Better Late Than Never

My cousin had a baby in July and I've had "make a baby gift and mail it" on my to-do list for months.  I'm not usually a terrible procrastinator so I can't really explain why I was this time.  Do other people suffer from selective procrastination?  She also has a 6 year old so I picked up a Halloween book for the 6 year old and I knit the baby some Halloween socks. In some ways this is kind of more fun than the normal baby coloured anything....I'm grasping at straws to explain my tardiness...anyone buying it?  I was busy...I had jam to make, a bathroom to renovate...what can I say.  In any case, my point is that it truly is better late than never.  I'm sure my cousin will get a kick out of them and will forgive me for not being in touch sooner than this.  Sometimes we let things drag on and think it's too late but it's never too late to tell someone that you were thinking of them.  

Witchy Baa tried them on and they fit perfectly.  

All About Autumn

I know I'm not alone in thinking that Fall is the best time of year.  The colours are breathtaking.  Is there anything more comforting than a hot cider or a meal made in the slow cooker on a cool day?  How about pulling out your hand knit sweaters and feeling that snuggle you remember so well.  I know that the season immediately following this one is not going to be that much fun but for these few glorious weeks of spectacular colour there is no other season.

What is your Gratitude?

Mine is -------  Healthy children, my own health, my faith, family-especially my parents, friends, pets, job, living in Canada, books, music, my apple laptop and my iPod (thank you Steve Jobs), my table saw and drill, my home, my vehicle, coffee, yarn, fresh fruit, HGTV, fall colours, the hard times that have shaped me ...... and so much more!

Paige's Perfect Pizza

My daughter is a creative cook.  She's able to root around in the fridge and come up with a great meal when it seems like the cupboards are bare.  My mom is the same way.  I'm more of a 'follow the recipe' kind of cook and I really admire cooks who just wing it.  She came up with this super simple, super fast and super healthy pizza.  She uses a tortilla wrap, spreads pizza sauce on it, sprinkles on her toppings - tonight we had garlic, ham, mushrooms, red peppers, broccoli and cheese.  Then she bakes it right on the rack at 375 or 400 for about 8 minutes. 

Yummyliscious!

A little modern art to go with the pizza

This blob of knitting will eventually be a Harvest Moon sweater.  

Pattern by Heidi Kirrmaier available on Ravely.

When Life Isn't a Bowl of Cherries....Fill Your Own Fruit Bowl

I LOVE fruit!  I was turned onto a market called H&W about a year ago.  The prices are amazing.  Every time I walk out of the store I feel like yelling "start the car" just like that crazy lady in the Ikea commercial.  The only problem is I'm the one driving.  

I got a heaping bin of fruit and veggies for $22 bucks today (yes I realize the $ symbol and the word bucks is redundant but I think it deserves repeating).  I think it's hard to eat healthy on a budget.  A lot of junk foods are a lot cheaper than fresh produce.  Typically the amount of food that I buy at H&W would run about $50-$60 in a regular grocery store and I've never spent more than $28 and can barely carry the bags they are so full.  I'm just so glad that there is a place like this for people who want to eat healthy but need to stretch their grocery dollar.  

I wash everything as soon as I get home.  Just put everything in the sink, spray with a fruit and veggie wash, fill the sink with water, take the fruit out after soaking for a few minutes and set on a tea towel to dry then fill up the fruit bowl.  I also make up a bowl of fruit salad typically with some melon, mango, kiwi, and throw in some canned oranges or pineapple or both.  I like strawberries and watermelon but add those on a daily basis as they can get a bit too soggy by Friday.  I take a bowl of that to work for a mid-morning snack.  I peel carrots and wash other veggies and cut things up so that I can grab something healthy instead of something not so healthy.  If it's ready it's a lot easier to stick to eating healthy.  When it's not ready and you have to clean, cut and chop it is far easier to grab a handful of crackers, or chips (I know they all start with a c - I'm partial to the letter C) and I do have a huge weakness for chips.  So much so, that I rarely buy them because I can't stop eating them.  Fortunately (and please don't hate me) I've never had cravings for chocolate.  I don't dislike chocolate but it's just not my go to for foods that one would crave.  If I did crave something sweet, it would be butterscotch or caramel.  

