First Christmas and knitting goodness

Baby Tree Hugger's First Christmas

"You mean we open these now?"

"And I have to wear this thing?"

"Blocks. Mmm, I love blocks."
"Mom! You aren't going to blog this are you?!"
"I love presents from The Land of Nod."

"And I really love my new scoot around."

So, remember that post earlier in the month about the socks of doom? The ones that I didn't really have a pattern for, let alone have any experience in sock knitting? Yeah, they got frogged. Instead, I knit some slippers for said hard to buy for lady. I used this free pattern. 2 skeins of Knit Picks Main Line yarn, a couple of buttons and voila! Slippers. I dare not show you a side view...they really look elvish (as in elf-like, not Elvis-like), but I am hoping that they fit the lady's smaller feet. I can get them on my size 9 clod-hoppers, so we should be good. Lesson learned: How to M1 increase and I suck at making pom-poms. Hence the buttons.

Another present was this crocheted granny square throw. Made from 4 cones of Peaches N Cream cotton yarn. 2 in Ecru, 2 in Peppercorn ombre. I am embarrassed to admit it, but I started the granny squares 2 years ago, then started seaming them together and got thoroughly fed up with the seaming and put it aside. I decided that this would be the year that it got finished.
Simple granny squares, with a single crochet border (twice around). Easy peasy. Anyone want some left over granny squares? I have a handful of them and nothing planned for them. Let me know.
Another day, another Ball Band Dishcloth. This is for the knit along on Ravelry. I need to make a pile of these things by April.

As if that weren't enough, I started a sweater for Baby Tree Hugger. It is from the Not So Baby Yoda free pattern. I am using Berocco Touche in a green apple color. I actually did a gauge swatch on this and am crossing my fingers that it fits him for a few months since we will need in for our trip to Japan in a few months.

The back is complete in one day. I started on the left front side now and a bit nervous when it comes to the right front...it just says to reverse for shaping. Keep your fingers crossed that I do it right!
Peace.

Happy Hanukkah

Hanukkah started a couple of days ago, and I am tardy in wishing everyone a Happy Hanukkah. Today, baby tree hugger was playing around with a coconut dish and sparked my memory. I wonder if he wants a yarmulke?

L'Chaim!

He has started taking off on his own lately. He will be holding on to something and just let go and fly across the room. (Please don't mind the case of beer in the living room, that is DH's idea of a baby gym.)

He is also climbing on the furniture. I about had a heart attack when I found him doing this:

Christmas packages are being sent. I finally finished the "tween shawl". It is super soft and hopefully good size for her.

The package being sent to the family (minus some edible delights):

I received a package from Granny the other day that broke me down. Mom gave her a stack of dishcloths a couple of months before she died (That's where I get the dishcloth obsession from, thanks Mom!), and told Granny to give them out at Christmas. Granny sent me two of them with a touching note. I don't think that I will ever use these cloths for dishes.

Mom always called the jewel toned yarn "Grateful Dead Bear" yarn, knowing my affinity for the Dead Bears. I am thrilled that I got one in my favorite yarn colorway.

Granny also sent a hanging towel that she (Granny) made. She didn't make the towel, she crocheted the top . Amazing thing is that she crochets these tops without a pattern. She does them for every holiday.Peace.

Knitting, Baby and Houses.

Since I missed WIP Wednesday, FO Thursday and today is Family Friday, I am combining them into today's post.

WIP Wednesday would have been:

The shawl. It is endless garter stitch right now. I do a few rows and feel like I am making zero progress. I put it around my shoulders one day and it is too small, so I put it around Connor and it was ginormous, so I think that I have about a dozen or so more rows to go before it is "tween" sized.

I started a new scarf. Mom gave this yarn to me in March when we were home to have Connor baptized. I have 3 cakes of it. I have no idea what it is made of, how much there is, I only have a vague idea that the 3 strands together make it a light-ish worsted weight. Just a simple pattern, really. And it is free! I have an idea of the recipient, but I am not 100% set on her. We will see when it is all done, then I will know for sure.

Did I say that I started a new scarf? Well, I lied, I actually started two new scarves. This one is one that I have been obsessing about (it is free too!). I have been so anxious to cast on for it. Truthfully, I casted on for it when I met Deece last Saturday for coffee. But with all of the yakking and coffee drinking, I didn't get but two rows done. And I figured that somehow messed them up, so I ripped them out and restarted.

