Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Merry Tanksmas and a Happy New Spud

Pattern: Grapevine Headband by Celeste Knitwear - Yarn: Red Heart Soft in Watercolors - Needles: US 4
  The pattern worked up interestingly.  I had to go all way down to a size US 4 needle to get gauge.  I'm usually a tight knitter and need to use a larger size needle.  I worked the i-cord edging as written, but after a bit I remember the last time I worked one I had more success in keeping it more even by slipping the first stitches instead of the last few.  I'm also not a fan of working a 1x1 cable, so I just worked a leaning increase and the corresponding leaning decrease.  It doesn't look the same, but I thought it was an interesting effect.
  I was so inspired from how well the fox hat came out that I decided to try and make a bear hat as well.  I used a different cast on, so it fits a bit tighter, but I really like how it turned out.

  We got to the cabin a bit later than originally planned on the 23rd, but it wasn't as late as we have in the past.  Tank enjoyed the ride a lot more in the back seat, even though we had a badly timed hairball and he needed to poop.  On our way home last time he kept getting nervous and panting while in the front seat.
  During the night I thought I heard mice running around, but it turns out that a bat had gotten in some how.  We were too sleepy to think fast enough to close the doors to the room and open the one to the outside before it flew into other parts of the cabin.  We checked the flue on the chimney, but it was closed, so I have no idea how it got in.  I'm hoping that we can safely get it outside before our trip is over.
  Bill made his Grandpa's Christmas punch for everyone.  It got put on in the back porch to stay cool, exactly where it goes.  He remembers being able to grab a ladle, open the back door, and fill his cup.

  On Christmas morning we had a slow start; one of us slept in (me), one of us wanted to eat a few times (Spud), one of us threw up (Tank), and the others just wandered off to get something done while waiting for the whole thing to get started.  She got out into her Christmas outfit and we all opened presents.  She liked the wrapping paper and tried to eat some of it.  Once we were all done, she ate a bit more and took a nice nap, the best one she has had in a while.
  It was a day late, but Miss Spud gave us a really nice Christmas present.  She started blowing raspberries/making farting noises.  She is getting really good at it in a short time and likes to add them in to her regular conversations.

  On Friday we went to The Buckhorn Tavern and Inn for dinner.  My parents have been a few times, but Bill and I haven't gone since the first time we all went for brunch.  I thought it was interesting that we all shared a side dish as the person next to us: Bill got the mac n cheese and Brussels sprouts, I got the Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes, my mom got the mashed potatoes and rainbow carrots, and my dad got the rainbow carrots and the mac n cheese.

  Mary and Denver tried to stop in at White's Wayside on their way to the cabin but got there right as they closed.  We all decided to go there for lunch the next day.

  On the Monday before the new year we got our tractor, UTV, and tractor accessories.  The delivery guy called beforehand to make sure his GPS was taking him the correct path.  It was going to try and take him down a super windy road.  Bill give him better directions.  When he got to our driveway he couldn't make the turn, so he parked the cul-de-sac and drove the UTV up.  I got to see Bill drive the tractor when they were moving all the stuff to the barn.

  Everyone loved Miss Spud's New Year's party dress.  Before the ball dropped we played our own version of Hot Potato.  She likes being with one person for only so long before it's time to play on the floor or be handed to the next person.  She was having fun tracing the letters on my dad's shirt.
  We tried to put her to bed around 11pm, but she didn't want to.  Mary tried to put her down twice, Bill tried a few times, I tried a few times.  Around 2am I tried changing her diaper, putting her in PJs, a bit of a late-night snack, and she was finally actually out.  Each time we had gotten her fully asleep, but then she would worry and cry when we would put her into her bassinet.  Here's to a new year and seeing what all Miss Spud brings to it!


Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 24 (0)
Yarn Out: 37 (1)

Total: -13

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Spud Is Up To Month Four

Week 13: 
  During Boppy tummy time she managed to figure out how to have her legs beneath her to push herself forward.  I may have helped her by pushing them under her a few times, but she figured out how to use that information.
  We have noticed that sometimes when she is tell us that she is very hungry that her voice sounds deeper.  She is also starting to get louder sometimes with her baby babble.
  When she looks around her mouth hangs open.  That leads to a lot of drool dribbling out.
  She was pretty hungry after we all finished shopping for Turkey Day.  When we got home I got ready and Bill "flew" her in to nurse.  As she was eating I started talking to her.  She startled so hard that she unlatched herself.  When she saw me she smiled and started babbling.  I knew she hadn't had enough to eat, so I tried to get her to relatch.  Every time she looked up at me she smiled and wanted to talk.  I told her that it was okay if she ate and that we would talk later.  Only then did she latch again and keep eating.
  On our Turkey Day trip she got to meet her Great Aunt Lesley.  She was being very smiley and though she wasn't too talkative the first day, she was on the second.  They also had a dance party while I was knitting.
  She is starting to find different sounds to make with me and Bill.  There are still overlapping ones, but she makes a more "a-hoo" sound with him and a "khuuue" white noise/static sound with me.


