Sunday knitting

It's been a pretty mellow Sunday.  With the time change I was wide awake by 6:30, so I got up early to relax with some tea and knitting. 

We headed to church this morning, we attend the nearby Unitarian Universalist church, and I hung out in the nursery with the munchkin while Mich and Ian attended the sermon.  Eventually I'd love to leave the munchkin in the nursery so I can also go hear the sermon, but right now he gets upset if I leave the room... and now that he is older he is far to squirmy to sit in the sanctuary with me.

Once we got home, my parents came for a visit. My mom needed her munchkin time.  Today gave me plenty of time to knit.  I finished the pair of fingerless gloves I was working on and got a start on the mobius scarf using this really neat cast-on.  Cat Bordhi's You Tube tutorial is great. 

 

"treads" fingerless gloves

 

Mobius Scarf with Mosiac Moon "To Victory"

Now we are relaxing in front of the TV watching Doctor Who... not a bad end to a weekend.

So much yarn, so little time!

 

so much yarn

Today Michy, the munchkin, and I went to the New England Fiber Festival.  So much wonderful yarn!  Plus roving, and whole fleeces, and alpacas, sheep, and bunnies! At every booth I thought "I need to make one of these," or "I need to learn how to do this" or "I can't wait to go home and knit!"

The Fiber Festival is held at the Big E facility, so they had a ton of space.  There were rows and rows of vendors selling everything related to fiber arts... even animals.  Someday I would love to have enough space to have alpacas. Its always been one of my retirement dreams- to have a small farm where I can raise some animals and spin my own yarn. I don't know how practical a goal that is... but I enjoy the fantasy.

 

alpacas!

I picked up a pair of circular needles in a size I didn't have for a technique I want to try with some gorgeous yarn I recently got from the Mosaic Moon Doctor Who yarn club.  Amazingly that was the only thing I bought... but I could have easily spent hundreds! SO much beautiful yarn, but I exercised restraint since I still have about 5 projects I want to finish by the holidays.   Next year I'm planning ahead and saving some cash.  One thing I definitely want to try is yarn dying, and I saw these great Eco-friendly dyes by Greener Shades.

The munchkin loved the vendors with animals.  He was so excited to see the sheep, alpaca, and bunnies.

 

Waving hello to some sheep.

 

watching the alpacas

After we checked out all the vendors we saw watched a demo on sheep shearing.  It was actually pretty interesting to here the history of sheep shearing and watch his technique.  

 

lamb getting a haircut

 

watching the demo

Now that we are home, I'm working on a pair of fingerless gloves... trying to fly through them so I can get to the next project.  I'm a buzz with ideas and all I want to do is knit.

 

 

An afternoon of cooking

This evening we are heading out to a potluck.  Potlucks can be a challenge with our various dietary restriction and we often end up not eating much (and then subsequently overindulging by the time we get home or find a restaurant on the drive home!) So I try to make sure I bring/make something that we can all enjoy as an entree so we end up satisfied. 

Today I made:

 

Vegan and Gluten-Free "mac and cheese"

 

Quinoa with Kale and Butternut Squash

 

Vegan Gluten Free Apple Crisp

yum!




Time for a challenge!

They say if you want to be a writer, then you need to write everyday. The last couple months however, I've just felt busy to blog. Most of the busy was for good reason. I've been focusing on my yoga practice, which has taken up some of my morning quiet time. And this last weekend was the Transcending Boundaries Conference, the super awesome gender/ relationship/ sexuality conference that my family helps run. TBC ate up most of my free time the last couple weeks.

A few years ago, I participated in the November National Novel Writers Month. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I met my word goal and had fun doing it.

I don't think I'm up to a novel this month, there is just too much on my plate, but I know that I'd like to blog more so this month I'm going to participate in Blogher's National Blog Posting Month.

I meant to post this yesterday, but I'm tryingout a new app for blogging on my iPad so I can write on the go... And of course I forgot to hit publish. Oops. Anyway, here you go. I'm typing this outloud so I stay accountable.

And no... This probably won't count as today's post.

Posted with Blogsy

Happy Halloween

We had a fairly low-key Halloween.  The muchkin, Ian, and I headed down to laurel's to help hand out candy and let the munchkin trick-or-treat in her much more kid-friendly, easy to walk, neighborhood.

The munchkin was dressed as the 11th Doctor... cause I am a nerd.

 

the past weekend was also the Transcending Boundaries Conference, where this pic was taken.

I made the munchkin's jacket by taking apart a men's tweed jacket I bought at Goodwill for $5 ala this awesome tutorial.  I also made the suspenders and bowtie, again with the help of some great online tutorials.   The sonic screwdriver came from ThinkGeek.

 

The munchkin had a fun time zipping around laurel's living room on a toy motorcycle.

Custom Fleece

Check out the custom order I just finished! I think they came out pretty cute.

 

Monster Bum

 

UT Longhorns

 

I love Babywearing.

Happy Babywearing Week

The munchkin hardly ever travels in a stroller.  I love carrying him close, and he seems to much prefer riding on mama than in any contraption that straps him in.   Here is a round up of my favorite ways to carry the munchkin:

A Stretchy Wrap

We started our babywearing experience with a SleepyWrap, which is now the Boba Wrap.  I adored this wrap when he was little.  It was like instant naptime! It is really soft and comfortable.  It does take a little practice getting used to how to wrap it on, but it soon becomes second nature.  The material is really stretchy, so you can tie it tight and just pop them in and out without having to leave any slack or guess how much room they will take up.

 

The stretchy wrap is only appropriate for facing in, front carries, so it is a little limiting.  It also isn't as supportive or comfy once your baby is around 15 pounds.  Also, since the munchkin was born in April I soon learned that it gets pretty warm under all that fabric!  Even with those limitations I thought there was nothing better for cozying up with a newborn.  I think it was the only way I got anything done the first couple months.  The munchkin did not like to be put down!

A Ring Sling

Ring Slings are great for quick trips when you want to be able to pop them in and out easily.  They are also really versatile, you can carry a newborn up to a toddler in a Ring Sling.  Ours is a linen sling from Sakura Bloom.  You can carry your little baby on your front facing in, and once they have  head control facing out.  While facing out isn't great for babies since you can't read their cues as easily and they can become overstimulated, it is nice to have the option for things like museums, zoos, and aquariums where you do want them to get a full view of the world.   The ring sling lets a baby ride facing front with his legs tucked up in way that is safe for their hips  (unlike a carrier like the Bjorn where they dangle from their crotch).  I also found nursing to be super easy in a ring sling, and the tail was a great built in cover up (not that I'm ever really careful about covering up!)  Now that he is older, the ring sling lets me carry him supported on my hip.  I don't find the ring sling to be comfortable for an extended period of time because the weight is all on one shoulder. 

 

Mei Tai

Once the munchkin was about 4 months I decided I wanted another two shoulder option so I made us a Mei Tai based on this awesome tutorial.  A Mei Tai is basically a square of fabric with two straps coming over the shoulders and one around the waist.  It allows for a bunch of different carries (search You Tube mei tai for a ton of great tutorials!) in front and in back.  I find that the Mei Tai is very comfortable, and once you get the hang of it, pretty easy to get on even without an extra set of hands.   A Mei Tai also works for newborns up to toddlers so it is another great versatile carrier.   I had put my Mei Tai away for a bit when I got the Ergo, but now I'm loving it again because I can tie the munchkin in a higher back carry so he can see over my shoulders- which makes him very happy. Another great benefit is to the Mei Tai is that if the munchkin falls asleep I can usually careful untie and lay him down without him waking up. 

 

A Soft Structured Carrier

Kind of like a Mei Tai, but with buckles instead of long ties.  I think SSCs have the smallest learning curve... just snap them in and go.  There are no complicated ties to learn and you can carry them in front or back.  SSCs aren't suitable for newborns without special inserts.  We have an Ergo, but there are several companies that make great SSCs.  I find the Ergo to be really comfy, but Michy finds it a little too long for her short torso, so it is a matter of finding the one that works for you.  They are adjustable but not quite as flexible as a Mei Tai.  I bought the Ergo because I was looking for something a little easier to put on by myself that would be comfortable for carrying the munchkin on my back for long periods... like hiking.  I can wear him in the Ergo for hours and not feel strained.  Breastfeeding is also really easy in the Ergo, just put them in front and loosen the straps so they are at boob level :)  There is also a great hood you can use if they are nursing or fall asleep.  It is easy to stealthily nurse in the Ergo with that hood, most of the time people just think he is taking a nap.  I breastfeed him in it everywhere!

 

So those are the ways I carry the munchkin.  There are other babywearing options out there, this is just what I use and what works well for us.  I'm always up for trying something new, I've been eying the Boba Air to have a carrier that can live in the diaper bag... baby carriers are kinda like shoes or bags... you can never have too many.