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A knitter on Ravelry posted asking for clarification on the pick up and purl technique on my Stripey Slippers.  I promised that I’d get a video of the technique, since it’s one that would take far too many words to describe (but can be shown in less than 30 seconds!)  Please excuse the insanely poor quality of this video – it’s what you get when your 8 year old is weilding the tiny camcorder.  You might want to turn down the volume before you hit play, he was way too close to my mouth!

One of my favorite digi designers is having a sale at 2Peas this week:

I’ve already gone and gotten myself the January + February 365 Kit (yes, I’m starting my 365 Project in April.  So what? I’m a bit quirky!) and a cute little graph paper.  Crystal’s work is fun and fresh, and makes seriously awesome pages, so go check it out!

The cat and the babe, that is. Rusty’s 6 months old now (we’ll ignore the time warp that must have occurred for those 6 months to go thisfast, because surely it was just a week or two ago that I was bring that tiny little bundle of blobby baby home from the NICU)

Since Rusty’s arrival at home, the cat (Lily Potter Belville) has wavered between indignation at the affrontery that is a newborn (the screaming, the smelling, the stealing of the good spot in mama’s bed) and curiosity (if I lay on it, will it be a good pillow?)

We’ve finally, I think, reached the Indifferent Stage. Rusty’s not yet mobile, so Lily can plant herself just out of arm’s reach and look at him with mild annoyance. To which he laughs back hysterically, like she might just be the funniest little creature to ever walk the Earth. It’s entertaining all around; I adore the giggles that erupt from Rusty anytime Lily gets close to him. But poor Lily, she doesn’t have a chance once this kid gets some skills and can chase her.

Yesterday’s birthday festivities included a jaunt to IKEA where the kiddies got to play in Smaland (god, how I adore whatever genius thought up the IKEA Smaland!) and I got to play in the housewears. I was very, very good and came home with only a few trinkets.

Some plain bibs that are destined to be gussied up with embroidery from the insanely inspiring Design Collection for Kids which I found from reading over at one of my favorite blogs, SouleMama Stay tuned for in progress pics as I work on them.

I was sorely tempted to get some georgeous earth tone printed linen called Gribby, but it I didn’t have a specific goal in mind for it, and I’m trying not to buy anything that doesn’t have a goal. So, I put it back. If it keeps calling to me, I’ll figure out a project for it and go back, I think. Isn’t it pretty?

In knitting news..well, there is no knitting news. I’ve been….well, um, I’ve been…crocheting.

There, I said it. I’ve been crocheting. And I like it. Yes, me – crocheting. And liking it. I’ve been churning out granny squares like a mad woman. It all started with Alicia’s ripple afghan. Oh, how her ripple sang to me. Called to me. But, then she started in with the grannies. And then I found the GrannyAlong and now I’m just in big trouble. I’m thinking of all the surfaces in my house I can cover with the granny. But the first up, I’m making a sweet blankie for a friend who is expecting a wee girlie early this summer. Don’t these colors just make you picture a rosy cheeked little summer girl, sitting under a tree in the breeze?

Today has been a good day. The boys let me sleep in, the weather is cool enough to warrant me wearing a sweater, and we went for a jaunt into Media (Everybody’s Hometown), which is a fun little town with tons of cool artsy shops and a new bead shop, too. There’s a trolley that runs through the center of the main street (and I wish I had though to take the trolley in from our town, cause the boys would have loved it, but I realized it too late!) And the best pizza place around (Little Anothony’s for anyone close enough to ever visit.) I had a slice of roasted pepper, broccoli rabe and kalamata olive pizza for lunch.

Anyway, we were on a mission to make a necklace for Gigi (my absolutely awesome mother in law, the boy’s beloved “Georgeous Grandma”, thus the moniker “GiGi”). Anyway, here’s what the boys created (and I finished when they got bored) for her birthday celebration tomorrow. GiGi and Pop-pop are taking them to the Zoo for the day, so I get a whole afternoon to myself. I’m practically gasping at the thought!

Plus, I got to chatting with the owner and mentioned that I’d love to teach a beaded knitting class, and she seemed very interested and offered class space in November! I told her I was thinking more along the lines of early spring after the babe’s born, but I’m pretty excited at developing the class. I think I might be able to rent their classroom space when it’s not in use for knitting classes, as well. Wahoo!!

So, of course I bought some more beads for stitch markers. I got the most adorable silver little turtle charms, and some beautiful butterflies as well. Here’s the turtle ones:

We ran into my friend Mindy in town, and she posed in this pic with the boys. I think little Ethan with that big head is hysterical!

And yes, that’s AJ trying to scratch Mindy’s eyes out with the freaky Freddie hand!