Saturday, May 29, 2010

Contemporary Baby Blanket......DONE!!!!



This took me almost two months to complete simply because of the new and busy schedule I've been keeping. Whaddaya think?

Excuse the crappy iphone picture. My regular camera isn't working well. So as previously stated I used Berroco Comfort for this. Precisely I used 1 1/4 skeins of white and red and a little less than 3 skeins of the black. The blanket measure about crib size at 33x46 inches. I am very pleased with the results.

What I Would Do Differently:

I would put in an extra panel to make it 4 instead of three in order to make it wider.

When blocking I would only use cold water. The red bled a little making the white slightly pink. I should have know better but it really doesn't take away from the overall look of the blanket.

Work on it more frequently instead of letting the project languish for days. (This really should have been done 3 weeks ago!)

And last but not least I would like to have put more embroidery on it but time is running short since my little niece will be putting in an early appearance. Baby is healthy but the Doctors are saying that the baby needs to come out. Baby wasn't due until Father's day but it's close enough to the due date to avoid many complications.

I am currently working on my first post for my year of knitting through my stash of yarn and magazines. Can't wait to show you what I've got cooking!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Whoop, Whoop

That's the sound of da police. JK it's really the sound of me finally having my yarn all around me. I've decided that no matter how tiny my apartment is I can't run the risk of not having access to my yarn. So, how did I do it? you ask.

I had to fill out a form at the storage place in order to have the lock cut and of course purchase another lock. And wouldn't you know it.....the day AFTER I had the lock cut I found the keys. In a jacket. I left at work.

This just confirms my philosophy that the best way to find something lost is to replace it. Goodness, I hope that doesn't apply to relationships. There are some things that are better left lost, ya know?

Currently I am working on a baby blanket for my little brother's first daughter!!! Yay! I am going to be a Titi again. She is due at the end of June. My SIL told me she liked black and red so I asked her if she would mind if I made a baby blanket and added white to it for a little contrast. I must say that at first I didn't know how I felt about those colors. You know how we knitters are.....especially when we are knitting for a little relative not our own child. I had ideas, I had aspirations and they all included pink and brown.


So, in keeping with her wishes I started out on a yarn quest. Which yarn will hold up to years and years of use? which yarn will be soft on my little niece's skin? At first I was going to go with Berocco Vintage which I have been dying to try out. But when I went to buy it my lovely LYS had just run out of the red that I wanted (that's what I get for trying to buy after a big sale....when will I learn?) Then I remembered my go-to yarn for long wearing projects....Berocco Comfort. I love this yarn. The colors are so vibrant and there are so many to choose from. I went ahead and started the knitting and I am loving the color combo. So much so in fact that my very first project for my year long knitting from magazine project is going to be in red and black. Let's just say I imaging myself looking super hot in this.

You know, H-O-T!

and not the sweaty kind of hot either.

Since October I have lost 30 pounds. I lost it through a combination of weight watchers and extreme stress. Weight Watchers has really helped me to stay on my points when I really didn't feel like eating. Many, many days I would eat way under my points and I started feeling worse so I make it a point that no matter how aweful, stressful, distracting my day is to make sure I eat a minimum of my points. Another way I've been coping with stress is to excersise. Usually I power walk, occasionally I jog. This really tires me out to the point that the issues that I am dealing with don't affect me as much. And I am finally able to sleep at night. Praise the Lord!!!!!

In Psalms 4:7-8 it says:
Thou hast put gladness in my heart, More than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

These verses are incredibly cool. The first part about putting gladness in my heart..... well, to be honest when things get overwhelming I am anything but glad but I start reading my bible or hanging out with the kids or talking to my mom and friends and the gladness is there. God's word brings me comfort and reminds me of all the blessings that I have now even in this valley that I am going through. And this time of my life is much more meaningful because of the relationships I am able to establish. More than my time of "corn and wine". You know, when things were going well. Or at least I thought they were going well. God has been my fortress and at night I lay down in peace and sleep just like the verse promises.

Being in God's word is not easy because many times there are things that I just do not want to see. But.......I want to be in His will. I want to be what He wants me to be. Because it's nothing but good!