December

What a crazy month. When I was a little kid, I loved December. It was my favorite month ever. The fact that I had both my birthday and Christmas in a month that I didn't usually have as many allergy problems made it naturally the one I always looked forward to. It was great.

Now? Well, I want it to be a fun month for my kids, but it's no longer my favorite month. Yes, all the reasons I used to like it are still here- but now, it's also a month of responsibility. And have you driven in the city in December??? Yeah, I avoid it as much as possible, but when you live in a city, you have to get around somehow. The commercialization of Christmas has made the entire month of December much more stressful than it was when I was a kid! So now, I just try to live the wonders of December in the eyes of my kids. :D Sometimes I succeed, sometimes, I struggle, but seeing a child's wonder the first time the Christmas tree lights are turned on...... It is priceless.


This December has been pretty amazing in my house. It was Milo's first "real" Christmas- you know, the first one the child is aware of what's going on around him- and it was adorable. We didn't put the Christmas tree up until the night before Christmas Eve, because we knew that it would be impossible to keep him out of it. And it was. And he was cute. And he was fascinated. And he opened presents early- other people's presents....but they understood. (And the tree is already down and put away. He's really into putting things in his mouth. May have something to do with the teething thing that's going on, but I haven't committed to that answer yet.) We had a great Christmas. And I think Milo did too. ;D

In the knitting portion of my world, I learned something new this month....Something I've been saying for 3 yrs I intend to learn.....
Steeking. Literally? Cutting your knitting.
Yeah, not something that is usually considered a good thing in knitting.
But steeking is doing it on purpose, so that's supposed to be okay.

So I read books, looked online for tutorials- then I crocheted 2 rows on where I intended to cut. That's supposed to hold it together so that it won't unravel. I admit I was very sceptical.

After I had my crochet lines, I sat down at the table and wished I had some wine. I don't drink any alcohol normally, but this seemed like it would have been a good time for some. Then I picked up the sharpest scissors I had in the house, and cut. I cut what I had just spent the last 2 weeks trying to knit together.
It was not the best feeling I've ever experienced.

But I finished it. (really, after the first cut, there's no going back anyway). And I cut the entire little adorable jacket. And then, I knit buttonbands on it- and it was better than ever. So it worked! And it looked good! And I am positive that it will feel just as awful the next time I do it.

But steeking was not my best adventure this month. This month, I got to be present at the arrival of a very special little girl.
Meet Sylvia.

Sylvia is my niece. She is beautiful and I love her. She missed my birthday by 7 days, but that's ok. She's here. And she's healthy.


Next year has a lot to live up to.

Books and books, and other stuff.

Can you believe it? Two posts in a week? I must be bored, right?

Well, not really. I don't actually remember the last time I was bored. That must have something to do with having kids. There's always something that needs to happen.

Actually, I had a minute, I am sitting at the computer, and I thought I would write (well, type) something. I don't know that I have anything important to say, but do I have to have something important in order to say something? If that were true of all people, there would be much less news and much less books, and I'm sure much less blogs. ;)

Speaking of books (yes, this is stream-of-consciousness typing), I've been reading this book, "Honey for a Woman's Heart" by Gladys Hunt. I've been enjoying it; although, as I told Joel, I've discovered that reading about reading is somewhat stressful for me- because I'm reading about all these great books- I want to read them- but I already have shelves full of books I haven't read that are patiently waiting their turn. Well, some maybe not so patiently. Or is that just my imagination?

Anyway, this book, I recommend it if you are a reader. Well, even if you are not a reader. If you want to be a reader. Well, maybe even if you don't want to be. Ok, I recommend it. Back to the point- I am enjoying it because it gives me the answers I could always feel but never put into words with Joel would ask me why I like to read so much. It also provides a fabulous (and huge) book list. Which I intend to utilize. As soon as I finish the shelves of books that are sitting there quietly and requesting me to read them. Ok, some not so quietly. ;)

When I get too stressed out wanting to read this massive list of books, I set aside the reference book, and pick up something lighter. Right now, I've started "The Hobbit". I love Tolkien's writing. (betcha didn't know that! ;D) When that is over, I think revisiting "The Lord of the Rings" is in order... and then, well, then, I have shelves, like I mentioned, and this list....

