Busy Times, Busy Times

Ooooo, I've been a bad, bad blogger! December was the last time I blogged. Horrible, just horrible. I've done a little knitting, but it seems we've been extra busy at the Unruh house. Between basketball practices and games, my volleyball games, short trips to watch wrestling and volunteer meetings and church there hasn't been a ton of time to blog.

I did finish Kevin's cowl on our way to Colorado to ski. It was super easy. I didn't have a pattern. Just size 10 circs and chunky yarn. Kevin loved it. He said it was really warm and he is even wearing it on the train when it is cold. Here Kevin and Miller are at the slopes with Kevin keeping his neck warm and stylish. The hat isn't my work. Those Nike people make a good ski cap for Kevin's bald head and he really likes it.


Right now I'm working on another baby item. The Mason-Dixon Baby Kimono is getting done again along with a pair of booties for my friend Susie who just had a baby girl. These babies keep cropping up out of nowhere. It makes me wonder where they come from!

Baby Sweater Down, Socks To Go

I finished baby Jentri's sweater and booties. The pattern is Helena from Knitty. I did change it a bit. The pattern called for 6 repeats of the arrow pattern, but after about 3 repeats are started thinking (which is a scary thing for me to do) the sweater would be way too long for Jentri. Her momma isn't the tallest person in the world. If she gets any height, it's gonna have to come from daddy!

The booties pattern is from Saartje's knits. I had to knit 4 of these little guys. Each time my sizing was off. Finally I knitted two that actually were close in size. It drives me crazy how my gauge can switch from one size to another depending on the day that I'm knitting.

I used plain ol' Peaches and Cream yarn for both. I love this colorway and it seems so perfect for a baby. The best part about the yarn is that it is cotton which is a great fiber to have with little ones. It's soft, durable and is easy to wash.

Now I've got to get started on my Christmas knitting. Socks, hats and hairbands. These things should go pretty easy. I've got to do stripes on the socks, so I'll be adding something new to my abilities. Last night I was looking for the booties pattern and found a headband pattern that I think the girls will like. We are going skiing at Christmas time, so I figured this would be a great stocking stuffer for the girls. I may even make one for me.

I'm seeing red, I'm seeing red!! Help!

I need to stay knitting on my baby items, but the tomatoes keep coming. Kevin's grandparents have been sending us tomatoes. I not complaining too much, but 3 Wal-Mart size bags every 4 days is a little overboard. I've made salsa, Italian seasoned tomatoes and even just canned tomatoes. I'm kinda getting sick of the color of red. I know that it will be great in February when I want to make some spaghetti sauce and I can go to the pantry and pull out a can of tomatoes. I'm just over tomatoed! (I wonder if the New England Journal of Medicine has ever done a case study? If not, do you think they would pay me to show the side effects of tomato processing at home?)

See all the RED. Wouldn't you be a little sick of the color after 4 hours of canning?

School starts a week from yesterday and I can honestly say I think I'm ready for it. Granted Miller will be in Kindergarten all day and this will be the first time in 9 years that I haven't had a kid home during the school year. I plan on substitute teaching some more this year, which benefits my knitting. I can always knit when the kids are at recess, lunch, PE or Music. When I went to enroll Audrey and Miller, the principal of the 2nd-3rd grade school asked me if I had all my sub paperwork in. When I said yes he snatched me to sub on the 1st Friday of the school year. I think I 'll start on my nephew's socks for my subbing project. Socks are so easy to take places to knit and it amazes people that you use 4 needles. It kind of looks like a torture device. (Sometimes I think it is!)

Shawl, socks, baby stuff and kids

Shawn's prayer shawl is done. It didn't take too long, but I just had a hard time getting into the groove about doing it. I used a pattern from Jennifer Worick's book Getting Started Knitting. I had done it earlier when I was working on prayer shawls for church. This one turned out much better than the first. I was more confident when I clipped the stitches and adding fringe helped give it a more complete look. I packed it up and will send it first thing in the morning.

I'm going to continue on Jentri's stuff now. Hopefully, I'll get it done before she turns 15! Then I'm going to get started on my nephew's Christmas stuff. My oldest nephew saw a pair of Miller's socks and now he wants some. Who would think that a 17-year-old would want something like that. He even put in a color request.

I thought I'd add a pix of the kids. I took this a couple days after Malorie got back from camp. She had a great time and I think her siblings were definitely ready to see her again. Malorie brought back the stuffed animals Audrey and Miller are holding.

Messenger Bag

I've finished Audrey's messenger bag. I was a little worried that it would be too small, but I was able to fit Kevin's old lap top in it and close it with buttons. So that means it will work for school. Kevin even liked it, which surprised me since he could usually care less about what I knit. It took about 15 T-shirts, 2 buttons and almost 3 weeks to do, but here it is.....

