Pumpkin Day Hat

OK, so most might define my lack of posting for the past few days a failure for NaBloPoMo, but I would argue that I'm just making those who are posting every day feel better about their accomplishment. Are you buying that? Probably not.

On Tuesday, RJ screamed and cried when I put her in the car to go to daycare. This is very strange behavior for her, particularly in the morning. She usually coos and laughs all the way there, then reaches for her favorite caregiver when we arrive (no separation anxiety there). That day she just clung to my arm and cried before we even left the garage. She had been sick for several days, so I suspected she had an infection. Sure enough she has another ear infection (her third in three months, poor thing). I also noticed that one of her bottom teeth was finally poking through. So she had the double whammy of the ear infection and teething. :( She is finally starting to feel better, so I am back to posting.

I will leave with the crocheted pumpkin hat I made for RJ for Halloween and Thanksgiving. I made up the pattern myself based on a couple different ones I found and a leaf pattern I looked up in a crochet book. I used cheap Red Heart Soft Yarn in Tangerine and Leaf. What do you think? (In the bottom picture she has stolen daddy's wand; he dressed as a Hogwart's student for Halloween.)

Cry Baby

Want to know what it's like to live with a newborn?
This classic Sesame Street video pretty much sums it up. The last few days we've had lots of crying. The good news is that she's adorable and loveable even when she's crying.

When RJ was in a good mood I was able to get her to model at least one knit. Here are the Saartjes bootees on a live model:

A warning for those making these, like most booties they really don't stay on that well. They do look really cute for the five minutes they do stay on, so maybe it's worth it. ;)

I am continuing to make progress on Anouk, which is turning out really cute in the yellow and green that I'm using. I am thinking about starting a new sweater for RJ. I am considering the Rosebud Cardigan from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies in peach Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. What do you think?

New Projects and Baby FOs

I meant to get this post up earlier, but baby RJ and her father caught a cold and we've been struggling to get by these past few days. Everyone is slowly getting better, but I have gotten even less sleep than usual and RJ has needed lots of attention. Being on the computer is taking a back seat as a result. First, another picture of RJ with her new teddy bear. She looks a bit frightened in this shot, but I swear she didn't seem scared of the bear at the time.


Before RJ was born, I finished a couple small projects for her. First, I finally got to to the final details of a cute new bib for her. The inspiration was some scraps of black, white and black/white Sugar 'n Cream yarn and a ladybug button.


Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream in white, black, and salt & pepper
Pattern: baby bib 'o love from Mason-Dixon Knitting
Changes: none
Yardage: small amounts of each
Needle: US 6 (4.0 mm)
Time: started July 10, 2007 and finished March 6, 2008 (knitting was done in September, but finishing took awhile)

I also whipped up a cute pair of booties just before she was born. I wanted to use up the leftover yarn from a hat that I made for her.


Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Pattern: saartje's bootees
Changes: none
Yardage: about a third of a skein
Needle: US 2 (2.75 mm)
Time: started February 16, 2008 and finished February 20, 2008

I also started a couple more new projects for RJ (she is getting all my knitting attention lately, but I just can't resist making cute things for her). First, I started Anouk in green and yellow.

I am also making some knitted pants in white and yellow. I started them in just yellow (to use up some leftover cotton-ease), but it was obvious I was going to run out of yarn, so I just restarted using white for the waistband and cuffs, and yellow for the main body. I should have photos next time!

Some Birthday Fun

March 12th was my 35th birthday. I'm not sure if 35 is supposed to be a big one (is 35 the new 25?),but we had a pretty low-key celebration. We went out to dinner and then hung out with my knitting group. At 1:30 am on the 13th I went into labor. Our little girl was kind enough to let me enjoy my birthday contraction-free, and she arrived on my mother's birthday instead. Needless to say she has the favorite grandchild position all sewn up (she's also the first for my side).



I actually have some FOs to show for my weeks of bed rest. I started and finished several projects, and am now fully over my nonstartitus (inability to start things). I need to give a big thanks to the Loose Knit Group on Ravelry. I am making major progress on my gifts for Christmas 2008!

