I finished my CNE scarf a few days ago. This is a scarf that will go to one of my nieces for Christmas. It is made of the yarn I dyed using Easter egg dye left over from our eggs this year. It is very bright. I really like the pattern, but the project seemed to take forever. It was knit on size 3 needles with fingering weight yarn. I suppose that is why. If I were to knit it again, I think I would use larger needles. The pattern was easy to memorize. I also have a fondness for seed stitch, and this scarf has a seed stitch border. I don’t know why, but I love knitting seed stitch!
After I finished the scarf, I cast on a Monkey 2.0 for CB for his birthday. He turns two at the end of September. We are trying to wean him from his paci, but I really feel like he needs a comfort/security item to replace it. He loathes blankets, so that is out. I think he will love the monkey. The pattern for this monkey is really clever. It eliminates a lot of the sewing by being knit in the round. I really am enjoying knitting this. I also think this yarn is completely perfect for this project. This is the Kindred Spirits yarn I got in the first Flat Rate Box Swap. It is supposed to be fair isle/stripey yarn. In the legs of the monkey, it has almost a “galaxy” effect (like the Regia Galaxy yarns). Also, the legs and body all started in exactly the same point of the color repeat. I could not have done this on purpose so perfectly if I had tried. It is such a fun, happy accident. This monkey is going to be very, very cute. I also love that it is knitting up really, really fast. I am thinking that I may do one for my nephew for Christmas since I hadn’t decided what to make him. I may also do one for LB for his birthday (late December).
I have also started another new scarf (another Christmas present for another niece). I decided to make it out of the Spritely Goods that I got in a trade some time ago. The colors just scream to be made into something for this particular niece. I decided to knit the One Row Handspun Scarf by the Yarn Harlot. I doubled the yarn and am knitting it on size 8 needles. It is a huge relief after knitting the previous scarf. It is knitting up so fast! Part of that is the completely addictive nature of the pattern. A row doesn’t take long. I can’t seem to knit a single row. I keep saying, “Just one more…ok, just one more…maybe one more…” I am enjoying this pattern (and how quickly it is knitting up) so much that I may do another for my last niece. I just have to check the yardage on the yarn I have for her.
I am actually pretty surprised at how much knitting I have gotten done over the last week or so. We have been dealing with a lot of kid stuff. LB started pre-K this morning. We have been trying to prepare him for the last week or so for the change in routine. I am not sure why we worried so much. He is such an easygoing kid. He adapts to new situations with amazing ease. I actually cried a little when I dropped him off. He started by telling me that I didn’t need to take him into the building. Thankfully, they require that parents sign their children in, so I had a really good excuse to go in with him. He went in and started playing immediately. I spoke to the teacher briefly, and then told LB I was leaving. He said, “Bye, Mom” without even looking up from his toys. I said, “Can I maybe get a hug and kiss before I leave?” He heaved a huge, long suffering sigh, and then gave me the fastest kiss and hug on record before returning to his toys. I got all teary eyed and looked at the teacher. She said, “He will be ok, mama.” I said, “I know. I think that is why I am crying!” I couldn’t believe how big and independent he seemed!
We have also been dealing with some health stuff with CB. While we were in Wyoming, my mom asked me, “So, how long has CB been walking like that?” I had no idea what she was talking about. I turns out, he walks with his head tilted. I never noticed. She had to point it out and tell me it wasn’t normal. Then, CB had one of his “spacing out” spells. Sometimes he just spaces out. My mom noticed and tried to get his attention. She couldn’t. She asked me how often he does that. I had no idea because we leave him alone when he spaces out. We have always just assumed that he was such an internal child that he just needed space sometimes. We thought he was just very good at tuning us out, so we don’t really try to get his attention when he does it. My mom was very disturbed by it. She suspects that he is having absence seizures. At first, she told me just to mention it at his next appointment at the end of September. After thinking about it and considering that his head is abnormally large, my mom asked me to call the doctor immediately. The doctor diagnosed CB with mild torticollis (for the “tilt” when he walks). He is going to start physical therapy (again). She also expressed concern about the possibility of absence seizures combined with his head size. She decided to send him for an EEG and neurology appointment. I spent all week setting all the various appointments up (in between court, office appointments, jail visits, and all the other mom stuff I do). All the appointments are spread out over the next month. As I said, it amazes me that I got any knitting done at all!
In church last night, we were talking about an outlook on our spiritual life. One of the people in the group said that he views life like a video game. When you mess up, you have to start the level over. He said he realized that wasn’t really the way it was. When you mess up with God, you can just pick up where you left off. I realized that I treat a lot of things that way. I haven’t been blogging because I got “behind” and didn’t want to have to do a big post. I realized, I can just pick up where I am. I am probably missing a bunch of stuff, but that is going to have to be ok. I am not starting this level over!
