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.

BookSneeze

Ever heard of it?? Well, you will now. It's a website. Where you get books for free in exchange for doing a book review.

So, here is my first book review. :-)


“Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God”
By Sheila Walsh

In a sense, this is three books in one. A book just for an individual to read; a book set up for a book club, complete with discussion questions; and a book for a Bible study- individual or group(complete with study guide and questions in the back). I like the fact that it is set up this way- for maximum benefit.

Sheila is very vulnerable in this book. In my opinion, she writes this as if she were sitting down and talking to you from the pages. It is easy and enjoyable to read; while thought-provoking and instructive at the same time.

She uses stories and images from her life as well as looking into the pages of Scripture to show women the beauty of trusting God. This is a very encouraging book no matter what stage you are at in your walk with the Lord. If you are new to the Bible, the ten character sketches she gives are a great introduction; if you have known the Bible for a long time, Sheila brings you back to it with fresh eyes.

This is a great book for any Christian woman who struggles with trust and/or fear. And I only saw two minor typos. ;)

Homeschool Giveaway

Big homeschool giveaway at a new website!!! Check out Simple Homeschool!

Check it out for more than just the giveaway- for good ideas and encouragement in homeschooling. Always a good thing :-)

Growth brings Change

We are entering a time of change with Babybug. He is growing so fast! He has such a hard time sleeping now- he is so easily distracted and awakened; so he is learning to sleep in his own bed this week. He is so smart! He is already figuring it out. It's only been 2 days, and he is starting to be restless in my arms when he wants to sleep(where before he was restless everywhere except my arms!), and talking in his bed instead of being sad. I am so glad!
Now, this is supposedly helpful to me, b/c I no longer have to hold a baby 24 hrs a day. I can supposedly get a lot done. Well..... The idea is great; but in practice it's not working quite as well. Mostly b/c I am still working on a major sleep deficit. I am usually a somewhat efficient and focused person. These days- I am a poster child (adult) for ADD/ADHD. I can't focus on the projects that I start, I'm distracted by the smallest things and completely forget what I was doing. I know I was doing something- but don't know what it was. Oh well. I expect that when I start getting sleep at night my focusing abilities will come back at least a little.
(Babybug's hat made for him by a dear friend of mine)


It's funny how it's affecting my knitting too. I want to start 5 projects at once- but can't get any knitting done on the ones I have already cast on! I can't even remember what is on my needles, much less what I want to put on them from day to day. But I did finish a project last week!!!

Pattern: Orangeade socks by Nicole Masson. Yarn: Wolle Rodel Cotton Universal the old, discontinued version. I modified this pattern by doing an afterthought heel b/c I knew I would run out of yarn and have a very short sock if I didn't. The heel was done with leftovers of Panda Cotton. It may clash a bit- but I figure the heel is rarely seen. These are for my Mother-in-law: 100% cotton b/c she can't wear wool.

I don't actually have any more time for knitting than I did when I was holding Babybug 24hrs a day, but the time that I do have is put to better use. Which is good, b/c on February 12th, I will be casting on a new design to finish before the Winter Olymipics are over. Watch this space... ;-)

There are many ways to exercise....

....and I seem to have found one unexpectedly! I have been waiting for when Milo sleeps on his own in his bed so that I could do some things again. Things like exercise- and knitting- and cleaning- and, well, things that I need to do without a baby on me. So I figured that I probably wouldn't be able to get my weight back down until then.
Happily, I was wrong!!! Milo has been exercising me w/o my being aware of it. Well, ok, I was aware of it- I just wasn't aware of what it was doing.

What I am trying to say is- I am able to wear my jeans again!!! Because....

Milo won't let me sit down.

I use a baby wrap. Similar to these during the day; because Milo will not sleep or really even let me put him down for longer than 15 minutes at a time. In this wrap, he will sleep contentedly like a little baby should.

Under certain conditions.

It has to be somewhat quiet (lots of fun w/ 3 other busy kiddos in the house. They are so good about it!)
I have to be on my feet- preferrably walking- but other motion is ok. Seriously, this child is so aware! If I sit down, even on the edge of a chair, he knows, and wakes up!

So packing a heavy baby almost the entire day- and remaining on my feet- has turned out to be unexpectedly great exercise! I'm still out of shape- I can't run or do much- but I can wear my jeans! :-)

And the wrap?? Well, let me tell you- I have tried a lot of different baby carriers over the course of having 4 babies. This is the best I have ever used!
I've used slings, front-packs, backpacks..... This one is the only one that does NOT hurt my shoulders. And I wear it 10-12 hrs a day- with a baby in it for 3/4 of that time.
Expensive?? NO!
The ones you find on that web page or elsewhere may be. I spent $40, and wound up with two wraps. So, $20/wrap.

Five yards of fabric from the fabric store- cut in half, sewn together= two wraps. The fabric is pretty specific. I got knit fabric that was in a tube. It needs to have some stretch to it. It took me about 1/2 hr (that includes getting my sewing machine out and set up and then put away) to make these. Really, it's just 5 yards of slightly stretchy fabric. And the website shows you how to use it. Pretty nice!

And an easy way to get exercise..... ;-)