I am so proud of myself, I am cable-ing!!! I never thought that I would be able to do it, they always looked so intimidating, but with the awesome cable video tutorials at Knittinghelp.com, I got it down! I am cable-ing, y'all! This one is using Knit Picks Andean Silk (Wool, Alpaca and Silk) in Navy. I adore this yarn. I would love to have more eventually.

**********

FO Thursday would have been...

I finished two more dishcloths this week. I did another Palm Tree cloth. I need to make more of these, but green cotton is hard to find here. I guess that some people will be getting different colors of palm trees.

I also did a Grid Pattern dishcloth. It was easy for the most part. Kind of boring. I have decided that I really enjoy doing the picture dishcloths the most. I found a free pattern for a Coast Guard cloth (other military branches available as well) on this site.

*******

Family Friday

Connor is taking a few hesitant steps on his own!!! I can't hardly believe it. He has been walking while holding on to one of our hands for quite a few weeks now, but in the last couple of days, he will be holding on to the furniture and take a couple of steps on his own without holding anything. It is so cute. And so nerve racking! I am watching him like a hawk because I don't want him to face plant on the tile floor.

This is from Thanksgiving, when we were down at the Ranch.

Back to the housing in Juneau. It all boils down to a few things that are scaring me shitless about buying such an expensive house. It isn't that we can't afford it, because we can. But what if DH makes Chief and we have to move in 2 years? I don't want to be stuck with two house payments and end up having to go back to work and put the kids in daycare. The second thing is that I hate debt. Hate hate hate it. I enjoy not having credit card debt, car loan debt, etc. We do have our timeshare debt and my paltry student loan (why don't I just pay it off already?), but that is it. And a giant mortgage is a huge step. House prices are crazy. Where we are from, you can get a pretty nice house for 100-150k. So, to me 250k for 2 or 3 bedrooms on a subdivision lot is a stretch.

Family Friday

Only have a few minutes to blog...

Connor will be 10 months old this weekend. Time is flying by. He's into:

Brushing his teeth
Clapping his hands

Trying to be stealth and climb the stool with the water dispenser on it
His pink ball

His dog




Eating frozen berries and wooden spoons



Peace

Not in China

We are supposed to be in China right now. Unfortunately we had to cancel our trip while we were back home with Mom in September. I didn't feel comfortable being at home without our passports while they were processing our visas. So, we made the executive decision to hold off on our trip. Guess that is one more trip to add back on to the list of places to go.

Did I mention that we are spending a week in Hawaii (Big Island) next year? Oh, I did. Sorry! ; )

Thanks for the comments about my recycled bag-bag. I don't feel like such a loser now, lol.

KaLu has given me the "You Make Me Smile Award", and I was an honorable mention on Kim's blog. Thanks, chicks!! You both would be on my list also! It will be hard to pick 10 bloggers that haven't already been chosen...I have well over 100 on my Google Reader, but here goes....
1. Deece - Because I love the fact that you put your family first. And you crochet!! I got lots of info on Saipan just by reading your blog.

2. Chiloe - Your progress on your projects is inspiring! And I love the posts with your kids.

3. Heather - You are a single Mom and you manage to keep it all together. I admire you! I couldn't do half of what you do on a daily basis.

4. Little Cat - I love watching your projects grow and your pictures of Riley are adorable!

5. Aunt Tamie - Love the fact that you blog. And you now stitch! Yay! I enjoy reading your posts, makes me feel more like an insider to your life.

6. Bev Q - What can I say? I admire your craftyness, your humanitarian work and I absolutely adore your free pattern database. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

7. Kendra - I love looking at your blog, it is just so cheery. I can relate to many of your posts since "The Baby" and Connor are close in age.

8. Carolyn - Your blog graphics are awesome, I love the fact that you change it frequently. I admire your drive and commitment to cycling and exercise. I wish I had 1/10th of it!

9. Jennifer - Your stitching and finishing is exquisite! I know firsthand. I love wondering how you are going to finish something, and then seeing your pictures.

10. Melanie - I feel connected to you when reading your posts. You are one talented lady! And who wouldn't smile when seeing your kids? They are so cute!

Seriously, I had a hard time going through my reader and picking out blogs that hadn't been nominated. I didn't even get all the way through my reader actually *blush*.

**********
Did I tell you that Connor will be delaying his first year at college because his Grandpa spent the tuition money on a vintage tractor for the kid? (Kidding about the college thing, not the tractor)

Seems that my Dad has a picture of himself on a 1954 Mc Cormick Farmall kid's tractor when he was about 6 months old. He has been on a mission to find the same tractor for Connor. He was successful. He went to an auction and got into a bidding war with another guy for this restored vintage tractor (*hello*). The guy later asked him how high he would have gone, my Dad's response was, "As high as it would have taken." Oy!

