I am very sad today because I have just received some very very very sad news. But first... a bit of background information...
When I was pregnant with LJ I had joined two yahoo groups - one for babies that were going to be born in the month of March and one for babies that were going to be born in April because my due date was April 1st. Through our pregnancy we all got to know one another. We would all post stories, worries, concerns, questions and of course pictures. One by one as we each had our babies we would post our birth stories - the good, the bad, and of course the beautiful.
Then after our babies were born our relationships stayed strong as some struggled with breastfeeding... others struggled with lactose intolerance... then teething issues... and of course diaper rash... you know, regular baby stuff. Each member was ready to lend a remedy or story with "what I did when my baby did that was ____". And did I mention the pictures?
As our babies got older and older the posts to our group got smaller and smaller but it was still alive. I would say there were 3 main Mommies that kept our group strong while the rest of us would lurk.
One of those Mommies was Niki. After 5 years of "trying" she was blessed with Cate. After Cate turned about 1ish she and her husband decided that if it was going to take another 5 years to get pregnant again that they better start trying... well their prayers were answered and they became pregnant within 6 months and baby Maxx was born this past February. I hung on to getting the daily posts from this group to find out about Niki and her new baby and then I turned off the daily posts and would just check in here and there on the internet.
This morning when I logged in to Yahoo I saw that I had a lot of messages in my inbox. Funny... I don't use that email address for anything... so curiously I clicked on it and there were about 7 messages from my Mommies group... so I figured that yahoo had done some messing around and I'd have go go back into my membership and re-check that I didn't want to receive individual messages when I happened to see Maxx's name... Baby Maxx had passed away on Saturday. SIDS.
I can't even begin to imagine Niki's pain or what she and her family is going through right now. So, please... if you are reading this say a little prayer for Maxx, Niki and her family.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
I finished my first hat!
So I went to my LYS on Tuesday night for the weekly Sit N' Knit hoping that I'd be able to jump right into making socks - because honestly that's why I really wanted to learn to knit. After talking with Joanne (she's awesome BTW) she suggested that I start on a baby hat first. It's kinda small but not as small as socks will be and I can try double pointed needles (I'm guessing the shorter name would be DPN's) - so I got to pick out a really cool yarn and away I went. It was basic knitting in the round for 4 inches before I'd need to decrease (didn't know how to do that just yet) so I left with "homework" to do. There is also a second SNK on Thursdays but it's in the morning... well this week I decided to tell my Boss (DAD) that I was going to take some personal time that morning and go. Afterall - he really couldn't say much - all the work I NEEDED to get done was done and all the afternoons that he takes my husband and goes golfing... I could have 2 hours! So I got to go - I learned to decrease (it was what I thought it was going to be and very easy). I finished the little hat last night and it is oh too cute! I don't really have anyone to give it to just yet - then again I may just hang on to it - after all it's my FIRST hat! I'll post pictures later. My camera's battery is dead and my charger is at the office.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
FAB was here!
So it's been a few days since I've been here... I've been busy... KNITTING!!! FAB was here over the weekend and just as we planned she taught me to knit - now I just have to practice... practice... practice! And that's what I've been busy doing.
She also told me about Podcats. Now I've heard of these before but didn't really know too much about them or how much I would LOVE them! Of course the one's that I am listening to are all about knitting and crocheting - DUH! There were a few that she told me I just HAD to listen to and that's what I am doing... downloading them... putting them on my ipod and any chance I get I'm listening to one. And last night for the very first time I turned off the TV and just sat and knitted while listened to one. OMG I turned off the TV!!!! I equate it to back in the ol' days where people would listen to radio shows and the like... you know... BEFORE TV. I have already discovered "books on tape" but I rarely have an occasion to listen any of them. So I've been tinkering around with itunes and my ipod - taking music off that I really don't listen to - to make room for some podcasts... boy to I have a lot to catch up on!
My first thing to do is practice... so I cast on 25 stitches (actually FAB did it cuz I just wasn't getting it) - showed me how to do a few then she handed me over the needles and I was off... a few times I had to give it back to her and say "here - this doesn't look right... what did I do?" and she'd fix it and give it back. Apparently in the beginning I was adding on stitches - how exactly I have no idea - but I did - when I finally leveled off enough to know what it was I was to do I was up to 38 stitches (from 25) - but from there on I pretty much know what to do and a little bit of how to fix something if I didn't do it right the first time. FAB calls this tink-ing (you know... knit spelled backwards... tink". I am also trying to learn the anatomy of a stitch - where the yarn comes from - how it makes the stitch - and what it looks like after the stitch has been completed. With crocheting it's a little bit easier to tell - then again you are only using one needle when you crochet.
