Something to show!

So I downloaded a new iphone app that lets me upload photos I take on my phone to flickr. And now I have something to show! (I wish there was a Blogger app that would let me take photos and upload them via the phone directly to Blogger. But hey, at least I'll finally get some photos on to Flickr now. For some reason taking the pics with my camera, downloading them to the computer, uploading them to flickr and then pasting into Blogger is a huge pain. Too many steps. I need fewer steps.)

So anyway, here's a pair of super plain basic socks I made. The yarn is Storm Moon Knits Twilight Sock in Purple Rain. Love this yarn! Love the colors and the stripes and the yarn base. I knit on US size 2, unusual for me who can easily knit socks on size 0s (not that I knit them easily on size 0s, bu that I knit loose and size 0s are usually my best bet). So size 2s were awesome!



Bought the yarn at Spinster Yarns & Fibers in Baltimore, Maryland. She had some Storm Moon Knits left the last time I was there, but maybe only in worsted weight. The dyer is no longer dying so this is hard to come by yarn.

And here is a progress shot of my Morning Glory Wrap by Anne Hanson. I started this the day before I went into labor last July. I was hoping that starting a new shawl would inspire the baby to be born that day. I wasn't far off! This is knit in two halves and then grafted in the center. This is the second half. Almost done! I knit the first half during my maternity leave while baby H napped and played on his activity nap. I had to put it aside for several months b/c I didn't have the energy or awaked-ness for the pattern. It's not really hard. But you do have to pay attention on both sides. And there are some nasty purl three togethers through the back loop. Ugh.



So there has been much tinking and ripping, but since I decided to only knit on it when I had time alone, it's gone much better.

Eh, cell phone pictures are kind of crap aren't they? Still better than no photos.

Secret Pal 14

I signed up for my first Secret Pal swap. Now I need to start blogging again! I've been wanting to do a swap for a while and decided to take the plunge.

Anyone else in?

I've been knitting a lot. But it's somehow too much to get pictures taken, off the camera, uploaded to Flickr and then posted here.

Since Jan., I've completed a hat, some socks and a shawl.

On the needles: a shawl I started the day before I went into labor last July. It's knit in two halves and then grafted at the center. I knit the first half while on maternity leave and picked up the second half this spring. Almost done, but I might run out of yarn.

Just started the Outside In pattern from the summer Knitty. I am using Lime and Violet Intentions yarn in "balance." So soft, so pretty.

I've got a vest for H in the works, but not do motivated to finish b/c he won't wear it until Fall. And I've got some basic socks in the works too.

It's all very pretty! I hope to get some pics soon. I've actually been posting pics to Facebook more than here b/c it's super easy to take a pic with my iPhone and upload to Facebook (granted the photos aren't the best quality, but it's better than nothing). If you want to connect with me a Facebook, add me as a friend! If you're not sure how to find me, search Theresa + Baltimore and I'll pop up. I don't want to list my last name on this blog.

Quickie

I've been busy. Neglecting the blog. Am spending all my time on Facebook, Ravelry,
Twitter, and Plurk (tawitham for those two if you want to chat there. though on Twitter I pretty much just lurk b/c I am following and followed by some work people and I don't want to piss off knitters with work stuff and work people with knitting stuff. Should probably do a separate account.).

Here's some stuff I knit last fall.



Whoops. I actually knit that hat last spring/summer before Henry was born. But here he is finally modeling it. Now it's almost too small. It's Reversible hat by Debbie Bliss in the book

Essential Baby. The yarn is two skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Dyed Cotton. I have some leftovers of both colors, enough to make some stripey baby/kid socks someday. Yarn purchased at Spinster Yarns & Fibers in Baltimore, Maryland.

This is a simple cowl I made in November. I knit three other cowls for Christmas gifts. Pics taken, but not loaded onto Flickr yet. Wish I could zap them directly from camera to Flickr, but my tiny camera does not have such awesome capabilities. This is a very basic cowl modeled after

knit COWL by Sophia Sallas-Brookwel, which is a free Ravelry download. I fell in love with this yarn-- Farmhouse Yarns Lumpy Bumpy Yarn-- at Spinsters and several skeins came home with me (and were eventually knit up into Christmas cowls). I have more. Might make some mittens with the leftovers. I love, love, love this yarn.

Finally, my Roza's Socks by Grumperina in the Spring 07 IK. Yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in Chinatown Apple purchased at Lovelyarns in Baltimore. Great yarn, great pattern. Love!

Shetland Triangle

I wanted to get a photo of me wearing this before I blogged about it. But it's been done since August and that hasn't happened yet. I've worn it. But never remember to get out the camera.





