Finished Knitting Toddler Mittens

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It has been a busy time of the year! We just celebrated my son Evan's first birthday this past weekend. We had such wonderful parties with our families and they showed us and him so much love and support. They have helped us so much through this year. I am getting more into Christmas now and we have decorated our Christmas tree. We will be taking some family photos by the tree tomorrow to send out cards. Looking forward to seeing them when they are done. It is such a wonderful time of the year!

I have finished knitting the toddler mittens. I have been using them for Evan on our stroller walks and they are keeping his hands warm. I also knitted an I-cord to keep them together in his jacket. The first two photos the cuff is unfolded and this is how we have been putting them on Evan so they stay on well. The last two are folded up. The I-cord will keep them from falling off and getting lost and easier to keep them in his jacket.

Baby and Toddler Mittens

Pattern: Baby and Toddler Mittens by Julie Taylor

Needles: US 3  (3.25 mm) and US 6 (4 mm) (knitted on straight needles and then sewed the seam)

Yarn: Snuggly Wuggly Yarn by Loops & Threads colorway pale blue

Notes: on Ravelry here.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope you have a good week ahead.

Have a good day!

Finished Knitting the Cozy Pumpkin Hat

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I finished knitting the Cozy Pumpkin Hat by Ksenia Naidyon. I really enjoyed knitting it and Evan looked so cute wearing his hat today at the pumpkin patch. It was such a cold day I was glad he had the hat on to keep him warm. He also had the baby blanket on that I knitted for him too. 

Cozy Pumpkin Hat

Pattern: Cozy Pumpkin Hat by Ksenia Naidyon

Needles: US 8, 5 mm

Yarn: Loops & Threads yarn worsted yarn in the colorway pumpkin for body of the hat and Spring green for the stem. 

Notes: notes on Ravelry. I didn't add the vine which I loved because I couldn't seem to get the i-cord to curl. I will work on this to add to the hat it would be such a cute addition.

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! It was a busy fun day today with my family, Liam and Evan. I really enjoyed going on the hay ride and looking at the farm animals with Evan. It is so fun to experience these things with our baby now and see the world through his eyes. 

Have a great day!

Finished Knitting the Arches Baby Blanket

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I am so happy to announce that I finished the baby blanket I have been working on for my baby since last November. It has taken me so long and I am proud to be done. I am a mom to a 10 month old baby and found time during naps and chances I could get to have a moment to knit. I followed the Arches baby blanket pattern on Ravelry and you can find links and more notes below. 

Arches Baby Blanket

Pattern: Arches Baby Blanket by LJM Designs

Needles: circular needles US 6,  4.0 mm 

Yarn: Snuggly Wuggly in colorway pale blue

Notes: Ravelry link  In the photos below the blanket has not been washed and blocked yet. I will be doing that tomorrow and the edges will then be more straight once blocked. 

Toys pictured above: Wooden elephant pull toy by Hape, Bumbly bear by Jellycat.(I bought small size)

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I am happy to share my finished project with you all. It has been a long time coming and I am so happy my baby can finally use it! He is one at the end of next month so I am finished just in time while he is still a baby lol I have casted on a pumpkin hat for Evan that I am excited about as well that I will be sharing with you next week. I am continuing to read It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover it is definitely a page turner for me and really enjoying it. What are you working on and reading this week? I hope that you had a great weekend and have a good week ahead.

Have a great day,

Knitting the Arches Baby Blanket

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I haven't been on here as much lately time is going by so fast and the weekends are getting busier with plans with the warm weather here now. I've made more progress on my knitting and happy to say I am more than halfway done the baby blanket. I have 5 repetitions to go!  It has been a slow knitting project for me knitting when I can find a moment with a baby. I love how it is turning out so far. I am following the Arches Baby Blanket pattern on Ravelry by LJM Designs. I love how simple the pattern is written to follow it and how the pattern flows so nicely. I really love the design with the lace and think it won't be a really heavy warm blanket for Spring because of the eyelet stitches. Here are my notes on Ravelry so far.

