Some things

Well, I'm officially full term with all this pregnancy business. That's a big deal. We only have 14 days until the due date. So, there's that going on...just waiting. So much waiting.

To pass the time, we took some belly shots. Here are a few of my favorites:



These were taken at 37 Weeks, 4 Days. :)

I have been sewing diapers. Here they are:




I used the Rita's Rump Pocket pattern for them. The first four (dogs and monsters) are "stuffable" and the other two (frogs) are "done stuffed and ready." I'm going to keep making the "done stuffed and ready" variety, but I think I'm going to try out a different pattern to see what I like the most. Another thing I am hoping to change is the material that I use to make the soaker pads. I have a ton of polyester fleece fabric and that is what I used, but I think I'd rather use a few layers of thin cotton batting and flannel. I just have to find some. I'm not sure that 100% cotton batting is something I can easily find at Joann's. Not being a quilter, I've never looked at the batting they carry.

I hear pregnant women can be crazy. I guess I am no different. On a whim, I decided to start two shawls. One of which is of the beaded lace variety: Aeolian. It's actually moving along quite quickly. I am surprised because it looks like it should be really complicated. Of course, I'm only on the first chart. I might be singing a different tune in a week or so when I'm juggling a complicated lace pattern and a newborn on close to zero sleep. Yeah, didn't really think that through...because I also bought needles to start a Shipwreck Shawl...and hope to get it started as soon as said needles arrive.

Here's the Aeolian in progress. I've done a few more repeats since the photo was taken:


The second shawl I started is less crazy making and I'm loving it because I'm using my handspun! It's the Citron shawl, but my yarn is much thicker and I'm using size 8s instead of the 6s called for in the pattern. It's also working up quickly...but I'm going to have to spin up the rest of the yarn soon or it will be stalled indefinitely!


See? It looks good in my handspun! :) I don't knit with handspun very much, but I really should make more of an effort to do so. I'm so much more proud of the results when I know I made the yarn myself.

Well, I don't know what else to say. That's about it. Maybe next time I blog, I'll have a baby to show you. I'm really hoping he comes sooner rather than later. :)

FO: Kick in the Ribs Shoaker

I finished this:

• Pattern: Spare Ribs Shoaker

• Yarn: Malabrigo worsted (DROOL...I only want to knit a million more things with this yarn...too bad it's so expensive).

• Verdict: Very cute soaker. I knit it on size 6 needles so it might be a bit dense. Perhaps I will try again on 7's because 8's were way to loosey-goosey for my tastes.

I'm hard at work on two sweater wips and a baktus scarf. This baby is due in about 34 days and I really need to get this stash down. Some people feel the need to clean the house when nesting. Not me. No, no. Not me. Cleaning is the last thing I want to do at the moment...even though it really does need to happen...I'll somehow convince my loving and supportive husband do that for me. :) So, sweaters shall be my focus until baby comes (with the obvious exception of the irresistible baby knit here and there)!

Here's one of them:

• Pattern: Lush and Lacey Cardigan

• Yarn: Rowan Kid Classic

• Progress report: I am nearly finished with the back! Problem is, I have a wicked cold/sore throat and this is mohair. I sat down with this today and felt like my throat was getting worse and worse the longer I worked on it. I blame the mohair. I can't think of any other explanation. I guess I'll have to focus on the other sweater until my throat recovers. :(
  

Well, that's all she wrote for today's post. Cheers.

Turtle Butt

• Pattern: Turtle Butt Soaker by Melanie Hoffman

• Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Turquoise and Orange

• Recipient: Armen Uel (aka, "Womb Monster.")

• Verdict: Adorable, as expected. I think with this pattern it is nearly impossible for it not to be cute. I'm only making this one in the newborn size because it was a lot of work for something that will only last a few weeks. Also, I won't make any more in this yarn. It's just a little bit too fuzzy for my liking. I have a ton left over, and I'm thinking of making a striped sweater or something with it.

So, you might have noticed above that the Womb Monster now has a name. That is because we had another ultrasound about a week ago and found out "it" is a "he," with 80-90% certainty. He wiggled around too much and when he was sitting still, it was an awkward position. So, we are just going with "It's a Boy!!!!" and leaving it at that. :)

Ladylike Pullover, and other lady-ly things

Well, the last Ravelympics project came off the hooks at somewhere around 10 on the final day of the events! That means I finished an entire crochet pullover in less than 17 days (keep in mind that I didn't start the sweater until a few days into the events!). All in all, I'm happy with the results. Crocheting is super fun, yo!



