MDSW 2011 Recap

Guess where Piper and I went today!



You don't care about the shy sheepies, do you? You just want to see the yarn! I actually didn't buy a whole lot today. I touched many skeins of soft yarn, but can't say there were many colourways that drew me in.

This was the first yarn I bought - and one of the reasons why is that Creatively Dyed Yarn had an outside stall, so I was able to get in there with the stroller and not have anyone give me dirty looks. I could have spent much more money here, but I wanted to spread my funds around.

This is their Voodoo yarn (100% superwash merino, 150g/350 yards) in 'Head.'



And a close up:



I picked this one because it was a very warm shade with lots of little bits of colour (purple, green, pink, etc.) thrown in.

My second purchase? The Flock Bransonas Hand-painted sock yarn (75% wool/25% nylon, 100g/460 yards)in 'Hallmark.'



And a close up:



I'm not sure if this comes across in the photo, but this yarn is dark green and apple green - with a thread of electric turquoise going through it - very striking.

My third purchase? A similar shade to my second purchase, but a very different feeling yarn: Three Irish Girls Glenhaven Cashmerino Fingering yarn (80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon, 3.5oz/370 yards) in 'Rain Rain Go Away!'



And a close up:



For all its blues and greens, this yarn screams feminine to me. I love Three Irish Girls' shades and I really agonized over which shade to pick.

And my fourth, and probably the favourite of the bunch, purchase - Sanguine Gryphon Bugga (70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon, 4oz/412 yards) in 'The Grouchy Ladybug.'



And a close up:



Honestly, if I hadn't have been drawn to the colour in the first place, the name of the colourway would have done it for me. Have you ever read Eric Carle's book, The Grouchy Ladybug? I read it to Willow a few years ago and it was hilarious - about a ladybug who picks fights with everyone and learns a few lessons along the way.

And Piper? She was an angel. Here she is, trying to decide if she should become a redhead or not:



She slept the entire two-hour drive down to MDSW, and I had her in her stroller for the first hour and a half - until it got too crowded to manuever through the barns. After that, we went back to the car and switched to our Snugli in 'Green Roses' carrier and walked around for another hour and a half. It was much easier to get around with her in the carrier, and she didn't fuss one whit. Walking around with the stroller was challenging - people definitely get pissed at the people with strollers and pull-carts - but I have to say I was 'driving' very conscientiously - and to the lady who gave me the stink eye when she tripped over my stroller... if you hadn't decided to cross in front of me diagonally without looking, you wouldn't have tripped... because I was stationary at the time. Just sayin'.

A big, BIG thank you to my friend Kathy - more than once she stood with Piper in non-crowded areas so I could wade into the throngs and pay for my purchases. I couldn't have done any shopping without her. And thank you to Michelle, Patti, and Julie, who babysat Piper in the music tent so I could get some kettle corn! Yes, I will be paying for that one at Weight Watchers tomorrow, but I enjoyed every bite of it.

WiP It Wednesday: Tara's Orange Socks

Aren't they pretty? I'm surprised how quickly they are coming along, especially since I am working off a 20 row chart and I am not the most proficient at reading knitting charts.

Piper Fascinated By Flowers

The tree in the previous post is a red bud tree in my father-in-law's front yard. I had never seen a redbud tree before moving to the East Coast, and it amazes me how they bloom off the bark, even before any green leaves show up.

Here are some more pictures of the redbud blooms:





If you look in the blurred background of the above picture, you can see how the trunk sort of looks polka-dotted with bloom clusters. It's a very pretty plant - and I am not sure if the term 'redbud' is a misnomer - every one I have seen has been this purply-pink colour. I know my Mom was interested in getting one for their place on Vancouver Island, but it won't growe there - apparently it is a southern plant, and Delaware is at the northern limits of where it will grow well.

Wordless Weekend

Happy Easter from the Easter Cat

Easter Cat is not nearly as benevolent as the Easter Bunny. Easter Cat will steal your food, wake you up with yowling in the middle of the night, will use your legs as a brace to stretch (claws!), and doesn't give a rat's ass about Resurrection or anything like that. Fluffy bunnies and chicks, on the other hand - those he could get interested in...

WiP It Wednesday: The Little Sister Edition

I remembered! And it is even Wednesday!

