Parade of Finished Objects

I finished several things before we went on our trip and while on it.
First a hat for M.E. to go with her coat. She wanted a plain hat with "that smooth stitch" no cables or anything interesting.

Of course, Nicky thinks it "mine":

Another Chatelaine Shawl in Louisa Harding Kimono Angora. This is my own design based on a pattern from a Barbara Walker Treasury. It's knit from the top down. I wasn't quite sure how to end it, but was trying out short rows and thought it would make a neat shawl to have the points of the pattern diamonds as the edge.

I added beads to the cast-off edge. The edge was just a simple knitted cast-off instead of the knit 2, knit 2 together because I was afraid of running out of yarn, ended up with about 10 yards left.

Next the Hexagon bag. Ages ago, I was playing around with knitting quilt shapes, at the time I didn't know it could be called modular knitting. Each row of hexagons were knit around, not intarsia. It has an i-cord loop closure and a knotted i-cord "button". Knit from three colors of Patons Classic Merino. Only trouble was two different batches of winter white, one felted much better than the other.

Finally, a hat scarf combo out of Elann Peruvian Alpaca based on a pattern from BW's first treasury. Started the scarf sometime last fall, decided to add a hat.

Modeled again by M.E.

How Taurus am I?

You are 67% Taurus

How Taurus Are You?

Literally

A couple of nights ago, I told dear son #1 to go clear the Bionicles off of his bed in preparation for bedtime. I went upstairs a few minutes later to find this:

Of course, Nicky, the camera hog, saw me with the camera and wanted to get in on the action. Here he's showing off one of his new skills - Dressing himself...In my swimsuit top.

Hit Over the Head

Every so often I get in a funk about Nicky, focusing on all he CAN'T do instead of what he CAN, who he's NOT instead of who he IS. This one started on our visit to Michigan, we saw my brother & family. Their oldest is 3 days older than Nicky but miles ahead. Then last night, we all went on a bike ride down to our neighborhood pool & playground. There was a neighbor there with her twin boys who are about Nicky's age. Watching those boys I was just so sad. Anyway, came home put everyone in bed and was reading mailing lists and there was a note about a young man with DS who died this afternoon. Whomp, just a reminder to focus on what we do have and just enjoy what is, not what "could have been".

Nicky can:

• Scoot everywhere on his bottom,


• Sign or say more than 100 words,


• Put together 2 and 3 word sentences (e.g. "Mommy no sing" everyone's a critic <sigh> ),


• communicate his needs & wants,


• Take his clothes off and put some on,


• Follow directions when he wants to,
  
• Throw an object hard & fast,


• charm the pants off everyone he meets...and a million other things

In other words be a "normal child" whatever that is.

Kisses

It's taken Nicky as long time to learn to kiss but now he's gotten the hang of it. After nap today he had a nasty diaper and some diaper rash. He looked about to cry so I kissed him on the forehead. Then he kissed me back on the cheek and several more times. It was so cute. Now if he'd just say mama with some regularity (he says Dada all the time).

FO

When DH first saw this:

He said "nice" and he wasn't talking about the pattern. Don't think I look as good but it's finished. I had a heck of a time getting gauge and when I did the fabric didn't drape. So, it was knit using the number of stitches for the x-small but medium dimensions for everything else.

Yarn: Berroco Denim Silk, Stone washed (1413)

Pattern: Trish from Berroco book #215

Noticing

Have you ever noticed when you buy a new car, suddenly ever other car on the road is the same mak & model? My youngest was born with Down Syndrome. Now it seems not a week goes by that we are out somewhere and see another child or adult with DS. I'm sure they were there before but we never paid attention. For the most part it is encouraging to see these individuals and their families. This was especially important after our son was born. Proof, more or less, that life would go on. It's still encouraging but sometimes it's discouraging. And it's not necessarily the "lower functioning" ones that bother me. Sometimes I see someone functioning well and wonder if son will ever get there. There is so much pressure on a parent for a child to do well and with a child with a disability it seems to be so much more with more at stake. Sometimes it's enough just to have a happy healthy child sometimes it's not.

First Post

This is my first attempt at a blog. I've been reading blogs for about six months now and am itching to start. Anne's Originals is the name of a my home knitting business, but it probably applies better to my three kids, they are truly original. I'll blog about my kids, my knitting and life in general.