A tale of two sweaters

This is the sweater that I knit for my son for Christmas. It fits and he loves it... in fact, he's hardly taken it off since he unwrapped it Christmas morning. I used Dream in Color Classy in the November Muse colorway, yarn held doubled. I have knit this sweater before...

I knit this one late in 2006 for my boy. This one is Patons Shetland Chunky that my son picked out himself. He wore the heck out of this one and it has outlasted his growth spurts... it's still in excellent condition, just sadly too small.

In hindsight, I should have used the same yarn the second time around and saved a boatload of money not to mention stress. The Dream in Color knit up beautifully. It was a treat to work up and created such a lovely, squooshy fabric. All was well until it hit the washer. I washed it on the handwash cycle in my washing machine. I peeked on it several times during the washing process and was a bit alarmed by what I found... large clumps of fluffy wool coming out of the sweater. Still though, I pressed on and the sweater seemed to be faring well... I figured it was just part of the first wash process.

Then I put it in the dryer -- again on the delicate cycle. It took forever to dry up but it sprung back in to shape fairly well. What I wasn't expecting was how the sweater would come out dull in color and covered in pills. Overall the sweater had a halo but not a good one -- definitely the look of an old, worn out sweater. Not what I was going for!

For the sweater knit with Patons, I had washed and dried it with the rest of our laundry -- no special treatment -- dozens of times. It was constantly in rotation due to how often my son had worn it. The sweater knit with Patons even after years of machine washing looks far better than the sweater knit with Dream in Color after one washing.

Be careful with Dream in Color when you're truly making a machine washable garment. For a child, without question the garment needs to at least be able to be washed on the delicate cycle. Take the 'superwash' with a grain of salt. I've seen it hand wash and block out beautifully and that's how it should be treated in my opinion.

Stick to wool/acrylic blends for kids knits in particular. I think that the blends that are in our craft stores and LYSs are far underrated and have gotten a bad rap. Don't swear them off too quick. You'll find a wide array of attractive colors, soft fibers (even if they are acrylic) and you'll save a boatload of money especially when compared to Dream in Color Classy's steep $18 a hank price tag.

The good news is that after hand washing, depilling and overall general fuddling with, the Dream in Color sweater did regain some of its integrity and is at least presentable now. My son loved the sweater and it'll keep him cozy and warm for some time to come -- or at least until the next growth spurt.


added later: I did what to say that I've knit a couple of sweaters for my boys using Mission Falls 1824 wool and they wash up beautifully and are so, so soft. Not all superwash wools are created equal!

A tale of two sweaters

This is the sweater that I knit for my son for Christmas. It fits and he loves it... in fact, he's hardly taken it off since he unwrapped it Christmas morning. I used Dream in Color Classy in the November Muse colorway, yarn held doubled. I have knit this sweater before...

I knit this one late in 2006 for my boy. This one is Patons Shetland Chunky that my son picked out himself. He wore the heck out of this one and it has outlasted his growth spurts... it's still in excellent condition, just sadly too small.

In hindsight, I should have used the same yarn the second time around and saved a boatload of money not to mention stress. The Dream in Color knit up beautifully. It was a treat to work up and created such a lovely, squooshy fabric. All was well until it hit the washer. I washed it on the handwash cycle in my washing machine. I peeked on it several times during the washing process and was a bit alarmed by what I found... large clumps of fluffy wool coming out of the sweater. Still though, I pressed on and the sweater seemed to be faring well... I figured it was just part of the first wash process.

Then I put it in the dryer -- again on the delicate cycle. It took forever to dry up but it sprung back in to shape fairly well. What I wasn't expecting was how the sweater would come out dull in color and covered in pills. Overall the sweater had a halo but not a good one -- definitely the look of an old, worn out sweater. Not what I was going for!

For the sweater knit with Patons, I had washed and dried it with the rest of our laundry -- no special treatment -- dozens of times. It was constantly in rotation due to how often my son had worn it. The sweater knit with Patons even after years of machine washing looks far better than the sweater knit with Dream in Color after one washing.

Be careful with Dream in Color when you're truly making a machine washable garment. For a child, without question the garment needs to at least be able to be washed on the delicate cycle. Take the 'superwash' with a grain of salt. I've seen it hand wash and block out beautifully and that's how it should be treated in my opinion.

