Fiddling...

I've been thinking about ways to keep this blog about knitting and not give away any secrets but I can't seem to do it. I have the itch to write some things so maybe it's time to change the blog and just write about whatever comes up. I'm still knitting just not as much and I don't want some of you :) to see what I'm knitting.

On that note, I've been cooking and baking a lot. It is great fun.

I must note here that one of the main reasons I married my husband was because he never expects anything domestic from me. It's true, both that he doesn't expect and I would not have married him if he did. That being said, I am really enjoying having the time and desire to cook for us.

One of my new favorites is bread. Now, I grew up thinking that bread was really hard to make. I'm not sure where this came from but for some reason I got it in my head that bread was for "special" people. Well, not so! I've made really good completely home made bread and it turned out wonderful. So wonderful that I took lots of pictures.


This was my first attempt at bread. It came out just perfect and I thought to myself, "Why did I think this was so difficult?" Well, I think I did have a few things going for me:

1. A KitchenAid. I think this is probably a must for perfect bread making. No hand kneading necessary!
2. A low elevation. Living at about 2000 ft. has changed many things but baking seems to be one of the most notable.
3. Bread flour. I didn't even try to make this with All-Purpose flour, so I don't know how it would have turned out but from what I've read BF is a must.

I thought the first batch may have just been a fluke but I've made this bread several times with the same results so, I guess I'm a bread maker now.

Other than Baby Stuff...

I have found some time to knit other things, not much time, but some time. For example, this basic seed stitch scarf was cast-on the week we brought little mr. home. That was almost 11 weeks ago. This could be because I'm swamped with newborn stuff or maybe I just hate knitting scarves.

Mostly, I think, I hate knitting scarves. Even though this yarn is awesome and even though I love wearing scarves, they are just so boring to knit. At this rate I should be done with this scarf when the first snow starts to fly next winter. Just in time!

I also started a project I've been excited about for awhile. It is a Norah Gaughan design from this pattern booklet. I really love the look of this sweater and was hoping it would be done for spring time wear but as you can see, it may be next spring before I actually try this one on!

I'm not the best at adjusting patterns, and I've heard from other ravelers that this sweater has some issues so we'll see how this turns out. I've already screwed up the first cable and I'm not big on ripping out projects either so...onward.

A Willing Model

Sort of... Let's blame his squirminess for the quality of these pictures and, of course, not my picture taking abilities. This is the same outfit I featured a few posts back, before Mr. Kicky was born.

I liked the outfit then, lying on the floor, in all its miniature cuteness.

I love it now.

Baby's First Shoes

What have I been up to lately? Mostly cuddling this little guy, born March 6th, 2010.

I did make him some little booties in the month before he was born. They are super simple and I ended up making a couple of pairs. They're still a little big for him but he wears them every once in awhile.

Here he is wearing them on his first car seat ride. Destination: HOME. They look gigantic.

And here is what the little one looks like now, modeling his first wool sweater.

Baby Clothes

Thanks to many wonderful friends, I now have a closet full of baby clothes and other baby items. As nice as it is to have all these clothes, that will surely get a lot of use, I just couldn't resist making some items from scratch. This first item is a pea coat that I started almost 2 years ago on my honeymoon. That may sound strange, I know Dan was freaked out by this, but I didn't know who the coat would end up on at the time, I just wanted something small and easy to make for our travel-full honeymoon.

Needless to say, without a person in mind to give this to, it was put down into the bottom of the basket many times over the last year and a half. When I found out we were having a boy, I knew who the owner would be. The remaining pieces knit up quickly. I love the hood.

This is a little beanie that I have in mind for his first ride in the car. I made it out of the leftover yarn from the next two items.

Shirt and pants to match. Very cute and soft and a lot bigger than I thought they would be. They probably won't be worn home from the hospital but maybe a few months afterwards. I still need to get some buttons for the shirt.

That's a start. I've got a few more things I'm working on and hope to have done before little one shows his face. Dan's been knitting too...baby should be set!

Knits for a Niece

I love gift knitting and, for me, knitting for a new family member is probably one of the most satisfying ways to gift knit.

These were made for my niece Eva, born November 8th.

The model/recipient in her new blankie: