Sassy Girl

You know, there was once a time when I posted here exclusively! Now we have facebook for all out posting needs and no one even looks at livejournal anymore, I think. But, as I'm crafting again, I should probably update what I've been doing.

I've got 3 dresses to sew together before Sunday. I already did 2 of them. I hope the girls like what they get. If not, well, I suppose I they could buy their bridesmaid dresses themselves. I'm helping my cousin out for her wedding.

I have several WIP baby items that I don't seem to be getting back to in knitting.

I'm looking forward to the new season of Outlander which is mostly why I posted again, as this is where I add all my crafty pictures and patterns I have created, etc.

1x1 rib = k1, p1, k1, p1 ...repeat to end
3st decrease = slip 1 st k2tog, pass slip sts over(psso)

Worsted weight yarn
Yarn: I used Red Heart Soft in Brown
Needle: Size 7 Circular (29" or higher so you can magic loop)

CO 64 Sts Place marker and join in the round, careful not to twist
*K1, p1 Repeat to end Do this until your piece is 4.5 inches

Begin decreases
3 st decrease, cont in rib pattern for 13 sts, pm.. repeat to end of row (56sts)
1 row of 1x1 rib
3 st decrease, cont in rib to marker, slip marker repeat to end (48 sts)
1 row of 1x1 rib
3 st decrease, cont in rib to marker, slip marker repeat to end (40 sts)
1 row of 1x1 rib
3 st decrease, cont in rib to marker, slip marker repeat to end (32 sts)
1 row of 1x1 rib
3 st decrease, cont in rib to marker, slip marker repeat to end (24 sts)
1 row of 1x1 rib
3 st decrease, cont in rib to marker, slip marker repeat to end (16 sts)
1 row of 1x1 rib
3 st decrease, cont in rib to marker, slip marker repeat to end (8 sts)
1 row of 1x1 rib
K2tog 4 times (4 sts)

thread tail through last 4 stitches and pull tight.
Weave in ends.

So I have created a couple more patterns. 


The first is the Paddle Scarf called so because When laid out it resembles a double sided paddle. 

Yarn:  1 skein of Debbie Bliss Rialto 4 ply in color 22004 and another 190 yards of Shalimar Yarns Zoe Sock in Black Truffle
Needles: size 8 us needles ( I used a circular, but any straight pair will do)

Holding your yarns together Cast On 25 stitches long tail method
knit 3 rows then start
Row 1 of seed stitch:  k3, start seed stitch (k1, p1 for 19 sts), k3
Row 2 of seed stitch: k3, (k1, p1 for 19 sts), k3
Repeat rows 1 and 2 24 times

K2tog 6 times, k1, k2tog 6 times (13 sts)
k each row until your work is about 4.5-5 feet. 

KF&B 6 times, k1 KF&B 6 times (25 sts)
Row 1 of seed stitch:  k3, start seed stitch (k1, p1 for 19 sts), k3
Row 2 of seed stitch: k3, (k1, p1 for 19 sts), k3
Repeat rows 1 and 2 24 times

K 3 rows and bind off. 

We're getting on toward the Halloween festivities and so today I got Finn a costume. He's gonna be a tiger. It'll be cool. 

We haven't had a final decision what Ingrid will be. She always changes her mind at the last minute. 

She had her 4 year check up last Friday and was, of course healthy as a horse when she was in there. 43.;5 inches tall and 53.5 lbs. means 95+ % on height and weight. There were also no shots needed, so everyone left smiling, but Finn contracted the funk from the room and woke up sick Saturday, and on Monday Ingrid had gotten it. I hope she feels better by tomorrow so she can go back to school. 

I had a super time Saturday. Peter took the kids home after we had brunch and got them coats and I went to have a hot stone massage. Then I went to Ballard and had tea with one of my besties and drug her home with me to have some adult company. She hung out for a while on Sunday, too and it was super nice. 

I've been a bit upset about some family drama the last few days, but my sister came over last night and brought some wine and we had a good talk and good company and I can't say how lucky I am to have her. 

Anyway.  

I have missed a lot of happenings here in the land of LJ. Life has been pretty busy for me. 

When last I posted we had just completed our cross country move so we are back in the land of the Pacific Northwest. We're currently residing in Redmond, a whole 15 minutes tops from 3 family members! 

Ingrid has started pre-school at a local elementary and seems to be enjoying it from my end, but we had parent-teacher conferences on Monday where I learned that Ingrid seems to think she is an adult and does not like to follow our directions. She is very smart but her social skills need work.. Who knew having your kids with you all the time and not talking down to them could cause problems, eah?  So I've had to talk to her about when is a time to ask questions of people constantly and when is a good time to go with the flow and play along with the class. 

Finn is growing at a very rapid rate and had his 18 month check up after 20 months. he's 30.5 pounds now and 35.5 inches tall. He was fortunate that he didn't have to get any vaccinations at the dr and we left with a smile on his face instead of tears. 

Ingrid has her 4 year check up this Friday and I'm sure Dr Nobis, who saw her when she was 1 month old will be shocked at her growth. 

Peter is fully entrenched in his new job and despite the long hours and the business trips, he seems to be enjoying the work as challenging.

I'm having my ups and downs. I've almost got the garage cleaned up, but my kitchen is a bit worse for wear today and yesterday. I'm totally missing my old knitting group that I used to see every Friday. There's one on Sunday here, but it's harder to get to for some reason in the middle of the day on a weekend than at the end on a weeknight. They have a Friday night group that meets a couple Friday's a month that I'm going to try out this week since it's an on week. 

Today my father would have been 66 years old and I miss him.  He's been gone almost a year. There's so much i just can't say about that. 

I'm tired of meaningless reminisce without anything real to back it up, so I will be discussing other things. 

I am ticked about something. . . Since 99% of childcare and school systems require that you at least provide dates if not actual immunization records for your children, I feel there should be a national registration that houses that information that you can either give 
the school/child care provider access to, or be able to look/print out records. I know we have those "handy little books" but I have found that all the offices I've visited have been really lax about helping keep those up to date and they're not great about giving you a list of the vaccines your child has had at each visit if it's a second or later dosage.  Wouldn't the SSA be a better place to manage health records to make sure we were all up to date than local Dr offices? I think so.  At least for things that are required like immunizations. 

I'm pretty sure that I had to have extra TB vaccination because my parents didn't keep a full immunization record for me and I think my mom might have gotten them at the public health clinic instead of a dr office. I think a national health record database would make so much sense. Any records that you had from a doctor who has retired, or died or anything could be retrieved, your health history would not have to be re-hashed every time you go to a new dr and I'm betting it'd be more accurate if they just added pertinent info each time instead of making you try to remember the intricacies of your family history. Heck, in the future, if the records were ever opened, with permission or maybe 50 years after your death, they could look for genetic components to illness/disease within families. 

I managed to entertain the children for many house today, with the help of my friends.  Big thanks to Shaye, Rhade, Theron, Julia, Amie and Megan.

Must remember to always bring kid shoes for boychild who isn't always walking.

I can't say how glad I was able to see Megan instead of just maybe getting to talk to her on the phone.

I'm glad to find parks to play at and I'm super glad that the weather was conducive to playing outside.

I can barely keep my house presentable, let alone work on keeping my journal up to date.  I feel pretty overwhelmed at the prospect of moving at the drop of a dime.

So today, instead of just sitting on the floor playing with my kids, I'm going to do some more packing. I saw some more book boxes when I put the recycling out, so I will grab those and get the bedroom bookcases cleared off.

I also need to shine up the guest bathroom, clean and wash the bedding in Ingrid's room and get the laundry under control. My sister will be here tomorrow afternoon and I am super excited! I get her for 9 days and then I'll be heading to Seattle the same day she goes back for another 8 days.

I need to stop by the store for some guest soaps and stuff. I just really need to organize myself.  Perhaps my sister the super organizer's presence will be enough to whip me into shape.

News of the family:

Finn is almost 17 months old and is teething with 5 coming through currently. It makes for rocky days with lots of crying, but he sleeps through the night most of the time and cold baby carrots are his teethers of choice. He's tall and a good weight and interested in climbing absolutely everything. He loves books and music and every time I get on the floor to play he tries to sit on me, or if I'm laying, sit on my head. He has a wonderful laugh and hi only words are mama, dada and HI! He blows raspberries when he doesn't like something and clucks when he does. 

Ingrid is going to turn 4 in a month and I can scarcely believe it. She has a temper and a lot of sass about her, which I'm trying to help her direct in constructive ways. She LOVES movies, and is really artistic. Often taking what she's seen and drawing characters or scenes from them. She's a huge dinosaur fan and every library trip she gets at least one dino book. She's a very loving girl and loves a good laugh. She's really friendly with other kids and random people, but acts a bit shy when people we see on a relatively frequent basis come talk to her. She's a generally helpful kid, always wanting to do things for me or with me.  She has a very good memory and is looking forward to seeing Aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents/and pets more.

Peter is overworked. He's an excellent provider and is taking the bull by the horns. He has a couple of interviews set up for when we are in Seattle.  He plays stoic, but I can tell he's stressed. I try to do what I can to help him.

I got my dad tattoo the other day. It still feels unusual on my arm like I have a burn where it is placed. I think I might be having a bit of RSI in my wrist and arm from typing and knitting. I'm anxiously awaiting my test results from the Dr to make sure I'm on the right dosage of my thyroid meds. I have finished another scarf (this one for my sister in her favorite color) and am contemplating starting another Black Chantarelle Scarf (my own original design) next. I have now published 3 patterns on Ravelry for free.  I feel like I want to design more and sell some stuff on etsy if I can. I've been doing a slight bit of dying yarn. I like doing it and the 2nd and 3rd attempts were pretty cool.  the first one looked a bit like Christmas barf.

But really I should end this and get onto my tasks.

CO 88 stitches using US 7 circular needle 16 inch
Join and work in the round
Row 1: K
Row 2: K2, P2
Repeat row 2 until piece is 3”
Next row: K
Repeat K Row until piece measures 6” (88 sts)
Begin decreases…
Row 1 decrease: K9, K2tog Repeat to end (80 sts)
Row 2: K
Row 3 decrease: K8, K2tog Repeat to end (72 sts)
Row 4: K
Row 5 decrease: K7, K2tog Repeat to end (64 sts)
Row 6: K
Row 7 decrease: K6, K2tog Repeat to end (56 sts)
Row 8: K
Row 9 decrease: K5, K2tog Repeat to end (48 sts)
Row 10: K
Row 11 decrease: K4, K2tog Repeat to end (40 sts)
Row 12: K
Row 13 decrease: K3, K2tog Repeat to end (32 sts)
Row 14: K
Row 15 decrease: K2, K2tog Repeat to end (24 sts)
Row 16: K
Row 17 decrease: K1, K2tog Repeat to end (16 sts)
Row 18: K
Row 19 decrease: K2tog Repeat to end (8 sts)
Thread long tail in needle and slip through remaining stitches. Cinch and weave in ends.