Well, I suppose it is time for an update over here, seeing as I haven’t posted in nearly a month.  The truth is, it has probably been that long since I’ve done any knitting.  I’ve detailed things more over at my personal blog, but basically between pregnancy, two bouts with a nasty stomach virus, and keeping up with my two-year-old, I’m just wiped out by the end of the day.  By the time I get Zach to bed at night, I’m pretty much ready to crash myself.  Since that is usually the only time I get to knit, the knitting has been pushed aside.  It is kind of looking like some of the baby gifts I wanted to knit are not going to get done unless my energy picks up soon.  The good news is that I only have a few more weeks to go to get through the first trimester, so hopefully it will get better and I can pick up the needles again.  If not, I guess I’m going to have a lot of baby gifts to buy in the upcoming months.

I’m a little embarrassed at how long it has been since I’ve posted here.  My goal is to post a minimum of once a week and I’m not really keeping up with that.  I did go on vacation for a week though, so at least I have an excuse.

While I was on vacation, I successfully completed the Grace Beanie!  I made both of the hats to the left while riding in a car and they both turned out well.  The pink one on the right is the gorgeous Grace Beanie.  I used Red Hearts Baby Clouds for both hats.  Now I just have to figure out which lucky babies on my list are going to be the recipients.  I’ve got another Grace Beanie on the needles now in a lighter weight yarn and it is turning out really well so far.

Speaking of babies, I found out last week that I am expecting again.  We are very excited to bring another little monster angel into our family.  I also found out that a good friend of mine is expecting as well.  She’s just a few weeks ahead of me, so we’ll get to experience everything together.  How fun is that?

I’m guessing that I’m going to be knitting a whole lot of baby stuff in the near future.  I might even try a baby cardigan if I start feeling really brave.

I’ve been sitting around patiently waiting for an invite to Ravelry for a while now.  I kept thinking surely my turn would come up soon.  Lo and behold, during a quick e-mail check last night I saw the invite sitting in my inbox.  I signed up right away, but I don’t have much time to play there just yet.  I have a feeling I could get sucked in for hours before I notice.

I’m really impressed with the site after getting just a quick look around.  I think it will definitely be a great resource for me as I learn my way through the knitting basics.

Speaking of learning, I’m still working on that darn Grace beanie.  I started (and actually finished) another one during a car trip this weekend.  It was coming out perfect until I got distracted by a toddler and let my stitch count get off.  I went ahead and finished it out anyway as it was just a test with some spare yarn.  I’ll be starting another one soon to go with the blanket I recently finished.

I also knitted up another quickie infant hat over the weekend that I have yet to take pictures of.  It may be a while before I’m able to post pictures though as we are heading out of town on vacation on Friday.  I’ll have a very limited internet connection while we are gone unless I can find some free wi-fi somewhere.

Technorati Tags: ravelry, grace beanie, baby, hats, knitting

Summer is here and that means busy, busy, busy for me.  I always think that the summer will give me lots of time to relax, but in reality it ends up being the opposite.  It seems like we are always running to do this or do that all summer long.  I can’t believe how packed my schedule is already.

This past weekend I had a garage sale.  Even though it made for a very busy weekend, it did allow me a bit of time for some knitting while I sat and waited between customers.   By the time I went to bed Sunday night, I had finished up the baby blanket that I was working on.  All I have left to do is tuck the ends of the yarn in and it will be ready to go.  I had quite a bit of yarn left over (because I was really afraid I would run out!) so I think I’ll work on a couple of hats and then see what else I can make to go along with it.  I’m looking forward to doing something a little more challenging than the Easy Baby Blanket.

I’m debating whether to post pictures of the blanket as it is a gift and won’t be given out for a while.  I doubt that the recipient would happen across this blog, but it is possible so I might hold off until she has received her gift.

I’m getting really anxious for an invite to ravelry.com.  The screen shots that they posted almost had me salivating yesterday.  It is looking really cool.  It has me wanting to go take pictures of my stash, even though it surely doesn’t even compare to that of the other fabulous knitters out there.

One of my worst habits in life (besides procrastinating) is that I rarely finish what I start.  Things that have to get finished get finished, but most things end up halfway done and dropped.  That is why I have very few completed craft projects.  I start in with grand ideas, but when I hit a snag or it takes a little longer than expected I usually end up putting it away and forgetting about it.

One of my goals with this blog is to keep myself on track with my projects and not give up.  I mentioned before that I like projects that come together quickly and take little time to finish, which is why I chose the easy baby blanket as one of my first projects.  The problem is, I am now working on my 3rd easy baby blanket and I find myself getting very bored with it.  When I started the second one, I thought it would be fun to do again.  Then I found out that one of my friends is having a girl, so I started a third one in a different color.  I now have two of them going at the same time.  I’m thinking the next one needs to be a different pattern!

I find myself wanting to start new projects that would be a little more interesting, just to mix things up, but I am afraid if I stop working on the blankets that I will not go back and finish them.  Instead, I work on the blankets every chance I get so that I can finish them and move on.

I’m curious what other knitters do when they tire of a project.  Do you put it aside for a while and come back to it or do you plow through and finish it before starting something new?

Technorati Tags: habits, procrastinating, crafts, knitting, easy baby blanket

Sometimes in life things don’t go the way we plan.  People get sick, emergencies arise, and things happen that we do not expect.  When life throws us a curve ball, what are we to do?  Some people eat.  Some people get angry and lash out.  If you are a knitter, you knit.

Expelling creative energy has healing power.  Whether you are knitting, or doing other creative projects, it helps take your mind off of the hurt you are feeling and in the end you have something to show for it.

I guess that is why it touched me so deeply when I read about the big pink thing over at Yarn Harlot.  When Stephanie’s friend found out she was sick, she did the one thing that she knew would help.  She knitted her friend a beautiful pink shawl to comfort her and keep her warm.  If you haven’t read her post about it, you definitely should.  It is a great reminder of the fragility of life and the healing power of knitting.

Technorati Tags: Yarn Harlot, big pink thing, knitting, healing