I am reading Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. It is great so far when I can find time to read it is an easy read. I still have Book Lovers by Emily Henry on the go too. I will be reading both for awhile.

My friends came by to visit Evan this past weekend and brought these beautiful flowers. I was thinking of planting them outside since they came in a pot and I need some flowers outside right now. 

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog! I will try to post more frequently and keep to my Sunday posting schedule. I really love checking in here to update on knitting and life. I like reading your blogs too and will also try to make more time to visit you :) 

Have a great day!

Knitting Baby Blanket and Reading On

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I am well and I am on my maternity leave now. This week I have kept busy with getting things ready for baby's arrival. I have been washing baby's clothes, swaddles, and blankets. We will put together the crib and bassinet this weekend and almost done putting the change table together. I am 37 weeks now and feeling lots of baby movements. I have had a bit of pain in my left side by my ribs so have been taking it easy to heal this week as well.

I started knitting a baby blanket for our baby. I am using the Arches Baby Blanket pattern on Ravelry by LJM Design. I am knitting it on size 4 mm circular needles for the length and using the Snuggly Wuggly yarn by Loops & Threads in the colorway pale blue.  I have only knitted 8 rows of knit stitch so far then will start the pattern after a couple more rows of garter stitch.  I am looking forward to starting to knit the arches in the pattern. Millie was interested in the needles in my project bag and what I was doing. She is a very curious kitty!

I am going to be listening to The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp. I am looking forward to listening to this in the next week and learning more about keeping my baby happy and comfortable after he is born. I am continuing to read Book Lovers by Emily Henry.

Photo source

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I am excited it is getting closer to Christmas now. I haven't decorated much at this point, I have only put the Christmas wreath up on our front door. I will probably put our Christmas tree up next weekend. I won't be participating in Blogmas this year unfortunately because our baby is due very soon and I will be so busy. I look forward to participating in Blogmas next year and reading other's posts this year.  I will still post some of my favourite Blogmas posts each week but it won't be daily. You can check out my past year's posts by going to the pages tab at the top of screen and selecting blogmas.

Have a great day!

Finished Knitting IONA Baby Hat

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I am doing well and it is now getting closer to our baby's arrival. I am 36 weeks and 4 days today. Tomorrow is my last day at work before I start my maternity leave. This week I have been wrapping things up with work and preparing for a new stage of life.

I have finished knitting the IONA baby hat by Marianna Mel. I am loving how it turned out. I think of how sweet it will be to see our baby boy wearing it.

Pattern notes:

Pattern: IONA baby hat by Marianna Mel

Needles: US 6 4.0 mm

Yarn: Snuggly Wuggly yarn by Loops & Threads in the colorway pale blue.

Notes: Ravelry notes

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I hope you are having a great week so far and have a good weekend.  It is so special to share these steps along the way with you as we prepare for baby. In the coming weeks we will be getting ready for baby's arrival and I will probably be knitting more baby things and share them with you soon!

Have a great day!

Finished Knitting the Simple Bunnies Toy

 Hello Friends,

                                 

I hope you are doing well. I haven't been posting here much lately, but I keep thinking about posting and sharing my knitting and reading progress and what has been going on in life lately. I have been busy with work, Millie, and planning my wedding going on the 5th time. It is really crazy how long it has been dragging out and we now have a date for September 26th. The way it is looking is we will have a ceremony with family and close friends and then go to a restaurant. We aren't able to have the big reception party afterwards as planned due to Covid-19. So that is where we are at now with the wedding and nothing is ever final and from previous times we know it is last minute that things can change. But Liam and I are just ready to get married now so it will probably happen as planned this month in September. 

I finished knitting the Simple Bunnies toy for my nephew. It was a fun knit and I hope that he enjoys holding it and looking at it. He is now 4 months and is growing so fast. I was looking after him lately and he is smiling a lot and making a lot of sounds.

