Frenetic Energy and the Blahs

I seem to have both right now.

Remember how I said I love Fall? Well, I'd forgotten that Fall also brings things like shorter days, colder weather and some bad memories. I'm fine, but have spent some time today feeling sad. Luckily my daughter had a massive pooplosion all over me today, which rescued me from brooding. Feeling is good, wallowing is not so good. It's a fine line, friends.

But yeah, I'm not feeling inspired to get things done. I want to get all my currently-on-needles projects done before starting anything new. I seem to do this every once and a while, don't I? I'm having fun with the doily, even though I really am not a good crocheter. I'm so over DD's sweater. I have so little left - the sleeves will fly (her arms aren't that long) and I really don't have much to do on the body but I'm so burnt on it. I don't mind purling, really, but it's harder on my hands.

I'm spending lots of time cruising around ravelry, looking at groups and patterns and stuff, and I got sucked into Facebook a few months ago, so the internet is definitely sucking my time these days. We're still in transition, it's still hard, and while I don't want to wish the time away, I'm also looking forward to having more of a community here. I've got some people I'm connecting with, which is nice. It'll come, it'll come.

One great piece of news is that a little cafe opened up in town, right near the boys' preschool! Good coffee for cheap!

*sigh*

Ruffle is ripped out, which does allow me to correct a smaller error I had made and just planned to live with. Just getting it back on the needles and one row knit was all I could face tonight. Now I'm working my way through a crochet round of a pineapple doily. Yeah, you read that right. And it's pink. Wanna make something of it?

I know I've written about this before but I'm too tired to go looking for the link, and I'm sure I'm not saying anything new anyway, so whatever. One of the great gifts that knitting (and now crocheting) has given me is the gift of learning to let go of my perfectionism. I'm in recovery from a variety of...how shall we put it, non-life-enhancing behaviors, and perfectionism was part of my core dysfunction. Now, I'm all for working hard, doing the best I can most of the time (and I still get "wow, you're really hard on yourself" more times than I can count), and all that good stuff, but that's very different from perfectionism, for me. Perfectionism renders me paralyzed, because if it has to be perfect, one can't make mistakes (or be human), and therefore, it's terrifying to start. I'm not sure when all that therapy started to sink in and allow me to think things like "this is hard, and I might not do a great job, but I'm still going to do it" or, as I've been thinking lately, "wow, I really suck at crocheting, but I'd like to get better, and the way to get better is to just do it." I am a kinesthetic learner in many ways, it's right behind audio learning for me, so the way to learn is to do. And, I'm learning that I can do things simply because I enjoy the process of doing them, and worry less about the results. In part, because I'm learning to recognize when the results matter, and when they don't. I mean, really, if I have an imperfect pink doily? Who the hell really cares, if I had fun making it, and maybe increased my skills a little.

A small, yet genuinely sad decision.

DD's sweater is just too damn short. I'm going to rip out the ruffle back to where I did the increases, add AT LEAST an inch, and then ruffle it. *sigh* What a pain in the ass. She's over the 97th percentile for length though, so if I actually want her to wear this, it needs to be done. I was worried it would be too short but talked myself out of it. Silly me, I should listen to my gut more often (except when it says things like "yes please, more chocolate peanut caramel brownie"). I'm not sure when I'm going to have time to do this, we've got a *lot* of life planned this weekend. I went out with some new friends from DS1's preschool, today we've got CLEANING and ORGANIZING and then a birthday party, and a birthday party tomorrow as well. It's all good, but busy!

In part, I'm thinking a lot about how o0.0ne deliberately builds a life. I'm pondering my own character flaws traits (that sounds a bit kinder, and being kinder to myself is one of the things I'm pondering), my tendency to leap into relationships quickly and beyond wholeheartedly, as opposed to be a bit more cautious. Coming into an established group, like these moms, is hard. They're very welcoming, but the reality is that we aren't good friends (yet) and that just takes time and investment. And the fact that they *are* all good friends with each other is nothing against me, it's just the way it is. But, it's hard at times. We left behind wonderful friends and real social network when we moved. We moved just far enough that it's not feasible to maintain those connections in the same. The friends will OF COURSE still be our wonderful friends, but it is different, and we all know much I love things to change and be different, right? Yeah.

So anyway, that's the long version of my short version which is trying to stay open and say YES to opportunities that come my way to connect and join in. But when am I going to rip out that damn ruffle? The one good thing is that it will fix a small error that has been nagging at me, so I'm happy about that. :)

New Directions?

I love Fall. From all my years of academia, it always, always feels like the start of a new year for me. The excitement, the possibilities. There's a bite in the air in the morning and evening, I'm breaking out the jeans and long sleeve t-shirts (my mommy uniform). Both boys started at a new preschool (DS1 goes M/W/F and DS2 goes T/Th, and this is his first school experience!). DD has woken up and is just *so* fun and lovely. It's not to say everything is perfect - we've all got the first cold of the season (which will last until next May), DD was on a sleep path to hell (waking every hour), and I've been feeling overwhelmed. But, I managed to get some things done today that have been nagging at me, so I'm feeling a bit more in control. Tomorrow is Friday, a day I like. I get my trashy mags on Fridays. I've got a weekend to look forward too, I can relax a bit. We've not got much planned for tomorrow, so maybe I'll even get some cleaning done, or catch up on laundry. MAYBE.

My knitting is in a bit of a slump. I feel the siren call of startitis, and I'm trying not to succumb. I don't have a ton on needles right now - I've got about 20 more rows of BYOB plus attaching the handles and finishing it. I'm half-way through the ruffle hem of DD's sweater (with a small error that's ANNOYING me but I'm just going to learn to live with it). I've got a sock to finish, and another sock to do. I bought some very cute shoes today, which are just *calling out* for handmade socks, don't you think? My poor Monkeys are carrying most of the burden themselves right now, and I've so much sock yarn to knit. So, why is it that I've turned my strong obsessional powers to other things?

I've been thinking a lot about the "purpose" part of Knitting with a Purpose. At first, the purpose meant service, specifically the NICU donation hats. But, that's dropped by the wayside for now. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am loyal. Intensely loyal. This is both one of my character strengths and flaws. I've been known to give my loyalty too quickly and hold on far, far long to things and relationships. Far longer than any healthy person should. I do believe that it's important to be loyal, not to give up when the going gets rough, but loyalty should also be measured and evaluated, not just given blindly. When I started the NICU hats, I felt that this was something I "should" be able to commit to for, oh, the rest of my life. But, things change. It's actually okay that things change. I still want to be doing some sort of crafting for service, but I think I've found something else. Once I have the supplies in hand, I'll contact the local representatives, and talk more here, but it's something that's very doable, and should be fun for me. And, I'm telling myself, it's not a lifetime commitment, it's simply something I want to explore for now. And, it's not knitting. I'm also rethinking the whole idea that "purpose" must equal service to others. My family needs and deserves my focus too. And, it's actually okay to admit that my crafting thrills and sustains *me*, outside of any other use or purpose for it. I love creating, I love the feel of the yarns, the colors and combinations, I love wearing socks I made, or wrappy my daughter in a blanket I knit. I don't think of myself as particularly creative in some ways, and it's fun to have something that is generative.

The other thing I'm trying out is more crochet-ing. Now, to be honest, most crochet stuff really doesn't do it for me. But, for some reason, I'm feeling very drawn to crocheting (and knitting, but I don't have the brain power for it right now) lace. LACE. I do believe it was in this very blog that I declared I had zero interest in doing lace. Looks like that's not true. But, the fact that I'm obsessing over crocheting (and knitting, don't forget the knitting) lace DOILIES is just plain weird. Doilies! What the hell does one DO with such a thing? I have no idea! Hasn't stopped me from starting one though.

I'm doing a Pineapple Doily that's marketed as "quick" and "easy". Yeah, if you actually know how to do this, I'm sure it is. :) The thread is size 10, the hook is weensy. It's fun! What I'm going to do with it, who knows.

I'm seeing stars.

I don't think I actually posted about this project, that I had finished it. This is the replacement for DS2's other blankie, the one I fried in the washer and dryer after the unfortunate stomach flu incident.

This is a crocheted star blanket, made from Lily's Sugar'n'Cream, color chosen by DS2. I can't remember what hook size I used. It crocheted up fairly quickly, and it's not that big. Big enough that he can snuggle, but not big enough to use as an actual blanket. They don't do nap at school and he doesn't nap here anymore (hah! he hasn't napped in at least a year), so it's more of snuggly lovey for him. I haven't washed it yet, but I know the cotton can go through the washer and dryer just fine (and hopefully I won't need to sanitize it any time soon).

