Miracle Baby Hats

My sweet cousin, Ashley, and her husband, Patrick, have been going through the adoption process for the last few months. Two days ago, they got the call. There was a baby waiting for them downtown at one of our many local hospitals. I don't know the whole story, but baby Kate is a preemie who will be ready for discharge tomorrow. After having some experience with newborns in my former nursing career, I know how important it is to keep those sweet little heads warm. So, of course, I dug through my stash this morning and set to work on some sweet little hats. I apologize for the poor photo quality. I snapped these pics really quick with my iPhone before packing them up for drop-off.

This sweet fuzzy hat is knit with Yarn Bee Dilly Dally from Hobby Lobby and has been discontinued. The pattern is my own and should be up either on here or available for download on Ravelry soon.



I modified this pattern a little from the original, but it is from Susan B. Anderson's adorable book, Itty Bitty Baby Hats . I added a couple of rows of garter stitch at the bottom and around the top. The colorwork chart I used is from Nicky Epstein's Knitting Over the Edge . The yarn is a mix of leftover baby yarns in my stash.

This super plush little hat was knitted with Pitter Patter, also available from Hobby Lobby . The pattern is free from the Stich DC Blog







Easter Lily

My Easter Lily Scarf is done, blocked, and ready to wear. The pattern is "Lily of the Valley Scarf" from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. The yarn is Malabrigo Lace in the "Brisa" colorway. I found this yarn at my LYS a few weeks ago when I was shopping with my BFF, Anna, and I just had to have it. It was love at first sight! These colors just shouted "spring flowers!" to me and Malabrigo is one of my many weaknesses. So, of course I indulged.

Mommy's Been Busy

Okay, so has it really been a month since I've updated? Seriously? Probably because I've been spending all of my free time make loads of bows for the Etsy Shop, looking for knitting patterns on Ravelry, shopping for yarn everywhere, and actually knitting .... lots and lots of knitting.
Oh, and a little side note: I have lost 13 pounds on Weight Watchers. I started in January after Christmas. I battled post partum depression after both of my babies were born. However, with Caleb, it was waaaay worse. That first year, I felt that it was better for me, mentally, to concentrate on getting my sanity back before I even worried about loosing the 25 pounds of baby weight I still had lurking around. Now, thanks to some changes in my medication and the fact that I have two children that entertain each other even though they absolutely destroy the house, I am able to concentrate on my physical health as well as my mental well-being. I guess all of the knitting has helped me keep my hand out of the snack drawer, because my weight loss has been slow and steady, but satisfying. I have one more size to go and I'll be back to my pre-baby size, and I am planning to continue my weight loss with a healthy weight goal in mind.
 I do have 4 UFO's on the needles right now, that I'll show you first.


Unless you know what you're looking at, this just looks like a big blob of knitting. However, this my friends is my current forever long heirloom lace shawl project. If you haven't read my post about my favorite heirloom quilt that my Grandmama made, you should. All of the hand-made quilts that have been passed down to me are absolute treasures. Anyway, this is the Queen Anne's Lace Shawl by MMario available for free on Ravelry. The yarn is Cascade Alpaca Lace in "Peony"

 The above pic is my Easter Lily scarf for Easter Sunday. The pattern is Lily of the Valley Scarf from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. The yarn is Malabrigo Lace in "Brisa"


This is an entrelac sock for my hubby. The pattern is Entrelac Socks by Eunny Jang available from the Interweave Online Store. The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll in Navy, which according to my husband is a very manly colorway.

 

Above is the beginning of a Wispy Cardi by Hannah Fettig. The yarn is Knit Picks Palette in Hyacinth. I am planning to do a mini one for Katie in this yarn:



I did knit and finish this Haruni Shawl (above) in less than two weeks. The yarn is Noro Kureyon Sock in colorway 40. Here is a detail pic of the edge:

Love this shawl! I have knitted this pattern before and it just always works up beautifully.

Next up? Something lovely out of these two skeins of Malabrigo Worsted yumminess I received in the mail last week from Eat Sleep Knit, my favorite place to buy Malabrigo.

