Wednesday, May 30, 2007



Flower hairpins just added to my etsy site. Great for giving mom a lift when all our energy and activities are directed at THEM, you know, the offspring!

It's pretty hot today. But outside in the shade there is a nice breeze. Good for working on craft projects while the kids play dirt, as long as they don't spray the house or me with the hose!

Now kids are getting TV time watching the Mandarin version of Muzzy. I think it's taking. Helps when I can learn some of the words to use with them.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Have about two weeks to finish the kindergarten lei for frenz. Red, white, and blue ones are Kikaida themed. I love using cotton yarn for lei because it is not scratchy against the neck, even in our hot, humid weather. And it is completely machine washable!!! Always a plus with kids.

Pink and white is the one I am working on now. That and more stuff for my shop.

Kid birthday party also successfully completed this past weekend. Had planny food, typical of local style get-togethers. Hubbo grilled hotdogs, chicken, and made poke. Yum! I was surprised everybody ate up the cucumbers and carrots I put out too. Usually my vegees go neglected. I know why, only had grapes out besides that, i forgot to slice the oranges and put them out too. At least the kids had fun and the breeze kept things cool out back.

I think if I quite moaning and groaning about party planning it would go easier. This wasn't that stressful. However, in the subsequent unwrapping of presents later, a card got separated from the gift and I'm not sure what was given. Kid liked all the gifts though! Especially the clothes and girly stuffs. Surprisingly, she readily shared a few gifts with her sister. I have a feeling SIX will be a lot easier to bear than FIVE (in age not number of kids).

Party activities included a modified cake walk, build a bad guy (out of stuffs found around the house that would otherwise be thrown away), coloring pages of Kikaida, Kamen Rider, and bad guys, playdoughing, and sidewalk chalking. The kids here are working on their totally open-ended craft activity of building a bad guy using all found stuffs, some scissors, tape, acrylic yarn, and a hole puncher. I am soooo glad they got into it after a while.

Clay mostly kept my little ones busy the day before while I finished last minute preparations.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Getting ready for end of our 4H year with goodies for the girls.


















Barrette with flowers and beads.

















And progress on soldier sock while watching subtitled movies - surprisingly fast. Most of this was done in one night!

Friday, May 11, 2007



Fourth? blanket panel has hearts. In progress. Oops. Forgot to take a picture.

In search of kona coffee beans for the dedicated soldier sock knitting maven. Looking into Halawa swim classes for oldest right after school ends next month. And prepping to post a few more items to my etsy shop, Yarn Confections.

Sunday, May 06, 2007


Have joined the Leeward YMCA. Brand new facilities. HEATED pool! Open til 9 at night. How great is that!

Continuing to knit third strip of Hubby blanket. Going fuzzily. Heart cables with seed stitch inside heart. Pattern from vogue stitchionary cables. Also still churning out bookmarks. Started trying out this cool dim sum pattern. Only made the custard thing in size 10 thread.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Am currently using this lovely but extrememly fuzzy organic cotton, bulky yarn that I got off eBay a while back, to make a multi-paneled blanket for hubby. I'd actually like to make his out of wool, as the stitch definition is clearer, but I had loads of this lying around and it is so very soft, so....

I hope it's less fuzzy after the washing. The fuzz is really bothering my nose as i knit with it. But after just two weeks I am already almost pau with two panels. I think I overplanned when this yarn first came in. Pored over Vogue stitionary 1 and 2 for hours trying to choose just the right designs to go with each organic color. Filling pages and pages in my knit planning notebook with notes and calculations. This time I just flipped though the stitches and picked. I already knew I liked the oxo pattern as the recipient would be a loved one. I want to try a leafy one too, in keeping with the organic theme, but the yarn texture may decide otherwise.

Here is the oxo pattern, unblocked, as it is still OTN.








Next are the two panels side by side; although this is not the final order.
The first, brown panel is in a feathery looking pattern. My kids love how the panels feel and are already trying to wrap themselves up in the strips.

I just bought a yarn ball winder off eBay as my arm got tired that last time I wound the green ball. Now I have to make a swift. YES, I said MAKE.