I was Kidnapped!

Remember this little guy? Brandy got him a few weeks ago and offered to send him here for my boys.

Ok. I got the package the day before yesterday with a BUNCH of pattern books that she sent, too. Thank you so much! I can't wait to try some of them. (But that's a story for another post.)

Anyway, McDevil (that's what I'm calling him - and anyone who watches Grey's will understand that little endearment) is evil. He kidnapped me this morning and made me take him to the park.













First he tried the teeter totter, but there was no one to totter with.













Then the swings. He wouldn't let me push him, so he just kind of sat there. Sad, really.













The Monkey Bar Dome was cool, but aren't you supposed to hang upside down? Like this?













Much better.


Then there was the slide. Now he really seemed to like this.














But after all that sliding he wanted to take a break.


























So he sat on this turtle. I think they developed a special bond, though. He was there a while. Better not run up my phone bill.













Then he thought it would be funny to play hide and seek. Took me a while to find him in this telescope.


But the things that really interested him most were the "rock" climbing walls.














He climbed this one...
















And this one...
















And this one. He got pretty high on this one, and then....















Ouch.

After he fell, I decided that was enough. I told him one more time down a slide and we were going and if he didn't like that he could waddle his own way home.










So yea. He's happy now, I guess. Next time I hope he kidnaps the hubby and makes him take him on a bike ride.

And Now For Something A Little Different...

Today we have a guest blogger! It's my hubby!

A little background info: He commutes by bicycle to work a couple of times a week.

Here's his story:


The Adventures in Commuting with Wisconsin Johnson


















Wisconsin Johnson outside the Tunnel of Terror.

Cue the Indiana Jones theme...

A rural road in Wisconsin, just outside the coast of Lake Michigan. 07:53 am

Our intrepid commuter looks down at his watch as he enters the secret pathway to the temple of money. Realizing he is almost two miles away with the unstoppable clock ticking, tick, tick, tick, he quickens his pace only to be greeted with a small cramp. Grimacing as he pushes through the pain he notices that the path has become overrun with the dirt of contractors.

The evil contractors have only begun placing the dirt along the secret path, when it should have been done sooner. Not only that, but the dirt is starting to cake the slick tires of the unprepared commuter. Our hero is now faced with the pain and dirt but continues to quicken his pace. If he does not reach the temple by 8:00 am horrible consequences will be bestowed upon him by the evil temple keepers. A short lunch, maybe even staying until 5:05 pm is on the horizon. Our commuter steels himself to the thought of staying late and then having the arduous trek back through the uphill 8.5 mile gauntlet.

Without warning he enters the overhead tunnel of trees. What was once hard dirt has turned into soft mud. Mud begins to splatter off his tires, onto his bag, arms, everything. Even worse, his speed is dropping; all the while the clock is still ticking. After a short time in the mud our hero realized his traction is gone. The smallest error and he will fall, maybe badly. Increasing his hold on the handlebars, he searches for a way out. No luck, the closest exit is still 50 yards off. He pushes harder to maintain speed and control slowing a little as he nears the exit onto the road. No good, there is a truck coming and to merge at this speed with the mud could leave our hero in the road on his butt with a truck bearing down. He looks ahead to the next exit. It's another 20 yards down.

Before he can reach the exit, his head is rattled by a sudden blow. A rock and mud missile has flown off the tire to strike his helmet. The bike swerves from side to side as the fearless commuter tries to work the mud off his tires. It's no good, though. The mud is caked on and will fly off at will. Can he reach the safety of the road with its mud free surface?

This time fate is on the side of the commuter. He reaches the exit to find the road clear on both sides. Once safely in the road he accelerates with everything he has left. Flying through the last mile becomes safer as the secret path is longer than the lazy contractor's mud. Stealing onto the path he can safely pump his way to the temple.














Our beleaguered hero inside the Tunnel Of Terror.

