Little Elephante

Okay, so even with all the color jogging issues and poor seaming behind the head I still think she's pretty cute.  I hope my niece thinks the same when she receives it for Christmas.  IF I give this out for Christmas, that is.  With the number of nieces I have, I may not have time to make one for each, and I don't know how I would pick which one to give it to!  Details can be found on my Ravelry project page. 

She was a quick knit, and I will consider making more, with a few adjustments which I will share upon completion of each.

I realize I still have to take more pictures of the toy balls I've been making AND have lots to share regarding our bedroom renovation.  I'll probably post some Halloween photos later on tonight too, so be sure to check back again soon!

Progress

Everyone has been working hard.  As of today, the entire upstairs has been primed, and the ceiling has been painted.   We chose a light blue for the ceiling (including the slanted parts) and a medium blue for the walls (most of which are short). It's hard to see the ceiling color right now, so I'll take some pictures once the wall has been painted.  It looks pretty light and bright up there right now, but when I saw it there were some very bright workshop lights in use, so I imagine the blue tint to the ceiling will likely show better under normal lighting conditions.

Once all the painting has been finished we will have someone come in (currently scheduled for Monday) to put up all the trim.  That will include base boards, window trim, doors, and something to cover the entry holes into the eaves.  Then the carpet will be installed on Wednesday, and the electrician is scheduled to come back on Thursday to put in all the fixtures.

One of these days, we'll actually move back in!!!  I hope I get to see the finished product before all the furniture has to be brought back up, but the latest news from my doctor is that the question is not so much whether or not they will induce, rather, when.  I reach 37 weeks on Monday, and I have an appointment then plus an ultrasound scheduled for Thursday.  We'll see what happens!

In the meantime I've been knitting more.  I'm way behind on pictures, but I'll get there. In addition to finishing a scarf and knitting a hat for a swap, I've been frantically making toy balls for my nieces, for Christmas.  I have eight new balls ready to go now, and I'm still working on more.  I am anxious to start some for the boys but need more yarn in more colors and, as you know, can't exactly make that trip out on my own right now, so... I wait.

I was all excited last night when I found a great resource for color jogging avoidance.  I liked the technique better than some others I had tried before, so I will be sure to share that link along with a project photo, as soon as I can put it all together!

Halloween Inspiration

I don't know that I will be able to get involved in any Halloween festivities this year.  From what my doctor said on Friday there's a good chance I could be in the hospital having our next sweet baby boy, or I might even have already welcomed our tiny little bundle into this world and have to send someone out for an orange and black newborn set!  I suppose it could be pretty cool to have a Halloween birthday, although I was hoping to make it to November before having to be induced.  Only time will tell. 

Of course, I love to dream of all the fun ways to get involved in decorating and celebrating.  I'm not big on some of the ideas surrounding All Hallows Eve, but I love the time of year and think it's so much fun for the kids.  It renews some October energy in me and makes me want to share in the excitement.  I do have a glimpse of hope that maybe I will still get to carve a pumpkin this year.  (I would be sitting, after all.)  It's unlikely, but in the spirit I thought I would find some fun inspiration to share. Click on the photo for more detail.

I hope those of you who are able to take time for some festive projects will enjoy them extra for me!  Happy October!

Cold Weather, Warm Heart

I had to take a brief study break this afternoon just to reflect and share with you how amazing people can be. I know a lot of crazy, terrible stuff happens in this world every day, but so do a lot of heartwarming, thoughtful, and caring acts.

This afternoon Gabe took a longer nap than usual, and Thomas went across the street to play with his friend for a while. I used the opportunity to catch up on some long overdue studying. Meanwhile, our fourth overnight visitor and helper, Brian's mom, was here all the way from Wisconsin, just to help out while I was/am down. Today she took care of some of the most dreaded cleaning things that I would probably never get to, healthy or otherwise (i.e. cleaning the tops of our ceiling fan blades). I am in awe at how helpful our family has been. Everyone who is able to help has already done so, and the rest have offered their support and prayers. Truthfully, from my perspective, I don't feel all that terrible. I suppose I probably feel like any other expectant mother who's only one month away from her due date. Plus, my blood pressure has actually been significantly better on bed rest. It's hard some times not to feel guilty for accepting so much help. Of course, I'm still trying to follow strict orders. Each day now I reflect on all that is happening around me, and I am so thankful. Today when, on top of everything else, Brian's mom returned from outside with a pan of ziti from the neighbors, I couldn't help but feel positively overwhelmed with gratitude.

