Updates

I have some knitting updates.  I finished the sock sample for the shop (Gentleman's Plain Winter Stocking with a Dutch Heel from Knitting Vintage Socks) and I'll upload a photo as soon as my husband stops playing Call of Duty live...as I killed him when I tried to upload it a few minutes ago.  I really enjoyed knitting the Dutch heel and I think I'd like to knit this pattern again with one of my more busy hand-painted yarns.  (actually, now that I'm thinking about it...I might have posted about this already...if so, there will be an edit and we'll just pretend that none of this happened, lol).

I also finished the sweater for She-who-will-not-be-named-on-this-blog, and will not be posting photos just yet.  It's blocking right now,  waiting for pearl buttons and a label.  It grew after I blocked it so now it doesn't fit a newborn anymore (as I hoped) but it will definitely still fit a baby.  There could be matching booties too, depending on how things go.  Overall, I'm really pleased with it.  I love this yarn and the color worked out beautifully.  I knit the sleeves in the round so I have no seaming.  I'll be weaving in the ends, and sewing on a button or two (actually, it really is two) and then I have to find a pretty way to wrap it and send it on to Mommy in time for the shower that I may or may not be able to attend.  Either way, her gift is done.  Update: the package has been delivered, Momma loves it, and photos are now up :)

In new sample news, I'm three skeins of Misti Alpaca Tanos Worsted into this sweater and I'm in love with the yarn.  I love watching the semi-solid red play out in the stitches.  I like to watch for my favorite red to come off the needles.  The construction of this sweater is different from any of the others I've knit (for an adult anyway).  It starts in the back, at the top of the waste band.  The pattern calls for a provisional cast on so I'll be picking these up eventually and working the other direction.  I worked the back for about 4 inches, then cast on for the sleeves and worked them straight across for 11 inches.  This just about killed me because it was over 200 stitches a row, but I put my fingers in overdrive and pushed through.  I just bound off the back neck stitches and now I'm working on the left front, which in a continuation of the back.  So basically, start at your bra strap, knit your way up and over your shoulder till you hit the bottom of your bust, then pick up the stitches in the back and start knitting in the round.  This should give my nice, drapey sleeves which will likely not be long enough for me, but I have to knit these samples without changing anything so that customers can see exactly how the pattern works out and make changes for themselves if they want to.  This has really been a lesson in patience and discipline for me.  I always knit the body longer, add length to the sleeves, and usually toss the project in a corner after I hit a section like the 11 inches of 200+ stitches like I just finished in this one so I can knit something else for a while.  It's going to be interesting to see just how long it really takes me to knit a sweater from start to finish.

Now, Alex news.  He went to the Day program for three days, and they agree that he needs to be there.  He hasn't slept much this week and it's clear to anyone who sees him that he's exhausted, but he refuses to nap so I can't do anything about it.  I'm just waiting to hear from the sleep study.  In the meantime, the insurance company has denied payment for the day program because they don't feel that his behavior issues only being a problem at home and Sunday School translates into an issue that requires that level of therapy.  So...we're going to do some outpatient treatment where someone comes to our home for a few hour a week and we'll reassess in a month.  His counselor doesn't think this will be very affective, and when we show that lesser methods aren't worth the time we wasted on them, she'll ask again to have him back in the program.  He likes to go there, and they seemed sad that he wouldn't be back on Monday, but everyone is optimistic that he'll be back.  I feel a peace with it.  I know that in the end, he'll get exactly what he needs and if we have to hop through some hoops for the insurance company right now, that's what we'll do.  In the end, they'd save money if they just let us do this, but what ever.

Dante had try-outs for Track and he "thinks [he] might have made the team"...like there's really a doubt.  He was one of the best runners on the team last year and the coach had her eye on him already.  I think he did just fine.  They were taking the first two finishers from each heat, and he won his, so I say he's in.  That means that I'll have to pick him up from practice every day at 4pm, and meets every Thursday by 5 (if I don't get to go), so between him and Alex's possible schedule...I've become a soccer mom.  Aaron's talking about getting me a gym membership so I can try to get some strength back into my back (I think he freaked out when he saw me standing in front of him in a pair of crocs, wearing a breath-right strip, with a griddle on and a hot water bottle on my back...) and somewhere in this mess I'm supposed to work at a yarn shop, knit samples, and do school work.  Oh! and there's my responsibilities at church too, so I don't know how this is all going to work out.  I sure hope Aaron get a high paying job at the end of this, because I'm too busy to go back to work lol. 

Photos will be added to this sometime tomorrow.