Ta Da!

Finally, I am unveiling the beaded bridal bag that I knit for my sister-in-law. I am more proud of this bag than anything else I've made; although this was not the most-difficult project I've ever knit, it was the most laborious, enjoying, and completely dazzling thing I've ever done. The pictures cannot do it justice, but here they are.

First, the lining. What a royal pain this was! I had to do it twice because the first time, I used a nice trim that ended up making the lining to thick and the clasp wouldn't snap. So I did a simple machine stitch and it is just fine:


The handle was the only part I didn't do myself. I was going to use a chain but couldn't find one that matched the vintage look of the purse frame. I had an experienced beader do whatever she wanted, and she did a wonderful job:


Did I mention that my kid was the ring bearer? He did a great job and was absolutely adorable. I was sure that he'd cartwheel down the aisle or toss the ringbearer pillow up in the air. Instead, he walked nicely down with a great smile, not too fast and not too slow, and went straight to the groom to hand him the pillow. Precious. Halfway through the ceremony, he was heard by all as he asked, "Are they married yet?" He was perfect.


So here is the entire purse in various poses:




The frame is lovely. A replica of a vintage frame, I chose it for the hearts embossed in it:


By the end of the night, the ring bearer collapsed on the floor and put his pillow to good use:

Oh Mexico

So Rob had to go to Mexico for work. Not anywhere exciting, just an industrial town near Mexico City. I asked him to please get me some yarn while he was there.

I never considered how difficult this might be. I did look online for yarn stores in Mexico and didn't find any. But I took that as more an indication of the Internet's inadequacies rather than an indication of how challenging it might be to find a yarn store in a small industrial Mexican town. I guess it didn't occur to me that most of his co-workers would be men and that they wouldn't also be knitters.

Diligent husband that he is, Rob asked around for a yarn store. It was probably as painful as if I had asked him to bring me home some Mexican tampons. He had to ask a lot of people, and none of them knew what he was talking about. Finally, the boss of the guy he was there to work with offered to send his wife to the market to see what she could come up with. Here's what she found:


I don't know how much it cost or what the yardage is. I am thrilled with this unique souvenir. It is soft and minimally-processed. It's still full of lanolin and has plenty of bits of straw and whatnot mixed in:



I'm not sure yet if I will dye it or felt it or just keep it in my Southern Living Gail Pittman bowl forever =) I do think I'll be sending a nice thank you gift of (maybe the Swallowtail Shawl!) something knitted to the woman who shopped for me.

(I really did cringe at how my husband relayed the painfulness of trying to find the yarn.)

A diversion

So the pink sweater is coming along, but after binding off one sleeve and seeing the mistake and knowing I had to rip out 6 inches, I decided to take a break. I came across a cute little burp cloth that I had started for a baby who's now old enough to hold down his breakfast, and decided to convert it into a dish towel. Then I made a matching wash cloth. (I really know how to avoid ripping out hard work!) The pattern is from the Mason-Dixon book, and the yarn is from a huge cone of Peaches & Cream:


After finishing these, I cast on the other sleeve, finished it, then ripped back the other sleeve and started making some progress. I just needed a little diversion!

What a difference a year makes!

One year ago today, my sweet little baby was not quite 7 months old. At 6 in the morning, Rob and I and handed off our precious little one to a very nice anesthesiologist with an English accent at the Mott's Children's Hospital of U-M. We spent the rest of the day anxiously waiting for reports from a pediatric neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon. By 5:00 that evening, our son was in the surgical recovery room receiving a pint of blood and IV morphine. He looked like this and I didn't recognize him at first:


A week later, we all came home from the hospital. The swelling gradually went down, the stitches dissolved, the hair grew back... and we recovered. It probably took this entire year for me to feel OK again. I still get a real sick feeling whenever he bonks his head on something, so maybe I'm not fully recovered. Still, I know that the experience of having a major surgery (a craniectomy - skull reconstruction - to repair a fused sagittal suture, a condition called craniosynostosis) on my babe traumatized me while simultaneously proving my good fortune. That his condition could be treated, that we had access to the best specialists in the world, that we had insurance to pay for much of it, that we all walked out of there with little more than a few months of night terrors... I cannot believe how lucky we are. And how awful that was to go through. And how much I love my kiddos.

My biggest complaint today is that I don't have enough time to knit. I've got nothing to complain about and so much more than so many others in this country and the world. I think I better go knit some hats for some preemies!

Here's what Jackson looks like today, with his older brother:


Someone please smack me the next time I bitch about how hard it is to take care of these two beautiful human beings who love me more than the air they breathe.

