Dad's new dog

Meet Lily. She's 8 weeks old and is my dad and step-mom's new dog. Isn't she cute?

17 weeks, 5 days

Please ignore the dirty clothes in the hallway...

I had an appointment yesterday and Josh got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. He was pretty excited and kept smiling at me for about a half hour. It sounded like little galloping horses, which was different from the way it sounded the first time. The first time I heard the heartbeat it sounded like a panting dog. Apparently that was the blood in the umbilical cord, whereas this time we heard the actual heart.

Also, I got a haircut today...

Second SP10 Package

I got my second SP10 package in the mail yesterday. All I can say is, WOW. Here's what I found inside:



I told you it was awesome. Inside I found lots of goodies: three skeins of cornucopia yarn (100% corn!!!), which is super soft; two skeins of sierra, an alpaca/wool mix, a skein of SOCKS THAT ROCK!!!; lots of nut-free gummies; stitch keepers, huge coil-less pins (I have the small version of these and I LOVE them); Knitting To Go, a pack of patterns on cards; and a pink grapefruit diffuser, which I totally almost bought a couple weekends ago (yay!). I am crazy spoiled. I have been crazy spoiled by both secret pal exchanges I've participated in. I am lucky, and I know it.

Here's a close-up of the socks that rock, which truly do. I am in love with this colorway too, which is Chapman Springs.



I squeeled and held the yarn up to my face as soon as I saw it. Josh got a very strange look on his face when he saw this, and finally told me he thought it was wierd. He just doesn't understand how long I've yearned for a skein of STR. I still love him though.

And here's a photo of Marley, pouting, for good measure:



He's sad because I won't let him play with my STR.

It was hot outside, and I felt bad, okay?

Yummy.

Two things.

One: I've finished a pair of booties to match the first baby surprise jacket. Here they are...



And with the lens cap for size comparison. They're pretty teeny.



Two: I have the best husband ever. Here's what he made me for dinner tonight...



It's sweet & sour pork with snow peas. The breading has some curry in it and it's fantastic! I've never posted a pic (or taken one) of food, but it looked so pretty... He's ruining me for average chinese food. But that's okay.

Spinning! And a finished object.

So I had the second of my four spinning classes today. I'm improving, which is a relief. Here's the first skein I spun last week:



And a close up, so the flaws can be duly noted (clearly I was having consistency issues):



And here is the skein I spun today; likewise with a close up:





Yay! Improved consistency!

And now, for a little gloating... A few years ago (ahem!) my dad bought be a large bag of alpaca roving, to wit:



It has been sitting in my stash, politely waiting to be spun. I had originally tried to spin it with a drop spindle, but knowing little about spinning, and getting something altogether too bulky, I gave up after about 20 yards. I will not show you that monstrosity. I knew I'd eventually learn to spin on a wheel and also knew the alpaca was too awesome to spin into a clumpy bulky mess. So I waited...

Until tonight.

This is what I have done this evening:



Isn't it lovely?!? To all those who told me, "oh, alpaca is hard to spin...," I say, HA! I rule. It was WAY easier to work with than the crap they had us spinning for class (see purple skeins above), which was super hard to draft. I am so proud of myself.

In the next class, we learn to ply. I'm seriously considering plying the second purple skein with some of the alpaca...

In FO news, I made another pair of Twinkletoes. This time, I got a photo before I gifted them:



These went to my mother-in-law, who saw the first pair and wanted some of her own. The first, unphotographed pair, were lime green and went to my mom. She loves them. I put puffy paint on the bottom so nobody would slip and break something. I'd hate to be responsible for broken parts...

Another belly post...

I'm ENORMOUS!!! And I'm only 16 weeks (on Sunday). I'm quite frightened by how big I'll probably get...

Favorite Pattern--SP10 Contest 3

So here's my entry in the SP10 contest 3 for Robyn's group. I think my favorite pattern so far is Eunny Jang's Anemoi. I haven't finished the pattern, but here's an almost finished mitten.




They are so incredibly beautiful. My knitting of them was waylaid by my pregnancy and my need to knit lots of tiny baby things. I can't wait to finish these eventually...

Spring Makeover

I was figuring the blog looked a little dark and dreary, so here's a face-lift just in time for spring!

SP10 Package!

Ooooh, I am SO lucky!!!

I got my first SP10 package yesterday. Here's what was inside:



That's right! Seven (7!!!) skeins of yarn!!! Including, one skein of my pal's very own handpainted sock yarn. It's beauteous. Also included were a baby knits book, candy (only one is pictured because one is in my tummy), a couple notions, a yummy pineapple coconut candle, and a bunch of Bath and Bodyworks stuff in my favorite scent, grapefruit!

I cannot even begin to describe how excited and spoiled I am...