In the meantime, I knit. I'm over halfway done with one set of secret knitting, and I am luxuriating in that while I try to catch up with the other set that I am behind in- as well as scheming out some more designs for Unique Sheep clubs. At least, I'm trying to. Chasing an exceptionally busy toddler seems to cut in on my knitting time somehow. ;)

On a complete subject change (that happens a lot in my house), I can't believe it is only 4 weeks to Christmas. What happened to this year?! Wow, Babybug is over a year old and about to experience his first (well first that he is aware of) Christmas. What does one get for a toddler that can't sit still? He's already got a slide, and all of his siblings toys that he can't swallow....Somehow I think it would have to be a pretty amazing toy for him to be interested in anything that is approved for his age after having had a year to play with things that are meant for older kids. ;) He thinks he's older. :D

Well, dinner is on the table and the Babybug is hungry. End stream of consciousness ;D

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. It is definitely my favorite holiday. Yes, even more than Christmas. 15yrs ago, I would probably not have said that, but as I get older, I appreciate Thanksgiving more.



I love remembering and talking about good things. I love having family and friends in my home enjoying remembering and talking about good things with me. And of course, making, sharing and eating good food is really fun too. :D



Looking back over the last year, there are so very many things that I have to be thankful for! I'm not sure I could list them all. But the things that top the list?

I'm thankful for:



My Savior and Lord, Jesus. :D

My amazing husband

My beautiful, smart, busy children

Family and friends that walk through life with us and share the good times and the bad.

and so much more. My mind is so full of the wonderful blessings I have that I can't seem to get them out....



from this last year,

my husband's new job that he actually enjoys,

my little Babybug that arrived safely and healthy just over a yr ago.

finding an old friend again and being able to continue our friendship

finding a good curriculum and being able to homeschool my sweet kids- not having to miss out on any time with them. :D

And yes, I'm thankful for knitting. :)

and more......



"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him." Ps 34:8



"They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and you shall make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures." Ps 36:8



I hope you all have as happy a Thanksgiving as we have been. :D

October Sock Clubs

2 of my patterns were released in October (I know, I'm a month behind. Let me tell ya, it is BUSY homeschooling 3 kids, chasing a toddler, getting them all to swim lessons on time, and designing for 2 full books!!! But I'm loving it. :D ).

This one is Down the Rabbit Hole from The Unique Sheep's Wonderland Club.
I'm pleased with how it turned out- although I was originally going to use cabled ribbing, and it looked so cool....but there was another Wonderland club going from a different company- and I didn't want to look like I was copying their sock; which it did with the cabled ribbing. So plain ribbing it was. I frogged the cuff of this sock at least 3 times before I settled, and I still think if you're going to knit this sock that cabled ribbing would look cooler.

My pictures don't do this sock justice. The colors are so fun. This is a gradiance colorway, and on it are flecks of color. It was fun to knit with the little bits of color every so often.
There are 3 sets of cables on this sock; a simple cable down each side, a more complex cable down the front that morphs into a set of doors inside each other on the foot (get it?), and a slightly more complex cable on the back that utilizes various stitch textures. The idea there was to illustrate the things Alice fell past on her way down the rabbit hole.

“Either the [hole] was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything: then she looked at the sides…and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves: here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed: it was labeled “ORANGE MARMALADE,” but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar, for fear of killing somebody underneath, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.” ~Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland


This is from the Lord of the stRings sock club, series III. This is the next to the last of my LotR designs. One more in December (one of my faves. :D)

Fangorn.

This design was inspired by Fangorn Forest on the edge of Rohan and around Isengard. The home of Treebeard, the Ents, and the Huorns. One of the oldest forests on Middle-earth, it was instrumental in saving Rohan from Isengard; and ultimately destroying the power of Saruman.

This is another gradiance colorway (I love the gradience, it is so fun and so pretty!), that perfectly shows the different colors to be found in an old forest.



I love the way the lace on this sock looks like tiny trees from up close. And the patterning on the heel shows bark-like texture. Sometimes the designs just work out perfect. :D

A Birthday

Last Saturday, my Babybug became a one year old.
He "helped" with his cake.

It was a slow realization....

But it came....

He liked the batter. :D

Not only is he now one, he is also a TODDLER. He still walks a bit Frankenstein-ish, but it's very cute.

A whole year. He has grown so fast. I am so thankful that he is a very happy, healthy, busy Babybug.

