WIP: sweater season

the past few days it has felt like fall. gray mornings with rain and clouds that held on all day. it was wonderful i longed for sweaters and wool skirts. it was a bit depressing when i realized that there was not a sweater in site and i was unable to locate the box they had been packed away in. i was sent into a tail spin looking through all of my clothing thinking how i either did not like any of it or it did not fit right. i get this way every now and then but this time the thought of going into a store to try things on was quickly refuted by the thought of trying to keep Miss. A entertained. memories of my last trip to buy bras was quite enough to deter any such venture.

so instead of going and buying a whole new wardrobe or ripping open every box in the house to find sweaters i settled on knitting. i opened my knitting box and found a sweater i believe was started before getting pregnant. actually it is so close to being finished that it is quite sad. everything but the neck has been knit up and the neck i had attempted and taken out quite a few times. it is quite a simple task but you knit it separately and then attach it at the end. the hard part is following the repeating pattern because i would always stop in the middle and forget where i was when i picked it up again. so now i am determined to get somewhere with this. it will be finished by the time the real fall weather comes around or at least before a second child is born. something that is not planned for the near future....

finished work

i love making gifts for others because in some ways it insures that projects get done. in others it is just such a wonderful feeling to know that you are making an object that others may enjoy. i had been working on a few wedding gifts for some friends getting married and was able to push through to the end without cutting out intended projects. it seems as if these days i envision more things than i can finish but with this one it was complete. during the process of sewing the floor mat and aprons i was thinking of this couple and wishing the best for them. the labor of love was truly poured out during this whole process. i had given myself enough time to finish the work and in doing so i was able to enjoy the production and not just the end result.

the wedding was wonderful. small and beautifully put together. the intimate size of the event made it even that much more special knowing that a select few were chosen to help celebrate the event. i wish the newly weds many blessings and adventures in this new life together.

{a year ago today}

it is amazing how fast time passes. the other evening a good friend and i were talking about our kids and how they grow so fast, her son is almost exactly a year younger then Miss. A. i then started to look at photos of Miss. A a year ago and had the desire to start posting a few every now and then. we have taken so many photos over this past year and have only processed a number of them. i hope that by posting a few it will not only allow me to look back at the year but also process more of the photos.

i miss moments like this with Miss. A. taking naps together or just snuggling was so much fun. she does not like to nap in many places other then her crib so it makes it quite hard. at times when she is really tired she will put her head on your shoulder and rest but will be looking around again in no time. she is just that way. she loves to take life in and does not want to waist the time snuggeling with others. i do hope that this will change but she has never been much for this type of things. when she was younger she wanted to be held facing out so she would not miss a thing. these are just some of the many things that just add delight to her personalty.

on another note i have been staying bust with a few things that can been seen here.

progress

there was progress on many fronts this weekend and that always feels good. as i mentioned before my father (Pop Pop) was coming up for the weekend. it so amazing to have assistance from someone who knows what they are doing. our front room was cut and painted within an hour and the transformation was staggering. previously the room was a dark red that made everything feel quite small and restricting. we went with a "light brown" (which looks like a coffee with a lot of cream) from a wonderful place that mixes recycled latex paint. they only mix about ten different colors but this color was just right for the front room and it felt good knowing that i was was helping the world out just a little bit.

while he was painting the front room i was painting the third coat on the ceiling in my studio. i could not believe how much paint it took. the ceilings were quite dirty to start with so i washed them down but it just sucked up the paint. the studio was painted just after lunch and then the rest of the evening we were able to relax talk and deal with a teething child that did not want to go down for the night.

on friday evening Daniel was away and i took the time to finish the first stage of my wedding gifts. the pillow was a lot of fun to make and i was surprised that despite all of the steps it takes to baste, back stitch and then sew together it paid off and i love the end result. i then sketched out a few more designs to crewel and got started on them over the weekend.