Time and falling become his only obstacles as he nears the temple. Ahead his co-worker has entered the parking lot. He looks down, less than a minute to go with a short amount still to push. Pedaling hard while maintaining control of the mud-caked bike isn't easy, but our hero is up to the task. He enters the temple with 20 seconds to spare. He can now have his lunch, and leave at the proper time...

Bombastic Booga

My Booga Bag is finished!! I absolutely love it!

This pattern FLEW by. Literally. The most time consuming thing was picking up the stitches along the bottom of the bag. Other than that, it knitted up quickly.

I used the JoAnn's Sensations Bellezza Collection Dolcetto yarn for it, which I showed in this post. The colors I used (in order from top down) were lime, peach, yellow, blue, and purple.

A close up of the bag before it was felted:













If you've seen this pattern and thought about doing it but haven't yet, I highly suggest it! It's a fun little bag.

The wool I used is actually a blend that does felt, but pretty thinly. It actually shrunk up more than I'd expected first time through the washer.

Dimensions:

PRE-FELTING:
- unfolded - 10 1/2" w x 12 1/2" h
- folded (with the indents for the straps) - 9 1/2" w x 11 1/2" h
- i-cord - 51"













POST-FELTING:
- unfolded - 8 1/2" w x 7" h
- folded - 7 1/2" w x 6 1/2" h
- i-cord - 36"


If I had it to do all over again (and I know I'll make this bag again), I'd make it a bit taller since felting makes it shrink more in height than in width. I'd also make the i-cord maybe a foot or so longer.

So my 2nd felting process went as well as the first one did.

I'm a happy girl today!

It's Fall, Baby!

I know, it has been for a few days. But I'm still excited about it! It's my favorite time of year!

So to celebrate, I decided to go drudge through my photography folders and see what kind of Autumn Goodness I could round up. There were so many I decided to make a Flickr Badge for my sidebar!

Go take a look if you like! Hope you enjoy them!

Booga Teaser

Hee hee.

Here's a pic of my Booga Bag in progress with the next color in front. I think I should probably have it done by tomorrow, so you'll have to wait for proper pics then. Till then, this photography depth of field teaser will just have to do. *evil laugh*

* TOE UPDATE * My toe is almost normal size today, but sooooo not normal colors. Ew. It's repulsive.

--

* Booga Update!! *

It's done! Tomorrow I will take before photos and measurements, then throw it in the washer for a couple of cycles to felt it. I can't wait. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I think it's just going to look fantastic felted.

Stay tuned!

Oh and Brandy - be thankful I didn't upload THIS version of the picture:













Which honestly, I didn't even think about doing. But I should have. I need to get back on the ball with my photography. In my days of shooting EVERY DAY I wouldn't have missed that opportunity to really tease you. *evil laugh*

Beware. ;)

It Smells Good In Here!

Mmmm yummy. We're having Spiced Ham Sandwiches tonight for dinner and it's simmering in the crockpot as I'm typing this.

I'm also baking cookies today. I told my hubby yesterday that I was in the mood to bake some cookies. His eyes lit up and he said, "I would LOVE it if you baked cookies!" I asked him what kind he wanted and he chose my family recipe for Ginger Cookies. (Next on my list to make will be your Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Brandy!)

This is a photo I took last year of the cookies. I would have taken a new one, but the dough is chilling in the fridge right now.













But with all the spices and cloves and other such goodness, it smells heavenly in here!!

---

Oh - and an update on my toes...

Everyone has been so sweet sending me comments about getting better and resting. I really appreciate it! The swelling is starting to go down, which is great, but they're getting more colorful by the day. Oh well. I'm sure it's one of those things where it's going to look far worse before things look better.

But thanks again so much to everyone for your concern!

The Trouble With Toes

Ya'll, I have broken my toe. The fourth one, next to the pinky. And I think sprained the one next to it, the middle toe. They hurt so @#$%*! bad!

I'll spare you pics. But I will tell you this. There are some lovely shades of blue, purple, green, and black going on. And lots of swelling and distortion. It totally grossed out my 7 year old.

