Grandchildren, Knitting and Christenings

Started a blanket for Colin last night. He is due on March 31 and it will still be chilly then. I chose blue and white, not because it is my favorite colors, or that it is the standard for baby boys, but because that is the colors his Mommy is using in his nursery. We are going to Lucas' christening today. Can't believe he is a month old. Life just flies by while you are looking in another direction. My life is full and blessed, but it seems like I miss a lot of it. Next weekend is Tiffany's baby shower, Anna and Brian coming to visit and the Super Bowl. A very exciting weekend coming up. Food, kids, football and so much fun! The playroom is pretty much finished and we are happy that we have this wonderful room for the kids to play and watch movies. My Traveling Woman shawl is coming along very well. Since it is the first lace shawl that I have made, I am very proud of the fact that it is going so well. I can't wait to finish it. OPAM 2012 is underway and I finished a couple of items for January. I hope I can finish all the items I have planned for 2012. I have set some pretty lofty goals for myself this year. I am looking forward to this challenge!

Traveling Woman and Other Shawls

My Traveling Woman is going so well! I just finished the third repeat of Chart A and hope to do the fourth tonight. I love this Malabrigo Sock Yarn. It feels like pure silk in my hands. I have a goal in 2012 to make 6 shawls. I am starting with this one. I am not sure what the other 5 patterns will be, but for sure, one will be Holden Shawlette. In addition, I really want to do Faraway, So Close. I have always loved it, and I have had it in my queue forever, but then I won the pattern from my MA group, so it has been "burning a hole in my pocket" as my Dad used to say. Such a big decision!

I have had a very chaotic start to 2012. A terrible,can't get rid of it cold, a root canal, doctor's appointments with my Mom, changes at work and disappointment in the NFL! But, I do have a wonderful, blessed life and I am happy! I finished a couple of knitting projects this past week. Take a look! Snuggle Blanket and Hat for Lucas:

And, my Saroyan Scarf by Liz Abinante:

I have just cast on Traveling Woman, also from Liz and I am trying to finish a snuggle blanket for Anna before her birthday on February 17. I can't believe that she will be 3! She is so adorable and if I had hand picked a granddaughter, I could not have chosen one as dear as she is to me. We have another baby coming in March, Colin, and we are all so excited! Babies are such a wonderful part of being a family. Lucas is growing like a weed and Brian and Anna are so big! I have a couple of projects that I am planning for 2012. I want to do more embroidery, and more scrapbooking. I have boxes of photos and things that I have saved for scrapping and I need to get started. So many projects, so little time! I am counting the days until OPAM 2012! Can't wait to get started.

Handmade Gifts

I am constantly surprised at the fact that people in general just don't appreciate handmade gifts. I guess they don't stop to think about the time, money, energy and love that a person puts into a handmade item. Yarns that are soft and warm are very expensive and some gifts take hours of knitting or crocheting. A good example is hand knit socks. Yes, knit socks are sold in all department stores, cost anywhere from a couple of dollars to $20 or so, but they are not even slightly comparable to a pair of hand knit socks. Once you have worn a pair of custom fit, hand knit socks, you will never be the same. It has been my experience in the past, that some people just don't get the idea at all. It takes anywhere from 8 to 40 hours to knit or crochet a handmade item, depending on what the item is and the amount of time the artist has to devote to creating it. Not to mention the cost. Good sock yarn averages about $20 per ball and it takes 2 balls to make a pair of socks for an adult. Yes, you can buy several pair of socks for $40, but they won't be the same. Blankets and throws take much longer to knit and much more yarn. Then there are quilts. Hours and hours of cutting, measuring, constructing and then quilting. Artists make handmade gifts because they love doing it, and cost and time is no object to them. They love the people they are doing the item for, and want to do something special for them. They put all their love and creativity into these gifts, as well as many hours. The next time you are given a handmade gift, stop and think about what goes into making one.