Poison Ivy vs. a condo
The good news?? The Blond Bombshell(known as Caitlin) has arrived by plane. She actually flew by herself for the first time-and got bumped up to 1st class and a window seat. Being extremely blond gets her just about anything. She had a great time. We picked her up at the Detroit Airport . Her Papa left the next day with Uncle Matt and flew to Las Vegas for a Convention so it has been BB and me alone . I need a nap.
So far we have attended a graduation party, worked at the Yarn Garden while Lindsay(the new owner) went to TNNA , and have played many games of Uno and Sorry. We also hosted the Great Carsoni(grandson Carsen) for a day of play-it poured. His Mom and I both needed naps.
Some knitting has been going on. Her sweater coat(no pattern, I'm winging it--scary huh??!) is almost done. A baby dress from Bamboo (Yarn Garden) is almost done and I am almost out of Malabrigo. Thank God Lindsay ordered lots for the YG. That sweater coat is eating up the Malabrigo chunky. Caitlin is knitting a scarf from Cascade 220. One row at a sitting. Being 7 means being on the go.
The bad news? I am covered in Pois0n Ivy. I weeded one of the front gardens and ,as usual, found myself covered from head to toe in weepy water blisters. I itch. I am grumpy. All I wanted was a small Condo-one pot of geraniums and maybe a fern for the porch. I got 130 acres of which , I swear, 129.9 is covered in Poison Ivy . Sigh. Caitlin keeps telling me to stop scratching-- 7 year olds think they are in charge of everyone. I keep singing"You're Not the Boss of Me" but ,like her mother before her, she knows she is.
I can't wait to start the baby sweater on the Harlot's blog. Rob is making up kits -you can nab one after me. It is so cute and like I said, everyone I know has a grown child having a baby.
Dan comes home in the am so I may actually get to Weds. morning knitting-alone.
Oh, (gawd, this is rambling) I also ordered yarn for the Polkadot circle coat from Berroco. It is on their website-the pattern-but you can't order yarn from them so I looked up all the LYS kn Michigan that carry that particular yarn(Boho Colors) and after 22(yes, I tried locally 1st) I finally scored Boho in Chili Pepper which is what the Blond Bomshell had her heart set on. It is alot like the circle jacket on the cover of Vogue last year. Busy, Busy.
Now I just need to find more hours in the day to knit-and I still need that nap.
Hi Ho,Hi Ho, it's off to the warm south I go!
Well,
It is now official-I have a blog and Sarah Peasley has put my button on her blog!! Maybe more of you will find me now. Dan and I leave in the early am. for Savannah ,Ga. and Lady's Island, S. C.
A business trip combined with seeing our daughter and her family. It will be warm-I hope and sunny! I will get little knitting done-but will play lots of Sorry! and card games and read stories,etc. I also will get to look at lots of new jewelry at the convention and shop in Savannah while my husband takes seminars on how to be a better jeweler.
I love the area down there-not to mention the weather but I will probably only be there once more before they move to Quantico, Virginia. At least they are moving in the right direction-North!!!!! If anyone is moving to Lady's Island or Beaufort,S.C., let me know-I know of a great house for sale!!
Starting the collar on the shawl vest-the steek cutting and the armholes went well. Finishing up a moebeuis shawl and a few other projects that have been marinating forever.
Time to start packing-I am going to Guild tonight no matter what!!
Thanks, Sarah for making me official.
Many Thanks to all of You!
As Sarah already mentioned, we did the exhange and WOW! That's a lot of knits!!!! As some of you may know from my blog, we immediately headed to the hospital after dropping off the knits at home to meet up with the ambulance to head to U of M hospital. Austin underwent open heart surgery to patch a Ventriculat Septal Defect in his heart on Friday. He is recovering slow but sure and we hope to all be home together in a couple weeks.
Please Please do not think we have forgotten all these lovely gifts - Noel and I both want everyone to know that we plan to delve into them ASAP and start clicking the photos ;) Our battery recharger will be put in overdrive!
Austin is still very small and swims in the tiniest of preemie caps so no knit will be outgrown. Gerrit is thriving (I'm already worrying about what our grocery bills will be like in a few short years the way this guy sucks his bottles down and I have started to count my fingers to make sure I'm didn't loose any during his mealtimes).
I feel so blessed to have become a part of the knitting community both in person and virtual - all your kindness during the loss of Eli and your continued motivation and well wishes for the boys is something that has really touched me and our family. Please accept a big virtual hug from me and the fam and well wishes to all of you for a happy holiday season. The only thing I have left to ask of each of you is to hold your family tight and dear and never forget how much you love each and every one of them even if they do things that make it hard to love them. We feel so blessed with these boys and for Elija who touched and changed us in ways that words can never explain.
The handoff!
Kristi and I finally arranged a hand-off of the Dutchican's gifts this morning. Here's proof!
Look at those tubs full of gifts -- those packages are really crammed in there (thank goodness hand knits are squishy!). You guys have been SOOO generous!
Watch for baby Dutchicans appearing in adorable handknits soon!
Arrivals, Names, and great news!
At approximately 9:30 this morning, two brand spankin' new knitters were added to the Garcia family. (I can call them knitters, right?)