Miss. A was quite helpful with Pop Pop and wanted to get into all sorts of trouble with the paint. it was quite sweet on sunday morning when the two of them enjoyed a bit of reading time on the couch.

so with the weekend over there are two rooms in the house painted and continued progress on projects which feels good. i like the feeling of balance between different projects. i am excited what this week has to offer.

WIP::week4

things are getting done! it is a fine balance between house work, house projects and crafting projects. i find that during Miss. A's naps i am able to do my sewing projects and then at night i can do house things. it justified this with the fact that trying to set up and paint during a nap time would be futile. so now i don't feel so bad working on sewing a few things.

it is so nice to have my sewing stuff set up even if it is in a temporary place for the time being. right now i am working on a wedding gift that has been in the works for about two months. i picked up crewel a
few months back and started making a few throw pillows for a gift. the initial needlework part was finished almost right away and then came the blocking. i found the perfect doily blocking board at a second hand shop and it works just right. i also have been wiping up a few burp cloths for a new little baby. i feel good about doing house things as long as it can be balanced by other projects.

this weekend should be a lot of fun. my father is going to be in town to help me paint a few walls. it pays off to have an artist and painter for a father, he will be cutting all of the edges something he can do without taping the edges. something i am very excited about because that means less work for me. daniel will be out of town all weekend so it will be nice to have some extra help around here.

::Family Time::

this weekend was filled with true family time. on Saturday we were able to enjoy a full day of yard work, house chores and a trip to our new neighborhood farmers market. it is so much better doing the dishes when two of you are working on them and yard work when everyone is involved. Miss. A was able to play in the yard and eat as much dirt as she liked as a result she was warn out by the end of it all. on Sunday there was more morning yard work and then we all went to explore our new neighborhood library. it is so much fun to get to know a new area. we have done a lot before in the area but to truly get to know the places we will frequent often is another thing. during the afternoon we rearranged boxes in the den and then i set up a small sewing corner in Daniels studio space for now. i was going crazy not being able to get to projects, even to just look at my fabric makes me feel better.

in the evening we went to the park and enjoyed a picnic and free symphony and 3 leg torso with friends. what a wonderful way to finish off a relaxing weekend.

ambulatory care facility

we have a walker in our midst! Miss A has been trying to walk for some time now but the time has come for her to walk more than crawl. i was hoping that she would hold off until we were all the way in our new place but it came right at the same time as the move. she is quite proud of herself when she walks from room to room. the only problem with more walking is more falling. it is amazing how much she can fall even if we feel like we are always watching her. just the other morning as i was making breakfast and she was playing in the plastics drawer she slipped on a lid and hit her nose on the open drawer. it is so sad to see but she is quite resilient.


on friday we also went garage sales a bit before accepting the fact that we should actually be home finishing up the packing of the house. we went to this great church sale and found a few key items. i found a wonderful silver basket to objects of some sort into, a pillow case to make a dress for Miss A with, wonderful mod wood bird and the best find of all some popsicle sticks with covers so we can make some yogert pops like my mother used to make for me. when i saw these i had wonderful flashbacks to summers as a kid.


after a few garage sales we went home and tackled the house. we moved all of our things excluding the artwork to our new place on Saturday! it was quite nice to have everything moved into our new place and by 1 am we were able to fall asleep knowing that the dinning room table was in place and there were places to sit in the living room.


i also was very happy to find a wonderful package in the mail at the new house. it is always so exciting to get mail especially swap packages. inside this package from the lovely Susanover at Plays with Needles i found an amazing amount of buttons. i believe the swap suggested twelve and there are over thirty in there. each one of them is unique and beautiful in its own right. i am now trying to think about some creative ways to integrate them into my latest projects. also included in the package were trims and ribbons, labels, and wonderful hand stitched doily. there are more photos here. thank you so much Susan for making my day.

now on to unpack a few boxes. oh no that will be after our soccer game this evening, the last one of the season.