Stick to wool/acrylic blends for kids knits in particular. I think that the blends that are in our craft stores and LYSs are far underrated and have gotten a bad rap. Don't swear them off too quick. You'll find a wide array of attractive colors, soft fibers (even if they are acrylic) and you'll save a boatload of money especially when compared to Dream in Color Classy's steep $18 a hank price tag.

The good news is that after hand washing, depilling and overall general fuddling with, the Dream in Color sweater did regain some of its integrity and is at least presentable now. My son loved the sweater and it'll keep him cozy and warm for some time to come -- or at least until the next growth spurt.


added later: I did what to say that I've knit a couple of sweaters for my boys using Mission Falls 1824 wool and they wash up beautifully and are so, so soft. Not all superwash wools are created equal!

Merry Day After!

The best present this year was the train table that my husband and older son made for the wee one. My son has accumulated lots of the wooden train tracks and various Thomas and Brio trains and accessories over the years. Well he came up with the idea to give them to his little brother for Christmas. Then my husband took it up a few notches and decided he'd build a train table.

So, two days before Christmas he comes home with a sheet of mdf and went to town. In a matter of hours he had constructed a table. Over the course of the next two days before Christmas, he and my older son worked on all of the details... they sanded, primed, painted. Then they added a full landscape on the tabletop, designed a track, added accessories, then transferred it all to the table top and glued it all down.

Until now, the babe has played with the train tables at Barnes & Noble and the Science Center, but never had experienced them at home. We've been keeping our own train collection in hiding in anticipation of giving it to him eventually. He did have one Thomas train engine which he's pretty much played with constantly since he got it a few months ago so we knew that he was going to love this.

Needless to say, the babe was a bit overwhelmed on Christmas morning when he discovered the train table. I was definitely a little weepy because my guys put so much work and TLC in to this gift for the babe. It's definitely a present we'll never forget... the whole process is what I'll never forget.

Merry Day After!

The best present this year was the train table that my husband and older son made for the wee one. My son has accumulated lots of the wooden train tracks and various Thomas and Brio trains and accessories over the years. Well he came up with the idea to give them to his little brother for Christmas. Then my husband took it up a few notches and decided he'd build a train table.

So, two days before Christmas he comes home with a sheet of mdf and went to town. In a matter of hours he had constructed a table. Over the course of the next two days before Christmas, he and my older son worked on all of the details... they sanded, primed, painted. Then they added a full landscape on the tabletop, designed a track, added accessories, then transferred it all to the table top and glued it all down.

Until now, the babe has played with the train tables at Barnes & Noble and the Science Center, but never had experienced them at home. We've been keeping our own train collection in hiding in anticipation of giving it to him eventually. He did have one Thomas train engine which he's pretty much played with constantly since he got it a few months ago so we knew that he was going to love this.

Needless to say, the babe was a bit overwhelmed on Christmas morning when he discovered the train table. I was definitely a little weepy because my guys put so much work and TLC in to this gift for the babe. It's definitely a present we'll never forget... the whole process is what I'll never forget.

2008 in Review

Yes, yes, I know... Christmas isn't even here yet but I'm already gearing up for the end of 2008 and the new year. I love the promise of the new year. I love the chance to look back and reflect on the past year and all that has happened. What a year! It's been quite the year for my own family, but for all of us... it's just been such an eventful year. Just wow.

2008 in Review

Yes, yes, I know... Christmas isn't even here yet but I'm already gearing up for the end of 2008 and the new year. I love the promise of the new year. I love the chance to look back and reflect on the past year and all that has happened. What a year! It's been quite the year for my own family, but for all of us... it's just been such an eventful year. Just wow.

The Mom Song

AMEN!

The Mom Song

AMEN!

For the love of Wheel of Fortune

What is educational television in our household? Wheel of Fortune! Both of my boys love this show. It's the one show that's on that my 21 month old will actually sit with me for the duration. It's a nightly tradition. Dinner is done, we've just finished bathtime, then we sit down and watch Wheel of Fortune before bed. He's so funny! He sits on my lap and yells out letters at the screen. He has no idea what he's saying yet, but someday he's going to figure it out. I think it's hilarious to hear my baby boy yelling letters at the TV! My oldest son did this, too. I guess it's a family tradition!

