Nursery play

Here are some pics of the boys in the Nursery at church today.  Charmie and Mardie are watching a Veggie Tales video and Charmie decided that he'd flip up this baby climbing thingie and lay in it.


Here's Mardie a little later enjoying a snack. Teddy Grahms Yum!

Flash pants

Today Rocky's mom visited us. As always when a grandmom visits it's primarily for the grand kids sake, but while she was here she wanted to go fabric shopping and being who I am I had to oblige. . .

We ended up spending WAY too much time in the fabric store while the boy's napped and Rocky held down the fort but the end result was productive. Right before I got my other fabric cut on a whim I picked up a bolt of this silky stuff that reminded me of saris, broom stick skirts and gypsy fabrics all rolled into one. I had to have it but had no pattern and no plan other than the fact that I liked the idea of some pants, or maybe a skirt, or maybe a top. . . so in other words no real plan.

One yard later, and well after dinner when the boys settled down, and I broke away from the Hallmark movie that had sucked us in for 3 hours and decided for sure I'd make some wide legged pants. Here's the result. I made them up as I went. I put a very thin elastic waist band and a blind hem at the bottom. They were super easy because I made them on the fold, just 2 seams, and I did something I've never done before. I seamed them entirely on my serger and just made the casing for the elastic and the blind hem on my sewing machine. Voila!

I think it took me longer to rethread my serger and figure out which foot to use for blind hemming on my sewing machine than the actual construction of the pants, lol. I guess I need to put down the knitting needles and sew more so that this is more 2nd nature!
Here's a pic of them on, after church. I have a strained look because I'm cold, lol.

Chest Cover

Get your mind out of the gutter!

My family gifted Rocky and me with a beautiful cedar chest for our 5 year anniversary. I've always wanted one and now we have one. It's lovely. The lid cover has a pretty damask fabric. However with 2 little ones who think this is their personal table to jump off of and climb onto I opted to keep the plastic in tact as much as possible on the CREAM cover to keep it nice until I could sew a cover.

Well thanks to my dad's inspiration, mom's motivation and help I used some decorator fabric that I have been hoarding in my stash to use for my home and came up with this:

I'm all exicted now to sew some other things for our home. I've got tons of this fabric and it goes with the decor in almost every room so I've just got to get busy and sew sew sew!
Thanks MOM and DAD!!!XOXOXOX

Tank Back

I just finished the back of a Chevron Rib Tank top from interweave press that I started when J visited last weekend.  I'm scared of the front because that's where I do the chevron pattern.  The back alone tripped me up at first and I needed my sister to give some assistance.  Of course I probably could have figured it out had I acutally read the instructions, but does that suprise you???

My brain is mush now.  Maybe tomorrow I'll cast it on and get started, or maybe I'll just work on one of the vest tops I've started for Rocky or the boys. . .

A Yarning I shall go

I love yarn. I love making things with it, as a car sales man once called it. . . yarning. I think I see yarn and potential yarn almost everwhere I go, which is why it wasn't suprising that after I found myself wandering around my SUPER Wal-Mart earlier this evening, displaced because I couldn't find what I was actually looking for, (imagine that) I saw this yarn boa, levetating in front of me, beckoning me to bite in the accessories section. It was marked down on clearance to $1, and looked like yarn to me so of course I couldn't leave it and 4 of it's friends hanging there. I had to bring them home.

After looking closer I realized that it was a continuious strand of yarn, well 2 actually doubled and sewn down to a base of yarn. So out came my thread snips, and about 30 minutes later I had this.

Now I just have to do this 4 more times. I'm pondering what I shall yarn with this new addition to my yarn stash.

Little JAC had had a tummy sickness so he wasn't feeling so great this time at the park. He enjoyed the swinging and Mardie did too. Rob's pushing JAC and Rocky's pushing Mardie here. 

Here's Charmie reaching the top, once again being crowded by the same girl. She's attracted to my boys evidently. He climbed up this apparatus several times, always unassisted, and repeating over and over, "be careful, be very careful". It' was kind of hillarious. As we were leaving our neighbor Rob said that once Charmie got to the top he shouted "Ladies and Gentlemen", but unfortunately I didn't hear it. That would have been a hoot! 

We went to the park with our neighbors Rob, LeAnne and JAC. Mardie decided to try to climb up the monkey bars and did pretty good until this fair little girl decided to crowd him. I of course couldn't get the camera to cooperate so the only shot I got is of Rocky helping him down. He got up to that rung all by himself though with Rocky only spotting. I've got another climber, Pray for me ya'll. 

