Knitten mittens and socks! oh and some REALLY cute kids!!

So here is my new obsession! As you can see this picture was taken days ago. This sock now has 1/3 of it's mate. I am not particularly happy with the kitchnering on this baby.....leaves a bit to be desired. Will try to do better on the second one and may rip back on this one. It is Opal but I am not sure of the official colorway name, I call it sherbert! It looks like lemon, watermelon and orange sherbert with little peppermint stripes between each set! Love love love it. It is for a really good friend of mine....hopefully it will fit. It appears a bit snug, but she is a skinny little thing anyway!!!!!!

Here are Big B's new fleece stuffed (or as I have seen them online called thrumbed) mittens. He doesn't use the thumbs really but I made them big enough so he should be able to wear them next year if we can still find them. He gets horribly chapped hands so a rubbed in some lotion as I was knitting the fleece in.....not sure if it will help but it can't hurt and they smell sooooo goood!!! There is no pattern. I made it up as I went along. It is knit with Black wool ease (cut me some slack, these are for my 2 year old son!!!) and some random fluff Dear hubby picked out the colors!!!


And this is what Big B thinks of potty training! I laugh my behind off every time he does this.....the only time it isn't funny is when he continues to tug and gets his head stuck in the leg hole and we have to rip it to get it off of him!!!! Isn't life at 2 years old grand!!!!!!!








And of course I am not one ounce mommy, but aren't these kids tooo dang cute!!!! This was the better of 4 attempts, they were more than happy to pose, but in one Big sis was looking in lala land, in another Big B was strangling Baby B, and in yet another Big B was cross eyed and Big sis looked drunk!!!!!! In this one Big Sis' smile is as canned as they come but over all I love the pic!!!






Ok so would you believe that this the same pair that give each other black eyes and scratches. :) A week ago now Dear hubby left the boys in the van long enough to run in to the transfer station here on island and Big B apparently threw his Tonka Cup (It has a hard hat shaped top, complete with a brin) and it obviously beamed poor baby B, the brim mark went from temple to lower eye and then the top of the hat hit him mid fore head. The bruise was not to bad but nonetheless you hate to see any baby bruised. About 2 days later baby B got his revenge though. As Bib B leaned in for a hug he reached out and clawed his Big brother across the bridge of his nose.........Hmmmmmm what's it gonna be like when they can throw punches?? Actually they get alopng great 99% of the time.

Look who is on the move!!! Our trouble has just begun!!!! So far he doesn't stray to far from mom or dad, but his curiosity is definitly peaking!














Hey guys look at me! This is how this little guy is 95% of the time. He is always ready with a smile. I thought my first 2 were easy and happy, I thought there was no way a third could be any easier, but I was wrong....the only time he is unhappy is if he is hungry or tired.......







Big sis being goofy, not all sure what she is holding.....in fact niether of us remember this picture being taken....hmmmmmm very odd.




Well I am off to make a batch of homemade marshmallows with Big sis.........never done it before but sounds interesting....the worst that we could do is be left with fluff right??? Hmm not a bad mistake!!!!

Secret Pal 10 questionairre

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I am spoiled a bit so I do not like acrylic at all. I like soft wools and mixes, nothing too picky. My favs. thus far are socks that rock sock yarn, self patterning yarns, cottons, and a new fav is wool n flax by Harrisville....YUMMO

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have a knit picks needle binder thingy!!!!

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I first learned from my grandmother when I was 6, but after leaving her home in maine at the end of the summer and returning to VA, I LEFT IT ASIDE....and picked it back up with a bit of self t4eaching and drawing on what I could recall when I was about 20. I guess I would say that I am somewhere between intermediate and advanced....I have tons I can learn, but I am willing to tackle any project big or small and figure it out.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?No I don't but there are tons of books I would love to have.

5. What's your favorite scent? I have several, my absolute fav. is The Body Shop's White Musk....I have worn it since I was 16 (almost half my life now YIKES) I love vanilla and anything citrusy

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Yes I do. and anything chocolate!!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I am deperate to learn how to spin!!!! I don't know anything about it at all! I love all crafts!! Sewing, scrapbooking, cooking the list continues!!!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like country, and classic rock

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Fav's are blues, purples.......as far as yarn goes mixes are awesome but if it is a solid color, greens and oranges are not my fav.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have 3 kiddies a 6 year ld daughter, a 2 year old son and a 7 month old son. I have 2 meat head female black labs and a black cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I do, except for the ponchos, I have never had one so if I did I would probably wear it!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? SOCKS.....baby stuff. I like knitting sweaters too but always have to have that portable project going as well!!!

13. What are you knitting right now? Finishing a pair of fleece stuffed mittens for middle son, and a pair of socks for a friend.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes I love them.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Circulars and metal!

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I don't own either one. WOULD ABSOLUTELY love both but diapers are more important at this point :) so hubby acts as the swift and I am the winder :)

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Well it really isn't a UFO it is just a continuing project but I have a scraps blanket that I have had on the needles for 6 years.....every time I finish a project I use what is left of the skein for the blanket....I can look at it and say hey I remember the sweater I knit out of that or the socks fromthat one etc.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween......key note I hate Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

19. Is there anything that you collect? Teddy Bears, used to be the stuffed version but now it is the nick nack version and I love celestial stuff

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I want them all!!!! I get Interweave KNIT MAG. I am dieing to learn lace knitting but really any of the new books like yarn girls, the stash knitting book, Mason Dixon knitting.... could go on....oh yeah any of Nancy Bush's books.....

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Hmmmmmmm I would really like to get good at fair isle.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? OOOOOOOHHHH YEAH!!!!!! my foot is a size 10!

23. When is your birthday? ARGH March 17 I will be 31......I was a green bicentinial baby!!!! :)

You know that was actually hard!! I hate talking about myself!!!! I will try and remember to talk about things I yearn for in my posts as my fear is getting a secret pal that is very vague and I can't figure out what they like..............LOL I am also a worrier!!! Can you tell?!?!?!

We are ALIVE!!!!!!

Ok so these pictures always post bass ackwards from what i think I am downloading them. I lack the energy to rearrange them today.........so I am going with it. For those of you here primarily for knitting content, scroll to the bottom of this long winded post!!!!

This is pic. 2 of the yarn pics...the first one all youseeis his back....he was giggling mischieviously and then he would let out a screech and wriggle across the bed....hmmmmm the "ball" was getting away from him!!


I was trying to get what I think will be one of the last few pics of his toothless grins....and the little bugger kept sitting forward, just as I was snapping the picture......my digi, is very slow......we should be inproving on that shortly!

He wanted the dangly wrist strap.....it was just too tantalizing for him.....






And again with the darn strap!!













EUREEKA!!! Success, oh how sweet it is! I hid the strap in my hand and then had dar hubby make faces behind me as I held him in place!!!!! He is so strong.....he now does the commando crawl!!! Ever seen it? Belly on the ground and uses his arms primarily and then sometimes when he really wants to get somewhere fast he uses his toes to push off......CUTE CUTE CUTE






Here is the first yarn "ball" picture!!!!











An update on us before the knitting and dear daughter content!!! No posts for 2 weeks, and why might you ask???? Well after the viral croup thing with little B, we all got it....only our version was a head cold that went south. We went away the weekend befor last which was a week later than originally planned. Didn't go far but spent some quality time just with the kids! Had dinner with a dear friend and her 2 year old son, which was blissful for me. I enjoy the company of a dear friend, and living on an island surounded on all sides by water, it is a challenge to plan such outings! Got home Sunday afternoon and 3 hours later Dear daughter was puking sick, 12 hours later she had run herself empty from both ends and was just weak. She stayed home Monday to rest and recoop. Tuesday all was well, was making whoopie Pies for the community center and Dear hubby was home and getting ready to goof around with the kids (at like 4:30) when he stepped in a wet spot in the floor, he called for the dog and just as he was realizing the dog was outside, dear daughter started screaming "big B is puking EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW YUCK DDDDAAADDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYY!!!!!!" so the "puddle" was not dog produced at all. Big B's lasted till Thursday evening. Poor guy lost 9 pounds in 2 days and was almost hospitalized. I got it on Friday.......I think I had it easy actually I only had (to put it nicely) the "trots" and extreme stomach pains. I can only equate them to back labor, with a kidney infection......it was horrible. I think we are FINALLY all well. I knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder and all those great things as I say it!
My 3rd FO of 2007 it started out as something totally different. The pattern I was going to use was mistake written and I could not find any help so I frogged it. Dear daughter is very happy with her new wool and flax sweater. I can honestly say I don't like putting together sweaters with saddles....tooo much sewing....and ends ohmy goodness!! Any way it is done and it is beautiful!





