Knitting Musings

Two Weeks

10 more days. It's almost here... as is the Little Monster! I've been riding the "nesting wave" and S has been helping me get things organized. Last weekend, we did the shed and the basement, and yesterday we used our holiday to finish setting up the Little Monster Lair.

Is anyone surprised that the wall art has a sheep-and-chicken theme?

Nothing in the room is "new" - the crib and changing table were passed on from friends, and the rocking chair saw service 30-odd years ago when my parents used it for both my brother and for me. I just bought new cushions!

After all of the crib-assembly and organizing, I continued the finishing-tear and dove into the knitting basket....

... and came out with matching Father-and-Little Monster chicken hats! These are FANTASTIC. I can't wait to do some photo shoots! And once the novelty has worn off, I plan to stuff them and sew up the bottoms to create a couple of awesome chicken dolls/pillows.

And yes, I am aware that other people may find this odd. But dude - CHICKEN HATS!! And the legs hang down to cover your ears, so it's actually a really comfy and warm hat!

I also FINALLY finished the Sheepie Blanket!!!!! For the record, there were 222 ends for the sheep, 79 ends for the various borders, and 53 ends for the dogs... for a grand total of 354 ends. I hate intarsia with a passion, but I'm really glad I stuck with it and finished this!

So a quick update of "The List" shows that I'm getting there... I should finish S' fingerless mitts this week (I've been knitting and re-knitting them over and over to get the fit exactly right!), and I should be finishing up my dad's vest in the next week or two. Once my maternity leave starts, I plan to go gangbusters on the sewing projects and start the mobile (sheep, of course!) I may still have bitten off more than I can chew, but I'm taking it one project at a time, and hopefully will get most of it done before the Little Monster makes its appearance!

Finished
1. Sew 3 baby bumpers for crib
2. Baby aran sweater
3. Baby Dale of Norway sweater
4. Socks for S
5. Chicken Hat for Little Monster and S (don't ask... really no rational explanation)
6. Sheepie Blanket

Almost Finished
1. Dad's Christmas Vest (cut steeks, neck and arm bands, sew in ends, block)
2. Finally hem living room and dining room curtains
3. Fingerless mitts for S

Haven't Started
1. Shaun the Sheep mobile for Little Monster
2. Sew sleep sacks for Little Monster
3. Sew ring sling for Little Monster
4. Sew crib sheets for Little Monster

Labels: Baby, Sheepie Blanket

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Bring on Thanksgiving

Ok, ok... so I know that Halloween was just last weekend, and normally I'm not one to rush to the next holiday... but Thanksgiving marks my first day of maternity leave, so pardon me if I am a little extra-eager to get through November. (For the record - 14 more days, including today, of dragging my sorry butt into the office. In 3 weeks from today, I'll be DONE.)

So right - Halloween. I'm a big loser and didn't dress up this year, but we did carve our pumpkin (Abby helped us by eating all of the "extra pieces!")

And before the trick-or-treaters started arriving, we made sure Abby got into the Halloween spirit. She was not particularly amused, but it definitely helped make her less threatening when she ran to the door woofing at each group of kids (we had a baby gate up to make sure she couldn't get out.)

Eventually, she (sort of) got used to the constant stream of visitors and settled down for a more comfortable door-guarding experience...

Poor Abby got quite a workout - we completely ran out of candy and granola bars (our back-up food) by around 8:30! We had at least 75 trick-or-treaters! Next year we'll be sure to buy more candy, but this was our first Halloween in our new neighborhood, so we had no idea what to expect.

The rest of the weekend was spent being productive. Saturday's weather was AWESOME, so we took advantage of the sunny day and mild temperatures to do some cleaning. I washed a bunch of baby stuff I was gifted (car seat and stroller), and S steam-cleaned the dining room and kitchen rugs. As you can see, we definitely knew when the rugs were dry!

After a day filled with all sorts of productivity, we all settled down for a nice relaxing evening. As you can see, both Abby and Cricket have done their best to adjust their snuggling to accomodate the growing belly!

Since I managed to tweak my lower back during all of Saturday's productivity, I spent Sunday being much more sedentary. But LOOK! I'm just about done with the Sheepie Blanket!!!

I just have to weave in the last billion or so ends I created knitting the two doggies, and it will be DONE. And the Little Monster had better be worth it, because I REALLY HATE INTARSIA.

And for the record, Abby would like to point out that she is MUCH more photogenic than some stupid blanket, and that you should all come over and rub on her tummy.

And finally, what weekend wouldn't be complete without some bizarre squirrel behavior? This particular squirrel stole an empty hot chocolate container from our recycle bin, and attempted to bring it up various trees in the yard.

He would do really well, but then would drop it and have to start all over. We tried to help out by keeping the dog and cat inside, but eventually he gave up and left the container in our neighbor's yard. We still don't know what he was trying to do with it!

Labels: Sheepie Blanket

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Actual Knitting!!

Perhaps this is the beginning of that infamous "nesting" phase, or perhaps I'm just getting tired of all of the piles of unfinished knitting projects lying around... but I'm trying my best to work through the rest of them!