I hit the jackpot tonight.  My daughter cooked dinner when she came home from work.  She BBQ'd chicken and corn and served it with steamed veggies and salad.  She is such a good cook, so much better than I was at her age.  We often work out a deal where she does the cooking and I do the cleaning.  I was (heavy emphasis on the 'was') the mom who cooked dinner every single night but as the kids got older and moved out, came back, worked shift jobs and weren't around to eat a meal I'd cooked, I got to the point where I stopped trying to plan meals and was quite content to figure out what I was going to eat when I got home.  It's so much easier to cook for one because you don't feel obligated to put all the food groups on the table every single night.  If I want a salad and a piece of toast, that's what I have.  If I want cereal, I balance it later with ice-cream.... I'm nothing if not well balanced.  I guess what I'm trying to say is I got tired of being the chief cook and bottle washer.  I think if I hadn't had a break from it I would have just continued to do it, but once I got a taste of freedom there was no going back.   It almost makes me want to stay single for the rest of my life.  I almost mean that too.

Well I hope you find your bowl of cherries full to the brim this week.  If you don't, just substitute other fruit.  Contrary to the popular saying, life is not always a bowl of cherries, so make up your own mix!

I'm ready for my close up!

My mom took me to the beauty parlour.

Do these bows make my butt look big?

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I have been on holidays for the past two weeks. I've knocked off a wack of to-do's on the list. Wack-a-do's done!

I also fit in a trip to my hometown with my son to visit my parents for a few days and it was a really nice break. They live at a beautiful lake in Saskatchewan and my mom has created an amazing oasis with all of her flowers and decorating.  She spoiled us rotten as she always does.  The weather was spectacular and it was a wonderfully relaxing time. Unfortunately my daughter had to stay behind and work which was disappointing.  Growing up sucks.

The bathroom is finished!

I love the way it turned out.  In fact, I think this might be my favorite reno I've ever done. Not in process, but in finished look.

I finally got the mirror on Wed. They told me it had been cut for a while but they couldn't figure out who it belonged to because the note taped to it had fallen off. Considering I had called 3 times 2 weeks prior to see if it was ready it sounded strange to me. I kept thinking they might have broken it, but couldn't understand why they wouldn't just tell me that. I was just so happy that they actually cut the holes in it that my exasperation did not last. Besides, it's pointless to get twisted about the small things in life. These minor inconveniences add interest to the day and are certainly not real problems. My son came over Thur to help me install it. Definitely a two person project. I can't quite believe it actually happened considering the earlier disappointments in the cost overrun, the run around at the glass shop and the possibility of breaking it during the install. I love love love the look of the lights on top of the mirror.

Friday I installed the faucet. I've done this once before quite a few years ago and all I can say is upon reading 'drop stopper into drain body and insert ball rod into opening' I'm grateful to the person who invented diagrams. I don't think I'll be applying for any plumber jobs anytime soon. The one thing that always frustrates me is my limited physical strength. It's harder for me to get fittings apart and so on but I persevere and having a locking vise-grip makes the impossible possible.

I made some folding tables that I will post later with instructions on how to make them.  

I made a jewelry case using a store bought picture.  

I finished a pair of socks (1 was about 2/3 done on the trip to Saskatchewan...10 hours each way in the car is a lotta knit time.  I love having grown up children who can drive!!!!  .

This picture which is now hanging in the bathroom was something that I had made previously.  I bought the frame in the As Is at Ikea for $5.  I cut the brown mat board for the back and then I used double sided adhesive and cut it to size and then sprinkled sand on top and then glued the shells on.  I bought the starfish at a cute little shop on the California coast.  I love having things around me that are meaningful from travels or handed down from family.

And THAT is how I spent my vacation.  Got lots done (even cleaned out the garage).  Had a great break.  Oh and I finished reading The Help and then went to the movie.  Both were very good and I highly recommend them.  The book was better, but I've never been to a movie that was better than a book.