I'm not sure how people avoid this issue, but I don't like in crochet in the round how the very first thing you're doing is a chain of 2 or 3 (or whatever you need), rather than an actual sc or dc or what-have-you. As you can see in the valley on the left side, it looks a little different. DS2 doesn't care, so no worries, but it would annoy me if I'd worked hard to make a full-size blanket for something and had that happen. How to avoid? I don't know.

Deep Thoughts by KWAP

Am I betraying my age by referencing Deep Thoughts? I haven't even watched SNL in *years*, do they still do them? Ah, the past.

It's the end of summer. School starts up for us this week (two kids in preschool! Sadly, they never overlap.). We just had DS1's birthday party yesterday, he turned FIVE. DS2 is 3 and 1/3. DD is almost 4 months. Where is the time going? How did it come to be that I have three kids? And a minivan.

I feel like there's a way in which I've lost track of some things...some parts of myself. That's not surprising, considering that I've not gotten more than 4 consecutive hours of sleep in a few months (and considered it amazing to get more than an hour and half). I've got three kids, two cats, one husband, a life that's very focused on the home and hearth right now.

When I started this blog, almost two years ago, I was in the midst of a huge transition. The two women that had been my closest friends through the first part of learning to be a mother (particularly, learning to be a stay-at-home-mom) had dumped me. I still don't understand why. Was it something I did? Something I should have done? I loved those women and relied on them, too much probably, but they were almost like family to me. In most ways, the pain has ebbed, but it was a *huge* loss. Not just for me, but for DS1 too - these kids were almost like siblings to him. When DS2 came along, it apparently threw the whole system into disarray, and since I was the one who disrupted it, I was the one who was ousted (I guess, neither one ever said anything clear to me, one just got really mean, and the other just faded, and didn't choose me).

I was looking for things to fill me up, and one of the things I found was knitting, particularly the knitting for donation. I made baby hats for the NICU at Children's Hospital in Boston. This was the NICU where we spent a terrifying 24 hours thinking DS2 had liver damage, and then another 5 days just waiting for his bilirubin levels to drop. The nurses were amazing, and I wanted to give back something to them, and give something those little bubs I saw who were so small, so sick. I wanted those moms and dads to know that someone out there was celebrating their baby, even though the circumstances might be terrifying, scary, or tragic. Someone was saying "Hooray, your beautiful baby is here!"

I've somehow let go the knitting for donation, and I'm feeling guilty about it. I am so lucky, so completely *blessed* by the amazing family I have, my wonderful husband and children, my parents and sister, my in-laws. Family of origin, family of marriage, and family of creation. I am, however, also pretty consumed by them at this point as well. My knitting is very family-focused right now too. I'm struggling with feeling like I should be giving more out to the world than I am, but I also feel like I'm sort of maxed out on the giving right now.

I'm not sure where the "should" comes from. I don't think it's from the world around me. To be honest, it seems to me the main message of modern US culture is about CONSUME BUY ME ME ME. I've never wanted to be that person, I've always wanted to be someone who gives, who lives some, if not all, of her life in service to others. This matters to me.

So, how do I get back to this, what is the best focus for my time and energy? We moved much further away from Boston (though technically still in the 'burbs). The hospital where I delivered DD (and who cared for us when she was jaundiced too) apparently has a corps of women who crochet hats for them, so they don't need something from me. Although I certainly didn't do the NICU hats for thanks, never getting *any* acknowledgment that they were even received, let alone feedback as to whether they were helpful or not was...discouraging. I'd really like my efforts to go to my own community, but I'm not sure how.

One thing I'm feeling really drawn to doing right now is crocheting small blankets. I'm wondering if that is something that would be a useful donation for the hospital, particularly for the Level II nursery where DD was delivered and spent time (both as a "preemie" ha ha, she was born at 36 weeks 6 days, and when she was jaundiced). Perhaps I'll call them and ask. Again, it's not really about being appreciated for the effort, but rather that the effort go where it's needed.

Gotta make this quick...

...because my internet cuts out in about 8 minutes! (DH set up my computer so the internet shuts off at 9:30 which forces me to do things like, oh, go to bed).

This will be a non-knitting post because I haven't been doing much knitting. It's been a hectic week, culminating in DS1's birthday party today! The actual day is tomorrow. How did he go from this...to this?
















He had a blast at his party, and was just a total delight today. He was gracious, happy, appreciative, calm, and just wonderful! He's my spirited one, so that' s not always the case, but it was so, so nice today.

Happy birthday, baby. Mama loves you!

Running to Stand Still

I cannot believe we're almost done with summer. I remember when school ended for DS1, that sort of sinking feeling of "oh man, how are we going to get through!" And we did. I think overall, it was a good summer (and we have one more week). We didn't make as many friends as I had hoped, but we're starting to settle in, and I think starting school is going to be awesome. Both boys are anxious about it, but I think it'll be really good to get going. I've always been this way when anticipating something, the last week or so I just want it OVER with, to move on.

I'm chugging away on DS2's lime green star blankie. I have no idea how big he wants it. He also changed his mind about adding the funky variegated yarn, so it's just...lime green. VERY green.

With cooler weather coming, I want to be reignited on sock making. Since, you know, I'm really low on socks! DD is now doing some napping in the morning, though that may change with school. I guess mainly I'm just waiting to see what sort of routine we enter into!

In the meantime, we've got DS1's 5th birthday to plan!!

Back from vaction.

It was not the best vacation we've ever had. We got the call on the Friday before we left that DH's grandmother was failing (this has been expected for some time, so it was not a shock). We were supposed to be going on vacation with my MIL and FIL, my folks, DH's older sister and her husband and three kids, and DH's younger sister (who lives in London). MIL, FIL and younger SIL instead went straight to MN where they were with his Grandmother (MIL's mom) when she died. The rest of us went to the vacation house, but SIL and DH left midweek to go out for the funeral (she passed away on Tuesday). So yeah.

In a way, the timing was actually as good as it could have been. DH and older SIL both were already off from work. Younger SIL was in the country and available (she lives in London and travels a lot). BIL and I both weren't stuck at home alone with 3 kids each.

In non-family loss news, I was in the Walmart in Riverhead NY (on Long Island), and found Peaches and Cream yarn, which I had never seen. I feel so disloyal, but I think I actually prefer it to Sugar'n'Cream!! It feels softer. I did a star washcloth for my SIL in one of the really bright variegated colors (maybe Fiesta?), and it pooled in such a way that it looked tie dyed! It was really cool (and I did the pattern from memory, go me!). I did almost no knitting. I started a hat for DD, but I brought smaller needles than I should have so I'm going to pull the bit I did and start over.

I'm determed to go get some more pink Cottontots to do a plain cardigan for DD because she needs one. Needs as in doesn't NEED exactly because she has far more clothes than she'll ever wear but I want to make her one. Now I'm pondering...pink or lilac?

AGAIN with the Startitis

We're going on vacation on Sunday for a week. I have my folks here tomorrow night before we go. We have no food, the house is a mess, and I've got Mount Laundry to scale before we can leave. So what do I do?

YES! I started a new project! Go me!

My fantasy was actually to get this knit before we go. It turns out I am obsessed with knitting for my daughter. (My daughter! How odd that sounds, after almost five years of sons.) The sweater I knit for her is almost too small. And, although it's very pretty, I don't actually put her in it that much because it's variegated and clashes with most of her clothes. What she needs is a simple little pink or purple cardigan. So, I started one.

It's a variation of this pattern. In my usual way, I decided simply to wing it. The pattern doesn't actually tell you what the gauge is, so I picked the needles that my yarn called for. I did the collar in the leftover lilac from the pinwheel blanket, and started the body in the pale pink (so the yarn is Bernat Cottontots). As I did the increases, it seemed to me that if I kept going the way the pattern was written, the sweater would be more of a 2T or 3T size than what I need now. So I went off-pattern.

This does not always bode well for the utility of my projects, but we'll see. After being concerned that the thing would be huge, now I'm worried it's going to be too small. I also decided to do three buttonholes close together at the top, and do a slip-stitch edging, though I clearly have messed that up a couple of times. I also forgot to do the garter stitch button band edge for one row. I am too tired to care, honestly. I need her to have a little sweater that I can just toss on over lighter outfits.

I've just put the sleeves onto scrap yarn, so I figure I've got about 20 rows to do or so. Hopefully it'll fit her!

I wish I lived in Canada.

