Grace

"GRACE" is finished and published.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/grace-38

A beautiful little blessing dress and bonnet for Alivia Grace.  The knitting pattern is available above.  It was knit in NaturallyCaron - Joy! in the color "snow". 

The yarn is an acrylic/bamboo mixture that is extremely soft and will be easily washable.  It was knit on US6 circular and dbl pnt needles, and was a dream to knit.

A matching bonnet was created to go with the dress, although unlike her sister, Alivia has HAIR!  So . . . it is unlikely she will be wearing it for the blessed event.

The bonnet was knit in the same lace pattern as the dress, with a spiraled crown, and I-chord ties.

Little MaryJanes were knit from a free pattern, that is available at:  Free Baby Mary Jane Booties. 

This was a great find on "Pinterest", which I have knit for every baby girl I know, along with my: top-knot newborn cap

In addition to Alivia's dress, I have also been knitting this pair of socks.  They were meant to be for my daughter to wear during her stay in the hospital, deliverying Alivia, but I didn't get them done in time.  Then, when I did finally finish them (a few days after the hospital visit), I found that the legs weren't stretchy enough to be worn by your average size adult.  So . . . my tall, skinny legged, grand-daughter will be getting them instead.

The socks were knit from a free pattern I found on Ravelry, which was different than any I had ever knit before.  I loved the pattern, but must have been a little "up-tight" knitting them, because they are really tight.  They were knit from toe-up, thus eliminating the need for the kitchener stitch to close the toe (I hate the kitchener stitch, as I always get mixed up in the middle of the process).  I knit both socks at the same time, on a long circular needle, which eliminated "second sock syndrome", (where I become too board to actually knit the second sock).

The pattern also had an unusual heel turn, which I love!  It has such a nice finished look, and I think it will fit my heel better than the usual "short row heel turn".  I was trying the socks on, all during the process, until after the heel turn.  What a mistake!  I didn't realize until completion that the cables around the leg of the sock would prevent it from stretching like the foot does.  A stockinette stitch instep allows for plenty of stretch, where the cables create rings of non-stretchiness.

In addition to the great toe cast-on (Judy's Magic Cast On) and the great heel turn, there was also a very stretchy method for binding off.  You can see in its relaxed mode, that the opening to these socks is very stretchy, although I cannot say the same for the leg.  I haven't knit a lot of socks, but I am fast learning what works and what does not. 

Finally, a post dedicated to knitting, as the header implies.  I've been so wrapped up in vacations, and family events, that I haven't been talking much about actual knitting, although you can bet that I was knitting the whole time.  Happy knitting . . .

New Babies!

The past weekend was very eventful for our family.  We added TWO new babies to the mix.

Meet Alivia Grace Coats.  She was born on 5/18/12 at 2:25 pm.  Her birth was quite uneventful, which is how we like it.  She had a rough start.  She was a triplet, then a twin, then a single baby, growing stronger every day.  She weighed 7 lb., and was 19.5 inches long.  She is absolutely perfect.

Nola just loves being a big sister.  She watched through the glass, as Daddy gave Alivia her first bath.  Since she is just two years old, Nola was a bit confused about the whole thing.  Two little girls will be a bit crazy at that house at first, but it will all be so much fun!

We were supposed to go Turkey Hunting in Fillmore, Utah for the weekend.  But, "no turkey" this year.  I guess it was lucky that we hadn't had a chance to prepare the trailer or purchase groceries for the trip, before we received the call that Alivia was making a fast approach.

The next morning, we received a call that Licorice Whip was delivering her first baby (cria), and she was having difficulties.  Our neighbor, although a bit scarred, made the adjustments to assure the baby was born safely.  We owe him BIG TIME!  He named the baby "Oreo Cookie".  A little boy alpaca to add to our herd.

You may remember Chocolate Chip (front/center), who was born last August.  Look how he has grown!  He moved into the little boys pen last month, to make room for Oreo.  Chip has the softest fleece, and should really produce the nicest yarn.  They will all be getting a haircut this week, to help cool them for the hot summer months.  Waffles, in the background looks so puffy, and hot!

Alivia's blessing dress and bonnet were stretched for blocking, just before her birth.  Here they are, all ready for her to wear.

The pattern for this little dress will be called "Grace", and should be ready for publishing in the next few weeks.  Watch for it in my ravelry pattern store (Ravelry.com).

The test knitting of "Joan" (a lacy women's sweater); and "Nola" (a hooded, round-yoke toddler's jacket) are nearing completion.  I hope to have them ready for publication soon as well.  In addition, I'm about ready to cast two "Poor Baby Sweaters" on the needles.  I'm planning one for my next "give-away", so get signed up as a Follower, if you are interested in winning.  You don't have to be a knitter to win prizes here.  All you need is a new baby to wear it!  Happy knitting . . . .

Graduation Season

Life has been crazy for me the past few weeks.  We return from vacation, just in time for 3 college graduations in our family.

Alex, Hunter, and his wife Laura, all graduated last weekend.

Alex's graduation was at the University of Utah, College of Health Sciences, on Thursday evening.

She received a BA in Health and Sports Medicine.  She is now applying for Physical Therapy School, as that is her ultimate goal.  She has another hard 3 years ahead of her, that is when she is accepted. 

Alex graduated with honors, as you can see from her sash and chords.  She had a 3.8 grade-point average, and still was not accepted to PT school on her first application.  There is really some stiff competition at the University of Utah.  

In the meantime . . . she is working full-time for a Physical Therapy office.  She is learning alot about the business side of physical therapy, which will really help her later-on.  Her husband, Trever, is so supportive.  He works hard to help pay her tuition and book expenses.

Then we made a quick dash to Cedar City, pulling our trailer behind, because we couldn't get a hotel room, Laura's family needed their extra bedroom.  Hunter and Laura both graduated from Southern Utah State University.  Hunter on Friday afternoon, and Laura on Saturday morning.

Hunter received a BA in Construction Management, and two Associates Degrees in something else.  I guess I should have paid better attention.  His graduation was quite entertaining, because there several cowboys, all decked-out in their cowboy hats with tassels, who received degrees in Bovine Studies and Farm Management.  I was surprised to hear there were such degrees.  After his ceremony, we all went back to the KOA for a celebratory dinner, all cooked in the trailer.  As you can see, the KOA was the site where most of these pictures were taken.  What a backdrop!

Laura received a BA in Psychology.  They both started new jobs this week.  Laura is heading up Human Resources for a company that provides housing and monitoring for troubled youth, and Hunter has taken a position with "State Fire" at Kennecott Utah Copper.  We spent Saturday afternoon celebrating Hunter's 26th birthday in St. George at Laura's sister's condo.  We had a great lunch and some relaxation in the hot tub, which was really needed.

We are so proud of them! We are planning a big BBQ bash this weekend for all of their families and friends.  Needless to say, I am really tired!

I did take my knitting to the ceremonies, but I'm still knitting away on the blessing dress for my expected new grand-daughter.  It is not quite finished, so I won't have pictures until the next posting.  In addition, I also have two little matching dresses on the needles for Nola and her little sis, and a pair of cabled socks for Carissa to wear to the hospital.  I hope to have these things done before she delivers.  We don't have a baby alpaca yet, but Licorice should be delivering any day now.  She was due last Sunday.  We are waiting for her to deliver, before shearing the others.  Luckily, the weather hasn't been too warm.  They are really puffy from the winter cold, and I'm sure they will welcome a short haircut.  Happy knitting . . .

Back from Hawaii

I'm back . . . Hawaii provided a much needed rest in a beautiful setting.

But first, I have to tell you who was the WINNER of my latest give-away.  It was "Knitionary"!  Knitionary is my favorite knitting blog, and I read it religiously.  She is the fastest knitter I have ever seen, in addition to her beautiful garden, fabulous cooking recipes, decorating ideas, and entertaining.  She has fabulous collections of china, crystal & hand-embroidered table clothes, quilts and pillows.  You'll want to check her blog out yourself. 

Knitionary will be receiving a 450 yard hank of charcoal colored alpaca/bamboo yarn, which I'm sure she'll have knit up in no time, once the weather cools.  This yarn came from Licorice Whip, with the addition of some soft bamboo fiber, to make it a natural charcoal color.  Licorice will be having a baby soon, so I'll keep you all posted.  We expect the baby to be some variation on black, since Licorice is mostly black and the sire was all black.

This was our view, from our balcony at The Marriott Kawaii Kalanipu'u Lagoons Resort on Kawaii.  We had a beautiful room, with this fabulous view.  The picture of the flowers above, was taken from this balcony too.

This is the beautiful fountain and pond in the courtyard of Marriott Hotel.

These are the coy in that pond.  There were hundreds of them, and with just a few steps, you could walk right through them.  However, I am much to afraid of fish to have done that.  My husband spent an afternoon snorkeling on the reef on Maui, where he saw many tropical fish and a few sea turtles, but I spent that time gathering sea glass, as I'm too afraid of sharks to venture past my knees in the ocean.  Perhaps my husband makes me watch too many programs on National Geographic, during Shark Week.

There was a short downpour the first day we were on Kawii.  Notice the rainbow in the background.  It is hard to believe that the grass in this photo goes right to the beach. 

This is the Napali Coast.  I took this photo from a helicopter!  We were able to tour all of Kawii from the air, and it was truly beautiful.  We saw the locations where Jurasic Park was filmed, hundreds of huge waterfalls, inside the crater of an inactive volcano, the location where thousands of acres of sugar cane used to be farmed.  Very little is grown there now, as third world countries can raise it at a lower cost.

This a closer view of the Napali Coast, where you can see the beautiful beaches, and the reef.  Many stars have homes here, such as Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Costner and many more.

Here we are, waiting for the shuttle to take us to the airport, for our flight to Maui.  I couldn't resist wearing a flower in my hair, in true Hawaiin style.  The flowers were growing everywhere, so it was easy to do.  When the plumeria fell from the trees, they landed on the grass, as if they had been strategically placed.

"Zee plane, zee plane".  These are the falls that we used to see at the beginning of "Fantasy Island", for those of you old enough to remember that show.  My children had no idea what I was talking about.  I used to love watching "Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" on Saturday nights in the late 70's.  The place where they used to feature all of the "has been" stars, who would now be on "Dancing with the Stars".  Come to think of it . . . some of the same, have been.

Back in the 80's, a tropical storm blew all of the chicken coops on Kawaii all around the island.  In years since, the various varieties of chickens have interbred, until this colorful variety has resulted.  They are everywhere, and protected by the government, much to the locals dismay.  We often saw the roosters fighting on the roadside.  They are really scrappy little things.  The locals say they are not good to eat, because they eat too much garbage, and carry lice.  There were lots of hens and chicks running around.  My husband, the farmer, recently acquired some chickens of our own, but that is another subject, for another day.

This was our first sunset in Maui.  I think my photography skills may be improving.

I took this picture on the "Road to Hana".  It is the giant version of one of my house plants.  Everything was so thick and lush, and plants you see all the time, grew like weeds.  The ferns were beautiful.  The "Road to Hana" was really scarry.  There were 29 single-lane bridges, on a 2-lane narrow road, with a complete drop-off on one side, and a steep grade on the other.  There were many scenic spots, waterfalls, and swimming pools, but very little space to pull-off the road to take pictures.  The return drive in the outside lane scarred me to death, but my brother-in-law is a good driver, and we arrived safely.  There were some spots, where the road had washed out, or someone had driven over the edge.  Ooooo, I'm glad it wasn't us!  However, I found lots of sea glass on the beach in Hana.  I had never found any before, but have always admired the jewelry made from these shards of glass that are dropped out-to-sea and tumbled in the sand until they are smooth.  I found many colors, and have some fun ideas for making jewelry out of them.

This is the huge Banyon tree that resides on Front Street on Maui.  You wouldn't believe this, but all of these branches and trunks all belong to the same tree on 5 acres of land.  I didn't have a wide-angle lens to show you just how huge it is.  It was planted by a "Smith" in 1835.

It was a long flight to get there, with a long drive to Las Vegas to board the plane, but it was well worth the loss of sleep, to spend a week in such a beautiful place.  I hope we'll be able to return some day.

Since this is a knitting blog, I thought I would share my knitting project for the trip.  I had lots of knitting time, on the plane, and on the "Road to Hana".  This will eventually be the Blessing Dress for my expected little grand-daughter, Alivia Grace.  The booties and bonnet were completed first, but from the looks of recent ulta-sounds, Alivia has lots of hair, and will likely not be wearing the bonnet.  And . . . yes . . . the model for the that bonnet is an ostrich egg.  It is from my husband's collection of bric-a-brac, and was the perfect size to wear this little cap. I'm not sure he will be too happy about the egg's new outfit.

My test-knitters are nearing completion on the "Joan" sweater, so I'll have pictures for my next post, and expect to publish the pattern shortly thereafter.  I'll also have some pics of our chickens, and hopefully our new little baby alpaca.  Who knows . . . maybe Alivia will be here by then too.  Happy Knitting . . .