Shalom Cardigan

I didn't realize that it's been over a month since my last post! December was a very busy month. We visited our families in New York. It was a short trip but during that trip, we saw a ton of snow. I had to drive during one of the snow storm! Boy, was I nervous. It's been YEARS since I've driven in the snow, or seen that much snow no less! Thank god for 4 wheel drive! I even got stuck going up a small hill but putting in low gear on the 4 wheel drive got the car moving again. Being such a short trip, I didn't get a chance to spend a lot of time with all the family we have there.

When we got home, I came down with the dreaded stomach bug. It was a terrible way to spend my Birthday throwing up and feeling so achy, just plain lousy. By the next day (Christmas), I was feeling better! I even put up the Christmas tree.

Jasmine went back to school today, after 2 1/2 weeks off! The teachers said she had a great day. I was very excited to hear that. She truly is such a blessing! I received these photos of her today. They were taken sometime in November at her preschool. I thought the photographer did a great job.

My knitting has been on the back burner. I don't get to knit as much. Some days, I even go without knitting, which is unimaginable for me! I finally finished the Shalom Cardigan by Meghan McFarlane. It was a very, very easy knit. The yarn was a bit hard on the hands. I used a size 10 needle and 4 skeins of the Brown Sheep bulky yarn. It would of been finished sooner but I ran out of yarn. Our LYS doesn't have the bulky yarn so I was able to order it from WEBS. I'm happy to report that it arrived fairly quickly. The weather has turned cool again, so I'm happy to report that I may get some wear out of it yet!

I showed hubby my cardigan and he said "wow, that's really nice." I was thrilled that he gave me such a nice compliment! ;)

Happy New Years!

Finally Finished and New Hat

I'm finally finished with the Lush and Lacy Cardigan from Sweaterbabe. I honestly don't know why I dragged my feet on this. After an discouraging start, things started to go smoother. Then, I think I got bored with it and started a few projects in between. I finally decided to pick it up again only to find out I don't have enough yarn to finish it. I called the LYS but they didn't have the right color! Darn, but wait...don't I have another skein in my stash? Yes, I do! So, my goal was to finish it by Thanksgiving but I'm a day over. That's okay. This cardigan is sure worth the wait. It's absolutely beautiful and I love it. It's a good fit and I love the color and design. I used a size 9 needle to knit this cardigan and a little over 3 skeins of the Cascade Superwash in violet. I wish that the photos came out better! Here's a few more photos:

And the back:

On my short road trip today, I decided I was going to "crochet" a hat for Jasmine. Something quick and easy. I measured her head and with my size N? hook in hand, I started to crochet away. I basically did what I felt like it and ended it when I thought it would be big enough. I'm glad to say, it was a success! It actually fits her.

And....

Now...I have to search for a new project to do! Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

My Winter Beret Finished

I thought I was making good progress on my lush and lacy cardigan. I'm having trouble with the decreases on the sleeves. I can't get the right stitch count. Anyways, I realized that I don't have enough yarn to finish it! So close! I just need to get over the the LYS to get that one more skein. Hopefully, they'll have the color in stock. In the meantime, I thought I start on a simple beret. This beret is from knitty.com called spring beret. I used a worsted yarn from my stash with a size 8 needle for the ribbing then changed to 9 for the lace part. Overall, a very easy project. I didn't have to use DPNs or cable needle. It took me about 3 days to do. My daughter decided she wanted to try it on. She's so adorable! Okay, I'm a bit bias I know!

And me with my beret....I think she looks much cuter! :-)

My (Green) Simple Elegance Cardigan Completed

I started yet another project in the mist of knitting the Lush and Lacy Cardigan! This time, I'll try NOT to start another project until it's done. I was needing a cardigan for those cool morning so I thought I'd make one for myself. Besides, I've been wanting to making something in green for a while now but still haven't until now! This cardigan is from the spring issue of the Creative Knitting magazine. It took me about 11 days to do. That's pretty good considering I just don't have the time to devote to knitting as I use to. I had some trouble with the decreases but I think I was having a hard time concentrating. It had been a stressful week! I'm not 100% thrilled with the seaming but I think it's something I could live with. I used a single crochet to seam the shoulders. I think it look the neatest of all that I tried. I used a size 10 1/2 needle for the whole cardigan instead of switching to 10's for sleeves and trim. I also, lengthened the sleeves. Overall, I'm thrilled and very happy with this cardigan. It's a great fit, easy knit and I love the color!