Specifically, Toronto. The Yarn Harlot is starting a Yoga for Knitters class (I almost just wrote "a knitting for yoga-ers class" which could also be fun), and I wanna go!!!! I used to do yoga every day, for a good long time, and I *loved* it. I miss it. Trying to find a time to do even my 25 minute Ashtanga Yoga DVD is challenging. Anything that helps me to slow down, be present, and breathe a little more is something I need.

Two nights ago, DS2 and I took a walk in the rain afternoon, just around the block. The sun was coming out as we walked down by the lake, and I thought "huh, this is rainbow weather." We went a little further, and saw the most amazing, full-arc rainbow, with a double shimmering next to it. I wished I had my camera. Then I thought that maybe I could just try to be present in the moment, to just enjoy the amazing sight with my son.

Knitting away on BYOB, almost done with the openwork section. Feeling a tad bored with it, honestly. I had such momentum but the crochet stars derailed me. DS1 now wants a Crescent Moon blankie. How the heck does one do that??

I have conquered the STARS!

So after much gnashing of teeth and a couple of choice swear words, I have figure out BOTH the little star patterns! I didn't knit either one to blanket size. I made a washcloth out of some cotton (leftover from the pinwheel blanket) and then a lovie for one of my kids with some (ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE) Red Heart acrylic crap I had in my stash. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm really not a yarn snob, but this stuff just feels cheap and rough and plasticky (that's plastic and icky all at once!). If I'm going to put effort into making a blankie, it's going to be with something nicer than that. Pity, because I do love the colors (but not how they pooled).

The reason I need to make another blankie is because DS's green blankie had a tragedy. I knit it from Lion Brand Thick and Quick Chenille, which is mostly acrylic. We had an unfortunate stomach flu incident, and the blankie got nailed. Not thinking (it WAS 1:00 am), I tossed it in with all his sheets on the Sanitize selection, which is HOT HOT water. Yeah, I fried it. It came out all nasty and crunchy with the loops all pulling out (I did a simple diagonal garter stitch blanket). It's not salvageable, as far as I can tell. So, I'm going to do him a new one, out of natural fibers that can stand being washed and dried. You know, it's not the machine washable I really need (though I prefer that for this sort of thing), it's the DRYABLE. I just don't want to have to think when tossing laundry into the dryer, you know? ANYWAY. I digress.

The first star I did was from Beth's Little Star Afghan. The beginning is sort of tricky, but there's a great tutorial here. I did this in some leftover Bernat Cottontots. The pattern is not too difficult, once you get passed the opening rounds. I'm not sure why, but where my rounds join, I have two holes instead of one (from the stretchiness of the cotton? because I suck at crocheting? Who knows.). I think I did 5 rounds or so on this, and then decided to turn it into a face cloth for me. It's pretty, but I'm not loving the 5 holes in the center. So, I just knotted it off. Since it's just a washcloth for me, I didn't really bother to weave in the ends (yes, I am so lazy about that, I know).

The second one I did was from the Dive Crochet's pattern. Wow, did I have a hard time with this pattern! I'm not sure if it's that I'm so novice, or if there are actually issues with the pattern. For example, once the pattern is established, a typical row reads like this: Round 4: Ch 3, dc each over next 3 dc’s, {shell in ch 2 sp, dc in next 4 dc’s, sk 2 dc's (this is the valley), dc in next 4 dc’s}. Repeat { } around. Repeat * of Round 3. The last series of DCs (underlined) are actually the beginning of the next peak, so after I had done all 5 peaks, I didn't do these, even though they are within the brackets to be repeated. I'm not sure if that' sk next dc, sc, dcs correct or not, but it didn't make sense to me.

I also had THE hardest time with Row 3, which reads: Round 3: Sl st in sc, sl st in first 2 dc’s of first shell, ch 3, dc in 3rd dc of first shell, {shell in ch 2 sp, 2 dc over next 2 dc, sk next dc, sc, dc, 2 dc over next 2 dc’s}. Repeat { } all around. * Sl st in 3rd ch of ch 3, sl st in dc after ch 3 of R 3. She even has her "user friendly" version of it. I had gotten this far about 5 times before I finally understood that sk next dc, sc, dc does NOT mean: skip next double crochet, then do a single crochet, then a double crochet. It means skip all three. AH HAH! The lightbulb went off and that made the whole thing work. While it's not entirely clear in the pattern, she does state it clearing in the user friendly version, so I'm blaming my non-comprehension on my own exhaustion. I'm not sure if the joins are better in this because the yarn is much less elastic, but they do look better. I also think I like the look of the single center hole a bit better. Not sure.

This yarn is Red Heart Super Saver, and while the colors are pretty, the feel is awful. So scratchy and rough. The fabric it makes is actually unpleasant to hold. It feels like fingernails scratching on a chalkboard sound, you know? I've heard that if you wash it, it does soften up, but I just couldn't picture finishing a blankie out of yarn that was so unpleasant to hold. So once I knew I had the pattern down, I did a row of sc to finish it off, and called it a night.

Now that I know the pattern, I can see that this would be a really fun baby blankie to make, and super-easy, once you're in the groove. I was watching the Olympics (I had to see Michael Phelps get his medals!), and didn't need the pattern at all to chug along on this. And I think it's faster than knitting. So now I need to find a good, sturdy, machine washable and dryable yarn for DS2 (in green, natch), to do a big star blanket. I'll see if DS1 wants one too.

ETA: I'm getting a lot of hits from the Yarn Diva's link, so if you're coming here from there, well, HEY! Nice to see you! Feel free to stay a while! :)

There's a reason why this blog isn't called Crocheting with a Purpose.

Because apparently I *suck* at crocheting.

Back story - I saw a woman crocheting a star shaped baby blanket at the beach, and immediately became obsessed with making it. As I am wont to do.

I got onto Ravelry and Google and found two different free patterns: The Diva Crochets Starghan and Beth's Little Star Afghan. I cannot do either of them. I have started this thing a good 15 times (did I mention the obsession thing?) and I just can't do it. I think I'm doing it right through round 3, and then round 4 (doesn't matter which pattern), it turns out that I have done SOMETHING wrong and it's not coming together.

I just cast on for Beth's Little Star Afghan AGAIN, and I'm going to give it another try. *sigh* My poor BYOB is languishing, calling to me.

FO: Pinwheel Blanket

It's DONE! It took me a good 2+ hours just to bind off this bad boy, but it's done! Okay, I admit it, I was lazy and didn't do a great job of weaving in ends. When I say "didn't do a good job", what I really mean is "I didn't do it, I just tied knots and snipped them close." Don't tell, okay? I love this blanket! As you can see from the pictures, I haven't blocked it (yet), and I'm not decided if I'm going to, as I think it's going into rotation immediately. I realized that I can't find the other blanket I knit for DD (which is going to make me crazy until I do find it), and we're having weird, cool rainy weather. Besides, when I was taking pictures of her on it, she urped a bit on it, so I *think* that means she wants it. :)

Details

Pattern: Genia Plank's Pinwheel or Round Blanket (ravelry link here, you should check out some of the projects people have done, they're GORGEOUS!).
Needles: KnitPicks Options, size 8 for the blanket. size 10.5 for the bind-off. Various cord lengths.
Yarn: Bernat CottonTots. I really liked this yarn, actually. It wasn't too rough on the hands, and makes a nice, drapey fabric. I'll have to see how it washes and dries before I commit fully to it. I used .7 skein of the light pink, 1.6 skein of the lilac, 1.04 skein of the variegated, and .95 skein of the dark pink.

The pattern is either confusing or has a typo at the very beginning, where it jumps from Round 2 to Round 5. I chose to interpret that as you knit around for Rows 3 & 4, but I don't think it matters *all* that much. For the edging, I switched and did one round of knit with the dark pink. The next round I kfb every stitch to double my number of stitches, then did seed stitch, which makes a non-curling ruffle. I definitely made some mistakes, mainly I have a few spots where I forgot my YOs and then didn't notice on the knit round, but that's okay. I'm not thrilled with how the variegated pooled overall, but that's the fun of working with variegated yarns, right? And now some pictures!!

K1, P1

All increases are done. I finished with approximately 470 stitches. Ruffle color is attached, increases are done, and seed stitch is commenced. I figure I've got another 4-5 hours of work to do the 4-5 rows plus bind-off for the ruffle.

Since it's all squinched up on the needles, I also have no idea how it's really going to look. I hope it's cute!!

Pinwheel Progress

We're getting there! I did some knitting while we were in the Berkshires this weekend, and knit pretty much the whole way home (and it didn't make me want to vomit, hooray!). I've got just over 4 rows left of the body. I've decided to do a seed stitch ruffle (in for a penny, in for a pound, you know?) for the edging. From the comments I've gotten, I won't do the increases on the ruffle. It's going to be a heck of a lot of stitches, but I think it's going to look really cute, and since I sort doubt I'll make another one of these, I want to do it right!

