Author: Susan

Home Improvements: Windows and Furnace!

We’d been saving up a slew of house projects for after the baby was born and we were both home on leave to let the workmen into the house. Things finally got organized enough to tackle them three weeks ago, and we’ve been appreciating the shiny new results since.

First of all, a new furnace!!

Our old one had recently turned 18 and needed several pricey repairs, so we decided to just replace it with a brand new energy-efficient model (96%, whatever that might mean?) rather than waiting for it to fail when we had an infant in the house.

Then, the next day, new panes for the kitchen window! Two of the five top panes in our big garden window were failed when we moved into the house.

We were actually alright with that until last winter when one of them started filling up with several inches of water every time it rained. Less than ideal.

The window guy recommended replacing all five panes, since he said that otherwise we were likely to see a color difference in the panes and it would only be a matter of time until the other panes leaked. The end result is lovely, and we’re hoping the low-E glass will help moderate the kitchen temperatures in the summer.

H is such a little appreciater of windows, and for all his delight, we were even happier.

New knitting

Either whoever it is that determines the correct size for commercial baby socks has never seen a real baby, or H has particularly long feet, but the baby socks we have are about half the proper length and do not stay on. I have some white aran-weight yarn left over from a sweater, and decided to try to make up some better-fitting socks:

I was all proud of coming up with a heel turn without consulting books or patterns. 🙂 Now we’ll see if I can duplicate it for a second sock since I winged the first one and neglected to take notes.

The aran weight is a bit bulky, but since his feet will be cold until I either complete socks or give in and buy more, it seemed like the larger gauge was expedient. Plus, this speed of project completion is even more satisfying than baby hats! And a great use of stash yarn to boot!

H sitting in my lap and tolerating some knitting time during Monday Night Football:

And a quick tangent: that onesie is one of the ones I embellished during those last weeks of pregnancy. I love the fabric – it’s the last remnant of one of my favourite cottons from the log cabin landscape quilt I made for our bed a few years ago.

Pumpkinhead

In the “tacky but adorable” category, I finished the pumpkin hat for H, just in time for prime pumpkin season. There are several versions of this pattern, but I found a free one on Ravelry that did a particularly nice job with the stem. It looks adorable on.

So seasonal and cute. 🙂 And so satisfying to still be able to finish projects, even if they are small ones knit in worsted gauge.

More bursts of summer

It’s quickly starting to feel like fall, but our rose bushes are continuing to bloom, undaunted. The pink ones set forth a whole cascade of blooms two weeks ago.

They’re hard to see from the house, since they’re at a hidden spot between windows, so I was so happy that we caught them as the blooms all burst.

And then the yellow rose budded and bloomed again.

I’m so glad I didn’t tear out these bushes last summer – they are zero work and such a happy surprise whenever the flowers appear.

Meanwhile, the hydrangeas are still going. The two in the front yard are slowly fading (they started blooming in late June and early July!), but the lace hydrangea in our sideyard is beautifully blooming still. I’ve been cutting flowers from the back face of it to bring into the house – in a bowl they look so pretty, and they last for weeks.

This one’s been on the coffee table in the family room since Kevin’s family visited, and we have another that’s been going strong in the kitchen for over a week. I keep checking, sure that they must be moldering in the water, only to find that they’re still beautiful.

PS: Kevin took all of these photos, plus one of his two-flash photo set up. Neat!

Port Townsend

At five weeks post partum, with Kevin’s 8-week paternity leave more than half over, we felt up for an adventure and decided to try an overnight – our first family vacation! The goals were somewhere pretty, not too far away, not too long of stretches in the car, with somewhere we could walk around and see sights or shops and get a latte and some food. Ferry rides prefered. We debated briefly between the Olympic Peninsula, Victoria, and the San Juans. Victoria got nixed due to the international issue – I don’t think infants need a passport, but crossing the border still seemed like added complexity. Then I found Port Townsend which seemed made-to-order, and a B&B that was so well reviewed, only had two rooms (neither of which was booked yet), and claimed to welcome children. So off we went!!

We were aiming to leave at noonish, but due to a very late night were pleased to be out the door and on our way by 3 pm. In the vacation splurge mentality , we stopped at Starbucks for some coffee to begin the trip – here’s a parking lot view of my knitting (a baby pumpkin hat)! Advantage of the carseat: hands free time for me!

We caught the ferry at Edmonds, and I nursed in the car while we waited for the next boat. The ride across was so warm and beautiful, with the Olympics peeping through the afternoon haze and an amazing Rainier view behind Seattle’s skyline. I was proud of getting the Moby wrap on without drooping it across any Ferry surfaces. H snoozed happily while we went up to the top deck to enjoy the crossing.

The drive was a lot of fun – long enough to feel like we were seeing the sights, but short enough to be sane with a baby in the back and semi-sleep deprived parents in the front. We were particularly delighted to see a herd of (captive) buffalo – I was desperate to see some on our cross-country drive out to Seattle in 2004, and since then the dearth of buffalo has become a standard roadtrip joke. We also enjoyed more of the pioneer location names on the atlas, especially Point No Point and Useless Bay.

The B&B was so much more perfect than I was anticipating. I knew that it was a Victorian full of antiques, but wasn’t expecting all of the renovations – the owner said that the previous owners had brought in shipwrights to do all of the cabinetry and detailing. Very Not-So-Big-House, and we had the top floor all to ourselves which worked beautifully. A lovely view of the water and the little Whidbey Island ferries from high up on the hill – such a picturesque nursing spot.

We went out to dinner for the first time with Henry after admiring the Olympics at sunset from the wharf. Our initial choice was a seafood place on the water but after peeking in the door we didn’t even bother going in – too quiet and full of older couples. We next tried the Public House across the street and were delighted with it. White table cloths and candles, but they also had a cup of crayons on the table. Lots of local beers on tap, but the table next to us had a toddler crumbling his dinner onto the floor (his dad got down on hands and knees to clean it all up at the end of the meal). Perfect for this new stage of life. I wore Henry in the Moby wrap and he was perfect – slept all through dinner (we even stayed for dessert and coffee!) and the walk home, and then woke up to eat again as soon as we were back. He slept as well as he ever does through the night, then Kevin moby-wrapped him for breakfast. (Go us, only a few minutes late for the 9 am serving time!)

We explored the town (including its two yarn shops!) then had lunch at one of the cafes. Henry woke up shortly after we arrived, and I was so proud to actually discretely breastfeed in public – a major obstacle to have conquered.

The sandwiches were great and we enjoyed our coffee before taking dessert on the road. Before we left the area, we drove up to the Fort Worden State Park and walked a bit around the beaches at the northern tip. Pretty views of the fog over the water, tankers and tugboats, dunes, red-roofed lighthouse, and the Whidbey Island cliffs.

The wind was cold but the beach was lovely. I didn’t envy all of the kayakers gathering for their convention, though – while the skies were sunny, I bet that water was freezing.

Such a wonderful overnight trip. 🙂

Off to meet the knitters

First evening social outing – off to meet my knitting group. H dressed for the occasion, in one of my fabric decorated onesies:

Plus booties and the matching sweater:

The yarn (a bamboo blend) feels wonderful and cuddly on him. The shoulders and sleeves are still a touch big, but it was pretty close to a good fit. The back was as adorable as the front – something about babies heads looks even cuter from the back.

If I had to knit the sweater again, I’d add an inch or two to the length – he has such a long body relative to his girth. Similarly, the booties could use another Âľ” before the heel since he has the longest little feet.

He was a fussy little thing all afternoon, so here’s Kevin attempting to mollify him outside before we headed out.