Knitting for my love with Wool and the Gang

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Happy Saturday, folks! For the first time in several weeks–probably since before Christmas–I have NO commitments, today. It’s so exciting to be doing nothing, so I’m here blogging. I really wanted to tell you guys about this sweet sweet kit Wool and the Gang sent me to review.

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They contacted me to knit something for my Valentine. I checked out their selection of Men’s Accessories and chose the Mr. Tosh beanie and the “Shacklewell Grey” colorway. I knew the gray would be what my husband preferred. Tip: know your love’s accessory preference!

The kit came with all the amazing things you see above: yarn, pattern booklet (it contains tips for things like casting on and seaming!), knitting AND finishing needles, and a nice #shareyourknits sticker.

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The Sheepaca yarn is 50% alpaca and 50% merino wool, so it is crazy soft! I kind of wished I were knitting a cowl, but my husband doesn’t wear cowls. I’ll probably offer to cuddle carry his hat when we go out. You can snag some Sheepaca alone, too. Check out the colors available here.

The pattern calls for straight knitting. I was a little hesitant to cast on the straight needles, but I really wanted to try out the rosewood needles. I am SO glad I did! These are so unlike the aluminum or bamboo needles I learned to knit on (and had such a hard time with!). They’re hefty, but not too heavy. The wood is smooth and my stitches glided effortlessly. It was a treat to knit with them. I didn’t once wish I had cast on a circular needle. Seaming at the end wasn’t bad, either! It’s always nice to freshen up a skill you hardly use and I was actually quite proud of my seam (see below)!

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The pattern itself was very easy to follow. The booklet was helpful and I think new knitters would really like it. There are instructions for casting on (they suggest longtail, my favorite!), beginning, the stitch pattern, finishing, seaming, etc. It’s detailed, but not overwhelming.

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My seam is directly to the right of the heart in the last photo. You can hardly see it! I was so proud. Tip: try out your old skills on something new, every once in a while!

The hat fit great. It matches my husband’s black jacket well and he got to wear it when the temps dropped (again), last week. Yes, I gave it to him early for the sake of the blog. Plus, he’s leaving to Vegas on the 15th, so I wanted to SEE him wear it a bit.

I’m pretty much in love with Wool and the Gang, now. The sweaters, the cowl, the purses…ah! Why don’t you knit something for your sweetie, this Valentine’s Day?

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Disclaimer: Wool and the Gang sent me the knitting kit to review. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.

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these tumbleweeds

my tumbleweeds

Did you know that last Friday was Tumbleweeds’ birthday? Well, it was! I didn’t get a chance to get online to wish them a happy birthday, but I’m here now to share a few shots I got of my boys on Mother’s Day. It was a beautifully sunny day. Nathan wore Jason’s glasses for most of it. He’s getting his own pair for his birthday. I had to hide them after they came in the mail, because if I stared at them everyday I would FOR SURE not be able to resist giving handing them over. Less than 3 weeks til he turns 7! The little one turns FOUR (4!) this Sunday. Let’s not talk about it.

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the dad

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Obviously, we had a pretty fun game of hide-and-seeks going on. Jason wins best hiding spot…every time. The boys win least creative, as they kept going back to the same place!

I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend! Mine was pretty darn nice.

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Day 17: My family

313.365: the treats

my littlest boys

unfair advantage

and the boy who made them possible (heh)

p.s. those blazers are featured in our Christmas card, this year. My kiddos luhluhlooove them.

So Fawned 30 Days Hath November

Day 04: A friend I adore

my heart you can collect

Sigh. I should be putting up a photo of a very close girl friend or someone I gush to about teenage vampire novels. Alas, I…am girlfriend-less. Close-girlfriend-less, at least. It’s sad, but I have a hard time making those sorts of connections.

But I do adore this guy. His support is unparalleled. He’s a cool dad and he makes a mean chicken sandwich. He lets the kids climb all over him, lets them take long baths, plays hide and seek, supports my weird obsessions & doesn’t scoff [too much] when my sister and I kick him out so we can watch The Vampire Diaries, and he’s super adorable with a scruffy beard.

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260.365: the pillow hog

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So Fawned 30 Days Hath November

Past Halloween Cuties

the jack-o'-lantern

Happy Halloween, friends! We (I) carved this Jack-O’-Lantern on Friday night. My son helped me find a design on google. He wanted it to be scary and he chose this face. I am so very thankful for the straight lines. It’s been a very long time since I carved a pumpkin, so I wasn’t prepared for the blister I’d get on my finger. It’s all better now, thankfully.

It’s also my husband’s birthday, so I’ve spent the day getting a yummy dinner ready and trying to tidy up the place a bit. I’m pretty beat and I still have quite a bit left to do, but I wanted to pop in and share some of my favorite photos from the past few Halloweens. Caution: Much adorable below.

oct 31, 2006

This photo was taken in 2006. I had one baby and he was radical. He was also 1 and so very into Halloween. He was a red dragon with bodacious hips, but THIS polaroid is my favorite photo of the night. His smile, his ‘I love my mummy!’ shirt, his missing arm warmer…he was just so jazzed to be there.

Last year, he was an Incredible. We found his costume at a thrift store for under $3. I made his mask out of felt. WIN. ALSO–notice the similar pose to the Polaroid above? GUSH.

Incredible!

The baby’s past 3 Halloweens have gone like this: peanut, lion, pumpkin. He always brings the cute.

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This year, they’ll be dressed as Iron Man and a police officer.

Instax: Iron Man
Instax: official police bike

After daddy’s birthday dinner and dessert, the boys will head out with him for treats and I’ll stick around to pass some out to visiting ghouls and goblins.

Stay safe, everyone! Enjoy this very last night of October. And wish this guy a happy birthday if you see him:

some old guy