Week 14
  At the cabin our neighbor Tom had an after Thanksgiving party.  Miss Spud was a hit of the party.  She and Cheyenne became very good friends and watched Tom cook for a while.  They hung out most of the time we were at the party.  She once again got complimented on how calm and friendly she is.
  It might be the fresh mountain air, but Miss Spud has been giving us the best night sleeps so far.  She has given us 8-9 hours, which we had heard that doesn't happen until they start eating solids.
  We took the truck through a carwash after we got home and I was excited to see her reaction.  Unfortunately she got hungry before we left the house and slept through the whole thing.  We will have to go again when she is bigger or at least more awake.
  She is becoming more and more fascinated by her feet and hands.  She will kick her legs up and move her toes around.  She's still not totally understanding how to reach out to grab something, but is learning that a lot of her toys make noise if you shake them while holding them.
  I've started Miss Spud on baby sign language.  I know she's not fully making connections yet, but when I show her "eat" she then gnaws on her hand, so she's not wrong 


Week 15: Spud Tour '24
  On the way to get some antique furniture from one of Bill's relatives, we took the first insert out of Miss Spud's car seat.  It works for up to 11lbs of weight.  She was acting cramped with the insert, but looks so small without it.  Her head was a bit too floppy without the insert, so we put it back in.
  After we got to Ohio, she was a bit overwhelmed by meeting her Aunt Amanda's dog Mimi.  It wasn't a bad reaction, she just wasn't sure what to make of the dog.  She was also having a fun time just being held by her Ohio Grandma and looking around at her house.
  She got to meet some of her Great Uncles and Great Aunt during our trip.  She was smiling for everyone and showed them how she was trying to figure out how to crawl.
  Bill's mom got a lot more baby snuggles and Miss Spud was being very smiley.  She was still fascinated by Mimi and smiled at her when they got face to face.  She did a happy squeak when she got her hand licked.
  Mimi's cat, Cujo wasn't sure what to make of a happy squealing Miss Spud.  Yes, the dog has her own cat, he is orange.  He wasn't sure if he should keep an eye on the strange wiggling creature or avoid eye contact.
  Bill's mom noticed that she likes to grab things with her left hand first.  She might be left handed for all we know.  She has also added a lot more "words" during our trip to Ohio.
  On our third night of the trip she had a very unenjoyable moment.  She was probably still a bit overstimulated from the day and getting back to the hotel, so she wasn't committed to eating her last meal of the night.  Bill gave her a single pat on the back, like burping but only once like he has before, but it was oddly loud.  She has sometimes yelled because of it, I think it sometimes startles her.  This time she yelled super loud and wouldn't calm down.  I took over rocking her and saw that she had so many tears, normally we only get one per eye at the most.  She was also breathing quickly between yell/cries.  I finally got her calm enough that making hungry sounds was her only complaint.  After she finished eating some more she was asleep.  She woke up momentarily for Bill when he put her down and gave him a smile.  We both agree that we have never heard her crying that loudly or for that long before.
  We all took her to the library where her OH Grandma and her Aunt Amanda work at.  This was her first time ever in a library.  There was also a knitting group going on while we were there.
  A few times during our visit we went out for a drive.  It was fun seeing all the places that Bill used to go to.  Miss Spud slept through most of both drives, so we will have to take her on the tour again.
  Our next stop on the tour was Bill's Aunt Fern.  She was so excited to see Miss Spud and Miss Spud was happy to meet her.  She smiled at her and really liked the toys she got.  That evening we introduced her to Young Indiana Jones, because Aunt Fern had recorded them on VHS tapes for Bill back when they were played on the TV.
  We went out for lunch at The Lansing Brewing Company, last time we were in town we had eaten there.  Of course Miss Spud was a hit.  She loves watching all the people walk by until the food arrived and then had fun kicking in her wagon while we ate.  Some of the historical photos that Aunt Fern found are enlarged and up on the walls still.
  When we got back to the house she was hungry, but just kept smiling at everyone instead of eating.  She also wanted to chat.  She stuck her tongue out and was trying to get her hoodie's zipper in her mouth.  It was the first time we've seen her try that.