For the love of Wheel of Fortune

What is educational television in our household? Wheel of Fortune! Both of my boys love this show. It's the one show that's on that my 21 month old will actually sit with me for the duration. It's a nightly tradition. Dinner is done, we've just finished bathtime, then we sit down and watch Wheel of Fortune before bed. He's so funny! He sits on my lap and yells out letters at the screen. He has no idea what he's saying yet, but someday he's going to figure it out. I think it's hilarious to hear my baby boy yelling letters at the TV! My oldest son did this, too. I guess it's a family tradition!

Warm Fuzzies

Today we had to go out of town pretty early. This meant that we needed to swing by the coffee shop for a shot of caffiene before we hit the highway. When I got to the window the clerk informed me that the car in front of us had paid for our order. In turn, I paid for the car behind me. The clerk let me know that I was the 32nd car in line to do so. I love that. It definitely kicked my day off with a smile and a warm fuzzy feeling which I really needed. 

On another note, I was just surfing Ravelry ... browsing the projects of my friends in particular. I have many many fellow knitters in my friends group on Ravelry. Of course, everyone I know and knit with in real life, then another layer of bloggers that I sort of know but only from online, and yet another layer of knitters I don't know at all ... you know how it goes... you're surfing projects of a particular pattern and come upon one stunning version. You click. You admire the knitters work. You click their name and get to take a treasured peek at their other wonders. You fall in love. You add them as a friend. Capeesh. I have accumulated many many contacts in this fashion. 

One Raveler in particular always has projects that stand out to me and I thought I'd share her with you. Her Ravelry name is LynneM. She just has a certain flair about her that I find to be so stylish. Her knitting, by the way, is also fabulous. She has knit numerous garments that are not only something to clothe you, cover you, keep you warm (the extent to my level of garment knitting)... but they're stylish, the fit is spot-on, they're subtle but full of detail. Love. She doesn't have a million projects listed, but the ones she does have I do admire. Tonight I stumbled upon one of her latest projects: mustaavillaa's Garter Ruffle Shawl. LynneM's story behind this knit is wonderful. It gave me the same warm-fuzzy feeling that I had this morning in line at the coffee shop. I think you should go read it. 

*I hope she doesn't mind that I linked to her here. Again, she's someone I don't know at all. 

Warm Fuzzies

Today we had to go out of town pretty early. This meant that we needed to swing by the coffee shop for a shot of caffiene before we hit the highway. When I got to the window the clerk informed me that the car in front of us had paid for our order. In turn, I paid for the car behind me. The clerk let me know that I was the 32nd car in line to do so. I love that. It definitely kicked my day off with a smile and a warm fuzzy feeling which I really needed. 

On another note, I was just surfing Ravelry ... browsing the projects of my friends in particular. I have many many fellow knitters in my friends group on Ravelry. Of course, everyone I know and knit with in real life, then another layer of bloggers that I sort of know but only from online, and yet another layer of knitters I don't know at all ... you know how it goes... you're surfing projects of a particular pattern and come upon one stunning version. You click. You admire the knitters work. You click their name and get to take a treasured peek at their other wonders. You fall in love. You add them as a friend. Capeesh. I have accumulated many many contacts in this fashion. 

One Raveler in particular always has projects that stand out to me and I thought I'd share her with you. Her Ravelry name is LynneM. She just has a certain flair about her that I find to be so stylish. Her knitting, by the way, is also fabulous. She has knit numerous garments that are not only something to clothe you, cover you, keep you warm (the extent to my level of garment knitting)... but they're stylish, the fit is spot-on, they're subtle but full of detail. Love. She doesn't have a million projects listed, but the ones she does have I do admire. Tonight I stumbled upon one of her latest projects: mustaavillaa's Garter Ruffle Shawl. LynneM's story behind this knit is wonderful. It gave me the same warm-fuzzy feeling that I had this morning in line at the coffee shop. I think you should go read it. 

*I hope she doesn't mind that I linked to her here. Again, she's someone I don't know at all. 

Ahh... breaktime

Today I'm taking a bonafide break... I'm sitting here on the couch eating a lunch of cheese and crackers, tomato soup and a clementine. I have my knitting closeby and I'm watching my guilty pleasure... The Hills episodes on MTV.com. I'm so hooked on this teenage drama. Haha! Does anyone else share this passion? 