The Crud Brings Productivity

The crud that has been going around has reached our house! First, it started with my 15 month old, then my three year old, then my adorable husband, and now me. Needless to say, our Valentines day was pretty low key. My husband took me out to a nice dinner on Sunday night before the blahness hit, but last night our romantic evening consisted of snotty kids, a chicken casserole, and an early bedtime. Darling hubby and kids seem to be feeling much better today, me, however... that's a different story.
 It's hard for me to sit still and rest normally, but when I'm sick, I have to make myself sit still. That's partly the reason I did take up knitting over six years ago. All of this resting and sitting still would not be happening without my knitting to keep my hands busy and generate the feeling of productivity.
Since I've been sofa bound for the last couple of days, I took the opportunity to finish up this little scarf. The pattern is Peacock Tail and Lace Scarf from Nancy Bush's incredible book Knitted Lace of Estonia. The yarn is Malabrigo Lace in the "Molly" colorway, and is available from Eat Sleep Knit. In the pics it looks more like a red, but in reality it is a rosy, bubble gum pink.


I apologize for the poor picture quality. I took these with my iPhone because it's easier to load them onto Facebook and then slurp from there for my blog. Blogger has issues with my computer for some reason.

I have also finished the first of these socks. The pattern is Eunice and is one of many totally cool patterns in Cookie A's Sock Innovation. The yarn is Cascade Heritage in "Green Opal"

Valentines Dress Top

I've had this cut out and machine appliqued forever! I finally sewed it together this morning while my kids were watching Nick Jr and eating PBJ and fruit snacks. It is extremely quick and easy to put together since there are only four pieces to the pattern and no buttonholes to do. The fabric is from Hobby Lobby and the pattern is called Whimsical A Line Tunic from Whimsy Couture. The machine embroidery applique is available at Swak Embroidery and the curlz font was purchased at Embroitique.

You've Got Wings, Baby

Last week I finally finished my first ever lace weight project. Let's just say I'm officially hooked! I think I've found my knitting niche. Of course, I also said that about socks, but after the intense sock knitting I did over the Christmas season I need a sock sabatical! I started this shawl a couple of days before Christmas right after I casted off the very last Christmas sock, and finished early last week. The pattern is called Winged Shawl and is printed in Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2010. The yarn is Knit Picks Shadow in Basalt Heather.




And, finally, a little recipe that I promised to post for some of my facebook friends:

Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake

2 cups of rigatoni noodles cooked as directed on package
4 oz of cream cheese cubed and softened
1/2 onion chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 red or yellow pepper chopped
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken cooked and cut into large chunks or 1 large can of chunk chicken breast
2 heaping tbsp of pesto sauce
1/2 cup of mozarella cheese
Grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In microwave safe mixing bowl, place onion, zucchini, and pepper and microwave on high for 3 minutes to soften. After you remove from microwave, add garlic and mix with spoon. Stir in cream cheese until even distributed. Then stir in spaghetti sauce and pesto sauce. Add chicken. Place cooked pasta in greased casserole dish. Stir in chicken and veggie mixture. Top with mozarella and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite garlic bread. Makes about 8 servings.

Baby Girl Giftset

Christmas kinda snuck up on me this year, so I have been absent from the blog but very very busy. Mostly doing knitting, but also a little sewing. I had a baby shower this past Saturday for my sweet friend, Erin Robbins and her baby girl, London Eliza Robbins. I did a little knitting, a little sewing, and a little bow making. Here's what I came up with:


Baby Surprise Jacket made with Elizabeth Zimmerman's classic pattern. The yarn is Berroco Comfort DK in Birthday Party.




Close up view of the Baby Surprise Jacket




Three inch boutique and 2 inch pinwheel bows from my Etsy shop.




Emboidered burp cloths. The pattern for these is free from You Can Make This and the fabric is available from Hancock's. The appliques and fonts for machine embroidery can be found at Swak Embroidery.




Paci clip with 2 inch pinwheel bow




Monogrammed blanket with blanket binding. Fabric available from Hancock's and font can be found at Embroitique. The pattern is my own.