Anybody want a snack?

It's here! The yummy, yummy prize yarn...ooh, it's so nice.

Shibui Knits sock yarn in the Orchid 4201 colorway:


With flash:


I was good, I took it out, drooled a bit, snuggled and squeezed, then dabbed the drool off. Quickly, I snapped a few pics and wrapped the whole thing back up. Yes. It was very difficult. But you'll be relieved to know (especially if you have your name in for the contest) that I sealed it back up and it's safe and sound, I promise not to knit with it a bit. It's harder than it would seem. Admittedly, I am very tempted to just ball it up and start my Oct. Sock a Month KAL sock and order again to replace this yummy, soft goodness. Temptation's plans are foiled. So what if I had to take it to the safe deposit box?

Oh, yes--the socks are finished! I have started and completed my 1st sock AND my first pair of socks. Woohoo! Now, they're certainly not perfect, but they're mine. And they're done. After this, I'm going to post them up on the KAL to prove it.



I am so proud.

And I've been working slowly on all the seaming and crappy, not fun parts of my own sweater. It's coming along. No pics, but I have done one whole side now. Left to do is the other sleeve and side seam. That seems a do-able amount, and it works out well when I work on it in little batches. I am not thrilled with the way I adapted the shape to incorporate a little extra ease in the bottom section. Maybe I was hoping for a miracle? You can be the judge when I get the other side set and put up some pictures.

Many thanks to all of you for all the donations and encouraging messages. It feels wonderful to be able to do what little I can to help the many people who need it. On the other hand, there are so many people with so much loss. It can be very sad. I am honored by your telling me your stories and sharing your trials with me...and so humbled. There is still so much to be done, so much that needs doing. I just can't thank you all enough for your donations however big or small--it all adds up and it will ALL make a difference. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I am almost halfway to my goal, and I can't express my gratitude enough. Thank you!

Crazy Exciting News!

Wow, have I been excited to tell you all my exciting news. First off, there is a new prize offered...
It is a pattern by none other than Wendy Knits!!! Isn't that exciting?! Wendy is sending me her brand new sock pattern--Hearts for Heidi



Aren't they amazing? This pattern is NOT YET AVAILABLE to the public. (Now, you know she started selling her sock patterns at The Loopy Ewe, but not this one.) You could be the first to see and make this pattern. I am so grateful to Wendy for this gracious donation, and I hope you're as pumped up as I am about it. Wendy suggested that they would be fitting, seeing as she knit them in this lovely pink colorway. I totally agree. So that's the most wonderful news--there is a priceless third prize! Thank you, Wendy!

For the record, the prizes aren't in any sort of order--I'll have to figure all that out when all the prizes are in. There are definitely three separate prizes, though, so there are several chances to win.

Next, my husband and I had a wonderful anniversary. We went out to dinner (the whole family) and it was so nice. Brian looked around and started talking about how if we had never gotten together and gotten married, how none of this (our family, our kids) would have ever happened. It was so sweet--what a lucky woman I am. I promised a picture of us on our wedding day, but I haven't figured out how to set the scanner back up. In light of not having a working scanner, I was going to just forget it, but I got an idea. It isn't exactly professional quality, but you get the idea:



Yes, it is a photo I took of our wedding portrait hanging on the wall upstairs. Hey, it's the best I could do...

And finally, the socks are almost finished. This is my first pair of socks, and I am a handful of rows from the end. I'll do my second attempt at the Kitchner Stitch (1st attempt was with the first sock) and then I will toss my brand new, first ever pair of socks on my feet and dance a jig!

Here they are:


All right, I'm off to finish them up...

Let's put up a fight! --Contest--

All right, here it is. It's official. I am having a contest to help in the fight against breast cancer. You can help! (And possibly win something fun!)



This year, I'm participating in the Boston Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk for the second time. I'll be honest, I made a much higher fundraising goal than last year, and I think I need some help to reach it. So that's where the contest comes in. I am asking for donations to fight this terrible disease that affects 1 in every 3 women, and in return I will give out prizes! It's pretty much a win/win, right?

