I'm here for the yarn program, 2008

For whatever reason, that's what the librarians at the Ann Arbor Public Library call Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's presentations/book lectures/motivational speeches? I suppose there isn't a better name. "Yarn Program" is good enough, I guess.

Anyway, I kept to myself, as usual- Holly and I spent some time catching up before the talk and after, which was great. I really, really don't like being so busy that I can't see my friends. There were a lot of pregnant women in the overflow room, and we all seemed to sit on one side. Weird. I actually kind of prefer it up there. I feel a lot of pressure when I'm an audience member, and for this kind of thing, I just want to sit and knit and laugh, you know? I don't want to stop counting in the middle of a row of lace to clap, as silly as that sounds. I'll surely lose count (for example, I reknit the same row three times while listening). Perhaps I should try tapping my needles together- they're aluminum, so they'll make some kind of sound.

We didn't stay for the book signing, because we were both too broke to get a book at the moment. I find myself more inspired by the Yarn Harlot's blog, anyway. There's something less rehearsed about it (obviously), and I think that's when she's at her absolute finest. Not that I would ever want there to be fewer knitting humor books out there, just that sometimes it's the things that she can't/won't say in a book that resonate most with me.

I managed to get two repeats done on the shawl while I was sitting there, which was nice. I am almost to the point where I won't need the chart for constant reassurance. I sense that this lace knitting attempt is going to go a lot quicker than previous ones. The larger needles are a start (lace is supposed to be full of holes, right?), and the purl-only wrongside rows are also helping.

A lot.

Ugh, it's dreary and I have to finish the taxes. Every time I sit down to do them, I realize I'm missing a crucial piece of information. Perhaps this time they'll get filed. At least we're getting a refund.

Tiny stitch obsession

the first repeat of the Adamas Shawl



a new obsession- cheaper than knitting

FO: Offset Baby Sweater

Pattern: Offset Wraplan
Yarn: Red Heart Sport, Baby Blue and Yellow, 1 skein apiece
Needles: US size 3
Size: 9-12 month?
March 20- April 6, 2008

The finished product is really cute, but the yarn is kind of scratchy (vintage Red Heart) and the collar instructions were just... wrong. I made that part up myself, but followed the rest of the pattern pretty closely. The buttons are from Joann's- they were having a 50% off sale, and I don't have a button stash, like most crafty people.

The fabric underneath is some yellow quilter's cotton and Alexander Henry's little dots print. They're for the nursery. Dan and I decided on a loosely-applied Katamari theme. The curtains and the cabinet pulls will be the only thing that get full Katamari treatment (and perhaps some toys). I intend to embroider a border of Katamari balls and cousins on the valance and cafe curtain.

Viking-dini

My dog somehow managed to slip her collar and make it disappear- I've been all over the back yard (it is finally SUNNY out!), and I just can't seem to find it. She is just dumb enough to eat the thing, but I can't even find the tags. She wouldn't eat those, too... would she?

The baby sweater I'm knitting is almost finished- I've got one more sleeve to go, and I think there's just enough yarn to do it. I really want to move on to the next project because stripes in the round are a recipe for tangles and ladders. Ugh.

The view from above, the view from before

this is me at 27 weeks

This is a baby post, and a long one at that, so skip it if you don't want to read about baby stuff.

Yesterday was a pretty intense baby day. Dan and I actually began a baby registry, and we spent a kind of exciting, kind of frustrating two hours in Babies 'R' Us looking at a bunch of stuff that seemed kind of plasticky and totally necessary. We figured out high chairs, play pens (excuse me, play YARDS), baby Bjorn carrier thingies, and diaper bags without incident... well, almost. There was only one front-facing carrier that fit Dan! He's not a gigantic dude by any stretch, and I can't imagine a man (or woman) with a larger chest circumference than him (he wears an XL tall) fitting into any of this gear. It was kind of discouraging, but at least we found a front carrier and a back carrier (which looks like a kid-backpack) that we liked.