Pattern: Simple Bunnies by Julia VR

Needles: US 6, 4 mm circular needles

Yarn: Snuggly Wuggly by Loops & Threads in soft gray

Millie is doing well and adjusting well to our home and being with us. She is playful and sweet. We are so happy to have her here. She follows us from room to room and enjoys spending time with Liam and I. She is attached to us both and loves a lot of attention. It has been really nice to be working from home and just being home more in general to spend more time with her as she gets used to our home.

One of her favourite spots by the window a blanket in a basket

I am reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, as you can see my reading has been very slow lately. I will work on finishing this book, then plan to move on to another one I own soon. For the remainder of the year, I will make more of a point to read more.

Thank you for stopping by! I have my next project in mind now and looking forward to starting soon. Lately I feel like knitting has been slow and on hold and I really want to get back on track with it. Also blogging here with you all is so fun and I miss it too. Things are still crazy here with the Delta variant and no end in sight for Covid-19. It is another one of those unpredictable times when we are in one of the waves. We are in the fourth wave now and hope it is a short one. Stay safe!

Have a great day!

Knitting Simple Bunnies Baby Toy and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It has been so nice having our kitten Millie with us, and it has been so busy in a good way. I love chasing her around and having her snuggle in my lap while I work or go on the computer. She also likes to nap beside Liam as he works as well. I haven't been doing as much of the things I usually do like knitting, reading, and planning since we got her since my priorities shifted to taking care of her mostly. I feel like now that she has been with us for a month, I am starting to incorporate back some of the things I did before but it is slow. I knitted more of the bunny toy and as you can see below, she was very interested in the yarn. I didn't knit for too long that day but she was happy to just bat at the yarn for awhile as I knitted.

I have been knitting the bunny toy for my nephew. I used the pattern Simple Bunnies found on Ravelry by designer Julia VR. I still have the head and ears to knit. I wasn't seeing the part of the pattern for the head, but the ears part is in the pattern and are up next.

I started reading This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith. It seems good so far, it is a new release this year. I also took out the book From To-Do To Done by Maura Thomas. I will be working again on getting things done around our home and in my personal life. I am still reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, just waiting to get my hold from the library.

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday. 

Thank you for stopping by! I am now fully vaccinated got the Moderna as my second dose and Pfizer as my first. It feels good to be fully protected now. Hope you all are staying safe! We are getting through this. I see cases rising a bit in Toronto, but hopefully we can keep it under control. 

Have a great day and stay safe! 

Knitting Baby Toy and Reading On

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I haven't been blogging for a few weeks simply because I finished the other baby gifts, then didn't know what to knit next. I have so much of the baby yarn left from the blanket and the hat, that I wanted to knit some more things for my nephew Luca, so I am now going to work on a baby toy for him to snuggle with. I found a pattern called simple bunnies on Ravelry by Julia VR. I seem to be drawn to patterns with the word "simple" lately. Maybe because there is a lot going on in my life right now and a simple knit appeals to me. I am liking quick knits and simple patterns that I can do in the midst of a busy time. 

I casted on the bunny toy/blanket so far and I like how it is forming the blanket part of the toy. I like the eyelet stitch detail around the blanket. for this pattern, I am using snuggly wuggly yarn by Loops & Threads in the colorway soft gray. I am knitting on size US 6 4mm circular needles.

For reading, I am still reading mostly the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and started reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I have a lot of books on the go that I pick up and read here and there. I want to work more on finishing some of these books soon, since I have had so many piling up. 

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting today and stay safe!

Finished Knitting Simple Lines Baby Blanket

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. My week has been going well. I can't believe it is already Thursday tomorrow, the weeks are just flying by! My nephew was born last Friday, April 30th. He is a healthy baby and mom, dad, and baby are doing well. I am still unfortunately not able to visit because of the stay at home order until the end of May. When I do go visit my family and see the baby, it will be even more special. 

The morning my nephew was born, I was knitting quickly, racing to get it finished, and I did! I finished knitting the Simple Lines Baby Blanket by Heather Tucker on Ravelry. It was a fun blanket to knit, and I liked that I quickly got used to the pattern, and could knit it and watch shows and vlogs. I love how it turned out and how soft and comfy it is and I hope my nephew enjoys snuggling with it.

