I finished my Magknits t-shirt yesterday, and I am loving it. I already have plans to make another.

It's not easy to take a photo of yourself with the camera timer and try to get the dog to look cute, your new sweater to look cute, and to not look like you have a bald spot. Two outta three ain't bad, right?

Posted by: Sarah at 04:38 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Loving that t-shirt!!! I all three look great.

Posted by: Guard Wife at April 23, 2008 05:18 AM (BslEQ)

2 I'm dropping words apparently...I think all three of you look fantastic.

Posted by: Guard Wife at April 23, 2008 05:18 AM (BslEQ)

3 My husband used to work for a paycheck advance company. For many it was helpful and no one was forced to take out a loan. At one point a politician decided the military should not be charged the current rate and made the rate to low for the company to make money. They would lose money at the rate required. So what did the company do? Stopped loaning money to soldiers. The net effect? No loans when they may have needed it.

Posted by: Amy at April 23, 2008 03:17 PM (dgUV8)

4 Opps! Wrong post!

Posted by: Amy at April 23, 2008 03:18 PM (dgUV8)

5 So cute!

Posted by: Erin at April 24, 2008 03:31 AM (y67l2)

6 That is so cute. I might have to make one. I'm trying to find a local source for soysilk at the moment.

Posted by: Mare at April 24, 2008 05:25 AM (EI19G)

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I knitted two socks last week on vacation.

Yeah, I never said they matched.

The red one has the StL Cardinals logo on the heel. The black one is made with that fun Tofutsies yarn made out of crab shells. I just really wanted socks made from seafood.

And I imagine someday I will make the partner for each of these socks. But right now, there's work to do. I thought my baby knitting was winding down. Both my cousins had their babies last week, so that only left one more preg lady to knit for. And then I got two wedding invitiations in the mail. And found out someone else is pregnant.

It never ends.

Also in knitting news, while on vacation I went to the Toy and Miniature Museum. I knew that some of Althea Merback's work was there, so I dragged my husband's family to see tiny knitted gloves. This was the sweater we got to see, but there was so much more. It was The.Best.Museum.Evah. (My husband laughed when I said that; "You've been to the Louvre," he joked.) But some statue with no arms has nothing on a six-inch-tall working printing press. Or tiny working musical instruments and cameras. My in-laws are lucky we showed up two hours before closing because I could've spent all day there. And the whole time, I kept wishing I had the AirForceKids or Sir Rowland there with me; they would've loved it.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:12 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I read yesterday at CG that a blogger I've never read before, Dispatches from Blogblivion, has fallen on hard times. I noticed his wife has an Etsy shop, so I went and bought a cute crochet pattern. If anyone is so inclined to get a crochet pattern in exchange for a little charity, her Etsy shop is here. Looks like I will be crocheting little birdies at some point in the future.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:45 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I want to do a knitting update. But I can't. Everything I am making is a present for someone who reads the blog. I can't ruin the surprises. But -- get ready to gasp -- I am getting ready to start making something for myself soon. It's been a long while. I am going to make one of these Magknits shirts for summer. For me. Mine, all mine. Also I am itching to make socks. I plan to give these more-fun-than-cables socks a go while we're in the car heading back to the Midwest for block leave.

Mmmm. Selfish knitting.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:27 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Those knit t-shirts are COOL! Can't wait to see what phrase you knit in.

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at March 28, 2008 06:37 AM (U2RJu)

2 tee hee. I'm reading the blog. thanks for not spoiling any surprises . sounds like you are on the go? i hope your families are well!

Posted by: Kate at March 28, 2008 10:46 AM (JIGe1)

3 Ooh, I read your blog, so what am I gettin'?

Posted by: Oda Mae at March 28, 2008 10:55 AM (A5BOd)

4 I'm ENTITLED, right? And I get it for free?

Posted by: Oda Mae at March 28, 2008 10:56 AM (A5BOd)

5 Yeah, what Oda Mae said. Where's our free stuff?

Posted by: Mare at March 28, 2008 12:00 PM (EI19G)

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I donated these preemie hats to the hospital last week. Isn't the "kiss me" one cute? That was my mother-in-law's idea.

