Grapelicious

A little fruity grape hat for my little girly...

This is the first knitted project that I finished that required me to really follow the pattern. I was so proud of myself when I finished it. This little hat is well...quite little...yet it took forever (it seemed) to complete. Perhaps it was the very fine yarn and itsy needles. However, I did learn quite a few new skills while making this hat...knitting with both circular needles and then double point needles at the end, increasing and decreasing! I can't wait to see it on her little head.

Also, nursery furniture arrived late Monday night. Actually, I should say early Tuesday morning because they carried it in around 12:30am. The delivery man of the furniture store where we purchased it wanted to come down a day in advance because of a snow storm predicted in his area on the original date of delivery. He asked if we would mind a late delivery. Of course not! It was odd to have furniture delivered in the middle of the night but honestly we didn't mind! DH and my father-in-law put the furniture together last night and DH washed some of the bedding. We plan to put things together tonight! I will have pictures soon. I do have to say though...I love this furniture even more than I remembered and I am so glad we bought it regardless of the price!

Now, off to start a veggie hat for my little boy...

Don't you love it when...

...you have had a really long day taking an exam (yes, I had to sit for 8 hours and take a standardized test in all my pregnant glory - hence my absence this week due to studying - ANYWAY...) and you come home to a big Priority Mail box stuffed with goodies like this????

Needless to say, I was more than excited. It was like Christmas in January at my house this evening!

Fellow pregnant blogger Stefanie of Artsy Momma sent me this care package full of goodies. She is 38 weeks this week yet found the time to put together this package for me! She is just too sweet! I cannot wait to get started with all of this stuff. I already have lots of projects lined out in my mind.

Wanna hear more about the goodies in my box from Stefanie???

ADORABLE his and her matching hat and booties sets and some super cute iron ons...I can't wait to put this on some little onesies. It will make an adorable complete outfit for each of them!

Yarn! Yarn! Yarn! All super soft! Can't wait to use it all! Also included in the box but not pictured are a couple skeins of Cotton Ease in a lovely taupe and blue...those are already being wound on the yarn winder...I didn't even wait long enough to take a picture of them before I started using them!

All supplies necessary for hand embroidery! 72 colors of embroidery thread, oh my! I'm in heaven. DH is going to have to wash some onesies because this super cute pattern will make some adorable baby clothes!

Also, I have been meaning to photograph and share my other bed rest gift from bloggy friend Jennifer of JCasa Handmade (if you haven't seen her blog...you must go check out her handy work. Bee-u-tee-ful!). She sent me this skein of lovely 100% merino wool vesper sock yarn and a pattern for footies she has recently made/posted on her blog.

Since seeing her footies I have been obsessed with wanting to knit socks. I have purchased 2 books on knitting socks as well as 2 general knitting books. I have been practicing and practicing with my ultimate goal being to gain the skills necessary to knit these socks! I cannot wait to use this yarn...I'm getting a lot closer to feeling confident enough to give it a try!

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Since my announcement about my bed rest (which was posted while I was actually an inpatient at the hospital- thank goodness for wireless patient internet!) I have received nothing but well wishes and support from all of you, my blog-y friends. I never realized how much starting this blog would enrich my life...I know it sounds corny...but you all are awesome. You have become my "friends" though we have never met...your comments make my day and I have appreciated all of your kind thoughts and prayers throughout all of this. I cannot say thank you enough!

For my Dad...

I am so proud of this project for many reasons. I made it for my Dad. When I was visiting them last weekend he watched me working on another scarf and was quite interested. With the recent cold snap we have been having here we decided he needed a nice woolly warm scarf. So, a couple of nights later when I cast off the other scarf I had some free needles and a desire for a new project for Dad. This scarf actually was completed in one sitting. Two movies later and Dad had a brand new scarf made of some handsome burnt red and brown woolly yarn. I still can't believe I can actually knit.

This is actually completed knitting project #4 - where is #3? Well, that one is a scarf similar to this one but is mega long...so I need to model it for a good picture. Maybe DH will be available to help with that over the weekend.

Some exciting news: The nursery furniture will be delivered on Tuesday!!! Also, you have to sneak a peek at this. I am soooo excited!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Knitting Project #2 Complete

Yeah! I finished my 2nd ever "real needles" knitting project! I used this pattern to make this dish/wash cloth and 100% cotton yarn Lily Sugar'n Cream yarn. The photo really does not do this one justice! The colors are so much prettier in person! This was so easy to work up (and I read a pattern!!!) and really quick. I will definitely be making more of these with this pattern.

So, with all my new found pattern reading wisdom, I have already cast on my next project. I am attempting circular knitting (all of my projects have a purpose - I need to learn circular knitting so I can ultimately make these socks!) using a pattern kit from my local yarn shop. It is the most adorable hat for baby girl. Don't worry...I have an equally adorable one for baby boy that will be knit as soon as the one for baby girl is completed. I'll keep the details of the hats a secret for now but they will be posted here as soon as they are off the needles!

All wound up and ready to go...

In an attempt to practice my knitting pattern reading skills while not wasting/ruining expensive beautiful yarn, I have decided my next little knitting project will be to use up more of my cute 100% cotton yarn from my stash. I'm going to attempt this pattern. Yeah, another dish/wash cloth... Wish me luck...off to cast on tonight!

