It's a...

Boy!!! We had our 20 week ultrasound last week and found out our new addition is a healthy, strong, growing baby boy!! Of course, we're thrilled that he appears to be healthy at this point, but I was hoping just a bit that I would have an opportunity to make up some of the adorable little knit dresses I've been pinning on Pinterest. I guess I can still make them, and just post them and give them as gifts...if anyone I knew ever had girls! This will be the 13th boy born in a row on my Dad's side of the family, and 8 out of the last 13 were boys on my Mom's side. I told my hubby we'll just have to try again! (To which he replied, "Nuh-uh!!") He still really has a desire to have a little girl, but I just don't think he would ever be up to having that large of a family. We'll just have to see how this one goes...

We are nowhere near choosing a name for him yet, so we'll still call him Blessing until we figure out who he is.

I've been trying to wrap up my current projects so I can move on to bigger and better things, and this set is my most recent completion. I used Mosaic yarn, although I can't recall if it was Red Heart, Bernat, or something else. I had a couple of skeins of it I bought a few years ago, and finally started on the scarf over 1 year ago, but ran out of yarn before it was finished. I had it sitting in my knitting bag all this time. I ordered a couple more skeins from Etsy (I couldn't find it in stores anymore) about 6 months ago, finished the hat, and started on the fingerless mittens. I have had them sitting in my bag as well, while I've been working on baby items, waiting to match colors and get finished. I finished the ends and tucked in all the loose strings last week, and I think it makes a beautiful set.

I also made a couple of little hats for the baby, including the little lamb hat, but one of the hats was more feminine, since I had so much purple, and had pretty much convinced myself that we were having a girl. I got to make the hat again this week in a cute light blue, and all of it used up yarn I have in stock. Another opportunity for gift-giving...

One of the items I knew I wanted to make for this baby is a cocoon, and I found this beautiful pattern on Ravelry shortly after we found out we're expecting. I had a skein of the cream that hadn't been touched yet, so I bought two more to finish the project. Unfortunately, the original yarn was several years old and was apparently a different dye that has changed, so I ended up having 3 different shades of the same ivory in the cocoon. It wasn't even a cool "ombré" effect, so I had to go back to the store, buy 2 more skeins that matched the dye lot of 1 of the others, and start over. I had plenty of yarn leftover, so I found this great tutorial for a matching hat. Even though they're different shades, I don't think you'll notice when the pieces are on the baby.

My current projects are 2 different baby blankets, using essentially the same yarn. A few months ago, I was going to attempt to make an entrelac blanket, so I picked up 6 skeins of navy, teal, and purple (2 skeins each). I got bored with that idea, and after seeing how much the boys loved the granny square, I started on another one, using the purple as my base, and switching after 3 rounds. I worked on it for a few days, but it is slow going, so I decided to start another blanket for Blessing with the other 3 skeins. It will be a chevron ripple blanket, similar to the car blanket, with the same 3 colors. 

I figured having 2 blankets in the works was not such a bad thing, since we are taking a nice long car trip to Colorado next week, and I'll need something to work on that doesn't require a lot of pattern reading. I can work on the blankets without having to read anything, which will help with the motion sickness I'm sure will come and go with being in the mountains. I'm excited to have lots of time to crochet, and having something to help pass the time will be welcome. 

Since we'll be gone, I'll hopefully be back with some pretty photos of snow and mountains in a couple of weeks. Wish us luck with our 2 little guys, and a safe return next weekend!

Nearly November...

We've been here for nearly 6 weeks now, and I still haven't gotten my craft room up and running the way I'd like. I've been sick for the greater part of that time with a nasty cough, volleyball season (which I referee) is now over, and preparations for the boys' birthday party next week are in full swing. With Halloween this weekend as well, I've had several Etsy orders for viking/dwarf beards, so I've been keeping busy. I haven't been able to complete much on the boys' birthday gifts, so I decided to make a new goal of Christmas gifts instead. They're only 2, so they won't remember that Mommy and Daddy didn't get them tons of toys, especially when they're bound to receive plenty from family and friends.

The boys' birthday theme this year is trains. That is all they've wanted to talk about the last 6 months, so I thought it would be a natural choice. They don't know who "Thomas" is because we don't watch television, but they love train sets, little magnetic train cars, going under train bridges, watching train videos on YouTube, reading books about trains, and of course, stopping at train tracks to wait for passing trains. I'll post photos of the party decorations up, but I found some really cute inspiration on Pinterest. I wasn't able to use all the cute graphics and "free printable" train stuff because I wanted to combine elements such as wording with photos, so I ended up designing my own using MS Paint. I think they turned out adorable!

The hats in their photos were from a crochet pattern I bought here. I tried and tried to find something similar for free, but every link I clicked led me back to this design, so I bit the bullet and purchased a pattern. They were very easy to make and I think they look fabulous on the boys, especially in their little overalls :-) I made them a little large, so hopefully they will fit their large heads for a year or two. They're Lily Sugar 'n Cream, which my dishtowels are made of, so I know they will be able to withstand MANY washes if need be. I'll have them on my Etsy site before long.

I have been able to get several of my handmade Christmas gifts done in the car on long trips recently. I found a really cute and simple pattern from JoAnn that I've been using, which has also helped use up some of my Vanna's Choice yarn. I'll have to wait until after Christmas to post photos, because someone might catch a sneak peek and spoil it. I have a pretty small budget for Christmas gifts ($25 a month throughout the year), so I'm trying to make a good blend of handmade/homemade and store-bought/experiences. The handmade take a little longer than gift cards or shopping, but I like being able to work on something and knowing that it is for someone I love. I hope they appreciate it as much as I enjoy giving it!

I've got winter squash to get in the oven for canning, so I should wrap this up. I can't believe it's almost time for turkeys and pies! I made my first attempts at jam this summer, and ended up with raspberry, blueberry, peach, and some tasty strawberry ice cream topping. We cracked open the raspberry this week, and it is better than anything I've tasted from the store. I'll be making pumpkin butter again this fall, and I just picked up a bushel of apples for apple butter and applesauce. I got smart and ordered an apple peeler this year, so no more peeling apples at the sink for hours. I might even feel brave enough to conjure up a pumpkin pie! At this rate, it'll be summer before I get the boys' gifts done...

Another Day, Another Post

Writing yesterday got me in the mood to write even more! And since I've done so many projects since last summer, I have plenty to write about :-)

My last post before my absence was about these adorable knit baby pants. I've only met the little tyke once, but his newborn photo session turned out so cute! Unfortunately, the pants were a tiny bit large because he was born a few weeks premature, but I think the hat is a perfect accessory to this sleeping babe. Here he is!

He's a pretty cute dude, just like his cousins.