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

I kinda made a flower!

So I was making an ear warmer for a client (no one specific) and a another client said "oh that's pretty"when I was half done. So I asked her if she wanted it. I then let her help make it and design it for herself. She picked to have a flower on it and held the needles so she could "knit" it too. She wants to wear it now even though it's meant for winter lol

I knit a strip of black yarn and the twisted it to make a flower. I'll do a tutorial If anyone wants one later. As a black flower it looks ok haha. I types this using the blogger app so if it looks funny that's why. I'll fix it later


Happy knitting!
Taxikab

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

Summer, Summer, Summer time...

So graduation was fun.  Lots of driving... on the way home I knit, and watched Captain America, twice... because my dads never seen it.  The first time I watched it on my laptop and then the laptop died... and there was only about 10 minutes left!  BUT we stopped and ate seeing as it was Mothers Day... and we had been in the car for about 3 hours already...

Here's me at Graduation.  I look slightly cross eyed... lol.  No knitting here folks...

    You may be wondering... "why the bare feet taxikab?" Random yes.... I jokingly said to my father after my brothers graduation, "Daddy, my feet hurt... you should carry me to the after party..." and he went, "or you could take your shoes off... and just walk without your heels on..."  it took me about 4 more hours walking in my heels to actually take his advice..  I think wanders Boston without shoes on... my dad then realized it was a bad suggestion since my mom was insanely worried I would get glass in my foot.  I didn't notice a SINGLE PERSON who passed me, because I was too busy looking for objects that could puncture my feet.  While in Boston we went to Cheesecake Factory, where I have NEVER been before, but now love... My boyfriend Ironically went there the same day I did, but here in Philly.  We have come an agreement that we need to go back together... because its awesome.  While I was at Cheesecake Factory, this poor lady at the table behind us went to pick up her baby in its carseat from the highchair, and the baby wasn't locked in, and the handle wasn't locked right I guess, and the baby ended up falling out and right onto the floor...  like 2 month old baby right on the floor.  My dad said he saw the baby hit its chest before it hit its head so hopefully that helped a bit... they had a friend with them who was a doctor who almost immediately began looking over the baby saying he was going to be ok... so... I still hope that baby was fine...  ANY!

My life isn't even that hectic right now, but I can't seem to find time to sit and just KNIT.  I get more knitting done at work than at home... and I'm supposed to be working then...  I do teach a knitting group so I am TECHNICALLY working...  I think because its so nice out that I'm not getting anything done at home....  I tried sitting in my yard and knitting last week, but then things came up that needed to be done and I ended up nixing that idea...
Made a headband for a client at work.  It started as me practicing making leaf patterns in my knitting and trying to knit without patterns, just knit and see what happens.  A client saw it and said, "that's pretty" and so I asked her if she wanted it.

I knit the green part, which is supposed to look like leaves... but it didn't end up that way... oh well...  Then I took a crochet hook and crocheted the pink edge to it.  Now it covers my clients ears and she can use it as a winter head warmer...  I'm figuring out how to make a big ol' flower to stick on there too.  Her face lit up when I said she could have it and was even more excited when I mentioned the flower... lol

Here it is finished, the back seam anyway...

Here it is on my head. lol.  See, covers my ears! mostly...

Have I mentioned we have a sewing machine in my classroom too?  This results in me throwing easy projects together and going, "here you go guys".  Or finding projects that require minimal time and concentration so I can have them make them.  One client made a huge pillow, I was very proud.  Myself and a client made the bag you see with the owls on it.   BUT SHE NEVER USES IT.  I made it because she misplaced her change purse and was insisting that she keep her change in her shoes... but then no one wants to touch her money, haha, So I made her a cross-body bag (she helped) and she never brings it to program.

 I almost made this holder for the knitting needles at program.  It was an accident that there was a space for the circular needles on the right.  I measured wrong... BUT! it worked out, because I can keep them in their packaging and untangled from any future circular needles we purchase for program.  I insist that they learn to  knit on straight needles before they use the circular needles.  They disagree sometimes, but it wasn't an issue until one of them brought their OWN SET of needles to program and wanted me to teach her to use them... now we'll see how it goes...  Shes doing okay so far, I think shes making a hat... No idea.  they never know what they want to make until half way through, and by then I'm hoping I don't have to take the work out...

Happy Knitting!
Taxikab

Job interview tomorrow.  Fingers crossed, because its more money and REALLY close to my house, as opposed to my current job...

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...