Then we tried to look at carseats and strollers. I really, really despise the corporate scare tactics manufacturers use to get me to buy as many expensive (and yet totally cheaply made) devices as possible in the shortest time frame. They want to make sure my kid goes through a minimum of two strollers and carseats, and that I am too scared to use either one on another kid or, gods help us, hand them down to another set of parents. You'd think with my child's safety at stake and the word SAFETY and QUALITY splashed all over the packaging, they'd at least test their products enough so that every seat wouldn't eventually be recalled for some reason or another before they reach their 'expiration date' (which I am certain is just tacked on to make sure you need to buy another seat before your kid is big enough to go without, or that little brother/sister has to get their own seat). We were set to scan a Graco SnugRide and be done with it for the day when a woman walked up to the display, holding a totally adorable baby. She sighed dejectedly and turned to her partner, saying, "They [Graco] don't make a rear facing seat that'll fit him. He's only six months old." This kid wasn't even that big, either, and when I asked, she told me he weighed 22 pounds. I looked around with her, bewildered that this seemingly normal kid was SOL in the carseat department, and we found a front/rear convertible seat that would fit her son, which was a relief. We looked at the seat for ourselves, but the convenience of the infant carrier moving with ease from car to car still has us thinking that we need both. Or at least, we need to buy 2 convertible carseats at minimum- one for my car, one for my parent's car, and one for his car (although that'll probably be the least frequently used one). So we're STILL stuck buying eight million car seats. ARRGH.

And that doesn't even begin to touch the problem of a stroller. The "travel system" is out right off the bat- too heavy, too unwieldy, too cheap feeling, and frankly, I have never seen a person pushing a kid around in one of those who wasn't in the infant seat strapped to the top- I think parents trade them in for a smaller stroller as soon as they can. What a waste! Does anyone have a recommendation of a relatively lightweight/smallish-folding stroller we can use with a snuggly, reclined little baby and an infant who is sitting up on their own? I drive a Civic, and while the trunk is a decent size, I don't know if we can fit all of this baby crap in it if it doesn't fold up a little smaller. I really like the idea of the infant seat carrier frames, but the shelf-life of that product isn't going to be that long (we both come from a long line of high growth percentile babies).

what it looks like from here- except I need to stretch to see my shoes

After the registry ordeal, we went to dinner and then a seminar for the Alternative Birth Unit at Providence Hospital. If you're in the Detroit area and shopping for hospitals, go to this seminar! Their approach focuses on natural childbirth in a home-like setting (although, never fear, they have some pain meds available, and you're down the hall from the regular L&D). If we want (and we do), we can use a hot tub to relax (although they don't do waterbirths), have any visitors we want, eat/drink what we'd like, and Dan can even catch the baby. It's the kind of birth experience we're looking for. Granted, I've never had an epidural, but numbness makes me uncomfortable, and I'm the kind of person who listens intently to my body. For example, I don't take medication for cramps, in general, because I rely on them to tell me what's going on with my cycle- when the cramps start, so does my period (we're talking a five-minute window- it's pretty cool, actually). I am hoping that labor works in a similar fashion (body awareness, not speed, of course), but who knows. The unit does have some pain medication if I opt in, but they also have a number of other things available to help ease the discomfort that aren't available in the regular L&D (a jacuzzi being one such option). They also don't generally administer Pitocin or perform episiotomies (they stress preparatory massage and perineal support during birth), and their C-section rate is about 6% (same as my midwife). 6%!

Your mileage may vary, of course, and I'm not pretending to really know what I'm talking about. All I know is that hospitals scare me, the insurance will cover something in the hospital that doesn't feel like the hospital, and the rooms are totally posh (well, that last one isn't essential, but it's pretty sweet!).

FO: Box Bags

I have been sewing. It's a miracle! I still haven't finished the baby quilt, which just needs to be cut to size and bound, but I managed to procrastinate a little this weekend and make a couple of project bags. I used tutorials from Dragon[knit]fly and small hands as a starting point, but I think I made enough innovations to the designs to call them my own creation.

