Baby is 5 months!

My gorgeous baby turned 5 months last Friday. He is wearing clothes size 9-12 months and PJ's size 18 months! I am guessing he is about 17 pounds by now. Isn't he adorable? I need to get a new camera soon or all of his baby pictures are going to be blurry. This is one of the goals for this week. So much to do and so little time...

Mi precioso bebé cumplió 5 meses el viernes pasado. Esta usando ropita talla 9-12 meses y pijamas para 18 meses! Yo calculo que está pesando unas 17 libras. Verdad que está divino? Tengo que comprar una nueva cámara pronto o de lo contrario todas sus fotos de bebé van a ser borrosas... Odio esta cámara vieja! Así que esta semana sin falta me compro una...

Dad's socks - Medias para Papi

Started: 9/16/2008

Pattern: Rockin' Strat Men's Socks

Yarn: Schachenmayer Cotton

I started these socks when my dad was visiting. I measured his foot and started the toe kind of on my own pattern. However, as the toe grew it seemed soo huge, I started fearing I had miscalculated my gauge and my number of stitches, so I frogged it and started all over. This time I am following a top down pattern from Whimsical Knitting. The pattern calls for a size 0 cast on and ribbing. I know by experience that it does not matter how loose you cast on, it is always better to cast on a size bigger needle. At least that is the only way the cuff will be big enough for me, so I casted on a size 5 needle and continue the ribbing in a size 1. This cotton yarn is very fine so I am afraid if I use size 0 I would probably get a gauge of 10 instead of 8.5 which is what I am supposed to end up with. As always I am too lazy to make big swatches, I don't have time for that... so I am doing my best at calculating. If these socks end up too small, I can always keep them for me :-) or give them to a lucky female friend or family member. I love the colorway. Will be perfect to wear with jeans!

Estas medias las empecé cuando mi papá estaba aquí. Le medí el pie y las empecé a cálculo, pero luego me dio miedio por que las vi muy grandes, así que las deshice y empecé de nuevo con un patrón. Espero que queden bien, pero si acaso me salen muy pequeñas siempre se me las puedo dejar yo o dárselas a alguna dama en la familia... Me encantan los colores, son perfectos para usar con jeans!

Great men's sock patterns!

I have been knitting a self designed sock for my dad. The yarn is beautiful but I am afraid my calculations were a bit off. I started researching for men sock patterns and I came across this wonderful website:

http://whimsicalknittingdesigns.blogspot.com/

It has many patterns. The owner offers them for FREE!!! They are all wonderful, I want to make a pair of each. There is also a great pair of fingerless gloves, I want to make those too!

She will be publishing a book on socks soon. I already went to my Amazon page to put it in my "whish list".

Out of respect for her I did not post any of her pictures here, but go to the website and see for yourself what a wonderful designer she is and the best of all is that she is giving all her designs for free!

Sarah Palin

I usually don't like to post about politics but tonight it is an special occasion. The speech delivered by fellow mother of a special needs child/former beauty queen/basketball star; Sara Palin was outstanding. The ferocious attacks by the liberal media indicate to me their fear, in fact they are furious! And it is understandable why. They thought they had already won the election. That was until tonight. Hold on democrats... not so fast...

While many of us were voting for McCain as the "least of evils", we now feel exited and convicted to cast our vote. I am sure the polls will change drastically after today. Consider that in addition to the regular republican votes, McCain will pick up all the votes from families with special needs children, he already has the votes from the military families (I am sure), and a bunch of soccer/football/hockey moms. What a smart move for McCain!

For the first time in history a president or vice president nominee even mentions the special needs children and their families. I have to admit I cried during this part. Only those who have experienced been ignored and discriminated against by the "system" because of your child's condition, can understand the sense of victory and hope this represents for us.

For ones, a political speech that was heartfelt, for ones a chance to identify with a political leader. For ones, someone who cares about children with special needs and family values... What is not to love about Sarah Palin ???