Preschool and Gifts for myself

I'm happy to say that we both made it through my daughter's first week of school (short week, 2 days)! I think I was having a tougher time than her! She LOVES school and being around other children. On Friday, both daddy and I took her trick or treating with her class. It was her first time ever and she did great. At first I was going to dress her up as a pumpkin but hubby didn't really like it . So...I decided to buy another outfit. We put her in a Georgia Cheerleader outfit. She looked adorable. Unfortunately, I didn't take too many pictures! Here's one with her trying out a red baseball hat at preschool:

As a reward for making it through the week, I decided to go on a brief shopping trip. I had a hour to myself so I bought myself some jeans and 2 sweaters. They were so cute and inexpensive to boot. I couldn't make them for the price they were being sold for. So nonetheless, I decided to splurge on two. I can't wait to wear them. I have to admit though, it's put a damper on my knitting. With the amount of money and time it takes for me to knit a sweater, I could easily buy one for a lot cheaper (and sometimes nicer)! I'm a bit discouraged but I know it will pass. I love knitting too much to stop!

Update: We decided this preschool wasn't right for my daughter so she no longer attends this preschool.

Count Down to Preschool and My 3+ hour sweater

My daughter is starting her first day of preschool tomorrow. She was signed up over 2 weeks and during that time, I've been a wreck! School was cancelled on Monday because they didn't get the permit from the Fire Marshall. So tomorrow, bright and early I'll be bringing her to preschool! Did I say I was nervous? It will be the first time she's "really" away from me. With our family being so far away, I take care of her 24/7. We're very attached to say the least!

So for the past few weeks, I've been teaching her some discipline, playing computer preschool games and trying to potty train her! She's a champ and a quick learner. It's all going well. She's very sharp! I'll probably blog more about her adventures in preschool later!

I also need to complete a 6 hour course for my Broker's license. I've been too busy lately to even start. I have a few months, so I'm confident I'll get it done way before then.

I'm still working on my lush and lacy cardigan from Sweaterbabe. It's a very pretty pattern. After (of course) another slow start and countless frogging, I finally got the pattern. Once I did, it started to go pretty smooth. I finished the back pretty quick. I started the front and somehow did too many repeats and it got to be too long. I ended up frogging some and decided to start on another project. I've been itching to start something else and I finally did. I wanted it to be quick, a hat maybe? But I found a sweater pattern, called 3 hour sweater, 1940ish? (pattern downloaded from Ravelry). Of course, it took me well over 3 days... I used a bulky yarn instead of the recommended weight of yarn. I also used a size 10/12 and 11 needle instead of the 15. I like the concept of the sweater but it's not a great fit. Mostly because of my gauge because I had no idea on the sizing so I guessed. The ribbing on the top and sleeve didn't quite match up! I also had a hard time seaming the arms, it looked terrible. I finally settled for a crochet seam. It's still not perfect but something I could live with, instead of tearing the whole thing a part! I also did a single row of crochet around the neck line. It's a cute sweater, just needed to make it a bit smaller. Here's a photo (not blocked):

Now I can get back to my lush and lacy cardigan. Wish me luck tomorrow! Did I mention it was also Hubby's Birthday too?

Waves Hem Skirt

I finished my crochet skirt today. I really wasn't sure if I would finish this. After finishing up on the bell curve skirt, I was ready to start my next project. But...seeing my unfinished skirt, I decided to concentrate on it for the last few days. I'm happy to say, it's finished. The pattern is from the march issue of Crochet, Today! I made it in a small/medium size with some modifications. I did random decreases once I started the waist. I also left off the elastic and did 3 rows of half double crochet instead.

The skirt is a little big still and I don't think the fit is very flattering on me. Next time when I make a skirt, I think I'll go for a less of the A-line look and a straighter skirt.