And happy birthday, Oda Mae!

Posted by: Sarah at 03:14 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Thanks so much, Sarah. I took the day off of work so I could go to Nuremburg with Justin for the Easter market and to get my birthday present. Justin bought me 300 grams of Kusmi Bouquet De Fleurs tea. My fave! And it's the only place I've found it, other than the web. The fact that my bronchitis came back over the weekend and I hacked my lungs out on the train home did not keep me from forging ahead - but it MIGHT keep me out of work tomorrow. Different standard of comfort, don't you know?

Posted by: Oda Mae at March 17, 2008 06:50 AM (kZn5x)

2 They're sooo cute!

Posted by: Sharona at March 17, 2008 08:27 AM (BeRta)

3 oh those are adorable!

Posted by: lea at March 17, 2008 03:47 PM (SyhWV)

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You know what sucks? When you start a baby cardigan and then set it aside for about a month while you work on other things. Then you return to the cardigan and make the second front panel, only to find you used the wrong needle size. So you have a whole section made with size 3s instead of 4s. Oh, and despite the fact that you double-checked, you don't have enough yarn to finish the sleeves. Grrr.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:29 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I actually managed to sneak in a little bit of knitting for myself lately. I am working on another DNA scarf.

And my buddy Heather shows up this week for her husband's homecoming ceremony (hooray!), so I have 110 squares for her Hand-Crafted Comfort.

Posted by: Sarah at 10:57 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Ooh! Ooh! Make one of these! http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/22/knit-gasmask-hat.html

Posted by: deskmerc at March 02, 2008 05:41 AM (Ho1gG)

2 Lovely scarf! I'm thinking about taking up knitting, something nice and quiet to do when the kids are asleep that would require me to put down the laptop... any good suggestions for a newbie? Books to look at or something simple?

Posted by: lea at March 02, 2008 03:38 PM (NJQf+)

3 Knitting is a wonderful hobby!! It's kinda rough to learn from a book, but it certainly can be done. If you're a feisty lady, you might like the book Stitch n Bitch My local library even carries it if you don't want to buy it. But it has lots of tips and a fun writing style. But really, any knitting book will do. But a book alone won't cut it; I cannot say how highly I recommend the website www.knittinghelp.com She has free videos for all sorts of techniques, beginner to advanced. If you sit with the book and the videos, I think you'd be able to figure it out. But you might be able to find a class locally for a decent price. My classes at Michaels were $15 for a two-hour session, in which you can learn all the basics. You might find something similar at a yarn store near you. Good luck, and let me know if you take up knitting!

Posted by: Sarah at March 02, 2008 03:57 PM (TWet1)

4 lea - warning - knitting is highly addictive. Sarah's projects got me started, and now I JUST CAN'T STOP. I've made socks for my entire immediate family, a scarf for the husband (he wants one of those DNA scarves now), a doll sweater, two cabled purses, and some various practice things. I might need a 12 step program.

Posted by: airforcewife at March 03, 2008 04:21 AM (mIbWn)

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Oh man, I just got laid off! It's a corporate decision to stop offering classes, so there's the end of the greatest job ever. I will really miss those knitting classes. It was fun while it lasted.

But how on earth will we ever live without the $900 I made last year? Heh.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:38 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Awwww that sucks! With the way the system works you probably qualify for unemployment, LOL. I got laid off once and I made more on unemployment than I did working. No wonder there is a problem. Sad.

Posted by: Army Blogger Wife at February 28, 2008 04:58 PM (Y3JJK)

2 SAD!!! Funny thing, I had the same thought as ABW!

Posted by: Erin at March 01, 2008 01:45 PM (y67l2)

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I spent four hours today sewing toes to feet and making up the monkey face. He's done, and he's pretty cute. Too bad he's not going to fetch $200.

Remind me to never knit stuffed animals for strangers.

Posted by: Sarah at 10:06 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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The new swear word around our house is "monkey toes."

I'm still working on the spider monkey I started back in November, a project which has been sitting in pieces on my coffee table, mocking me for months. The hitch? Individually knitted toes. Twenty of 'em. Individually sewn on to individual feet. A nightmare of sewing and weaving in ends.