Brief Update

Bet you thought this blog was obsolete! hahah, I'm back. :D At least for today ;)

I have been so busy. Yes, knitting- although that has taken a back seat for a little while. School started in September. And I am teaching 3 this yr, as well as dealing with the busy little Babybug. And he is Busy with a capital B!!! I don't know what I will do when he goes to only one nap per day, as I only accomplish tasks when he is asleep. He is constantly on the go. And So Very Observant! I cannot believe how fast he learns. Example: one morning this week, he watched me kiss Joel goodbye; he spent the rest of the day kissing everyone that would come close enough for him to reach. It was so adorable! The kids loved it- he got lots of practice. :D

School so far (almost 4 wks into it now) is going better than ever before. I think we may have found the curriculum that works for us. It's called Weaver, and it's from Alpha Omega. It is Unit Study, and the lessons are pulled right out of the Bible. Besides that, it is very hands on and active, so of course the kids are thrilled. They LOVE it. They are begging me for Science and Math now. Although, they think any "experiment" is Science- they have no realization that we are also doing Social Studies, History, and Health at the same time. :D It's great.

Joel's new job is going so very well. He is loving it. God is so very good! Perfect job, perfect timing. :D Joel is pretty tired, as he is doing much more physical work than he has for the last 2 yrs, but he is enjoying it, and that helps. Although the tiredness sometimes causes forgetfulness..... last week, Joel left the sliding door to his work van (Work Van= FULL of tools for work! Expensive tools!!!) open all night. O_O Not intentionally....but still....However, The LORD is so incredible! NOTHING was missing. NOTHING. I'm still amazed. It had to be God, this is a very busy street even at night.

In other news, as I said before, I am knitting. It's very exciting knitting..... I have signed 2 book contracts!!! (one of those is the super secret knitting mentioned before ;D) They won't be coming out for over a year (or over 2, depending on which one you are referring to....), but that's good, as I need all of that time for knitting in b/w being a wife, mother, and teacher!! Also, for those of you that enjoy sock clubs, I am designing for the 2nd Wonderland club as well. (yes, I'm good at biting off more than I can chew!)

It's a busy life, but a good one! And that's as long as Babybug will let me not look at him.... ;D

August Sock Club Patterns!

I had 2 sock club patterns go out this month.
The first, The Lord of the stRings Series III.


This is Mithril.

Mithril is the dwarves’ truesilver, their most precious metal, which they delved so deeply for that they awoke Durin’s Bain. Frodo wore a corselet of mithril rings which Bilbo gave him, that saved his life in Moria. This sock is a tribute to the dwarves and their amazing metalwork.


I love the way the fabric turned out on this pattern. It just looks like metal links to me. But unlike metal, it is stretchy. Surprisingly stretchy, in fact! Very comfortable.




This sock is knit with two strands of fingering weight yarn held together, and because of that, it is a fairly quick knit for socks.
(and yes, that's my hubby's handsome foot- just so you know. *wink*)















This sock is for The Unique Sheep's Wonderland club. Take a guess, what do you think I called this one??



















This is Queen of Hearts.

When I think of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, a few things jump out at me: the picture of a short, dumpy lady with a big head- and a couple of phrases: 1) “Off with their heads!” (of course); and 2) the little cards singing “We’re painting the roses red.”







So this sock has a reversible cuff. One side, shows you the little card people with the Queen front and center.



Flip the cuff down to take off their heads. :D (see first picture)

The roses didn't get painted. They are still white. ;)

This was a fun sock to design. But I have to give credit where it is due- my husband helped a lot with the ideas. :D

On this date....

One year ago, I was smack in the middle of the biggest sock knitting event ever! You know, I have to admit, I would have missed the anniversary completely if The Yarn Harlot hadn't posted about it. (blushing here) But really, you must admit, I have a lot of other things to take my mind off of anniversaries:


Back to the sock knitting event- surely you've heard of The Sock Summit by now! One year ago, was the first ever Sock Summit- and the first time I ever taught knitting to more than one person at a time. There are so many memories! Here's just a few before I must dash off to put Babybug to bed:





I got to meet The Unique Sheep ladies! Laura and Kelly whom I've been loving working with for the last 3 years. The kids had so much fun with Laura (she stayed with us), and still talk about her a year later. :D





Some of the biggest names in knitting gathered in one place- answering questions. That was a learning experience of a lifetime! :D Plus taking a class from Stephanie which made my knitting much faster. Very very handy now that my knitting time is so limited!




