The Gamble Life

More Gift Knitting

Pretty much nothing is going on around here except sort of frantic knitting and sewing, laundry getting ready for packing, "creative" dinners trying to use up the food, and reading U Is For Undertow (which is really good)...it's hectic and fun!

For a dear friend, Damson.  Ravelry link here.  This is a very easy knit, with interesting shaping.  The garter stitch makes it nice and squishy too.

Hmm, this one turned out to be for me!  I wear it a ton, wrapped around my neck like a scarf.  The yarn is a new one from Berroco called Lustra and it's half wool half tencel with a beautiful sheen that doesn't show up in this picture at all.  This pattern is free, and very nicely written, available here.  Ravelry link here.

I couldn't model these because they are too small for me...but should fit another dear friend perfectly.  They are very 80s in color I think, but that is certainly "on trend" as those Project Runway judges like to say...anyway, if she doesn't like them she can save them for her daughters who may in a few years.  Pattern here.  My Ravelry page here.

There's lots more that isn't quite photo-ready, plus a bunch of sewing.  I'm having fun.  Small projects are always rewarding because you get to finish so quickly, and I like looking forward to my friends getting the presents.  And I just love making presents in general, no packaging, no icky materials (I try to use all natural fibers), and one of a kind!

Winter Beauty

I took the boys to the Duke Gardens the other day after school.  It was chilly and there weren't many people around.  And I was just struck by how beautiful all the plantings looked in their winter forms.

We had a really lovely time.

Supposed to be Winter Beauty...

but instead it's just me writing to you because out of the blue Typepad is telling me I've run out of upload room for this month.  I don't know--I've sent them an email because this has never happened to me before and I don't think I posted more pictures than usual.  It's only the 11th after all.  Anyway, if I get it fixed I have a lot of great pictures of Duke Gardens in the cold.  I have the best picture ever (to a knitter anyway) of Gus knitting--he's really taken off.  He can knit and purl now and likes to knit while I read to him at night.

I'm searching for a hat pattern knit flat; I remember one I used to have so I have to go dig it out, so he can knit himself a hat.

I'm busy packing for our trip to Austin, very busy trying to finish making Christmas presents, and busy trying not to eat too much chocolate!

I hope everyone is having a great time gearing up for the holidays.  Hilariously Vistaprint sent me some other families cards today.  They look like a very nice family.  I briefly considered sending them out as a joke, but the postage would be way too much.  Oh well.  They promise me my actual cards by next Wednesday.

Gift Knitting

First up, a teeny tiny little sweater for baby Annie!  I just mailed this even though she was born way back in September.  I hope she and her mama like it. Ravelry project page here.

This blanket was really dull to knit, but I think it is so sweet.  Abe sure seems to like it, anyway.  Gus' teacher and his wife are having a baby girl in December and this blanket is for her.  Ravelry project page here.  This is the blanket being blocked to show the lace pattern better.

I knit it out of cotton, which is nice for a baby blanket, but not so great for lace as it won't hold the blocking the way wool would.

My friend John is currently stationed in Afghanistan and his wife (and my friend) Ruth tells me it is crazy cold there so I knit him this hopefully very warm hat.  I'm modeling it here and let me tell you, it is interesting taking a picture of the back of your head.  And also, what the hell are all those gray hairs doing on my head!  Damn.  This is a really great pattern called Habitat, by a very cool designer named Jared Diamond aka Brooklyn Tweed.  Check out his blog for some amazing photography of knitting (a notoriously difficult subject).  Ravelry page here.

Last but not least, a stealth picture because this gift hasn't been delivered yet and the recipient may be a reader, I'm not sure.  Actually, I have several more gifts but they are all in progress, so pictures later.

Are you making any Christmas (or other) gifts?  What are they? 

Kids Crafting

I am sure almost everyone with kids has a lot of crafting supplies.  It's best when the kids can go get what they want (and put it away!) all on their own.  My kids have their crafting area in the kitchen eating area and what was once tidy and reasonable had ballooned into a really messy and huge area driving me crazy pretty much all the time.  Also, things didn't have assigned spots and so no one could ever find what they wanted without my help.  To make matters worse, I had two different pieces of furniture/shelves storing things, and neither fit under the bar creating a ton of wasted space.

So, as a little birthday present to myself last month I went to Target and bought a whole new set of containers and shelves and I couldn't be happier with them.  Look!

Each bin holds a different category of stuff, like wood, paper, felt, glitter.  You get the idea.  And best of all, it fits under the counter--yay!  And it's short enough that even Abe can reach into all of the bins on top to get out whatever he feels like scattering around the house.  The plastic jars with the red lids are actually the containers cashews come in from Costco.  I swear that it took awhile for us to through so many cashews  Although we do all really like them.

It's The Christmas Season!

Year two for the advent calendar/banner Gus and I made last year.  The boys have enjoyed two days starting with chocolate, what a surprise.  I've got some other things planned for future days (besides chocolate I mean), like:

-make wishes/predictions for 2010

-go look at Christmas lights in the neighborhood

-go out for a hot chocolate and scone treat

-make paper snowflakes and hang them around the house

-stay up 15 minutes late reading Jan Brett Christmas stories

-make thumbprint Christmas cards (the drawings are done with thumbprints and pen)

What do you put in your advent calendar?

Like most years I'm trying to think of a new family tradition to do around the holidays...anyone have a great idea for me? 

I also think I'm going to host a little Christmas party/gift exchange for Abe's playgroup.  I'm going to sew a cute little crayon and notepad holder for Abe's gift to his buddies.  Cute so the parent doesn't mind carrying it around, contained and small so the little one can manipulate it, complete so nothing else is needed for a little impromptu entertainment at a restaurant or waiting in line or whatever.  I'll post details when I get them finished.

Great Day at the Butterfly House

We were at the Butterfly House and the Museum of Life and Science on a warm day and it was one of those lucky days when we find a butterfly who is new, dying, or "friendly."

I even caught a copycat shot of the picture I took two years ago!

What a difference two years makes!  Same kid, same personality, but so different at the same time.

Obviously we take birthday celebrations pretty seriously, but I have been wanting to do something more meaningful to mark the boys' birthdays, especially Gus since he is older.  Or maybe to mark some of them more.  I remember when I turned sixteen and my dad took me out to a fancy hotel lobby for a drink (I did not have an alcoholic drink, just a regular drink, but the atmosphere was fancy) and gave me my first fountain pen.  It was really great and I felt very grown up.  Maybe it's too soon for this kind of thing, but I do want to think about it for the future.  What do you do to mark birthdays?

Black Friday?

So I guess a lot of folks hit the stores pretty hard on Friday...we actually didn't go into a single store!  I don't  have anything against it; it can be really fun to shop when a lot of other people are also out and there are sales and specials, but we so rarely have Chris at home all day on a weekday that I didn't want to waste it. And I had arranged a morning playdate for Gus that Abe and I were also included.

If you haven't finished all your shopping, you might be able to score a really great toy for one of your little ones right here on this blog!  That's right, I decided to accept one of the offers I received, to host a give-away and a review.  I normally pass, but they let me pick the toy and I found one that looks really great so I decided to accept.

To be honest, I had never heard of All Modern Baby before, I think because it is actually part of a large conglomeration of online "stores" (including one devoted just to Christmas decorations!).  They have some nice stuff though.

So check back, I'll post a review soon with details on the give-away.

An Oops by the National Wildlife Federation/Ranger Rick

Let me just say first that Gus continues to adore his Ranger Rick magazines and it is always a huge treat when one shows up in the mail.  They are fun, funny (lots of jokes and riddles) and do a great job educating about the environment in an age-appropriate way.

Why did they mail my son a plastic (some kind of poly-nylon) backpack in a plastic envelope then?!  No idea--they did it to be nice, but we weren't expecting it and would subscribe regardless (did, in fact).  So, I wish they hadn't.  He'll probably use the backpack for something, but it won't last forever and the envelope is not really reusable either.  Oh well--I think it just goes to prove once again that plastic is so ubiquitous it is almost invisible, unless you really make an effort to open your eyes to it.

Before and After