Pattern Release : Flakey Scarflette Pattern

I've finally edited, photographed, and PDF'd my new pattern.

It's a scarflette that can be held with a button or a pin.  I created it with a raised snowflake design, just in time for the holidays and winter.

Here are a few pictures. 

Pattern Link: Ravelry

 

iPad2 Review

I disappeared from here again.  Life can be hectic and brain numbing as a new mom.

Here is my reward for being a mom.

I'm still working on a pattern to release, but I haven't yet decided whether to sell it or offer it for free.  I will say that it's a scarflette and that it will be perfect for the holiday and winter times.  Here's a sneak peek (sorry for the not so great cell phone pic).

Now it's product review time.  I will include links below.

I recently (and buy recent, I mean about 8 weeks ago), purchased an iPad2.  I very much debated purchasing one.  They are expensive and, in my  mind, not overly practical.  My objective was to try and decide between a laptop or a tablet, then once I decided on the tablet, I wanted one I knew that people use and love.  Everyone that I asked about the iPad, loves it.  I read a few more reviews, because I still had to decide which iPad to buy.  For my purposes, I did not need a better screen resolution or any of the other minor upgrades for the "new iPad", and I decided on the iPad2.

So far, it is extremely useful.  I use it ALL THE TIME.  My only caveat to the otherwise utter bliss that I feel with this device, is, that it's not useful for blogging.  Here is where I made a mistake. 

I belabored over a case to purchase.  I had only one requirement; it had to be a 360 rotation case, so that I could prop my iPad vertical or horizontal without removing it from the case.  I discarded the idea of a keyboard as they are quite expensive and they can scratch the screen, unless you buy protectors, which would be even more money.  So, I purchased the best case in the world (I really do love it), but I really wish I had gone with one that includes a keyboard.  Now I'm scouring Amazon, trying to find one that is affordable, but also good.  Any suggestions are welcome !!!

Be back soon.

No 'Poo' III

I never realized that having an infant would take so much time.  I mean, I knew, consciously that he would be a lot of work and my free time would sharply decrease, but I didn't realize the brain drain that would also occur.  My hat is off to Mom bloggers because it's a lot harder than you might think.

Now, onto the real reason for this post:

No "Poo" Update III

I have to confess, that I quit this about two weeks ago...

I really had problems with build-up in my hair and I could not solve whatever was causing the issue.

My roots would look great, but about half way down my hair length, it would be sticky and clumped together.  It was even difficult to get a comb or brush through.  Also, I would pull off a sticky, white film as I combed/brushed, that I could not even remove from the implement.  I really did try.  I tried different ratios of baking soda (BS), I tried skipping the BS solution and just using Apple Cider Vinegar/Water to moisturize.  Nothing seemed to work.  What a disappointment, honestly.  People claimed to have such great results. 

 The other thing that kind of changed my mind was that my hair was falling out...a lot....now this could be a consequence of being postpartum (4.5 months), but I'll tell you, I got a little nervous.  I don't have thick, luscious hair, and I greedily, hold onto every strand.

Either way, now I no longer am no 'poo' and maybe at some point in the future, if I come across a solution to my sticky hair, then I will try all over again....

Rowan Newsletter - October 2012

Hey, just wanted to pop in and point you towards the Rowan Newsletter.
You have to sign up to recieve it, but it's usually pretty interesting, as it discusses their yarn lines, free patterns, and general knit or crochet topics.

Defnitely, check it out.  Why not have a little more yarn-ee goodness in your day, especially when it's free?

Click Here to sign up. 
If you sign up, you also have access to their free patterns and forums.

Being a Mommy - Parenting Post

Disclaimer: I am, by no means, a professional in terms of psychology, doctoring, or even giving advice.  My intent is to only share my trials, tribulations, and experiments in Mommy-dom.

I enjoy my son and all of the new experiences, good or bad that come our way.  I spend a lot of time trying to make sure that he's growing and progressing towards his milestones, properly. 

This brings us to my first observation.

1.  Despite the fact that Ethan is a preemie with a 4 week adjusted age, he does not seem to fall on any particular scale that will give a rating of "normal".  He doesn't exactly fit into the profile of a 3 month old (adjusted age) or a 4 month old (actual age).  I worry all the time that he will somehow have a disadvantage or an issue because of his early arrival.  It's even more anxiety-inducing when you see other children around the same age and they appear to be doing "better" than your child.  Try not to fret too much over what other people's children are doing; because more than likely, you're doing a very fine job.

This leads very nicely to another observation that I had and one that I'm afraid, I'm also guilty of.

2.  People will brag and talk up what their child is doing.  The most challenging thing about this is, it can feel like a rather passive aggressive judgement on your child.  This one has two points.  Firstly, it's important to be proud of your little tyke, and to share this pride with others, unfortunately, it can be a bit overwhelming for parents of a child who is not meeting milestones.  It can even begin to feel like a contest.  Your baby is not in a contest with any other baby, at least as long as you're not entering them, literally, into contests.  Secondly, as a parent who sometimes feels like everything is a competition, try to remember, IT IS NOT A COMPETITION.  I think it's necessary to make sure that you're not taking someone elses pride in a way that it's not intended.

3.  There is not a rule book.  I feel that this is the most annoying stumbling block to being a parent.  There are almost too many resources at your fingertips.  Websites, Pediatricians, hospitals, other parents, "retired" parents (children are all grown and gone), books, news reports, and people without any experience at all are all willing and happy to share their advice and judgements with you.  Unfortunately, there isn't one single resource that is 100%, absolutely correct.  I find that, even amongst Pediatricians there is disagreement around all of the various parental hotspots and faux pas.  It even feels like Science and research do not really agree.  It's a potential minefield of guilt, doubt, and insanity.  It seems, so far, that taking all of the various information into account and then mashing them together works fairly well for me.

These observations are merely meant to show my personal experience with having a baby and wandering through

I think that I will try and post more regulary about this whole parenting gig and I will also do my best to be more specific, as I figure things out.  For example, my son has learned to roll over onto his stomach, from his back, unfortunately for my sleep duration, he has not learned to roll back.  This means that he squirms, wiggles, and grunts himself onto his side and then his belly before waking up with an angry wail.  I have tried propping him against the side of his crib.  This does not work, as he just tries to roll and then smacks his little noggin, repeatedly against the bars.  Then I tried to put him to sleep on his belly.  This sort of worked, but it's a WIP (work in progress) for now.  I will update with little events such as these for your reading pleasure, my own tracking system, and maybe even for a sense of comfort for other parents with these same silly, but very real struggles.