Here's what you do:
1. Click here to check out my fundraising website (plus a pretty funny picture of yours truly). Read my story and if you'd like to make a donation, click the "Donate" button.
2. Then, please email me at: mom2thebean (at) cox (dot) net [just replace at with @, and dot with . ] and let me know that you've made a donation, and how much it is. Any amount is much appreciated, and no amount is too small. It ALL makes a difference!

The rewards:
1. Pride in knowing you are helping many people. ;) Seriously, though--it feels good.
2. A prize Drawing!! For every $10 you donate, I will enter your name 1 time in the prize drawing. That means 1 entry for $10, 2 entries for $20, 5 entries for $50, etc.

I have gone ahead and ordered the first prize from The Loopy Ewe. It is 2 hanks of Shibui Knits sock yarn, in the Orchid colorway. Gorgeous and pink. Take a peek! (I would paste a pic here, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do that, so instead I'll take my own pics when it arrives. It shipped today.) The yarn may need to be segregated so I do not tear into it and start knitting something up...looks so beautiful. You can follow the Shibui link for more yarn details, but I will tell you that it's 100% superwash Merino. I had considered offering more, but I would really rather put more money towards the cause instead, so this is my starting point. I hope you understand.

But, some good news! Qutecowgirl offered to donate something for the contest, too!! I'll have to wait and see what she decides on, but I for one am very excited. You have to take a peek at her blog--wonderful knitter and she is an amazing person. Can't wait to meet her face to face at Rhinebeck next month. I will update when I know more.

So there you have it--a chance to help many people and make a real difference, AND a chance to win one of two prizes. The walk is Oct. 14th, so I think I will keep the contest open until Weds., the 10th. That gives us just over 2 weeks to raise as much as we can. I will use a random name generator to pick the winners, and will post them here as well as email the winners directly to get mailing details, etc. I am really excited about this, and I hope you all are, too. Perhaps some more prizes will be offered as we go along...check back soon!

If you have any questions or would like to donate something as well, please feel free to leave a comment or email me directly.

Time to catch my breath

Busy weekend. I feel a bit like a slacker, considering I haven't blogged in several days. (Somehow I have delusions of many, many people checking every day and saddened that I haven't updated...I'll be seeking help soon.) No decent excuse except for the old "I've been busy". We have been, though. First of all, it's been a big week or so for anniversaries. My parents' was on the 15th, and my sister and her hubby's (Hi, Ann & Don) was the 13th. Tomorrow will be my husband and my 8th anniversary, and it continues to blow my mind that it has been that long. Feels like just the other day we made that scary move from "friends" to "dating". Totally worth the risk, by the way. If you are thinking of making that jump, I heartily encourage it. Friends make the best partners, hands down. While the time warp continues (you know, the one that makes 8 years feel like maybe 1) a strange phenomenon occurs: it feels like we've always been together, always been a couple. Isn't that odd? The only way I can describe it is to say that I almost can't remember what it's like to not be with Brian or not be married. Anyhow...big excitement this week. Perhaps I can dig up a wedding photo and scan it in or something so you can peek. That's an appropriate task for tomorrow, I think.

Besides the usual schlepping to preschool, first grade, sports class, cheering prep (which my daughter suddenly hates with a passion--who knew?), playdates, etc. I've also had some really fun stuff slipped in there. Topping the list was my All Day Crop on Saturday. My favorite Creative Memories consultant Daniela hosts a special event when her customers can come and scrapbook, use her supplies, purchase items, win prizes, etc. Brian handled the kiddos while I was able to catch up a bit on the family scrapbook from 2pm-10pm on Saturday night! That is a real treat for me--out without the kids AND grownup conversation!! Woohoo! Plus, she orders takeout from one of my favorite places--Oliva's in Milford, MA. Delish! On Sunday, we got together with some friends who have kids the same ages as ours. It was the first time we were able to hang out with both whole families there, and I think it went well. (Added bonus, I didn't have to cook!)