I finished this Shetland Triangle (pattern in Wrap Style) July 5, just before Henry was born. I blocked it in August with my new Knit Picks lace blockers (awesome!). I love this shawl. It is so pretty. The yarn is Handmaiden Sea Silk, one jumbo skein that Larissa bought for my b-day in 2007. Normally the skeins are about 400 meters (437 yards) but mine was 600 meters (about 650 yards). There was some mixup somewhere and Handmaiden ended up with bigger skeins for a limited time. Lucky for me b/c this allowed me to do 13 repeats of the pattern to make it a nice sized shawl.

This was meant to be a nursing shawl. But the first time Henry spit up, I realized that sea silk plus baby is a bad idea.

Baby Yoda

I meant to post this before Halloween ... but Henry got sick and we were traveling to Wisconsin for a wedding.

So this is late.

I saw the patterns for a baby Yoda hat and sweater on Ravelry last spring and had to knit it for Henry's first Halloween. It was a surprise for G who loves Star Wars. He's not quite so dorky that he dresses up in costume to attend the movie premiers (nothing wrong with that. But have you seen the Triumph the Insult Comic Dog bit where he goes to a Star Wars premier? Funny, funny stuff). But he's is dorky enough that on our first date, which was six months before the final Star Wars movie came out, he spent a good amount of time outline his predictions for the movie.

So where was I? Saw the patterns, went to Cloverhill in June (last yarn store visit before H was born) and picked up some Plymouth Galway for the hat and Mission Falls superwash wool for the sweater. I knit them in Aug. and Sept. during my break.

This one we call "Yoda Strong With Force."



Here's "Yoda Smiling."



And finally, "Yoda, Adorable"



As you can see the hat is floppy. And it felted both a bit too big (around) and too small (too short). I didn't soak the ears in a glue/water mixture that the pattern suggests to stiffen them. No time. But I probably would next time.

The sweater is great. I didn't get to the icord ties. Probably won't since he'll outgrow this in about two minutes. But it's been serving as a nice fall jacket/sweater for him.

I did other knitting and blocking on my leave! I'll show that ... sometime.

He's Here!

Henry Michael was born July 8 at 9:59 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds 10.5 ounces and was (and is still) 21.5 inches long.

My water broke Monday night at 11 p.m. But I wasn't having contractions. We called the doctor who said to take our time coming in, so we ordered pizza (carbs! yeah!), packed up all the last minute items and took a nap.

Still no contractions when we got to the hospital at 5 a.m. The midwife and residents immediately mentioned starting me on pitocin to get things going. But I really wanted to go naturally, so I asked to be allowed to walk for a bit first. My awesome doctor said that was fine.

Our doula Dawn arrived and we walked the hall for about two hours. Still no effective contractions and my doctor said it was time to start the pitocin. So my hope of going all natural died then. But, I did want to get things going. I was afraid that if we waited too much longer, I'd end up with a c-section.

The thing with pitocin is you have to be hooked up the fetal monitor at all times. So, I couldn't use the bathtub or shower to relieve contractions, which are also supposed to be more intense on pitocin. I can't compare to non-pitocin contractions, but I'll just say that they were strong enough! And I didn't end up feeling the really big ones. In the beginning, I was able to get off the bed and use a birth ball and rocking chair. The chair was great. I was totally in the zone for a while. Until Henry started going in and out on the monitor. Then they wanted to have me stay on the bed to be in the best position for the monitor. This was late afternoon, I think.

The bed was a bad place for me to labor. The contractions were so much more intense there than on the chair. I just couldn't do it. This sweet young doctor, maybe another resident?, with the best curly hair stopped in and asked how my epidural was. I told her her I didn't have one but asked if I wanted one, would I have to wait long? She looked at me and said I could have it whenever and that I shouldn't feel like a failure or less of a woman for needing it. I wish I could remember her name ... I think it was Dr. Silversteen ... I want to write her a thank you. That little pep talk really helped. I told G that I couldn't do it and he was so supportive, telling me that whatever I needed was fine. And my doula also told me I was making the right decision since my labor was lasting so long.

I knew I made the right decision as soon as the drugs hit me! I zoned out for the rest of the evening. So when the nurses started setting up the room w/ the baby table and the tools, I thought they are being overly optimistic. But the amazing night nurse Rachelle came in a little after 9 and told me I was ready, I didn't believe her. My doctor didn't believe her either, but she examined me and pronounced that I was indeed ready. From there everything went so fast. They got me in position. G and Dawn grabbed my legs and they told me to push. Luckily I didn't have a problem pushing (sometimes the epidural can make it difficult). The baby didn't mind waiting around all day, but in the end he practically flew out! Only about 20 minutes of pushing.

Sigh. And then he was there on my chest and I just kept saying "baby, baby, baby" and kissing him.

It was a good day.

Other things I want to remember about that day: Much earlier G heard the cries of a baby being born and got all choked up. After his car accident six years ago, he didn't think he'd have a normal life and there he was sitting in the hospital waiting for his son to be born. Whenever I think about him saying that and how happy he was looking down at our child, I just bawl.