I must admit also that I had little hope to win this election, but now I am starting to actually believe McCain has a real chance!

Go Palin !!!! I will be praying for her and her family !!!

Snappi prefold

I got my prefolds today but I can not figure out how to put on the Snappi thing. So I went to YOUTUBE and found some videos. I can't believe how easy it is! This is the one that I liked best:



Prefolds are so cheap (only $1.50 to $2 each) that there is not excuse to not use cloth diapers...

Hoy recibí mis pañales predoblados chinos pero no sabía como poner el SNAPPI que es una liguita que se usa en lugar de gasillas. Así que encontré este video en YOUTUBE que muestra como hacerlo. Es super fácil! Las mantillas predobladas son tan baratas que no hay excusa para no usar mantillas de tela y con el SNAPPI es un dos por tres y muy seguro!

Hi, I haven't post a picture of the baby in a while, so here he is with his mommy. He is 4 1/2 months old now and growing like a weed, but still not letting mommy sleep at day or night. :-(
Hola, hace dias que no pongo fotos del bebé, así que aquí les va. Ya tiene 4 meses y medio y sigue creciendo "como la mala hierva". Todavía no deja dormir a la pobre mamá ni de noche, ni de día.

Look what I got in the mail today. :-))) Knitting relief in a DVD case... Since I can't knit, because of the baby, at least I can watch knitting videos while I rock him to sleep... So far, I have watch, two episodes and my favorite is the second one they made on sweaters. I love the show, is very dynamic and they show different projects in one episode. They also have different segments by the sponsors of the show on different subjects. Very nice, I give it a 4 star so far.

On the diaper update, I am loving all of them but specially the hemp fitted diapers that I got. The velour diapers all wash really well and they don't get stained. Plus I like the fact that the Good Mamas have double booters which is critical at night. Still Ian soaks through the whole thing so I am going to wash the prefolds and try that, in that way I can add as many prefolds as needed. I have the feeling that he is going to end up looking like a ballon by the time I layer enough prefolds to keep him somewhat dry at night. LOL

Este fue un video que me llegó hoy sobre tejer, como no tengo tiempo de tejer por lo menos puedo ver estos videos mientras duermo al bebé... para quitarme un poco las ganas... Chao

Why did I get rid of my BG 2.0

I got rid of my BG's because:
1- The manufacture says in order to keep the diaper you most not use diaper rash cream. (So its the good of the diaper for the good of the baby's skin?)
2- The manufacture also says you should not wash these microfiber diapers at the same time than your cotton diapers, thus forcing me to wash my diapers separately (two loads instead of one -what a pain-).
3- No matter how snug I adjusted the elastics on the legs they kept leaking on me.
4- Since they are all in ones, they robe me from the joy of using my wool covers... and I found these diapers to be very hot for the summer plus I don't really think they breath at all. My baby's skin was very red and humid when he wore these, unlike fabric+cover systems.

So, good by BG's... I should have read all the comments in the cottonbabies website before buying you... Although people seem to love the 3.0 version, I just do not want to deal with AIO and I don't really like microfiber.

The BG's will be replaced with a variaty of regular fitteds that I will be testing out in the following weeks, some of which I already got on the mail:

1- Velour Organic Cotton GOODMAMAS
2- Velour Organic Cotton SUGAR PLUM.
3- Hemp and Organic Cotton SWEET PEAS
4- Mother Easy SANDY'S
5- Plain old chinese prefolds.

Stay tooned to hear which diaper is the winner...

My parents

My mom send me this old picture of her and my dad. I don't think I was even born when they took this picture, so it is probably from 1966 or 67. Aren't they cute?

Mi mamá me mandó esta foto de ella y mi papá. Creo que yo nisiquiera había nacido cuando tomaron esta foto. Debe ser del año 1966 o 67. Verdad que eran los dos muy guapos ?