My one success so far - I've actually completely finished the Little Monster Aran!! I'm really pleased with how this one turned out - the sweater itself is based on a baby sweater from Inspired Cable Knits, but, since I didn't like the cables in the original, I substituted cables from one of Elspeth Lavold's Viking Knits books.

I also busted out the sewing machine and steeked the Little Monster Dale of Norway... I've since attached both sleeves and done one of the button bands. I need to tidy up a bunch of the seaming (Dale patterns are nothing if not finishing-intensive!), pick out buttons, and polish this one off as well... but I've been in a wicked head-cold fog since Sunday, and didn't want to risk screwing something up. Perhaps this weekend!

And finally, the Sheepie Blanket is progressing - I've sewed each of my 3 strips, and have done one of the side borders. I'm in the process of doing the other side border now.... I may go back and re-do the green border, as I ended up picking up too many stitches, causing the border to flare out a bit at the edge. So if I do a better job the second time around, I may go back and do a fix... we'll see! I think I'm going to have to start taking this one with me on the metro to make some real progress, but I don't want to pick up stitches on the train, so I'll keep it at home for the moment.

So I have 3 major projects I need to finish up - the Dale, the Sheepie Blanket, and my dad's vest. I think I can make it!

Labels: Baby Gifts, Sheepie Blanket

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So Much To Knit, Nothing to Bring on Vacation?

Ah, the classic knitter's dilemma - I have so many things I want to be knitting, but somehow I have nothing appropriate to drag with me to Scotland at the end of the month. I'm sure I'll think of something - but for now, I'll distract myself with happier thoughts.

First up - proof that we can, occasionally grow something - our cucumber! We're not sure if we're getting any more, and we're not sure if any of our zucchini plants are going to bust out the produce any time soon. The tomatoes did ok, but I didn't stake them soon enough, so they're a little mad at me.

See how many zucchini plants we've got? We're either going to be drowning in zucchini, or it'll end up as much ado about nothing, and winter will come without us seeing any yummy veggies.

We've basically decided that this year is a trial year - we didn't get things planted as early as we wanted, we didn't know quite where the sunny spots in the yard would be (we have a LOT of trees, but had to plant before the leaves came in!)... so next year, we're ready to go for it. Plus, our lovely compost bin should be full of rich, black, nutritious dirt to supplement the lovely red clay that we naturally have here in the mid-atlantic.

Abby, meanwhile, is not so impressed with our foundering attempts at gardening, and wonders why we don't just dig a nice, cool hole in the flower bed and take a nap.

I clearly have learned to listen to the wise and all-knowing dog, although I did convince her to relocate the napping spot slightly to better suit the pregnant lady and the picky kitty. Abby obliged, but wanted to split the pillow.

When I wasn't catching up on my puppy snuggles, I was blocking 10 of the 15 sheepie squares - and I even annotated the picture with the number of ends I've woven in so far! Ugh. I'm now on square 12 of 15, and have been making pretty good progress - and the next steps involve me sewing up all the sheepie squares, knitting some sort of borders, adding in the 6 doggy panels, and maybe another border (I'm kinda winging it at this point because, after all, the pattern is only a suggestion!) But regardless of what I end up with, I will be working in the entire blanket, and won't really want to drag it around on vacation. So that's out as a travel project!

I'm also just about done with my dad's vest - I need to cut the steeks and knit the neck and arm bands. Also not worth bringing on vacation.

I'm guessing I'll end up knitting socks for S or something. Perhaps I'll get all wild and crazy and knit a baby sweater... I'll have to take a look through the pattern books and see what jumps out at me!

I also have finished 2 of the 3 baby-crib-bumpers I'm making out of a few yards of fabric and some old sheets...

I have one more all ready for the final assembly, and then I need to make 3 coordinating flat sheets. Overall, I'll get 3 crib sets for under $40, including the extra fabric and the $10 pattern! I'm really excited to be able to skip out on the super-expensive bedding. Somehow it just seems wrong to spend more on crib bedding than we spent on bedding for our king-sized bed!

In other baby news, we had another ultrasound this morning - everything is looking great, and we successfully avoided any mention of gender. And apparently I might be in for some fun - the Little Monster's legs are aimed at my bladder - so any day now, it'll start with the kicking and boy will I feel it! I'll try to scan a picture tonight!

Labels: Baby, Sheepie Blanket

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A Long-Overdue Update

Wow.... I think I only managed three posts in May. Hopefully things will get back on track soon - the main problem, as usual these last 8 months, is my job. The hours have eased up, but I still just fundamentally don't like it, and I've found that my negative attitude is infecting other parts of my life. I'm fighting this as much as possible, but sometimes it's tough to shake off the bad mood that starts when I get out of bed on a weekday. This past weekend, I headed off to the beach in Florida for what should have been a wonderful summer associate retreat... and it was lovely, but it was really hard to overcome my "anti-work" feelings enough to relax and have a good time. I couldn't help but think to myself that, by the time these summer associates start in Fall, 2009, I will be long gone from big law. In fact, my current goal is to be on my way out starting December 1, 2008. So far, things are right on track to make that realistic. So only six more months to go!

