baby knits and big girl cardigans and lovely anne

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 Hello friends, How happy I am to be joining Ginny and her Yarn Along once again!

Keeping me company in recent months has been dear beloved Anne. I have had this copy of Anne of Green Gables since I was younger, and over the years I have re-read it many times. I have been getting the other books in the series from the library, and am just now finishing up Anne's House of Dreams. I just love letting myself disappear into Anne's beautiful world!

My knitting at the moment is not looking like much, I just cast on this morning. The other day Sara gave me two huge skeins of Cascade Eco wool so now I am able to start this autumn/winter cardigan for Chloe. She was wanting her next sweater to be brown, and although this color is darker than we had in mind, we are so grateful for the gift. And so happy to be knitting!

After much deliberation as to which pattern I might use... tea leaves (too dark for that I think) shalom (I feel like it would require too much modifying, and thinking) same plain cardigan as last time... Well yes, same plain cardigan as last time. (Isn't that funny Melanie? I meant to tell you...) (ravelry)

And Chloe would like this one to have a hood, which I am very happy about about, because I think cardigans with hoods are so very nice. And I think we may have some just right buttons for it, I will be excited to try them and show you.


Oh yes, and the baby knits! Well, there are no baby knits yet! And at some point soon I may start to feel concerned with time. Cardigan and baby things will be my knitting priorities for the next months. The only reason I am starting the cardigan first is because I have no good yarns for baby knits.

Mostly for baby I am thinking of soakers and longies for cloth diapers and warm things like gowns, cardigan, bonnets of course! (Since we were vegan when the girls were born we never used wool, so this little winter baby really has no woolens at all, and that just cannot be...) So hopefully a few of these things for newborn can be made before the end of november comes.

I would love to know about any of your favorite patterns or wool yarns for baby? What is nice and soft? What works well for you for diaper covers? I have been collecting some free patterns from ravelry, I have the pattern for the vanilla soaker, and I have heard and it seems that the picky pants pattern from little turtle knits (I think? not looking it up..) is very nice so I am hoping to be able to get that pattern some time. These decisions, and thinking about things like gauge and yarn size and such are sometimes a little too much for me these days. But all the rest is fun. So so good to be knitting again.

 (Photos taken by Jason, a hike way up in the mountains a few weeks ago...)

Speaking of Anne, as she would say, don't these pictures provide so much scope for imagination?


With love, Renee


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these days... (these months!)

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Well hello! Hello hello hello!!!

Dear friends, how I have missed you! I sure did not think I would be away so long.
I sure did not think that at 4 months pregnant I would still so sick!!!

I am grateful to be having better days now. Although I'm still puking once in a while. But once a day is way better than 5 times a day.
Yes, see, I have to talk about yucky things like puke and stuff. Cause it has just been way too big of a part of my life these past few months. Sorry. Seriously, 5 times a day.


And what else have I been doing?
Very very close to nothing at all. I sat here, and I was sick.
I could not clean the house, cook meals, feed my family, tuck my children into bed at night... and these are all of course things which I have done every single day of  my life for the past nearly decade and a half...
Yes, it was very challenging!
I can't even really begin to get into it.
I am pretty impressed that we have survived!



I do feel that I have kept my spirits up pretty well. I mean sure, I do get a little emotional at times. And actually at this point, when I really thought I would be much better by now, I am getting a little frustrated.

But hopeful!
And of course happy!
Cause there is a baby you know!

Did I mention that I haven't been able to knit?
I could barely even read.
I listen to the birds, watch the trees out the window, daydream. Good thing I am good at daydreaming.

Did I mention that I like to keep my house very neat and tidy?
Do you think my house is very neat and tidy right now?
Ha!


Oh, here are a bunch a random photos from the last few months. As you can see we even had two birthdays pass. You can also see that Jason is quite talented when it comes to baking birthday cakes!

Would you believe that most of the pictures that I discovered on the camera (cause most of them were not taken by me) were of cats (real ones) and horses (wooden ones). The girls have made themselves an entire herd of wooden horses! They are especially fond of Appaloosas and Paints, and all draft horses. They even used some of their own birthday money to buy more wood and saw blades.


Oh, did I mention how wonderful my husband is? The girls have been pretty great too of course. But oh my dear Jason. My hero. My prince. And thank goodness he can cook!

Thank goodness though that I have been finally able to return to the kitchen.
So grateful to be able to bake our bread!


I am also feeling such gratitude towards my dear friends who have kept me company through this joyous yet difficult time. Emails and phone calls, and sweet comments here, with such supportive words of love and kindness, blessings and wishes for health. And sympathy from those of you who have suffered the same kind of awfulness that cannot even begin to be described as "morning" sickness.

Dear Mel, you said you would come over and read to me!
Jules, that day we talked while I was lying so sick in bed, and you told me how good it was that I was so sick cause it meant such a good thing. And I said I know.
And Sara's weekly phone calls, always checking to see how I am doing.
And the blog reader/friend in Kansas who wished we lived closer so that she could help us get our garden planted! Oh, that was so sweet.

(Yeah, our garden is coming along a bit slow this year. But we will have to talk about that another time.)


 ~

It has taken  me about 4 days now to write this post. (Not that it is eloquent or anything like that...)

Yesterday we went to see our midwife. Dear sweet wonderful midwife, oh how we love her!
I am apparently not much good though at counting months or pregnancy time.
I am halfway through my pregnancy!!!
Wow.


Well I guess I should be going now. But I promise to be back soon this time.

Hope you are all well, happy, and enjoying beautiful days with your loved ones.

With love,
Renee

(P.S.  Maybe we can talk about baby knitting next time...)


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