Okay, WHAT was I thinking??

So, on my way to the grocery store, I just happened to stop in at my lovely local yarn shop. What's that you say? It's not actually on the way to the grocery store? In fact, it's a couple miles in an entirely different direction? Huh.

Anyway, so we stopped in, me and my many children. I needed some yarn to redo the ruffly hat since it's just too short. Probably by about 1/2 to 1 inch, which makes a difference in a baby hat. This shop carries the Tahki Cotton Classic that I so love for baby hats, so I got some. This ruffly version will be a pale pink with a deep purple ruffle. I eyed some other colors to make my non-traditional friend a non-traditional ruffly hat as well. Then the boys became enamored with some buttons, so I ended up getting yarn to make each one of them a hat and buttons to put their names on them. DS1 chose a pink hat with his name, plus train buttons; DS2 chose a green hat (of course), with a tractor button and his name. So yes, I just signed on to knit more hats. :) I also got some to redo the peapod hat.

*sigh* I really have a problem. I gotta reconnect with the pinwheel blanket to get that done.

FO: Top Down Ruffly Baby Hat

Okay, forgive the diaper background, I just wanted something less distracting than the random swirly of my ironing board. I'd love to be one of those people who takes really beautiful, artsy shots of my knitting, but (a) I really don't have the time and (b) I'm not that detail-oriented, really.

So, I finished something! This is a prototype for a pattern I'm writing (yikes, that sounds so official!), and I can see what I need to do differently next time.

This is a top-down baby hat with contrasting ruffle. I'll take a picture tomorrow of DD wearing it, but I wanted to at least post that WOW, I finished something! So, details.

Pattern: My Own
Needles: KnitPick Options, size 6, 40" cable for Magic Loop
Yarn: Takhi Cotton Classic, leftovers in my stash

Notes: The main thing I'd do differently next time is make the body longer. This is barely 5" (because I ran out of yarn!), and it needs to be about 1/4 to 1/2" longer. I would also make the ruffle a tad longer, just one or two rounds maybe, but a bit more. I did the last two rounds (pre-bind off) in seed stitch, and I might do the whole ruffle in seed stitch, or I might not do it in seed stitch at all, and block it. The picture above is post-blocking, and here's a shot pre-blocking.
This may actually be the very first thing I have blocked (not including the acrylic baby sweater before I knew that you can't actually block acrylic). I did a steam block by soaking a pillow case and wringing it out, and then putting the hat the way I wanted (I didn't actually pin it) and steaming the ruffle so it'll lay flat. I am hoping I didn't do TOO much, and hopefully it'll look cute on her.

Yes, I started yet another project.

Just a little one, this time. DD needs a hat. NEEDS. Well, maybe she doesn't need it, but I suddenly wanted to try and knit a baby hat top-down (no, I can't explain myself). So I threw aside the blanket (which is not going to the original recipient because her niece told me that she's "totally not into pink"), and thought I'd do a hat. I had some really pretty yarn that I thought would be great - nice and vibrant but pretty too. Except it turns out I only had enough to knit about 3 inches of the hat, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure babies' heads are longer than that. Even newborns. So I frogged that, but started on a hat (in PINK) for my little girl. I don't actually have enough to do the whole hat, so the bottom part will be lavender. Considering I dress her pretty much entirely in pink and purple, it should work. Can I still be considered a good feminist if I dress her in pink? :)

And I haven't forgotten poor BYOB to be finished as well.

This blog needs more pictures.

Sometimes I am not so smart.

So, yesterday, I was all like "Dude! I feel so much better! I'm gonna take the boys to the beach! And go grocery shopping! And eat a bunch because I'm hungry!" Then last night I was all "duuuuude....error." So today I took it really easy.

We had massive thunderstorms all day, so swimming lessons were canceled. The boys were so sad, we ended up playing for a bit at the beach until it started to storm again and then we left to go buy local, raw honey. I think DS1 is getting allergies and I want to try it on him (and me). So, there are these twins boys that DS1 has connected really nicely with, and as far as I can tell, their parents think I'm the Antichrist for some reason. I tried to suggest a play date to which I got some really weird response, and now they won't even really acknowledge my existence. Oh well, their loss, right? I'm wondering if the nose ring or tattoos put them off. Which would be amusing because I am so not threatening and so vanilla. Suburban mom! Minivan!

Anywhere, where was I? Oh yes, trying not to barf. I ended up getting more done on the Pinwheel Blanket, and I'm really rethinking the recipient because it's pretty...girly, and I'm not sure how much she'd appreciate the amount of work a handmade baby blanket actually is. Maybe I'll whip out a fruit hat for Saturday and find some cute outfit. I'm also at the point where the knitting is getting a tad tedious. Each row takes 10+ minutes now, and I've got quite a bit more to do. I just ordered some longer cords for my KnitPicks Options set, which can't come soon enough because it's really all bunched up on the 40".

I can't decide what sort of edge to do. To ruffle or not? Pros: it's adorable. Cons: It'll be somewhere around 900-1000 stitches for ONE ROW. Seed stitch? Ruffly seed stitch? If I don't ruffle but do a seed stitch, I can't figure out if I do the increases or not. I assume not, as that'd screw up the seed stitch but I don't know! Does leaving out the YO increases screw up the flatness? WHO CAN TELL ME THESE THINGS???

I also have two friends due in October. Since I was ordering cables from KnitPicks anyway, I ordered this pattern and the yarn (if memory serves, I ordered the yarn in Asparagus). I think that'll be for L's baby girl. I almost ordered this pattern but then realized it was knit on size TWO needles and came to my senses. I just don't have that kind of time. Damn but it's cute though. Now I need to figure out something for P's baby boy. Maybe some longies? To match this? Or maybe this? (Must. Stop. Cafe-Pressing. Must. Go. To. Bed.) These are cute, but $12.00 for the pattern is a lot. Oh and a blogger I read made this top and now I have to make it for DD.

Anyway, I also ordered some of this in Lost Lake (though I'm now doubting that choice) to do this pattern. I have this book out of the library right now. Yes, I have become someone who reads a book of lace patterns for fun. When I'll actually do this? I don't know, I really don't have the brain cells/time right now but I want to do a big lace project, just to prove to myself that I *can*. After I swore that I wasn't a lace knitter. Hah! I like the idea of a challenge, and I really don't enjoy colorwork, so lace it is! And then maybe I'll take the plunge and knit myself a sweater, eh? I am scared of projects where gague matters.

And then I had to order a new tapestry needle simply to get the free shipping.

Stomach Flu 1: Pinwheel Blanket 0

Well, not quite zero, but it's not going to get done for the party on Saturday. I had a baby shower to attend on Sunday, which took up most of the day, but got some knitting done. I woke up Monday feeling...off, shall we say, and that was *it* until about 4 this afternoon, when I started feeling better and my poor husband succumbed.

I'm at the point where each row is now taking quite a bit of time (300 stitches and increasing), so I just really don't think it's going to happen. Ah well, I'll keep going with my efforts and see how far I get!

Countdown to Baby Party - Day 7

Pattern: Pinwheel Blanket
Needles: Knitpicks Options, size 8 (I think)
Yarn: Bernat Cottontots (I'm doing/planning stripes in Very Berry, Pretty in Pink, and Lovely Lilac, and a Strawberry seed stitch ruffle).

The way I interpreted the pattern, I cast-on 5, knit 1 round, kfb in all sts on round 2, knit 3 rounds, then started the YOs on round 5. I've clearly screwed up a few times, but hey, it's handmade, right?

I don't particularly like the way the variegated yarn pooled at the center, so I'll be intersted to see what it does with much longer rows.

Geek that I am, I'm trying to remember different formulas related to circles (diameter, circumference, area).

I think there's really a snowball's chance in hell that I can finish in time, but I'm enjoying it. I really like the yarn.

It's funny, I feel like my struggles in life paralell my struggles in crafting. I get excited about a project, I love the planning and starting, but I do get bored (curse that ADD) and just want it to be done already. I'm working on just being present in the process, and enjoying where I am with it. That's why larger projects are a real struggle for me, a struggle not to just bag it. I used to think of myself as someone who never finished what I started, and knitting is one of the things I do that proves me wrong on that, and helps change how I think and feel about myself. (Finishing a Ph.D. went a long way to dispelling those thoughts and feelings too.)

You may say that I'm a dreamer...

and in this particular dream, I probably am the only one.

