SomerKnits

Ok, well, thats being a little dramatic.  I get to knit for approximately 30 minutes once a week.  So I should be able to complete at least one project by maybe the middle of the summer. You see, there are so many things on the to do list that there just isn't a lot of time left over for knitting.  And its not just the 'have to do' list thats getting in the way.  Even the 'want to do' list is getting in the way. I have to get my living room feeling less claustrophobic.  The whole room has started to close in on me and its making me nuts.  To the point that I just want to box it all up and have the room be completely empty if thats what it takes to feel better about it.  And then I have to get my chaotic craft room/office under control.  Ever since we had to empty out the guest room to make it a nursery its been a disaster area, which is not at all conducive to effectively working.  Or crafting for that matter.  And then there is the ga...

I am making progress on that project I am knitting with my first handspun.  I LOVE how the colors are knitting up. I am going for the random or messy-on-purpose look here.  It seems to suit the unevenness of the yarn and playfulness of the many colors.  To achieve the messy look I am just doing YO, k2tog but changing up where the YO starts.  So basically if you looked really closely, every once in a while you would see a single knit next to a k2tog or a k3tog to change up the starting point. I am just about to start the border again and the bind off.  I will have to take a picture of the completed project just to post because the weather has gotten so warm I don't know if I will get to wear it this winter or if I will have to wait all the way until next! Not that I object, I am loving the warm weather. Well, except for the painful sinuses.

I'm still "making," even when I am not knitting as much.  Speaking of which, and I'll get on to the real topic in just a minute, I finally got up the guts to start knitting with that handspun I made so long ago.  It seriously feels like forever, I guess it was last spring though.  Anyway, it is on its way to becoming a cowl and I will definitely post pics when it is done. So my wee one and my cloth diapering adventures have inspired me to become a little more green (or a little more crunchy, as some might see it) in the rest of my life.  I've often thought about making my own cleaning products, but never got around to actually doing it.  I mean, yes, I did basic things like run vinegar through my coffee pot and pour baking soda followed by vinegar down a slow drain, but I had never sat down and worked on figuring out how to replace all of my household cleaners with stuff I made.  Luckily, I have friends who are just as in to this as I am, some with more e...

And by that I mean YUM!   Who knew? My friends and I, who all have babies 6 months and younger, decided during our weekly play date to make lactation cookies.  I scoured the internet and found these two recipes  that looked the best.  I had virtually everything in my cabinets, except brewers yeast, which turned out to be harder to find than I thought it would be, at least in scoop-able baking form.  We ended up having to hit up Akins for that, although Whole Foods likely would have had it too.  Reasors not so much.  They had a nice blank spot on their shelves where it should have been, but the employee I talked to couldn't tell me the last time they had actually gotten any in.  Hmm.  Anyway, back to the cookies.  If you click that link and read through all the helpful information and then the cookie recipes, we decided to start with the first one.  We used peanut butter, not almond butter, but I bet almond butter would be awesome....

I've been making dryer balls like a mad woman recently!  That is, when i am not holding or feeding Evelyn, who is still the sweetest, cutest baby around.  I'm making my dryer balls denser than before, which requires more wool and more felting, but its totally worth it.  And I am having way too much fun playing with color.  Who new you could have so much fun making balls out of wool? I took a big batch over to The Peaceful Housewife in Sand Springs earlier this week, so if you are looking to stock up, head over to her store or her website.  She will even custom scent them for you.  Speaking of The Peaceful Housewife, she will also be at Babyfest in Tulsa, which I hear is coming up pretty soon, so I will post more info on that as I get it.  Rumor has it she will be taking my dryer balls to Baby fest with her, so stop by and check her out.  Rumor also has it that local cloth diaper business Green Bees will be joining her.  Yay!  (I love...

I have put off picking out a baby book because I am just too dang indecisive.  I know I want something unique and interesting, not just an off the shelf baby book from someplace like Babies R Us.  Not that there is anything wrong with those, its just not what I have in mind.  So I have spent hours searching Etsy.  I have compared what the books on etsy offer to what commercially produced baby books on Amazon offer.  I believe I have narrowed it down to these three books.  Each has its pros and cons.  And each has its price.  So maybe you could help me out.  Give me your input. This first book is made by  Ruby Love Designs . Pros:   The cover is unique and interesting. Comes with 52 custom designed pages 20 blank pages for scrapbooking 24 adhesive photo sleeves A 14 month calendar with matching stickers Additional packages of pages available including 2nd year package, first holidays package, years 3-5 package and NICU page Cons:...

I had a knitting related post planned, I wanted to break it up a bit from all the baby related posts, but then I completely failed to take a picture of the little hat I made for my friend Ashley's baby, so that post went down the drain.  Perhaps Ashley would be kind enough to take a picture of little Miss Avery in the hat sometime.  But enough of my failings, on to the 4 week birthday of little Evelyn! Photo by Madison Vining Photography Somewhat knitting related, who remembers the silvery grey blanket I knit that won first in its category at the fair this year?  Yep, that one that Evelyn is on in the picture above.  Doesn't she look adorable?  Madison Vining took newborn pictures of Evelyn when she was 6 days old.  We had a fantastic time and I love, love, love all the photos.  Madison was a joy to work with and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a fantastic and patient newborn photographer. Its already hard to believe she was that ...