Week 16:
  During one lunch she managed to snag her Great Aunt Fern's plate, drag it towards her, and tried to put it in her mouth.  She impressed all of us with how strong she is.  She then spent the rest of the meal looking at everyone's plate.
  After she was fussy we took her for a drive because it's been a while since she got a really good nap during the day.  She didn't understand what was happening, but we drove out to where some of her Great Grandparents are buried.
  We rewrote the Itsy Bitsy spider for her: The itsy bitsy spider went up the Liliana, down came the drool and washed the spider out, out came the smile and dried up all the drool, and the itsy bitsy spider went up the Spud again.
  We had a little sing-along evening.  She kicked and wiggled while smiling really big.  She liked the music from The Music Man more than the music from Grease.
  On the way home she kept trying to put her soft chain toy in her mouth.  It didn't give her any milkies, so it was a bit frustrating.
  She has started trying to help with her bottles.  Most of the time she ends up pushing it away though.  There are times when she pushes it away from her mouth straight back, upwards, or to either side.
  She is getting a lot more confident in her rolling skills.  Most of the time when she goes from her back to her tummy she still traps an arm under her, but she is starting to figure out how to free it.
  There was enough salt from the road on our trip that Bill wanted to get the truck washed again.  She was awake for it this time and was looking around during the whole wash.  She was mesmerized by it.
  In a very short amount of time she went from being able to clumsily roll from her back to her tummy to being very good at it.  She has figured out how to slowly inch-worm herself, but hasn't quite gotten crawling yet.  She's getting close and closer by the day though.  She also thinks that kicking faster will get her places faster.  She will also smile on her tummy now, where she used to just have a blank or frustrated expression.
  During her latest bath she decided that she didn't like the showerhead raining down on her.  Every time it was on her she would she would whine about it.  At the end she finally liked putting her right foot into the stream.
  I swear she said I Want Boobies at one point.  It was closer to Eh Uh Nah-Nee, but I understand what she was saying.

Week 17: 1st part
  It was the combination of the winter holiday show and Shane's mom being in town that lead us all to be at Rocky Horror once again.  We stayed for the whole show this time.  She fell asleep some time during the creation and only stirred a few times.  She was wearing her Let's Do The Time Warp Again onesie, so she was paraded down the aisle before that.  Ryan was Santa, so I held her up to him when he was handing out presents to some of the audience near the end, everyone around me loved that part.

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

I Swear I'm Still Making Things

Here are the results of the Hat-a-thon:

California Marathon (43)
• Meanicequeen (1/1)
• neecy25 (23/?)
• MinnieMay9 (4/4)
• janetknitwitch (2/3)
• asimplelife (7/4)
• mere2012 (6/6)

  I wonder if it was neecy25's first time because I didn't see anywhere where they mentioned how many hats they planned to make.  They did end up with an impressive amount and could almost have done a whole marathon all on their own.

Pattern: Lucky Bamboo Hat by me - Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver Metallic in Silver - Needle: US 8
  It is hard to see the sparkles in the yarn in the picture, but you can really see them in person.  I didn't even know that Red Heart made a sparkle yarn in their Super Saver line.  A lot of the people who saw me working on it said that they didn't know about it either.  For the hat I tried a new way to do the cast on.  I worked a crochet cast on, but to get the Vs to show, I worked two plain knit rounds.  That way the natural curl of the fabric would pop the bottom up.

Pattern: Baby Octopus by Jade Gauthier-Boutin - Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Grey - Hook: 6mm
  I did all the same changes I did to the other baby octopus pattern.  This time I used one of the bead techniques I saw on Donna Wolfe's video How to Crochet with Beads Using 3 Easy and Quick Methods Tutorial on YouTube.  It was so easy and I don't know why I didn't think of doing it that way myself.

purl-wise on the left, knit-wise on the right
  I was messing around with Kitchener stitch and wondered what it would look like if you did the same direction for all of the stitches.  If you have never done Kitchener before, it is where you weave the yarn in and out of the stitches and graft two pieces together to make it look like one continuous piece.  It works really well for the toes on socks and the end of mittens.

Pattern: Woven Lattice Hat by me - Style: B - Yarn: TLC Cara Mia in 2251 Lime - Needles: US 8
  I was tempted to make a post about this yarn in my Is It The Best/Worst series.  I was really enjoying working with it, though I didn't get enough to make the two usual hats I do for that series.  I went to look at what yarn it was and was saddened when I saw it was by TLC.  Red Heart dropped their TLC line of yarns over 9 years ago.  If you happen to have this yarn in your stash, it is pretty nice to work with.


Yearly Yarn Tracker:
Yarn In: 24 (0)
Yarn Out: 36 (0)

Total: -12