We're thinking about canceling our sattelite service. We love the DVR but between the internet and Netflix, I think we could easily get rid of it and not notice very much. It's a thought...

I made beef stew this morning and it's simmering away in the crockpot. I have a loaf of 'take and bake' multi-grain bread that is so yummy. What beats a cup of beef stew and crusty bread on a frigid night? Not much. Comfort food for my guys... it's their favorite. 

The other day my husband had an exam for his life insurance policy... it was scheduled at 8 AM. The gal doing the exam showed up at 7:27! I was pretty annoyed. I let her in and let her know that I thought it was unprofessional that she was so early. She was pretty taken aback. But c'mon! I mean, it's one thing to be early to a 10 o'clock appointment, but first thing in the morning? I was still in my jammies, my kids were still half asleep. Heck, so was my husband. 

We have several inches of snow on the ground. We are expecting more snow tomorrow night and apparently there's quite the storm brewing for next week. I wonder if it'll be white like this until March like last year? It was a tough, long winter for all of us last year. I'm trying to shift my thinking and embrace winter and it's hard. I feel like I'm at loose ends without puttering around in my gardens, walking through the grass barefoot, drinking coffee at sunrise on the patio out back, drinking white wine on the porch out front at sunset, bbqing, homegrown tomatoes. I'm wistfully missing summer already. 

But what is there to love about winter. let's see... how about the show that the squirrels put on in our crabapple tree out back. It's always entertaining. The fresh blankets of snow that sparkle in the sunlight and the moonlight. The crisp cool air. The thrill of sledding ... this one I've already appreciated numerous times. I'm addicted to sledding. I think i'd love to ski. The reason to knit and wear handknit woolly goodies. The beautiful silvery moon, stars and planets in the sky. The wind that whips through the trees that clatter their branches and sound completely different than when they're swaying with leaves. The holidays. The new year. The promise of spring. The white puffy clouds. 

.... I've got to keep reminding myself of all of these things. Last year I didn't get outside during the winter months much at all. My baby boy was very baby last year and immobile. I spent my time indoors looking out and it was wearing. Now I'm lucky that he LOVES the snow and is fully willing to tromp around in it at least once a day. It's easier to deal with the cold and snow when we can at least get out in it and reconnect with the outdoors. That's the key. We're just not meant to be shut in for several months. Plus, even in the cold, the sunshine is still warm on my cheeks. 

OK, i'm off to knit and nosh and watch The Hills some more... I can't stand that Spencer! Blargh!

pardon me...

Ahh... breaktime

Today I'm taking a bonafide break... I'm sitting here on the couch eating a lunch of cheese and crackers, tomato soup and a clementine. I have my knitting closeby and I'm watching my guilty pleasure... The Hills episodes on MTV.com. I'm so hooked on this teenage drama. Haha! Does anyone else share this passion? 

We're thinking about canceling our sattelite service. We love the DVR but between the internet and Netflix, I think we could easily get rid of it and not notice very much. It's a thought...

I made beef stew this morning and it's simmering away in the crockpot. I have a loaf of 'take and bake' multi-grain bread that is so yummy. What beats a cup of beef stew and crusty bread on a frigid night? Not much. Comfort food for my guys... it's their favorite. 

The other day my husband had an exam for his life insurance policy... it was scheduled at 8 AM. The gal doing the exam showed up at 7:27! I was pretty annoyed. I let her in and let her know that I thought it was unprofessional that she was so early. She was pretty taken aback. But c'mon! I mean, it's one thing to be early to a 10 o'clock appointment, but first thing in the morning? I was still in my jammies, my kids were still half asleep. Heck, so was my husband. 

We have several inches of snow on the ground. We are expecting more snow tomorrow night and apparently there's quite the storm brewing for next week. I wonder if it'll be white like this until March like last year? It was a tough, long winter for all of us last year. I'm trying to shift my thinking and embrace winter and it's hard. I feel like I'm at loose ends without puttering around in my gardens, walking through the grass barefoot, drinking coffee at sunrise on the patio out back, drinking white wine on the porch out front at sunset, bbqing, homegrown tomatoes. I'm wistfully missing summer already. 

