Camping - Gardening - New Baby - Knitting

We are having beautiful weather in SLC, and I am trying to make the most of it!  We are really enjoying our new little baby.  As usual, she is growing like a weed.

She is not one to pose for a picture, but she certainly has a fabulous wardrobe.

Although she is taking a nap, she is wearing the little crown I made for her, along with her little princess dress.

We have also done a little camping.  Here we're at the Cherry Campground above Mapleton, in Utah.  It was beautiful weather, but the water in the river was freezing!

Even though the water was cold, it didn't keep the kids away.

"Tweedle Bug" was wearing her little "Poor Baby Sweater", out by the campfire.

We even had a little birthday party for my daughter and "Angel Baby".  This cake was yummy, and came with a fresh strawberry pie.

Camping is always so relaxing, with lots of good food and a few bike rides around the campground.

Our garden has a good start too.  The strawberries I have planted in two large strawberry pots are really producing this year.  Not enough for jam, but plenty to top ice cream.

The peas are all blossoming, and we should have fresh peas to pick in the next few weeks.  Fresh from the garden is the only way I like peas, so they rarely make it to the cooked stage, or the freezer.

There are even a few green tomatoes.  We don't usually get many tomatoes in Utah, until late August.  Perhaps this will be an exceptional year.

The beets are coming up nicely too.  We've planted a lot this year, because we really love pickled beets on salads and such.  In addition, we've planted zuchinni, eggplant, bell peppers, spaghetti squash, green beans and lots of herbs.  We should have some good, healthy food to eat this season, and plenty to pass on to friends.

I'm sure you have wondered if I would even finish my "Trompe l'Oeil".  Well here it is!  I've finally sewn the sleeves in.

It is knit from a Melissa Leapman pattern, which can be found in her book:  "Knitting the Perfect Fit".  Traveling rib stitches make this sweater hug all the curves, and create some optical illusions where actual curves aren't present.

I just love this concept, and I'm using this traveling rib concept for my next design.  It is knit of Cascade Yarns, Venezia Sport, a blend of silk and merino in the color, Ginger.

I just love it.  I did add a few inches to the length of the body and sleeves, to cover a few flaws I need to hide.  Melissa's book is fabulous, and I can't wait to knit every design in it.

 This color goes beautifully with the fringed scarf and mirano glass beads my daughter brought me from Italy a few years ago.  I can't wait to wear them!

Well I'll get back to test knitting my newest design.  I hope to give you a little peak soon.  Happy Knitting . . . .

"Angel Baby"

I don't generally like to share the difficult (non-knitting) things in my life, but this past few weeks we have received some difficult news.  My husband was layed-off from a 13 year job that he truly loved.  Thank Heavens, I still have my job, which I too really love.  So, we will be on the trail to a new adventure.  He has been working as an Electrical Supervisor in the mining industry, so a new job will most likely be out-of-state.

In addition, my little "angel baby" was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.  A brain scan shows that she had a stroke, prior to birth, which has caused her some lack of function on her left side.  It is likely the stoke occurred during a twin-to-twin transfer of blood, when her twin was lost.  She is such a sweet little girl, and we are hoping lots of physical therapy will help her to move to a completely normal life.

"Angel Baby" recently celebrated her first birthday (see how funny she was eating her cake, on a previous post).  I knit her a little sundress and bolero jacket for the occasion.

She is a tiny little thing, weighing just 18 lbs., so the dress and jacket are still a little big for her.  I hope she'll be wearing them by the end of the summer.

She loves to eat, so it is not the lack of food that has kept her so small.

My daughter is a hair stylist, and recently brought me an old haircoloring apron that she wanted duplicated.  The original was black, but I found some really fun print fabrics to make the new aprons for her.  She was so happy with the outcome, and I was too.  Doesn't she look so cute in them?  She loves to wear only black, so I was happy to add some color to her daily wardrobe.  Check out her salon on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/salonmousse.

My "Trompe l'Oeil" is almost finished.  The sleeves are knit and just need to be sewn in.  I should have a picture of the completed project for my next post.  I really loved working with this yarn.

I really learned alot knitting this Melissa Leapman pattern, and I've moved on to designing my own "travelling rib" design.  It has been knit and frogged (ripped out) a few times already, but I think I'm getting closer to what I envision the final design to be.  Watch for this design in the near future.  It was inspired by a girl I work with "Angela", thus the design has been named.  It may even have a few different variations, such as with and without sleeves.  We'll see . . . Happy Knitting!