It's August!

Wow!  Time sure flies, doesn't it?

That means that in a few days, Lil Sunshine will be 7 months old - count it, SEVEN!  Wow!  It also means that I've failed in my quest to lose the weight I gained during the pregnancy - well, I've failed to tone the muscles I lost during my pregnancy.  Sad to say that I'm around my pre-pregnancy weight, but my body is so much more different now.  There's a lot more rolls than before and because of the c-section, somehow I've got more 'hanging' (if you know what I mean).

Anyway, not to sound so down and all - but I think that it just means I have to try harder at losing weight - whether it's exercising more or cutting down on my carbs (like those oatmeal cookies I eat at night while drinking my tall glass of milk).  Since I'm still nursing, diets like Nutrisystem or Jennie Craig aren't recommended.

However, I'm really not complaining - I have a gorgeous baby who's the apple of my eye, the love of my life!

Here he is wearing a handspun crocheted hat I made in a few hours.  I'm so much a fan of crochet these days, especially for some of my handspun singles - they're quick to whip up and the yarn really pops!  Well, knitting handspun also does show off the yarn more but I'm a slow knitter.

I've been trying to spin though - even for just a few minutes a day or night.  Sometimes Lil Sunshine is on my back in his Action Baby Carrier (I love love love this carrier - so perfect for summer!) and sometimes he's in bed with me asleep and I'm lying on my pseudo-side and actually spinning (I won't shock you with a photo although Leo did take one last night and well, suffice it to say, imagining it is so much better!).

This is heavenly Polwarth yarn that I spun from Bohoknitterchic roving.  I wish she had more than one 4-ounce roving of this one - it would totally make a great long manly scarf!

I also have a few finished items to show off - first, a reddish scarf knit from mixed fiber yarn I found at BigLots a few months ago.  I love it - the pattern is from Yarn Harlot called One Row Handspun Scarf - however, I messed up the bind off and now while the cast on edge looks so tight and neat, the bind off edge just sorta flares.  I wonder what I can do about that.  I wish I could do it all over again maybe with smaller needles.  Any suggestions?

Then there's the shorties I knit for Lil Sunshine using Elizabeth Zimmerman's pattern for Baby Leggings.  Being that we live in Southern California, I didn't think longies would be necessary so I made him a pair of shorties that, when I finally did put them on, were a tad smaller now since he outgrew them really fast.

I mean I could use them over disposables, but not over cloth dipes.  So it kinda defeats the purpose for using woolies I think.  At least he loves to chew on it though...so it's not for naught.

Happy Halloween! Or Shall I Say...Happy New Year

...if we were pagan or Celtic, that is.

Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, or Samhain - the ancient practice of welcoming the new year and saying farewell to the old, according to the earth-based religions, which is now categorized as "pagan".

Did you know that the word "pagan" originally meant "country dweller?" Someone who recognizes the seasons and feels connected with the earth. Samhain is the last day of the pagan year, when the crops are harvested and brought in for storage during the cold dark months of winter. This is when the fires are lit and people gather around the fire to rejoice the company and a bountiful harvest. This is when we sweep our house of the old to make room for the new.

And out of the blue, an old friend sends you a photo of what you wore during a Halloween party of old. And you wonder...? Who'd want to dress up as a nun?

Anyway, I just realized that tonight is also a full moon and it's beautiful out there! So why am I staying indoors instead of being outside and watching the beautiful moon glow?

Why, knitting, of course! A few days ago, I finished my first Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I used Lamb's Pride worsted in yellow, teal and gray - some truly retro colors, or if you're a Miami Dolphins fan (which I'm not) - and finished it in two weeks, with some breaks in between. Knitting garter stitch day in and day out can be pretty tedious, but once it's all done, it's one amazing contraption!

Which way is up?


Once it's folded up, this is what unfolds (or rather, folds up) before your eyes! Truly a surprise!

There are literally thousands of these jackets floating around on the web and they all look adorable. So instead of knitting up booties and caps for my lil' bun, this has been what I've been wanting to knit the entire time. I've yet to make one little baby hat!

Well, I'm knitting up my second BSJ (I'm currently frogging three rows though - got carried away with all my double decreases), and when I get tired of that, probably finish loom knitting a baby cocoon with some of the only ten Lion Brand Homespun yarn I found in the garage. Why on earth do I have 10 balls of this stuff?

I still have some fiber to spin but that'll be for later. For now I'm buried in my stash of yarn - both handspun, expensive and cheap yarns. I used to give yarns away, but then I found myself buying more when they were gone. So now I'm hoping to slowly work through my current stash for the holidays - knitting little things for friends and family. Even for a silent auction to raise money for a friend who's undergoing a long-awaited (try 17 years) kidney transplant.

So happy new year, everyone! And may we say farewell to the old (just not my stash) and make room for the new!