I am seeing an old friend next weekend, who's visiting from CA to show off her new baby. I just got it into my head to knit something. I also have a baby shower on Sunday and was toying with the idea of whipping out a little hat or something.

I am also the full-time caretaker for three small children, including one who insists on being strapped onto my body 90% of the time and when she's not on me, she's well, nursing.

Do I have time to do this? No. No, I don't. But I BY GOD am going to give it a try!!

Still here!

I'm still alive, just swamped by summer fun! The boys have been doing swim lessons at our local beach (less than a 1/2 mile from our house) and loving it! Well, DS2 took some bribing positive reinforcement to get into the water but once he was in, he did great! It definitely takes a lot of time though. It's good to get out of the house. I'm a better parent when I'm not at home. I worry a bit about having DD out in the hot morning so much, but I think she's fine. We've also been spending time with family, and yesterday we went blueberry picking! Today I need to bake something (after DH goes to the store for flour).

Knitting...ah yes, knitting. I'm still plugging away on BYOB. I'm in the openwork section, and it's going fine. I've managed not to screw it up (yet). My green stripy sock is languishing, which is terrible, because I'm only about 10 rounds away from turning the heel, and then it's just KNITTING. Oh well, I'm not wearing socks much right now, so maybe I'll be more motivated in the Fall.

I'm hoping to go to knitting at the library next Tuesday, but I'm getting my HAIR CUT (YAY!!!!) at 6:30, so I need to figure out the logistics of it. Maybe I can pump and DH can give DD a bottle, how cool would that be??

And, just because I can't resist, here's my baby!!

I am so weak.

(And not just because I just ate a large number of Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy mini-Chocolate Chip Cookies. I think they might have crack in them. Think of the appropriate number of cookies that one might eat before 10 am on a beautiful Friday morning, and then add, oh, 25 or so to that number, and you'll have the amount I just ate. And they were delicious, thanks.)

No, I am weak because yesterday I took the boys KIDS (I don't just have boys anymore, I have KIDS) to Michael's to get beads to make DH necklaces for Father's Day (which DS1 got so excited about, he had to give DH his "valentine's present" as soon as he got home last night). Our New Local Michael's (NLM) is HUGE, much bigger than our Old Local Michael's (OLM), and has, among other things, a very large jewelry making section. I somehow ended up with some things for making stitch markers, not that I need more, but whatever. And then we *somehow* managed to make our way into the yarn section. *innocent look* Somehow 4 balls of this managed to leap into my sleeping daughter's car seat (2 lime, 1 charcoal, 1 berry) and come home with us. What's a woman to do, but cast-on this? I'm actually envisioning it as a travel knitting bag, we'll see what happens though.

I gotta say, I really like the Cotton Ease. It's very soft, not splitty, and nice to work with. It reminds me of the GGH Samoa that I did the pea pod hat out of, but not quite as thick (I think, I may not be remembering correctly). I really liked that yarn too. As I've said before, I am not a yarn snob, and have no problem working with non-natural fibers, as long as they *feel* nice, you know? And this is machine washable and dryable. I'll probably be ordering some so I can get the colors I want.

I can't believe I'm knitting. That makes me very happy. I did find that I'm not (yet) able to knit and nurse DD at the same time (though I did manage to get a diaper on DS2 while nursing DD the other day, which was a multitasking high point for me).

Inspiration is percolating.

So, there's that sweater that I want to knit.

And then I was roaming around on elann.com and getting some inspiration.

Then I heard that the Summer Knitty was up. And that led me back to Blue Moon Fiber Arts, where I go periodically to drool, though I've yet to actually order anything from them. I will though. Rest assured.

And I always enjoy my romps through KnitPicks. I'm still trying to find THE right lace shawl pattern. There are just so many considerations and things to learn!

It's not like I really have the time (or brain power) right now to do anything complicated. I *must* finish the socks I've got going before I can start anything new. When those are done, I'll have NO projects on needles (a state that cannot continue) and then I'll pick something new.

Uh oh, crying baby, so much for thinking about knitting! And I really should get some sleep.

I want to knit this sweater!

Link here.
Isn't it pretty?
I've never done a sweater for myself because most of them involve things like actually doing a gauge swatch and seaming and whatnot, things I'm not that into. But I *love* this sweater!! It's going on my list.

Whoops! Sorry about the last post!

Well, I'm not sorry about the post, I just didn't mean to post such a downer and then disappear for a while.

Things are actually going pretty well. DD is not so yellow anymore. We'll see on Thursday how she's doing on the gaining weight thing. I know she's getting lots of food because she's nursing a lot and we had Poop-A-Thon 2008 this afternoon (good times!!). She also has a cold, poor bub. She's quite possibly the most wonderful baby ever, and she has this truly amazing characteristic that neither of the boys had: she lets you PUT HER DOWN. Now I just have to, well, do that. I love holding her, but man, my back is aching.

We've been on our own for about a week now, and it's actually going well. I can manage the kids, but not so much the house/cleaning/cooking part of it. Though, to be honest, that's never actually been my strength. I sort of wish I were really wealthy because then we'd hire someone to come and clean, and that would be really cool. Except that I'd still have to pick up all the crap that's lying around so someone COULD come and clean, wouldn't I?

Oh, did I mention that I'm now truly, 100% a suburban housewife? We now have (a) the house in the 'burbs, (b) the many, many children, (c) the minivan and as of today, (d) the stand-alone freezer in the basement! Can I just say that I lay awake last night thinking of what I'm going to fill it with, and it's not even ice cream! Whoa.

There was a neighborhood association party on Sunday and I saw two of the women from my knitting group there. :) It was really cool to actually have people that I sort of know to run in to, you know? And one of then gave me nine tomato plants, so that was even cooler. AND, my MIL found the green sock (it was tucked in with some sewing stuff), so that's a happy thing. So, at this point, I have the green stripy sock to do, and Falling Leaves #2 to start. I have so much great sock yarn, which I reacquainted myself with when I reorg'd my stash, but I fear that all I am capable off right now is stockinette. At least I'd have some pretty socks at the end, right?

The other day I had DD in her hat that I knit her, tucked into her carseat with her blanket that I knit her around her so all you could see was her (completely adorable) face, and my husband looked at her and said "Someone who knits loves this baby." So true.

AGAIN with the no knitting content.

DD is 9 days old. She is jaundiced, not gaining weight appropriately (she actually lost weight from two days ago), and had to be readmitted for a couple of days of baking under the lights. Our ped is making noises of concern - he's not freaking out, but we'll be in every day this weekend for weight checks, and rechecking her bilirubin, and I am just hoping to avoid rehospitalization (again).

She's an incredibly sweet baby, but I have to say, the transition to three kids (OH MY GOD, I HAVE THREE CHILDREN) has been a tad...rocky. DS2 is having a particularly hard time. He's incredibly sweet with her, but man oh man is he fragile. We're supposed to go to a birthday party tomorrow, I have yet to purchase the gifts (a double party), and I'm now running a fever too.

I don't think I'm drowning, yet, but I do think I need to just have a big fat cry, but I've got guests and no space in which to do it. I am well aware that a lot of this is just the post-partum hormone crash, and this too shall pass, but dude. I'd sort of forgotten how hard these first few weeks are.

And I can't find one of my sock projects and I'm freaking out that I lost it because I thought I took it to the hospital but it's not in that bag. I haven't actually been able to get it together to, you know, LOOK for it, which might help, so all I'm doing is feeling anxious.

Blah. Sorry for the downer post, it's really all okay.

FO: The Fruits of My Labors

Baby #3, hereafter to be known as DD. Born May 14 at 4:01 pm, 7 lbs 13 ozs., 21" long.

My heart is full.

Not knitting, but progress!!

My yarn/tools/knitting stuff organization (or lack thereof) has been making me crazy for, oh ages, and even after moving, it hadn't improved. I have many different bins, overflowing with random printouts of patterns, yarn, plastic baggies with stuff or leftover yarn in it...I've been looking for different things lately. I'd get a thought of "wait, didn't I have THAT yarn?" and my OCD wouldn't allow me to let it go, I *had* to search through everything and find whatever it was that had crossed my mind. My knitting needles were all over the place, and it was just annoying!