I have been working diligently on my socks, so I will be able to post the pair up for the Sock a Month KAL in Sept. At the risk of jinxing myself, I believe they'll be done in time. We shall see. And I'll work on some pics of the socks. Right now, the second sock has a turned heel, and I've worked about half the decreases from the ankle to the regular foot part. Apologies if there is a real term for that part...I'm on a learning curve, and it's pretty slow. I think it looks good. I'm excited to finish and try out the Yarn Harlot's Earl Grey sock pattern (it's under Aug. 30th's entry--scroll down) for myself in Knitpicks Essential sockyarn, Cocoa colorway. They'll be plain, but pretty, I think. And it's as much as I'm willing to take on right now, but Monkey Socks might follow the Earl Greys, if I'm feeling confident that day.

Last big news is that I am doing the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Boston again this year. Last year was my first time, and I walked on my SIL Maura's team.

Maura and I:


We had a blast and I am thrilled to say that I am captain of my OWN team this year! It's not a huge team, but I think every little bit makes a difference, so I am proud as all get out, and proud of my teammates. Unfortunately, Maura can't do it this year (darned weddings).

A little Making Strides humor:


The walk is on Sunday, Oct. 14th. You can click on the Making Strides link above to go to my website, or the button on the right. This is a very important cause for me, because it affects 1 in 3 women and my Godmother (and aunt) Irene (yes, my daughter's name is Irene, too--good memory!) died from breast cancer at only 28 years old. So, if you can help in any way, please join me in fighting this disease! I am looking for donations--any amount, fellow walkers (if you're around the area, of course), or someone who's willing to share the site with others they know who might want to walk or donate. So I thank you in advance for taking a peek. At first I felt a little weird about writing about this and asking for help, but I decided that the cause is more important, and every single little bit helps. I'll suck it up, and just go ahead and put it out there. If you can't help, that's totally fine, too--you can still read my blog. (wink, wink)

Head's up: I am planning a little contest having to do with the walk. When I have the details all figured out, I will post the official details. It will probably involve some sort of prize, but you'll have to wait and see....I'm still working it out.

The scenery:

It's gettin' chilly

...Gotta finish my socks! All right, I finally cornered Brian and forced him to take pics of the sock on my foot. Now, I've always had a thing about hating my feet. I just don't like the shape of them or something. But I'll post these anyway. Just promise no comments about my feet, o.k.? :)


Slight issue with where I did the bind off...sort of a little jag sticking out by the toes. See it? Not sure if that will disappear with blocking, but I'm hoping. (Psst--sock blockers for Christmas, think about it)



You can see a bit of a ridge where I had issues understand the Yarn Harlot's instructions about picking up stitches for the hell heel. I did get some answers on the Stitch 'n Bitch forum, but I'm still 100% sure if I did it right or wrong. And Shewolfy gave me a cool tip about using a reinforcing yarn for the heel and toe. I may have to try it out on the next pair. That's right--I have not decided to throw in the towel. In fact, there may be signs of an upcoming "addiction" here...we'll see. Here's the ridge line:



I'm fighting hard against the Second Sock Syndrome (SSS) and I think I will be victorious. The second one is almost to the heel flap.


What I can't get over is that I've made an entire sock and half of the second sock, and STILL there is that much yarn left!

Would it be overkill to show this poor, sad, blocker-less sock one more time? (I swear that's the last shameless plug for a gift. For today.)


Not a very exciting day...worked on sock, dental cleaning (super fun--ha), and more sock, laundry, etc. We did go out to dinner and then to a fave ice cream place (Tootsie's in Wrentham, MA) of ours. It is amazing, and we all got yummy, yummy flavors and then sat outside on the patio/deck area and ate it up.

Other than that, I have this to report:


I've been working on the finishing for my v-neck sweater. It's going slowly, since it's so big that I have to really spread it out, I have to have the kids out of the way, and I can not take it with me to work on in the car or anywhere else. It has nothing to do with the fact that most knitters I know hate finishing and I happen to be one of them. Nothing at all. But I'm working on it, and I've gotten the shoulders together, and one sleeve on. Now I just have to finish the side and sleeve seams and the entire other sleeve. Whew! Good thing I'm almost done the finishing. That was sarcasm. 'Case you don't know me very well. One of these days the finishing will be done and all that will be left is the sweet picking up of stitches and knitting the neck band ribbing. That part wasn't sarcasm--I actually LIKE that part. I know, I am weird.