First, I made this easy ribbed hat for my brother. I plan to make matching fingerless gloves and give this to him for his birthday in December. Not only am I done with a gift well in advance, but this and the gloves should use up some stash yarn.
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solid in Dark Gray and Unger Aries (45% wool/55% acrylic) in Light Gray
Pattern: ribbed cap from One-Skein Wonders
Changes: I made it longer, because I wanted a cuff (Wisconsin is cold) and my brother has an huge head
Yardage: About half a skein of the light gray and a quarter of the dark gray
Needle: US 7 (4.5 mm)
Time: started January 17, 2008 and finished February 28, 2008.
Notes: This is an extremely easy pattern that is great for using up leftover yarn.


Next, I finished a scarf for a friend in England. I thought the fun yarn would brighten up those gray England winters. This is also a Christmas gift for next year and I plan to make a chunky beret in light green to go with it. I may put just an edge on it in the matching yarn, but I thought a completely matching set would be a bit much.
Yarn: Moda Dea Cache in the colorway Wink
Pattern: 2x2 rib
Yardage: Nearly 4 skeins
Needle: US 11 (8.0 mm)
Time: started January 25, 2008 and finished March 4, 2008.
Notes: This turned out pretty long, so it can be wrapped around the neck to keep out the English chill.

Lastly, two more Seija blankets and the last ones I plan to make for quite some time. I am planning to use all my leftovers from the eight (yes, I've actually made eight of these things!) Seijas to crochet one more baby afghan or two. These final two are gifts for twins, a boy and a girl.
Yarn for Red/Orange Blanket: Caron Simply Soft Shadows in Autumn, Caron Simply Soft in Off-White, Plymouth Encore Worsted in Light Orange
Yarn for Blue/Green Blanket: Caron Simply Soft Shadows in Soft Merino, and Caron Colour Perfect in Woodsy Green and Pine
Pattern: Seija blanket pattern in The Happy Hooker, with the very clever hole for a carseat or stroller seatbelt
Changes: I added three rounds of single crochet for the edging and left out the braided trim. I also added a few rows to make it a bit longer and make up for leaving out the double crochet edging at each end.
Yardage: 2 skein of each of the Shadows, 3/4 of the skein of Plymouth Encore, and about a 1/4 of each of the other skeins.
Hook: size H
Time: started January 28, 2008 and finished February 27, 2008.
Notes: These are so easy and the recipients really seem to like them.



Are you wondering what that large pink obstruction is in the last photo? I know I did. It took me a few seconds to realize it was my pregnant belly getting in the way. My next post will have two FOs for the baby (without the belly obstruction, but perhaps with baby obstruction).

Driving Them Crazy

Way before the hubby and I were together, I went to a party hosted by a group of Arabic friends, and all night they played beautiful music from their home countries. During a particularly lovely melody I asked a friend what the song was about. His response was, "it is about a woman who drives a man crazy." Later, I asked about another song, and got the same response, "it is about a woman who drives a man crazy." At first I thought perhaps he was trying to give some subtle hint that I should quit flirting and go out with him already. That may have been the case, but when I started thinking about it that description really does describe a large portion of musical lyrics. Sometimes it's about a man who drives a woman crazy, but same general idea. Just the other day I was reading the Knitty Professor's analysis of an A-Ha song, which is a perfect example of this theme. My advice to you if you are trying to write a hit pop song: it should be about a woman who drives a man crazy (or vice versa).





For those of you actually interested in knitting, I have some photos of a completed FO for 2008 and a close-up of the cute button I found for it at the Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. They have a pretty good selection of fun buttons, and this one seemed to match the gold perfectly and add some fun color. I have toyed with adding a crochet trim in the blue to add extra punch, but for now I am calling it done. I think I have enough yarn leftover to knit some matching pants. How cute would that be?


