BellaRosa’s Knit and Kibitz

 Ever since the boys were born (twins) I have been out-numbered.  There have been days (especially when they were younger) when I would wonder how I got through those days.  They are 4 1/2 now and it’s no different.  My mornings start very early with demands ‘Mom, can I have milk please? Can I watch a show? What’s for breakfast?…..’   Non-Stop.  They go to pre-school so I have about 2 1/2 hours of ‘Time to myself’.  Yeah, right.  That includes taking care of the house (scrubbing bathrooms, laundry, grocery shopping), etc.   So, I really don’t have that much ‘time to myself’.

  Oh, and did I mention that I’m going to school to become a real estate salesperson?  I’ve been studying for that on a regular basis because I have to pass the state exam.  Not sure when I’ll be taking it but my last class is this Saturday and I don’t want to wait too long.  I love going because I get out of the house and I feel like my own person.  I feel as if I’m accomplishing something for myself. 

 So far, I’ve been juggling everything okay.  And, of course, I’m knitting.  I’ve focused my projects on Wendy Bernard’s new book Custom Knits.  It’s awesome and I’ve made 2 things from it already.  One is the Updated Old Classic, shown here.  It was all done in the round, bottom up.  The other is the Lion Neck Cardigan done in Malabrigo.    I’m now working on Tang for Gloria.  I bought Malabrigo Worsted yarn.  Gloria picked out the colorway, Stonechat.  It’s beautiful.  I keep feelilng the sweater and bringing it up to my face as I work on it.  It’s yummy. 

 So, now the holidays are coming upon us.  If I could only find a way to simplify.

It’s been sooo long since I’ve last blogged.  I suppose taking care of the twins, knitting, gardening and whatever else a Mom has to do has taken up most of my time.  I have finished a Mesh Lace Tank and a sleeveless turtleneck for myself.  I also knitted up a very cute long skirt and halter top as a gift to my Cousin’s daughter Ashley (hopefully, photos will follow). 

Now, Ravelympics 2008 are getting ready to begin.  I’m team captain for Team Knit-A-Bit.  It all started with a discussion in the Knit-A-Bit group about getting a team together. Well, the deadline was approaching (I believe it was the next day) so I decided to form the team.  There are several team members and I got to meet them all during a Yarn Tasting at Knit-A-Bit the other night.  WHAT NICE PEOPLE and it’s a group to knit with.  I think I’m going to start going to the Knitting Knightly on Monday nights there.  BTW - Westfield was hopping on Tuesday night with Jazz music playing, people dining outside and walking around. It was great to be around that atmosphere!

So, back to the Ravelympics.  It begins and ends during the 2008 Olympics (Aug. 8th through Aug 24th) and a person signed up for the event needs to post a project in an event (I’m in the Sock event) and complete it during the time of the Ravelympics.  I’m stitcking to socks because its portable (I’ll be on vacation during one of those weeks).  I’ve selected the Monkey Socks which will be my first patterned socks so it’ll be challenging.  I’m getting psyched for it. 

Meanwhile, I decided to start knitting Wendy Bernard’s ‘Tomato’ sweater in this gorgeous Lime Green Sorbet color with Nashua Handknits Cilantro yarn.  It’s my first top down sweater with colorwork.  I’m naming it ‘Lime Green Tomato’.

As soon as I figure out how to post photos I will do so.  Meanwhile, gotta go knit!

The sinus issues I’ve been experiencing haven’t stopped me from knitting.  I finished the Kelly Cardigan.  It looks beautiful.  I learned so much from knitting this sweater - short row shoulders, set-in sleeves, and ripping back and starting from a certain point, to name a few.   I also finished the U-neck vest.  The Malabrigo yarn I used was unbelievable.  I’m hooked on it and want to find more projects using it.  The vest fits great and I wore it on Easter over a white t-shirt. It’s so comfy.  I also finished an afghan that was a gift.  Now, I’m left with the Carla sweater (Debbie Bliss pattern) that I started almost a year ago and put aside until now.  I’m almost done with that.  It’s a sleeveless sweater.  I also started another sleeveless turtleneck using Nashua Handknits ‘Cilantro’ yarn.  Very nice, stretchy, yarn.  A very easy knit done in stockinette (I just want to knit something easy right now). 