Of course, it's not just my attitude that interferes with posting. Sometimes, certain members of the family decide that there are more important things to do instead of sitting in front of the computer. For example, perhaps a snuggle or two are in order?

I just wish Cricket weren't so subtle about getting my attention!

We made it camping a few weeks ago, and Abby proved that, if you look cute enough, S will pick you up and carry you. S apparently calls this a "puppy walk." I tried to point out that he seems to be a little confused about the "walk" part, but apparently Abby always gets what she wants!

I took advantage of the slightly-slower doggy walking pace to snap a few pictures of spring finally arriving in the Shenandoah mountains:

Abby enjoyed the beautiful weather with a nice nap in the sunny spot in front of the tent. I just wish I could have this view out of my front door all the time!

Once we got home, however, Abby proved why she was decidedly NOT underweight after being on her own with a broken leg AND with puppies to feed. She's killed two more possums, and this morning she chased a bird across the street, leaped over a bush, and killed it too. She's definitely able to feed herself just fine should we somehow forget her extra-fancy gourmet doggy food!

Oh, and there's KNITTING! I know, shocking. But really - I've been plugging away....

First up - an almost finished baby kimono! I just bought the ribbons for the closures last night, so it's not completely done - but the baby shower isn't until Saturday, so I should be ok.

And another pair of plain socks - socks that rock in pink granite, for me. I'm about 4 rows away from finishing, so I haven't bothered to take it with me on various metro trips etc... because I know I'll finish in about 10 minutes. Consequently, these have sat around for about a month waiting for me to spend those last 10 minutes finishing them. SIGH.

I dug out Wild Apple again for my metro knitting - I decided to just bite the bullet and plow through the stockinette sections so I can perhaps finish this in the next five years! I've done the back, a sleeve, and am almost done with the second sleeve. I haven't decided about whether to put in ribbing or a hem, so I've left all the bottom edges on waste yarn to decide later. I'm predicting that this will sit in a bag with the Union Square Market Pullover waiting for me to get a wild "seaming urge," which will probably never happen. Maybe I'll force myself to finish these up after the job bites the dust!

And lest you think I'm neglecting the Sheepie Blanket (which I have been, but no matter!), here's the fifth square I've completed -

12 ends.

I may also have started swatching for my dad's 2008 vest. I'm really digging the muted colors, but next year's might have to be a riot of reds and golds.

So I should have no problem refraining from buying yarn in the next few months - here's a list of projects either in progress (and not just waiting for finishing!) or on deck, and for which I have yarn:

new dust mitt for mom
dad's 2008 vest
sheepie blanket
wild apple
S' socks
pink granite socks
alpine lace

That's quite a list of projects to get through in a fairly short amount of time - dad's vest, S' socks, and the sheepie blanket have Christmas deadlines, and are all pretty extensive projects.

Whew! Maybe if I were to update more often, the entries wouldn't be such novels! One can always dream, I guess...

Labels: Baby Gifts, Camping, Dad's Vest, Sheepie Blanket, Socks, Wild Apple

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Knitting? Really?

Hopefully both horrible projects at work are finally done for awhile. I'm taking today off as a recovery day - I needed a day where I just DID NOT WORK. It's supposed to be a beautiful day, and I'm going to enjoy each and every minute. I may even manage to get some knitting done!

Speaking of knitting, I've been chugging away on my sheepie squares...

14 ends.

32 ends.

I've finished 4 of the center squares, and have woven in 96 ends so far. I'm not really sure why I'm keeping track of the ends - but I guess I'm always curious when I do intarsia (shudder)... so this way I'll know when the blanket is all finished! I'm forcing myself to weave in as I go along because I know I could never face all of the squares at once.

I'm hoping to finish up a pair of socks today, so I'll be able to start on a new pair... I've been carrying around these same socks for what seems like months (and probably is!), so I'm anxious to have a new metro project. I've picked out some beautiful, spring-colored koigu, destined to be another pair of heel-less sleeping socks for my mother-in-law.

After I wound the yarn this morning, Abby helpfully assisted with the photography!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm - koigu!

Labels: Sheepie Blanket, Socks

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A Real Update

I finally got to go home a little after midnight on Friday, and only spent about 4-5 hours on Saturday and a ~~bit~~ lot of time Sunday dealing with work stuff. (Note - getting a call from your boss a little after midnight on a Sunday night does not a good weekend make!) At least I didn't have to physically go back into the office over the weekend!

S and I were supposed to be working on building a fence this weekend, but it took so long to buy all of the lumber on Saturday, and what with all the work crazies, and the rain, and the fact that we couldn't find the fence post spikes we wanted and had to order them from New Jersey all conspired with the weather to let us off the hook. We did, however, feel very proud of ourselves for buying a whole bunch of lumber rather than something pre-fab. We'll see if our optimism translates into a fence.

Since I managed to do about, oh, NO knitting this weekend, I thought I would at least take a picture of the second sheepie square I finished a few weeks ago.

For the record, 26 ends.

There was another HAPPY reason for the lack of knitting and general stress of the weekend - Kati came for a visit! I wasn't able to spend as much time with her as I would have liked, but it was SO GOOD to see her again!! We hadn't seen each other since the wedding in September.