I would love to extend my thanks to everyone who has helped or offered kind words. You know who you are. I only hope I am able to return the favor some day.

One final thought for today: never underestimate the effect it might have on someone when you take a moment to bring them flowers or cookies--or whatever your specialty. When they say it's the thought that counts, they sure do mean it, and benevolent acts don't often go forgotten.

These needles are hot!

Whether I like what's coming off them or not, they sure have been busy. I figure I'm making up for lost time.

Slipper for Tom, constructed from granny squares (okay so that's a hook, not a needle... )

Simple ribbed newborn hat made from gifted yarn (Thanks, Mom!)

Cable and moss teddy bear sweater (one of my favorites, however imperfect)

Christmas elf hat for the baby

Teeny tiny newborn socks and mitts

Super soft swirl balls using stash yarn (I will definitely be making more with some brighter, more fun colors, once I find them.)

Very simple, very pink slipper socks, gifted to my sister because they were just a teeny tiny bit loose for my liking

Yet another simple ribbed newborn hat - but I love it - SO soft and stretchy

In cables, the tiniest of the hat collection, probably only useful if this little one decides to make an early entrance

The first of the hats and my least favorite of the bunch... I'm hoping it will look better on the baby's head, but it is big so he may not be able to wear it for a while.

I also started an incredibly soft yet probably way too big infant sweater (even though I checked my gauge and still came up with a tighter knit than the pattern calls for).

I even lengthened Nana's scarf, bit by bit, in between projects. (Excuse the old picture; I'll take more once it has been bound off and blocked.)

There were also a number of projects that didn't go so well.

This was going to be a mitten, but I made up the pattern and sized it all wrong. I will probably try again one of these days, and who knows? Maybe I'll have another simple pattern to share with you all.

I forgot to take a picture of the sock-turned-Christmas stocking. That was only a half-fail. The final product wasn't actually half bad, considering the circumstances.

In case you're curious, all of the above projects, with the exception of the fails, can be found on my Ravelry projects page.

My remaining plan, depending on how much longer I can manage to bake this little bun, is to finish the little sweater and Nana's scarf and then complete two small projects I have promised to others. If by some miracle I still have any time and/or knitting left in me at that point, I will either finish yet another WIP or make a new series of swirl balls to gift to all my nieces and nephews this Christmas.

I have to get this all in while I can, after all!

Renovations

The big day is here. Our aforementioned outdated attic bedroom is undergoing a major overhaul this week. Brian and friends tore down all the old walls, insulation, and flooring two weekends ago, and we had an electrician come in last week. Today we watched the construction crew come in, and it was pretty entertaining. Our contractors had a big truck deliver all the insulation and sheet rock, and since replacing the windows was already part of the job, they knocked out the window over the garage right away, and the truck driver used his crane to lift all the materials up to the window for the men to load inside. It was amazingly quick and a lot of fun for the boys to see. My dad came here to help with the kids, and he pulled Gabe's high chair into the living room so that he could watch out the window while he ate his breakfast. Tommy and our neighbor across the street watched from outside. Everyone was pretty excited! I would have taken a few pictures had I not been ordered to the couch.

I don't have a good before picture because I planned to take one right before all this started but was put on bed rest too soon. I did, however, save the photo from the original listing:

The picture is a bit deceiving. The space is actually much larger than it appears. If you look closely you'll see two small tables with lamps. Next to each of those is a twin size bed. In the area closer to the front of the picture we had enough room for our king size bed, a night stand, a dresser, some large boxes, a desk, and a craft corner. It's a big room! We plan to use the far end as the nursery and the remaining area for our bedroom (but still keep it all open as it was before). We aren't changing the size of the closets except to better expose the radiator at the far wall. What we are doing, however, is getting new insulation, walls, windows, actual closet doors, carpet, and paint. Out with the yellow, brown, and peach! The new carpet will be gray, and we're thinking of using a very light shade of blue for the walls. If all goes as planned everything might be done some time next week. We're excited to see the final product!

I have plenty of other blogging catch up to do, but today has been stressful. I feel like standing and moving around a bit, but I just stretched my legs for a minute, and when I sat down again I took a couple of blood pressure readings, and they were up again (not terrible, but up some). I opted to load up youtube and find something soft and soothing to listen to, and this is the song I found. It's one of my favorites. I thought I would share.