Notice Audrey's sophisticated model stance. She's so into fashion and art that it scares me sometimes. The bag is a little long on the strap, but in her optimism Audrey said it was perfect. And of course little brother has to get into the picture too. Audrey was a little irritated that Miller was in the shot, so I had to upload it. (Being the one who controls the blog is soooo powerful.)

I'm still working on baby items and will try to find another prayer shawl pattern to make for Shawn's rabbi. Tomorrow I go to pick up Malorie from summer camp, so I won't get much knitting done. It's a 4 hour drive there and back.

The Start of July and I'm Off to the Knitting Races

We survived the 4th of July. I ate too much, drank too much, and we did too many fireworks! It was a fun time.

I even finished knitting Audrey's school bag. It's made out of T-Shirts cut into 1 inch strips and knotted together to make one continuous fiber. (Many thanks to my husband, father and nephews in their donations of T-shirts.) I made a pattern and every thing for this bag. I kept track of how many rows I had and what size needles I used (US 15) and how many Bind offs and Cast ons I needed during the making. I am still working on the strap, but that will only take me an hour to finish. (I think I'll do it while I wait for the kids at Junior Golf.)

Here's the preblocking pictures.

I'm not sure on how the bag will block since it's 100% cotton I will really need to stretch it out. And the weight is incredible. I thought using 10 T-shirts wouldn't make it that heavy, but boy is it sturdy fabric. If you can't tell by the shape of the bag it's going to be a messenger bag. I'm not sure if it will be large enough for her school work, but she can use it for other things. I am going to block it tomorrow and then sew it up next week.

I've also worked on some adorable stuff for my friend Kristy's baby girl Jentri Jane Phipps. I've finished one piece but I'm still working on another. By the way Kristy, the items are for Jentri as she gets older about 6+ months. Knitted stuff in the summer is a bummer for babies.

Baby Kimono Done

My sister is going to have a baby in 3 days. I have really felt the rush on this piece. Everyday the kids have been asking, "How many more days until Aunt Meriam has her baby?" This question kept me on the knitting push. So much that on Thursday I had to take an Aleve, to keep my neck from cramping up. Well, if Meriam is looking she now needs to leave the page. NO PEAKING MERIAM! You'll get to see it in 3 days.

Here's the pictures . . .

The pattern is from Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne. I had been looking all over the Internet for something to knit and I came across a knit-a-long with this pattern. So I went to my local library and checked to see if they had the book. Unfortunately they didn't, but the wonderful Inter-library Loan system my library belongs to did. Within a day of asking for it I was called letting me know it was in. This is such a great book. I think I'm going to have to purchase it. I love almost everything they have done in it.

The only change I made in it was buttons instead of ties. I know that you should not do buttons, because of the choking risk, but I am very secure that my buttons will not come off. My 8th grade home-ec teacher made sure in class that our buttons could stay on no matter the amount of tugging on them. The seams required mattress stitching. Usually I just whip stitch the seams, but this time I did the right thing and seamed them according to the pattern. I think if I practiced some more I would be pleased with it, but it'll do.

The yarn was Peaches and Cream 100 % cotton. I've knitted the kids some socks with this type of yarn. I like working with it. When I bought the yarn for the baby's kimono, Wal-Mart had a huge cone of Peaces and Cream that I had to buy. I don't know what I'll do with it, maybe a new bathmat for the downstairs bathroom, or maybe a bunch of washcloths. The yarn will let me know what to do with it when I'm ready.

My next project is inspired by the Mason-Dixon ladies. Audrey wants a messenger bag for school, so I'm going to take old T-shirts and make them into yarn that I can knit up. The book talks about using T-shirts to make a rag rug. (I plan on doing one of these also.) I figured it would make a durable bag that is easily washable and soft. My nephews have tons of shirts they never wear so I'm going to raid them to make my yarn.

1 Pair Down, Baby Items To Go

A pair of socks are done. Miller's socks came out super easy and cute. Fortunately the kids prefer ankle socks so I don't have to knit much leg up. I did the patented toe-up sock with the magic cast-on method. These are the best ways to do socks! Now Miller wants another pair of slippers. This kid loves wearing my knitting creations. Too bad his dad won't pick out something for me to knit him.

I went to the prayer shawl meeting last week and I just can't believe how beautiful the work was. I'm going to add pictures to the blog so the beauty can be admired. I thinking I'm needing to get to work on something for my sister's baby which is due next month. The only thing is they don't find out what the baby is until it's out. (Here's an idea Meriam, find out so I can make something color specific!) So I guess I'll have to go with a green or yellow item. I'm going to check out some sites to figure out what to make. After I do the baby thing, I'll get started on the girls' socks. Audrey had said something about making her a school bag like Malorie's, but I'm not sure if that's really what she wants.