I've also been working on a couple of other projects. A luscious chocolate brown cabled sweater for E. I copy lots of patterns out of books and then keep on file and even though I am a librarian, I often forget to write the "source" of the pattern - so I can't actually remember which kids knitting book this one is from. The yarn is so rich and yummy. My little friend Sienna said, "You're knitting chocolate." yum. 
With the news of having another baby being still so fresh to us, I am having many more nerves than when I was pregnant with E . . . just worrying that "everything is alright." My glucose levels were a bit high so I have to go back in for the long 3 hour glucose test next week. I'm trying not to worry TOO much but there is definite fidgeting going on. So I thought to try and cement
the pregnancy in reality by knitting him/her a first gift. What baby wouldn't want to stick around and come into this world if they can be wrapped up in this lovey? It's a knitty pattern called Wild Strips. The yarn just arrived from KnitPicks so away I go.
We took a side trip to the pumpkin patch on the way home from the beach. It was out in Hillsboro, in the middle of pumpkin country, considering how many different pumpkin patch signs we saw. E picked out his pumpkin and then took a ride on "Toodles" the mule. 
hee hee! He was filled with this amazing look of pride as he rode the "pony." THDC wanted to hold on to him while he rode but I made him let go so E could feel like a big boy - and he certainly did. A world of difference from last year's pony ride that was filled with tears.
We went on a hayride around the farm - it was lovely. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I am one generation "off the farm" in my family genealogy and yet E is most happiest when he is on a farm.
Happy news! E is going to be a big brother. He is THRILLED and Tall House, Double Cup and I are happy and a bit relieved. Trying to get pregnant was sort of stressful and nerve-racking . . . but now that's over and we are on our way! I am due in mid-May and will have an exact date after the next ultrasound. I've already got to see the baby and his/her fast beating heart - which was such a lovely piece of tangible proof that the baby is real. I haven't been sick at all - just generally teary and overly emotional. Lucky for THDC!
I haven't been blogging because we were off on a long beach weekend with friends. We rented an amazing house at Cape Kiwanda, right on the beach - like literally the sand came right to the door! The kids could run and play like crazy while we played cards, read our books, and relaxed. E was especially happy to have two little boys his own age to play with. 
We took a nature walk into the forest, jumped waves, and made Halloween cupcakes. I totally forgot about my housekeeper problems and let go of the anger I was feeling towards our neighbor who is remodeling his house himself and starts at 6:30am. well . . . maybe I've let MOST of that anger go. 
E had been asking to make gingerbread men for a couple of days so we had Moo over to cut out cookies. We went through my collection of cookie cutters (no gingerbread boy/girl shapes - how could I not have those) and E picked out a heart, a hand, a cat, and a shooting star.
Thank goodness Marfie was there or else ALL of the cookies would have come out crispy - I have multiple timers and none of the alarms work so I kept forgetting to to take out the pans. 
While I get to work on that, here is a sweet picture of E and Moo at the Farmer's Market this weekend. They were waiting, cash in hand, for their balloon art - sword for E, flower for Moo.
E and I have been decorating for Halloween. I think this is one of our more sophisticated offerrings. Still Life - with ghost pumpkins and cotton.
I am tired of posting about Martha . . . even though the whole adventure was fabulous. Let's get back to knitting. I am on pins and needles waiting to see if the Flowery Sweater for Moo is going to work. Everything is knitted, everthing is blocked, but I am just doubting it a bit. I need a Moo Model to shape it onto since the real girl is a bit hard to get to slow down - she IS 2 you know!
The Martha Stewart Living Good Things event was so great it's taking two blog entries to cover it all.
an art auction to fund a garden and playground across from the new wing at Cedars-Sinai that Martha is dedicating to her mother. Martha talked up the photos a bit - they were going for $500-$2000. There were two photos by Martha that I think went for around $3,000.
From left: Kevin Sharkey, Editorial Director of Decorating, Sharkey the French Bulldog, and Hannah Milman, Editorial Director, Crafts. She created that amazing Martha wreaths book in the 90's.
