Jack Kelly

Hello all!!

So, Sister and I were chatting one day last week and I sent her the link to a pattern I had found that I had fallen in love with to which she too fell in love with and HAD to have.  One trip to Knit Knack later, some stash yarn and the holiday weekend and voila!  Her Perfect Newsboy Cap!  I love how fast this worked up, and already have another request for one for BFFR.  I just might have to make one for me!

Didn't it turn out cute???  BTW, mad props if you can figure out why I called it "Jack Kelly"!!!

Sister came by today and picked up her hat, snapped a couple pictures!  She looks so cute!

Yay!  Sister!

Side View

Audrey, Aubry and Emily - The Inspiration and the Product!

Months ago, I did a hat for for my SIL's new niece, which turned out so teeny and SO cute.  (See the original post here.)  Well, Peanut has grown enough to fit into her beanie, and SIL's Sister, sent/posted the cutest picture of little Audrey!!!  Also, this was one of the first pictures of one of my finished projects on a munchkin, so it's fun to see!!

*squeee* she's just so CUTE!!!

Back when I finished Audrey's hat, one of my friends from high school (who I've reconnected via facebook) saw the pictures I posted and was so thrilled by it, she asked if I could make it for her little girl.  Emily sent me the yarn that her little girl, Aubry, picked out.  I cast on for the hat and did everything according to gauge, only to wind up having a hat that was nowhere NEAR small enough for a 2 or 3 year old!!! (Let me put it this way...MY fat head could fit in it!) I decided, hey, I have enough yarn, I'll finish this one off  and then mom will have a surprise when she opens the box!  So, here are the pictures...Mom's is the dark pink, and Aubry's is the light pink!!

I have them all bowed up and ready to mail out, just need to make it to the post office!  Can't wait to see how they look on the girls!

I've figured out that in doing these hats, that super bulky yarn, is VERY warm (when all done)!  I switched after these to a worsted weight yarn project and it's like comparing rope to spaghetti noodles!  :)  I loved learning from these!!!

Patterns are all available on Ravelry!
Audrey's Hat:  Umbilical Cord Hat (my modification was to not do the cord)
Emily and Aubry's hats:  KnitPick's Easy Peasy Hat 
Both sets have the following pattern for the flowers:  Crochet Flower Fridgies

Whitecaps

Yay!  A project for ME!!!  :)  I started this one while on vaca in Seattle, and the title of the pattern is Beaufort (based on the wind scale for nautical waves) and when I saw the whitecaps on the water, I decided that would be the name.  I searched all over Seattle for the right yarn, and I love this tweed yarn in the natural color.  Enjoy!  (I know I will!)

Whitecaps - laying flat

Top View

On my noggin!  I love that its long enough to cover my ears too!

Pattern is on ravelry here.  :)

Payin' Rent!

Not as exciting knitting post...

Our good family friend, Jane (also referred to as Auntie Jane) let me stay with her in Seattle on my recent vacation, and she at one point had made a comment to my mom about with my new found knitting ability, she would love to have some potholders and/or dishcloths.

WHAM.

Mom goes and gets the yarn, I do a quick couple ravelry searches and have 2 potholders and 2 dishcloths completed, however, one of the dishcloths I finished, while I love the pattern, hate how the yarn looks.  (Note to self, basket weave looks better with solid color yarn than self striping!)  Oh well, live and learn right?

Dishcloth # 1 (not my fav!)

Dishcloth #2

Potholder #1

Potholder #2

See...interesting turnouts, but not as fun as the hats right?  ;)

Jackson goes "ROAR"!!!

Jackson...such a cute punkin boy.  I use punkin because he decided to make his world debut on Halloween last year, and knowing how close momma was due to the holiday, I found him a jack o' lantern hat.  Just so happened, it was the perfect birthday hat!

How freakin' cute is this Punkin???

Momma and Jackson!

Daddy and Jackson

Couple months later, he, Momma and I got together...this is one of my favorites of Jackson and I...

Look at that squishy cute face!!!

