Works in Progress

In crafty areas of Blogland, Wednesday is a day for bloggers to share their current work in progress (WIP). In an effort to post here more, and to provide some incentive for me to actually finish some of my projects, I am going to start sharing some of my current WIPs. While I have several projects going right now, the rate of progress is slow due to the fact that my crafting time is pretty sparse. I do, however, have lots of time to plan future projects as I type and search Ravelry one-handed while nursing and holding a sleeping baby. I will try to post something new every week, but if all else fails, I will post the same project again and again until it is finished!

This past week I have been working on a cardigan for myself. The yarn is Knit Picks Cadena, a bulky wool and alpaca blend. It was originally for another sweater that was nearly finished (as in, all but one arm sewn on) before I realized that with this bulky yarn, the final sweater weighed, oh...about 5 pounds! So, I ripped it out and have been working on a Shalom Cardigan, which I have already ripped out once because I decided to add a few more buttons and stitches than the pattern calls for. Now I am about halfway done with the yoke...again.


The other project, which I just started yesterday, is for Noah for Easter though I don't know if I will finish it on time. I will keep the final project a secret until it is completed, but here is a sneak peak.

Oh, it is such a beautiful day outside, I am not sure how much knitting will get done. Maybe the Easter Bunny will come finish my projects for me? Happy creating, everyone!

~Jen

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. I am going to try to make this a new weekly ritual here on Our Quiet Place.

Welcome Spring!

This past weekend, we welcomed Spring with a visit to a local sheep farm to see all the new arrivals. We saw piglets, rabbits, chickens, turkeys, calves, and chicks, but the highlight was the newborn lambs. There is not much left to say, except that they were soooo cute!

Sleeping newborn lamb.

Newborn twins with their mama.

Older lambs playing and resting.

A sweet lamb face.

Rambunctious lambs climbing on their mamas.

On Becoming A Brother

One of my first thoughts after Isaac was born was how happy I was that Noah would have a brother to grow up with. Despite Noah's first words upon seeing his new baby brother being, "Bye, Baby", he has taken to being a big brother in his own easygoing style. Just as he pretty much ignored my growing belly during the pregnancy (other than the fact that it made snuggling with me more difficult), he accepted the fact that this new baby was part of our family. No big deal; one day there was no baby and now there is a baby. Right from the beginning, he was my little helper, bringing me my water bottle or the poppy (Boppy pillow) while I nursed Isaac. Other than an occasional "Hi, Baby" and suggesting that perhaps the crying baby would like to play with an egg shaker or sit in his swing, he ignored Isaac and went about his business of playing.

Over the past few weeks, however, Noah has slowly been becoming a big brother and it is truly touching to watch. I find myself stopping whatever I am doing to watch him interact with Isaac a little more each day. He now calls Isaac by his name instead of just calling him baby. At first, he pronounced it as two distinct syllables: Eyes Ick. Now the name rolls off his little tongue, and "Where's Isaac?" is the first question out of his mouth each morning. He 'cooks' things for him in his kitchen and brings him fruits and vegetables to 'eat.' He sits and chats to him while I make breakfast and tries to gently wipe spit-up off his face.



I am not jaded into thinking Noah will always be this easygoing about being a brother, but I think he is off to a good start. And I never I thought I would enjoy watching them together as much as I do.
-Jen

When I open my eyes...

This is the first thing I see...

A pretty beautiful sight to wake up to, I would say.

-Jen

Welcome!

Join us in welcoming Isaac Fynn, who was born safely at home in the bathtub at 2:17 am on February 12th, 2010 after an intense one hour of labor. This big 10 lb 5 oz, 22.5 inch boy was in such a hurry that he arrived 5 minutes before the midwives! Full birth story to come at a later date...

Until then, here are some pictures of Isaac's Birth Day Dinner. Grandma made Jen's favorite chicken and wild rice soup and we had a special chocolate raspberry cake with sparkling wine to toast the Birthday Boy! Isaac looked on calmly from his swing for a few minutes before joining everyone at the table.

Future posts will probably be picture heavy as our quiet family adjusts to life with a newborn.

Love,

Curtis, Jen, Noah, and Isaac

Down Again

Just when I thought I was on the mend and ready to have this baby, BOOM!, I am knocked down again. This time with a sinus infection. Baby has hung in there per my request to wait until I feel better. Poor thing! It probably thinks it has the most fickle mother in the world. I do however, have a few recently finished projects to share (some of the photos have been up on Flickr for a while now). First up, Fiddlehead Mittens I finished (a while ago now) for myself. They are toasty, warm wool, with a really soft alpaca lining, all from Knit Picks.


I also finished the Branching Out lace scarf for our midwife. It actually went faster than I thought. Blocking it out was a difficult feat!


I also made some Reading Mitts (fingerless gloves) for our other birth attendant. They are made from Debbie Bliss Fez, an interesting combination of merino wool and camel.


Now for some baby projects...
This first one was a quick project. It is a kicking sack (kind of like a strapless sleep sack) made from an old felted sweater. I just cut the shape from the front and back, using the ribbing at the bottom for the waistband, sewed the two pieces together, and ta da!

After making the kicking sack, I started looking around for an actual sleep sack knitting pattern that I liked and couldn't find one. I finally settled on a vest pattern and then just continued to knit, knit, knit, increasing a few stitches every few inches. I finished it off with a drawstring casing to close it up and keep those little footsies warm.

That brings us to the end of my pre-baby "To Make" list. I did start working on a shawl to keep me and baby warm during future nursing sessions. It is made out of wonderful Malabrigo yarn, and is a pattern so simple that I may even be able to handle knitting a row or two at a time in my soon to come post-baby, sleep deprived fog. The other project is not such an easy undertaking: it is a full-size quilt for our living room made of of Heather Bailey's new Nicey Jane fabrics. This one may take a while, but I am really in no hurry and I think the finished project will be perfect for snuggling under.

I hear our little chatter-box calling that he is awake...

-Jen