Ok, that's a start. I'll probably keep thinking of things to add, but I wanted to get this written down before it becomes too fuzzy in my mind.

Now, I've got to get back to that adorable baby, who's been rocking with his dad for the past hour.

Wrapping Up

I have been busy, busy at work, trying to get everything in order before I go on maternity leave. And I've been busy at home getting everything set up. The room is done. The house is reasonably clean. We prepared four casseroles on Sunday night! This morning I woke up early feeling the urge to fold all the laundry and clean up the kitchen, so I did that and still had time to knit before starting to work.

And this week, I've felt the urge to get my knits in order too.

But before I go into that, I need to give a big THANK YOU to dear Sarah for this adorable baby quilt. I saw it on her blog a while back and was so surprised when it ended up on my door! Thank you, Sarah. Everyone who has seen it loves it and thinks baby H will be so cozy under the soft fabrics.



His room is ready. G put together a ton of furniture! We have a rocking chair due today so he'll have one more project this weekend. We made up lists and went shopping and now have all the little baby essentials (I hope! If not drugstore.com is our friend).

I've started packing my bag for the hospital. I've got the essentials like clothes, and also a few extras: Hostess fruit pies for post delivery (I have gestational diabetes so sugary snacks are out for the time being. But post delivery I think I'll be allowed!); some magazines, an iPod full or good songs, some podcasts, maybe an audio book or two; essential oils for calming; and yarn! I decided to pack a ball of fluffy pink eyelash yarn that I got at a stash a year or two ago. It's been destined for my four-year-old niece. She will love it. And it will be a super easy thing to knit--if I feel inclined to knit that is.

I also have a bunch of pictures from my honeymoon and my garden to use as my focal points when the contractions get really bad. When I first read about using focal points during labor, I immediately thought about the incredible blue water at Cape Cod and the gorgeous gardens we saw there. Plus when I was going through all the pictures, I came across one of the blue malabrigo I bought on my honeymoon. I had to have it b/c the blue was the same color as the water. So that picture is coming along too. We'll see if it helps!



Oh and the WIP organization (I need to have this written down so that I can reference in a few months when I look at my projects and go "huh?" where was I at again?):

One pair of DK weight socks: almost to heel of second one.

One pair of Roza's Socks: Almost ready to start heel on first sock. But first I need to go back and remove extra yarn over on last needle. Then I need to do the heel based on my 72 stitches, not the 60 stitches in the pattern.

One Shetland Lace Shawl: almost finished 12 repeat of body (that's more than the 8 called for in the pattern). I may have enough yarn to do one more repeat before the edge. We'll see. (I frogged this last Thursday and started knitting it again on Friday. I needed a bit of time to accept my mistake and let it go. Now it's flying again and I have almost forgotten that it's the second attempt.)

One baby duffel coat: finished knitting. Just need to seem up.

That's it! Oh, well and a few projects that need blocking (and thanks to you two dears who offered to help with my Hemlock Ring blocking issues!)

So, I am feeling pretty ready. I would like to finish the lace shawl if I can. I've been knitting that and the DK basic sock currently. I did take a break to whip up a garterlac dishcloth!

But I alternate between the shawl and the sock. The sock is my doctor appointment project and I also work on it a bit every day while I sit on my birth ball. I can't knit the lace on the ball. But I have been doing about one chart repeat a night, so there is a good chance that I'll get it done. Especially with a long weekend ahead.

I am ready. Though one more three-day weekend just me and G with no chores, no furniture to put together, just three days to relax and be together as we get ready for the next stage of our lives would be wonderful. So listen here, little H, Sunday night works for me. What about you?

Oh, and here's a few pics from my garden. It hasn't been my top priority, but G has been taking care of everything!

Setbacks

In the past week, I've had a couple of knitting setbacks. Well, the first isn't a setback so much as a delay. A long delay.

I tried to block my Hemlock Ring blanket. I soaked it in the machine. Then I took it upstairs to pin out on my blocking surface: a spare queen-sized mattress on the floor in what will become the baby's room.

First problem: I ran out of needles about halfway through. Bigger problem: I ran out of stamina for bending over on the floor about halfway through. The belly is just too big for me to be kneeling or bending for that long. So I here's a photo of the blocked side. I think I'll have to re-block this after the baby is born ... if I can find time. Another idea: someone on Ravelry blocked her Hemlock Ring by having it steamed at the dry cleaner. That sounds tempting, but also a little scary.



What is the best way to block a circle? I started in the middle and worked by way around and out. But that was so fiddly that I then started at the edges and worked my way around. I don't think that would have worked all that great either though if I had actually gone all the way around. Oh well. This thing probably won't be properly blocked until the fall I guess.

