Belly Pics!

Bring on the maternity pants!

OK so I’m a bad blogger…

…but I have a good excuse! I’m pregnant!! I’ve been sick as a dog for about a month now, and before that life was already crazy with lia sophia… so, I haven’t been into the blogging world much at all recently, as you can tell. Really the only things I’ve been into are sleeping, not throwing up, and trying to find food that I want to eat. They’re all-consuming tasks.

Right now I’m at about 10 weeks - hopefully only about 2-3 weeks of morning sickness left. Well, that’s all I wanted to say for now. Hopefully I’ll be more consistent in the future.

OH - little “johnny appleseed” as we’ve dubbed the baby for now - is due on December 16, 2008 - close to Jesus, Daddy Chris, and Uncle Nick’s bdays!

Stuff White People Like - I’m white, and I like performance shoes!

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com

I must say that this blog cracks me up. Especially today’s post: # 87 Outdoor Performance Clothes because it so totally fits Chris and me! But see, we wear the stuff because it’s all we own after living at camp for four summers! You gotta have the gear to make it there! Now we have more than our fair share of North Face, Columbia, Patagonia, Mountain Hardware, etc. but you gotta have a shared hobby, and collecting gear is one of ours! We’re so granola, we crack ourselves up. Chris did work at Moosejaw for quite a while though, so most of my gear came from there - never mind that I hardly ever get out to camp, climb, hike, or anything that my gear was meant for. We do use our Thermarests a lot though for when friends sleep over or when we go on youth trips. Anyway, I’m just going to highlight a few of my personal possessions that I’m the proud ashamed owner of: Shoes

• My Keen Newports
  
• My Birkenstock Floridas…
  
  …and my Arizonas
  
  (yes, I have two pairs of birkenstocks. I can’t think of any good excuse, explanation, so I’m just going to leave it alone and blush…)
• My Teva Mush flip-flops
  
• I also have cheap Target clogs, which I’m going to keep wearing until they fall apart even more than they already have. But someday I’ll own Birkenstock clogs… someday… I’ll have these:
  

Now I think I’ll go send write a letter to my Compassion child to ease my conscience.
p.s. I’m poking fun at myself and those who often slip into thinking that one good deed cancels out self indulgence. Laugh at yourself, people! Human nature is so funny (and sad)!

The Family Blog

I started a blog for my family a few weeks ago, and I must say how impressed I am with how the fam has adopted the blog as their own! If you’re interested in finding out more about the family I came from, you can check out our blog at:

http://chricowski.wordpress.com

” Chricowski” is a made-up word that reflects our different last names combined into one - since we’re all related, even though we have different last names, yeah, get it?

Anyway -

mamapama is, of course, my mama named Pam - single, stay-at-home mom who is about to change the world! The sky’s the limit!

tad[pole] is Jessie, my 14 year old sister. She’s taller than me, weighs less than me, and basically is everything I wanted to be when I was 14!

gmaudie is our grandmother and my Mom’s ex-mother-in-law/adopted mother ex- means nothing to us!

ezekiel2611 is gmaudie’s hubby, and when he’s not taking great care of gmaudie, he makes delicious home-baked bread, writes humorous poems and other satire, and is heavily involved in their church.

and last but not least, mattomatic, my 20 year old brother (how on earth did you get to be 20?? You’ll always be 11 and annoying in my mind ;)) matt’s a rising star - his first love is drums, followed by anything to do with music. he’s also a full-time student at a CC near his home.

There’s also Andrew, Caleb, Brad, and my husband Chris who have yet to jump on the blogging-bandwagon, but until that time, there are plenty of our random posts to enjoy so far!

Oh yeah, and we will often mention Toby, Leah, and Jamie - the family dogs. But I don’t think they’ll be doing any blogging anytime soon.

lia sophia jewelry has taken over my life - I’m so happy!

So I haven’t written lately because I’ve been swamped with hostessing and throwing lia sophia jewelry parties over the last 2 weeks. I decided a while back that I needed a new source of income so that I could even dream of buying a new car (a 2008 VW Jetta to be exact) or going on vacation this year. So when I heard about lia sophia I was like, wow, this sounds like a good deal for a busy girl who needs to get some nice jewelry anyway!  I haven’t regretted it so far..

I just had my starter party on Feb. 23, and then this last Saturday and Sunday I did two parties on my own! Didn’t do too badly in sales either! I’ve never thought of myself as a salesperson, but this jewelry sells itself, and I think my commitment to being honest and fair will really pay off. Anyway, I’m starting with my modest goal of earning a down-payment for the car and maybe earning at least half of a vacay fund. And I’ll have to curb my strong urges to spend any profits on more jewelry, because seriously girls, this stuff is like chocolate - who can resist it? Especially when it’s dangled in front of your face with tons of sugary messages like “Customer Save Plans” and “Hostess Bonuses”! *drool*

I never even used to like jewelry, what’s wrong with me?????

www.liasophia.com

Norwegian Stocking

Here’s my first finished sock! Ever! Not too bad, if I do say so myself. Halfway there- I’m not quite emotionally ready to cast on the second sock, but I swear I’ll make the second one! I won’t let Second Sock Syndrome control my life. 8-|

It is such an extremely thick, hot sock. As soon as I stick my hand or foot inside of it I feel like I’m going to erupt into a fit of sweating. Not quite the dainty little stocking I pictured! Oh well, it’ll make a great snowboarding sock!

Here’s an inside-out shot - I have to say I’m very proud of my first attempt at colorwork! It’s kind of uneven in places, but the puckering isn’t too bad at all!

It comes up to my knee when on, and the top is a little loose, but I’ll just add a little elastic thread to fix that problem. I’m still in love with the pattern of x’s and o’s. I’m a sucker for awesomely mathematical/logical geometric patterns.