Mardie with his cup, he decided he didn't want to play in the sprinkler so he's got his shirt back on, but no shorts yet, just the cd. 

Today was such a beautiful and sunny day. Charmie and Mardie got to spend time outside playing after I was able to drag myself out of bed. Here's Charmie on his 4wheeler doing stunts as usual. He had just gotten done playing in the sprinkler as we watered the baby grass in the front yard and he was driving his 4wheeler through the sprinkler! 

Jennifer and Trin by our Cherry Tree 

Closeup of Jennifer and I outside right before she and Trin had to go. 

Cheese! 

We had some "company" this weekend and we had a blast. Here Jennifer was trying to get the kids to settle down with her on the couch because they were so excited to be together that they were running amuck! She had just gotten Trin and Charmie to lay down and they were so cute. Charmie had gotten up by the time I got the camera, and Jennifer had snagged Mardie, but here they all are. 

Stripey

I finally finished a sweater that I started on my trip to Myrtle Beach almost 2 weeks ago. Here it is. It's my own pattern. . . but I designed it after a sweater that I saw and fell in love with in the Noro collection Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Book 2. I have no Noro, and no Book 2, though I found out after I started that my sister did have the book and I could have borrowed it.

Anyway It's pretty simple, instead of separate rectangles for the sleeves and the body, I did a continuous rectangle for all of the sleeves with an opening for the neckline. Then I picked up and knit the body part in the round and finished up by sewing up the sleeves. It has that favorite sweatshirt/ kimono/ weekend sweater feel.

I used 8 balls of Karaoke in Durango, a super soft wool/soysilk blend yarn that's self striping. I'll be looking to make anothe project from this yarn I loved it so much.

Rest after a hard day

Rocky works so hard and Charmie plays so hard. . . eventually they just have to stop, and when they do, this is what you get!

Piano time

Our beloved retired pastor and his wife are moving away. We are really going to miss them. They didn't want to take this piano, though they've had it for years, it was just too large of an item for them to move to their new home. Here the boys play a little while as I am taking pictures and details down to try to help them sell it.

Biker boys

The weather has been so nice the boys have been going outside and making good use of all of their toys.  Here they were inside the garage, they hadn't really made it out yet, but they were playing with their bikes.
Here's Charmie the stunt man practicing something dangerous for when his bike is actually moving.



Mardie thinking he's such a big boy!

Pride before the fall

Well I have to admit that I've been wrong. . . Janet and Jennifer I give you many apologies. . . Janet to you first because you were right after all.(Implied I was wrong) Jennifer second because though you don't know it yet, I taught you how to knit wrong.
I'm so at a loss for words right now. My stockinette fabric didn't look twisted so I had no clue. Evidently twist my knit and my purl stitch so when I alternate rows of knit and purl I don't have a twisted stitch pattern. However when I knit in the round I do. :(
I decided to knit this sweater project that I'm currently working on in the round for the body part because I HATE sewing seams. I already have to sew the arm seams so I am doing everything I can to eliminate any more sewing. As I transitioned from my garter rib rows to the stockinette stitch rows I noticed that my stitches were getting awfully tight all of the sudden. I looked and couldn't believe it, my little v's were all twisted at the base. I reversed those stitches and knit the rest of the row through the back loop and then started knitting as I evidently should have been all along. I'm going to have to relearn purling too. Guess better now than later, huh?
Jennifer call me and I'll see if we can work through this hitch over the phone for you! I'm soooooo sorry. And I can echo Janet's wisdom and upside to my predicament, luckily I've only taught one person to knit so far!

Well since you asked. . .

I have several projects that I'm planning to do but only one right now that is in progress (on kneedles). I am working on a sweater for myself. . . I've finished the sleeves and upper bodice and need to knit the bottom of the body part and it will be done.
I have some projects that I either want to or need to work on but I haven't started because with me I pretty much like to go all out on one thing until it's done. This is random order
design and make lap or wall quilt for livingroom
quilt friendship square quilt top x4
back/quilt and bind grandma's quilt tops x5
Lace sweater/ or shawl from some luxury silk/wool blend yarn my sister got for my birthday, actually she got some for her too so this is a project that we will do together, though we may or may not make the same thing.
spring/summer top/sweater/tank from silk/rayon blend yarn
spring/summer top/sweater/tank from 100% cotton yarn
spring/summer shrug/shawl to wear with my peek-a-boob top to make it a little more modest in public
socks
knit cotton vests for Rocky, Charmie and Mardie
anniversary quilt wallhanging for my sis and bil

I could go on and on but that's what's pressing for now.