So, today, I pulled out all the various boxes and bins of stuff, and dumped them out and reorg'd! Now I have one big bin of kitchen cloth yarn and kid-related yarn, one big bin of other misc. yarn and left over yarn, two smaller bins of sock yarn (I had to admit that I'd gone beyond the one), a bin of tools, and a bin of random papers/books/patterns. My energy didn't extend to actually sorting those, but at least now they're all in one place. All my needles are together. I ripped out some lingering projects (the damn Berroco Boho scarf which had FALLEN OFF the needles because the yarn is so slick; the Jaywalkers (whoa, looks like it's no longer available on the web, that link is to the Ravelry pattern) that were just never gonna fit). I also have a basket of current stuff, and another bin of "next on the list" projects: a dishcloth (because I have such a ridiculous amount of kitchen cotton), a cable hat for DH, and a hat for the Froggie.

In other news, I've had the joy of (attempting) to teach a couple of folks to knit. One is the 6 year old daughter of a friend (my older son has the world's biggest crush on this wonderful little girl). I got some advice and gave it a try - she did great! She actually sat with me for a good 45 minutes, and seemed to get the knit stitch. We'll see if she sticks with it. Apparently at her school, once a week during recess there is a knitting club, and she's been wanting to go, but since she didn't know at all how to knit, she was too shy.

The other was even more fun, one of my dearest friends in the world (J) was on bedrest for a couple of weeks (knock wood that she stays pregnant a few more weeks), so I forced her to learn offered to teach her to knit. She seemed to really enjoy it, and has been knitting some wonderful swatches. When DS2 and I went to visit her yesterday, I showed up with a small bin of kitchen cotton (even though cotton is harder to work with, I think dishcloths are some good first projects), and she commented "That's a lot of yarn!" I started laughing and thought "You should see the rest of my stash" (which really isn't that big, compared to some!). I'm hoping she'll get addicted and then we can be knitting buddies as well as friends!

And in other OTHER news...we had an ultrasound on Thursday, and everything looks good (still no penis in evidence). I'm starting to dilate and efface, for whatever that's worth (something? nothing? who the hell knows). And, this came to live with us today:

Stepping into New Territory

In more ways than one.

In non-knitting life news, many good things have happened. We sold our condo, so we're now down to one mortgage and one HELOC, and hopefully by tomorrow the condo check will have cleared, so we'll only have one mortgage! Hooray! It's amazing, this has been one of those situations that I didn't even realize how stressful it was, until that stress was lifted. We've had both the euphoria and the post-euphoria crabbiness, so hopefully we'll head into more calm waters now. I also have filled (signed contracts and deposits) my son's coop nursery school classes for next year, which has also been a BIG THING hanging over me. Phew! He's got about 5 more weeks of school and then we're done with all the commuting into Cambridge. We also have about a month before #3 shows up, and we bought a minivan. Yikes.

In knitting news...I finished the Double Braided Cable Scarf. I want to write up the pattern and post it somewhere, in case anyone ever wants to do one! Okay, perhaps finished is the wrong term. I've completed the knitting. I have to weave in the end (not too many) and then...BLOCK IT. I have to confess, I have never blocked anything in my life. I've only knit kid's sweaters, and most of them out of acrylic (I know, the shame of it), which can't be blocked. This scarf, even with the garter stitch edge, is still really pulling in, and I think(?) blocking it would help. The issue is, because it's a new skill set for me, I'm scared to start. I need to do some reading and figure out what I need to do, and how to do it. More on that as I have information.

I told DH that the scarf was really for him, and he got very very happy about it. I'm planning some sort of hat to go with. I can't decide if I want to do a cable hat, even though the cables won't match, or just do a plain watch cap type thing for him. I could just ask him what he'd like, I suppose. (Note: he said "Cable that's different.") I had a nice pattern for the Irish Hiking Hat somewhere (still owe my BIL a remake of that too), so I could do that fairly quickly.

The exciting thing is that this gets me down to TWO projects on needles (plus the "coming home from the hospital" hat that I want to churn out for the Froggie). Both are socks. One is a very vanilla stockinette sock, toe up. I'm almost ready to turn the heel, which is very exciting. The other is Falling Leaves #2, which my son pulled the needle out of, so I need to just start it over.

I also think that nesting may be kicking in because I came very, very close to pulling ALL of my knitting stuff (which is waaaay disorganized) out of the closet and organizing it today. I'd love to do it, maybe next weekend, I won't have time until then.

All sorts of great stuff coming up. DS2 turns 3 (THREE! How did this happen??) on Wednesday. This weekend we're having our 2nd annual Mother's Day Brunch with some friends, out here at the house, so I assume Saturday will be spent cleaning. OH and picking up our new car!! The following weekend is DS2's party, with family and some friends, yay! Since I'll be 38 weeks pg (which happens to be when I actually delivered DS2), we're doing way simple: cake and ice cream cups. It looks like we'll be having either my mom or MIL with us from DS2's party until the birth. Given how much driving I have to do for DS1 right now (150 miles a week), I'm a tad nervous about being alone in the car with the kids, so I think we may call upon our support system to help us out. (I will admit that I'm hoping the Froggie shows up early.) So, all this means, probably not much time for knitting!

ARRGH!!!!

I just made a stupid, stupid mistake on the thing I am sewing, and ruined it. Luckily, I have half the fabric left and can start over but GRRR. I was cutting and just didn't notice that I was doing it ass-backwards!!!

As I just said to my husband (before I even made this error), sewing teaches me a lot about patience and imperfection.

And for a knitting arrgh, my son pulled the needle out of Falling Leaves sock 2. Luckily I hadn't even finished the toe, so I can rip it and start over, but another argh. Green stripy sock #2 is coming along, almost ready to turn the heel.

I have not abandoned you, o my blog!

I just seem to have abandoned knitting.

No, not really, but it sort of feels that way!

I finished the two blankets: the one for the new baby and a smaller blankie for DS2. Neither were particularly interesting, though I should take some done shots. Then, I haven't done anything. Well, that's not true, lots of life stuff, much more driving than I wish, we did some more unpacking with the house, weekends have been packed and busy, so life is really good, but I'm just not feeling the knitting love. The closest I've gotten to knitting is to (a) transfer my knitting stuff from piles and a shopping bag to a pretty basket in the living room and (b) carry around the green stripey sock but not actually work on it.

However, I did have knitting night at the library last night!! I had forgotten until 10 minutes before, and actually motivated myself to go! I can only go to one meeting a month right now, though once I'm no longer on the board of DS1's school, I can go to both meetings, and I plan to! I got there just as it was starting, and reintroduced myself to everyone. I did an entire cable repeat on the cable scarf, and it looks like I'm 1-2 repeats away from finishing, depending on how long I want this to be. It'll need to be blocked, which will be a first for me. I assume you can block super-wash wool, yes? I am so glad I went, and am just feeling happy about being a member of this community.

So, that's it. I've got some sewing projects on the map at the moment: two baby pouches, and I'm debating fabrics for another MT carrier as well. I so shouldn't be ordering anything, but I've got some money saved for a new carrier and I think I'm going to get something really fun and funky. VERY excited!

Blah

I've got the blahs right now.

I'm doing a whole bunch of knit-knit-knit projects: two baby blankets and a stockinette sock. While that's pretty much all I'm capable of at the moment, it's kinda...boring. I have made a vow to finish everything on needles before (a) I can do some sewing projects that are calling to me and (b) I start anything new. Besides the above, there's also a cable scarf and a lace sock that need completion. I'd love to have them done BEFORE the Froggie shows up, but that might be unlikely.

I am going to my parents' house this weekend withOUT the family, and I plan to sit around and knit. And process my dad's bypass surgery as needed, of course. And sleep. I want to sleep a lot. It turns out I'm anemic, which may account for my bone-crushing lethargy of late. I can do what needs to be done, but everything else is falling by the wayside. Like returning phone calls and emails to friends.

Am I allowed to talk about non-knitting crafty stuff here? I've got fabric to make two pouches, and I'm now drooling over some fabric for a mei tai (my baby carrier of choice). Can you tell I'm going to have a baby in a couple of months? :) Oh my god. That's coming up!

Knitting Night

The town we moved to seems to have an actual small knitting culture. There's a real LYS, which seems lovely, and there's a twice-a-month knitting group at the library. I got myself together and went this week. I am *so* glad I did. There were 8 women total, age ranging from me (late 30s) to probably late 60s (maybe early 70s?). The women clearly all knew each other well, but also were very friendly and welcoming. They clearly also have lots of gossip knowledge about the town. There were socks, sweaters, scarves, and a crocheted vest in process. I got the toe finished on my 2nd green stripey sock and started the foot. It was so nice to have a chance just to sit and knit without worrying about someone needing something (I even forgot to bring my cell phone!!), and to be in the company of women (knitting). Sadly, one of the meetings is on the first Wednesday of the month, so until we're done with preschool, I can't make that one because I have board meetings. But I can do the Tuesdays and once we're done with the preschool, I can go to both, and I plan to.

