WIP Wednesday- Frustration

One of Matteo's teachers told me the other day that her hands were constantly cold and I've been wanting to knit toasties for some time now, so I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to learn how to knit using circular needles. I had some extra brown yarn I thought I'd use as practice.

I have to be honest... I hated it. I was using smaller needles than I'm used to and I felt all thumbs! I know I was probably tense and with more practice it'll flow more naturally, but it was oh-so-frustrating! My beloved scissor happy son, Matteo -of recent hairstyling fame- inadvertantly put me out of misery by cutting the yarn. I know I could just tie the darn yarn OR learn that thing you do when you reach the end of a skein, but I was so fed up that I have given up knitting for a spell (it'll be brief, I promise you, my ravelry kin)... AND have confiscated all sharp objects from the boys.

Matteo's birthday is coming up in 2 months, so hopefully my next check in will be happy sewing birthday prep!

Only THIS much...

Giggling at my friend, Nicole's recent post about her adorable three year old's self style, I decided to share Matteo's newest do-it-yourself 'do he did last week...

I only cut THIS much

Ivan was with him in the kitchen, but had his back turned ("It was ONLY for a minute, I SWEAR!") and Matteo decided to cut his hair while standing over the trash bin. What absolutely pains me is that Matteo had mentioned earlier in the week that he wanted to get a haircut, but I thought it was just because he wanted to visit the train table where he gets his hair cut. Since I obviously wasn't paying attention, he decided to take matters into his own hands. The only way to even it out is to give him a super short buzz cut- which I don't really want to do- so we're going to let it grow for a few weeks... while supervising a little bit better when scissors are present...sigh

So my been-there-done-that friends, what other 3-4 year old rites of passage are we in for :) ?

Let The Wild Rumpus Start

Tonight after bath, before bed

Happy Weekend to All!

WIP Wednesday

A few weeks ago I joined a group called WIP Wednesday (WIP= Work In Progress) where people share their latest craft projects (Thanks Shellyfish for hosting this and Jumbleberry Jam for introducing me!). I love seeing what other people are working on and it inspires and motivates me to make time to feed my creative needs... so *knock on wood* I will try to do this every week :)

This is my latest project. Honestly, I'm not sure what this is going to be. I bought this yummy yarn the same week that I learned to knit months ago and picked it up again recently to use for practice. Because I am doing a simple knit and purl, the piece is curving inward (if that makes any sense) so it's a little cock-eyed for a scarf. I haven't learned how to increase and decrease yet, I'm just going back and forth 25 stitches (or so). I've fallen in love with this colorway- Ocean by Noro- and I'd like to buy more, but have to figure out what to do with it before I can justify the purchase. After a fitful beginning trying to relearn how to cast on again, I've finally picked up the groove and rhythm of knitting and am totally addicted! So I'm going to keep knitting this little piece until I get to the end of the ball of yarn and hope for some inspiration for it's use. Right now I'm thinking that's almost a good width and length for a toddler sweater sleeve and I can use a solid color for the body and piece it all together... so my experienced knitting gurus, what sayeth you... is it possible?

Clicking happily away...

xoxo, Marina :)

Nico's Day

I've been feeling kind of guilty that Nico rarely gets the spotlight here on the blog. A big reason for that is that he never is still enough for me to get a photo (good or otherwise) of him! Last week we went to the Little Farm up at Tilden Park where I managed to get a few quick shots in...

He likes to wear his hood up and pretend he's a gnome...

At first he was scared to feed the goats at the farm, but then started yelling "Here, goats!"

He lets me take a little shot of his face...

Having fun with his friends

Ok, run along and play Sweetie, I know you're a busy little man:)

The Ring Bearer

Matteo at his Aunt's wedding yesterday
Photo by Ivan

Wild Kingdom

Yesterday the boys and I made a birdseed/peanut butter/pine cone bird feeder and this was our surprise guest we saw feasting this morning...

He tries for more from a different angle...

The squirrels in our neighborhood are plentiful and unsurprisingly fat. Last fall, we saw one in our apple tree taking a few bites out of an apple, tossing it and the grabbing another.. over and over and over again. Halloween pumpkins get mauled in hours and we have to bring in the boys snacks from the stroller immediately or else the little monsters will tear into them. Despite all of this, it's still fun to watch them in action and just accept that our home and yard are theirs to share too.

Wishing Everyone a Long Happy Weekend!

*** Afternoon Update***

So later today, I looked out the door to see another squirrel feasting on the bird feeder. But this squirrel was a bit plumper and there was something else different...
See the black circles on the belly? It's a nursing mama squirrel! This changed everything for me. I sat and wondered if she had to leave her litter with a daddy squirrel so she could grab a quick bite. Was this her one moment of quiet and peace? As a fellow breastfeeding mother, I could empathize with her ravenous hunger and possible desire to get away so I watched her for a few more minutes and sent a silent wish her way...

Bon Appetit, My Dear