One other thing. I have heard some bad news in a couple of places, and I wanted to ask for some good mojo. Now, I'm not especially religious anymore, and I don't need "prayers" per say, but if you could muster up some good thoughts and send them out, I would much appreciate it. My friends Qutecowgirl has gotten some disturbing news about her dh, so I think they could use a little luck. And my SIL Mo's good friend Mike's father passed away just this week, and I think they could both use some good energy as well. I don't do well in situations where I feel there is nothing I can really do, so I wanted to do what I can, and let them all know I am thinking of them. Major cyber hugs to you all!!

Eventful weekend

Well, this weekend was pretty much crazy. My sister-in-law visited us all weekend, which was great. Maura is super easy going and fun, so she's a wonderful guest to have around, you know? Our BBQ from last weekend was rescheduled to Saturday and Mo (Maura) didn't even mind a bit! So we did the BBQ thing with Mo, my friend Liz and her son Logan. Totally forgot to take an pictures, but we had a good time.

On Sunday we woke up to discover that we are out of oil. Now, while I do live in New England, it IS a little early to have the heat on. We do, however, need oil for our water heater. Err. Yes, that's right. It means we woke up and started scurrying around to get ready, only to realize that there was enough warm water for only one shower. Mind you, I said warm, and I meant warm--pretty sure that our house guest did not have anything resembling hot at all coming out of our shower head. She was still a good sport (and was probably just glad to actually get to be clean). Once we confronted the fact that we were going to have to just get dressed, we continued to ready ourselves. All six of us had to get out the door by 10:00 a.m. to meet Brian and Mo's brother, Matt (and his two kiddos) in Connecticut. I begrudgingly put on my clothes and put my hair into a ponytail. We left the house at 10:02. Not bad, actually--anyone who knows us Learys is aware of how chronically late we are Even I, who met Brian as someone who's habitually 5-10 minutes early for everything, have succumbed to the terrible disease. It's a real tragedy I tell you.

We did make it on time. (Matt was late, but hey, he's a Leary, too...what did I expect?) Everyone headed over to visit Brian's grandmother. We call her "Great", as in my kids' great-grandmother. It was easier for them to say. Or might I say they were willing to call her that, and nothing else? That about sums it up. Great thoroughly enjoyed seeing all three of her grandchildren, as well as all five of her great-grandchildren. And we all met Matt's youngest, Alexandria, for the first time! (She's only a few months old and they live kind of far--it's not my fault.)

Here they all are (I'm taking the pic)


Doesn't Great look amazing? I hope I look that good in MY 90's!


I sent my poor exhausted kiddos off to school on Monday and the call was made to the Oil company. They couldn't deliver until the next day (today). I'd gone to the Y to shower in the morning, and hubby showered at the gym at work, but things were getting a bit rank around here. The laundry fell behind (no warm or hot loads), the dishes were piling up/not getting very clean from cold water washing, and scrubbing up with freezing washcloths was apparently not fun. (My ears are still ringing). The guy (my new bestest friend, by the way) came this morning by 10:00 a.m. with that wonderful elixir--heating oil. He even primed the pump so I could get hot water right away! Usually Brian doesn't want to pay extra for that, he does it himself when he gets home from work. That means I wouldn't have hot water a-brewin' until at least 6:00 or 6:30. What a treat to have some before lunch. The dishes are caught up. The kids and I are clean. I can't speak for Brian, who was funky when he left the house, but I'm guessing he got a shower in at his gym. The laundry is going, and things are generally not so gross.

To top it all off, I finished the first sock ever last night!! I tried it on and it is wonderful. Honestly, I just want to have all hand knitted socks as of right now. Hmmm...why didn't they all just magically appear? I guess I'm going to have to knit them up myself. Interesting...