For the past several months I’ve been sicker than I’ve been in a very long time.  I don’t normally complain, but daily headaches and sinus infections have really taken it’s toll.  I finally went to an ENT because I had to just do something.  I couldn’t live with the daily headaches.  He discovered blocked sinuses and a deviated septum.  The decongestant he gave me has helped with the headaches but I’m still all clogged up and now I have an ear infection.  This sucks!  No matter how sick I am I still take care of the kids.  I cannot just lay down and rest.  I have to plug on through.  The only thing I feel guilty about is when I don’t feel well and I yell at stupid things.  I try explaining to the boys that Mommy is not feeling well but I can’t expect them to fully understand.  I don’t have ’sick time’ or ‘vacation time’ from being a mother.  It’s my job.  The boys have also been sick the past several days so we’re all in this together.  I just can’t live with this sinus thing anymore and I pray that the surgery helps. 

I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show yesterday. It was my first time. It was PHENOMENAL! It literally took my breath away. I didn’t know what to expect.  The displays were spectacular.  The theme was ‘Jazz It Up’.  It was all displays based around New Orleans.  The French Quarter, cafes, saloons.  It was so colorful.  Now, I’m psyched to start planning my garden.  If I could only replicate some of the displays I saw yesterday!

I went to my favorite yarn stores annual sale. I did my homework ahead of time and created a spreadsheet of the patterns and yarns that I wanted.  I was ready and I was excited!  I bought tons of yarn.  I got some Nashua Handknits ‘Cilantro’ yarn in gorgeous colors - mango, salmon and lemongrass.  I bought another hank of Malabrigo in fuschia.  Then I came across some beautiful Alpaca by Berroco.  I found this pattern in the latest issue of Interweave Knits called a Bon Bon Sweater.  It uses colorwork.  I bought a yellow color called ‘Masa’ as the MC.  Then I bought 6 other skeins each one a different color - dk pink, pumpkin, dk. blue, off white, green, brownish.  The colors are GORGEOUS together. I cannot wait to knit with this yarn.  Aunt Perrie says that ‘Once you knit with Alpaca, you won’t want to knit with any other yarn!’  Am I becoming a yarn snob?  I just want to knit with nice stuff and make beautiful things.

I also purchased a few needles, a cute ladybug measuring tape and a book on Vintage knit designs.  I was so psyched as I walked out of there with my 2 big bags of purchases.  You see, that was my Birthday gift. 

Today is my birthday.  It’s a pretty mellow day but it’s nice being home with Brian, the boys and Buddy.  We went to the Poconos on Friday and stayed overnight and came home last night.  While I was there I visited a small yarn shop and bought a pair of Brittany 15 size needles.  Don’t know what I’m going to do with them  but I wanted to get something.  

I could stay home and knit all day!  It’s brrrrrr outside and we’re all feeling a bit under the weather. 

I’m working on my socks and my sweater.  I finished a little girl’s sweater. It’s a gift. It’s really cute and am happy with it.  I still have the Malabrigo that I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with it yet.  It’s part of my ’stash’.

I saw this pattern for a cute cabled hat and decided to knit it.  It required 16″ circulars and I bought this inexpensive tweed bulky yarn from Patons in blye with colored specks.  Really nice.  It took me 2 days to finish and it came out so nice!  It’s my first project using cables and I love it!!

 PS:  I finished Gloria’s socks last week.  They are cozy.

After 12 years, I took a yoga class with Yvette again.  She has always been my favorite instructor.  Her classes are based more on yoga postures, meditation, affirmations…..  It’s more spiritual and healing.  It was awesome!  It was so good to be back.  In the years since I’ve been to her sessions my life has been extremely busy with many many changes.  Good changes.  Her sessions taught me alot of ways to heal myself and get me through challenging times.   I am very grateful for her and for her teachings.

I believe that resolutions should be made throughout the year and not just at the beginning of a new year.  However, I wanted to jot down some of the things that I hope to work on this year.

• Go with the Flow - stop trying to control or have a say in everything that everyone does.  I need to start letting go. Especially where the children are involved.  I’m not relinquishing all.  I’m just going to stand back and allow things to occur more naturally.  I hope that this will diminish stress that occurs when things don’t ‘go your way’. 
• Lower expectations - This is part of going with the flow.  When you don’t have high expectations, things seem to work out better. 
• Remember that I’m where I’m supposed to be at the moment.
• UFO’s - work on Un-finished Objects.  I’m referring to any projects (knitting) that I’ve begun that should be completed. 
• Yoga - get back into yoga so that I can feel more relaxed, grounded and connected to myself.