back from the dead?
No, not dead, just hiding. Hey, I've got two children under the age of two here [and one teenager, aaack!]. No knitting here, but I've spent the last near-year feeling guilty that I haven't told any of you How The Story Turned Out. Well, on February 15, 2006 I delivered Olivia Jean by c-section, and she's absolutely, wonderfully happy and healthy. And we continue to be amazed, overjoyed and delighted by Katherine too. She's 17 months old now and is talkin' and walkin' [hell, she's runnin'!]. That's her up there with one of her Balls [she says this word with a definite southern accent: 'baaawl'--it's so cute]. Here's a recent one of Olivia:

She is closing in on 7 months old! Can you guys tell I'm a happy camper? I'm going to move on to another topic now, but for the record: I can talk about my babies All Day Long, so if you want more, just e-mail me.

mason-dixon knitting
Did you guys know that the Kay dishcloth made it into the Mason-Dixon Knitting book? I feel honored to be included with the other designers and patterns in this wonderful much-more-than-a-coffee-table book. Check it out if you haven't already.

a question
I've been on a [self-imposed] hiatus and have therefore been out-of-the-loop [pun intended!] for the last year or so, but the gears have been slowly turning upstairs and I'd like to know from any and all of you: What knitting techniques would you most like to see demonstrated, either in book, online or video form? Have you ever found yourself saying "I wish somebody would write a knitting book about ---?" I've gotten questions over the years I've been teaching and blogging, so I have a good foundation on which to build, but this is your chance to let me know what sort of learning/training materials would be most useful to you. Leave a comment here, or use the sidebar link to the left to e-mail me.

verdant
Several of you have asked me about the Verdant bag. I did finally finish it and it's been available over at Karp Styles for a few months. Click on the box at left to see.

More later! xoxo Brooks

a confession (or two)
Wow, I had high hopes about somehow continuing to provide interesting commentary on a more regular basis, but somehow it just hasn't happened. Plus, I've done almost no knitting, which I suspected might happen once we got Katherine home. I know that I will continue knitting, creating and writing, but I think the pace of my output has officially slowed, especially considering my next revelation:

confession #2
Although my husband and I were sure it couldn't happen, we are pregnant! And 30 weeks pregnant, at that. We've experienced four miscarriages while trying to add to our family several years ago, and somehow we never expected another pregnancy would ever make it this far. Now that it's starting to seem like more of a certainty, the realization that we will have not one but two daughters (yes, it's a girl!) in February under the age of one is slowly setting in. For those of you who need proof, check out this photo taken of me and Katherine about a month ago (so that makes me 26 weeks or so then).

So as much as I'd like to think I'll continue blogging, my recent lack of activity here stands as proof that perhaps I'm not able to keep up. And if I can't keep up now, it seems even less likely in February (my due date is 2/19/06), doesn't it? I will continue to keep my site up, which contains the how-tos, links and free patterns. And I'll welcome your e-mails anytime, too. Because I love knitting, I know I'll come back to it in full force later on (and possibly eke out the occasional project here and there in the meantime). But until then, I'll officially close this blog until I know I can do a better job committing to it! Thanks so much to all of you for your warm and supportive comments over the many months as we waited for Katherine. It means a lot to me! xoxo Brooks

we are home!
We arrived home late Thursday (10/13) night safe and sound. The natural disasters in the region (hurricane, earthquake) didn't affect us in the least, although we did see mudslides from the air as we approached Guatemala City. Our visit/pick-up trip capped off a snag-free and delightful adoption process--we feel very fortunate that everything went smoothly. And as for Katherine--she is just the most adorable, easygoing and fun baby! It's definitely been an adjustment learning how to take care of her and create new family routines, but not a difficult one. Luckily, I don't have to return to work until November 21, hooray! We feel very blessed!

'tis the season
Now that our adoption is complete and also because this is the time of year that UNICEF holds one of its biggest fund drives, I wanted to ask all of you to educate yourselves about UNICEF and its anti-adoption stance. Partly because of UNICEF's efforts, there are new laws proposed in Guatemala which would make international adoption more difficult or impossible. Please read UNICEF's own 'official' position on inter-country adoption, then read what people in the adoption community have to say about the situation. I do believe UNICEF does some good in this world, but their efforts to change adoption laws just doesn't reflect the realities of children's needs in many countries.

no knitting
Of course, there has been no knitting done around here, but not for lack of desire on my part! Katherine's baby blanket is still not complete - - - blush - - - Hopefully it'll be done before she begins high school. I did pick up a few new knitting magazines the other day, most notably the new Knitscene by Interweave Press. Definitely a welcome addition to the 'young, hip, fresh' genre, with items a person might actually want to create and use. What do you all think? xoxo Brooks

our big day is finally here!
On Monday we got word that we can go get our Katherine. Therefore on Sunday (10/9) we are flying down to Guatemala and will be back late Thursday night (10/13) with our little girl in tow! I can hardly believe that after all this time we are finally going to start our lives together as a family. Incredible, eh? xoxo Brooks

first test knitter finished!
Emily, one of the Verdant Bag test knitters, is the first to finish her bag and has provided valuable feedback on the pattern, as well as this stunning photo of her work. Emily, thank you so much for knitting this pattern up and providing your comments. Your bag looks great! I'm looking forward to seeing the results from the rest of you as well.

baby news
We received word last Monday that we are out of PGN (this is the attorney general's office in Guatemala), which means the Guatemalan part of our adoption is final! Now the only things left to do are getting Katherine a new birth certificate, passport and visa, which shouldn't take longer than another 2-3 weeks or so (after which we can go get her and bring her home)! I am feverishly trying to get her room ready (and finish her blanket). I will keep all of you posted! xoxo Brooks