We knew it right when it happened. My foot hit the wall hard and CRACK! Both my older son and I heard it. He said, "Oh eeeeewww." I said... well, I said things I shouldn't repeat here. And I'm not proud of the fact that I said them in front of both of my sons, but um, I was in a lot of pain.

Pain. Pain so bad I thought I was going to throw up.

I can't walk. Last night I was hopping. Yes, that's right, hopping around because I couldn't stretch my foot straight so it would lay flat on the ground. Hubby carried me a few times to the couch and pretty much wherever I asked him to. What a sweetie!

Today it's mildly less painful (or it could be these wonderful pain pills I've been taking) but I can put it somewhat flat on the ground to pitifully limp around.

Oh and, what's worse? I can't drive either. It's my right foot. I tried this morning when I took the boys to the bus stop to use the foot to press on the gas. Ha ha, that was a good one. My foot practically screamed at me. I let the truck idle its way to the bus stop then used the brake with my left foot.

So yea, I'm not going anywhere.

Lady D & a Sock +

Just a little progress report to show how my Lady D scarf is going.

Why am I calling her Lady D? Because I want to.

Well, really, it's because I love the name Lady Eleanor (aka Lady E), which is the name of the Entrelac Stole that I'm coveting. But since my scarf is from a pattern called Danica I've decided to call it Lady D. Hush. I like it.

She's getting too long to show you the full scarf, so here's just a bundled snippet from the middle. *sigh* I just love this yarn. I think it's gorgeous in Entrelac.

And for those that might have been curious about my hubby's sock, here's the finished one with its mate on the needles.













What? I told you it was thriving in its infancy.

Ok, so there's not much done on the 2nd sock. So what? He's always hot. These socks will be very warm. Yes, it's getting colder here in Wisconsin, but it's not like he's going to need them tomorrow. Me on the other hand? I'm always cold. I'll need that scarf sooner than he'll need these socks.

Anyway... Details on the socks. The pattern is the same one I used for my socks. It's called Easy Worsted Weight Socks. I'm using two skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Wood Print doubled together. I really like the muted yet rich shades of brown and even a splash of dark hunter green. And did you notice? It striped! I didn't really notice that until I got past the heel and on to the foot.

The sock fits my hubby perfectly, though I think he might have been slightly annoyed at the number of times I made him try it on during the progress. Don't worry, babe, with the second one, you probably won't need to try it on until I need to start the toe decreases.

And speaking of trying it on. We've all tried this one on. Of course hubby has, but both boys wanted to, too. Which brought hubby to remark that maybe they're a bit jealous and want their own hand knitted socks.

I think I may have snorted a little when he said that.

A Scarf For Me

Isn't this beautiful? I swear this Patons SWS was made for Entrelac Knitting.

After completing my socks, I still had some leftover yarn. I thought about my original idea of a drawstring purse, but after seeing this gorgeous entrelac stole, I thought I'd give it a go with the Patons.

I'm totally in love with how it's working up.

The beginning few blocks are a bit wonky in their joins because I was still figuring out where to pick up the stitches. Now I've got the hang of it, so hopefully the rest will be smooth sailing from here.

The pattern I'm using is called Danica Scarf. I was super intimidated to try this but it's actually a lot easier than I'd thought. I figure this should take me the better part of the next couple of weeks and then I'll have a beautiful scarf to cuddle up with this winter. *squeal*

---

As for other projects, I've finished one sock for my hubby and the second sock has been cast on and is thriving well in its infancy. I'm taking a break from it now, though.

Hmm.... I wonder if that will stunt its growth.

Ahem.

It has been brought to my attention that I need to blog more.

...

Why? I don't know. I mean, how much of my craptacular starts and rip outs of projects do you really want to see? Not that many, trust me.

And really, not a lot of interesting things go on here in AJ land on an everyday basis. My blog would be a total snoozefest if I wrote about the daily mundane goings-on of my household.

...

But just for you (and you know who you are - oops did that link sneak out??) I will blog today.