Second and sadder setback: I was happily working along on my Shetland Triangle shawl. I was being super careful. I had a lifeline. I counted the stitches in every even row to make sure I hadn't missed a yarn over or something in the previous pattern row. I had memorized the pattern repeat. I had just finished the fifth chart repeat when I just glanced again at the chart. And somehow saw for the first time that it isn't supposed to be knit in garter stitch. There's a two-stitch garter border but that's why it's a border b/c there rest is stockinette. I don't how I missed this. It seems so obvious, but I was just so happily knitting along and paying attention to the yarn overs and increases and decreases that I really didn't look at the regular stitches.



I am so bummed. I still haven't ripped it out. I've been knitting on the Duffel Coat baby sweater while I stew about this obvious and stupid mistake. Err. It was going pretty fast so I know I can start over. But I hate all that wasted knitting time. I really wanted to have this done before the baby's born. And I should still be able to do it with five weeks to go. But still, errr.

Not Shopping

So today is my birthday. And instead of buying myself a present, I've decided that my special b-day treat will be to go down to my yarn stash and pick out something new to cast on.

I mean, I want to buy myself a present. The new knitpicks catalog came today and I am in love with the lace samplers on the back cover. I want the sunset one to do a gradient shawl! But, I am inspired by Laurie Perry's (aka Crazy Aunt Purl) recent posts about consumerism and not buying unnecessary stuff. I don't think I can be as extreme as she is going to be. We do after all need to buy stuff for the baby. He doesn't need a lot, but he does need some frivolous items, like toys. But b/c we have to buy stuff for him, they'll be less for other random spending. Like yarn.

Besides, I have been very good this year about not buying impulse yarn and I'd like to keep that up! (you have no idea how hard it was to resist the Webs sale. So glad it's over!) Yes, I did just buy a bunch of baby yarn. But that was to make specific items and I have already cast on and/or finished two of them. And I bought a skein of Cascade Eco Plus. But again, that was to make the Hemlock Ring blanket, which is done (though still not blocked).

I think that is all the yarn I have bought in 2008, maybe even since Stitches East last Oct. (My memory of Nov-Jan. is a bit fuzzy though. It seems like all I did was sit on the couch and try not to puke. I wasn't knitting then, so I can't imagine that I bought yarn ....)

Anyway, the point is, I have not purchased impulse yarn for a long time. And the knitpicks lace sampler would definitely be impulse yarn. It would arrive, I would pet it, but then it would go straight into a plastic storage bin and stay there until who knows when. I have lots of pretty lace in my bins. I can go take a dive and pick something yummy out to cast on tonight! Or maybe I want to start a sweater? I haven't officially joined any "knit from your stash" alongs or anything, but this year, I have been really trying to look at what I have, what I want to make and see how the two can intersect.

More on not spending: I am trying to convince myself that I can last with just one pair of maternity shorts that I found on clearance at Target for $4.24. I also have two maternity skirts and two pairs of gauchos/capri yoga pants. That is five summer bottoms. And do I need maternity tank tops? I have managed to get by w/o a lot of maternity clothes b/c I work at home and just wore my sweats up until now. Those sweats are starting to get a) too hot and b) too small. Plus there is this long dress at Target that looks so lovely and cool. There is just something nice about putting on a long dress in the summer. Hmmmm.

Oh god, I just remembered that I need to buy a breast pump. Since H will have to go to day care full time (sad), I'll need to get an expensive electronic one. Maybe no Target dress.

So today is my birthday and I don't need to buy myself a present. I got a lovely necklace from my in-laws. And some cute cards. And I know my husband is giving me two watches (but I haven't seen them yet!). My boss gave me a gift card to a local garden store (she searched on line for something local to me and discovered a great shop called Poor Boys.) I already spent the gift card, but I think I'm going back this weekend to get a hydrangea. I know! More spending! But the front of our house needs some curb appeal and I know I can't do it all at once, but one hydrangea and some mulch will go a long way and next year we can add something else.

Ok, so no yarn presents, but maybe some maternity shorts, a dress and a hydrangea. And! I get to go play in my stash and pick out a new project. I am off to do that now before G comes home to cook me his delicious cilantro laced burgers on the grill.

Start of a Layette

It's been a gorgeous weekend here in Baltimore and I got lots done! But was still able to relax and feel like I was having a mini vacation, or staycation since we stayed home.

We worked in the garden. I love working in the garden, but sometimes I get so impatient and want to do everything RIGHT NOW! But a garden evolves over years ... especially this year as my belly gets in the way a bit. But even though I want to tackle the hill in the front yard and so something cool like a rock garden or wildflowers, or a rock garden AND wildflowers, I just have to be patient and know that we'll get to it, eventually.

What I did do was plant flowers, and one small cherry tomato plant, in pots. And weeded. Just doing that already makes the yard look so much prettier.

G's been busy too. He put together a changing table, dresser and crib. And he's been painting banisters and painting some super secret project that I am not supposed to know about, but I know involves making a frame for one or our posters.

Plus we managed to chill on our porch each night and had a fire in our fire pit last night.

And I've been knitting. I've got the start of a layette going.