Happy, Happy 28 weeks!

28 weeks!!!

Yesterday was a huge milestone! Babies born after 28 weeks do much better than those born before 28 weeks (95% intact survival rate at our hospital over the last 7 years). The perinatologist at our hospital always says the month of 24 weeks - 28 weeks is the biggest month in a babies life. My babies made that mark! Now, we have our eyes set on the next prize milestone - 34 weeks here we come!

Both babies are doing very well. We had a growth ultrasound this morning and both babies are measuring appropriately. Baby Girl is now weighing in at 2 lbs. 8 oz. and Baby Boy is 2 lbs. 11 oz! They are so beautiful (we have some nice 4D images of their cute little faces!) and we are so excited about them.

I finished my first ever knitted project - a washcloth! This one will be added to the stack for the babies since it is kinda small. I used only knit stitches in this project for practice...now I'm ready to purl! I have plenty more 100% cotton yarn for more washcloths but mama really wants a scarf for herself. I need to practice reading a knitting pattern because I am dying to make some of these socks with the beautiful yarn that JCasa (she has posted some beautiful socks lately!)sent to me...I must take a picture of that yarn to share with you all (add to the to-do list)!

Goodness gracious great balls of yarn...

I'm smitten.

One of my Christmas gifts from DH was this yarn ball winder. It can all be summed up in 2 words. It rocks! No more frustration of winding balls of yarn by hand and no more tangles. Just neat, easy to work with little yarn balls made on this nifty little gadget in mere minutes.

I just love it. I took this leftover skein of yarn...

...and turned it into this in 2 minutes flat.

And...it is so fun to use. Now, I want to buy more yarn. :)

(Knifty) Knitted Christmas Gift Set

Continuing with the parade of knitted Christmas gifts we come to one of my favorites... A super soft charcoal cowl and hat I made for my sister.

She really looked fabulous in it too!

I can't stop (knifty) knitting! However, on the real needle knitting front I am making great strides. With the help of a book I received from DH for Christmas and youtube videos I am now casting on, knitting and purling with ease. I need more practice before I can attempt a pattern though...I have a gift a fellow blogger sent to me that I am soooo excited to try and I must show you all!

Welcome 2009!

There is no doubt about it...2009 is going to be a BIG year for us.

I finished a project for my babies! Knitted stroller blankets...his and hers.

I always said I would never be a pink for girls and blue for boys kind of mom. Pink and blue are probably my least favorite colors. But somehow, I was sucked into this yarn. I couldn't resist it. Now I find myself loving chocolate and pink and chocolate and blue crib sets... Do the hormones brainwash you into pink and blue???

I also made them hats to match their blankets. I have plans for some booties too!

Best wishes to all in 2009! May your year be filled with many blessings!

Also, just wanted to thank all of you for continuing to pray for me, my babies and everything!

Hats, Hats, Hats!

I have been knitting on my Knifty Knitter loom like a mad woman since before Christmas. Now that Christmas is over the ones that were gifts have already been given so I can feel free to show them here.

Fun, fuzzy, colorful hat for my niece, So. She looked so darn cute in it too!

Simple, classic black for my grandfather.

This cute little number (it is newborn size) was knitted on the Knifty Knitter by one of my friends. This was her first knitting project ever! (And how super sweet of her to make her first project one for my babies!) She did a fantastic job!

It is neutral so they can take turns wearing it! :)

My presence on this blog may be spotty for the next few weeks. I'm going to try to post here as much as I can because I have LOTS of stuff to show you and posting here really is cathartic for me. However, there are some things going on in my family (in addition my issues and the bed rest) that come first. Please continue to pray for my entire family during this tough time. God is amazing and I know he can do wonderful things for us!

This is what bed rest will do to ya...

Sorry for the absence. My doctor had me stay on bed rest this past weekend after a test which can help predict preterm labor came back positive. All is well now though...except my husband says I didn't get a "Get out of jail free" card with the recent good news that I in fact do not have to remain on bed rest. So, I am heeding the advice I often (daily) give patients and I am learning how to take it easy. No more trips to the mall before my 14 hour night shift or cleaning the entire house top to bottom during the weekend for me. Nope. Now, I am confined to the couch or bed on my hours/days off work. And let me tell ya...after only having to be on bed rest for a weekend (3 days) it is no easy job. It is serious hard work. I now have an enormous amount of respect for those patients that I have seen spend 6 - 8 or more weeks on bed rest! Again, this is why I am taking it easy now...so I don't have to do that!

So what is a girl to do during all that time on the couch/bed...knit. Knifty Knit to be exact. I've made this cowl you see above, baby hats, a baby blanket for baby boy (I'm working on baby girl's), washcloths and I still have plans for many other things to make. I will take more pictures soon and show you all those projects. I have big plans to make a hat to match this cowl. I can't wait. I love this Knifty Knitting stuff.

This past Sunday we celebrated "Happy Viability Day!" with some ice cream cake. 24 weeks! Whoo-hoo! Sorry about the bad picture...taken with the BlackBerry...I was at work when DH brought the cake so we could celebrate and I never have a good camera there!

Please remember to keep me and my babes in your prayers and thoughts! We always need 'em!
Have a great day everyone!