I just changed one of the side bar contents on the left to share some information about Ahren's Read-A-Thon at school. They are doing it as a fundraiser for a family from the school, the Dunns. I've posted about them already. I'm quite excited at a opportunity to actually do something to try and help them.

Some pictures!

Finally, I've got some pictures to put up! First is the RintheR that I was making for Sean, but he doesn't want it since it's not green.



Second is one that I cast on today. I was planning to make a Lo-Tech Sweat with this yarn. But once I started it, it didn't take me long to realize that it really is too wispy for that. So last night I scanned my patterns and thought that it might be good for the Two Tone Sweater from Sally Melville's The Purl Stitch. I think it will be perfect.



Back to the Lo-Tech Sweat. I think that the yarn that should arrive this coming week from One Fine Yarn will be good for that. My mom had sent me some money for my birthday and I couldn't resist the yarn. I also ordered some handpainted yarn (one skein is just under 1000 yards!) I want to make some kind of shawl, but I don't know what pattern. I also got a skein of some recycled silk, I'm thinking multi-directional scarf, but I don't know if the yardage will be enough.

The Most Wonderful Dentist in the World

Honestly, I think that Dr. Shoemaker is the world's best dentist. Of course, the fact that he just adores Sean makes him that much better himself. We had Sean's regular checkup today. Typically, he just checks to make sure they are all doing well and there isn't some rampant decay eating away Sean's teeth. He usually does a little cleaning, but tries to keep everything low key and very friendly - actually very silly. Dr. Shoemaker is so great with kids, joking around and keeping them happy and distracted when needed.

Sean handled the cleaning and Dr. Shoemaker said that Sean's teeth were cleaner than probably 95% of his patients!! Sean did so well that we decided to try some xray films, which he handled well, then on to flouride treatment (which generally speaking I'm not wild about, but with Sean's dental history, it just makes sense), which also went well. Since he was handling everything so well, talking and laughing through everything we decided to take a stab at getting the mold for a loop spacer. If you've ever had a cap done, this was a similar thing for taking the mold. Most grown ups complain about it (I know I sure do!) and my little 4 yo handled it like a trooper!

I'm so proud, he's such a sweetie!

So here's the situation. I really want to make the Lo-Tech Sweat and I've done a swatch in Pingouin Soft Hair from Elann but at 18 sts it is coming out more like 5" than 4", also the swatch seems a bit more floppy than what I would like. At this is with going a size on the needles already, so if I go down another size is that going to change the pattern too much?? Decisions, decisions! What if I go down another size and if the swatch is to the smaller size I could do a size up in the pattern? Do make a large instead of a medium? Would that work?

In other quandries, I would really love to make a shawl like my friend, Suna did here (scroll down a bit), but I'm wondering if this yarn would work? The hardest thing for me to decide on which yarn for which pattern. HELP!

A New Bucket Pattern!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Bonne Marie! A Bottom Up Bucket hat! I love the bucket pattern, but really dread the picking up (okay, so the picking up, isn't terrible, it's the evenly spacing the picking up that is a PITA!). This pattern is an answer to my prayers. Already bought my copy and I'm going to try to find some yarn in my stash to knit it up this week!

Also, a big HeLLLo to my feLLLow sisters visiting me. You know who you are. ;)

New Tag Board!
For some reason my Shout Outs aren't working (Thanks Uli for letting me know!). I decided to go ahead and just set up a Tag Board.

Please say hello!

A New Chapter

So I finally closed out the good ole' Holiday Gift Along side bar and started the new, "Someday..." side bar. I am sometimes so easily distracted that I figured I really needed a place to put all the things that I want to make someday, so that when I walk into my lys I will have some idea what I need to get!

I'm thinking of working on a new Raglan in the Round sweater for Sean, since he is so disappointed that the one I'm currently doing for him is not green. I do have a full skein of green that would work, it is 171 yards, so maybe I could do that for the body and yellow or blue or red for the sleeves? How would that look? Does a color blocked raglan look okay, or would it look piecemeal? If I did that I don't think I would need to buy any new yarn. Also, going through my stash, I found that I have enough to make a RintheR for Baby Stevens, too.

Raglans in the Round

Over the holidays I began Pete's RintheR. I've never done a Raglan or a whole sweater in the round either, so this was something new. I started with the first sleeve and it seems a bit too narrow and really too long. So for the second sleeve (which would actually be the first sleeve of a new size) I went up a sweater size and processed, the width seems better, but it is still quite long. Since I've never done a Raglan before I'm not sure how the sleeves work at the joining part, so I decided to change my course and do a smaller size - trial version. So along comes Sean's Raglan in the Round. The sleeves are looking good so far (both of them) and I've even cast on for the body and have done about 7 rows so far. But last night Sean was asking about my knitting and if I was making him anything, when I told him I was making him the sweater that I was working on (which is a soft blue) he began screaming and crying, he was so upset and doesn't want a BLUE sweater, he wants a GREEN sweater. So I told him that I would make this sweater for someone else and make him a GREEN sweater. It took me a while to convince him that it wasn't a huge problem (he kept saying, "no, it's too late!").

Thankfully, these Raglans seem to go quickly!

I have been woefully behind on this blog since the holidays. The beginning of January found me adjusting to the new schedule of working at Sean's school (3 mornings a week as a teacher's aide) AND increasing my hours by 50% for my work-at-home gig as a website administrator.

Then last week, we had a real tragedy happen very close to home. A house in our neighborhood was overcome with carbon monoxide poisioning. The family thought that they were all getting the flu so they stayed inside over the weekend (at the time we had single digit temps), the Grandmother and a family friend came to help them while they were sick. It wasn't the flu, and was instead CO poisoning. The Grandmother and family friend were dead on the scence, the parents and two children (7 & 3) were taken to the hospital. The father passed away the following day and the girls and mother remained in critical condition in the ICU. Chelsea (the 7 yo) is one of Ahren's close friends (they are classmates). Last year in Kindergarten I volunteered in the classroom each week, so Sean and I also got to know Chelsea fairly well. She is the sweetest little girl (reminds me soooo much of Ahren).

The latest word sounds like the girls are doing some improvement, but they will likely be in the hospital a long time. Their mother, Kelly is in worst condition than the girls. If you wish, feel free to send prayers, vibes, healing light and well wishes to the Dunn Family, they could surely use it.

Knitting wise, I've been rather lazy. I've worked some on the Raglan in the Rounds, maybe I will take pictures later. It's just so hard to muster up any energy these days for non-essential things.