Sorry about the bad lighting but with the flash it was all washed out!!!


























I can't remember if I posted the 2nd FO of 2007. But here it is. I am not fond of triangle plain shawls but this yarn HAD to go. It had been in my stash for long enough! It is done and I have sewn in the ends now.


I am currently working on Sockotta self striping socks, not sure of the colorway but I am using the jaywalker pattern and am knitting them for the aforementioned dear friend. I knit one of my first few pairs for her several years back and on our visit she told me she finally just wore the out. Out with the old and in with the new!!!

Close Call, Keeping the kids at arms reach!!!!

Believe it or not these 2 are sick.
After my last post things went downhill drastically. At quarter of midnight thursday night I was calling the on island clinic, because little B was struggling to breath and in fact would stop breathing for 3-5 seconds at a time......after a few seconds mom was pounding on his back which would cause him to gasp and struggle some more. Took him out to the car (it has FINALLY gotten cold here by the way) and then in to the clinic and guess what he was breathing fine and doing great.......Doc kinda looked at me funny. Keep in mind that even while struggling to breathe this little trooper was smiling at daddy and I like nothing was wrong at all. After about 10 minutes of checking him out, he started struggling again (I was kinda relieved that he did) doc gave him a breatjing treatment to which he didn't respond and seemed to actually worsen, gave him a second treatment which did help and then observed for 10 minutes while he slept on mom. Her prognosis was bronciolitis, or post nasal drip, or possibly RSV. She was more than willing to ship us out to the mainland to the ER, but we surmised that as long as he slept with mom and dad and we kept a close eye on him he would be alright at least till morning (first ferry leaves at 8 am) he didn't really sleep (and niether did we) and by 5 am he was right back to square one so we put the wheels in motion to leave ourselves. Called the pediatrician and she squeezed us in at 10:45. we took big B too because he had a fever thurs. too. They both got checked.
Prognosis for Big B was fairly good, he had an ear the was sort of red but nothing major and it looked like he was just getting what little B had full fledge!!! Viral Croup. I had heard of Croup before, but I guess I never knew how serious it could be. Apparently in babies the windpipe isn't fully developed and can actually swell shut if it gets too bad......Little B was closing in on that, not a home stretch anyone wants to take credit for being on! He was given a steroid shot and with in 2 hours was breathing normally again. We had to stay on the mainland last night as the pediatrician wanted us to be close to the ER just in case the shot wore off before it's normal 3 days, and in case hot steam and cold night air treatments didn't work. We had a horrible night last night. Dear Hubby's sister let us stay at her house which was wonderful, but little B didn't sleep all night, and he was not smiling either. I don't know if it was possibly a reaction to the steroids or if he was overitred or what but he screamed all night, nursing him didn't work, cuddling didn't work, playing with him didn't work, his pacifier didn't work.....oh my goodness. And big B was quite out of sorts in a different bed. Oh how as a mom I wish I could just take it all from them.
Today we got home on the morning ferry so by 11am we were in mommy's bed watching sensless kid TV..........As of right this second everyone is sleeping peacefully, there is no snoring, or baby seals barking in this house!