So, Jackson's daddy went to University of Michigan.  I looked around and tried to find a relatively easy U of M pattern to do for a hat for J-man. (Sensing a theme?  Yes, I'm a bit hooked on hats...)  No dice.  Found the infamous "M" but decided to go a different route.  Jackson is about to be the recipient of a "Roar" hat.  :)  I wanted to do something a bit different from the hats I've been doing lately.  So after doing a bunch of looking on Ravelry I found this adorable pattern for the "Roar" hat.

Now, as I said before, Jackson's daddy went to University of Michigan.  MY daddy, went to Michigan State University.  When my dad found out I was doing a hat in the traditional blue and gold, he looked at me with that "look" and asked "could you do another one in green and white?" (Michigan State's colors of course)  After doing some quick research (clickity click, scroll scroll...compare colors, clickity click) I found a green that looks very close to the Michigan State green.  So, Jackson, for your 1st birthday, you are going to be the lucky boy who gets two hats.  I just hope daddy lets you wear them both!  ;)  (Update: the yarn for hat #2 hasn't shown up yet, so it's more likely that he's going get the Michigan State hat later!)

Jackson's Hats:
University of Michigan:

View #1

View #2

How cute is he???
(I love the look he's giving me...hurry up already, I wanna take it off!!)

Michigan State University hat to be added when finished!

Fall Play Day

We're a motley crew, but we're fun!!!

Some friends and I went to Estes Park today to play some disc golf.  Gorgeous day and fun course.  I had a crappy round of disc golf, but got some great pictures of some aspen trees!  :)

Homesick

I love Colorado.  Colorado is called "God's Country" for a reason.  Sunsets on the water, at the beach are wonderful (don't get me wrong) but if you have never seen a full blown, absolutely gorgeous Rocky Mountain sunset, you my friend, are missing out on one of God's most beautiful creations.

We moved here while I was in high school, at quite possibly one of the worst times in a person's life to move.  Right smack in the middle of high school.  Just when you're finally finding your niche in things, WHAM, everything gets upended/uprooted and you start all over again, only to find that everyone else has already settled, and squeezing your way in to the already established grooves is a lot harder than you think it will be.

I digress...

We moved here as a family in 1994, from the great city of Seattle.  We have gone back for visits, my mom still goes back to go to the Washington State Fair every year, my sister went to college back up there, and I've been able to keep in touch with many people from those 16 years of my life.  I have now lived in Colorado (basically the Denver area) for the last 16 years.  I have said before that I would have missed out on a LOT if I hadn't moved here with family (there was an offer from friends to let me stay with them and finish out high school where I was).  I am about 99% sure I wouldn't have gone to college where I did, which means I never would have met my amazing friends that I still have from that experience in life.

In the 16 years I've been away from the Emerald City, I've only gone back for fun, one time.  To see my fellow graduates from the class I would have walked with as well as three of my best friends graduate from their local high school as well.  It was so much fun, it was also fourteen years ago.

Since then, I have been back for funerals, weddings and the like, even one Christmas and a couple summer trips with the fam.  I have never made a trek on my own for fun.  (As a matter of fact, I can't say as that I've ever been on a vaca by myself before.)

This summer, I have been the most homesick for Seattle I have ever been (outside of the summer we moved to Colorado).  I can't explain it.  I have this weird pull to go back.  I've been wanting to go for a while, but this summer, something intensified that feeling, and I can't put my finger on it as to what it is.  For the longest time, I pushed off the thoughts only because lets face it, I just can't afford a plane ticket, hotel room and rental car it takes (which by the way, are all complete rackets I swear) to go on vacation.  Then, I discovered how many frequent flier miles I had stored up.  The day I figured out I was less than 300 miles from flying for free, I started crying I was so happy.  Then, a great family friend said that I could stay with her.  (CHECK, no hotel cost!)  All I had to do was pay for a rental car.  At this point, I said screw it, there are very few things I am willing to put on credit cards anymore, but this one was worth it.  My plane ticket cost me $5, hotel is nil and the rental car...almost $300.  Ouch...but still doable.