Here's my day so far.

6:30am. Wake up because hubby is rudely snoring in sleep next to me. Realize daylight is peeking through and figure I'll just get up.

6:45am. Older son stumbles out of his room. I tell him it's way too early for him to be awake and send him off, still half asleep, back to his room.

7:00am. Pick up hubby's sock and continue where I left off last night. Round eighteen million of the stockinette stitches on the foot.

7:15am. Younger son stumbles out of his room. On his way to the bathroom he decides he needs his beloved Buzz Lightyear. Stumbles back in his room and never comes back out. Apparently he can shut off the need to wee without actually using the loo.

7:45am. Hubby stumbles out of our room, sees me, smiles, uses the loo, comes over to me and asks me to come back to bed and talk to him. No, that's not some code for something else. He really wanted to talk. I swear.

The men in my life do a lot of stumbling. They're coordinationally challenged in the early morning hours.

9:00am. Both boys are trying to break down the door of our room asking us for trivial items we haven't seen in three years that they feel are absolutely necessary at this moment in time.

9:15am. Read some blogs and news. Remember a certain someone (who is still nameless, by the way) started to make noises at me resembling a small child in the grocery store when you tell them, "No! You can't have that candy bar!" when I told her I wasn't going to blog yesterday. (You know I love you.)

9:30am. Start typing this post.

9:40am. Look over to my left where I see my hubby, in the kitchen, dancing to the BeeGees "Stayin' Alive" and almost crack up.

...

So there it is. In all its glory.

...

Um, maybe I'm not in such a great mood today. I think I need to go back to bed.

For like, a week.

Sock Love

Ahhh.. My socks.

My very first pair of knitted socks. Aren't they all kinds of crazy? I just love those stripes.

You can see at first they were a little shy. After all, it was an arranged marriage.



But with a little coaxing, they started to warm up to one another.













Awww isn't that sweet.



And then they really hit it off.




Geez, get a room.

I Have Socks!

Yes! It's true!!

But, unfortunately I can't show you until tomorrow...

I just wanted to come on here and bee bop and scat* about my very first pair of socks!

Stay tuned!



* bee bop and scat - one of my husband's favorite sayings.

Fall Purse Swap

I just saw on Crochetville that my Fall Purse Swap partner got the purse and goodies I sent her! YAY!

And you, lovely readers, know what that means!

I get to show you all what I made and sent her!


Ok first off... the bag.

I couldn't find a crochet pattern that I really really liked so I knitted this purse for her. It's kind of like the knitted felted purse I did a few weeks ago, but this time instead of making up i-cord for handles, I used two 3" hematite bracelet rings I had.















I bought some really soft flannel in a white and light light cream marble to line it with. My sister-in-law was kind enough to help me make that since I haven't got a sewing machine or the rudimentary knowledge in order to run one.

Well, I do now, as she made me sit and practice, but that's a story for another day. (Sewing was SO fun!)

I then added a magnetic closure into the lining to give it a more finished feel. Plus I really really like these. (In fact, I bought two and put one in my felted purse.) And then on to hand sewing the lining into the bag. That was actually fun!

And now for the goodies!!













Here's a rectangle granny ... thing. I'm not sure what it is ... maybe a hot pad to put underneath a casserole dish or something?

__














I made her this little Breast Cancer Ribbon pin.

__



And here's a little sachet and a bookmark.

The sachet was a lot of fun to make and I really liked the pattern stitch. I stuffed it with polyfil and a small amount of pumpkin and cinnamon spice potpourri. It smells heavenly!

I then topped it off with white satin ribbon and a ribbon rose.

For the bookmark, I made one change. Instead of leaving the tassel as strands of yarn to hang, I brushed them so they'd fan out. Why? Beats me.

I also included a set of Jasmine and Pear votive candles, a jar of Freesia bath gel, a box of Stash tea in chocolate and hazelnut, two skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky (cocoa brown and variegated brown, blue, and cream), two Lion Brand pattern leaflets (one for purses and one for accessories), a wooden Asian Fan, and two CDs full of relaxing music.

She left me a message on Crochetville saying that she loved everything. Whew!

Handmade Needles

Look! I was Miss DIY Girl yesterday. I made my own double pointed needles (dpns.) These are size 7.

Go me!

Sock Prognosis

Well, the ripping has gone well. The sock is in stable condition now, but it could slip to critical at any time.

Will it be ok?

It's too early to tell. It's still pretty touch and go.

We're doing everything we can to save it.

Sock Woes

Sock progress was going great. Had done the heel flap, successfully turned the heel, and even started the endless rounds of stockinette on the foot. But there was one major problem.

When I put the sock on my foot to try it, the heel is way too big. I knitted about 4 rows too many on the heel flap. *sob*

So now, after all that careful and beautiful hard work, I will have to frog back down and turn the heel all over again.













Why don't I just leave it this way? Because it will bug the sh*t out of me. I'm too much of an anal retentive perfectionist to just leave it alone and chalk it up to a lesson well learned.

So off to ripping I go.

*sigh*

Needle Felting is FUN!

Look at this teeny little guy! Isn't he cute? He's my very first needle felting project.

A while back on Marie's blog "A Knit's Tale", I saw that she has done some needle felting. After some research (to find out what it was) I knew it was something I wanted to do.

It was FUN! It took just 20 mintues to make this little guy. Talk about instant gratification! And I only stuck myself once! Well, er, twice ... but that's it I swear!

Fine. It was five times. Rub it in.

Anyway, needle felting is a lot easier than I thought it would be. This little guy isn't a masterpiece or anything, but I think he's just adorable. But he needs a name!

Speaking of that, I still need a name for this little Ducky, too!













You can see that he's reeeeeeeally tiny. He's only about 3/4 of an inch tall. I definitely got the smaller bear that I wanted!

Here's a picture of him sitting with Owen and Olivia:













They look like giants next to him! And they only measure in at 3" and 4" respectively (when they're standing.)

Ok, now that I've got one project out of the way for today, I've got two more ahead of me.

1. Start the heel portion of my sock. I'm a bit nervous about this and would be perfectly content to keep stockinette knitting in the round, but then I fear I'd have a sock for a leg that was about 10 feet long.

2. Get supplies to make my own knitting and cable needles. Yup, that's right. I want to make my own. It's not hard (I already did a small cable needle this morning, but it was done out of pretty crude supplies - ahem - a chopstick.)













In the above photo, you can see the part of the chopstick I didn't use, the one I made, and the awful metal cable needle I bought.

I absolutely can't stand the metal cable needle. It's too slippery, I hate the little dip in the middle and it's too small in diameter. But the larger diameter ones were all WAY too long.

At KnittingHelp.com, Amy has a video on how to make your own knitting needles, which is where I learned how, and she shares what kind of supplies work best.

So hopefully sometime later today I'll be back to show you the fruits of at least one of these labors.

I'm Not Ignoring You!

I promise!

Beta Blogger is giving me fits as far as commenting. Since I've switched, I've had SO much trouble leaving comments on some of the blogs I read.

Basically what it comes down to is this:

I'm now part of the Beta Blogger Evil Empire.

If your blog is still with the warm, cozy, and innocent Classic Blogger, I can't leave a comment on it unless you allow anonymous or "other" comments.

In short, the Blogger login area on the Classic Blogger comment window doesn't recognize login IDs and passwords for those of us who've switched.

This is extremely annoying because there are so many blogs that I read that I can't comment on right now simply because I switched to Beta. And I've got no idea when it will be fixed.

I'm not asking you to change your comment preferences. You've got them set that way and I totally respect that. Why should you have to change because Google/Blogger can't get this fixed?

That's right, you shouldn't.

But in the meantime please don't think I'm ignoring you or not reading your blog. Because I am.

Help!

I can't decide. My head hurts from trying to make up my mind.