Without further ado, here is our son, sitting on his Freshman tuition:
He is climbing around on everything, and working on standing alone. He has two tiny little teeth on the bottom now, just barely in. And he loves the dog. Her feelings for him? Notsomuch love, more like tolerance. We are still nursing, I can't believe it either. I never would have thought that we would make it to 6 months, let alone beyond 9 months.

**************
I have been knitting more dishcloths, I should take a picture of the ones I have done so far. I also crocheted a scarf using a variation of a pattern that another blogger gave to me. I have a question though...the pattern is based loosely on a published dishcloth pattern, so if I were to give the scarf pattern on my blog, is that a violation of copyright? Inquiring minds want to know.

I had this off label acrylic yarn from Mom's stash. I know, I know, it's acrylic. But you would not believe how soft this stuff is. It is beyond-science-scary. I used just about a skien and a half (approx 225 yards I think) and an "I" sized hook.

I have another skien and a half, I think that I am going to work on a simple knitted shawl... knit two, yarn over, knit to the end, repeat kind of thing. But on big bamboo circulars...maybe 10's...?

Speaking of knitting, I made out my wishlist for the parentals for Christmas ideas. Am I a total snot for wishing for a set of KnitPicks Options Harmony Interchangeable Needles? AND an 80gb iPod? LOL. Okay, maybe asking for those plus the 8 books that are on the list are a bit much... So many choices.

I am going to participate in the NaBloPoMo in November. Should be a challenge for me, but I am looking forward to it. Anyone else going to join?

Next post I will talk about festivals (fiber & craft related), quilting & thrifting...and whatever else I can ramble out.

If anyone else is on Ravelry, I am mhighfill (real original, I know). Just incase you want to friend me or anything. : )

Peace.

Stepping back

Well friends, I am going to be offline for the rest of the week. I just need time to step back and think about things for a while. So much is going on in my life, I am feeling overwhelmed.

• Mom is holding steady. Things aren't as good as she was hoping, and they held off on her treatment for 10 days because she is so tired. I anticipate going home soon, if only for the fact that I want to spend time with her and don't want to get a middle of the night call saying I need to come home that minute. Last minute flights off of this rock aren't cheap.

• Connor has decided that he no longer enjoys sleeping through the night and has been getting up every 2 hours for the past few days. Joy. We were spoiled since he had been sleeping through the night starting at about 7 weeks old. I honestly don't know what the deal is, if it is teething or what, but I am so pooped. Our day today started at 4:30 am since he wouldn't go back to sleep.

• The cats have decided that they no longer enjoy living in the lap of luxury and being strictly indoor cats. So, they both live outdoors now. At night they would tear open a screen to get out and roam around. I am tired of being stressed out wondering where they are and having the screens ruined. I know it sounds harsh, but I don't want indoor/outdoor cats. Either one or the other. We are responsible pet owners, so they are both spayed and both still have their claws front and back. We just feel that it is the best route to take in this situation. Of course I am sad and a little scared for them, but the only other option is to close all of the windows in the house at night and that is so not happening.

• Other random stuff going on right now is really giving my brain a good workout. Family grumblings in the Mainland, wondering what will be on our list to choose from next month in regards to where we are going next year, etc.
  

I have so much on my plate right now that the overwhelmed feeling is coming back. I promise to post next week with lots of pictures of crafty stuff that I have been working on, including a couple of PIF's. Yay.

In the meantime, if you like to read (I know there are quite a few of you), this is a neat bookworm networking site: GoodReads . If you want to be my friend, this is my profile. Jenn, I hope that you will check it out.

Also, for a neat-o finishing idea, check out this stitcher's book...it even gives the instructions. Wow!

And finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Aunt Tamie and Carol. Hope that you ladies have a wonderful day!

Wrap up

Wow, I have been quite neglectful of the blog lately. Time seems to just slip right past me most days. Plus, DH was dinking around with the new computer the other night and the screen went black. Hrrrrm...that's not supposed to happen. He was messing around trying to get the info off of the old hard drive onto the new one and has some kind of external thingamajig hooked up. Poor darlin, he really tries hard. So now we are back to the laptop, which I am not too fond of. Oh well. When I win the lottery, I can buy my own little puter ( a Mac ) and do what I want. Guess I should start buying tickets.

