In my life

Guess where I was Wednesday night?

Richard, Vivian and I skipped Pizza Club this week to make a trek out to the LA County Fair and the Professional Bull Rider's Los Angeles circuit event. And it was actually my idea. Never in my life would I have thought I would be whooping and hollering at grown men trying to stay on the back of a very large bull. But it was actually a lot of fun, watching the riders hang on for dear life. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I'm not ashamed, even if this does make my neck a wee bit red...

Being at the Fair, we also enjoyed some deep-fried goodness: deep fried hostess cupcake and a deep fried Snickers. The cupcake was warm, chocolatey, molten heaven: everything that I could hope for and more. The Snickers was a bit disappointing. Too much batter, and just too heavy.

If that snickers was my last deep-fried awesomeness of the year, I'd be even more disappointed, but fear not! More deep-fried happiness is coming on Sunday, when we head back for the last night of the fair. I need to score some deep-fried avocado and some deep-fried oreos. Deep-fried oreos -- I feel a Homer-worthy drool coming on as I type. Pictures to come...

Survivor

Yes, we survived our first plane flight -- in fact, Vivian was a perfect angel. She started to fuss a bit on our first leg, but I fed her and she settled right down. She slept through the entire second leg, a feat that led other passengers to remark, "wow, I wish I could travel that way." Hurray! Of course, she started screaming the moment we got in the car to go to my mom's, but I can't really complain. That's just Viv -- on perfect behavior in public, screaming in front of family. On the whole, I guess that's the definition of a good baby.

A few FO's for the list: #1, the Ogee Lace Skirt that I made for Jenny's birthday, and #2, Le Slouch, my Tucson knitting project.

The Ogee is from the Summer 07 Interweave Knits, and I used Wool in the Woods Cameo. Doesn't it look cute on Jenny?

And here is my Le Slouch. I got inspired by Catherine's version, so I went through my stash and rediscovered the bag of Noro Big Bebe that Ellen gifted me with (in her fit of de-stashing). It's bigger than the pattern calls for, but I think I made it work.

And here's some awesome news: I got my Ravelry invite! Hurrah! And omg, I have been on all day (in between feeding & changing diapers), posting my stash and projects. It's a little overwhelming, but fun. If you're on Ravelry, my handle is HandyC.

And in Secret Pal news, my Giftee officially loved her package, which makes me feel good. I must have done something right. And my gift-er did something right, too: she gave me a $20 gift certificate to elann.com! So now I can buy the yarn for Viv's stocking. Yay! Thanks Secret Pal!

New challenges

Tomorrow, I undertake a new challenge, one that will tax my mind, my body, and most of all, my patience.

Tomorrow, Vivian and I will take our first flight together.

If you happen to be on our Southwest flight to Tucson tomorrow, let me apologize in advance. Yes, she is 11 weeks old. Aren't you glad this isn't a very long flight? Me too.

I have packed the diaper bag with exceeding care: Clorox wipes, Purell, disposable changing pads, extra onesie for Viv and extra tank top for me (in case of diaper explosions). I have saline nose spray/drops to help her ears adjust to the altitude, and a bottle to feed her as we land. I bought her a seat so that we can keep her in her car seat. I hope it's enough.

On the knitting front, I've been working on presents that I can't share yet -- pictures to come when I can. I think I've made up my mind on what to do for Viv's stocking: the striped Funky Stocking from Handknit Holidays. I know I was thinking it should be cabled, to be similar to Eliza's, but I think it's even better that Vivian's will be completely different.

So here are my color thoughts: Orange & White Stripes with Green Heel & Cuff

This colorway (in Laines Du Nord Softlight from elann.com) is very pumpkin-y, which would fit, but I don't want Viv to get burned out on orange & green and grow to hate them. But then again, I'm her mom -- she's got to hate something I've done, and my color choices are probably the lesser of many evils.

Here's my other thought:
Red & White Stripes with Green Heel & Cuff
This colorway (in Peruvian Pure Alpaca also from elann.com) is more traditional Christmas-y.

Decisions, decisions. I will probably end up buying the yarn for both (it's elann - it's not that expensive, especially for a project that is effectively 1 large sock) and deciding when I can compare them to each other. Does any one out there have any opinions on these colors?

I got nothing.

That's my dad: he's comfortable with the ugly people. I can't top that.

She knits, she scores!

Yes, once in a while, I actually do more than take pictures of my incredibly cute offspring. Occasionally, I knit. Not that you would know this by reading this blog, but I am actually a pretty crafty person. I just have been very bad about documenting said craftiness lately.

So, what have I been up to? Well, I finished the Cloud Bolero! And here it is, in all its glory:

Sorry for the yellow hue, but I am really happy with how it turned out. I used 2 skeins of Patons Classic Merino Wool in Forest -- a cute little merino wool sweater for a grand total of $12? Not bad! The pattern was super easy -- great TV or SnB knitting -- but the ripples provided enough interest so I didn't get bored.

Before the drive to Tucson last month, I realized that I needed a good, simple project for knitting in the car -- something to keep my hands busy that was basic enough that I could put down at any moment. So I decided on the Montego Bay Scarf from the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. I'm not a scarf knitter -- I tend to get bored too easily to finish one of the proper length. But the fishnet lace pattern was easy yet nice looking, so I picked up a few balls of stash yarn (DiVe Tiwi from a Yarn lady sale ages ago) and started knitting. Here's how it turned out:

I love it. It's not exactly a warm & snuggly scarf (the yarn has multiple threads: a slub, a cotton and a metallic thread, so it causes a slight itch if wrapped too tightly), but it's perfect for summer.

I've also been doing some sewing (a bit). I made a simple baby quilt for our friends Matt & Candice's new baby boy. I found this fabulous cotton print showing a sketch of a peg board hung with tools: hammers, saws, wrenches, etc. It was done in shades of orange, green & blue, so I alternated squares of the print with squares of those solid colors. It turned out super cute, but of course, I forgot to take a photo before we gave it. I'll try to get one taken with the baby (once we get word that he's been born!).

I started to make the Tank with 3-d Crochet Embellishments from Knitting Lingerie. I made a gauge swatch and everything looked good -- I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Except that by the time I'd knit about 1/2 of the back, I noticed that everything had stretched. And not a little bit. I mean sssstttrrreeettccchhhheeeeddd. If I had kept going, this tank would have had a 52" waist! I know I'm not in pre-pregnancy shape yet, but I'm not that far gone! So that project has been officially frogged, perhaps to be picked up again, perhaps not.

I haven't started on Vivian's Christmas stocking yet (I actually haven't even bought the yarn) because I'm working on a gift or two. I'll post pictures once they are gifted.

And that's all for today's crafty update. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.