The 4th of July…

What did you do on the 4^th? Picnic with family? Fireworks in the park? Well we were sick. My daughter has been feeling under the weather so we spent the morning here. My mom called at 3:30ish and asked if we would come over and hang with them. Who can pass up a free dinner, free internet and an enclosed back yard that my kids love to play in. I made the decision to forgo the fireworks this year. It would have been so hard. Four children 5and under out at night, where it is dark and tons of people, out until 11pm…no thank you. Instead we went and had dinner with my parents, played in the yard and took a bubble bath. When I was little my parents would take and fill the pool with bubbles and let us swim in a huge bath outside. Now as the adult I want the kids to have the same fun. So pink lemonade bubble bath+ swimming pool+ 4 kids+ warm day outside= very happy kids( when the bubbles weren’t in the eyes)my kids are so much fun. They can find magic and wonder in anything. They spent hours outside playing just like this. I love watching them. They really bring out the child in me. I sat on the swing next to the pool and took these pictures. While I sat there watching them create their many bubble faces I knit. I finished one of my Bella mittens. If you aren’t a twilight fan well you should be. But this mitten is bases off of the mittens Bella wears in the movie. I knit them because I love cables. It was the first thing I learned how to knit and have loved them ever since. When I finish the other mitt I will give my review of the pattern, and some pictures of the finished product.

Bella mittens and Odessa

The pattern is Ravelry: Bella’s Mittens by Marielle Henault. And if I must say She
Rocks. The pattern is so very nice. The pattern is accurate to the movie, east to knit and very lovely to wear. It is the middle of summer 108* outside and I had the need to knit mittens. I loved this pattern so much that I have a plan. I am going to make another pair for my sister for Christmas. I was looking on Ravelry and found that some people have made theirs fingerless. I think this would be perfect for her. She is going to have her second child in Jan. and with mittens her fingertips would be encased by fabric. It would be harder for her to do things like unbuckle car seats and pick up bottles. The mittens are arm length but her pair will be one repeat shorter than the original. The pair I made myself is almost exact to the pattern. I did one fewer rows here and made the thumb a few rounds shorter to fit my tiny hands, but the pattern is really well written and straight forward. I knit this pair out of two strands of worsted weight yarn held together and not bulky weight. I used Caron eco soft in grey. It’s not a true grey. If I wear them in the sun you can almost see blueish-purpleish speckles in it. It gives the mittens a glow that a true grey yarn does not have.

Last year I tried knitting everything for everyone, but with two almost one year olds it was almost impossible to knit anything. This year I am trying to start early. So instead of starting in October, I am starting in September
August now. I make a lot of things with acrylic. I have to have my things very washable, and I hate hand washing more than a few items. So acrylic doesn’t bother me, as long as it isn’t scratchy. I knit a lot of items out of Caron eco soft. I am able to find it at local a store which is a necessity due to no local yarn stores in my area. I like the colors available and it is not out of my price range. I have four young children and a large family to gift to this Christmas. Money is tight for many people and I feel that it is my job to save money when and where I can. I have been happy with the results that the yarn has produced. I have won contests online and have had the privilege of working with more expensive yarns such as Dream in color smooch and trekking xxl. But I am more than happy to do my part with making the most of the resources God has given to my family and knit everyday items out of less expensive yarns. My “stash” if you can call it that is comprised of eco soft. This year for my Christmas knitting I have made 2 Odessa hats. Both out of the Caron eco yarn. The one I knit for my mother is made out of a deep heathery purple, and was knit without the beads. The one I knit for Sissy was made out of hot pink. I think the name was raspberry, but it doesn’t fit the yarn at all. If you think obnoxious pink, so bright it might blind you. I made it with beads, clear cheap beads. But the effect is so overall wonderful. If you were to meet my daughter she is a 17year old trapped in a 5 year old body. She even has the attitude to prove it. She has told me more than once “Mommy, I love every color as long as it is pink”. So an obnoxious pink hat covered in sparkly beads is the best and perfect thing to knit her. The picture is taken with Sissy not feeling well and her blanket wrapped around her. She said it looks like a princess tiara hat. I love her so much.

Well that’s enough for now. Peace, Love and Happy Knitting.

I’ve been gone so long

I really do have a good reason I’ve been gone so long. Life happened. I didn’t need the internet so I canceled it. It is amazing how much time I spent looking at knitting instead of doing it. Don’t get me wrong I think blogs are great. They inspire, and make me imagine. I love how I can look at a piece of work someone else did and imagine it on the twins, or little miss/ baby bear playing with it. But that is just the down fall too. I imagine but do not create. However today at the library I found a magazine and it had a article about creating