This is what I am working on for Piper right now:



It is Little Sister's Dress (Rav Link) - appropriate, don't you think? The pattern is interesting - it actually calls for sock yarn, but so many people have taken liberties with it and used sport, dk, worsted yarn - and the pattern is forgiving. I'm making mine out of dk weight and it is the 3M size, but I think it will fit Piper closer to 9M.

And speaking of the intended recipient, I caught a cute picture of her today:



I wish I could say I was looking as cute - some pollen/tree/flower outside is not playing nice and my eyes are all itchy and red. I really don't know what I can take while nursing - anyone have any ideas?

Tiding you over

I love this picture because it looks like her! I don't mean that to be a silly comment, but often when you take a photo of a baby the baby's face is screwed up in a cry, she is sleeping, etc. - but in this one she is alert and just about to smile.

Whose Mini-Me?

My due date group has a weekly baby picture theme, so I broke out the camera to try and get some shots of Piper. This week's theme is funny faces. She had just woken up from her nap and gave me this look:



A light bulb went off, and I started digging through my old pictures on Flickr, and I found a picture of me that my Mom had sent after Willow was born:



Mind you, Piper is almost 10 weeks old in her picture and I was a newborn in mine, but I think the resemblance is there. And as for the funny picture? Well, I couldn't decide between:



"No! I don't want to play with the giraffe!"


(Yes, she threw the giraffe at me.)

and



"Pick me up now!"

Finished Object Friday

... on video!



I don't know what the hell is with my voice - those of you who know me in person know that my voice isn't that high-pitched.

The Particulars:

Pattern: Ann Budd's Basic Sock pattern (Rav Link)
Yarn: Crock-O-Dye (65% Superwash Wool, 20% Nylon, 15% Silk), Colour 798 (Blue-Purple)
Needles: Size 2 - 16" Knitpicks circulars

Would I knit this pattern again? Absolutely - this is my go-to sock pattern and it is very easy to customize for my small yet wide feet.

I have to say I *love* this sock yarn and will buy it again in a heartbeat - it's so soft, it has a slight sheen due to the silk, and it is machine washable! Now that these socks are finished, I can get started on Tara's orange socks - if you remember, Tara won my baby arrival pool - and as a double bonus, Piper was born on Tara's birthday. I'm just waiting for my new needles to arrive and I will be casting on right away!

At Long Last - Tara's Package

I was starting to feel a little guilty here - my friend Tara had sent a package for Piper, and I hadn't blogged about it yet... despite the fact that we have been using the objects in said package already... Bad Jo!

I knew the package was coming - I mean, I hadn't seen the contents yet, but Tara had said she was sewing Piper a baby quilt to match the curtains that were already in Piper's room. So, when the package arrived, I was surprised to see much more than just a quilt in the box... and Tara was sneaky, because I have to finish something in there!

Here is the quilt:



It's gorgeous, isn't it? We already have it on the bed in Piper's room (there is a bed and crib in her room).

A little background - the curtains in Piper's room were originally intended to be Willow's when we lived in the apartment. However, after I picked out the fabric (yellow and green stripes with pink roses) and Andrew's Mom made the curtains, we found out there was no way for us to hang them because the windows in the apartment were surrounded by metal under the plaster. So, my pretty pretty curtains went into storage. Three years later we moved into our present house, but Willow's bedroom has three windows, so once again we couldn't use the curtains - but we had this guest room... So, my mother-in-law shortened the curtains, and we hung them in the guest room, which has now morphed into Piper's room. I really like these curtains and since Piper was going to be a girl, I didn't see why I would have to change them.

There were also some potholders and a mini-mermaid in the package:



Here's a close up of the mermaid:



She is one of the few things that Piper has actually grasped and played with - I love how she has no buttons or anything else that could get ripped off and swallowed. There is also a cup-holder sleeve, but that is in use right now and didn't make it into the photo, as well as some monkey jammies!

And the to-do part? An apron! Here is a picture from Tara's blog. She left it unfinished so I could make the neck strap as long or as short I need it, and included a button and thread to sew it with. This is my goal for the weekend - get the apron finished so I can take a picture of it! I love aprons - I am notorious for spilling things on myself and consequently ruining clothes.

Thank you, Tara! I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get the pictures up!

The Cuteness Is Going to Get You...