A couple of posts ago, I talked about buying some beautiful wool called Patons SWS. Yesterday I started a drawstring purse (.pdf file) out of one of the skeins and got about 20 rounds into it before I sat back and thought, "Huh."

The colors are gorgeous. The striping is fantastic.

So what's bothering me then? I just don't think I'm digging the pattern. See, it's huge. You cast on 100 stitches, and with this yarn it's just ginormous. If I were going to felt it, then yea, that would be perfect. But I don't want to felt it.

Take a minute to let that sink in.

I don't want to felt it.

I, who recently made a beautiful little felted bag, who desperately wants to felt something else, just don't want to felt this yarn. Why you ask? Because it's SO pretty. Unfelted and knitted up, it's just beautiful. Don't believe me? Wait, I've got pics. I'll prove it.


See? I told you! Look at those delicious stripes! And see see see?? The eyelet round? I did that.

What? Stop looking at me like that! I know what you're thinking. In your head is a big fat, "Er, so what?" Well, to my ultra beginner knitting status, an eyelet round is HUGE. An accomplishment of monstrous proportions.

But I digress. The issue in hand here is that though this is beautiful, it will be very large. I wanted something a bit ... smaller.

Which brings us to my dilemma.

The second skein of this striped goodness has gone into a humble start of a sock.

Yes, a sock! I found on line yesterday a pattern called Easy Worsted Weight Socks. (.pdf file.) I got out my brand spanking new dpns and cast on. And began. And hey, knitting on dpns is kind of fun!

And after several rounds of ribbing, began the stockinette stitch. Which is where I currently am now. ... What's that? Oh, right. Pic.


Now this, I'm liking. A lot. BUT.

Wow, that's an awful big "but." But a but it is. I'm worried about laundering these. The yarn calls for cold water hand wash. Fine, that's do-able. A pain in the ass, but do-able. But heaven forbid they get accidentally thrown in with towels, which are they ONLY things we wash in hot water here, where they'll felt up and shrink down. Of course, one of my sons would probably like them...

HAH. I'm so lying to myself on that one. They so would not.

Another thing: stretch. There does seem to be a nice amount of give to this wool. And that's fine for some things, but I'm not really into the baggy sock thing anymore. I grew up past 1988.

But they'd be so pretty!

So now you see. I've got this beautiful yummy wool and I honestly can't find THE pattern with which it can live in symbiotic harmony.

---

But enough of that.

I'll write about some other things I bought the other day to take my mind off of the Patons for a while.













Aren't these gorgeous? They're Classic Elite Renaissance in Valencia Orange and Celery. I'm not sure what I'll do with these yet, but I just loved the colors. Besides, I have a fairly large stash of acrylic, it's about time I build up my wool stash. *evil grin*

I also got some needle felting supplies. I bought some needles and some roving wool. I still need the little foam pad, but the associate at the store was less than enthusiastic about the idea that I only wanted a little 5x7 patch of it. She said they usually sell that stuff by the foot and it's like 5.70 per foot. Yea. Right. Chickie, I don't need that much and there ain't no way you'll get me to buy it. I've got to have something around here that I can make do with.

I want to make an itty bitty teddy bear. Hee hee, because apparently my crocheted Tiny Bears just aren't tiny enough for me anymore. I've got to have a smaller bear. It's an addiction. They were the gateway bears and now I've simply got to have a smaller one.

But, without of course, actually having to crochet with hair-thin thread and a crochet hook no bigger than a bent sliver. Obviously that would be a choice to a normal person, but yea... I'm just not into that.

I've got a couple of those hooks. I've got some of that thread. I've tried to work with them. But I think they've formed a union against me. Because they revolt every time I try.

So a needle felted bear it is. I'll let you know how it goes. Hopefully I won't accidentally shish kebab my fingers.

Swap Goodies!

Dao, OMG you were SO generous!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I love the tote!

Ya'll, she totally spoiled me!

