I'm so excited

Well, the little one is kicking up at storm, but I can't help but feel so excited. To think that in 9 weeks or less she will be here and I will be a mom again. This just feels like the sun is going to shine brightly again.

My son will be a big brother, hubby will be a daddy again to a little girl. Just these things make life so great! Maybe I am sappy, but I can't stop thinking how blessed I am to become a mommy again.

Physically, I feel like a soccer ball that is being kicked relentlessly, but it's such a miracle to have her inside me and I just can't wait to see her in 9 weeks.

Thankful stitches......

Knitting tips from me to you

So far I have only knit sweaters and a hat for my little girl. Thank God for that because all have been able to do shoppingwise is buy knitting yarn stash. If not for the sweaters I am knitting she would probably go naked. Okay, not naked, Daddy and I did get her 5 outfits and three pairs of socks, but really, things are pretty bad in the shopping department. Not because we don't have the money, but because I don't have the energy to look through all the items and stand for long periods of time. My legs are almost on strike. They take me 5 feet, no more until I am practically begging to sit. Believe me, I have sat on shop's floors with little embarassment because I can't continue to walk while my hubby searches for a stool or a chair for me to sit on.

We did not even dare to shop on Black Friday. Our first and only attempt was yesterday at 3:00 pm and after 15 minutes at Target, we lined up, paid for our minute purchases of 3 stocking stuffers and one pink velour hoodie for our baby girl.

Why so little and so late?? With my other pregnancies, we started early... pretty much as soon as we knew. This time the doctors were so negative and so cautious that all throughout the first trimester we were preparing for the worst everyday. By the way, that is a horrible way to live. Now, the docs (new docs) are confident I will make it to 41 weeks. How????? Well, she definitely excellently well, me, pretty much..... barely..... at this point, only knitting and sheer willpower get me through.

That is where the knitting tips come in. No, I am not going to lecture on the importance of a swatch. I don't make them. My reasoning is that I am making baby blankets and that I am making baby sweaters. If they are a tad big, that is an extra plus. Now, if I were making items for myself, or other adults, I would follow the exact measurements.

First tip: Easier cast on

If you are having issues casting on, use a crochet hook to pull the stitch through and then loop it around the knitting needle. I find this really useful when casting on aluminum circular needles.

Second tip: Count stitches

Count your stitches regularly. After you cast on, count at least twice. Once you finish your ribbing, count your stitches. Lastly, as your knitting progresses count regularly. I know that this is a pain, but stitch dropping is so easy even for experts. Sometimes, you drop a stitch, or forget a yarn over...... this is life, I know that you can count because we are counted cross stitchers. We still have to count when we knit.

Third tip: Look, look, look at your knitting

I know that you have probably counted all your stitches and think you are okay, but you also have to look at what you have knitted. Sometimes, life happens and a stitch is purled instead of knitted, a yarn over is missed, the pattern is coming out crooked and you don't understand why, so you have to rip LOTS of work which is painful. Instead, look every five or so rows and save yourself the pain of ripping.

Those are my life-learned tips that I am sharing with you. I may have read them once in a book and not paid attention to them. Now that I have lived through three sweaters, I have learned them and pass them on to you in hopes of saving you from the experiences I have gone through.

Once I find my camera, I will surely post some of my knitting for you.

Thanks for dropping by. Enjoy your day.

Serene stitches for all.....

Can anyone identify this pattern???

I came across this picture on a messageboard. I don't know anything about it other than it does look to be a fan or shell pattern.

Does anyone know anything about it? I would LOVE to crochet this one too.

Oyyyyy..... my hands have no idea what I am planning ... LOL ....

Happy stitching to all.......

So now I feel really badly :((, but blessed.....

I just started looking and reading lots of blogs and I see how much I missed during my hiatus. There is LOTS to catch up on and I feel badly that I really missed so much. :(

What can I say?? Not much, really, only that I can try to do better in keeping up with all the cross stitch stuff and start stitching again.

I really do love everything that everyone has stitched. The new charts and kits coming out of Europe are truly divine. I must get online and purchase something.

Now that my daughter is coming, I must admit I am very much decided on monchromatic, romantic designs for her especially of angels. So, I will go into my French magazine stash and search and search for all the things that I want to stitch.

Well, things are not so bad really, I did spend this time resting and there was not much else that I could do except rest and knit. Right now I do have one sweater that is almost pieced together. I did crochet another. I have about three blankets going strong and one cupcake hat to show for all the time I was away.