On the knitting front, I am running out of yarn it seems just short of the end of my projects.....as of right now I have a sock and 3/4 and need the other 1/4 in yarn to complete, and I was working on the huge skull hat for big and I ran out of knitpicks telemark in black grrrrr......so what's a girl to do, but start another project and pray for the best :)

Tonight I am casting on Harrisville Designs, Flax and wool yarns in the color thistle to knit my angel girl with horns Big N Little Diamonds From the book North Island Designs 4. This is the sweater she really wants, I will have to find someone else to do the embroidery as I know less than nothing about that!!!!

I hope everyone else in blogger land is doing much better that we aare these days!

still alive, but barely!

sprained ankle thurs check
6 year old spikes fever sunday pm check
supposed to go away as fam. for weekend check
thurs. babu wakes up snoggy, we blame it on teeth coming in check
thurs evening big b is acting odd and spikes fever check
thurs. 11 pm mom up while dad snores.....with barking, snoggy, having hard time breathing 6 month old check check couble check
not going away this weekend check :(

Knitterings and mishaps!

Well so we live on an island in Maine, and my hubby and little B and I went to the mainland to do some grocery shopping and such. We were leaving an appointment and there was a high gated walkway with a ladder propped across it. We had no choice but to walk under it. I am not superstitous but my dear hubby is very much so. He grumbled and walked under the ladder as quickly as possible. Nothing happened, cool, great, wonderful......! So we go about our business and before we get ready to head back on the ferry Dear Hubby fills the mini van with gas and grabs 4 $1.00 scratch off tickets as his splurge. So he hands me 2 and he takes 2. We get on the ferry a bit later and we decide to scratch them, mine were duds, hubbies 1st ticket was a dud and then his second one was a $200.00 winner!!! YEEHAW!!!!

THEN.....dun, dun dun DUNNNNNNN.....I go to work (which is a cleanign job at the Community Building) and get everything all tidied up and call my hubby to come pick me up, am headed down this set of stairs (like maybe 5 or 6 steps ) when all of a sudden I am in a heap in the lower lobby, the steps are varnished and so is the floor, there used to be a piece of black tape on the bottom step to defferentiate but they recently re varnished and did not replace that and I thought I was on the last step but was not, there was a horrendous pop, and I thought I had broken my ankle but after laying there for a few seconds a realized I could move it although it was quite sore, so a crawled over to a chiar and got up and started walking it off.......about5 minutes later it had swelled to 3 times it size!! I think I got a really good sprain, today it is all bruised and yucky looking.

On the up side though I got a ton of knitting done today with my foot up and I also took pictures of my hat and the socks that rock socks in the jaywalker pattern. And here they are!!!

Here are the Awesome jaywalkers. This is the post of "firsts" This was the first jaywalker I have ever knit, and I love the pattern Which I got from Magknits
It is a wonderful pattern and I can't say enough about the yarn either. This was my first time knitting with the much talked about in blogger land Socks that rock yarn and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It was such fun to see the colors emerge from the ball and form a sort of striping!!!! Awesome, I have another Socks that rock color way in my stash but am going to wait for the perfect pattern to slap me before I knit it up, I think I want something lacy.


This Hello Yarns Pattern was my first attempt at color work and although I knit it up as directed in the pattern it did not come out large enough to fit and adult....BUT it looks great on my 6 month old son....who reluctantly posed for a few pictures!!





















I actually did the post last night but blogger would not upload my pictures! Grr. Anyway I finished the socks, and am now working on a shawl with yarn from my stash. It is Fiesta yarns, Rayon Boucle in Poppies. A pattern made up in my pea brain so we will see how it comes out.

T'was the night before Christmas and 2 days past New Years!!

So it has been a while since I last updated!!! I promised myself I would be better about it! Hmmm, guess not right! Well anyway....

The night before Christmas we go to my parents house so that my father can read "the" story! This year we started a new tradition and we came home and the kids opened one gift each, it took some planning so that we could be saved from the "OK here is your present now get to bed syndrom" so each kiddo got a stuffy and a blankie to take to bed with them. It worked
great! Little B got a stuffed Lion rattle and a fleecy blankie with a dog that squeeks, big B got a Cars fleece blankie and a Thomas fleece blankie, The big sis got Tinker Belle blankie and pillow.










As you can see little B was thrilled to pieces after big B and sis opened it for him!!!!






