The most knitters ever knitting in one place at the same time. What a great experience! Never to be entirely duplicated- although next year, we get to have the fun all over again. It'll be different because one can never really repeat the very first time- but it's guaranteed to be a wonderful time! Hope to see you there!

Emerald

I would like to show you a cowl I have designed in the color and inspiration of emeralds:









Modeled by Lane. Isn't she lovely?




She was very patient with my slow photography.





This cowl was designed for Handarbeitskram (try saying that 3 times fast!)for a lace-weight yarn club. I totally enjoyed working with this yarn. I must admit it was the first time I had ever worked with lace weight yarn. But it didn't turn out too badly did it?


The pattern will be available for purchase on my Ravelry store in December 2010.

Playing catch up

I haven't posted in so long I'm going to be playing catch up!
First of all, the June Lord of the stRings sock:

Dunedain



The Dunedain were the Rangers of the North. They wandered about Middle Earth protecting the innocent, unknown and unsung. Except for one-The Dunedain, Strider, the heir of Isildur:

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again
shall be king.

From the Fellowship of the Ring By J.R.R Tolkien

This sock has a wandering cable up the front, and cable fabric around the leg representing the wilderness. It is worked with 2strands of yarn held together for a larger gauge and a quicker knit. One of the strand of yarn is Luxe- the same yarn used for Undomiel. Yes, intentional symbolism there. :D


.

In other news, Joel, Babybug and I had a mini-vacation last weekend. I had a coupon for the Resort at Port Ludlow left over from Sock Summit last year. Since it expired in August, it was time to use it! We had such a great time. It was so quiet up there. So very relaxing! Babybug enjoyed getting some extra attention.


What else has been going on?? Well, I signed a designing contract last week, and will be focusing on that for a good long while. It's super secret- but I will reveal it as soon as I can! :)

You know, I originally intending for this blog to be a knitting blog. I meant to share my current projects, my WIP's and whatever else was going on in my knitting world. It really hasn't been like that. Mostly because at about the same time I started this blog, I also starting doing more design work. Well, design work doesn't often lend itself to blog material b/c I can only share it when it is complete and published for the most part. Which is why so many of my posts are talking about which of my patterns are published now. Because I am finally getting to share the projects I've worked on! I thought at one point last month that I was going to be able to start using this blog the way I had planned at first. But then I opened my big mouth again- and signed up for more secret knitting! (laughing at myself here) So this blog will continue in the vein it is now in. I will share knitting when I can- but it will be usually be a year or so after I've actually done the project! And you'll get lots of pictures of my awesome kiddos in the meantime. :D

My patterns in a Book(let)!!!!

Thanks to Laura and Kelly of The Unique Sheep, nine (9) of my sock designs are in a Booklet that is now for sale on their website. These are the first 9 sock designs I did based on The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien. If you like knitting and The Lord of the Rings- these patterns are for you! ($15 for 9 patterns is a pretty good deal!)

(I need to point out here that it is difficult to really show excitement on a blog. But if you could see me, you'd know I'm pretty excited about this....)

Teaser Plus

Here is a teaser pattern for the Wonderland Sock Club:

Say hello to Cheshire Cat.
His tail is lashing up the back of the leg- his paw prints trail up the front. It's hard to see, but his toothy smile surrounds his paw prints.

The color is much more accurate in the second photo; displayed courtesy of The Unique Sheep.

This pattern is on sale now! Here.

Also now available,
The Triquetra Cardigan pattern:

This pattern was previously only available in Yarn Forward Magazine Aug 2009. Now it is available from my Ravelry store as well. For $7.00
A comfortable zip-front cardigan with both cables and colorwork.

(Last photo displayed courtesy of St. Range Photography)

It's pretty crazy to be able to offer my designs for sale here. :D

"Time keeps on slippin', slippin'...."

Into the future.

And I can't keep up. When I was a little girl, I remember time moving so slowly. A day seemed like what a week is now. A week was a huge amount of time! Now a year is too short. It's crazy how our perspective of time can change. I know I keep harping on this concept, but it is just incomprehensible to me, I guess; so my mind keeps going over and over it. I can't tell anymore if something happened last week or two weeks ago or even 6. It all runs together. And memorable things are remembered based on how old my kids were when such-and-such happened. (That's how I keep track of how many places we've lived in. We're up to 12 in 9 1/2yrs of marriage.) And it's a good thing I learned to take pictures of what I knit- or I would never remember half of them!!!



