So back after a long hiatus on this blog.... I hope that all of you readers are having a good holiday season no matter which holiday you celebrate. I have been very busy with EJ and knitting of course. Not to mention much baking for our local farmer's markets in this holiday season. It's me third favourite thing in the world after my family and knitting :D So here's some of the knitting I've accomplished in the last little bit.
Two new meret's, the top one is actually a bright pink but the lighting wasn't that great, that one went to my friend Rhonda and the other to another named Rachel



These cute little toques are Kate Oates' Cheery Scrap Cap and the top one went to my friend Chantelle while the little ones are waiting for little heads to fill them



I've got lots done thanks to dark nights that don't allow you to do much else. Other than cuddle with my husband and EJ as seen here


And just so you can see just how much EJ has grown here she is enjoying her little bouncer. She absolutely loves it :D

I still have the two charity blankets if anyone is interested in working on them just comment to me or check me out on Ravelry: heather17jp

Lessons I've Recently Learnt

So little EJ is teaching me some great lessons in the last two weeks. She's taught me some Mommy, Knitting and Life lessons so I thought I would share them with you.


Mommy Lessons
#1 you never leave the house as early as you want with a newborn, plan for it
#2 Invest in a calendar that has those rip off sheets for each day, its easier to forget the date when you're not working
#3 Watch your newborn very carefully in walmart, strangers will come up to you and want to look at your baby and talk to you
#4 You can never pack everything with you, the one thing you forget will be the one thing you need
#5 Maternity clothes are ok after you give birth too, especially when you still can't fit anything else yet
#6 There's no sense getting upset when your baby won't sleep, they feed off of your stress, you will eventually make the sleep back even if it's not for another 18 years
#7 You never finish being a Mommy and a child will never not need her Mommy, I'm 23 and still need my Mommy lots :)


Knitting Lessons
#1 Knitting for your baby is very addictive
Just the one rule but so very true.


Life Lessons
#1 When you're in a hurry to go somewhere you will either run low on gas, get behind a very slow driver or leave way later than you plan
     #1 a) or all of the above
#2 Celebrate the small things, when you can fit into normal clothes again after giving birth its amazing but not as amazing as when your baby's cord falls off (if I was a little stronger stomached I might have kept it)
#3 Remember you are not perfect and nothing will ever go 100% to plan, but that's ok sometimes those off times are the best times


And now for your viewing pleasure, here's EJ chilling out after her lunch







Gotta love the small quiet moments with her <3

Life goes on

So it's been forever since I posted but I swear I have good reasons....

And the biggest one is my new little Elainna Joy (EJ for the rest of this blog)!

She was born on August 30th after a 30 hour labor. Not exactly what I was expecting but definitely worth all of the work :) I'm quickly learning just how much work motherhood is and just how rewarding it is. Even when they're too small to say thank you. We are both doing really good now.

But it didn't start out that way. We had her home for only three days before she got jaundice so bad we had to take her to a hospital over 3 hours away. She was then promptly but into a Bili-bassinet which is a fancy bassinet with UV lights all over it. I unfortunately do not have any pictures of this. I'm very thankful to everyone who works at that hospital. They made what was very stressful and scary for two first time parents much easier. She also got to sleep in something else at the hospital.

That's a hand knit blanket that someone was nice enough to donate to the hospital's NICU, and that one of the nurses was nice enough to borrow for us. It was very warm and very pretty. This brought back the reasons I was starting a project last year.

Last year I had started two baby blankets that we were passing around amongst a few of us and we were all knitting a little bit on it. Unfortunately I had some illnesses of my own and the project died off. This tiny blanket made me want to go home and knit ten million for babies that were sick like mine or obviously sicker as I got to bring my baby home after only four days and some of those families seemed like they'd been there forever. When we were there the NICU was full almost every day.

So I want to get going on this Blankie Project again. I am going to unearth the blankets and get them sent out as soon as I can. I believe that these blankets actually help the kids and their families feel better. I know that I felt a little more at home when my baby was wrapped in a home made blanket instead of the sterile hospital blankets.

This is an important cause and I do believe in it more than ever. If you would like to knit on the blankets and you read this please just comment and let me know. I would love the get some blankets done and to the local hospitals/Ronald McDonald house as soon as I can. :D

Progress on Milly

So I have made some awesome progress on my Milly vest but mostly due to the fact that I've been spending allot of time travelling in the vehicle and waiting for appointments. I have the one side almost completely done and I have a picture to prove it

I also spent about two hours glued to the TV while knitting last night, because MasterChef Season 2 finished last night....

SPOILER ALERT

And my favourite home cook won:

Jennifer! I was so excited. I can't believe that she made it to the final two with Adrian, my second favourite. It was awesome to watch Christian eat his words when she not only made it to the final two but won.

I'm addicted to cooking shows!

Hopefully getting off track on the knitting talk doesn't lose everyone :D

A 'little' about me....

So for my first post on this blog I thought what better way to get to know a knitter than to look at what she has accomplished, what she has on the go and what she would love to have on her needles. So here is my list accompanied by a ton of photos because I love seeing what everyone else is knitting so why wouldn't I include pictures

What I have done....

A baby girl blanket that started as a snowdrop shawl that was created by the YarnHarlot, you can't really tell from the picture but the one end was a corner I created and it's very pointy. It also needs to be blocked but the baby it is for is due way too soon to block it and have it for them at the hospital

And this is a double ten stitch blanket created for a baby boy, I really love this pattern even though it's only really garter stitch. It went by really fast once I got it down. Again this one needs blocking but the baby is going to come before I can block it.

These hooded blankets are based on a baby blanket kit I got from Herrschners and unfortunately is not available anymore. I love these blankets, they are super cute and are just waiting for the baby's they will belong to. Whenever they are born.

This is one of many Merets I have made in the last year or so. My friends love them. I had a gorgeous teal one that seems to have disappeared since winter was over.

What I have started....

Another Meret to replace the one that is missing, I don't have any more of the teal yarn left unfortunately.

The beginning of the Milly Vest from Knitty I love the look of this pattern and once I'm able to fit it again it will be finished, hopefully.

A few pairs of baby booties that I found a pattern for on Google. Most of them are just missing the buttons except for the one bootie that still needs to be sewn together. I love these little things and they are a super quick knit.

Many hooded baby sweaters. These things are adorable, they zip up the back. My Grandma gave me this pattern and she knits these in a day or so, I take a little longer. They all need the ends worked in and the zipper sewn in.

What will be on my needles next....

Another Razor Cami, I made one already but I want another one. I love them.

Oh there's another thing I've been working on....

Our first baby is due in about a week, not sure what it's going to be hence all of the boy and girl baby knitting. I will let you all know what it is when it's born.

I hope I gave you some insight into who I am and my knitting life.