Yarn Pirate Shop →

Hello bloggy blog. Remember me? There’s so much to catch up on. Where should I begin?

The deadline for entries in the state fair is two weeks away. I finished my handspun entries last night and now I’m trying to finish a few knitting projects. I have 8 handknit articles to enter. I’m really going to try to go for 10, which is the most you can enter. The project above is another Simple Yet Effective shawl. I’m using some yarn I spun over 2 years ago– a very special skein that I am happy to be finally using.

Here’s that little baby cardigan I hinted about a few weeks ago. I really should get a better picture of it. This is a Cocoon Sweater– a nearly seamless kimono-style sweater. I highly recommend this pattern! It’s easy as can be and the sweater is just darling. This particular style is very baby friendly. It’s easy to get on and off and since it’s a wraparound sweater it will fit longer than other styles. You just wrap it a little looser as baby gets chubbier :).

Here are a few more pictures. It’s a great pattern for handspun too. I used this skein of chunky weight merino. It’s such a soft, squishy sweater. Now all we need is a soft, squishy babe to model it…

I finished this little baby hat around July 4th. I used the Sweet Baby Cap pattern, a pattern I’ve used before & loved.

Perhaps you have heard that we are in the throes of a heatwave? It’s been especially miserable the last couple of days. It was 103 degrees at my house on Wednesday. It’s been too hot to do much of anything, really. H begs to go outside and by the time i get us both slathered with sunscreen he doesn’t want to stay out for more than 5 minutes. I’ve been trying to come up with creative ways to keep us cool and entertained. We’ve been to the wading pool, the splash fountain, we’ve had an evening picnic at the park with grandma and grandpa… I was running out of ideas when I remembered a friend raving about Jetty Island.

Jetty Island is like a little slice of paradise. It’s a sandbar, so the water is shallow and WARM. It’s also one of the few sandy beaches in the Puget Sound area. I took H there on Thursday afternoon and we had so much fun. We swam and played in the sand and had a picnic lunch. There was a lovely marine breeze that made it feel much cooler than the 90 + degrees it was. Best of all? Jetty island is FREE! The quick ferry ride over to the island is free. The island is clean and pristine and well maintained. It’s supported by tax dollars and donations. I can’t believe we lived here for so long without giving it a try. I want to spend the rest of our summer over there. In fact, when H wakes up from his nap we’re heading back over there.

Definitely give Jetty Island a try if you live in the Seattle area. You won’t be disappointed!

Natural births have been getting a lot of attention lately what with the recent release of Your Best Birth and dooce blogging about what a “sacred and spiritual” experience her most recent birth was.

I think most women who have had a natural birth would agree that “sacred” and “spiritual” are pretty accurate words to describe the feelings and emotions surrounding a natural labor and birth. Now, from the perspective of someone who would not describe themselves as “spiritual” at all (me), I will tell you that the feeling of giving birth to your child– the child you carried and nurtured for 9+ months - is incredibly moving, incredibly beautiful. You will never experience a more empowering event in your life.

My own birth experience is what inspired me to become a Bradley Birth teacher. I don’t talk about that aspect of my life a lot here, but it’s something I work hard at every week. I just finished my first series of classes a couple of weeks ago and my first student gave birth over the weekend. Now, I normally wouldn’t share details about my students here but since this birth has been in a few newspapers and on the news I thought it would be ok to share with you.

Everett Mother Recalls Giving Birth on I5

Crazy huh? What do you think the chances are of my first student giving birth on the freeway are? We cover emergency childbirth in class and they did everything right. It must have been a stressful experience for S. and her mom but they kept their cool and I am so proud of them!

I was going to do a post about the adorable handspun baby cardigan I finished over the weekend but something even more adorable has been given top priority.

It started early Monday morning. H and I went to our favorite cafe for a smoothie and muffin and when we came back Grandpa was in out back yard with a bunch of wood and tools. Those things alone were enough to make H shriek with delight.

H was very helpful, as you can see. If you need someone to hit random things with a hammer he is your man!

We had to go inside while Grandpa used the power tools. It’s best not to mix curious toddlers and nail guns. This is what we saw a few hours later.

And after H’s nap his playhouse was all done, ready for some serious playing.

Hmmm… I can’t tell. Do you think he likes it?

Thanks, Grandpa! We love our new playhouse :).