Sweater Time...

knit my first "real" sweater for my little one. I have made a reglan sweater, but I really didn't like it all that much, plus the seaming is just so different. I made the Lion Brand Kimono wrap sweater (can be found on Lionbrand.com under knit patterns). It calls for Lion Cashmere blend, but I substituted with Bernat Satin (it was what I had on hand and didn't know what else to do with). It came out wonderfully!!! Here is a pic of the sweater and of my little one wearing it. I plan on making this sweater, a hat and bootie set for gifts...I know of a few gals having baby girls :)

Baby pictures

Krista is 1 month old already! Where is the time going??? She is started to coo and really respond to us, she's been holding her head up for a while now...she is just getting so big! The kids are just loving her :) She is nursing great...really getting to be a chunky monkey. Here are some pics :) ENjoy!!

New Baby Time

Well, I cleaned out my photobucket account not too long ago, not realizing that my knitting pictures would be erased...be patient, I'll get them back up :)

We have a new baby...our little girl was born on November 28th, 2006 at 1:41pm via c-section. I was in labor for 26hrs and didn't get past 1cm, so we opted to just do the section (although the dr will tell you I wasn't in labor because my cervix didn't change, yet I was in a good contraction pattern). In any case, both baby and me are doing great.

She was 6lbs 8oz and 19 1/2 inches long. When we came home she weighed 6lbs 3oz and at her 2 week checkup at the pediatrician, she weighed 7lbs 7oz. Mommy's milk does a baby good! Her name is Krista Faith. The kids love her to pieces!! She looks just like the rest of them LOL.

In any case, I'll be putting pictures up real soon!

More felting fun!

I feel like an idiot...the first couple of times I felted, I ran the projects through my machine 3 times, but I could still see the stitches. I discovered today that my washing machine has a heavy/fast agitation cycle...so I felted some more today. First is a pair of booties for my friends baby.

Secondly, I knit a christmas stocking. The pattern was in a magazine that I bought last year, I believe it was Family Circle Easy Christmas Ideas...or something similar. I knit up the medium size...and the pictures show pre felt and felted. I love the felted stocking, although it is quite small (see the tube of toothpaste next to it)...so I'll have to knit it larger for felting.

Felting is so fun!!

28 Week Baby picture

This us utterly incredible! I had an ultrasound today, the dr. wants to keep a close eye on my cervix due to my history of preterm babies (I had a 34 and a 35 weeker). He gave me these incredible pictures. Today, I am 28 weeks, 1 day pregnant (7 months along). The one black and white, you can see her nose and mouth, with her arm up to her head and her other fist covering her eye. The others, the doctor called "book shots", they were so incredible!

Yet another bootie

I'm in bootie heaven here, with this pattern. My real good friend wanted to make a pair of these for her little boy, so I made one...I have yet to make the other. They are a real quick knit...takes me a couple of hours from start to finish.

More Baby Booties...these are cute!

So, I started these about a week ago...did one and it came out so cute. Well, I finally finished the other today. I got the pattern from www.diynetwork.com, do a search for baby booties and they are the ones "suede booties". I am a huge UGG fan and these just reminded me of uggs :) The only thing is, the smallest size the pattern makes is 3-6 mos which will be way too big for my little peanut this coming winter, so I think I'm going to start a pair tonight in wool and felt them. Whatever bit they shrink will probably be perfect! Aren't they just so cute though??

First Felting Project

Well, I felted for the first time last week. My best friend gave me some wool that she no longer needed or wanted. I had never felted before, so I thought what the heck. I knit a small bag and felted it. It was SOOOOO much fun!!! I can't wait to make more. I'm going to make little felted purses for my dd's for Christmas :)

Knit baby blanket

This is the blanket I knit for our new little one. I used Bernat Denimstyle yarn (cotton/acrylic blend). It's so yummy. I picked the stitch out of the "Stitionary" book...