I will start going to the doctor every two weeks now. There are about 80 more days to go. Unfortunately, I can not say that I LOVED being pregnant. I can say that I KNOW it is all worth it. I am happy that things are going well for the baby and that she has grown immensely during this time. I am thrilled that I will have a daughter once these 9 months are over. I am thrilled that I am going to be a mother again. I am soooooo excited that I was able to have another baby. Things are so cheery and wonderful for me, except the fact that I am tired all the time and I barely have enough energy to walk 6 feet without having to sit down and rest. My asthma flared up badly and I was on many medications to control it. Still trying to control the angry monster.

All in all I am confident that delivery will go well and that at the end, I will have a wonderful, beautiful, healthy daughter to hold and love for the rest of my life. For that I am thankful this year. Most of all, I do believe that good things do come to those who wait and that not everything comes easy. I took the harder path and that has made all the difference.

Very thankful for all my friends who have emailed me and helped me to get through the hard days. Thank you for all the wonderful wishes and warm thoughts.

Wishing all thankful stitches......

Im still here

Sorry I haven't been around much, but with the pregnancy it has been rough. I know it has been a long time since I have blogged because I had to think for three minutes just to remember my sign on name.

Well, the baby is going strong and soon my belly button will pop. I am in my sixth month and I must say I am ready. February can not come soon enough.

We haven't done much baby shopping, but I have knitted a few things for her and I am getting them pieced together now. Soon, I hope to post pictures of the sweaters and things.

Not much cross stitching at all. In fact, I have not purchased any cross stitching items in months. Lately, it has just been knitting items, crochet items and yarn, lots of yarn.

My craft shop was having a sale on a microfiber yarn and I picked up 3 colors worth. So, I guess I am mostly knitting and crocheting for the little one.

I miss everyone and their blogs, so I will go and visit as many as I can of you today.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING STITCHES........

A Cross Stitching Partner????

The biggest news this Summer for us has been that ...IT IS A GIRL !!!!!!!!

Can you believe it?? I who thought only boys were in my future will be having a beautiful baby girl in February. My due date is considered to be February 17, 2010.... but since it will be a scheduled C-section, we get to pick a date at least one week prior to the due date.

Of course, I am either thinking February 12 or February 14. One of the reasons I am leaning toward February 14 is that it is a Sunday. Big brother will be home and starting his Winter vacation which makes it easier for us. I am not really big on drving into the city on a Friday morning in the middle of rush hour.

February 14 is also Valentine's Day. I know it is sappy and corny but I think it is romantic and so feminine too.

Speaking about feminine, lots of changes have come about in the choosing of cross stitch nursery designs. Wow.... lots of changes in everything really. There is a whole new mindset which makes me think that I was not expecting a girl at all. Even though the first thing I said when I found out I was pregnant was that it was a girl. Wierd, huh? At the 10th week I changed my mind, even though I was so attracted to pink and girly things. All of a sudden when I felt the baby move, I went with the old wives' tale that males are more active than female babies in utero and that males move sooner........ guess not!

So far I have had five sonograms. She is very active and strong. Good for her because mommy is having a very rough time. This pregnancy has been very hard on my body. I remind myself to enjoy every moment and cherish every kick and movement, but there are times I think I am going to drop from sheer exhaustion.

My kidneys and my lungs are suffering the changes the most. At this stage, forget the stretch marks, they are the least of my worries. I just want to make it through to February.

Only crafts I have done are crocheting and a tiny bit of cross stitching (very few stitches). So far I am crocheting a blanket in pink and raspberry which is looking very very pretty. Plus, there is a bit of stitching done on a cross stitch piece for the baby's room. I will show it in my next post.

Thanks for passing by and caring about my blog. Sorry I haven't been around, but I will surely blog more now that my cutest projects are on the horizon.

By the way, for some reason my hotmail account is not working and I do not understand Facebook much, soooo I am pretty much in techie limbo right now. If you have emailed me and I have not answered, that is why.

Sweet stitches to all.....

Baby Cross Stitch Ideas

Ocean Waves
c. 2007, Reader's Digest

This is the project that kept popping into my head for the baby's room.
It is not too clear, but you can see the boat on the top and the dolphin on the top.