I made the amber one first, and the insides are pretty raw, but cute. I don't care, but if I were to make one of these for someone else (of if I were to, say, open an etsy shop), I would want to follow what I did on the second bag. I did a decent enough job that I am willing to show off the insides, but I want you to remember that I only started using a sewing machine about a month ago, and I have been doing this without much supervision at all. Things are a little rough, and I am more likely to sew over/through a mistake rather than rip it out at this point... I'll get over it.

The blue and yellow stripey thing is a baby sweater in progress, and the red laceweight wool is going to become a shawl before May 10- I have a wedding to attend, and I can never regulate my temperature in formal wear without a little help.

FO: Monkey Socks

Pattern: Monkey Socks, by Cookie A.
Yarn: two skeins of Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, fall herbs
Needles: US size 1 DPNs
September 2007- March 20, 2008

I put these away for a little while when the nausea was really bad in the first trimester and I couldn't concentrate on anything, let alone tiny knitting. The lace chart was actually pretty easy to memorize, and this was the project that finally, finally cemented Kitchener in my mind (hooray!). I can see why this is one of the most popular patterns on the net- Cookie is a brilliant designer, and the instructions couldn't be easier to follow. I really want to try more of her patterns.

The yarn is a little splitty, but I don't generally split yarn so it wasn't a problem for me. The colors really are this vibrant, and the finished fabric is fantastic- smooth, soft, and cool. They ended up being a little short for me, so I gave them to my mom as an early Mother's Day gift (she wears socks year round, but usually only thin cotton anklets in the summer heat). I will most likely need three skeins for socks of my own, either with or without contrasting heels and toes. I can't wait to buy more of this once the yarn famine is over.

99 days to go

Here we are. Less than 100 days till the baby's due. I'm cruising toward the end of the second trimester, and I am really starting to feel it. Getting out of a chair is more than just an automatic movement now, and I am simultaneously thirsty and needing to pee all the time. The baby's pretty active, and Dan is able to put his hand on my belly and feel little kicks and punches whenever he wants. The baby and the dogs are already jealous of each other- Viking spends a lot of her evenings trying to squish the baby back into my spine to recreate the lap that was formerly hers, and hers alone, and the baby spends its evenings kicking Viking in the back for trying. Vandal has learned to lay on my legs.

Everyone wants to know if it's a boy or a girl. Everyone. Waiters, supermarket cashiers, family and friends, the women in the office I temped in yesterday (that's another story altogether). One woman even said, "Why don't you want to know? How are you going to know what clothes to buy it?" It's hard to keep an even tone of voice when people say that to me, but I suppose that a lot of people just don't understand or realize that gender is a cultural construction, and a problematic one, at that. The baby isn't going to be born pink or blue (probably more like a blotchy purple color). An old coworker of mine was complaining that it gets even more difficult to find neutral clothes after 6 months, especially for boys. Little girls can wear the robots/insects/puppies stuff, but the little boys can't usually pull off princess ruffled rumba pants. She also told me that a lot of people would ask her, "What is it?" when they saw her son in the stroller.

"Oh my god, it's a baby! Why, what do you see?"

Really, stranger- why do you need to know the sex organs of this random baby?

Fortunately, there are plenty of people who are willing to respect the fact that Dan and I don't want a princess- or sports-themed nursery (it doesn't suit us, even excepting the gendered connotations), and it's a relief to know that we can say no boy/girl stuff, and for the most part, it'll be okay. We also made a pact that if any of that stuff comes our way, we'll thank the giver graciously, and put in the Salvation Army bag (do not pass go, do not collect $200), so that some other child can use it.

I didn't intend for this to be a rant, but I feel pretty strongly about this. Also, I tend to feel pretty strongly about everything these days. :) It's been mostly awesome, but there have been a few bad days in there, too. At least the weather is turning around, and there will be sunny days AND thunderstorms (yay!) ahead.