Here's a blanket I made a while back. The yellow is by Lucci. It's an eyelash yarn, but the fibers aren't as long as something like fun fur. It's more matted. And it is the softest yarn ever. I bought this three years ago at the Yarn Garden in Annapolis. Before I was even engaged. Long before baby H was even an idea. I touched the yarn and had to have it.

The blue is Berroco Plush Colors, another sort of matted nylon yarn. It isn't as plush as the Lucci, but I didn't have enough of that for a big blanket. So I thought I'd do stripes. I bought this about two years ago at Woolstock in Glydon. By that time I was engaged. So baby H was maybe a distant idea, but I think I just wanted to have enough yarn to make a baby blanket at some point for some baby. Not necessarily my own.

It's knit on the diagonal in garter stitch. Super easy. I weaved all the ends in at one of the Baltimore Knitting Meetup's Tue. night knits a few weeks ago.

The second item is a hat that I just love.



It's the reversible hat from Essential Baby by Debbie Bliss.



The yarn is Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Dyed Cotton that I bought at Spinster Yarns & Fibers Shop. (Aside: love this shop! It opened a few months ago in Baltimore and is very close to my house. It's my most local LYS. I can't wait to go again.)

So the yarn was totally a different gauge from the Debbie Bliss yarn the pattern calls for. I adjusted the numbers to make it about the right size for a 6-9 month baby. We'll see. Hopefully it will fit him sometime in the winter b/c it is a warm hat. Even with the cotton, it's thick b/c it's basically two hats. The pattern was a bit lame as it had you knitting the hats flat, sewing them up then sewing together. So I knit the first hat flat. But then I picked up stitches for the second, inner, hat and knit it it in the round. Much happier with that. I just love the colors!

And third, is a WIP shot of the sweater I started for H. It's just a sleeve so far.



It's the Duffle Coat from Essential Baby. The yarn is Berroco Comfort DK that I bought at Lovelyarns in Hampden. (One Saturday in April, I went on a mini yarn crawl to find baby yarns. I hit up Lovelyarns and then Spinsters Yarns.)

The Comfort is a very nice acrylic. Very soft. And machine wash and dry. Very important! I like it. Not sure if I could knit an adult sweater with it though. It is still a bit "squeaky." We'll see how I feel when I finish this sweater.

And lest you think I've only been knitting baby stuff, here's the Hemlock Ring Blanket that I knit (but haven't blocked).



I started this on April 12 and cast off on May 16. But I have not yet blocked it. Maybe this week or next weekend. The wool is Cascade Eco Plus (which is the Ecological wool that's been dyed). I had about a skein left over from a sweater so I used it to start the afghan and bought one more skein from Webs. Fun pattern! I really enjoyed this. Up until I cast off and it took two or three nights just to do the cast off row. I am eager to see it blocked out. I am not sure what I am going to do with this project. While I really enjoy working w/ the Eco wool, I think it will be too scratchy for me to snuggle under. Plus, we have so many lap blankets here (my mom quilts) that we don't need another one. So I might give it away maybe for Christmas. Maybe for a friend's wedding in the fall.

I think this is the first time that I just wanted to knit the item for the fun of knitting it, not for the finished object. It was on in my queue for awhile, but when I saw that the Columbia Sip-n-Knit (a meetup.com group) was doing a knit-a-long, I decided to join in. (I can't sing the praises of this group enough! Denise, the organizer of the KAL, had bound copies of the pattern, plus charts and info from the Webs "Ready Set Knit" podcast knit-along. And she gave each of us a set of stitch markers and a lifelong kit, with needle and cotton thread. Wow! Plus the group is made up of lots of lovely knitters! Since I live a 40-minute to an hour drive from Columbia, I don't attend the Wed. night meetups very often. But I've been following along online and on Ravelry.)

So now I am down to just one project (well ... I do have two pairs of socks ... but does that count?). Once I get a bit farther into the sweater I want to start a shawl for myself. I am thinking a nursing shawl for the summer in this Sea Silk would be perfect.



But what pattern? Maybe the Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark from Wrap Style? Someone on Ravelry knit it with just one skein of Sea Silk. Something rectangular might be good too. I'll have to explore some more. But if anyone has ideas, please share!

Article: Sheep Shearers

The New York Times has an interesting article about sheep shearing in its online edition today. I'm not sure how long the articles are available for free before entering the NY Times archives, so check it out soon!

I did a fair amount of knitting on a new lace wrap this week, but I think I am going to frog it and start a different pattern instead. I'm not sure if I like the pattern I am currently using. So it's sitting on my couch while I try to decide. I hate ripping. But I don't want to continue working on this if I am only going to decide to rip later. So instead I'll let it sit while I contemplate.