Just Tell Me the Truth....

No mirror.  I called the glass shop on Tue, Wed & Fri to ask if the mirror was cut.  on Tue & Wed I had a very hard time getting any real answer - we're short staffed, their working on it, should be soon.  On Friday the receptionist said that the technician was nervous about cutting it and he had left the job for the manager who tried to finish up these jobs on Saturdays when it was a bit quieter.  This is all fine and understandable but she could have just said that on Tuesday.  Why the vagueness, it's not like we're dating.  I've tried every day this week to arrange a time for my son to come over to help install it and to take both of my kids out for dinner and it was impossible.

I'm at their mercy, if they are that busy then they probably don't need this piddly job and the stress but c'mon people just say it'll take a week or two weeks, when I dropped it off last Friday I was told that it might be ready the next day.  I have done as much as I can in the bathroom but I have no finished product to show you yet.  I know, I'm excited to see it all done too!

I installed the towel bars and that should be easy but it was a bit more challenging than it needed to be.   I installed it to the measurements in the directions to discover that the measurement was wrong.

TIP: there was a very small alan key included with the towel bar that you have to use to screw in this miniature screw in the bottom of the bar to hold it tight to the bracket on the wall.  When I have small pieces like this that I might need sometime in the future I like to put them along with the instructions into a ziploc bag.  In this case I will just leave it in a drawer in the bathroom.  It would be very difficult to get them off without this little tool if you ever wanted to replace them .

I have all kinds of projects up my sleeve and will fill time while I wait for the mirror.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the slowest glass cutter of them all.......

On Second Thought....

I don't know if I could marry a guy like Cap'n Crunch.  I have a feeling our kids would be total froot loops.

Confession time

My name is Stitchy and I'm addicted to Cap'n Crunch. I love him so much I would marry him. Don't judge me.

Days 5 & 6

It isn't really only 5 days since I started the bathroom reno but my full-time job kept me from getting to much done in the bathroom this week.  On Saturday which was day 5 of the reno I painted the first coat on the walls.

This is the color, what do you think?  I'm really pleased with my patching job.  I didn't know if it would look really amateur but you can't tell where the patch is.  

The ceiling patch is a little more noticeable (at least to me).  I tried a different product.  It was a bucket of stipple made by Lepages.  It was much better to apply it using a sponge and being able to control where it was going.  The little pebbles in it that create the stipple weren't as large as the existing stipple so it's not quite a perfect match, however with a coat of paint today it isn't too bad.  If I was doing a ceiling where it would be more noticeable I think I would consult with a professional to find out what a better method would be.  

Today, which was reno day 6, I painted the second coat on the walls.  Painted the re-strippled ceiling that had the cracked spackle (just had to throw that in there), installed a new doorknob, put the baseboards back on and all of that took less time than cleaning out the filthy tub that the ....ahem...cracked spackle had fallen into.  

On the mirror saga there is some hope.  I found a discount mirror that was a thicker mirror than my original buy as well as less expensive (frugalista score) and the fellow at Crystal glass thinks he can cut the holes in it I need.  He told me he'd try to get it done for Saturday, but he didn't call.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he is able to cut it.  If it doesn't work I have found some mirrors that will fit between the sconces but it just won't be quite as trendy as I was hoping for.

The only things left to do are install the new toilet, the new faucet, the new vanity hardware, a transition between the hallway and the bathroom floor, the mirror and light fixtures, towel bars and shower curtain.  And a few finishing touches.