The biggest downside is that I try to comment on blogs and I can't. The comment page just keeps reloading. Frustrating. Friends in blogland, know that I am reading and wanting to comment!

A pretty hibiscus on a very clear day. We have a big hibiscus bush in front.

***********

We took Connor to the beach for the first time on Friday. He had a good time, I think. He only cried a couple of times. We bought him a cheapy floaty tube and when he got to where he could touch the bottom, he would take off. The beach is now Connor's aqua walker.

This little girl decided that she wanted to take her puppy swimming. I watched her for a while to make sure she didn't drown it. So cute!

**********

Last weekend, we did some beautifying of the CNMI with Angelo's group, Beautify CNMI! There was even a little write up in the paper.

Click here to read a good post from Cinta and to see a cute family shot at the end. We plan on doing more volunteering with this group in the near future.

**********

Since only one person *technically* signed up for my PIF challenge, I decided to choose 4 others. I started working on one of the projects this week. Here is a sneak peek:

Where have I been that I have not used circular knitting needles before now? Holy moley, I am a woman obsessed now. Since I took this picture, I finished knitting it (and no, it isn't a hat). I immediately casted on for another similar style, only using a smaller needle and they are bamboo, not metal. Wow, bamboo rocks! Someday, I will be able to try out the Cadillac of knitting needles, the Addi Turbos...until then, I will be obsessing with my one pair of bamboo circulars.

By the way, if you ever see a copy of this book (in picture above) at a garage sale (where I got mine) or a thrift shop, I highly recommend you pick it up...it is full of great info on every kind of stitching and has awesome diagrams. If I had to pick only one book to have in my library for needlework, this would win. It is Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. I think that mine was $2.

************

The sewing machine is officially DOA according to Sam's Electronics. They can't repair it because it seems that I broke off a big piece of metal that holds the shuttle race in. I am bummed that I am without a sewing machine for a while, but to be honest...I kinda hated that one anyway! Too many bells and whistles. I bid on a vintage Singer machine on ebay...only has 5 stitches! Just my speed. But, I have been outbid. So, the search is on again. Got to keep it under $75 including shipping.

And, we dyed more of Connor's diapers. I *love* them!

Peace.

See the clouds?

Lately I have felt like I have the little hand-drawn stormy cloud over my head. A combination of reasons really. Homesickness, concern about Mom, being a new Mama, kinda missing being in the workforce and missing the Nursing profession, etc. I have been keeping up with my blog reading via Google Reader. Sorry I don't comment much, but when something really hits a chord with me, I will comment. Like the post that Melanie wrote. Man, did that ever hit home. I totally identified with what she said and where she was coming from.

So, that is where I am at. Things are looking better. Some of the stress has lifted.

DH's new LT & CWO have reported in, so we have been going to parties and we had a party at our house on Saturday. A good time was had by all.

We are still doing lots and lots of gardening and housey stuff. I found this pot tucked away in the bushes and thought that the tiny sprouts of leaves looked interesting (they were less than 1" tall at the time). So, I set it in the sun and gave it a drink every day, and this is the gorgeous result:
Lady is standing guard to the left and you can kind of see the Heliconia patch in the far background. The Heliconias are starting to bloom and they need serious work...

Mom sent me a care package a couple of weeks ago and in it was this gorgeous yarn.
Lion Brand hand painted wool yarn. Regularly priced at $14 each and she got them for $3 something each. What a steal! Now just trying to think of what to make. I was thinking scarf, but not everyone likes wool scarves and Lord knows, I don't need a scarf here in Saipan. Anyone want me to make them a wool scarf? I knit and crochet, your choice.

We finally got our hammock hung up on the porch. It hasn't been up since we lived in Louisiana. It is the thread kind, so it is super comfy and doesn't leave big rope marks on you. I can see many days out there with a book and a glass of iced tea....now I just need the baby to learn to take naps during the day.

And, I finally have a finish to share! Yay me! I started this last month during the Trilogy (or any designer of) SAL on the STO group...I am only a week late with getting it finished. This was a Bent Creek Zipper kit that I bought when I met Kim in Green Bay. I really love the Bent Creek kits. Have you seen the new one, the Big Zipper? Mama Mia, that is one for the Christmas present wish list for sure. Stitched on 18 ct. Natural Linen with DMC Perle Floss.

If you are interested in reading Saipan blogs, Angelo has created a Master Listing of all of us. Way to put insomnia to good use!

Peace!