Cast on an even number of stitches
Row 1 Knit
Row 2 K2tog
Row 3 K in front and back of each stitch
Row 4 Purl

Work 4 rows until desired length. It came out real nice...all I have to do is weave in the ends :)

TOday I did my first felting project. I made a little purse for my daughters, whichever one wants it. When I get the pics off my camera, I'll post them.

New Additions

Wow, I certainly haven't kept up with this like I wanted to. So much has happened since my last entry.

My children all were promoted to the next grade. Matt is going into 2nd grade, Angelina into 1st and Anna is going into the kindergarten! We have kindergarten orientation in a few weeks.

We found out in March we are expecting another little one. I am currently 6 mos along, due November 29th...IT'S A GIRL!! I've already knit her a blanket that I started before we knew her sex, so now I can start working on "girlie" things :)

I've been very sick this pregnancy, finally starting to feel better now. I had hyperemesis (extreme nausea and vomiting) for the first few months. I had to go off my bipolar meds as they are not safe for pregnancy and nursing, so I went through 2 weeks of hell...the physical withdrawals were awful. The last day I took a small dose (trying to wean off as cold turkey wasn't working) was when the excessive vomiting started.

When I started to feel better from that, I lost my voice (for a total of 2.5 mos...I still don't have my singing voice left) and I ended up on meds for a throat infection. It's been a heck of a ride, although she is moving around now. I have a 3d u/s pic :) It's so neat.

I'll post more later with my latest knit projects :)

It's Been Hectic

I know it's been sometime since my last entry. I've been trying to gather my thoughts, which I've come to the conclusion, is never going to happen. My meds are finally adjusted to suit my needs. I'm on geodon, 40mg in the am and 80mg in the pm...I'm on lexapro, 10mg in the am and the dr also gave me something to help me sleep better at night. I'd wake up after 6hrs of sleep and be ready for the day...normally around 2 or 3 am. I woke at 3:30am today, forgetting to take my sleep medicine last night. I fell asleep before taking it LOL.

I've been knitting up a storm, making things for a gift basket for a charity auction to benefit the PTO at my children's school. It has been fun, but I'm glad I'm nearly finished. It's a baby themed basket, and I'm just working on the hat to go in there.

I've begun working with double pointed needles finally and love them. I picked up a pair of bamboo and I've made two bottle socks (they go over the water bottle). I used Wool Ease by Lion Brand and it really does keep my water cold...which is great for when I work out at the gym. I'll post a picture of that soon.

Baby Bootie Time

I finally made my first pair of baby booties. I'm really happy and surprised at how easy they are..taking about an hour and a half from start to finish for both. I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease for these, but I'll be making some more out of fun yarn! To see more of my handknit projects, feel free to visit my website at www.freewebs.com/lilsealights/

Poncho and hat time

My 2 newest projects that I've made since yesterday. I bought a crochet poncho kit for $5.99 at RagShop, and it came with 6 balls of this nice yarn. It took 3 balls to make the poncho and there is enough for a scarf as well.

I also made this hat for my little one out of Bernat Baby lash yarn...it's so cute and warm. I made it a little too small, so I need to make another just a little bigger. I plan on making more hats out of this, makes a great gift :)

It's time to move

So a few months ago, during fire prevention week, I won a free 3 month membership to Curves gym. I was so excited because it's been so long since I've been to a gym and I never win anything. I have been getting these treatments for warts on my feet since the beginning of august, with this stubborn area that won't budge as far as anything we've tried, short of amputation.

I started my membership last week. I am really motivated to get into shape, by going to the gym and on the days I don't go, I'm doing Tae Bo at home. Boy is Billy kicking my butt!

I also have DeQuervain's tendinitis in my writs, and it can be a literal pain to knit sometimes. So I've been going to the chiropractor and she works on my wrists twice a week. It's painful but they do feel better after the fact.