I highly recommend these great brushes called Eco-Brush.  You buy a handle and then the brush is sold as a refill.  They are one of the nicest paint brushes I have ever used.  I wash them and re-use them over and over and when they start losing their sharp edge I simply buy a refill.  They are far more economical than a really good brush so replacing a refill is not very costly.  I stopped using painters tape when I discovered these and I just cut in my edges by hand.  They really do create a nice sharp edge.  I also label my paint cans.  You will see that I wrote the room that I painted and the date on the can.  I always joke that my house used to be 1500 square feet but I've painted so often that it's down to 1400.  At one time I kind of just went with whatever color happened to suit me for a room but I'm more aware of being consistent with colours as I may at some point want to give up all of the snow shovelling and lawn mowing and I know that neutral is more sellable than anything too custom looking.  I also recommend these small paint samples.  I bought this one and kept the paint chip with all of the harmonious colors and taped it to the lid.  These sample paints are $5 and can save you a lot of money in the long run.  I loved this color called Cocoa Latte but it was simply too dark for such a small room that has no natural light.  Better to spend $5 for the tester that can be used to test another spot someday than to spend $40 for a gallon of paint to discover it just doesn't suit the room.

I think the next post will possibly be a finished bathroom.  I hope very much that the mirror works out the way I want it to.  Can't wait to show you the finished product!

I didn't pick knitting, knitting picked me

I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't knit. I have this vague memory of lying in my crib staring at my mobile and trying to figure out if I could get the sticks and string apart.  What  I can't figure out, however, is why I love it so much? I've knit sweaters that didn't fit properly, didn't look quite the way I'd hoped or shrunk in the wash because I didn't do a test swatch. The most recent project in my knitting basket was a v-neck tank top. I usually do a test swatch and wash it to see how it holds up, this time I just threw caution to the wind and cast on the entire back and worked the pattern for 14". I did check the guage as I was knitting and it was exactly what it was supposed to be.  I decided last night that I should actually see how it would wash. It shrunk 2 1/4" in length and grew 2" in width. How on earth does that happen? Craziness! And obviously the caution I threw to the wind came back and slapped me upside the head. (btw, you shouldn't spray paint into the wind either...just sayin') Yet....I don't give up. What's up with that?

I would like to think that I have gotten through a lot of difficulties because of this attitude. Some like to call it stubborn but I prefer to think of it as tenacious. Raising children alone takes a lot of perseverance. When there's no one to back you up on discipline, no one to relieve you from cooking, chauferring, doctoring, worrying, not to mention driver training you need a healthy dose of perseverance. I didn't always understand this, a lot of days it was just doing what needed to be done with no thought about it ever getting better or easier and then one day it just was.  (and some days it still isn't even though they are 20 and 22-yes I know I look too young to have children that old)  If you're raising children alone try not to let the difficulties take away from the joys.  If you can't afford much, maybe you can buy a carton of icecream and some sprinkles and have a sundae night.  If you don't know the right thing to do in a situation, do your best, your kids will know you care even if the decision you make isn't 100% right.

I may not understand my love of knitting and I may not understand why I ended up as a single parent but I know that I have some sweaters that are incredibly beautiful.  I have given gifts of baby sweaters, slippers, mitts and scarves to friends who have been delighted.  I've had many nights of feeling at peace as I knit my worries and care away and I have 2 great kids that I have been given the privilege of being a mom too.  

I threw caution to the wind years ago when I decided that I wanted to be a mom and after many washes they still fit my life perfectly.  Not every pattern will work out as you hoped it would, but how much richer will your life be if you try?  Maybe do a test swatch first....learn from your mistakes.

Tomorrow we talk renos. Stay tuned for updates to the bathroom.

Mama Mia here I go again...Days 3 & 4...

Yesterday I installed the tile.  

I took a bit of a break last night and watched Mama Mia with a friend.  I have a love of the cheesy musicals and the Abba.  A little dose of fun and friendship was exactly what I needed after a lot of hard work over Fri, Sat & Sun.  

Today I tackled the worst job of any reno project - painting the ceiling.  I can't tell you how much I dislike painting ceilings...well I guess I can, but will you listen?  Will you understand?  Yuck yuck yuck.  The one thing that makes it a little more bearable is that fantastic smart paint that goes on light pink, allowing you to see where you painted, and dries crisp white.  

I have a few tips for the diyr's out there.  

