Itty Bitty Baby Things

Not a great photo- but a pic of a baby hat and mitts I knit up as a break to the Safari Blanket of Doom. Safari Blanket is almost done- am at the edge now, and I'm at about 800 stitches per round, in K1P1, so it's a little... tedious.

Here's the hat and mitts. Knit in Blue Sky Cotton.




Now I'm on the hunt for a good pair of booties.

The mittens seem TINY. I mean, seriously, TINY. But I suppose they'll be the right size- we'll see!

Really big earrings!

The earrings came. They're beautiful, and HUGE. A lot bigger than we thought they'd be. I took some bad photos with my laptop camera...check it out-






They really are gorgeous, and very well made. The peridot is a lovely shade, and the filigree and little diamonds are so, so pretty. But they are some seriously fuck-off big earrings. Not the everyday studs we thought they'd be. From the side and back they look amazing, head on, they're a little like Frankenstein's neck plugs. But I still love them. I just need more of an occasion to get all gussied up.

Kim, over at A Knitted Frenzy sent me these questions. If you want 5 questions of your own, from me (but have to be prepared to answer them!), leave a comment...


1. If you could be an animal in the world, what would you be an why?
I think I'd be a whale. They're beautiful, gentle and intelligent. Things I strive to be.

2. What does your favorite food remind you of?(memories, feelings, etc.)

Hmmm... I'd say black licorice reminds me of my dad. He and I are the only ones in the family who like it, and it reminds me of him. My sister and I would each get a quarter for the penny candy store and I'd get a lot of black licorice- the other bonus was not many people liked it, so I didn't have to share!


3. Where would you escape to for a month if money, work, etc. were no object?
This one is really hard! There are SO many places I'd like to visit- I'd probably go someplace like Asia or Africa, and travel and stay in nice places (ie, running water), and see as much of the area as I could- it's so expensive to fly to these places!

4. Are you a city girl? Small town? Mountains? Why?
Not a city girl. I grew up on Cape Cod, so I'd always need to be near a sea, although I could easily live in the English countryside, or on an island in Maine... I like small towns, villages, etc.


5. If your house were on fire, what five things would you grab immediately (family members, animals are a given)?

1. Adam's ashes (does that count as a family member? Ha ha- I know, morbid sense of humor!)
2. Jewelry box- not full of valuables, but sentimental stuff, (Ad's wedding ring, grandmother's bracelet, etc...)
3. Stuffed raccoon- I've had it since I was a baby and still sleep with it!
4. Portable hard drive (has all my photos backed up on it)
5. Small filing cabinet (I should get a safe deposit box for this shit, but it has stuff that would be a serious pain in the ass to lose- birth, marriage and death certificates, mortgage and car deeds, etc...)

Sad= Knitting

I'm feeling a little sad and anxious, for some reasons I can control and others I cannot. I don't really need any yarn, my usual remedy, so... I bought some books today.

By "some" I mean four. But I DO have a lot of babies to knit for...











... and knitting is the best therapy one can hope for. AND, my dad always said a good book is NEVER a waste of money. So. Well done, me!

Rockin' Birthday Surprise and other news...

I met Rupert's brother and sister in-law a little while ago- they live in Japan, and they're fantastic. I especially hit it off with Noriko, his sister in law, and I received this amazing birthday present, from Japan!

Noro yarn, magazines, and I think a chocolate bar (haven't opened it yet!)


You know you want a close up of that yarn!



7 Skeins of Cash Iroha and 4 of Hotaru...




I can't wait to find a pattern and knit something up with these!! I'm also looking for a special pattern to make something for Nori. She's fantastic, and so tiny and gorgeous- I'm keeping my eyes open for a special pattern.

In other knitting news, I finished the Entrelac blankie- finally! I just threw it into the washer and dryer as a litmus test, and I used delicate/low settings, but it was easy enough and I'm happy with how it looks!



The garden is looking good. I've had a load of birds lately, and have ordered even more feeders (Oriole and Finch), as I've seen Orioles and Goldfinches outside my window, along with my cardinal family. There is also a squirrel nest in a tree near the house and it's been great fun watching the babies march down, single file.

Here are a couple of photos of the crab apples- they were Ad's favorite, and the birds love them. The petals have all fallen off now, I took these last week.





I've also got some gorgeous cashmere yarn to make a baby hat, but it's dk weight, and I can't seem to find a DK weight pattern that I like!! Anyone have any thoughts?

30

I turned 30 yesterday, and it was a pretty good day. Boyfriend really surprised me with these-





They're Edwardian repros, made of platinum and peridot with diamond accents. LOVE. THEM. And am very excited to have a second pair of earrings! I can only wear platinum in my ears, which sucks, because I love earrings! I was given a pair of diamond studs from Ad for my 25th, and I wear them all the time. I'm beyond excited to have a second pair to wear!

Not really sure how I feel about being 30. I'm sure as hell not where I thought I'd be right now. The fact that all my friends are pregnant is a somewhat painful reminder of this, though I am very happy for all of them. But, all things considered, I am determined to think of all I have, and not everything I've lost. I have amazing friends and family, and a lot of love in my life.

Rock on.

Safari Blanket of Doom Update

It's going pretty well. It'll need a lot of blocking and I have to try and find a better way to photograph it- but here are some preliminary photos-

Overall photo-



Elephants-





Center and ostriches-

UK Trip!

I just spent ten days visiting Adam's family in the UK, and it was wonderful. It's always a little bittersweet, but always more sweet than bitter, and it is always hard to leave. I was lucky enough, on this trip, to meet Nell. My sister (the Moose), sister in law and her family took a train ride to Birmingham and we met up for lunch and some shopping.
Nell is Gorgeous. Really, photos do not do her justice. She has the most amazing eyes I've ever seen, and is so kind and sweet and funny. She also has the same taste in clothes as I do, and it was killing me, since I recently gained weight in an attempt to quit smoking, and I kept seeing all these clothes that I was drooling over, but just wouldn't buy until I get back to more of a normal weight!

Nell, I told Lucy and Moose about the sniffing incident, which still makes me chuckle (see Nell's blog for that story), and I was sorry to have to leave after only a couple of hours. I hope we'll see each other again soon. I'm hoping to be back in the Fall, so I'll let you know when I have a date set, and I'll be sure to come visit Nham- maybe we can go riding? Well, you can ride, and I'll cling like a spider monkey to the saddle! I'm hoping my joints and all the other many things that are wrong with me will be more settled by then.

It was such a joy to meet her- here are a couple of photos.









And here are some photos from the rest of the trip...


Buster, Dad #2's Labrador, in the Cotswolds.





Detail of a post at the Malvern Train Station, from Victorian times...


And here's a mailbox from the station. V R, stands for Queen Victoria. Current Mailboxes have E R, for Elizabeth...




The Tower of London...




And this is outside the church where Anne Boleyn and Kitty Howard (Henry VIII's wives, both beheaded) were laid to rest, as well as more than a thousand other remains were found under the floor of this church, and most were from executions at the tower.



My favorite bird at the falconry center we visited...



And this is me, holding a hawk. He weighs next to nothing!




More photos later. Including progress on the safari blanket of doom! I have a lot of catching up to do here, and a lot to catch y'all up on.