FO: Ribbed Lace Bolero

Pattern: Ribbed Lace Bolero
Yarn: GGH Samoa, a little over a skein, and Summer Tweed, a little over a skein
Needles: US size 6 and 8
February 22- March 7

I cast on 98 stitches as the author did, as I feel gauge/fiber choice might make this a little big (I’m more like 18-19” in the shoulders). I used Samoa for the ribbing and Summer Tweed for the lace because I saw them together in the stash and thought what the heck. It’s a little bigger in the shoulders than I would like, but it’s drapey, and I really like how the tweed and the cotton play off of each other. The Samoa makes a considerably less stable fabric than Cotton-ease, and I’m not sure I like it more. It was $3 a ball on clearance at my LYS, but I think if I make another one of these (and I might) I would use Cotton-ease. Still, a nice little stashbuster.

Taking pictures of yourself is difficult. Also: hello, pregnancy boobs!

Snow day!

You read that right. My class (and midterm!) is canceled today due to SNOW. In March. I love you, Michigan.

I think I'm going to go build a snowman.

FO: Squatty Sidekick

Pattern: Amanda's Squatty Sidekick (from Knitting Daily)
Yarn: 3 skeins of Lamb's Pride Worsted in black, held doubled
Needles: US size 15, from the Needlemaster
February 18-22 (knitting), February 29-March1 (finishing)

I knit this to use up the black wool I had in my stash. It was a straightforward knit, and I thought that I'd make the bag bigger by knitting it on larger needles with the yarn doubled. It turned out BIG. It's about 20" across, easily. I felted it, and it didn't seem to get any smaller! I don't really care for Lamb's Pride when it's felted (especially compared to Paton's classic merino) but I quite liked the fabric when it was knitted up- I could see myself making a rugged little sweater out of it. Well, if it didn't shed worse than my two mutant Corgis.

My finishing skills are not so hot, but I like the way the lining and strap turned out. Instead of knitting a strap, I knit little nubs to indicate where the straps should go (and then blocked it crooked so they don't quite hit the sides. duh). I sewed D-rings on after it was felted with the 18" of yarn I had left (seriously!). For the strap, I cut a width of the fabric in both the yellow and the print cotton, sewed the long edges, right sides together, and then turned them inside out, folded in and topstitched the edges, and then topstitched the long sides. I tied the ends to the D rings, so I can adjust the strap if I want to. For the lining, I cut the lining pieces roughly the size of the bag laying flat. I added a pocket, using the same general techniques as the strap (so it's lined), and sewed the lining pieces together along the bottom and sides, right sides together. Then I turned the felted bag inside out, turned the lining inside out, put the felted bag inside the lining, folded the raw top edge of the lining down, and tacked it into place with black thread and big, ugly, childish stitches (I'm impatient and I'm also learning how to sew!). After I turned the bag back the right way, I sewed on a snap on the inside (not worrying about the outside because the thread is black and the bag is hairy), and ta-da! Dan's impressed, and I think it's cute, too. It took about a 1/2 yard of the lemon print and a little bit of the yellow quilter's solid cotton.

Now we are one.

Peanut butter birthday cupcakes with peanut butter bones

As you can see, Dan was poised to hold them back if necessary. The 50mm proved too long for the living room.

We sang to them while they frantically choked down whole cupcakes with treats sticking out of them. They were very impressed, and spent the next twenty minutes gratefully belching.

Viking never eats as fast as Vandal, and so she ran away with her cupcake to Mommy. She didn't take her eyes off of it while she was chewing (she got most of it- Vandal broke free of Dan and got the crumbs).

Their actual birthday is tomorrow, but we wanted to celebrate today. They got new dentabones, and tomorrow I'll give them their new rope toys (to replace the throw rug they claimed and had been fighting over for months).