So before I forget, I'm going to set down here the things that have happened recently. In another couple days I'll probably feel like they happened 2 months ago; and really, it's only been in the last week.....(but that week has been wild!)

My beautiful daughter had an app't w/ the eye Dr. last week. She is now the proud owner of eyeglasses. She chose her frames. I think she made a great choice. Isn't she lovely?? I love her smile. She still has those great eyebrows too. They looked just like that (except a bit smaller to fit her face) when she was born. Sorry, little trip down memory lane there. So easy to do with your kids.... ;)

Speaking of kids, my Babybug is growing so fast! He's getting up on his knees now. He hasn't quite figureed out that he needs to be on his hands and knees at the same time, but he can get up there! He's also sitting up on his own. He still lauches backwards occasionally, but he's doing pretty good! And happy about it, too. ;)

With all 4 of them, I stay busy. Sometimes too busy for knitting. Lately, it seems like that's how it goes. But I have some knitting that has to be done- so I'm squeezing in time here and there. I've got some new patterns coming out in the near future (two of which I am working on right now)- you can sign up to be among the first to get them..... in the Wonderland sock club, or the 7 Wonders yarn club. There is also the last LotR club which is open for new members now.

Unfortunately, as I get busier and busier w/ the kiddos (and as Babybug grows it is getting more so all the time!), I really don't have that much time for knitting. So after I finish the designs for these clubs, my designing is going to slow way way down. I just can't keep up with deadlines any more. I am hoping that in a year or so, I'll have more knitting time again- but at the moment b/w the 4 kids, the house, feeding my family, and homeschooling, knitting time is very scarce. And working on deadline projects takes time from my family that they need. Which means that the knitting goes. At least to a certain extent. Which means I might be sharing more of my knitting on the blog, as I won't be doing as much secret knitting. At least that's the theory! We'll see what happens in real life....

Life leaves no time for.....life

"There just aren't enough hours in the day for all that I want to accomplish!"
I have come to the realization that I am so busy with life that I have no time for, well, life.
Ever been there? "So much to do, so little time." There are a lot of quotes about it. I guess I should be encouraged. I'm definitely not the only one who feels/has felt this way. But somehow it doesn't really help. I'm glad I'm not alone; I'm not abnormal or freakish. But that doesn't add more seconds to my day..... ;) And I can't add more time by not sleeping. I'm already so sleep deprived that a decent night's sleep(which means I get a whole 3 or 4 hrs straight w/o being woke up once) only makes me more tired. Which seems backwards, but that's the way it works....

So what are all these things I want to get done, anyway??
teach my kids
play w/ my kids
cuddle my kids
clean the house/feed the family(and myself!)/do the laundry/clean the kids/cut their hair (you know, all the wife/mama stuff)
read
knit
design

Somehow those last 3 get left in the dust most of the time. I realized last night that even when I do have time for me (which usually means I am frantically knitting or writing patterns) I don't enjoy it as much as I used to. I feel guilty. Guilty that I am not actively engaging w/ my family(kids). Guilty that I'm not providing someone with something that they need.

Wait.

Knitters need patterns, right?

Goodbye guilt. Hello knitting! (goodbye sleep!)

Continuing with the Shameless Plugs

So, just to continue the self-advertisement..... There is another sock club coming out in a couple months that will be featuring some of my designs....
You can find out more about it here. This one will also include a design from Janine LeCras.
Hey, Unique Sheep yarns and Alice in Wonderland. Hard to beat! Go sign up...(if you knit. ;D)

Advertisement

And now we pause for a word from our sponsor....
Well, not exactly sponsor, but at any rate- shameless plug insertion here.
A LobugDesigns original pattern is going to be featured in a lovely lace-weight yarn club. Lace weight. (It needed repeated) My very own lace pattern will be included with some gorgeous yarn in this yarn club. Check it out!

LotS II April

The second shipment of the second year of The Lord of the stRings Sock Club has gone out! Most people have received their package.If you haven't, you might want to wait to see the rest of this post.