Ahh, I have so many projects that I want to make. I found an easy sweater pattern that I want to make for myself and I want to do a dog sweater for my dog Beau, which will come in handy when he goes for his haircuts. Perhaps that will be my next project...I will cast on for that tomorrow. Knitting club meets on Wednesday, so that's the time to get help with things I need help with, things I've never done before.

Knit Tricks

I was at a knitting group one night a few months ago, and one of the ladies was sitting there in awe at all the tricks I was talking about when it comes to knitting. These tricks are not my own, but I do utilize them and it really makes it so much easeier. For instance, I was telling my friend to put her circulars in boiling water and it will straighten out the cable. I recently purchased 2 pitchers from our local dollar tree. I'm working with fun fur double stranded, so I put one ball in each pitcher. This prevents the yarn from tangling and keeps it contained, and it only cost me $2!

I love the tips and tricks we pick up while knitting.

Coughing, yet again

Here I sit, it's after 11pm, I already have a couple of hours of sleep under my belt. I woke in a coughing fit, this little bothersome tickle in my throat that sends my crazy. I took some cough medicine, and I'm exhausted. I wake at 4am pretty much every day, and it makes me nuts when I get woken out of a sleep because I can't go back. The medicine is kicking in, but I get this tickle every night, and it's getting kind of old and frustrating.

There is nothing worse than interrupted sleep.

Knit Happens

I'm so addicted. I always have several projects going at once because I get bored easily. Switching between projects keeps it interesting for me, plus I am so eager to finish projects. I have lots of people who love my work, and today, I need to work on christmas stockings and a hat. I'm also making a scarf for myself to go with a new coat I just ordered yesterday (although I have about 10 days before it's delivered).

I am so relaxed when I'm knitting, and my children love to watch me. My oldest daughter, 5yrs old, wants to learn how to knit, so the next time I go to the store, I'm going to pick up the child knitting needles for her use. Hopefully she'll pick it right up as she is eager to learn and watches me all the time.

I'm exploring different yarns as well. I'm getting away from the regular acrylics. I love Wool-Ease for a worsted weight, it's so soft and pretty cheap. I love Babylash by Bernat for children's items and I will be buying bernat cotton to start making sundresses for my daughters for the summer.

I also dabbled in Intarsia. I made a rosary pouch. This is my own pattern and it came out great. Not bad for a first project :)

The baby lash poncho

I'm all for creating my own patterns, just picking up my needles and letting my imagination take me to the end of a project I can rightfully call my very own. My latest big hit is the baby lash poncho, which uses Bernat BabyLash yarn. This is a very luscious yarn, very inexpensive and it creates a wonderful item for adult and child alike. The pictures show just binding off for the neckline and my daughter wearing the finished project.
Eventually I'd love to tackle a double pointed project, whether it be mittens, a hat, or socks...I can't wait to do socks, since my feet are so cold lately LOL

Crazy Knitter I am

I have been a crazy knitter for about 8 months now. I have been a crocheter for most of my life, learning when I was about 12. I didn't know how to do anything but a chain for quite sometime, so I gave up, picking it back up when I was pregnant with my first child. My best friend and I had a fall out, she picked up knitting and I was a crocheting madwoman. When we made up, I went to a knitting club and have been knitting every since. I have made scarves, ponchos, purses, bags, christmas stockings, hats, and even a sweater for my youngest daughter. I knit to keep my hands busy, it's very meditative for me, a great time to pray and get great results :)

I also have bipolar, that's where the craziness comes in. I was diagnosed at the age of 16 during a 2nd hospitalization. I was on meds for quite some time, all kinds of meds for the bipolar, for anxiety, for psychotic episodes. I went off my meds soon after dating my husband. I was able to manage my illness, or so I thought. I've been struggling, unbeknownst to me, for many years, but my illness has manifested itself in horrible ways the past few months.

I am now back on medication, more stable and I am able to enjoy my husband, my children and my life.