There was more than a bit of the absurd at the event.
I was out of town at the fabulous Martha Stewart Living's 15th Anniversary Celebration this past weekend. There was laughter, tears, joy, and more! This is going to be an excessively long blog entry so just skip if Martha isn't an interest of yours.
The big event was all day Saturday at Pier 94 - which was transformed into a very Martha area - lots of grey, white and green. Martha came out and spoke for 90 minutes on the iconic images of the past fifteen years of the magazine. It was fabulous! She is an amazing speaker - no hesitations or ums and ahs. I took pages and pages of notes - I am not sure why - I was just feeling so inspired. Martha looked amazing. I saw her several times during the day and was happily surprised how positive and happy she seemed to be about the entire celebration. She obviously isn't an ice princess icon to her staff but is highly admired. She is also skinny skinny in person - much more so than on her show.
After she spoke, there were a number of stations to visit around the Pier - all of the different magazines under Martha Stewart Omnimedia were represented. I bought a pretty transferware cup and saucer at the "tag sale" and was questioning myself about wasting time waiting in line to pay, when in swept Martha, five bodyguard, her two French bulldogs (I kid you not), Charles Koppelman (her CFO) and various pr types. She walked right up to me and said, "What are you getting?" And in a total trance, holding the cup and saucer in each hand, stupidly replied, "A cup and saucer." I was stunned and excited and absolutely a dork. After saying, "lovely" she and her group swept on. I was congratulated by all in line next to me, but was stunned for several minutes.
I took one of the special workshops - "Good Things for the Holiday Table." There is nothing I like doing more than setting a pretty table - really, I know it's silly but my mother and grandmother set great tables and it's a point of pride to me to be able to do it to. Sadly, the class was really "crafty" and more about making little things for the table than the higher concept I was hoping for. 
We deconstructed a pine cone only to reglue it together again in the shape of a flower. I'd much prefer to just have a pretty pine cone on the table. We justed pears with gold dust - again, I'd rather just have the pretty pair. We made fun candles with sheets of beeswax and cookie cutters - something my three year-old will dig. We did get cute aprons which made the class sort-of worth it.
Martha's daughter Alexis and Jennifer Koppelman did their radio who live from the conference floor. Both were deadly gorgeous in person and signed a photo for me.
When I was about 5 or 6, I was in love with Peter Pan. I would pretend to be Wendy and fly my grandparents' basement and think romantic thoughts. Now E is in love with Peter in a whole different way - he wants to BE Peter Pan. He's all ready for Halloween and tries on his costume everyday. Then he stands in front of the mirror, posing. Sometimes he has a real menacing look while holding up his knife and other times he posing in that classic Peter Pan stance. He can keep himself busy for 20 minutes doing this!
The real upshot to all this is that I know how to play Peter Pan. I'm not that good at playing dump trucks or matchbox cars, but I can fly to Neverland with the best of them. Now . . . I just need my own blue nightgown to really be Wendy. Poor Tall House, Double Cup - he's usually stuck being a lost boy or Schmee. hee.
I am actually starting to make serious progress on Moo's flowery sweater dress. The back and two sleeves are done. I'm on a 10 row-a-day diet with the front to finish. Ten rows sounds like nothing but the three color intarsia takes a long time and I have to untangle all the yarns at the end of each row. . . . but oh, it's so pretty.
It looks smocked in the body (due to my wayyyyy to tight yarn carry-overs) but I actually really like it - it will be very shaped. I did a fitting with Moo at the farmer's market on Saturday and I think it will be a winner. I might need to do a bit of adjusting at the shoulders - little girls have the tiniest shoulders. But with a pair of red leggings, it will look great. hurrah!
Can polka dots be manly? Yes! Check out these - E's newest jammie pants. He was utterly disagreeable in posing for me tonight but you'll get the drift. I used one of those super basic pull-on pant patterns - the kind on the spindle that basically shout out, "If you can't make these, turn in your sewing machine."
More dahlias
and farmer's market bounty. The blackberries and peaches are just perfect.
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