Undomiel

Inspired by Arwen, the daughter of Elrond Half-elven.
Appendix A of the Return of the King tells of the meeting of Aragorn son of Arathorn and Arwen Undomiel daughter of Elrond, Evenstar of the elves. They met in Rivendell under the trees, and Aragorn believed himself to be seeing Luthien Tinuviel once again walking in silver and blue. But they were doomed to be apart until the day Aragorn took up his inheritance and the white tree bloomed again in Gondor. Then she came to him, and they enjoyed the peace of the Days of the King together.

This was a difficult sock for me to design. There was so much I wanted to put into it. But when I got around to working on it, I was 3 months pregnant, and horribly sick. Quite honestly, the last thing on my mind was knitting- and much less, designing. But I had other designs that had to be done on a deadline, and a baby coming. I knew there was no way I could design for several months after Babybug came, so I forced myself to work on this design.




For all that was going on at the time, I am very pleased with how this sock turned out. It is another one that really didn't end up like what was in my head- but that's ok. I love the scalloped beaded cuff- and the lace pattern is my own creation, so it is a special sock for me. What do you think of it?

Book Review 2

Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers is a biography of Ireland’s most beloved saint. Rogers takes his information from the writings of St. Patrick himself; and includes various legends about the deeds of the great man. Patrick’s two known writings are included in the Appendices.

I enjoyed this book. I love stories about St. Patrick, and to have available his own writings and Rogers’ extrapolations from them are great. I liked the way Jonathan Rogers brought out the known facts of St. Patrick’s life and illustrated them with various legends and myths that are told about him.

I didn’t feel that I really learned very much new about St. Patrick from this book; except perhaps for the fact that he was somewhat of a borderline renegade priest (in that he took his commission from God as being greater and more important than his commission from the Roman Catholic Church). I really liked having Patrick’s own writings available at the end of the book, and thought that was a great touch to the authenticity of the work.

I don’t really think it’s necessary to give an overview of the book here. If you don’t know anything about St. Patrick, this is a fabulous first book for learning about him. If you do know about St. Patrick, this is a nice little addition to your library- particularly for having access to his own translated letters. Otherwise, it’s a nice little book- but not one I would have spent money on personally (I got it from Booksneeze- free, for reviewing it).

Happy Easter!!

He is Risen!!! I am so thankful!!

I wish you all a very Happy Easter and hope you are able to enjoy friends and family and celebrate. :-)

This is what I gave my family for Easter this year:
A 27 lb. mountain of granola.
I haven't been able to make granola for my family since Babybug's arrival. (Thank you, Agata, Mom, and Kristal for keeping us supplied in the interim!!!) If I were capable of just doing one or 2 trays of it each week or so, it might work out all right. But I've never been capable of doing little things like that. It has to be all or nothing with me. ;-) So granola making is a 4-hr ordeal. Hopefully, those 9 gallons will last us at least 9 weeks!!! Last time, 14gallons only made it 6 weeks. I think my family is growing....
Anyway, I've had some requests; so my Easter gift to you, dear reader, is the recipe I use for granola!
This is kinda hard to write, b/c I don't measure very much when I cook. I'm a slap-dash sorta cook. Designing in cooking? Things usually turn out slightly different every time- but here's the basics, and you can experiment and make it your own. :-)

Lobug's Granola:
Recipe for 1 cookie sheet's worth (repeat to desired amount!)

Pre-heat oven to 400deg.
Place Wax Paper or equivalent on flat surface for cooling.(easy clean)
Cover Cookie Sheet with Non-stick Aluminum Foil for easy cleaning- and less oil use.
In large bowl, Mix:
3to4cups of rolled oats
~1/3to2/3c of desired fruit/nut mix(I use a fruit salad trail mix-we don't do nuts. And I add sweet-flake coconut as well)
~1/4c oil(your choice- vegetable, canola; I haven't tried olive, but it would probably work) use more oil if you don't have Non-stick Foil!!
~1/2to2/3c of warm honey

Mix until well-coated, scrape onto cookie sheet. Spread it out flat-ish for even cooking. Bake until golden brown on top and edges.
Remove from oven and mix by folding edges of granola in and under the center. Flatten again and place back in oven until golden brown on top and edges again.
Remove from oven and spread onto covered flat surface until cool. Enjoy!!

There it is! I hope you enjoy it! It is possible to do small batches (I think I did once upon a time before there were children under my feet....), but I think it saves money to buy bulk....

