long over due

HI EVERYONE!  Life has been CRAZY since my last post, thus the lack of posting... LET ME UPDATE YOU

First and most important I have 11 projects started, and 8 done!  I have to finish the gloves, the socks and the blanket.  I also have to start either a sweater, or another hat for my nephew.  He enjoys my hats they keep his little adorable head warm.  I made him 2, and the second one ALREADY is too small... so I have promised my sister another one for him.  She then complained he has hoodies to wear, but no sweater, and she wants a little jacket for him without a hood.  I may find a like 12-24 months pattern and make him a sweater so that he can keep wearing it through winter.  Hes only like 2 months old, but hes a big baby already.  He's tall and growing fast, hes not a fat baby though, that has to be specified because I think my sister would be upset if I was telling people she had an overweight child... hes tall, NOT fat lol, tho of course he has little chipmunk cheeks like me :)   So like I said, we will see.  I'll probably make the hat because I need to finish the other 3 and I've only got 2 months left!

Second!  I GOT ENGAGED!  My awesome wonderful and handsome man Dylan proposed to me on September 22 2012, ironically on my friend Bobs birthday so I won't forget!  Love my ring, love my fiance.  I had been waiting for this to happen, because I knew it was coming, lol.  I'll do a picture post to update on everything later because I don't have a picture on my computer of the ring, just my phone.

What else has happened... OH! Dylan and I are trying to buy a house, I'm trying to lose weight for this wedding, and we're also trying to save money to pay for said wedding... going to be an interesting and frugal year 2013...

Been going on Pinterest ALOT again... this has resulted in Dylan telling me I should make the foods I see on pinterest for him... I went, "yea and I'll make it a blog like my knitting blog" and was very sarcastic about it... and he went, 'DO IT! We'll make a video blog! I'll tape you cooking for me, then I'll eat the food" 'and then you'll get fat...'  We'll see what happens.

I have choir soon.  Sister is bringing the baby to church to see the organist, who I love dearly and have known for like 15 years now... and she taught my sister and me piano and she has seen COUNTLESS pictures of the baby, but no actual BABY, lol.  SO my sisters going to try and bring him today.  See how it goes.

Going to knit today!  I need to get my stuff done before the end of the year.

Happy Knitting!!
taxikab

theres a post coming...

I SWEAR!   I haven't been posting because I've been SO busy getting the blanket for my sister done, and then helping my mother with stuff for the shower...  I took TONS of pictures (well not tons...) of the stuff for the shower tonight and will post on Sunday because my big sister can not see any of it before tomorrow!   So excited for her.  Picture post on Sunday!

babies babies everywhere!!!

So either there's something in the water in PA.... OR its age, I don't know which... probably age, BUT! my facebook wall is COVERED with baby announcements, and pregnancy announcements and new baby pictures and ultra sound pictures.  Majority of the women I know are pregnant, or just recently had a baby, ITS NUTS.  So on that note, I FINALLY figured out what I am doing with my sisters christening blanket for baby bear.  I love cables, they're simple to do if you focus and they look hard when they're not... so its a blanket full of interlocking cables.  When i get to a point where they start twisting into each other, then I will take pictures and post here.

I also have been searching and searching for a pattern for baby bear (who's coming in about 2 more months! ah! so excited) for booties.  He's going to be born in August, and I love these little booties I made for a coworker, BUT! Baby bear is going to be a little boy... so he can't have ruby slipper booties... because his mommy and daddy would not approve, he needs golf shoes... and blue slippers.  SO i thought I was the only person having this issue with either really generic booties OR really girly ones... and I don't want him to be a little girly man right out of the womb... if he wants to cross dress later thats a different story.  ANYWAY!  I can never find boots or booties online that aren't adorable and frilly or meant for little girls... that aren't like 5 dollars for a pattern... I'm a cheapo, what can I say?

THEN! I was on pinterest! (yes I have that too, same name as everything else... taxikab87) and found these little booties

with a link to the ravelry page

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/eleganteconomy/winter-baby-boots

For some reason I can see it without being logged in... that NEVER happens for me.  Then I realized I can make almost any booties without ruffles and stuff and have them be for baby bear.  But I am not good at following patterns... so we will see how that goes...

Working on a new head warmer for another client at work.  Again I am doing cables.  I love them....

Its almost done, I have about four inches to go and then I'm finished so, yay.  May adorn with a big ol' flower once I can figure out how to make them... lol.  Enjoy guys

Happy Knitting!

taxikab

One Handed knitting

TOTALLY made a tool to assist in one handed knitting.  Got Dylan to go to the store with me, bought bunch of stuff, made the people at the store thing we were stealing stuff because we were putting it inside one another to test sizes... this made him get real into our project

Man: so whats your project? (totally thought we were stealing stuff, but we weren't)
Me: we're trying to make something for my client at work who wants to knit but only has one hand.
Man: oh... wow, well uhm.. you should try *insert thing that I have no idea what he was talking about* instead of the stuff you have there.  Same price, but might work better.

Loved it.  Dylan and me spent like an hour in the store trying to figure out different stuff to use the build this tool. I can now proudly say I have made one and I am not telling anyone how I did it or post pictures until I get a patent because I am not having anyone steal the idea.  I am just so excited that I got it to work (it needs tweaking) and now know what I have to do to make it perfect.  YAY!!

The glove is almost done, didn't knit tonight because I was working on this tool.  So excited.  Gloves will be done tomorrow.  I have to knit more, and stop getting distracted by awesome projects.
All for now.  Happy Knitting!

people with special needs like knitting too...

So as I'm pretty sure I've stated before, I work in the mental health field.  I work at an adult day program with people who have both mental disorders and disabilities.  One thing that some of them enjoy doing, is using the Knifty Knitter looms that I introduced them to (with the encouragement from my boss).  I have ONE out of like 30 clients who can actually knit, and enjoys it.  She said to me the other day "I want to knit with the two needles, not the round thing".  She simply needs you to help her when she starts and finishes a row, other than that, she does everything herself.  Totally proud of her too, because we can't get her to do much that requires sitting, she likes to pace the hall and smoke...
The reason I bring this up in my blog today, and I'm not talking about the blanket I still haven't finished... is because I'm trying to find ways to help the others in trying to knit, crochet, use the Knifty Knitter looms, etc... So I googled knitting and special needs, and I googled special needs knitting, and tons of other variations... and have found NOTHING.   I only found stuff about donating to the special Olympics and the typical knitting sites...
I'm currently working on a contraption to assist people with special needs in fiber crafts, and once my dad and me both have time to buy the stuff to build the one, I want to try it out at work to see how it works out.  But I'm kind of shocked that I can't find anything pertaining to special needs and crafts, especially since most people with Autism and OCD or even just repetition being something they enjoy and helps them in their daily life.  My clients love working on crafty stuff in my room, cross stitch, knitting, crocheting, using the round looms, they love it.  Most of them can't follow patterns because they want things to be the way they want it to go, but they still enjoy the repetitive motion.  I'm going to continue to search, and hopefully find some adaptive equipment that isn't JUST for sensory integration and traditional therapy stuff.

OFF TO KNIT!  totally spent most of the day googling about knitting and special needs...