But what is there to love about winter. let's see... how about the show that the squirrels put on in our crabapple tree out back. It's always entertaining. The fresh blankets of snow that sparkle in the sunlight and the moonlight. The crisp cool air. The thrill of sledding ... this one I've already appreciated numerous times. I'm addicted to sledding. I think i'd love to ski. The reason to knit and wear handknit woolly goodies. The beautiful silvery moon, stars and planets in the sky. The wind that whips through the trees that clatter their branches and sound completely different than when they're swaying with leaves. The holidays. The new year. The promise of spring. The white puffy clouds. 

.... I've got to keep reminding myself of all of these things. Last year I didn't get outside during the winter months much at all. My baby boy was very baby last year and immobile. I spent my time indoors looking out and it was wearing. Now I'm lucky that he LOVES the snow and is fully willing to tromp around in it at least once a day. It's easier to deal with the cold and snow when we can at least get out in it and reconnect with the outdoors. That's the key. We're just not meant to be shut in for several months. Plus, even in the cold, the sunshine is still warm on my cheeks. 

OK, i'm off to knit and nosh and watch The Hills some more... I can't stand that Spencer! Blargh!

pardon me...

Wintry Wonderland

It snowed here in the Des Moines metro this weekend. It started midday Saturday and didn't let up until last night. It frosted all traces of Autumn and all of the sudden winter is upon us. The babe was amazed by the snow. He stood at the window in his PJs all morning gesturing and chattering on and on about it.

After a trek around town to find snowboots and snow pants for the boys, we headed out in to the snow to check it out. We went sledding, built mini snowmen, made snow angels. Such fun! I hope the novelty of winter doesn't wear off too early this year... maybe winter is a season we can enjoy after all.

With the snow and the passing of Thanksgiving, Christmas seems to be everywhere. Almost every house on our street is decked out with lights, blow up Christmas displays, the whole shebang. Some of my neighbors have had their trees up since Halloween! Christmastime seems to be here extra-early this year. I'm not sure why.

Normally I'd have our entire house decked out by now but I'm putting it off this year and my guys don't seem to mind -- heck, sometimes I wonder if they'd notice if I didn't put up a tree at all. I just want to put it off this year so we can truly enjoy it when it actually IS Christmas. Usually by then I'm overwhelmed and worn out by all things Christmas. That's not what it is all about.

What am I knitting? Let's see... a sweater for my oldest son, and a beret for myself. I'm really enjoying the beret because I'm using sock yarn for it. What a great way to use beautiful handpainted yarns without knitting yet another pair of socks. Best part? No second sock syndrome.

Anyway, I'm off. Have a good Monday and a great December. Slow down and don't get caught up in all of the commercialism. Cherish friends and family... and your knitting.

Wintry Wonderland

It snowed here in the Des Moines metro this weekend. It started midday Saturday and didn't let up until last night. It frosted all traces of Autumn and all of the sudden winter is upon us. The babe was amazed by the snow. He stood at the window in his PJs all morning gesturing and chattering on and on about it.

After a trek around town to find snowboots and snow pants for the boys, we headed out in to the snow to check it out. We went sledding, built mini snowmen, made snow angels. Such fun! I hope the novelty of winter doesn't wear off too early this year... maybe winter is a season we can enjoy after all.

With the snow and the passing of Thanksgiving, Christmas seems to be everywhere. Almost every house on our street is decked out with lights, blow up Christmas displays, the whole shebang. Some of my neighbors have had their trees up since Halloween! Christmastime seems to be here extra-early this year. I'm not sure why.

Normally I'd have our entire house decked out by now but I'm putting it off this year and my guys don't seem to mind -- heck, sometimes I wonder if they'd notice if I didn't put up a tree at all. I just want to put it off this year so we can truly enjoy it when it actually IS Christmas. Usually by then I'm overwhelmed and worn out by all things Christmas. That's not what it is all about.

What am I knitting? Let's see... a sweater for my oldest son, and a beret for myself. I'm really enjoying the beret because I'm using sock yarn for it. What a great way to use beautiful handpainted yarns without knitting yet another pair of socks. Best part? No second sock syndrome.

Anyway, I'm off. Have a good Monday and a great December. Slow down and don't get caught up in all of the commercialism. Cherish friends and family... and your knitting.