Welcome to my busy life

Hi! Welcome! I have no cool pictures to show you today. Just thought I'd get that out up front so you weren't disappointed. I have been knitting; but can't show you b/c it's design stuff that has to be "released" at the right time. I have been taking pictures of my kiddos; but I'm not showing them off today.
I thought I'd give you an idea of "a day in the life" in my world today! This is a very basic picture- every day is different when you have four busy kiddos... :-)

12am- sleeping, but not for long.
1am-Babybug wakes me for a diaper change and a snack, and has a hard time getting back to sleep; but we eventually get there again
5am-Babybug is awake. He wants breakfast, and wants to play. I give him breakfast, try to get him to go back to sleep, and finally give up 45minutes later and let him wake Joel up. My amazing husband gets up, takes the baby, and closes the door on me in a dark room knowing full well that I am not getting out of bed(he even did it on purpose!).
7:10am-Joel has to go to work, so he brings Baby back to me.
7:20am-I have managed to get some clothes on and move myself and Babybug out to the couch. Not claiming awake yet.
7:30am-Get breakfast for the other boys. Daisy's already had hers.
7:40am-Get my own breakfast while checking email and holding Babybug.
7:50am-Babybug needs second breakfast. Feed him while frogging this sweater(remember this one? the Nordic sweater in the middle- scroll down. I just don't like the fit, I never wear it; but I do like the yarn and I am going to make something out of it that I WILL wear).
8:10am-Babybug is back in bed and I am here! On the computer, blogging and checking out what all my internet friends have been up to. Ian's unloaded the dishwasher, and Daisy's doing dishes, while Asher folds the diapers from the drying rack.
8:30am-School time! (yes, I know it's spring break. We had 3 months off when Baby was born- we still have some catching up to do.) I'll do some cleaning in b/w instruction- if there's not something glaringly filthy, I might even knit at the table while they study....
11am-Oh, yeah, Lunch. hmmm. What to fix? Somewhere b/w 8:10 and 11, Baby will probably have woke up- and it's time for his lunch now too.
12pm-Feed myself and the other 3 kids.

This is when the schedule really gets flexible. Today, the kids are clearly very tired, so after lunch, they will have quiet/nap time in their rooms while I deal w/ Babybug. If Baby goes to bed then too- I might get a quiet hr for some knitting. That's always nice. :-)
Today it's raining- inside games after quiet time. Maybe a video while I make dinner tonight. Puzzles for Asher- he's loving them right now. Play-doh anyone? While Baby sleeps, the other kids play well, I can usually get some designing in. But ya never know- yesterday Baby didn't sleep much and picking up the needles was a laugh.

Evenings are the very best time of day. When Joel gets home from work. :-) It's a breath of fresh air in our house. He plays with the kids, gives me adult conversation and a renewed perspective. Dinner together is always a good time. Laughter really is the best medicine. ;-D

Round 2 of the Lord of the stRings Sock Club

I am horribly late with this post- these socks went out to club members in February. (Sorry, been busy around here!)

One Ring
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
JRR Tolkien Lord of the Rings

There is a lot of imagery in this sock. The One Ring attached to the other Rings of Power. (Count 'em- 3, 7 & 9) as well as the symbolic colors used.

I loved designing this sock. I love the cuff not being traditional ribbing- I love the way the colors flow. And I'm a big fan of afterthought heels, so this was a great design for me.

I hope you like it too....

Magazine Publication #3

Here is my third magazine published pattern!

The Erratic Argyle
Argyle has been used in knitting for a LONG time. This is argyle taken a slightly different way.

This was one of those designs that just kind of smacks you upside the head. It came to my mind complete, ready to be knit. I love it when that happens.

The yarn is SWTC Tranquility in Black, Aqua, and Lemon. It's a relatively quick knit up on 5.0mm (US 8) needles. Currently, it is available in Yarn Forward Magazine, Issue No. 23, March 2010.
For gauge and other specifics- look on my Ravelry design page, here.

Love the Forest Cowl

It's been awhile since I have been able to post a new design here!

Here is my latest:


Love the Forest Cowl

This is a case of the yarn creating a design. I couldn’t bear to make socks with this luxurious yarn; the cashmere in it just had to be something that would wrap a neck and be snuggled. The colors begged to have a woodland theme; double moss stitch created a bark-like texture. As this was designed during the XXI Winter Olympics which began on Valentine’s weekend, hearts were needed as well. And the Love the Forest Cowl came about. I hope you enjoy it.

Pattern available for $4.00 on Ravelry.