It was definitely moving me out of my comfort zone. I'm pretty social, but it's always hard to walk into a new group. Building a new life in a new place is hard, but the wonderful thing is that I feel like there really is a big life here for me/us, it's just going to take time to build it.

Another FO!

Okay, so TECHNICALLY this isn't, you know, KNITTING, but whatever. I can be cognitively flexible if you can! No really, I can. NO REALLY. Stop laughing. Anyway, moving on.

I bought the fabric for this a couple of days ago, along with fabric for some other projects and today I busted out the sewing machine. The thing about me and crafting is that I sometimes have more enthusiasm than skill. Which is, as I think about, quite a preferable state in some ways to the reverse, right? I only get in trouble when my perfectionism kicks in, and I've spent years in therapy to work on that personality trait.

So this is a blanket for the new baby. The reason I had to get this panel was because when we were at our first u/s for this baby, we had DS2 with us. DH asked him "so, do you think it's going to be a baby sister or a baby brother?" DS2 answered with great authority, "I think it's going to be a FROG!" So, the froggie it is. I thought this panel was adorable without being to cloyingly cutsie (I like sweet, I loathe saccharine). The backing is some sort of plushy fabric (I'm sure it's totally polyester) with little raised hearts on it - borderline for me, but the color worked and it's so soft, so I went for it. The panel was ridiculously expensive, but I sort of had to splurge on it. It's from Joann, which had a surprisingly good selection of cute and not hideous (and not character) kids' fabrics. I feel the urge to sew some flannel blankets for donation. I wish I had serger!!! Maybe I'll save my pennies.

This blanket is definitely not perfect. When I wash and dried the panel, not all of the blocks in the quilting shrank/tightened up evenly, so it went from being flat to puckering. Oh well. Nothing I can do about that. Also, I won't use that same fabric as a backing again, I will definitely use flannel. This one had some stretch to it, and I'm just not an experienced enough sewer yet to do a really good job of backing a non-stretch fabric with a stretch one (or pairing to stretch fabrics, really). My top-stitching isn't perfectly straight, but I did an okay job in this, except I missed the part where I had to catch the edges for the hole I left to turn the work right-side out, so I had to hand-stitch an extra little seam there. It's almost invisible, and DH kept reminding me that the Froggie won't notice, or care. Whate matters is that I made it, and it's pretty cute. And it's done. In a day, no less!

Another FO!

I guess it counts as an FO as I haven't decided if I'm actually going to block it or not. I finished the baby sweater that I talked about here. I ended up doing the cuffs and bands in the purple Tahki Cotton Classic, and I think it works really nicely. I wanted the buttons to contrast, and I think the pink and green are cute. I couldn't decide which ones I liked better, so I went with both!

It's *definitely* not perfect. I put the bottom button on a tad too low, and I am too tired to fix it at the moment, and honestly, I probably never will. The top button hole is really loose for some reason, and I have no idea how to fix it. I just went with simple yo/k2tog buttonholes since these buttons are really small. I am not sure if I picked up too many stitches for the button bads, but I think they're fine. Since I watched the video at knitting help, I found the actual picking up of stitches not so hard, but the whole "pick up 3 stitches for every 4 rows" thing baffled me. There are some other imperfections but overall, I think it's cute, and hopefully this baby will actually turn out to be a girl, so she can wear it. At this point, I'll be honest and admit that I really just don't like knitting sweaters all that much. I am sure that makes me weird, but that's okay! I'm sorta used to it by now.

One other frustration is that my son spilled tea on the coffee table and a little got on the sweater, so I need to pour some boiling water on it and see if it comes out or not. I am not in the mood to do it tonight. Mostly I am just thrilled to have another project (particalrly this one since it was a distraction project anyway!) off needles!!

I really really need to do some NICU knitting, or do something for donation - my soul needs a boost.

A FO with a PICTURE!!

Can you believe it? I found the cord for the camera (it was actually already hooked up to my computer, I don' t know when DH did that!). So, here's at least ONE small sample of what I've been up to.


This was made as a donation for my son's preschool silent auction (this was last year's endeavor). These were knit using Tahki Cotton Classic, no pattern, I just sort of winged them. They were knit using my KnitPicks Options (what else) size 5 needles, magic loop. This is actually the second hat - the first I cast on 72 stitches, which gave me a hat circumference of 12" (I was getting 6 sts/inch), which will work on a very new baby, but not for long. So I redid it with a cast on of 80 sts. I can't remember the length I knit to, about 7"? Then I did decreases starting on 8, every round. I thought it was cute as is, so no i-cord. The socks are 32 stitches, 2x2 rib for the cuffs (about 3.5 inches in length), short-row heel, knit the foot to approx. 3 inches, then the decreases every other row (4/decrease row), and a grafted toe. Very simple and easy, and I had to squeal several times at the cuteness. Can you tell I have baby girls on the brain? :) I may have to bid on them myself.

In other news, because what I really need to be doing is starting a new project, I, um, started something new. DS2 has requested a "green blankie" so we went to Joann's and picked out some Lion Big Fat Chenille (that's not what it's called but I am too lazy at the moment to look it up). He picked the color "basil," which is really pretty. I'm not certain about the yarn, in terms of quality, and how well it will wash, but it was easily available and it's VERY soft and cuddly. At first I was going to crochet something, but I'm not a great crocheter and this yarn is so not a good yarn for a novice crocheter (too fluffy to see what you're doing). Then I just cast on a bunch of stitches and did a random pattern but I didn't like it. So I'm doing YET ANOTHER diagonal eyelet-edged blanket. I've only done a few rows, but I think I'm going to frog it and start over with a slip-stitch edge as I just like that better than the straight garter-stitch edge. I bought two skeins of the yarn, so we'll see how big the thing ends up. It's a snuggly blankie, not an actual "cover you you up and keep you warm while you sleep" blankie, so I don't think it truly matters. But yeah, another garter-stitch blanket. Ah well, they're good zoning out projects.

I also started the second Falling Leaves lace sock. I've not even got the toe done, so I don't feel like I'm in a groove with it. But, I'm in desperate need of socks.

I read somewhere of one knitter's plan to end 2008 without a stash. I so could not do this (my knitting time is so limited) but I think it's a cool idea to try! I can't afford anything right now ayway, and in about 3 months, my knitting time is going to be severely curtailed.

OH! I forgot to mention, I found out that there's an actual real-life yarn store in my new town! AND there's a knitting group at the library, twice a month! If this town had a coffee shop, I think it would be perfect.

Oh my god, it's been a MONTH.

I can't believe I've let so much time go by since updating! Sorry!!

I think it's because I actually have some pictures I want to post, but I haven't gotten them off the camera yet. So, this will be a quick update on the knitting (and life too) and I'll try and get pictures up soon, because really, a knitting blog without pictures is actually sort of boring. And, I've actually been doing a lot of knitting!

I finished something! I did a baby hat and socks for my son's nursery school silent auction fund raiser thing. They came out, IMO, so adorably that I had to squeal just a teeny, tiny bit.

I am closing in on the home stretch of a baby sweater too. This one was kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants sort of project. I had about 1 1/3 skeins of Plymouth Yarn Fantasy Naturale. In looking at the color card, I'm guessing I'm using 9490, which is a pink/aqua/blue-lavender/white multi. I was enamored of this yarn, but now that I've knit a whole sweater with it, I'm sort of over that. It's a bit splitty and rough. I did a top-down, raglan cardigan (this pattern, to be specific). In my usual way, I didn't swatch, and for some reason decided to knit the whole thing on 6s instead of 8s (to make it closer to newborn size? That might have been my rationale). It's pretty small! I was also fairly sure that I wasn't going to have enough yarn, but I just did it anyway. Yay me! I ended up having enough yarn for the body and sleeves. I was at Spark alone on Saturday (totally random moment to myself), and found some Tahki Cotton Classic in three different colors that I thought might work for a contrasting trim. I am not usually the most visual of people, so I was SHOCKED when ALL THREE coordinated beautifully! I picked out two teal/aquas (one lighter, one darker) and a blue-lavender that I thought might work. IT TOTALLY DID! I chose that one, as I'm less of an aqua fan, personally. So, I've done the bottom band, the cuffs, and the neck band so far, and it's quite cute. It's only going to fit this baby for about 30 seconds, but that's okay, I'm having fun. I still have the button band to pick up and knit, and I've got to find good buttons. I foresee a trip to Windsor Button in my near future, once I get the bands done.