Thank you to the two Labs, the cat and dad and myself for a new traidtion in the Waterman household!







Oops got Dad in this one......his shirt says
FRUITCAKE: the gift that keeps on giving!













This was a gift from grammie Christmas morning and as you can see he couldn't be happier.











Bis B is on the prowl, he THOUGHT mom and Dad were both occupied in another room....much to his dismay out popped Dad so his mischief was derailed!!!











Look at the expression on Little B's face.....does it not say "GET ME OUTTA HERE" I seriosuly think he is loved to death!!!!










This is the OH No not again pose!!!












On the knitting front, I finished little B's Hello Yarns Pirate hat. It was my very first 2 color project and I am very impressed with how cute it came out, there will be pictures in the next few days. And I have 1 and a half socks done in Socks that Rock yarn. I had been reading all about it in everyone elses blogs and decided I had to try it.....well actually it twisted my arm when I found out they take paypal and I actually had money in my account from selling on ebay.......so I bought 2 skeins and they sent me a bumper sticker too LOVE IT!!! So they yarn......let me say that at first I was upset, it is a bit pricey and after knitting about a row and a half of the first cuff I came across a patch of wierd stuff about 9 inches long, but decided to keep going as it didn't seem to show......you can't see it in the finished product and the rest of the yarn thus far has been A+++++ I love it and would buy it again given they money. I mourn the fact that I can't join thier sock club......oh my what a thrill that would be, every other month recieving a ball of beautiful yarn, enough to make a pari of socks and a one of a kind pattern!!! Actually recieving anything aside from bills would be a thrill.....but alas the price is more than I pay for a months worht of diapers for 2!!!! WAAAAA!! The next update will be full of knitting pictures I promise but the family comes frist although I am not sure they are even looking as I am not seeing them in the comments........hmmmmmm

And if anyone hears of any good knit alongs or contests drop me a line!!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful New year!!!

Really Cute pics I had to share of a baby elephant!

I apologize to those of you who are here to see knitting stuff. I am still knitting and you can guiltlessly skip this post, but I didn't get any GOOD pictures at halloween of any of my kiddlings, and little b had an explosion in his clothes today and this is what I grabbed to change him into and after his nap he was in rare form. So while the other 2 beauties slept I snapped away and just love what came out!!!

Christmas Pagent, Santa, and finshed projects, oh my!!

My Big girl did her first Christams Sunday School Pagent, and can I say bursting at the seams with pride. My big girl said her lines slowly, clearly, and loudly! She remembered what she was supposed to do, as one of the 3 kings! (The pictures leave a lot to be desired but the church was too dark and my camera is not the best, but it works!!!)

I am actually not exactly sure what the otherking was doing to my daughter (adjusting her crown perhaps?)

Love this picture, bald head in the lower right corner cathces the flash and they eyes spookily glowing in the background!! :)

Daddy caught her after she had unrigged and made her rig back up so he could get a picture!! :)

Fleece stuffed mittens for my big girl! All done in just a few hours!!!


Big B in his jammies on Santa's lap! Last year he climbed the walls at just the thought of sitting on some strange fat man's lap :) He didn't sit there long, but later in life I will thank him for humoring mommy. He has been very sick, actually today was the first day since Monday that he didn't have a fever. Long story, short it has been a long worrisome week!

My big girl seems more worried about baby bro, than telling santa what is on her list. She finally did tell him she would like a shimmering lights ariel barbie doll. He said he had lots of them. Baby B seems to be wishing for a nap. Something tells me next year will be a diferent story though.

Santa brought S a miniprincess barbie from one of the movies that came with a crown for her to wear, she LOVED IT!! He brought Big B a giggling elmo drill with cookie monster googles.....oh my goodness talk about thrilled, perhaps in appropriate, but nonetheless humorous, we have some animated mice (thanks MOM!!) that have been under the eves, gotten wet, and been chewed on by real mice, that had to be fixed before they would work this year, the first thing Big B did was find one and locate the screws and go right to work, I won;t go into details but use your imagination!!!!!!! It was humorous!