But now the twenty toes are made, and it's time to buckle down and stuff them (eek) and start sewing them to the feet. And sewing the feet to the legs.

Time to get this monkey off my back. Hardy har.

(And yes, I know that the toes look like, ahem, swimmers all lined up like that. Or feminine products. That wasn't the look I was going for when I took the picture.)

Posted by: Sarah at 11:51 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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How do I love my pal Erin? Let me count the ways...

Erin's first knitting project was this baby sweater, intended for a pregnant friend. But I wasn't there when she started it, so she didn't know that she could float the yarn up the side of the work instead of cutting at every color change. When she finished all the pieces and saw the tangle of mess she had to contend with, she picked the whole thing up and placed it in the garbage can.

Luckily, I was there at that moment, and knitting -- no matter how heinous -- does not belong in the garbage. I took it home and dumped it in a box of yarn, where it sat for three years.

And if Erin had adopted a girl, it would've sat there until eternity.
But Erin had a boy, and I had work to do.

I cursed those tails as I wove them in, but I did it because I couldn't wait to hear the awe in Erin's voice when she realized that the first knitting project she ever made would actually be worn by her new baby.

And it was totally worth it.

"Tucker, look what your mommy and Aunt Sarah made for you," I heard her whisper over the phone.

Yep, totally worth it.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:03 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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Liveblogging the Super Bowl...no, just kidding. But I thought the Declaration of Independence segment was touching. Makes me feel so proud and embiggened.

And I am about to burst, I ate so much junk. Yum.

FYI, Super Bowl knitting includes another SWS Danica for Love My Tanker and a dishrag for my brothers' new apartment.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:01 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Ok, so what type of yarn do you use to make dishrags? Sounds like a simple project for someone like me.

Posted by: Vonn at February 03, 2008 06:43 PM (L56+J)

2 Ok, so what type of yarn do you use to make dishrags? Sounds like a simple project for someone like me.

Posted by: vonn at February 03, 2008 06:44 PM (L56+J)

3 Vonn -- The easiest and cheapest route is to use those little balls of Sugar n Cream 100% cotton. They wash-and-wear pretty well. I'd recommend a colorway that doesn't have white in it (so they get less grimy looking). And there's a great website with a ton of patterns; google Dishcloth Boutique!

Posted by: Sarah at February 04, 2008 02:40 AM (TWet1)

4 I have never, ever felt more loved!

Posted by: LMT at February 05, 2008 03:25 AM (y9taJ)

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Yay, the hat I made for Tucker fits!
(I am used to making preemie stuff, so newborn stuff looks gigantic to me.)

Posted by: Sarah at 06:43 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Erin should change her blog name to Erin Raves About Sarah...and I'll change mine to Trying To Be Humble And Not Link Every Time Erin Raves About Sarah.

But she got her baby gifts...

Incidentally, I was thinking about Tucker while I was knitting. But that's a lot of knitting, and I was definitely also spending some time thinking about the episode of South Park where they burn a cross on Will Smith's yard but say that they're burning the letter T. I kept repeating the line as I knit -- "T, for 'time to leave'" -- until my husband was about to go batty from hearing the same lame joke for two weeks.

Also I was thinking about what a bonehead I am for making a burnt orange blanket with an f-ing T on it to send to a family stationed in Texas. Of all the dumb moves. I was 2/3 through the blanket before I realized that everyone is going to think they're University of Texas alums.

And yes, my sewing machine tried to murder me.

Round three of Erin's presents will be on the way shortly, hopefully before the baby is born. One more week!

Posted by: Sarah at 04:04 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I am mostly finished with this round of baby knitting, so I have thrown myself into crocheting squares for Hand-Crafted Comfort. Some of the ladies from my preemie knitting group donated yarn to me, and it all seemed to be red and blue. I threw some white in, and voilà:

I made 35 of these new patriotic squares. Coupled with the 16 for my autumn-themed blanket, that means I'll ship at least 51 squares to Heather soon.

Hey, 51.

But Heather's in the process of moving -- her hubs is returning from Iraq soon! -- so who knows how many I'll have by the time she gets an address. I still have a lot of that red and blue left, and I love the freeing feeling I get when I'm using up extra yarn that's been sitting around for a decade.

