Stalled

I decided that it was absolutely imperative to have a sweater in the 0-3 month size range for this baby. Part of me felt silly, because babies seem to outgrow this size even faster than all the others. But, the rest of me decided that I'm a knitter, and therefore, this child should be swathed in yarn.

Angie, a friend from Ravelry, sent me some Plymouth Dreambaby as part of a swap, and so I spent Sunday during the Superbowl and last night knitting up the body of this Easy Baby Cardigan:


Unfortunately, I lack the size 7 DPNs required for the sleeves. I went to AC Moore this morning, and they didn't have any! GRRR! (BTW - this sweater really is SUPER easy!)

Soooo...since I didn't drag the kids to Michael's (especially since I feel like they have a VERY limited selection of DPNs these days), I have to decide what else to knit on this nice snowy day. OR, forego knitting altogether and clean my house, and weave in the ends of various projects.

I think I'll start with a nap.

Happy knitting!

Today's Project

When I showed my husband this hat, he asked "Is that today's project?"



I really don't think I'm on a project a day kick, but I do admit to a certain pressure to get all the knitting I want to get done for this baby. In my defense, I didn't learn how to knit until little boy was 6 months old, and it took a while to build up to things besides scarves and hats. And now, I can create whole outfits, without investing a lot of money! :)

The pattern is here. The ears are quite obviously not perfect, but I like it just the same.

This hat is in preparation for Easter, and I hope it's the first of many very cutsy hats to come! The Norwegian in me is considering making this hat next. It's sized 3-9 months, which isn't really a cold weather age for little to come. I'm sure I could adjuyst the size though. What do you think?

BTW - you can blog right from Flickr. Who knew?

I'm so Crafty....

I found this on the web, and it cracked me up so much, I made it my new avatar for Ravelry.

There's not much else to share at the moment. I knit the hat portion of the bunny beanie last night, and hope to make the ears today. I have a few errands to run, plus all the general household stuff, so we'll see.

It's amazing how quickly worsted weight on size 8 needles knits up, when compared to the size 1 with fingering weight I've been knitting with before bed. I'm working on a hat to match the wave jumper, but I just can't focus on it for an extended period of time. So, I knit for 20 minutes in bed every night. I'm at 2 1/2" out of 5". It's slow. Not as slow as the dress, but pretty slow.

I didn't sleep well last night. My belly just makes everything SO uncomfortable. I'm usually a tummy sleeper, so pregnancy is always hard for me in that respect. Right now, I'm thinking that if my belly needs it's own zip code, it's time for the baby to move out! :)

Happy knitting!

Pretty in Pink

Yesterday, all of the area schools were canceled due to the weather. This meant that my husband was home all day, but that the little kids were invited across the street to play with a friend who is usually at preschool. I was a little nervous about the day - I was determined to finish the Ellis dress, but DH often takes snow days to be productive around the house. It's hard for me to sit and knit while he's cleaning. Thankfully, DH decided his productivity would be related to paperwork. With the kids gone, I propped up my feet, popped in a movie, and knit away!

It took all day, but I finished the dress (minus the weaving in of ends, and the buttons. I still have to buy those.)

What do you think?

I really like it. I am realizing that my finishing skills need some work. There's nothing massively wrong with the neckline, but there are some issues related to bind offs and picking up stitches. I'm thinking that practice makes perfect, and that some point in my future I'll take a class in finishing techniques. In the meantime, I'm guessing the baby isn't going to complain.

Also, Lissie asked to see the baby squash hat, so here it is (BTW - the ends aren't woven in here either!)

I just can't express enough how much I love this hat! I think I've made one for every baby that has come along since I found the pattern in 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. I'm thinking about making another one in pink for baby girl. (I know a lot of mothers don't like drowning their little girls in pink. I am not that mother. I have NO PROBLEM putting her in other colors, but I like baby girls in pink, and since I'm the one picking out and/or making her clothes, I'm going to do what I want. Please know, that I have every intention of encouraging her athletic skills too.)

