FO Friday (and I have something to share!)

It's Friday and I actually have a finished object to share! My dinosaur is finally finished.

The pattern is Terrence the Tap Dancing T-Rex from Rebecca Danger. He was done on size 1 needles in sock yarn I picked up from Joann's when they had their massive clearance sale a while back. The construction is so interesting - only the arms and legs are sewn on at the end. He was pretty easy to knit and I appreciated not having to do too much sewing. I did embroider his eyes and mouth though because he is going to be a baby gift. I plan on giving him to a coworker with a copy of Dinosaur versus Bedtime.

I still need one more stuffed animal in the next six weeks or so. (Why are so many people due at the same time!?) However I put toy knitting aside for my next project; I'm knitting Christmas stockings for each of my grandparents. I'm using a chart for the first time so wish me luck!

For more finished objects, check out Tami's Amis!

 

Randomly

I've been slacking a little on the blog updates - I can't believe it's been two weeks. Things are busy at work and of course the boys always keep me on my toes. I have managed to snap a few pictures highlighting some of our everyday life though.

I got a new stapler for my desk...



...and a new lamp too! For some reason I'm way too excited about these items.

Somehow in the last few weeks J has started to lose the toddler look and is starting to look like a big kid.

I love this photo of him!

C is still so creative. So far we've had story time (this was the cast of characters)...

...interesting potato head characters...

...and Buzz Lightyear trying to get out of a precarious position.

One more picture - I thought this was beautiful and just had to show it off.

 

Work in Progress Wednesday

My dinosaur is still coming along and is now to the point where he actually looks like a dinosaur (as evidenced by my two year old picking him up and roaring). I actually had to try something new for this project. I had to knit part of three rows on waste yarn so I could pick up the stitches for his tail. Aside from making a total mess of the waste yarn as I was pulling it out, it went pretty well. I do have a few places where the stuffing is showing through that will need to be stitched up but the tail is safely attached. I almost wish I had picked up a few extra stitches to take care of the issue though.

Now I've moved on to the limbs. One thing I didn't take into account when I started the dinosaur is that pattern on the yarn meant that I would need to start each arm and each leg at the same point in the yarn so they match. Ooops! But I think I'm back on track now.

In addition to the dinosaur, I've started on my cardigan. It's a gorgeous pattern called Serina and I'm using my Joann clearance yarn. Okay well started on may be a bit generous. So far I've purchased the pattern and I'm actually swatching before I start. Hopefully by this time next week I'll have moved onfrom the swatch and have the actual cardigan started.

For more projects, checkout Tami's Amis!

 

Chore Charts

E and I have been trying something new with C by giving him a chore chart that spells out expectations. Nothing is too major - it's things like pick up your room and brush your teeth. We also added "be nice to your brother" for good measure.

C is very motivated by stickers so he gets a sticker for each item he completes and once he earns a certain number of stickers he gets his reward. It seems to be working well so far; if he messes up on something like being nice to his brother he still tries to behave so he can get his other stickers.

I did run into one issue - I can't find sticker charts in the store! I know they exist but rather than drive all over the place, I decided to create my own. It was pretty easy. I set up the table in excel and then pasted it to PowerPoint to add the title and stars. To accommodate the stickers I made each box 0.45" by 0.45". Each section was shaded in a different color to distinguish it from the other sections. I also left a few lines in case we need to add anything before we run out of charts.

It was fun to design my own chart. It's great because I could customize it with our specific rules. Plus it was easy to do!

I'm partying with this post over at It's Overflowing, Six Sisters Stuff and I Heart Naptime today.

 

Round and Round I go

The dinosaur I'm knitting is still a work in progress but he's finally starting to look more substantial. The only thing that's getting to me is the seemingly endless rounds of garter stitch. In reality it's only about 50 rounds with 60 some odd stitches each before i start decreasing so it shouldn't be too overwhelming but I think my knitting mojo has flown out the window. I hope it's just because I'm tired and can't really think about knitting by the time the little ones go to bed. I've been trying to "power through" 2-4 rows a night while I wait for my mojo to return. (By the way is it weird that I hear Austin Power's voice in my head every time I type the word mojo?) Ahem, anyway here is the dino so far:

I think he will be cute when he is done, although I hope the striping pattern of the yarn isn't too busy. Maybe by next week I'll have the body done.

For more projects check out Tami's Amis!

 

FO Friday - my Ravellenic Project

Today is Friday, which means it's time for FO Friday at Tami's Amis. I actually have a project to share is week - my washcloth from the Ravellenic games.

I managed to finish it last Friday before the end of the games. I also completed something off my 2012 Resolution list by learning how to knit cables. This was also my first experience with lace. I found the lace harder than the cables but after a few false starts I really got into it.

It's really great to learn so many new techniques. Between this and the color work I learned recently, I feel like I have to eliminate fewer and fewer projects due to skill level when I am searching for a new project. I can't wait to learn more!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

C's last basketball game of the season was this past weekend so I made sure to keep my camera handy to capture some of the highlights. Well at one point during a lull in the action J decided to snap a few pictures. Well let me be more specific - 23 pictures. A few highlights:

And for good measure, one that I took of the basketball player: