Thursday, August 30, 2007

Finding knitting time

I figured out the trick to getting some knitting time during the day! If you can manage to knit while instructing a four year old on how to do a craft project, while standing up with a baby in a sling hanging from your chest, all while rocking back and forth and singing Disney Princess songs, you can have knitting time each day.

I finished the last of her three new soakers yesterday afternoon while doing all of the above. We now have a total of seven soakers, and I officially have no excuse to make any more. :-P



I used the Fern and Faerie free soaker pattern. I did alter the sizes a bit, adjusting the rise and using smaller needles on the two larger ones.

The pink/green striped yarn is Paton's SWS, a wool/soy combo that is silky soft and I am in love with. The pink/yellow one is Caron Felt-it in Neon, and the bottom pic is Lionbrand Wool. The Lionbrand one is rougher feeling, not my fave, but it works.

FTR, anyone out there who uses or wants to use cloth diapers, wool is definitely the way to go! I can't tell you how much I'm in love with it.

Yesterday overall was just a wonderful day. We got up and did the morning chores, then went to the library for story time. After that we made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby to exchange some yarn, then to the western store so Chloe could get new boots. We got home, had lunch, and then spent the whole afternoon just playing and hanging out and giggling and having fun. We watched a movie on the laptop on my bed and she colored while I held the baby. We did ab exercises together, which made for lots of giggles, plus a chance to practice counting. She made a card for her grammy (practiced writing letters) and drew some pictures for her using a drawing book from the library. We read half a dozen library books, played Barbies a little bit, played Follow the Leader while I carried Cora in the sling... Yep, I just spent the afternoon enjoying my two beautiful daughters, and it was so good for all of us.

Around four, Cora started her fussy time. I really don't think it's colic because she's perfectly consolable - you just have to do what she wants, how she wants it, for hours. Thankfully I discovered that she really loves her sling, so she just stays in that. We went for a nice long walk around the neighborhood, had leftover Thai chicken salad for dinner so I didn't have to cook, and spent lots of time walking, rocking, and swaying while she sat there with her eyes wide open looking around. She was pretty much fussy till about eight, when Andrew got home. I did really good, my nerves only really getting frazzled about the last hour of that when I needed to water the garden and do outside chores and get Chloe bathed. But I managed, with the babe in a sling all the while.

I may need to make or buy another sling. She puked on this one yesterday, and I just rinsed it and then put it back on - heaven forbid we be without the sling long enough for it to go through the laundry!

I spent the evening knitting on Andrew's sweater some more and watching the last part of The Family Stone. It's taken four nights to watch the whole thing, but definitely a movie worth watching if you haven't already seen it - it's an older flick. It made me think, and it made me cry. Two great qualities of a movie!

So today Mark has Chloe, if he ever calls to come get her. I have a couple short errands to run, and then we're home all day. If Cora sleeps, I'd love to scrapbook a little. If not, I'll stand and rock while I knit. :-)

'Tis all for now!

2 comments:

Julia said...

Julie - if Cora sleeps while Chloe is away, YOU SLEEP TOO! you're doing amazingly well, but give yourself a break sometimes too : ) take a long bath or read a book or take a nap..........

jill said...

Here should be some FREE directions for making a sling...hope it helps.

http://www.mammasmilk.com/pages/makeyourown.php

You're already accomplishing more in a day than I did in a week when R was Cora's age. When I grow up, I wanna be just like U! :o)