While FAB was here we visited my local yarn shop - which I am sure is going to become my 2nd home. While we were there I was talking with the owner and showing my excitement of learning to knit and she suggested that I come to the Sit n' Knit class she has every Tuesday - oh what fun that sounded like! But when Tuesday came I really didn't think that I was going to go. We had LJ with us all day at work and that is trying - so really all I wanted to do was go home and go into my craft room and not come out... but then I got to thinking that there wasn't going to be another opportunity to surround myself with other knitters for a whole week! So I went. I packed up my little practice piece and all my equipment and off I went. It's about a 20 minute ride from my house to the Yarn shop so I had plenty of time to listen to my newly downloaded podcasts. When I got there I really didn't know what to expect. But really there was a table with chairs around it and different people sitting there knitting & crocheting away. I was 5 min early but these ladies appeared to have been there for a while because they had all ready settled in and were knitting. So I walked in - looked around for a familiar face (didn't see any) but I did see lots of welcoming ones. I made myself to a seat and sat down and introduced myself. Right off the bat I had some questions and all the ladies around me were full of advise and expertise. Now, I knew that there were some out there but I honestly didn't think that a MAN would be there knitting away and lo and behold there was. And what a nice Man he is... funny too! I had a really good time - got some advice - and some help and I think next week I'll let them talk me into making more than a practice piece. I'm really hopeing to maybe making a sock but I just don't know if I'm there yet. Honestly I thought that I'd start out with a scarf. Which brings me to yesterday...
Mom and I went to ACMoore's and I bought some yarn to make myself a scarf. I may start it tonight even. I don't know much about yarn - YET! I have some podcasts on the subject to listen to. :)~ I always thought of wool as hot and scratchy - but even the little bit of knowledge about it I was WAY OFF!!!!
So there you have it... what I've been up to lately... I'll let you know how I make out on the scarf and maybe even post some pictures!
She also told me about Podcats. Now I've heard of these before but didn't really know too much about them or how much I would LOVE them! Of course the one's that I am listening to are all about knitting and crocheting - DUH! There were a few that she told me I just HAD to listen to and that's what I am doing... downloading them... putting them on my ipod and any chance I get I'm listening to one. And last night for the very first time I turned off the TV and just sat and knitted while listened to one. OMG I turned off the TV!!!! I equate it to back in the ol' days where people would listen to radio shows and the like... you know... BEFORE TV. I have already discovered "books on tape" but I rarely have an occasion to listen any of them. So I've been tinkering around with itunes and my ipod - taking music off that I really don't listen to - to make room for some podcasts... boy to I have a lot to catch up on!
My first thing to do is practice... so I cast on 25 stitches (actually FAB did it cuz I just wasn't getting it) - showed me how to do a few then she handed me over the needles and I was off... a few times I had to give it back to her and say "here - this doesn't look right... what did I do?" and she'd fix it and give it back. Apparently in the beginning I was adding on stitches - how exactly I have no idea - but I did - when I finally leveled off enough to know what it was I was to do I was up to 38 stitches (from 25) - but from there on I pretty much know what to do and a little bit of how to fix something if I didn't do it right the first time. FAB calls this tink-ing (you know... knit spelled backwards... tink". I am also trying to learn the anatomy of a stitch - where the yarn comes from - how it makes the stitch - and what it looks like after the stitch has been completed. With crocheting it's a little bit easier to tell - then again you are only using one needle when you crochet.
While FAB was here we visited my local yarn shop - which I am sure is going to become my 2nd home. While we were there I was talking with the owner and showing my excitement of learning to knit and she suggested that I come to the Sit n' Knit class she has every Tuesday - oh what fun that sounded like! But when Tuesday came I really didn't think that I was going to go. We had LJ with us all day at work and that is trying - so really all I wanted to do was go home and go into my craft room and not come out... but then I got to thinking that there wasn't going to be another opportunity to surround myself with other knitters for a whole week! So I went. I packed up my little practice piece and all my equipment and off I went. It's about a 20 minute ride from my house to the Yarn shop so I had plenty of time to listen to my newly downloaded podcasts. When I got there I really didn't know what to expect. But really there was a table with chairs around it and different people sitting there knitting & crocheting away. I was 5 min early but these ladies appeared to have been there for a while because they had all ready settled in and were knitting. So I walked in - looked around for a familiar face (didn't see any) but I did see lots of welcoming ones. I made myself to a seat and sat down and introduced myself. Right off the bat I had some questions and all the ladies around me were full of advise and expertise. Now, I knew that there were some out there but I honestly didn't think that a MAN would be there knitting away and lo and behold there was. And what a nice Man he is... funny too! I had a really good time - got some advice - and some help and I think next week I'll let them talk me into making more than a practice piece. I'm really hopeing to maybe making a sock but I just don't know if I'm there yet. Honestly I thought that I'd start out with a scarf. Which brings me to yesterday...
Mom and I went to ACMoore's and I bought some yarn to make myself a scarf. I may start it tonight even. I don't know much about yarn - YET! I have some podcasts on the subject to listen to. :)~ I always thought of wool as hot and scratchy - but even the little bit of knowledge about it I was WAY OFF!!!!
So there you have it... what I've been up to lately... I'll let you know how I make out on the scarf and maybe even post some pictures!
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