February is a work-in-progress

and I am actually kind of impressed with my ability to keep up with everything. The baby is very active (more so, I'm told, than other babies its age), and I am feeling pretty damn good (but TIRED). I've been knitting up a storm, and although I would rather focus on that, this week is kind of busy school-wise, and I am going to be up late tonight, writing a paper (yuck- at least it's only three pages... in grad school. yeah, I know). I've got a couple of weddings that I might be photographing (I'm in Detroit, but I'm willing to travel. And I'm cheap! Hire me!), and I am actively searching for a new job before I get so big that there's no way that I'll get hired, discrimination laws be damned. I know the second everything slows down, a baby comes out, so I'm trying to just go along with everything that's happening and simply focus on making an effort. It's not easy to keep from feeling overwhelmed.

But when I do, I get out my camera, and take a few pictures of works-in-progress:

ooh, a black felted bag. Exciting!


That's more like it- Dan thinks it looks like Fruit Stripe Gum (it's odd that he'd liken a hand-knit item to a gum, but whatevs)


It's not perfect, but it is cute- I want to bind it this weekend (and then it's done!)

FO: Bunny Blanket

Bunny Blanket
Pattern: Blanket Buddy (obviously without the head)
Needles: US 11
Yarn: Lion Homespun
February3-16

I took some liberties with the project when I realized that I was going to have a lot of leftover leftover Homespun if I didn't make it bigger. It's kind of pink, but in a neutral way. I decided against the stuffed bunny head, and opted instead to join an equal number of stitches in the round when I got near the end, and do matched decreases (like a sock toe) to make a little bonnet top. I might put bunny ears on it, but then again, I might not. The yarn is (once again) from my stash, so I wanted to use as much of it as possible! I am loving this FO streak, especially since it is clearing out my weird collection of hoarded yarn (much of which was freecycled).

The photo is in the nursery, and as you can see, there isn't a lot of afternoon light in February. It is peaceful in there, though.

(Bunny gender is simulated- actual baby sex may vary)

FO: Buttony Fade Sweater

Buttony Fade Sweater
Pattern: Buttony Sweater (inspiration)
Yarn: Samband of Iceland Lopi, and some Lamb's Pride for the sleeves
Needles: US 11
January 31-February15

Because of gauge differences, I cast on 76 stitches, with 27 on the back, 10 on each arm, and 17 for the front. I made it a crop length when the yarn gave out (I knew it would). The buttons are from Big Box craft store, and the yarn is totally stash. I am on a yarn diet, after all.

I had a phone interview today, and I have been given a real, live in-person interview (for a job that will quadruple my salary-man, am I poor!). Holy crap! Fortunately, I can actually still fit into my old interview clothes- I went to a job fair this weekend, and when I was honest about my pregnancy, the general response was, "Really? You are? I can't tell." I am five months, people.

Obviously, this sweater is for showing off my belly, not concealing it.

FO: Limari Scarf

pattern: Bulky Cabled Scarf by propertrappings (ravelry link)
Yarn: Aruncania Limari, two skeins and a bit
Needles: US size 13

This was satisfying. I actually finished it a couple weeks ago, but just got around to weaving in the ends this afternoon. The hat I made of the same yarn is getting a little fuzzy, but it's so soft, I don't care! I would knit with this again, although I don't know what I'd make with it.

And since I'm past the halfway mark, here's a photo of my 22 week belly:

Please excuse the background- I have no full length mirror, and so I used the 70s wall-tile one that's hidden behind the bookcase in the front room. :)

Knitting for class: a dilemma

Well, it's quarter to four on a Tuesday, which is precisely the time that I get to thinking about class this week (which starts at 6pm tonight. I am a procrastinator!). The requirements are simple, and yet I struggle to figure out what to bring with me. In order to qualify as "class knitting" the project needs to be:

• simple and relatively mindless
• a single color (even stripes make me look like I'm not paying attention)
• devoid of techniques that require a pattern/reference book
• large enough that I won't finish it in a couple of hours
• not so large that it doesn't fit in my bag
• made of stashed materials (so, so broke!)
  