She made me a beautiful tote in a rich chocolate brown finished off with an orange ribbon tied at both sides. There are beads in the handles and a cute little charm hanging on one of them that says, "Make A Wish."

Dao made me a beautiful pair of earrings and a matching necklace to go with them -- they're gorgeous! I love them!

There's a pumpkin spice candle that smells SO yummy. I can't wait to light that on a crisp fall night and wrap up in a cozy afghan.

She sent a magazine called Your Health - what a great idea. There's always new stuff to learn about ourselves.

I'm going to SO enjoy the Strawberry Cheesecake Muffin Mix - I. Love. Cheesecake.

There's a bunch of hot chocolate mix which is wonderful because I just love hot cocoa. A mug filled with that rich chocolate-y goodness is heaven.

She also sent a box of green tea, which my husband already told me he wants to share - he loves that kind!

I love the magnetic notepad - those come in so handy!

And lastly, she sent a set of Halloween stencils that my 4 year old son absolutely squealed in delight over. Those will be SO fun to use for decorating this year!

Dao, thank you again from the bottom of my heart. You did a beautiful job on the tote and I truly love it. And all the goodies are perfect. I am so lucky to have had you for a partner!

First Day of School! And A Ducky

Here's a shot of my boys on their way to the bus stop through the fog this morning. It was the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL today.

T, my 7 year old, started 2nd grade today and had a great day. He came home with tales of how much fun it was, who was in his class from last year, and how nice his teacher is.

C, my 4 year old, started his very first day of school ever today with the 4K program, which is essentially an introduction to Kindergarten. Wisconsin is pretty progressive to have such a program, and I love it. When I met C at the bus stop at noon, he came running out of the bus to give me a hug and to tell me how much he loved school and all about what they did there. It warms my heart to think that he loved it and wants to go back. I was afraid he might not want to return. He can be a little shy sometimes and tends to want to stay with either myself or my hubby. I'm glad school is everything he hoped it would be.

Not to mention the free time I get to have every morning of the week! WOW! It was SO NICE! I came home after seeing them on the bus and just enjoyed the pure silence. It was spectacular. I decided today that I would hold off on household chores and do those tomorrow. I wanted today just to be "ME TIME."

And with that, comes the Ducky part. A few days ago I bought this pattern book called Just Ducky Baby Afghans. I like the afghans, but actually I bought it specifically for the pattern for the duck. It's SO CUTE! I started one last Thursday and finished it up today while the boys were both at school.

I just love saying that: The. Boys. Were. Both. At. School.

Anyway, I digress. So here's the little ducky I finished today:













Isn't he sweet? I made a few changes to the pattern. I didn't quite like how long and straight the original pattern made the duck look, so I left a round off the head and three rounds off the neck. This made it a bit more squatty. I also added a tail - it just didn't seem right without one!













This little guy is pretty tiny. The pattern calls for it to be made with worsted weight yarn, but I really enjoy doing these little stuffies with the fingering weight yarn and a 1 steel hook, so that's what I used for this guy. He stands at just under 3" tall.


For the beak and feet I used Red Heart Soft Baby in Powder yellow. The body, wings, and tail were made with Bernat Baby Fingering Weight yarn in White.

The book shows all the little ducks with a wide ribbon tied around their necks in a bow. I keep debating on whether or not I want to put a bow on him or not. Any ideas?


---

By the way, a couple of my readers have complained that they're having trouble commenting on my blog. I was invited to switch to the new Beta Blogger a couple of weeks ago, and though it's cool and has some definite potential, there are some bugs and trouble spots.

One of them is this little tidbit I saw on the "Known Issues for Blogger in Beta" page: 'Users who have not switched to Blogger in beta will not be able to login to comment on blogs that have been switched. Commenting using the “anonymous” or “other” options will still work.'

So if you're having trouble and still want to comment, try one of those options. But you know, only if you want to.

OR! I've added a new comment system. This should work.

I hope.

---

To close, I want to reiterate the fact that I LOVE SCHOOL.

Carry on.