As soon as I finish both I’ll make my hubby take a cute little photo session of me in my toasty knee-highs!

Making these socks is the first step towards fulfilling my dream of having a set of “knit woolens” like the American Girl Kirsten had. Ever since I was a little tot I’ve loved Kirsten’s Swedish patterned hat, cardigan, mittens and stockings, and now I can make them for myself! You’re never too old for the American Girls! Kirsten was always my favorite. Too bad I don’t have a drop of Swedish in my blood. Nada.

Stockings, take 2

Ok, I know you’re anxious for an update (well, at least one person is!) and I want to get to the heel flap on the first stocking before I post a new pic, but I will say that I frogged the whole project and started over with size 2 needles. I’m almost to the heel on the first sock, and as soon as I get there I’ll post pics! I’m very happy with take 2 of the Norwegian Stockings!

So, carry on, and expect more later (probably this afternoon).

Madrona Fiber Arts Sponsors of The Winter Retreat

Madrona Fiber Arts Sponsors of The Winter Retreat

Oh, that’s why all the knitting blogs keep talking about going to Tacoma. Apparently there was a Knitting/Fiber retreat there this past weekend. *pouts* I wanna go to a knitting retreat!

Norwegian Stockings - Ribbit Ribbit Rip-it!

No time to write, because I’m at work, but I just have to share my sorrow about these stockings I started on Valentine’s Day. I absolutely adore the pattern, Norwegian Stockings from Folk Socks by Nancy Bush, but apparently I knit really loosely, because the socks are looking like they were made for a giant! I’m using Dalegarn Heilo with size 3 dpns.

Right now the gauge is supposed to be 2 inches = 14 sts x 15 rnds. Well, 14 sts x 15 rnds = about 2 1/2 inches right now, and that amounts to the sock being about 2 1/2 x 6 = 15 inches in diameter unstretched, and these seem really stretchy. I was kind of hoping they’d be delicate, dainty stockings, not thick boot socks. Maybe I’ll make another pair out of a thinner/finer fiber another time, then I can have some thick ones AND thin ones. I love the pattern sooooo much that I wouldn’t mind making several pairs!

I’m going to go buy size 2 dpns - and maybe a pair of ones too - on my lunch break so I can get started on the new socks. Any advice before I go a-frogging?

Just Wanna Knit!

Wow, it’s 2:15, but feels like it’s way past 5:00 and way way past “time to go home.” I don’t know why I’ve been so antsy this week! Seriously, if I’m being completely honest, all I want to do right now is knit. Knit, knit, knit, I’m obsessed with it! I have $50 of birthday money to spend on knitting stuff, and I spend many hours each day thinking of how should I spend this precious cash: perhaps a set of interchangeable circular needles? Addi Turbos? some expensive wool for the hat I wanna make for My Chris? Should I buy a yarn bag? I should I just save the money and not buy anything? definitely not that last one…

I kinda want to play sick and leave early, but there’s no way I could bring myself to do that today, I feel too good to pretend to be sick! Even with Aunt Flo the old hag visiting this week I still feel great! Just too antsy to be sitting at work doing endless Expense Reports for my 3 bosses.. (seriously, how do they amass so many receipts in one month? I wish they’d spend less money for my sake. That’s a good enough reason, right? To save their poor Assistant the pain and suffering of entering countless 75-cent toll receipts and expensive donor luncheons at fancy pancake houses, the frustration of finally finishing a report only to have one of them dash in the room saying “don’t press print! I found 5 more stuck in between the seats in my car…” You’d want to spend all day knitting too.

I’ve been spending the afternoon taking note of and bookmarking all of the LYSs in my area. One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday is take and adventurous trip to a random yarn shop in some distant suburb I have not yet visited. Sometime I’ll have to drag Sonja with me to visit the Arcadia Knitting Yarn Shop in downtown Chicago, and any other cool yarn shops down there. Here are some other nice yarn shops in the Suburbs.

I’d Rather Be Knitting - a small shop in historic downtown Long Grove, very cute.

Three Bags Full Knitting Studio - this shop is in what looks like an older two-story house, which makes for a very cozy, appealing venue for those of us knitters who equate knitting with sitting in a warm, homey living room at grandma’s house. A nice selection of yarn too, and I spied a heaping full bargain barrel too.. always nice!

Mosaic Yarn Studio - my favorite shop I’ve been to so far - as a matter of fact, I plan on going there this afternoon on the way to the chiropractor to get my not-broken-neck adjusted. I don’t know why I like the shop so much, it has yarn, needles, patterns, a table to sit at and work and everything else that all yarn shops have, but it just felt so cheery and friendly when I was there last time that I want to keep going back! The place is just packed with yarn too, like I have to be careful with my clumsy self whenever I walk through the store because Im afraid I’m going to knock over a display and send hundreds of dollars worth of fiber cascading to the floor to be trampled in the wintery-mix of slush, ice, salt and mud that graces the floors of all Chicagoland businesses this time of year.

Shops I’ve yet to visit:

Magic Needle, Inc. in Highland Park

The Gifted Purl in West Dundee

Have Ewe Any Wool? in Elmhurst

I think I’m now two-thirds of the way through Sonja’s Plaited Scarf, I can see the speck of light at the end of the dark and dreary cable-knit tunnel! Then I can start on a hat for my Chris. Any suggestions on a pattern for a beanie/hat for a guy who doesn’t like to wear hats normally? Usually store-bought hats don’t look quite right on him, so I told him I’d find a flattering one for him. I’d welcome any pattern/yarn suggestions - preferably a hat that’s not very bulky or thick and that won’t draw unnecessary attention. Unless it’s a gorgeous pattern that he’d WANT attention for!

Only 2 hours to go… grrrr…