I had been dreaming of what I would do on this vacation of mine for months, where I would want to go, what I would want to do, who I would want to see (and not see), and let me tell you, I have/had quite the list worked out.  Everything from exploring the towns I remember so vividly while growing up to visiting grandparents' graves, to visiting with a few old friends.  What I can't figure out for the life of me is why every time I started thinking about this trip, I started crying.  I think about the fact that I will actually be able to sit on a blanket at the waterfront area I grew up going to, and just relax and enjoy it.  I have been talking about wanting to do this for MONTHS and now that I'm THIS CLOSE to actually doing it, my body reacted this way.  This was especially bad for a few solid weeks.  I can say though that since talking about it with a couple friends and my sister, as well as since I booked my actual ticket, it's stopped.  Now, it's anxious anticipation of finally doing something for myself that I feel that yes, I deserve, but am also proud of myself for finally doing this instead of just talking about it.

Now, clear (dry) eyes, and 12 days to go.  Look out Emerald City.  Here. I. Come.

Just some good ol' boys...

...never meanin' no harm...beat all you ever saw, been in trouble with the law since the day they was born!

Today's knitting post comes to you courtesy of one of my sister's oldest and dearest friends, her hubby and baby Logan!

My sister and Becky have been "blood sisters" since kindergarten.  Becky and her hubby, Matt, have 4 munchkins.  Jacob, Grace, Nicholas and now Logan.

I have known Becky since she and Melissa were in kindergarten, however I've only known her hubby since my sister's wedding last year.  One funny funny man.  That, and we share an affinity for a certain 80's TV show featuring a certain orange Dodge Charger.  Yes, that's right.  Dukes of Hazzard and the General Lee.  (insert sigh of *OMGIFIEVERWINPOWERBALLIWILLFINDAWAYTOOWNTHATCAR*)

Anyways, that amazing car was the inspiration for my latest creation, that and the fact that Matt's company, The General Plumbing Company, has our beloved car as his mascot.  (If you need plumbing help, contact me and if you're in their neighborhood I'll totally send you his info!!)

All that story to lead up to the pictures of the finished project!  I had planned on stitching the famous "01" in the side, but stitching wasn't working so I tried to go to with iron on numbers...no dice.  1) the ones that fit didn't look like the true "01" and 2) I couldn't get them to stick.  So without further ado...The General!

"The General"

Up next on the needles: Someone's turning 1 and I found a great way to celebrate that as well as celebrate Daddy's alma mater!

For Audrey...

Hi all...yes, this is another knitting related post!  :)

I recently finished Baby Audrey's hat, and her proud auntie is taking it to her for me.

Without further ado, Ms. Audrey Leith's hat:

Front View

Side View

What you can't tell, that hat is TEENY!!!  The stack of Post-Its in the background...the orange ones are standard Post-It size...note to self...don't photograph finished projects on my desk...not such a great background!  I think this one is my most favorite yet...although I'm excited to get the next project going!  I'll post pictures of that one when finished.  Let's just say that the "General" would be flattered by the imitation (of sorts).  ;)

Crafty Crafterson...

Just a peek into what I've been keeping myself busy with lately...more to come as projects get finished!!!

J

Project #1 - Ratatouille Hat by Marly Bird

Umbilical Cord Hat - for Baby Braddock #4 (We weren't sure what this munchkin would be, I'm pleased to say that
Jake Braddock will soon be enjoying his hat!)

A version of the Umbilical Cord hat...w/o the cord - for Lia Wallman, my first time using self striping yarn!

I've been working on an afghan since October...and it's kind of my go to in between projects.  Eventually I'll finish it.  A friend of mine teases me that we'll be sitting in the nursing home in rocking chairs and I'll STILL be working on it...I'm trying to make it my Christmas present to myself, but we'll see!!!

I currently have another couple baby hats in the works, but since I'm tweaking the pattern, I won't post it until it's finished though.  Look out Baby Barkhurst and Baby Leith!!!  ;)