Knitting machine...

Hello all. I have some new knitting items to share with you. I have made 2 cocoons (1 pictured), 1 egg, numerous test hats...They don't look as good when they are just laying there on the floor, but at this time I don't have the right equipment to show you how they all really work...ie. the infant that is to come.

About the hats...I was trying to find a pattern that would work with the knitting needles I have available and yarn leftovers. The close-up picture is my best hat yet. I think it is finally the keeper pattern! It includes a removable bow-which is a one of a kind Anna pattern. The other hat attempts were either too shallow or too wide, or a combination of those.

Anyways, I'll try to get pictures with the baby in the items so you can see how they work.



This last picture is just to see if you can see the varigated color of the yarn if you used a different color setting. Pretty neat that it all looks the same.

Nesting??

Well...the time is approaching for the baby's arrival. You know how I know? Despite the construction going on in our bathroom and my not wanting to start cleaning until we are done getting things dirty, I dusted!

The other rare adventure of the day...cookie making! I make cookies only slightly more than never, so I had to document the whole thing! Kj wanted to help too. So she got the cast off measuring cups and spoons and some water and she measured teaspoonfuls in to the various cups. Then of course her and I did some taste testing of the first batch. They were, in her words, ooey gooey!



Say, did you know that if you click on the picture it gets enlarged? I found that out just now...no, I'm not very experienced in this blogging thing...this is probably an "of course" thing for all of you readers...

Blessed be the name of the LORD.

About a month and a half ago, I was in my sister-in-law's wedding. Being a married, quite pregnant, mother of a toddler, I didn't really get to know my groomsman/partner. But events of the last week have brought him to mind a lot.

Friday, he had a brain aneurysm while at the gym, followed by surgery and an induced coma. Our family was traveling to visit my other sister-in-law, and so we were updated by phone through my new brother-in-law, who had to stay behind to work.

Today, the following Wednesday, brought an email that this young man had died. He was strong and healthy and now he's gone. It brought to mind thoughts that you hear all the time..."Life is short." "Live in the moment." "Don't take things for granted." A verse written on my new brother-in-laws webpage: "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." We don't know our lifespan, we don't know when the person next to us is going to be gone.

God truly only knows. It isn't a cruel thought. It is a glorious thought. While I think of the things that he and his family may miss out on...walking a wonderful young lady down the aisle, someone not a married, pregnant, mother of a toddler...graduating from college...among other life goals/happenings. God knows the opposite things he doesn't have to deal with. No more hurt, no more pain, no more disease, etc.

Of course, you can't go up to the family and tell them all that, can we? How do you connect with them, encourage them, comfort them? I guess, I personally don't have to know that answer for this young man's family, but my brother and sister-in-law need to know. Please, pray that they will have the words and actions to be near and dear to this family in their sadness. As a mama, I can only imagine that the pain of losing your "known" child is much worse, and longer lasting than losing your "dream" child.

"The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Doing what I like to relax...and what came of it.

I have been doing a lot of knitting and crocheting lately, as you all have read. Well, on Wednesday nights our family goes to a church supper. After that Kevin helps teach 1st and 2nd grade boys, and Kj plays in the nursery with the kids. There are a couple of other moms whose husbands teach or something and their kids are in class or the nursery. So, we have started congregating and visiting on the comfy couches in the entrance of the church. Since just before Christmas we've had a crew of craftiness. We've had cross-stitching, fleece hat/scarf making, crocheting, knitting, and other small projects. Others walk past and see what we are up to and stop to visit for a few minutes. It has been a lot of fun.

Well, one lady that has walked past often is a at-home-mom/photographer. She has commissioned me to make a few newborn props for her studio that she found online. So, after Kevin gets off work today, I'm off to the store to buy supplies. We'll see how many items I can get whipped up before our baby is due (mid-March).

I have a goal too. I have some Christmas money saved and I am going to add my earnings here to buy a serger. Something I thought would be fun to have and would help me with a few projects that I've thought much about. I'll keep you posted!