Some thoughts. You might note that the Fantasy Naturale and the Cotton Classic are totally different weights. I also noted that, and just chose not to drop down the recommended 2 needle sizes, and I think it works. I don't really like knitting sweaters all that much. I think I prefer knitting things where the whole size pressure isn't so great. I can't imagine making a sweater for myself. Given that I swore I wouldn't do lace, and here I am planning to do a lace shawl, I'm not sure how much weight to give that statement, so take it for what it's worth. I also really really hate picking up stitches. In part this is because I don't *really* know how to do it, and I tend not to like things that make me feel, you know, incompetent. The knitting help video did help in this process. My next baby sweater is definitely going to have an integrated button band, like this one.

In other knitting news...well, I'm just plugging away on the blanket too. I really want to get a lot of stuff done soone, so I can get back to SOCKS SOCKS SOCKS. I've had to throw out three pairs of (machine made) socks recently, so I'm really getting low. I think I need to just do some basic stockinette socks, so I will have something to wear.

In non-knitting news, the new house is awesome (and feeling more like HOME and less like "the new house"), though I have no idea how I'm going to keep it clean. Our condo is on the market (*crosses fingers*). Commuting to Cambridge is a pain, but it's nice to have a chance to keep in touch with people. I have a feeling that once we're not going in for DS1's preschool anymore, we really won't be going in much. Pregnancy is progressing. I popped a couple of weeks ago, and all of a sudden I'm really looking pregnant. I also started seeing a chiropractor a couple of weeks ago, so I'm no longer in agony, limping all over the place. That's a good thing. I still need to find a dentist, a local pediatrician, a vet, etc., but at least my back doesn't hurt anymore.

Okay, I'm off to take a bath and go to bed. No knitting for me tonight.

Because this IS what I need to be doing right now.

I started a new project. A baby sweater. This is foolish for a number of reasons. I have lots of projects going or needing to go already. Then there's the whole, I'm really not sure if I have enough of the yarn to make this sweater. I have 1 full skein (100 grams) plus another 33 grams. The yarn is Fantasy Naturale by Plymouth Yarns, in 9490. I am currently OBSESSED with this yarh. I want to knit many things from this yarn. I love it. I am planning on ordering some skeins of 9701 from Patternworks. I haven't decided if I want to knit a sweater and hat or a blanket...I am thinking sweater/hat, because it's more likely they'll get done. What do you think? But I digress.

So anyway, I'm really not convinced I have enough of the 9490 to do a whole sweater, so I'm thinking about ordering some coordinating solid to do the sleeves and button band, but which color? The pink looks a little dark, I'm not a big fan of aqua, and they don't have a light lavender, just the lilac which looks to be the wrong purple. Any suggestions? Well, actually the 2576 might work (Patternworks calls it baby blue, but Yarndex calls it Lavender). I could just order a couple of different things and return (HA HA!) the one that doesn't work right?

And, because I'm me and just like to jump blindly into projects without adequate preparation, I am sure the sizing of this is going to be weird. I'm using this pattern, but I'm doing it on 6s instead of 8s for some reason that I cannot adequately articulate but I actually had one. So, perhaps it will be too small? But the Fantasy Naturale is a heavy worsted, so maybe it'll be too big? Well, it'll fit the frog sometime, right? Right!

What does this say about me?

I am dreaming about yarn. And knitting. I've had several of these dreams of late, it's interesting. I am currently obsessing over yarn, and wanting to knit things for the new baby. And crochet blankets. It's odd. I'm not a very good crocheter. I saw a crocheted blanket in a yarn store a long time ago and LOVED it, and cannot for the life of me remember what it looked like. I have learned this lesson, I think. If I am mesmerized by something in a store, I need to acquire the pattern immediately, because I will need to knit it someday. Or crochet it, apparently.

But these dreams. Mainly in them I'm looking at yarn, which is something I like to do, so it's pleasant. The best one though, was the one in which I was sorting my sock yarn stash, and I kept finding pairs of socks I had knit!! It was funny, they were mostly in colors I don't actually like all that much (a lot of brown for example) but I was so psyched! I adore wearing handknit socks, and I don't have that many pairs completed yet, so clearly my subconscious wants me to knit more socks. OR! Hmm. Maybe it's related to the fact that there's a lot of brown in the new house, but I love it here. I don't know!

Still plugging away on the blanket, that's all I got brain for right now.

Increases are DONE!

I have a baby blanket that's been languishing for, oh, a long time now. It's a simple, diagonal, garter stitch thing, in Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille in Painted Iris (and oh, how I love it, it's soooo pretty!). Garter stitch is about all I am capable of right now, just remembering to do the YO at the beginning of the row is almost more than I can handle right now. But, in our new house (!!), the boys' bedroom/playroom is upstairs. We put the love seat in there too (this room is HUGE), so I can hang out in there and supervise, since most playing turns to tears right now. So, I'm getting some knitting done (instead of random internet surfing). I finished the increases on the blanket today! I've got plenty of time to finish this, but I'd really like it off needles soon, so I can move on to something else. I've got a couple of second socks to finish. Well, to start and THEN finish, but who's counting. Oh yeah, I am. Plus some other things that I can't even remember right now. Scarf. Hat for BIL for his ginormous head. Other stuff too, maybe.

Can you tell that I am feeling a bit strung out from this whole move thing? We had 1 weekend to get settled and then life kicked back in, so I'm sort of reeling a bit.

I am wearing my felted clogs every single day because it's damn cold in this new house, and because I am wearing hand knit socks often (my sock collection is pathetic, I tell you) and I read somewhere that socks wear out because you wear them without shoes or slippers and I want to prevent that because the clogs are cheaper and quicker to knit, so I figure wear out the clogs to protect the socks, right? I think the next pair I do, I'll do in a neutral grey entirely. The purple are awesome, and I do wear a ton of purple but not everything is, like my pj's, so they sort of clash. It does seem a tad odd to me that a woman who lives in jeans and casual clothes, and wears absolutely no makeup, actually cares about whether her slippers match her pajamas, but there you have it. I care.

Still here...sorta.

We survived the move. All my various craft things are now gathered in one place (the ENORMOUS closet in the office), which is not as horrifying as one might think. It all fits. I had ONE day so far where I've done some knitting, and I eve completed something! Okay, it was just a garter stitch washcloth, and I haven't managed to cut off the yarn so it's still on the needle with one stitch, but HEY. It's something. No, I can't take a picture. That would require knowing where the camera is (I might be able to lay hands on it), knowing where the cords to connect said camera to the computer are (again, I think I do, but really, who can be sure), and most importantly, it would be having MY computer set up which it isn't. My personal hardware slave (aka DH) claims that MY computer will be plugged directly into the something-or-other and will therefore not be a SLOW as this molasses wireless connection I currently have going on. Besides, the washcloth just isn't that interesting.

The euphoria of having accomplished this move is wearing off, and leaving in its wake a feeling that is quite familiar for someone who has moved 14 times in the last 16 years (including two moves to CA, one move to WI, and 3 moves to Boston). I can't quite articulate the feeling, but it's that sort of "oh yeah, reality" thing. We didn't move THAT far, so we'll still see our friends, sometimes, but really. It's hard enough to see people when you live 10 minutes from them. When you live 45 minutes (without traffic), it gets much harder. We need to establish a life here, friends here, a community here, and I *know* that we will. But it just takes time. This is a crappy time of year to meet people anyway, it's too cold to be hanging outside. My kids are incredibly needy right now, I'm realizing that I'm going to be seeing less of my husband, what with the whole commute thing, and we're buried in boxes of crap. Oh, and we still own the condo. So, yeah, I had a meltdown yesterday, but I think I'm back on track. The house is awesome, so much less stressful than the condo, I'm in RUTHLESS GET RID OF STUFF mode, which always feel good (except for yarn, of course, I mean, come on), so there's good stuff too.

And I'm going to end this entry because this stupid computer is so slow, it can't keep up with my typing and it's making me insane.

And I'm thinking about crocheting a blanket. What do you think?

Absolutely No Knitting Content

None.

Instead, I am deep in packing up the condo. We're surrounded by a sea of boxes, not to mention anxious cats and anxious kids. Good times!

I boxed up most of my yarn (and rediscovered some AWESOME stash! Socks, socks, I must knit socks!). My current projects bin is taped up and will be moved. I have two smaller bins (one for tools and one for some purpose that I can't remember but now also has yarn in it) to get loaded up. I've got my sewing things to pack up (well, many things to pack up).

So yeah, no knitting. I'm a bit too tired and stressed and sadly, I think the knitting content may be sort of slim here for a while.

But, the move will get done, the new house is AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL, and life is great, even if I'm feeling stressed!