Gerrit Nikolaas* and Austin Noel both weighed 4 pounds even and are breathing room air unassisted.
They will remain in the NICU for approximately 4 weeks and will be home by Christmas!!
Congratulations to Kristi and Noel on the addition of the boys to your family. Thanks for having all of the knitters along for the ride.
*Kristi please forgive me if I spelled their names wrong.
The babies are coming, the babies are coming!!
Today the babies are coming! I just wanted to post to let Kristi and her family know that she and her boys are in my thoughts and prayers. I cannot wait to see their little faces. Peace, love and brightest blessings, my friends. :)
A hat for Elija
Here's the 3rd hat I knit for the Dutchicans. By the time I got to the third hat I was in the zone. It took the least amount of time to finish. Now to make a red and white one for a little one I know. It will be just the cutest hat for Christmas time. All the best to the family on the big day!!
This will be donated to the Pine Ridge Reservation Charity a friend collects hand knit goods for. The remaining leftover yarns, yes I still have about 300+ yards left, will make a vest for some worthy child at the Reservation.
One more thing for the Dutchicans
I noticed there was only one blanket made for the two boys to share. Now every baby should have their own handmade blanket, so I whipped up one. The blanket is just a giant granny square with a single crochet edging. It won't get there before the boys are born Thursday, but it should be waiting for them when they come home from the NICU.
Still here...
As usual, I'm the last one to leave the party. Here's a little sweater that turned out pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.
Details: "Ribbon-tied Wool Vest" from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies, by Erika Knight. I made it a little longer and changed the neckline. Knit on size 3 needles out of various stash yarns (all baby wools), although of course I ran out of the grey and had to get more. Size is 6-9 months.
Thanks to
Sarah for imparting upon me the mad finishing skillz. It helped!
Winners, Winners, Winners
Sarah and I played phone tag tonight and when we got connected, we picked winners. It was kind of hard with the whole reaching through the phone to grab a name, but we made it work. Ok, what I really did was write names down and have my mom pull them out of a basket. Without further to do, here are the winners.
Gypsy Knits Superwash Sock Yarn to
ArletaLorna's Laces to
BezzieAlpaca With a Twist Fino to
Julie (sorry for the confusion ladies, it was late, and you both won!)
Alpaca With a Twist Fino to
Rae
Knit Picks Dye Your Own Yarn to
Ren"Red Dog Knits" color yarn to
SamanthaSocks That Rock Lightweight to
SharonMohair Boucle to
KyraJaeger Super Kid to
KellyKoigu to
ConnieKnit Picks Shadow to
HeidiI'll be emailing each of you, so if you don't get an email from me, please let me know.
Want to know what all was knit? All right, I'll tell you.
38 Hats, 16 Pairs of Socks, 15 Bibs, 14 Pairs of Booties, 13 Sweaters, 11 Toys, 8 Washclothes, 4 Pairs of Mittens, 3 Vests, 2 Pairs of Slippers, 1 BlankieThat's
125 items all for the babies. You all just warm my heart and I know that there are bloggers still finishing items even though they didn't make the deadline.
Thank you for your time, generosity, love, and caring. I can't let you all know just how much I appreciate you and everything you've done for Kristi. I'm very grateful.
Another lil' sweater
I didn't quite make it in time for the deadline, but the last thing I need is to be angling for more yarn anyway! But I do have another finished sweater...
PATTERN: Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater, designed by Carole Barenys, free pattern
hereYARN: Patons Decor
NEEDLES: First Clover bamboo straights, then KnitPicks Options, U.S. #4, sleeves with Crystal Palace Bamboo DPNs
BUTTONS: Ladybugs, from
Have You Any Wool?NOTES: Ok, so I must confess that I was swept away by the cuteness of the buttons and didn't realize until later that I was sewing LADYbugs onto a BOY'S sweater. Much angst and fretting followed until an impatient JP said "Honey, it's for an infant. And they're BUGS! Boys like bugs!" So I guess they're ok for now!
I like the Patons Decor, but DANG it's hard on the hands...not sure how soon I'll use this yarn again. It does knit up to a nice warm tight fabric though...just right for keeping little babies warm in icy windy cold Michigan winters!
It ain't over 'til it's over!
It's been like Christmas at my house, with packages arriving daily for Kristi's babies. There've been so many that the mail-lady has been carrying them up to the door in plastic tubs! I'm thinking about pretending I know nothing about the Dutchicans and hiding all these gorgeous handknits away for my future grandchildren. Think anyone will notice?
Just kidding!!!
My mother-in-law was visiting me today. She knows nothing about computers, or e-mail, or the Internet, although I've shown her my blog from time to time. I showed her the pile of packages from today's mail and explained to her what they were all about. We opened them together and held the tiny knitted items in our hands. She was overcome with emotion at this tangible evidence of virtual strangers from all over the continent caring so deeply for one another.
Kelli and I want to thank all of you AGAIN for your hard work, for your kindness, and for your generosity. I won't put words into Kristi's mouth (like I just did for Kelli!), but I know you're all aware of what a wonderful thing you're doing for her and for her family.
I also want to remind you that I will continue to accept handknits for Kristi's babies for as long as you continue to send them to me.
Sarah