1) I used a product called Acoustic Patch by Homax, it is terrible.  It is a patching product that comes in a spray can for patching 'popcorn' ceilings.  I had a spot over the shower that the ceiling texture had cracked and needed fixing.  I scraped the cracked spackle (cracked spackle... makes me giggle) off and then used this product.  It clogged in the can, it sprayed unevenly, it clumped, it was awful.  I was covered in the stuff when I was done.  I decided to paint anyway, thinking that it might possibly look better after I was done.  It doesn't.  I will have to re-stipple and re-paint that section.  

2) Another great diy tip - wrap your paint roller in a plastic grocery bag and you don't have to clean it.  I don't think I'd ever have the patience to clean a ceiling roller anyway but it saves having to buy another one.  Especially if you need to do a crackled spackle repair (can you tell I like the cracked spackle?) and repaint in a day or two.  If I think I won't use if for a few days I put it in the freezer, just remember to take it out about 12 hours or so before you want to paint again.  (but do not bake at 350).  This works with any brush or roller that you want to re-use.

3) I always paint the ceiling before the walls.  I don't get crazy concerned about getting the ceiling paint on the walls if I'm repainting the walls but I keep a wet rag handy to wipe off any really excess spills.  If you get a drip running down the wall, you will see it through the paint, so wipe it off.

4) Wear a painters hat - you don't need diy highlights

5) Play music you love and face your Waterloo

The painting process is never that long, it's all the prep that needs to take place before that is so time consuming.  Once I got going it only took 1 1/2 hours to paint the ceiling.

I also grouted the tile.  Mixing grout is a lot easier than mixing mortar.  Now I will wait a couple hours for it to dry and then wipe off all the haze on the tiles.  Best to leave it for 24 hours to completely dry before walking on the tiles.  

Grouting in progress.

Grouting complete.

I love it ...  I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do!!!!

End of day 2

I accomplished a lot today.  First I patched the holes in the wall.  There are lots of great videos on the web about how to patch drywall.  I personally like this one How to patch holes in drywall.  It won't be ready to sand until tomorrow afternoon.

It's a little hard to see with limited light in the bathroom right now.  I have 3 different colors of paint on the wall to help choose one.  Could this be considered modern art?

My son came over and helped me to take out the old toilet. It's not hard to remove or install a toilet but it is heavy so I enlisted his help. We took the old one out to the garage for now. I bought a Wagjag coupon to have 250 lbs of junk removed for $35. After the electrical experience I'm wondering if they are going to make me load up the truck myself.

I also cut and dry fit all of the tiles.  

Last but not least I mowed the lawn and now I am going to go and 

sit on the swing for a while and enjoy a perfect summer evening!

Day 2...

The electrical work took place yesterday but I ran into a snag and haven't quite sorted out how I'm going to proceed now.

Here's what the electrician's work accomplished.

In my DIY world I have had great successes at saving money, which has always been a hugely important consideration. I've had to put in time and effort but am usually pretty happy with the end results. I carefully think through how I'm going to accomplish my goals on a frugalista's budget and I know I don't need to tell the single mom's out there how important it is to budget carefully.  

Sometimes, however, things don't go according to plan. I had called a glass shop and asked if they could drill holes in a mirror that I wanted to mount on the bathroom wall and then install my lights right on the mirror. They said they could do this. I knew that the electrical would have to be done first because you'd have to know where the fixtures were going before you could cut the mirror. The electricians (who I hired by buying a kijiji coupon for $200 worth of electrical work for $39) I had to pay $178 over and above the coupon because they charge an $85 service charge (not mentioned in the coupon deal) and they went over the 1 hr and 10min the coupon covered.  They did a good job and you see from the photo the end result. This, however, was the first unexpected expense of the day.  

The big hole at the top of the photo is from the very first light fixture that was in the bathroom when I bought the house 13 years ago.   I must dig up a photo of what the bathroom looked like prior to my first renovation and share it with you. 

The electrician's installed the electrical at a distance that we all decided was a good spot. Then I went to the glass shop.... turns out that they can't cut holes in a thinner mirror which I did not know to ask about when I called them.  They can cut me a thicker mirror but the price of my project (not counting the electrical) went from $40 to $150 for the mirror and I would either need to keep the existing mirror ($40) for the frame or build a new frame. I left the shop undecided. 