I had a lot of knitting time this week cause G was in the hospital for three nights! He had throat surgery to remove his tonsils plus a bunch of other tissue and the uvlea (which is a word I can hardly say, much less spell ... that thing that hangs down in the back of your mouth) last week and starting bleeding early Sunday morning so we headed to the ER. I thought they'd fix him up and end him home, but they admitted him instead for three nights. I was so glad to get him home on Wed. I suppose it was good that the doctors were being cautious in keeping him there, but at the same time the hospital, so dry and hot and uncomfortable, is not a good place to recover. And he couldn't eat anything for a couple of days so he came home all week and tired. But he's so much better today. He's able to speak w/o as much pain (a female coworker told him that having her tonsils out was about as painful as childbirth ... I know he was in a lot of pain for several days. I am not trying to belittle that ... but I think my chatty husband's inability to speak for a few days was also difficult for him to swallow, pardon the awful pun.)

Today we are going to chill at home and play games and just relax. We both need a nice, calm day.

I think I will rip that shawl.

Thank Goodness for 6 p.m. Sunshine!

When I stopped working at 6:00 tonight, I realized the sun was shining and I could finally take photos of some knitting.

I have two FOs to show you.



First is my brand new house shawl. It's just a basic triangle shawl, knit in Noro Blossom, which was my first ever Noro purchase, at Stitches East 06 in Baltimore. I liked the yarn in the skein better than knit up. The color repeats were a bit short for a striped triangle shawl. But when I look at this picture, I think the stripes look OK afterall. Funny how I notice it in the photo more than in person. Must be because I am too busy wearing it! I started the shawl in August I think. I was getting ready for Stitches 07 and I wanted to use up most of the yarn I bought the year before. I had three options: the Noro, some laceweight or sock yarn. I decided that the Noro shawl would knit up the fastest and be the cosiest for the winter. And it did knit up fast. I probably would have finished in Sept. if I had just gotten off my ass right away and ordered longer cables for my Knit Picks Options. Halfway through the shawl, I decided it would be easier if I had a longer cable. And it was! But I didn't actually ORDER the cable until Dec., when I wasn't knitting.

But, when I started feeling like knitting again last month, I picked this up and it practically finished itself. True, it's been warming up here, but it is still chilly in the mornings and evening and this is great to throw over my shoulders when I feel the chill. (It is especially good at keeping my boobs warm, important now b/c they still hurt like hell if I get too cold! Thanks pregnancy.)

The second FO is this scarf for my father-in-law in Brooks Farm Riata, purchased at Stitches East 07. It was meant to be a Christmas present and it only had about 30 rows to go but I really couldn't touch it after mid Nov. So, now I've got a Christmas present all ready for next year! Jealous?



Oh, you see some ends that need weaving do you? Yeah, yeah, I haven't woven in the ends of either project yet. Or blocked for that matter. I don't think I'll block the shawl. Doesn't seem to need it. I'll probably lightly block the scarf to straighten out the edges. And yes, I will weave in those ends. I'm just waiting until I have one more project done and then I'll weave. It will be like an ends-weaving-in party. You want to come, I can tell.

This last item is an almost FO. Or the FO that just keeps going. It's the Easy Flame Lace Scarf by Wendy Bernard of Knit N Tonic. The yarn is Malabrigo lace weight. (my favorite new yarn!) This was also meant to be a Christmas present, for my step-mother-in-law. See, they were going to get his and hers scarves! I started this in Aug. or Sept. and was making great progress. Oh well. I can either save it for next Christmas, or give it to her in April for her birthday. But is April too springy for a scarf?



See this tiny ball of yarn? That's all that's left. I just have to knit til the end of this and I'll be done! But it is the never-ending ball.



Thanks to all the nice comments on my last post about being pregnant! I'm doing really good. He's moving around a lot, which is fun and sometimes distracting (like at 4 a.m.). As soon as I finish the red scarf, I am going to start something baby!

Resurfacing

So I just reread my last post, from before Thanksgiving! and remembered how tired I was when I wrote that.

All I could think about was all that upcoming travel and I was so tired and just thinking about it made me even more tired.

Basically, all I wanted to do for the past three months was sit on the couch and stare at the wall, or watch TV. But just staring at the wall was fine.

Ok, this sounds terrible. But it's really good! I am pregnant! About 19 works along! The first three months sucked. Sucked big time. I come from a long line of women who get really bad morning (noon and night) sickness. I remember my mom staying in bed for the first three months when she was pregnant with my youngest brother. And an aunt had to be on an IV during her first few months b/c she could not keep anything down. Her family moved in with my grandparents while she was so sick. She remembers them creeping in to check on her to make sure she was still alive.

So, I have bad morning sickness genes! But it wasn't nearly as bad as either of those examples. I know it could have been worse. Yes, I did puke, but not every single day. But I felt nauseated most of the time and wanted very little to do with food of any kind.

But beyond the puking and not wanting to eat, I was just amazed at the fatigue. A doctor friend of mine said early pregnancy is equivalent to climbing a mountain as far as the stress on the body. Yikes!