(Yes, I have yarn that's been sitting around for a decade. If by "sitting around" you mean PCSing with us five times and being dragged across the Atlantic.)

Posted by: Sarah at 03:43 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Butterfly Wife updated that she sent out her 696th card to wounded soldiers at Landstuhl. Not too shabby. So I thought I'd give a little update.

To break the monotony of baby knitting, I have thrown in a square or two.

These 12 will be sent off to Heather for Hand-Crafted Comfort, her organization that assembles afghans for the wounded at Walter Reed. I haven't kept track of how many I've made total, but I am keeping track of certain colors because I am trying to make enough to provide an entire afghan. I've made 35 so far towards my own blanket. And isn't this just the greatest way to make a project: I do the fun stuff and then mail everything to Heather so she can assemble them, sew them together, weave in ends, and cut tails? Awesome. Why can't all my projects be like that?

And someone else mentioned the other day that we haven't had a pupdate in a while.

This morning, Charlie had an upset stomach. Apparently he decided the best thing to do was to go all the way downstairs, crawl under the Christmas tree, barf, and then lay down in it. Our dog's a genius.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:00 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 That's funny, because I just finished a post at my site about my crochet addiction and just happened to link you. Yarn=Crack, I swear!!

Posted by: Raging Mom at January 07, 2008 06:37 AM (l+Chn)

2 I like the weaving and sewing. I think I'm alone in that. Cute pup.

Posted by: stuffed at January 07, 2008 10:02 AM (oI9wm)

3 oh wow, I love to crochet!! I can't believe I stumbled upon your blog today of all days, when I just finished my last project!!

Posted by: Erin at January 07, 2008 03:35 PM (79ptc)

4 thanks for the pup photo! cute as ever.

Posted by: jennifer at January 07, 2008 03:58 PM (NiWTj)

5 Keep up the great work. Charlie is so cute. I am sure you must do like I do when they are sick and silly at the same time: love him.

Posted by: Butterfly Wife at January 07, 2008 04:36 PM (K0acE)

6 There's just something to love about the silliness that is dogs, isn't there? I'm not a fan of barfing, and Ike's got the most sensitive stomach I've ever seen. If we give him anything other than Pedigree for Fat Asses and chicken broth, he vomits and craps copiously. And do we chuck him out for a model with less barfiness? Naaah, we clean it up in an irritated manner and laugh at the way he puts himself in the corner in shame. Gotta love dogs.

Posted by: airforcewife at January 08, 2008 04:31 AM (mIbWn)

7 I love Charlie.

Posted by: Badger 6 at January 08, 2008 08:44 AM (n3eEc)

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The SpouseBUZZ knit-along is complete!

Posted by: Sarah at 05:32 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Knitting woes are universal:

I am convinced that all that jazz about the big Christmas Knitting Deadline and the Will it Fit/Will They Like it Debate fluffs up the project so much in our minds that if, when the recipient finally opens their gift, they have a heart attack and go totally blind from from the joy of it all that our knit-gifting experience will never be exactly what we expect. I mean, really, let's be honest. A heart attack and total blindness--add to that a small amount of some sort of incontinence or maybe a swoon or two would fall just a tiny bit short of what we'd expect, once we add up all those skyscraper dreams, etc. that we graft into all those stitches, bulky or not.

I can so relate. This year the two things I knitted for people in my husband's extended family, they didn't even understand what I had knit them. I had to mail their gifts, and apparently both of them spent a week staring at the items and wondering what they heck they were and why I'd made them.

My husband keeps telling me to stop knitting for non-knitters. But when you're a knitter, you can't go out and buy a pack of onesies for a baby gift; you have to make something for baby. So I have to live up to that expectation while balancing the fact that it takes about 60 straight hours of knitting to make a baby blanket.

So I keep going. I'm 3/5 of the way through little Tucker's gift. And it totally doesn't match the nursery. Sad.