Tickled

I'm enjoying a few minutes of blog-surfing time (wow do I enjoy Crazy Aunt Purl!) and came across a funny article on -R-'s blog and I just can't stop laughing about an idea she gave me (without her knowing, of course, I mean, she doesn't even know I read her blog much less know me to give me an idea). She's talking about her husband and tells about this event:

The radio people were discussing a recent case, and H called in to comment on some legal aspect of the case. He also totally lied about where he lived, for no real reason other than he is random. He also gives his name as "Diego" whenever he has to make a reservation at a restaurant. His name is not Diego. Nor is his name uncommon or hard to pronounce. H just likes to live on the edge by having a reservation-making alter ego.

Well I am the one who always has to call in to restaurants and things like that, and being the home-bound family of unruly boys that we are, those calls are typically for carry-out orders. We don't go places that take reservations, anyway. So I got this funny idea to next time I have to call in for food that Rob is going to go pick up, I use my reservation-making alter ego. So when he goes to Mancino's or Ocean Garden he has to say, "Pick up for Dora" or "Order for the Rockefeller family." Or, even have to guess which name I put it under (I always tell him when he leaves, because I trust him with the lives of our children and to operate a vehicle, but not to deduce his own surname at the Chili's window). But what if I stop telling him and he gets to the place and he doesn't know, and after his first name and his last name and my first name and my maiden name don't work, maybe he has to call me and then I can tell him, "it's under the name: Cat Deeley."

This idea has me so tickled that I can't wait til my husband gets back to town so that I can order take-out.

Progress!

So many FO's - I'm so excited and I don't know what to do with myself!

I blocked the cardigan and sewed on the buttons:


I used the "Neckdown Summer Cardigan" pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple. The pattern was great. If I ever knit it again, I'll narrow the sweater a bit on the waist. It feels a bit wide there, but I like the fit otherwise. The yarn used is El D. Mouzakis Super-10 Butterfly mercerized cotton. It was awful to work with - so slippery and miserable - but it comes in great, fun colors. (Funny aside: someone on knitlist-ads was selling what I thought was this same yarn and even though I hate it, I still bought the yarn. It was $1/ball, how could I resist? I was so happy and surprised when I opened the box and it was some other cotton yarn!)

Then, I cast off the Lucy bag (from Two Old Bags). It still needs to be felted but it's cute:


You close the bag by pulling the long handle thru the short handle. I think I'll embellish it with one of my cute animal buttons and give it away!

I've also finished the sleeve of the Berlin sweater. I'm using Ultra Alpaca and I love the yarn. (There is a mistake in the sleeve, and and some point I have to rip back about 4 inches of the sleeve. But I'm waiting til the sting goes out a bit. Maybe you can see the mistake in the picture.)


THEN (Yes there is more!) I cast off the Swallowtail shawl. I love it and can't wait to block it. I used the new Addi Turbo lace needles and they were great. I was able to make the nupps with ease. The yarn is Malabrigo laceweight and it's so soft. I'll post more pics after I block it, but here it is on the lawn:


On to new projects! Going to spend the weekend converting the yarn room back into the guest room, and I'm sure I'll come across a project or two to cast on =)

Summertime fun

Lots going on over here!

The bridal shower is over - it was lots of work to get our house in shape to host such event (we are perfectly suited to host playgroups of 20+ children, but adults? Not so much), but it was well worth the trouble as I now have beautiful, weed-free gardens, a painted dining room (with a table and chairs, no less!), and happy memories of hosting family and friends for a party that honored my brother and his fiancee. I hope they loved it! The best part, and my favorite of all the planning and ideas, were the desserts. Michelle from Sweets 'n Moore outdid herself!

The bride and groom cake:


With matching cookie favors:


And a lovely display of desserts:


We recovered from the festivities in time to celebrate the 4th with family and then take our first family "vacation." Rob and I haven't been anywhere for more than a long weekend since we visited Brazil back BK (before kids). Marty has been on a plane for a wonderful weekend in Jekkyl Island, Georgia. That and a few drives to Chicago are it for our vacations. So I was pretty excited when my friend Jodie offered us her gorgeous summer home in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. We visited them there over Memorial Day and knew how fantastic it was - spacious, beautifully appointed and decorated, with lots of space, a pool, and a hottub. I had dreams of knitting by the pool while my children played and then spending the evenings drinking wine and talking with my husband while the children slept. These dreams were dashed progressively over the course of this "vacation," which is more aptly called "how much candy will it take to get 5 minutes of peace" or "summer of family pink eye."

It wasn't all bad. The house was great, it was wonderful to get away from the day-to-day duties at home, and the kids had fun. Plus we saw my Uncle Mike, which was the highlight of the trip. I had about one hour of knitting poolside, lots of knitting time in the car, and did make a ton of progress. I finished this within hours of our arrival (it still needs blocking):


And here we are, sun-kissed, tired, sick, but happy: