Several weeks ago I read about The Aviatrix on The Knitty Gritty Homestead blog.  Since both my husband and I work in the aviation industry I thought it was the perfect hat to knit for Corrine.  I printed the free pattern from Ravelry, found the correct knitting needles in my stash, bought some yarn and got to work.  The hat knits up real fast and had I had more uninterrupted time I would have finished in just a few days.  Of course had I not made a mistake in the chin strap and had to rip it out and start almost completely over...
I added the flower to make the hat more girlie (especially since I made it in blue).  The flower is crocheted in the following pattern:
Chain 5 and form a ring with 1 sl st in first ch.
Round 1- 8 sc in ring, finish with 1 sl st in first sc from beg of round.
Round 2- 4 ch, *1sc in next sc, 3ch *, repeat from *-* a total of 7 times.  Finish with 1 sl st in second ch from beg of round.  (8ch loops)
Round 3- crochet at follows in each ch loop- 1 sc, 4 dc, 1 sc.  Finish with 1 sl st in first sc from beg of round (8 leaves)
Round 4- Fold leaf towards you and crochet from the back as follows.  1sc round first sc from round 2, 8ch, *1dc round next sc from round 2 5ch* repeat from *-* and finish round with 1 sl st in third ch from beg of round. (8ch loops)
Round 5- Crochet as follows in each ch loop- 1 sc, 6dc, 1sc.  Finish with 1 sl stitch in first sc from beg of round (8 leaves).
I think the pattern sounds difficult (but I don't read pattern all that well), but it crochets up in about 20 minutes.

This week I am joining Ginny at Small Things for the weekly Yarn Along.  Books and Knitting.  Two of my favorite things.  But two things I don't get much of with a one year old.
I am working on an Aviatrix hat for Corrine.  It's knitting along quite fast, so I may finish it before next week.

The book is also a quick read.  But since I only read it before bed I may not finish it before next week!

I just signed up for the 2012 Stash Busting Challenge as posted by the Creating A Family Home blog!  I'm excited for the challenge, but now I am feeling a bit overwhelmed.  I mean, I still haven't finished the project I started last October for a Christmas present.  (It's almost finished, Wen, I promise!).  And then I just started the Aviatrix hat for Corrine.  (that will be a whole other post someday).  Not to mention I've got second sock syndrome.  Poor Bryan.  It's a good thing he really didn't want the socks anyway, it's been three years since I started them.  Plus it's hard to get in some good knitting and crochet time with a one year old.

I have a whole tub of yarn in my craft room/office that was given to me by the local chapter of the Linus Project.  I am officially going to clean out that tub and make blankets for the Linus Project.  I made one blanket a year ago while I was on bed rest.  I used size 11 circular needles, cast on a lot of stitches (125 or 150 I don't remember) and used double yarn.  I just randomly picked colors and changed them when I felt it was time. I made a border of K1, P1 all the way around and basically knit until I thought it was done.  I do that a lot when I make blankets...make it up as I knit along!
This is what is left of the stash.  Not the best photo, but there is a lot of yarn.  I have eight skeins of light blue.   I think that will make a nice baby boy blanket.

I have 11 months left to use all of the yarn I can!  When it warms up, I don't have too much time to knit or crochet.  Time to put yarn back in my suitcase for layover projects!

This past week work took me to Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Or rather Bloomington, MN.  The hotel was right across the street from the Mall of America.  I was so excited to go shopping.  Don't get me wrong.  I hate to shop, but the thought of being able to stroll the mall and look at pretty clothes and shoes without a baby getting fussy and stroller bound was just what I needed.  I had birthday cash ready to spend.  And I need some new workout clothes.

I bought myself NOTHING!  That's right.  Not one thing.  I bought my husband a Newfie calendar because it was half off.  And I bought Corrine some new shoes because they were really cute Laura Ashley and on clearance.  I think it is because I had money to spend that I didn't find anything I liked.  But I didn't even try on clothes.  I had a hard time with the idea of spending money on clothes for myself when there are more important things I'd rather buy.  I think I'm becoming, dare I say it?  Cheap?  Thrifty?  I'm not sure what to call it.

We had a busy week here at the Miller household.  On Wednesday we (that would be Bryan, myself plus Grandma and Grandpa) took Corrine to the National Western Stock Show.  We go every year, but this year we toured through the eyes of a one year old.  We went to all of the exhibits geared towards kids.  Grandpa took her through the petting farm.  In the petting farm were goats, sheep, ducks, some potbellied pigs and a donkey.
After the petting farm, we walked through the cattle barn.  On the day we were there, the Highland Cattle were in the barn.  I grew up knowing Herefords.  Several years ago I was introduced to the Highland Cattle.  We live in an urban neighborhood, but our property is grandfathered in as horse property from back in the days when it used to be a farming community.  I asked Bryan if he thought we could get a couple head of cattle.  He said to stick with my dream of honeybees...a Newfie was big enough in our back yard!

Several years ago I got this pattern from a lady on the airplane.  The first year I made them I made little gift bags of three scrubbers and one knitted dish cloth for Christmas presents.   They are quite easy to make.

One yard of netting makes three scrubbers.   This netting was actually called scrubber mesh.

Cut netting width wise into 2 inch strips.  (2inx72in).  Gently knot six strips together and wind loosely into a ball.

With a size K crochet hook single crochet 3 stitches.
In 2nd stitch, SC 5 times.
Work around, working 2SC in each stitch until you reach the second knot.
Continue to work around, working 1SC in each stitch until you reach the last knot.
This is a good time to pull in all of the "tails" through to the wrong side (inside).
Work 1SC in every second stitch to finish.

Funny.  Corrine is learning how to share.  Yesterday she shared her teething biscuit with me.  First she smooshed it into my face.  That made her laugh.  Next try she made it in my  mouth, but so did her entire little fist.  She laughed as mama choked.  We played like this on the kitchen floor for about ten minutes until she tired of the game.  She did share her biscuit with Henley.  Not really on purpose though.  When she got bored with trying to feed mama, she left the soggy mess on the floor and Henley scarfed it up!
This is Henley.  He is 150 lbs of shedding, drooling love.  He loves Corrine.  She tastes good.  And she shares her food with him!

It was unseasonably warm here in the Denver Metro area this past week.  Unfortunately I was not around to enjoy it.  Work does tend to get in the way of many things!  Anyhoo, I had planned to dig up some carrots for the dogs on my one day off.  Didn't happen.  My plan was to dig some today after I ran a couple of "must do" errands.  By the time I got home it had clouded over and was spitting snow.  I grabbed my garden gloves and shovel and ran to the garden.  There was a row and a half of carrots left in the garden.  My plan was to dig them all up and put some of the carrots in a box in the garage.  However, I only got the half of a row dug up before it was snowing big, heavy, wet flakes of snow.

I had grabbed the peeler before I went to the garden.  Yep.  Buffet and Henley won't eat the carrots unless they are peeled.  I peel the carrots right into the compost bin.  By the time I was done peeling the pile of carrots I was soaking wet and cold.  So I'm glad I only got part of them dug up.  I don't think it is supposed to get so cold that the ground will freeze in the next week or so.   That way I can get the rest of the carrots dug up before it does freeze.  Last year I dug carrots in February.  The year before, they froze into  mush and I had to throw them away.


Once the carrots are peeled, I rinse them off and then chop them into chunks.  The boys get carrots chunks in their evening kibble.  We now have four containers of carrot chunks.   We are set!