Piper received a package today from her Great-Auntie Daryth - and my, oh my is it ever cute:



It's a little big on her right now, but I think it is going to make a wonderful Easter outfit. I like this photo, too - for entirely different reasons:



Willow loves Piper so incredibly much - you can barely keep Piper out of her arms. She wants to pick her up and hold her at every turn (and then just as quickly hand her back when Piper starts tooting...).



Doesn't she look like a doll?

And the best part?



The ruffly bum!

Thank you, Auntie Daryth - the whole outfit is beautiful!

****************************************

Tomorrow - Tara's package! I was waiting until I had sewn the button on the apron, but I haven't managed to do that yet, so let me show you pictures of everything else in the box.

My New Favourite Picture

A Message From Piper

Mama says sorry for the radio silence - she went back to work this week and any free time has been spent holding me.



I like that!

She says she misses knitting, though.

New Eyeglasses (And Bonus Piper Pics!)

Andrew says I have a sassy librarian thing going on...



I'm not nearsighted or farsighted - I have an astigmatism that is gradually making it difficult to focus on small print at medium distances. I started noticing about six months ago that I was having a hard time focusing on the tv listings on the television. I finally had my doctor's appointment this past week, and found out that my vision had degraded from 20/15 to 20/20. Why then I do I have to wear glasses? Well, I don't all the time - my doctor said I only need them when my eyes are tired - most likely only at night.

I have to say though - after taking this picture and studying it - I might actually have a child that looks like me! She may end up having blonde hair and blue eyes, but she looks like me! Some people say that Willow looks like me - but trust me, she and her Daddy are two peas in a pod. She has my eye colour and curly hair, but her colouring, body type, facial features all fall to the paternal side.

Speaking of eye colour, here is a close up of Piper's eyes:



Excuse the goggle-eyed bit - she was probably trying to figure out why Mommy kept taking close up pictures with the flash on. Seven weeks in and her eyes are still blue - and as you can see, quite light coloured around the pupil, which usually indicates that the eye colour will remain light. I have hazel eyes and Andrew brown - but there are plenty of blue and green eyed people on my side of the family, so maybe some recessive traits have snuck their way in.

I've mentioned before that Piper has her 'demon' period between 7 - 9pm. It doesn't seem to matter what I do - she won't nurse, won't cuddle - just flails her arms and arches her back and screams. And screams and screams and screams. Try and swaddle her? It only gets louder and more frantic. This was her during the demon time a few days ago:



Really, all I can do is hold her and let her get it out. She usually drops off within 30 minutes and then we have exhausted Piper:



She wakes up two hours later absolutely ravenous, but in a much better mood. People tell me this night-time colic goes away at around 3 months... I sure as hell hope so.

False Advertising

The weather has finally warmed up enough around here for me to venture into my sunroom, and I was eager to start winding some yarn because I am coming to the end of the socks I am currently working on. I'm kind of lazy about socks - my sock stash is immense, but I will just grab whatever yarn is already wound when I want to start a new pair of socks. So, I pulled out a few skeins I wanted to knit with, and proceeded to wind them into cakes.

Exhibit A:



Pretty, isn't it? I won't say who the vendor is, but I bought this skein at MDSW last year. I had this picture in my head of how this self-striping sock yarn was going to knit up - alternating stripes of a cherry red and a red/orange/pink/yellow variegated. Imagine my surprise when I untwisted the skein and was presented with this:



This is not self-striping... Striping, perhaps with a lot of annoying work and weaving in of ends on my part. I'm a bit pissed here. I remember having a conversation with the vendor about how keen I was to see how this *SELF-STRIPING* yarn was going to knit up. I'm not sure what I am going to do with it now. I am not one to put extra effort into socks with multiple skeins. There is probably enough on each half-skein to make children's socks and that is probably my best option - but I guess this proves the adage 'caveat emptor.'

Remember how excited I was when I picked up my craft table (Ikea Nordren Gateleg, I believe) last year? Well, this is what it looks like in action with my swift and winder:



Yeah, ignore the fact that the Christmas tree and ornament box are still in the sunroom. I was too pregnant to help Andrew put it in the loft after Christmas, and as I mentioned above, it only just started being warm enough to not freeze off body parts whilst in the sunroom.