I've got a couple of things on the needles right now (a sweater and a baby blanket), but neither of them seem to fit my criteria. I'll probably throw one of them in my bag anyway, and see what happens. Don't get the wrong idea- my classes are really interesting, but I need something to do with my hands when I'm listening or... I stop listening. It's just who I am. The knitting prevents doodling, or the creation of shopping lists.

I made a quilt for Mutie over the weekend- my first! Once I bind it and take pictures, I'll post information. I am officially a sewer now!

FO: Oldest UFO in my stash

Pattern: Something I made up, hoping it would be big enough for a bedspread (wrong!)
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver, Baby!
Hook: H?

I have had this thing since, oh, I don't know, 2000. My mother commissioned it when my parents bought the cottage, and I have worked on it here and there ever since. It's been unfinished for so long that the thought of it was always too overwhelming to even give it a try, and it has been moved to THREE different residences and stowed in a closet. Wellllll... its most recent closet was the one in the nursery, and I suppose the spring cleaning/nesting instinct combination finally got to me, and I pulled it out. I crocheted until I ran out of the colors for the stripes, bound it off, and did a simple dc border. My mother was very pleased (and surprised!) to receive it. Don't ever commission an afghan from me, unless I'm pregnant!

It's absolutely HUGE! -probably about nine or ten feet long and six feet wide. It fits over the back of the sofa and is large enough to cover a grown human completely.

In other news, I've been working on this:

It's lopi, and so it sheds worse than the dogs and isn't as soft, but I'm bustin' stash and I think it'll fit despite the baby bump, which is less a bump and more a smuggled exercise ball (and I'm only 5 months!).

FO and pattern: Limari Hat

Made this in class on 20 January 2008. It’s big and sqooshy, and not the style of hat I normally wear, but I impressed a ton of people when I started and finished a hat in class.

I wrote this to go with this totally cute scarf (Ravelry link), which I have made out of the same yarn.

Yarn: Arucania Limari, in some kind of peach colorway (it's on closeout at Webs right now for about $8/a skein!)

Needles: US size 13, or size to get gauge- I'm a really. loose. knitter. and the fabric isn't too tight (I don't like stiff hats), so you may need to experiment to get a gauge that suits you

Gauge: 1.5 stitches/inch, measured across a knit rib (I know, not too accurate, but hey)

Cable Rib pattern:
Round 1-3: *K2, P2* repeat ** around hat (9 repeats total)
Round 4: *K2, P2, CL (slip a stitch to the cable needle and hold to the front, K1, K stitch off cable needle), P2, CR (slip a stitch to the cable needle and hold to the back, K1, K stitch off cable needle), P2*; repeat ** twice more (3 total repeats)
Repeat rounds 1-4 for pattern.

Hat:
CO 36 stitches. Join to work in the round (don't twist it!). Knit in Cable Rib pattern for 7" or until the hat is almost deep enough (I made mine to cover my ears), ending in row 3 of pattern. To decrease for the top:
First row: *k2, 2tog, CL, p2, CR, p2* repeat around hat
Second row: *k2, p1, k2, p2, k2, p2* around hat
Third row: *k2, p1, k2, p2tog, k2, p2tog* around
Fourth row: *k2, p1* around
Fifth row: *k2tog, p1, k2, p1, k2, p1* around
Sixth row: *k1, p1, k2tog, p1, k2tog, p1* around
Seventh row: *k2tog* around
Eighth row: *k2tog* around, k1

Thread live yarn through the stitches and pull it shut. Weave in ends and enjoy. You probably don't need to block it.

P.S. taking pictures of yourself is tough!

Tiny Kicks

Dan felt his first baby kicks last night while we were watching a mini Dexter marathon. I didn't realize that the baby had gotten strong enough to make its presence known externally, but I felt a jab in the arm that was across my torso (there is no good way to lay on the couch anymore), and Dan was able to experience a couple of little kicks before the baby settled down.

There is a living being growing inside me. I am growing a person.

It's pretty awesome when that realization hits.