Posted by: Sarah at 07:02 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 SARAH! Stop freaking out! If it is anyone that will appreciate a knitted blanket to the point of heart failure or blindness, it is me. Tucker will love it, I will love it, and it doesn't have to match the nursery. I'm not as matchy-matchy as you may think. I look forward to receiving it, and even if it takes you four more months to finish, I would rather you enjoy the process than let it cause YOU heart failure.

Posted by: Erin at January 01, 2008 10:59 AM (XRza7)

2 Just wanted to say hello! I read often but don't post a comment. I am a non-knitter and I have always loved your gifts! The boy loves them too! Some people just don't appreciate a gift that is made . . . aren't those the best!

Posted by: Heidi at January 01, 2008 01:20 PM (GnQGs)

3 Sarah, I have a friend who is a knitter and a rather part time blogger. She just asks people what they want... *grin* That way they're expecting it... of course you could always enclose a card that says... "I hope you like wearing this..." If they see that, it will probably fall into place. In any case, Happy New Year! I hope you have a terrific 2008 to make up for 2007.

Posted by: Teresa at January 01, 2008 01:58 PM (rVIv9)

4 This comment is for Erin since I cannot post a comment on her blog; I messed with it for l0 minutes and then gave up. I love the name, love the colors of the room, and love the creative decorating. Very clever! Tucker _________ sounds like a dreamy movie star's name. I love it! Sarah's Mom Sarah, you're too hard on yourself. I've been bundled up all day long in the cream/sand blanket you knitted for me. I love it and it's so nice and warm and special because you made it for me!

Posted by: Nancy at January 01, 2008 03:27 PM (i47jP)

5 Don't worry! Your gift will be loved. And, trust me, your gift WILL be used & therefore, doesn't need to match the nursery given that the little buggers don't spend much time in there anyhow!

Posted by: Guard Wife at January 01, 2008 05:32 PM (BslEQ)

6 Thank you, Momma Nancy. When are you coming to see Tucker?

Posted by: Erin at January 01, 2008 06:44 PM (XRza7)

7 When someone MAKES something, it is an heirloom. At least, that's how I see it. Every stitch that goes into it was a thought the creator gave the receiver.

Posted by: airforcewife at January 02, 2008 08:44 AM (mIbWn)

8 Oh, get this. The other day I dropped off a hand knit blanket with a note for a pregnant friend I used to work with (she was off the day I brought it in). So I went in today, and she said, "Hi Erin." I waited for more, but it never came. "HI ERIN?!," I thought. The nerve. Scout said, "Well, maybe nobody gave it to her. Maybe someone stole it." Heh. That better be what happened.

Posted by: Erin at January 02, 2008 03:19 PM (XRza7)

9 Erin, remember when I made that hat and scarf for the Christmas gift exchange and the lady who opened it said, "Oh...a hat and scarf" and dropped it on the floor? Sigh.

Posted by: Sarah at January 02, 2008 03:48 PM (TWet1)

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The other night, I couldn't fall asleep because I have too much knitting stress. For pete's sake, Erin's baby gets here in a month and I haven't even started! Not to mention the other babies popping on the scene in early 2008. I have knit myself into a corner and need to get out fast.

So I got out of bed and worked from midnight to 0200 to finish the project I had so selfishly started for myself.

(It's Nakiska from Knitty, unblocked of course because blocking takes time.)

Now that that's out of the way, I'm on a strict baby knitting schedule, five or six hours a day. My husband looked at me today and said, "I think maybe you shouldn't knit so much." He means well, really he does, but I don't know what he was thinking when he said that. He says he only meant that it's a hobby and I shouldn't get so stressed out about an activity that's supposed to be fun and doesn't even bring us any income.

But Erin's baby can't knit for himself.

Back to work.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:59 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I'm a mere 13 rows away from finishing my huge knitting project so I can gift it. Thank heavens. It was meant to be 30,100 stitches made with love and appreciation, but at this point I just can't wait to put it in the mail.

And then I have to make this spider monkey, which someone is paying me to make.

And then I can concentrate on the other five projects I have sitting on my sofa...

The other day I got this ridiculous idea that I still had time before Christmas to make everyone I know a pair of these little mitten ornaments. Thank heavens I talked myself out of that before I even got started. I still want to make them, but everyone can get them next year.

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