I went to 3 different places after that to look at alternative mirrors that would fit the space of 24" between the light sconces. To bring this long and boring narrative home I still haven't figured out the solution.  No matter what, I did have to have electrical work done, but If I'd known to begin with that the store bought mirror was too thin to be cut I would have probably had the electrical installed differently.  

I found one mirror and brought it home but the lights are so snug against it that I don't know if I can actually use it. I will have to put on my thinking cap. I have to patch the hole at the top of the wall...so I'll go do that and .....think.

The time has come...the time is now

Is anyone finishing that line with "Marvin K. Mooney will you please go now"? If you are then you are probably a Dr Seuss fan. I LOVED reading Dr. Seuss to the kids when they were little. Reading to them at bedtime was an every night ritual that I sometimes miss but I'm not so mature that I couldn't enjoy a little Dr Seuss even now...all by myself.

I always seem to be renovating something and I keep saying 'no more' but then I spend an evening knitting and watching HGTV or DIY network and I get all inspired and soon I'm imagining another new 'look' for some corner of my kingdom.

I have thought about updating the bathroom for a couple of years now. I did a renovation on it 10 years ago and although the fixtures are still in pretty good shape I'm ready for a change. I was very much into a country style of decor for a long period and there are still things I like about the simplicity of that look and the fact that it's very easy to repurpose found treasures or build from inexpensive materials. However, it tends to be a bit cluttery and dust catchy and I would rather knit than dust.  Normally I love a good reno project...but this time I just wasn't feeling it.  At first I didn't know why.  I was thinking that I would tile everything including the shower, put new doors on the vanity (keep the top) but I just wasn't feeling my normal enthusiasm.  I was tired thinking about all the work and the expense.  One morning in the shower it dawned on me...why do I think I have to completely redo everything.  There was nothing wrong with the tile in the shower nor with the vanity and in an instant I realized that just doing the cosmetics would make a great difference and I didn't have to completely re-do everything.  It was a relief and it got me excited about the update.

This is the bathroom as of July 2011

I built the medicine cabinets using old shutters as doors. The valance has a twofold purpose, it supports the light fixtures (which look more space age than country and never did suit) and I filled the top of it with ivy and garden themed decor. I built the little box in the upper right corner and painted the pots inside that hold candles. I also painted the watering can.

I built the little shelf over the toilet and a few of the knick nacky things on it.  I loved the shower curtain.  It was so cheerful but now it seems a bit cartoony.

I built this towel bar.  It's a bit funny because I've always been afraid of birds (childhood trauma story best left for another day)  birdhouses are so country though so I had to throw a few in.  I also think it's good to face fears and dislikes.  I've never been a cat person and now I live with two of them and I actually kind of like them.  (please don't tell my daughter).  But..... there is no way I will ever like CCR, onions, pumpkin pie, or rude people - those are non-negotiables.

I had to get all of the clutter pulled off the valance tonight after stopping to pick up some of the supplies that I'll need for the rest of the renovation.  I can do quite a bit on my own but tomorrow I have an electrician coming at 9 to move the light fixtures.  I'm tenacious and unafraid of trying, but I'm not crazy.

I have no idea how long the rest of the process will take.  There is patching and painting and tiling and toilet removing that needs to happen.  But stay tuned...I hope the final product will be well received.

“Kid, you’ll move mountains!  Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!” – Oh! The Places You'll Go - Dr. Seuss

I got myself in a jam

I didn't really get in a jam, but I made some.

I have saskatoon trees in my yard and last year was my first big crop.

This year we have had unusually cold and rainy weather so they aren't ripening as fast as they did last year but I was still able to pick an icecream pail full on Saturday.

and make 15 varying sized jars of jam.

There will be a lot more to pick yet and I see pie in my future.  In the meanwhile I have to be content to admire this donut that I knit up.  Found this cute pattern here the only modification that I made was to use size 3mm needles instead of the recommended 2mm.  I did make one with the 2mm and it was miniature size.  The 3mm gave me a pert' near perfect size.