I couldn't knit. I couldn't read much. Seriously, on my long ass flight to Hawaii in Dec. I didn't read much or knit a thing. I couldn't keep up with Ravelry. I did read some blogs but I rarely commented. All my typing energy had to be saved for work, or something. :) I could barely hold a conversation.

But finally, I feel like I am resurfacing. I am starting to feel good again and like I can participate in my life again. I haven't puked for about a week and half (woo hoo!) and don't feel sick unless I haven't slept well.

Today was great! We found out it's a boy! A little boy. Now I can start knitting something for him. I tell you, I wouldn't have had anything to post on this blog anyway b/c I couldn't knit. The movement made me sick. From mid. November until Jan., I think I knit a total of 10 rows. I had several projects in the works back then (including a few Christmas gifts that will be almost ready for next year now!) and I recently picked up a few again.

I've had the itch to do knit for the baby, but was waiting until I found out the sex. I need ideas! I have some good blanket yarn I bought years ago just because it was sooo soft. But it's really fluffy, so better for a floor blanket vs. a bundling blanket. My SIL gave me a Debbie Bliss baby book for Christmas and it has some cute patterns. Oh, and I think the Knit Two Together book had a really cute baseball inspired hoody. And the baby will need a cute hat. Part of me wants to cast aside all my WIPs and just do baby stuff, but the other, organized part of me wants to finish all those WIPs first and then do baby stuff. I'll probably do something in the middle.

So that's my big news! I promise I'll have knitting content here soon. Probably not any finished objects for a while though.

Blog Hiatus

I meant to post several times in October. I could have showed my Stitches East haul. And written about the socks I worked during Socktoberfest. I wanted to blog about the fun, unofficial "Chicks with Sticks" hockey outing w/ L and E. (I had so much fun with those girls! And! Security almost didn't let our knitting in to the Verizon Center in D.C.!!!!)

But I did none of those things. And now, it's almost Thanksgiving and I am entering travel season. Next week, I'll be in Wisconsin visiting the family. Then, a week after that I head to Hawaii for work (it really is for work). Then it's up to Connecticut for Christmas w/ G's family. Then maybe back to Wisconsin in mid Jan. for a work thing. Then back to Hawaii for work again. (I know! Who goes to Hawaii twice in two months for work? I love Hawaii, but I am not really looking forward to the second trip. It's a long haul to get there from the East Coast. On the first trip, I'll have company, which will be great. On the second trip, it'll just be me. Who whines about going to Hawaii for work? I am not whining too much, but it really is work when I am there and I know I'll be tired while there and then tired for a few days after I get back and be swamped w/ my regular work ... I'll want a vacation by the time Feb. rolls around.)

So ... my point, I think I'm going on a blog hiatus until Feb. I may post here and there, but it won't be my top priority.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

More Knitting on TV

I saw knitting on two shows this week. First, a female character on Carpoolers or Carpooling? was knitting.

And a character on South Park was knitting! I can't remember if it was the most recent episode or an older one. And I can't remember which character it was. I am guessing it was Mrs. Scotch, Butters's mother. She seems to me the most likely candidate. ETA: It was NOT Mrs. Scotch, but an old lady on the bus w/ Cartman during last week's episode. (Thanks to the girls on Ravelry's South Park a Teers group for reminding me!)

That's all!

Knitting Saves the Day

I watched the last 15 minutes of the new ABC show Pushing Daisies last Wed. It was kind of cute. But what really caught me was that a male character, a detective, who doesn't enjoy knitting in public, says the voice over, but who always carries needles lest he encounter a dropped stitch (or something along those lines), pulled out a pair of long metal needles to poke through the body bags that he and two others were tied up and stuck in and about to die in a crash test car.

So the knitting dude saved them all!

I don't know too much else about the show, though it did seem cute. I'll try to catch a whole episode next time.

My Wedding Quilt

This is the quilt my mother made for G and me for our wedding. I adore it. (This is not turning into a quilt blog, I just happen to have a few quilt-related posts lately.)



My wedding was last summer, but the wedding quilts are usually about a year late. I didn't mind! It was something to look forward to! I requested the beige and white color theme and I am so blown away by how beautiful it came out! It is pretty and girly enough for me w/o being too pink for G! It looks so lovely in our sunny, white bedroom. And it will look so pretty under other quilts. I want to have a bunch of "accent" quilts to change it up throughout the year. For example, in December, I could drape over it the Christmas quilt that mom made for my wedding shower. Also, I am working on a pink and green quilt that will be pretty over it in the spring. And if I someday make something with oranges for fall, it will look nice too.



Here's a close up of the center log-cabin motif:




I absolutely love it!

Some UnSock WIPs

This scarf has been taking up a lot of my knitting time.



It is the Easy Flame Lace scarf by Wendy at Knit and Tonic.

Close up:



The yarn is Malabrigo. I am using my Knitpick Options size 4.

