Irish Mama

I have’nt blogged or read blogs in a little while, as we had a scary experience in our house last week. My husband had a heart attack on Wednesday, he was in the cardiac intensive care unit for a couple of days. (This is the same unit I work in). It happened while he was at work, so they got him to the hospital very quickly. He was in the ER for 6 hours before they were able to get a hold of me (my cell phone had died). He is home now, doing great, and it seems he has no damage to his heart muscle. They put 2 stents in his right coronary artery, it was a 100% closed. It was a scary and emotional time for me, I work in the unit so I know the worst that can happen, and then trying to be strong for the kids so that they would’nt be scared. So keep us in your thoughts.

I finally finished it, the photos are’nt that great. There is something wrong with my camera, time for a new one!!!

                                        Cheri Amour   from Knitty

I’ve also been knitting fingerless mittens with all my left over yarn, I’ll have pictures soon. We have had 3 weekends of soccer tournaments so I have had quick knitting projects with me.

This is my second post with an actual finished project!!! Again I saw this here , it must be the Irish heritage in both of us. I fell in love with this the minute I saw it on her blog, I went that day and bought the wool and needles. My pictures are’nt very good.

                       
 PATTERN: Aran Accent Vest from Patons

   WOOL:      Classic Merino Bright Red

I really had to concentrate when doing this pattern, but I love it and it is so warm. I’m thinking of making the Cabled Yoke Pullover from the same pattern book next.

I actually have a finished project!!!! I first saw this on Celtic Caston’s blog. I love this blanket, it is soooo warm, in fact I fight with the kids and the cats for ownership.

                              Pattern: Lion Brand Cable Comfort Throw

                               Wool:     Lion Brand Thick and Quick

It is such a quick and easy knit. I’ve already started another one. It does come out smaller than what it looks like in the pattern, but it is a perfect size for sitting watching TV or knitting. In fact here is a picture of Smoky, who thinks the balnket is his!!!!

I finally have some finished objects. First a pair of socks for my niece

I used a basic sock pattern, but then added a cable twist. The wool is a skein I won in a blog competition from JCHandmade.

The second finished object I had’nt even planned on making. My friend who just had a baby had knitted lots of squares for a baby blanket, she had sewn some of the squares together but then got frustrated with it. One day she brought a brown bag to work, and asked me try and do something with it. The bag contained wool,lots of knitted squares, some joined together with threads hanging everywhere. I nearly frogged the whole thing, but I gave it a try.

It came out really pretty.

Finally the “tween” is now a teenager. Let me tell you the terrible two’s is a piece of cake compared to tween and teenagers.

Happy New Year everyone. I have been such a bad blogger lately, but I ‘m hoping to blog more frequently now. We had a wonderful Christmas, I had to work Christmas eve night but it actually makes you appeciate what you have. When you are taking care of critically ill people, and seeing their families spending Chistmas in the hospital, or the patient with no family you realise how fortunate you are.

My best friend had her baby on Christmas Day, a little girl.

I do have quite a bit of knitting done, finally found my knitting mojo,I’ll post pics this week. So now I’m off to get the dog groomed, followed by my 3 kids 6 monthly dental appointments. Have a great day.

Here is one of the reasons I have’nt had a chance to blog lately, I have been busy making these!!!!

I have been making these for a friend of mine. She was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She is only 37, no family history. She just had a bilateral mastectomy and will be starting chemo pretty soon. I decided to make her these to wear, they are my hats of hope and encouragement.

I used many different patterns, and I changed some of the patterns. These were the patterns I used.   Cable Knit Cap from Head Huggers

                             Laced Edged Womans Hat from Head Huggers

                               Stretchy Knit Hat from Head Huggers

                                Black Sea Hat from Grumperina

                              Brooke’s Column of Leaves Hat from Brooke Nelson

                                Foliage by Emilee Mooney from Knitty

 For all of the hats I used Canon Simply Soft and just adjusted my stitches to fit. I did have 2 hats that came out too small, but instead of frogging them, I kept them for my girls. Their bears are modeling them.

Have a great weekend.

I can’t believe how quickly time is passing me by, I remember when I was a kid time went by so slowly. Next week it will be thanksgiving, and then a few weeks later it will be Christmas!!!!  Besides not even having started my Christmas shopping I have no ideas what to get anyone.

S#2 and D#1 are still doing soccer, we just spent a weekend at a soccer tournament. Luckily they were both playing at the same place and none of their games were at the same time. This was my daughters first tournament and she was so excited. One more tournament next weekend and then we are done until Feb.

We have been sharing the cold bug in our house, everyone has had it, sniffles, cough, sore throat and aches. I’m finally getting it over it, but just have no energy.

I am knitting, but I have so many projects going at the same time, that I can’t get anything finished. So today I’m going to pick one of them and get it finished. I have 7 projects started, I would start one, then tire of it, start another, etc, etc. I have 3 single pairs of socks made. I think part of the problem is my knitting spot was gone while they were redoing our living room, but they are finished now and the furniture should be here this week, so hopefully my knitting mojo will return.

My kids are suffering the effects of too much sugar after Trick or treating. Here are the girls in their costumes

It was windy and cold, but they had a lot of fun. I had 8 kids at my house and everyone went trick or treating together

The wood floor in the pictures, is my new floor in the living room. They are still working on the room, and there is dust everywhere. But soon it will be done. This weekend (in between soccer practices) we will go look for furniture.Yea, even though soccer season is over, S#2 and D#1 are still playing. They are playing tournaments now.

Reading update. I usually get all my books from the library, but this week I had to breakdown and buy not 1 but 3 books. They are all part of a series. Now these books are not ones I would usually read, but they were highly recomended. When I saw that there were 19 holds in the library on the first one, I went and bought them

So I’m ready to get started reading them this weekend

So Saturday it was in the 80’s, and then Sunday it was 50’s, and I am freezing. D#2 had soccer practice on Sunday, and since I am so unorganised lately, I spent an hour searching in their winter clothes boxes for something warm for her to wear. I could’nt even knit at her practice as my hands were so cold, so I went for a 3 mile run while I waited for her. After practice we went and had some hot chocolate.

Today is D#2’s birthday, she is 7 today. I can’t believe she has grown so quickly. Where have the years gone to. This little one had open heart surgery at 10 months old, and each year that she gets older I realise how lucky and blessed I am to have her in my life. She is my little angel baby.

Today there will be no knitting done, because as well as having a special birthday dinner, I will be spending all day finding everyones warmer clothes as we still have shorts and t-shirts in our closet. I bet half the stuff does’nt fit them anymore. Have a great day.