I spent some productive time last week knitting.  I decided to write down exactly what I wanted to accomplish by weeks end and managed to get more done than I sometimes would.




Stitchy Baa

I made 3 of these coffee cup cozies to use as gifts.





What I'm working on

Well I've spent a good chunk of the day getting myself up to speed on Flickr, Blog styles, Picassa, Picnik (and not the good kind with food, the photo editing kind Picnik, which is quite good but you can't eat it).  The ultimate goal today was to get some of my project photos up.  I finished the Teddy Suit from Lois Daykin's book Baby Knits about a month ago.

GRIZZLY ADAMS BABY SUIT

I made a few modifications to the pattern that I'll list here for anyone who would like their suit to have the same 'look' that I have given it.


I found that the hood portion of the pattern a bit odd and after Row 6 when you change to 5mm needles I omitted the shaping "Starting with patt row 2, work in patt as given for Left Leg" and just worked in St St to the required length.


I also created my own mitts and paws pattern.  


Paws:
With 3mm needles cast on 33 sts.
K1, P1 rib for 10 rows, inc 2 sts evenly on last row (35 sts)
Change to 3.5 mm needles
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: K8 in MC, join CC and follow mitten graph below

Work 1 row even in MC
Last row: K1, K3tog across, cut yarn leaving about 12" for sewing up.  Thread through stitches on needle and pull tight to gather top of mitten.  Sew side of mitten and attach to arm of suit.

It might be a good idea to attach a bit of velcro to the mitten and the arm of the sleeve so that it doesn't flop around.





















Booties:
Using 3.5 mm needles and MC, cast on 6 sts.
Row 1: knit
Row 2: Purl, inc 1 st each end of row (8 sts)
Row 3: Knit, inc 1 st each end of row (10 sts)
Row 4: Purl inc 1 st each end of row (12 sts)
Row 5: Knit, inc 1 st each end of row (14 sts)
Row 6: Purl
Rows 7 - 20: follow foot pattern on graph

When chart is complete start dec 1st each end of row until you have 6 sts.  Purl 1 row then work as follows:
Row 1: Inc 3 sts across (9sts)
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Inc 1, K2, Inc 1, K2, Inc 1, K1, Inc 1
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: Inc 1, K3, Inc 1, K3, Inc 1, K3, Inc 1 (17 sts)
Row 6: Purl
Row 7: Inc 1, K4, Inc 1, K4, Inc 1, K4, Inc 1 (21 sts)
Row 8: Purl
Row 9: Inc 1, K6, Inc 1, K6, Inc 1, K5, Inc 1 (25 sts)
Rows 10 - 20: work in St St
Row 21: K 10 sts (work only these 10 sts)
Row 22: Purl
Row 23: K7, K2tog, K1 (9 sts)
Row 24: Purl
Row 25: K6, K2tog, K1 (8 sts)
Row 26: Purl
Row 27: K5, K2tog, K1 (7 sts)
Work in St St for 10 more rows and cast off.
Rejoin yarn to remaining 15 sts.  Cast off 5 sts.  Working on 10 sts follow the same pattern, reversing shaping to match.
Stitch bootie sides together and sew bootie opening to ribbing on leg bottom.

Fits n' starts

Getting this blog going is harder than I thought it would be.  I so want to share all of the crafterly things I'm doing but finding time to post the info is more difficult than it should be.  I think the biggest problem is the 'wanting to do it right'.  I would like to have a banner that stays with me throughout the time I plan to be here and have some thoughts to that end.  Slowly but surely I will get this thing up and running though.  Where there's a Will there's a Kate?  No no it's way.  Just a lot of royal coverage happening in these here parts right now.

To blog or not to blog

I have been reading other knitter's blogs for quite time now.  I have wondered about starting my own as I think I have a thing or two to share about knitting and other crafty adventures.  If I can help to increase people's interest in knitting even a little bit, then the time shall be well spent.  I've had a life long love affair with the sticks n' string...and I have ventured into many other crafty corners. I will keep this first note brief..but stay tuned for knitting, sewing, building, painting, and anything crafty that grabs my attention.

Stitchy