Then, as I was looking through the book, I found these:

Beach Holiday
c. 2007 Reader's Digest

This design is filled with kites, ships, lighthouses, crabs sandcastles and fish.
I think that it plays very nicely with the following.

Sailboat
c. 2007 Reader's Digest

Circus
c. 2007 Reader's Digest

Although these aren't what I usually stitch, I think that they will look great together. There is also a "Farm Animal" sampler that uses the same colors. They will definitely be wonderful to use as teaching pieces.

I am not completely convinced about these because I think that they are too masculine. Let's see what happens. At least I found them.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

~~218 Days To Go~~

.... and I still haven't chosen a cross stitch baby theme.

Today I pulled out 43 Disney Cross Stitch magazines and could not choose if i wanted a Disney Babies theme. Since we won't know if it is a boy or a girl I have no idea which characters to choose.

The only chart that pops into my mind every 30 minutes or so is a Noah's ark chart or something like it. I don't know in which book I have it in. It has a very cute boat on top and underneath layers of water with fish dispersed all throughout. It is sooooo cute and I know it is in a hardcover book.... maybe a Kooler Studio book ..... hmmmm.....

I have all of the Kooler Studio, Linda Gillium, nursery and baby books so I will check on those.

Another theme, to which I am very partial is "French angels". You know, the monochome angels playing harps and everything else. Little cherubs sitting and playing..... only thing that stops me is the thought that they may be too feminine.

With my eldest, we had a Winnie the Pooh theme. My youngest was Kooler Studio Teddy Bear theme..... hmmmm, with this little one, I am stumped.

Lately my hormones are out of whack, although I am very calm on the outside, inside I am a horrific mess..... I want to cry and I am pretty much out of my mind with worry and fear. I wish my doctor would be a little more positive than quoting me miscarriage statistics for a woman my age. The age issue is getting very old .... I have a mother and a birth certificate who are very loyal to tell me how old I am...... My thoughts are that if my body is able to get pregnant, then it must think it is pretty young still....

It's hard to be positive, when your own doc is so negative....Thankfully, my time with her is short and soon, I will be released to my high-risk OB doc. Of course, since my last pregnancy, my OB has stopped deliverying, so I will go to his associate who is supposed to be excellent as well while my OB will do the sonograms (his new expertise). I have already stated I have had enough of the "gloom and doom" docs. " I want a highly positive, highly optimistic and experienced OB who will get me from "me" to "we" safely.

Anyway, my knitting project is still on hold until I can get my hormonal mind straight and figure out how to sew it together without tossing it. (Maybe a finishing service will come in handy).

Off to find some baby charts.....

The Queen is Miffed!!!!

I took the completed parts of the baby sweater and proceeded to start the sewing portion of the project.... I can't seem to get the seams right!!!! Arrrrrghhhhh!!! It is an excercise in frustration.... so I calmly have put everything into a project baggie (or else I would have tossed it) and will wait a couple of weeks til I can look at it with a new perspective.

Can the sewing of the seams be that hard????? I am obviously not in the sewing seams frame of mind.

Other than that I am looking through baby cross stitch designs that I have in search of a few items that would be great additions to any baby's nursery etc. Not that I have done many at all. This time I would love to make accessories that I can use for the baby.

We have announced the impending arrival to our family even though it is early. One of the reasons being it is going to be a very long and hard road ahead for me and I don't want to be hostage to a superstitious 3 month rule that I don't believe in. Life has taught me that life is precious and that one must celebrate when the opportunity arises.

Our vacation is now 95% cancelled due to my need to be near my doctor's office. That is the common sense approach to this pregnancy. Our child has taken very well to the cancellation. Well, that is how we perceived his laughter and happy attitude to not having to leave the dog behind. Kids......

Two new scissors have been added to my collection. Thanks to my best friend, both the Gingher's Criss 4" Embroidery Scissor and Criss Dressmakers Shears 8" are very happy with their Gingher team mates.

A few French Mags have made their way across the pond to me thanks to my French friend. Love her. A really nice package filled with surprises will be on the way to her shortly. Hope she enjoys them!!!!!

Other than that, I am left to choose what baby themes will be in my cross stitch agenda. Isn't great that there are NINE months to go!!!!!! I have two Baby Afghans in my stash. One is yellow and the other Ivory. Let's see what I do..... you know that if I make one for baby, I will definitely make another for the eldest!!!! I don't have favorites.....

Expectant stitches.......