Yarn: Cotton-Ease, the old version, in a lovely golden yellow
Pattern: One-Piece Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting
Changes: I made the front and back quite a bit longer, so the proportions would better fit an older baby. I left the sleeves the same length as called for in the pattern, as there have been complaints that they are too long. I also think using a stretchier yarn will make it easy get on and off an infant, always a good thing.
Yardage: About 1 skein, plus a little of a second skein
Needle: US 6 (4 mm)
Time: started in September 2007 and finished the knitting in November 2007. I just wove in all the ends and added the button this past week while on bedrest. (I also sewed on some hidden velcro dots to help keep it closed.)
Notes: The pattern was fun and easy. If I hadn't been obscenely busy with other things, I could have finished it easily in 3-4 weeks even in the larger size and just working on it in evenings. Also, the cuteness factor and fun of choosing a button or ribbon for the closure are never to be underestimated.

Resting On One's Laurels

I had never really thought about what the phrase "resting on your laurels" meant. It harkens back to a time when Roman senators were given crowns of laurels in recognition of their achievements. If someone relies on these previous achievements, rather than working to earn new ones, they would be considered to be resting on their laurels. Despite my current bedrest, I am trying to continue getting work done (yay for laptops!) and spend some quality time knitting and crocheting. So far things are generally going well, and we made it past the "magic" 34-week mark. My restrictions look to be slowly easing up, and I am feeling less worried. In crafting news, some projects are finally finished, and several new things have been started. Here is a photo of my world at the moment: me, the couch, my belly, and my knitting.


Here is another FO for 2008:



Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Country Blue, Lion Brand Color Waves in Windsor
Pattern: Seija blanket pattern in The Happy Hooker, with the very clever hole for a carseat or stroller seatbelt
Changes: I added a shell edge and left out the braided trim.
Yardage: 1 skein of each, approximately
Hook: size H

Honestly, I normally wouldn't choose to work with either of these yarns. The Red Heart was predictably scratchy and squeaky and the Color Waves was so fuzzy it was nearly impossible to see the stitches. However, the Red Heart had been in my stash for about 15 years, and the Color Waves was free. Despite the yarn troubles, it has gotten soft with washing and looks pretty cute, I think. The hubby liked it so much, he insisted we keep it for our little one. I am making good progress on some gift knits, inspired by the Loose Knit Group on Ravelry. We are trying to get ahead on holiday gift-giving. I will post on those projects soon.

Two FOs

"One good husband is worth two good wives; for the scarcer things are, the more they are valued." -Benjamin Franklin

The first FO is actually my brother's wedding, which is really a finished event rather than an object. I didn't really have a lot to do with its actual completion, but it was a very happy event. My new sister-in-law is a wonderful person that we are exceedingly happy to now call family, and she and my brother seem very happy together (I should apologize to him for the quote, but he loves Ben Franklin quotes and this one was too funny). It doesn't get much better than that! Here is a photo of me at the beautiful outdoor wedding at Red Rock Canyon this past weekend. It was a bit chilly, so I kept on my jacket for the ceremony and then took it off later for photos. Since this is a side view, you can sort of see my growing belly. I was my brother's Best Woman, and even got to hold the rings. I have to say the ceremony was very touching and I was so happy to be a part of it.

The second FO is actual knitting. I am willing to admit that my progress on even the simplest of projects has been pretty pathetic these past few months (one could argue that this has been the case since the beginning of this blog, but things have worsened to an even more atrociously slow state recently). There are numerous reasons for this, including a neck and shoulder injury brought on by too much time spent hunched over grading (I should have known that grading was dangerous for one's health; it sure feels unhealthy when you're doing it). Also, the yarn for Le Slouch was so old (12 years and moved more times than a failing TV series) that it really upset my dust allergy. I think I have enough yarn left to make matching fingerless gloves, but I plan to wash the it first.

Yarn: Lorena DK (40% wool/60% acrylic) in burgundy
Pattern: Le Slouch by Wendy Bernard
Changes: None, I basically knit the pattern as written
Yardage: 1 skein (200 yards)
Needle: US 7 dpns
Time: Started July 2007 and finished January 2008
Notes: The seed stitch was a little tedious and I kept dropping stitches from the dpns, but these were really minor negatives. Overall, the pattern was easy and fun and the result is a very flattering yet practical hat. Below are a couple photos of the finished hat and an actual action shot.





Shockingly, I have more FOs to post, but don't want to splurge on putting all of them in one post. It may be awhile before I finish anything else afterall.