I have to admit that there was a split second when I got so excited, so proud, so delusional--that I actually thought "wow, I'm so psyched to wear my new sock tomorrow!". Then it hit me. I only have ONE. Can't wear it (out of the house, that is). So, I cast on for the second one. Hopefully I can replicate the first one fairly well. I don't have pics, because I tried them on and got so crazy I forgot to take any pics. I will try to have Bri take one for me tonight. I don't have sock blockers, so I'll have to just wear it or something, I guess. (Christmas hint offically dropped) I'll go ahead and promise some pics by tomorrow night, o.k.?

I've got to get moving so we can all eat before Irene's open house at school tonight. Should be lots of fun.

Final tidbit:
I took out my v-neck sweater and knitted the last of the second sleeve. Right now I'm working on the seaming. So far, the shoulders are together and one sleeve is somewhat on, if not seamed up. Again, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for pics. Aren't I a tease?

Sue me.

Jester's in the House

Yippee! The Jester Hat is finished. I finished last night, and here is Spencer modeling it for us.



I used Knitpicks Swish (worsted weight) in Red Pepper and Dark Navy. The pattern calls for 4 different colors, but in the end I couldn't find two colors I liked with the red and blue for pompoms. So I just went with the red for the poms, too. Knitted with US 7 dp needles. This yarn is so nice and soft, not to mention machine washable--I just love it so much! I will be making mittens to match, but I'm not there, yet.



My faith in my own ability to finish a project restored itself completely with the end of the Jester Hat. What a high! (Well, you know what I mean.)

Spencer was hilarious. He tried the hat on for me at breakfast this morning, and he just wanted to keep wearing it. When we picked up my son at preschool around 11:00 am, he still had it on! And, boy, was it hot. He looked so cute, but still. It was the kind of thing you might never let the first child do, but by the 3rd, if it isn't hurting someone you sort of let it go.

Later on today, while I was working on my sock, I had a problem...


What the......?

Now, a few minutes before this splintering I had a thought. Why do my bamboos look kind of bent? That's weird. Maybe next time, I should try metal needles? Well, I won't be able to make the other of this pair with metals, because the tension could be weird. I'll just use these to finish this whole pair and then I'll try something else. I've liked bamboo for most project, because I'm a loose knitter, and they help me keep my stitches on the needles. With something like a sock, I figured that would be good--sort of like "flypaper needles", so I can drag the sock all around and not drop stitches. Other people love sharp, slick, metal sock needles. I thought, why? Why would I want needles that my stitches slip off? Well, I think I may have found my answer. Hmphf.

This needle was holding the top of the foot (so, for non-sock-knitters, that means the needle with twice as many stitches as all the others--argh). It broke at the midpoint, so I couldn't really slip the stitches to the right and just knit them off. I had to slip them left, and onto the 5th needle. The good news is, it was a 5 needle set. The bad news is, it's now a 4 needle set. I just hope I don't break another. Now I realize I want to get some Knitpicks dp US 1's so I don't want to have to buy another bamboo set to finish sock #2. Cross your fingers for me. (And I'll do my part by being a little more careful.)

Oh, well. I fixed it, I got over it. I hopped in the car to get my daughter and on the way home we had another problem.



Are you kidding me?! Spencer took his precious little hat and tore a pompom apart!!
"Nooooooooooo!"
Have I mentioned how challenging poms are for me??? (Squash down instinct to scream)

Honestly. What are the odds?

Well, I should probably go ahead and get the table set for dinner and stop whining, huh? That's what I'll do. My wonderful Sister-in-Law, Maura--dh's sister, is coming for the weekend, and should be arriving after dinner sometime. We are looking forward to some serious "Auntie Mo time". We've a BBQ here on Saturday, and we're going to meet up with my Brother-in-Law, Matt--dh's brother, and his two little girls on Sunday. Should be lots of fun, and a very busy weekend. I'll try to check in soon.

Wish me luck on that D*%#$ed pompom.