The pattern is easy and so lovely. It's good TV knitting, but not so good for group knitting (which for me, requires a virtually think-free pattern!). It's to be a Christmas gift for my step mother-in-law. I hope she likes it. I can't imagine she won't, but, in truth, I don't know my father-in-law and step-mother-in-law very well. (I've only met them twice: once when all three sets of parents gathered in Baltimore to meet each other before our wedding and then AT our wedding. But the little time I did spend with them was really great. G is much closer to his mom and step-dad, so we spend Christmas there, and Thanksgiving is for my family. Having all the parents in three not neighboring--to us or each other--states means we can't do a Christmas Eve one place and Christmas day at the other. Hopefully we can make a trip to his dad's next spring. In the meantime, this scarf is my way of saying: I think you are neat!)

I'm also working on an easy triangle shawl with some Noro Blossom, purchased at Stitches East 2006.



I was guilted into starting it before Stitches East 2007. I love the bright, friendly colors. And it will be nice and warm to wrap up in during the winter. This is my big project but I really want to start a sweater. Since it is stalled (I really should order a longer cable from KP), I might just have to start a sweater ...

Socktoooooberfest!

The other night, I was gathering my sock yarn (if I saw it all together, I could decide what socks to work on this month ... or that was my theory anyway). It was bedtime and I was waiting for the bathroom, so why not be productive, right? Since I was in the other bedroom, G asked "what are you doing?" When I said that "Socktoberfest starts tomorrow and I needed to get organized," he broke out into a long song-like "Socktoooooooooberfest." It had me in giggles.

Well, the organizing and photographing of my sock yarn did NOT help me decide what to do, yet.

Here they are:



Part of me thinks I should start socks with the Trekking XXL (top row, pink and green) b/c that was my first sock yarn purchase EVER, in April 2006. But I am really drawn to the atumnal orange Dream in Color (top row, left) that is my most RECENT sock yarn purchase. But I bought the blue and Tess Designer Yarn (bottom row, in a ball) at Stitches East last year and Stitches East this year is just a week away, so wouldn't it be good to use that up?

But since I am working on a lace project, I also like the idea of using the Lorna's Laces worsted (white, gray and tan, second from right) b/c it would be fast socks and a nice break from the teeny yarn. Plus, there's a pretty pattern for cabled socks in One Skein that uses LL worsted.

I do have a couple of pairs of socks on the needles. These DK-weight socks (Colinette Cadenza) are my plane project. These basic ribbed socks on wooden needles have been my travel project for the past couple of months. They are stalled now b/c I don't have any trips until Thanksgiving. I could just finish these up and have a Christmas gift ready (or keep them myself).



And I love the yarn I won from Knitpastis. I started a Roza's sock (from Summer Interweave Knits), but haven't gotten past the top rib yet. I need to use smaller needles or it will be too big. And I am no longer certain I want to do this pattern. I love, love, love, this yarn! I really want to find the perfect pattern.



I need help.

(I think I found some help on the Socktoberfest Flickr group, in this discussion. Some great ideas for patterns that work nicely with variegated yarns.)

But still how to decide what yarn???

Hurry! Last Day of Project Spectrum

Ever since Aug. 1, I planned to put up a post about the last triad of Project Spectrum ... here I am late as usual.

My participation in PS this summer did lag. I was busy with the new house and had some deadline knitting. I did finish these Monkey socks in Aug.



And I was inspired to shop for PS colors!

Here is some orange Dream in Color sock yarn:



And some purple Malabrigo lace:



And here's an actual purple craft that I made, but it was about four or five Septembers ago:



This was my second quilt and the first that didn't use matchy-matchy fabrics. My mom let me raid her fabric closet and helped me decide what size to cut the strips. I love this quilt! It's a large lap size, big enough to cover me and my legs, even my feet! (I hate it when lap blankets are too short to go all the way around the feet: dude, that's where I get cold!) The colors still thrill me. I am not really a purple person, but every so many years I just crave it. Purple doesn't really flatter me so I rarely wear it. Maybe that's why I was so drawn to it with this quilt. I didn't have enough purple in my life? That must explain the purple malabrigo, above. I am quite certain it will not look good on me, but I had to have that color instead of the blue or green that is pretty on me.

The quilt is a basic strip quilt construction. I remember carefully planning out which strips would go where. I bought the light and dark purple batiks from a wonderful quilt shop in the Milwaukee area.

For the actual quilting, I tried freehand on my mom's machine for the first time and I totally sucked big time. There are lots of very sharp turns instead of the lovely loops, but I got better as I went along.

I have not quilted or sewn anything for a long time, but this is inspiring me to get out my machine, a Bernina! I got it a very basic model (it doesn't do all the fancy embroidery) for Christmas in 2004. It's a wonderful machine and it deserves to be used. L and I started Yellow Brick Road quilts in 2005 but didn't get past the cutting out stage. We need to set a date to work on them!