Piper's Favourite Place To Be

I think we have mastered the Cradle Hold! She also likes the Lotus position (facing forward), but I find that one a bit awkward once she falls asleep because I worry about her head drooping down. Thank heavens for the Moby Wrap - I wish I had one of these 8+ years ago when Willow was little. I did make myself a ring sling, but never was comfortable carrying Willow in it.

And look what we found in our front garden yesterday:



There is so much yard work that needs to get done - Andrew mows the long, but I do the rest of the weeding, pruning, planting, etc. - and all that got sidelined from summer on last year because I was pregnant. I am not even sure where to begin right now.

My head...

Once again, she looks peaceful, doesn't she? Today is apparently 'Mommy better hold me or I will scream at the highest decibel I can' day. She will nurse, cuddle, fall asleep, and as soon as I put her down, the screaming starts. Needless to say, there has been a lot of screaming today.

No Longer WIP Wednesday: Finished Object Follow Up

Thank heavens for the magic of blocking!



Willow's Mi Escuelita sweater fits!

Here's a close up of the cables on the back of the sweater - I really like this detail (and Willow's rock star pose).



And her "I've been caught look" is good, too:



The Particulars:
Pattern: Mi Escuelita from Knitty Fall 2009.
Yarn: Valley Yarns Valley Superwash in Grape (bought at Stitches East a few years ago).
Needles: Knitpicks US Size 5 16" circulars and dpns
Modifications: The only modification was an unintentional one - the sleeves are slightly different because I wasn't paying attention. I was already a good 4-5 inches past the point when I noticed and I wasn't industrious enough to rip it back and start over. It's a design feature...

Would I make this pattern again? Honestly, I don't know. I don't care for the construction of the shawl collar or how it lies - maybe if I could figure out a dfferent collar I would be much happier with the pattern and end result.

And lastly, a cool accidental shot:



Willow was turning around and I hit the shoot button on the camera without meaning to - but with a fun result.

Forgotten Finished Object: Sandra's Hat

Well, it looks like Cristi gets a second shout out in a row! Last Friday she had posted some pretty yarn on her blog, and I thought the colourway looked familiar - I had made something out of the same colourway (although in a different Malabrigo yarn base) earlier this year.



I knit this hat for my friend, Sandra, who is undergoing chemotherapy right now. I wanted something pretty, simple, relatively thin, and exceptionally soft - and this hat fit the bill perfectly. Here's a close up of how the hat decreased:



The Particulars:

Pattern: Halfdome from Knitty Summer 2006.
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino in the Archangel colourway
Needles: US Size 4 16" circulars and dpns
Modifications: I decided to go with a 2x2 ribbing on the brim rather than the rolled edge, thinking the ribbing made the hat look more feminine.

Would I make this pattern again? In a heartbeat - it's very easy, the decreases make for a great look, and it fits very well.

***********************************************

An obligatory Piper picture - would you believe she was a screaming, whirling dervish about 3 minutes before this picture was taken?

Finished Object Friday

Okay, Cristi is going to wag her finger at me, but the actual knitting of this project was finished before Christmas. And I gave the sweater to Willow for Christmas...




... it just hadn't been washed and blocked yet. And then the sweater sat on the ironing board near my washing machine for the next 8 weeks, during which time my Mom said if I didn't block the sweater soon it wasn't even going to fit Willow. It wasn't until over a week after that (um, today) that I threw it in the wash with some other darks and had time to dig out the blocking panels and lay it out. If it doesn't fit her now I am going to kick myself. I didn't worry about blocking the sleeves since it was all stretchy 2x2 ribbing.

Anyway, other stuff has been going on here at Casa Crankypants - I think Lucky has finally made peace with Piper - or at least with Piper's things. This next photo I understand - the flowered blanket is very soft, and had been in the sunshine, so probably was nice and warm as well:



This photo, however, confounds me a little. I'm not sure what Lucky is getting out of sleeping in the donut hold of the Boppy.



Piper is doing well, too - we had her one month check up this week, and happily found out that she had gained a pound and a half from her initial appointment and grown two inches. She now sits at 8 pounds even and 20.5 inches. It's a little odd to think that it has taken her 4 weeks to achieve what Willow was at birth!



As you can see, Piper's right ear is taped down right now - that ear is very floppy and tends to fold closed when she nurses on my left side. Her pediatrician said that newborn's cartilage can still be guided (it hasn't solidified yet), so we are taping down her ear for the next while in hopes that the ear calms down.