Knitting Daily TV Show

I have always wanted a TV show related to my favorite hobby "knitting", but there wasn't anything. Guys watch their favorite sports on TV all the time, there is even the Brazilian Ju-Jitsu videos my husband loves so much... But me, nothing! Nothing for us knitters except for some boring and expensive instructional videos that are for the most part pretty old. That is until recently, when they decided to launch an exciting TV SHOW called "Knitting Daily" by Eunny Jang editor of Interweave Knits. I was so trilled!!! I could not wait until July 20th (the date of the first episode...) I waited patiently... but the show never aired... Then I found out that not all PBS stations carry the show and we need to call them and request it if they are ever going to include it in their programing, so if you live in an area covered by KCET (which is PBS Los Angeles) please help us get the show on air by contacting them.

KCET
Comments & Questions
Viewer/Online Services:email: viewerservices@kcet.org
tel: (323) 953-5238

If you are like me and cannot wait to see the show, the DVDs of the first season can be purchased here for only $40. Now if you buy them before I do, please share... I am waiting to have a little bit of extra money to buy them but I don't know when am I going to be able to.

Now if my dear HUSBAND is reading this... This will be a good surprise present (hint-hint) to go along with the portable DVD player you gave me for mothers day and that only you use to watch your Ju-Jitsu videos... ahamm ahamm (clearing throat).

Hopefully a lot of us will call so we can get the show aired here!

Not much time to blog around here... Lately I barely have time for frivolous affairs like eating and sleeping, (sinical comment). I had forgotten how much work a baby is... but I love my 16 pound bundle of joy. He is already making all kinds of noises, playing with his hands, and smiling at me everytime he sees me.

My dad came to visit and we had an awesome time. I need to post a picture once I transfer them from my other computer.

Speaking of having no time, it is very frustrating not having time to knit, I have tried to start a new pair of socks but each day I can barely get the basic things done and the day goes by without been able to knit a single stitch. All I can do is get on line and surf for interesting knitting projects, salivate over them and realize that is going to take a long time until I can actually work on a big project...

Long ago, I used to subscribe to knitting magazines, not any more. After collecting over a 100 magazines, I don't buy any new issues unless I have looked at them carefully. My favorite ones are Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits and knitters. I have already check the previews for both Interweave Knits and VK. Knitters does not have a preview of their fall issue available yet. I don't think I will be buying any of them, I can't believe how boring the designs are lately... The only thing I will consider knitting is this model by Robin Melanson in Vogue Knitting:

It is the green sweater at the right bottom of the page. Besides that, non of the other projects appeal me. Anyways, since I have so many projects lined up, I don't have to worry too much about it.

What is your favorite knitting magazine?

No hay mucho tiempo para escribir ultimamente por aquí. Con costo tengo tiempo para actividades frívolas como comer y dormir (comentario sarcástico), ya se me había olvidado cuanto trabajo es cuidar de un bebé, pero por supuesto cada día amo más a mi saco de ternura de 16 libras que ya hace muchos ruidos y se ríe conmigo a penas me ve...

Mi papá me vino a visitar y la pasamos super bien, lo malo es que después de que se fue me quedó como un vacío muy triste, y la necesidad de comer ensalada todos los días... ja ja

Hablando de no tener tiempo, es muy frustrante no tener tiempo para tejer. A penas me da tiempo de hacer lo básico y se me pasa el día sin poder tejer ni siquiera una puntada. Lo único que logro hacer para saciar mi sed de tejer es recorrer el internet viendo nuevos proyectos, aunque reconozco en mi interior que va a pasar mucho tiempo antes de que pueda embarcarme en un proyecto grande como un sueter.

Hace mucho yo acostumbraba subscribirme a revistas de tejer, pero después de amasar una colección de más de 100 revistas, solo las compro si me gustan mucho. Ya he estado revisando las del Otoño del 2008 y no me gusta nada. Me sorprende como entre tantos modelos, ninguno me apetece, y es que falta originalidad y los diseños me parecen aburridos y repetitivos. El único que salva la tanda es este sueter de Robin Melanson para Vogue Knitting. Es el sueter verde de la esquina inferior derecha. De ahi en fuera, no creo que me interese en ninguna revista, de todas maneras tengo muchos proyectos pendientes y no tengo tiempo para tejer.