Yesterday marked 35 weeks of pregnancy. Last night, I got woken up by Braxton Hicks contractions TWICE. They hurt! I'm hoping this means baby will come sooner rather than later. I want her to be fully cooked, but I want her HERE! This whole pregnancy thing has lost its glow for me quite a while ago.

In the meantime, I have more baby things to knit. There's a quick garter stitch newborn sized sweater in the 101 Luxury One Skein Wonders book. I happen to have some non-Luxury yarn that will fit the bill that I've been trying to find a reason to use up. Also, I plan on making a bonnet to go with the Ellis dress, and this cute bunny beanie for Easter - all of which is going to use up yarn I already have. And the Cotton Kisses cardigan is still traveling around with me.

Hmmmm, on second thought, maybe baby should wait awhile. Who knows how much knitting time there will be once she makes her appearance? :)

Happy knitting, all!

We Interrupt This Knitting....

To do some other knitting.

I felt the need to have another finished object for this baby - right now! So, yesterday, I knit up a baby squash hat. I LOVE this pattern, and finally got to make one for my own little one. I think I will bring it to the hospital, and baby girl can wear it instead of the sock tube hat thing the hospital gives the babies for their stay. Because, I'm a knitter, and my child should have something knitted on her body right away, don't you think?

And now, back to our regularly scheduled knitting....

Slowly but Surely...

Things are getting done. Baby clothes are washed and put away. Random supplies have been bought (bottle liners, wipes, baby wash, etc). Knitting is getting done.

I've been working on the Ellis Dress. It's a mock cable dress, and it's really knitting up beautifully. I'm even really enjoying working with a cotton yarn! (Wendy Supreme Luxury Cotton). I love that the pretty flare effect is created by something as simple as p2tog. Here's what I have so far:

The dress is sized 3-6 months, so it will be something pretty for the spring. I'm considering making a slightly larger version of this hat to match. Do you think that's too much cable on one small baby?

My traveling project (playdates, the car, etc) has been Plymouth's Cotton Kisses Cardigan. The pattern came with the yarn and cute little duckie buttons. This is sized 6-9 months. I have other things I should be knitting first (there's some newborn hats to be made, and a summer dress and sweater), but I cast on one night with nothing else to do, and it's mostly stockinette, so it's a good travel project.

This picture doesn't show the color very well, but it's a very pretty green.

Pregnancy-wise, things are going fine. I'm fairly certain, based on how I've been feeling, this baby is coming sooner rather than later. I'm considered full-term on February 11th (I think), and am good to go anytime after that. It's kind of overwhelming, but at the same time, I'm all done with the restless legs, inability to sleep, and being kicked in the ribs pretty regularly. Also, Big Boy is VERY concerned because my official due date is his birthday. Understandably, he doesn't want to share his birthday. We've tried to reassure him that the chances are pretty slim - none of the kids were born on their due date.

Happy Knitting!

Wave Jumper

I finished! I actually finished knitting on Friday, and wove in the ends early Saturday morning (early, like 5:30. Not only couldn't I sleep, neither could either of the boys.) Yesterday, I went to Joann's to find buttons (cost me $0.75!), and I sewed them on this afternoon.



(That's little girl's dolly who so graciously agreed to model the dress, until the live model arrives. I don't know if I should be nervous that it will be too small. Oh well, if it is, the doll will come to own it!)

Here are the details:

Pattern: Wave Jumper by Leslie Barbazette, in the 101 Designer One Skein Wonders book.
Yarn: On Your Toes 4-ply by S.R. Kertzer
Modifications: I put the button holes on the back straps, rather than the front. If I were to make it again, I would make the front straps shorter and the back straps longer. Also, you wind up joining yarn and then immediately binding off for the neckline. I would have knit across the first strap, bound off for the neckline, and then worked the second strap. That way, I would have joined the yarn at the strap, and not the neckline.

Today's knitting is a baby hat for charity. I've started it, but I'm not feeling great today, and plan on taking a nap. Tomorrow I will either continue with Cotton Kisses Cardigan I cast on for yesterday, or cast on for the Ellis Dress. (I meant to cast on for the dress before the cardigan, but I couldn't find the right size needles yesterday. I found them this morning.)

Happy knitting all!