every baby that has come into the family in that 70 years has spent their first few months in this bassinette.  Each baby gets their own new lining - in my case I'm a big crafter of course so I had picked out my fabric years ago and had been saving it. 

It might be hard to tell but the fabric has little sheep frolicking all over it - so cute!  My MIL put it together for me and she added eyelets and lace to make it a bit more girly.  When we're done using it, it will be taken apart and then we'll make a quilt out of it. 

It's a good thing everything's done because we're entering countdown time!  My dr from LA vs AZ disagree on dates so I'm somewhere between 37 and 39 weeks so before I know it baby will be here!  Which is good because I really miss seeing my toes! =)

Toto we're not in Louisiana anymore!

Well, that adventure was short lived!  I'm talking about the Louisiana adventure of course - made it about 9 months and hubby and I realized we needed a change of pace.  His job was 7 days a week, 14 hours a day non-stop.  Then they cut pay...and benefits.  I think his previous employer was counting on the recession and terrible job market to keep people there under those circumstances.  After months of new job searching we were lucky to say NO thank you!  You can take your job and we'll take our freedom.

New job means new location of course and what better way to do it then 6 months pregnant???  A do it yourself move - please! =)  Now here we are, in the high desert of Southern Arizona, settling in.  We lived here about 6 years ago so it's a strange kick to be back, familiar yet different.  A bit bigger of a town but still has those lovely mountain views.  On the day we arrived in the rental truck there was a "blizzard."  Want to know what a blizzard looks like in Arizona...please see below -

Lol!  Gorgeous but still...that's no blizzard, atleast by my reckoning.  Beautiful sunset though.  Our new rental house has a gorgeous view of the mountains.

In the meantime I finally started a baby blanket for knittygritty baby - it's a girl!  I had chosen a beautiful Irish green color before I knew the sex and decided to choose a "lacy" pattern to girl it up a bit.  The free pattern is called the Pine Forest Baby Blanket and it's available on ravelry.  My project details are here.

The yarn is MCN from Have you any Wool in the color Keagan - it is sooo decadent to knit with!  I worried that the cashmere would be too over the top in a baby blanket but I'm glad I splurged because I've enjoyed every second of knitting this.  And I've bought more, in other colorways for other projects!  It's addicting I tell ya.

I've also been knitting and finishing other projects...too many to recount here.  Here's one of my favorites -

A Christmas Doily!  It's been on my must-knit list for awhile.  The pattern is Egeblad and I knit it with 1 ball of cotton yarn, great bang for your knitting buck.  My ravelry project details are here.  

And in other news - my job will be coming to an end in the next month or so, after which time I'm excited to finally be around here more frequently and get around to working on all those projects and tutorials that I've been wanting to share with you all.  Happy knitting! =)