Mis revistas de tejer favoritas son Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits y Knitters. Cuáles son las tuyas?

Babylegs

(By the way this is not Ian in the picture although he sure looks alike...)
Like if getting obsessed over wool soakers wasn't enough, I discovered leg warmers for babies. This seems the latest fashion trend for babies. How cool is this? you don't even have to remove them when you change your baby. A pair of cotton leg warmers will keep the baby's legs from getting cold during the summer due to the air conditioning, a wool pair is a most have during fall afternoons or chilly mornings. These would protect the baby's knees when crawling. And if all these benefits weren't enough, they are super cute!!!

Babylegs are only around $12 but I wanted to see if I could make my own. I guess if I follow a regular sock pattern it could work?... I also found a website with instructions on how to make them from adult socks using a sewing machine... Now, if I only had a sewing machine...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/babyhopes/237398539/in/set-72157594274454468/

Found a better tutorial here:

http://everythingyourmamamade.com/2008/01/21/make-your-own-baby-leg-warmers/

Como si la obsesión por calzones de lana no fuera suficiente, hoy descubrí los calentadores para bebé. Son ideales porque si en la tarde se pone frío nada más se le ponen al bebé para que no se le enfrien las piernitas y si hay que cambiarlo no hay que quitarle los pañales. Es la última moda para bebés aquí en los Estados. Ahora en el verano unos de algodón serían perfectos para mantener las piernitas del bebé calientes y protegerlas del aire acondicionado, especialmente durante las noches. También protegen las rodillas del bebé al gatear. Cuestan solo $12 pero me puse a buscar a ver si encontraba un patron para tejerlas yo misma. No encontré ninguno pero aquí me encontré un link que explica como hacerlas cortando medias de adulto. Ahy si solo tuviera una maquina de coser...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/babyhopes/237398539/in/set-72157594274454468/

Las instrucciones se explican mejor aqui:

http://everythingyourmamamade.com/2008/01/21/make-your-own-baby-leg-warmers/

Glider

I was given this glider as a gift. It was given to me by a lady who does not even know me, what a blessing!
I love it so much. I love it because Ian loves it. :-)
The baby fits in it very nice and snuggled and it has an inclination that helps with colics or when the baby is sick with a cold so he can breathe better. Thank God for technology! I give this glider a 5 star review. It works great and it is not as noisy as other swings or gliders.

Esta amaquita me encanta. Me encanta porque a Ian le encanta. Ahi se duermen, se mecen, etc. Me la regaló una señora que ni siquiera me conoce... fue una bendición! Le doy 5 estrellas porque es super cómoda para el bebé y no hace ruido además es inclinada lo que ayuda con cólicos y cuando el bebé está resfriado para que pueda respirar mejor. 100 puntos!

Striped Soaker Small

Date Started: June 18th, 2008

Date Finished: July 9, 2008

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool

Pattern: Little turtle knits classic soaker

Comments: No matter how much I try, the grafting does not work for me... I hate grafting. I ended up undoing the grafting and using a 3 needle bind off to join the crotch which of course leaves a ridge in the inside... but at least looks nice in the outside. :-)

Dying to dye some sock yarn...

I am almost done with the soaker. I will post a pic tomorrow when it is ready. Next, I really want to experiment with dyeing. I got Jaquard dyes from Knitpicks.com a long time ago but never did it. By the way, have you guys heard about Sock Blanks??? This is a new product from Knitpicks. It is a machine knit piece of fabric knitted with a double stranded blank yarn so you can dye the fabric and then knit with it. The benefit is to have: a-) full control of the color pattern that will form when you knit and b-) two strands of the same color variations for perfectly matching socks. Is this cool or what????

Watch a video of how is done in Youtube here:



I can't wait to make my own...