Pattern: Simple Lines baby blankets by Heather Tucker on Ravelry

Yarn: Snuggly Wuggly yarn by Loops & Threads in the colorway "soft Gray"

Needles: US 6 - 4.0 mm circular needles

I haven't made progress on the cross stitch since the last post. I was focused on finishing the blanket on Friday, and then weaving in the ends this morning. I am still working on the leaves going all around the piece. I will be cross stitching more next week and hope to finish it soon.

I have been reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, The Trainable Cat By John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis, and Presence by Amy Cuddy. I have been enjoying learning more about cats reading The Trainable Cat. I have always had cats in my life, and it is interesting to learn more about them. Presence was another one I started this weekend, it is about being your best self and showing up at work and life. I am really working on "leaning in" at work as Sheryl Sandberg suggests to do in her book I recently finished called Lean In. So I am working on some assignments at work and trying to learn more skills and gain more knowledge. I am also enjoying reading as much as I can to learn more on bringing my best self to work.

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday

Thank you for stopping by my blog today! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe! There is a lot of talk about vaccines here in Toronto, but I haven't gotten mine yet. They are being given out to people living in "hot spots" which are the most badly hit with the virus. I am waiting my turn, but we are looking forward to finally getting it. I look forward to being able to visit with my family and friends again like normal. I will be giving my nephew lots of snuggles. 

Have a great day!

Knitting Baby Blanket and Reading On

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This is a busy week at work for me. Also I have gifts to buy for birthdays, an upcoming baby shower for my sister, and Valentine's day. Sometimes It just feels like everything is happening all at once. I am enjoying the busyness of this week and feel like it energizes me and motivates me.

I am continuing to knit the baby blanket for my sister's baby due in April. I am so excited to have a nephew, it is actually surreal. I can't wait for the day to hold my nephew in my arms. It will be so special. I am also excited for him to be cuddling with this blanket I make him. I am using the pattern Simple Lines Baby Blanket by Heather Tucker. I am knitting the large blanket so it will be big enough to cuddle with and they can use it in the stroller or for him to lie down on. I still have a ways to go with it, but it is coming along. I have until March 14th which is the baby shower to knit it. I will finish earlier and wash it first before gifting it.

I am still working on my cross stitch. It is coming along. I am following a video with step by step instructions on YouTube which helps a lot. It says I can't adult today with flowers around it. I am stitching the main part of the letters now and then will do the backstitching afterwards to complete it.

I am still reading Didn't See That Coming by Rachel Hollis. She writes the book as a guide to getting through difficult times. I can see how it would be comforting if going through loss of a loved one, or something happens to you that is upsetting. It feel like a friend is helping you through it. I am looking forward to reading more. I am reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. I am really enjoying this book and learning a lot about the realities of the workforce for women and how we can thrive. I think I will get a lot out of this book and apply it to my own career.

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday. Kat runs a link up each week on Wednesdays with other knitters and crocheters.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope that you are having a good week so far! 

Have a great day!

Knitted Baby Booties

Happy Friday Friends!

It is the end of the week and we are heading towards the weekend. For some the weekend is already beginning and others it is soon within reach. Today I finished knitting up my second pair of baby booties and I posted on Instagram already but also wanted to share with you on my blog. I am so happy with how they turned out because I have wanted to knit baby booties for so long but I used to think they looked hard to knit but I finally decided to give it a try and they were really fun and easy to knit up! I followed a video on YouTube because I love to follow videos when I am learning something new. I watched One Hook & Two Needles' video on how to knit baby booties. Please visit her channel if you would like to knit some of these booties she explains very well and goes at a good pace to follow along.

 Here is my pile of knitted items that I will be donating to the Salvation Army so far. I have a child's hat, a baby hat, and two pairs of baby booties.

Thank you for visiting and I would love to read your comments!