Pattern: Ladylike Pullover, free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn
Yarn: Full O' Sheep (one of the new Stitch Nation yarns) in fuchsia
Modifications: I omitted the turtleneck because I noticed that this yarn is incredibly WARM and somewhat itchy. I thought a turtleneck would be too much. Also, I made necessary modifications to correct the pattern, which was messed up (as I ranted about in the previous post). Otherwise, the sweater was knit to pattern specifications
Verdict: I like it. It sort of fits me now (over my big prego belly), but I don't think it will fit me after I'm done having babies. :/ It might go to my mother next winter. It looks nice on her:


Wouldn't you agree?

I also crocheted this for my mommy in two days:



It's a cowl/hood thing knit out of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande. My mom picked and purchased the yarn and then put me to work. It was done in no time. I LOVE the yarn. I've decided to make another one for me because it was so fast, easy, and OMG SOFT.

Nerd Hot (and a Ravelympics update)

Well, since it's finally finished and done blocking...

The Nerd Hot Vest:




The last photo is a better representation of the colors.

• Pattern: #B65 Argyle Vest (bonus pattern for subscribers) from Verena Knitting Magazine. Ravelry link here. I named it Nerd Hot because that is exactly what it is! :)

• Yarn: Cascade 22o in purple and gray.

• Modifications: Original pattern is knit in the flat. I converted it to be knit in the round with arm and neck steeks.

• Verdict: I LOVE IT! It fits him perfectly. I was really worried when he tried it on before blocking it because it was small...comically small. It's amazing what a good block will do for colorwork!

So, mark that one off of my Ravelympics queue! The little baby sweater is coming along as well. All I have to do is sew on buttons and take pictures! I'm pretty sure that the baby sack and the crochet sweater will not be finished in time, but I am chugging along just the same. :)

On Progress

Max's vest is finished and is currently blocking! I had to stretch it pretty violently to get it to the specified measurements, but I think I got it under control. Once it's dry, there will be pics of Max wearing it...assuming it fits.

In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to show how this whole thing came together.

Here's what the steek stitches looked like before being reinforced with single crochet:


Here's what the steek stitches looked like after reinforcements were added (doesn't look much like a vest, does it? lol):


Here's the first armhole, with the steek already cut open:


Here's both armholes, steeked and finished:


Here's a scary picture of the neck steek being cut open:


Here's a picture of the result of that cutting (at this point, it actually looks like a vest!):


And finally, here is the finished piece, blocking and drying:


Yay for me! I'm calling this steeking experience a success. It was really fun and it doesn't unravel at all!! Now, I want to cast on a million colorwork cardigans just so I can steek them! I'm crazy.

For he who loves buildings and scaffolding

Well, it has been a long time since this happened. I have an FO. It is a hat for my wonderful husband, who deserves all the hats in the world that are awesome (and some of the ugly ones too, as long as he likes them).



The pattern is Lillehammer and is meant to be like a snowflake. To me, it looks like the skeleton of a building. Considering that my husband is sort of obsessed with skyscrapers and architecture, it seemed like a perfect fit! I used Knit Picks Merino Style and it was a really nice yarn to work with.

Oh yeah, I also made a pair of these for the unborn womb monster:



Saartje's Booties are basically the cutest booties ever. I want to cry from the cuteness. I used leftover handdyed (by me!) sock yarn. I used the modified version of the pattern found here. I think they are quite sharp in a gender neutral kind of way, which is what I believe I am striving for in choosing my pre-natal baby knits. :D I just can't get enough of the buttons I found for them, little yellow duckies! Could anything be cuter?

Up next, a third (that's right, a third!) FO!!

Leyburn Socks

Leyburn Socks by MintyFresh, knit by ME! The yarn is a merino nylon blend from KnitPicks, which I hand dyed myself! Isn't it amazing?! I love them. They are a little loose in the ankles, but it doesn't bother me much. I may decide to run elastic through them at some point, but I've worn them numerous times without having done so and they stay up.


More FO posts to come! Stay tuned!

Lace Blouse

I would like to share my latest FO with you. That's right...I've finished something...and I'm not so humble that I'm not 100% proud of myself.



FO SPECS:
Pattern: Lace Blouse by Jennie Atkinson from the book Romantic Style.
Yarn: Rowan 4-ply Cotton
Started: 6.07!!!!
Finished: 11.28.08
Modifications: None to speak of. I have not added buttons. I kind of like it without them. I may add them later, but there is certainly no rush.

This damned thing (and I am comfortable calling it that. It likes it) took me forever to finish. That border around the neck and front basically killed me. It seemed like no matter how many times I estimated that I had only three or so repeats left, there were four more to go. Now that it is done, I am so happy that I put myself through the torture of finishing it. Good job, me.

Here is the Ravelry Link for you spiffy Ravelers out there. :)

Now for some WIP talk. Max's Cobblestone is about 10 inches long, at 16 I put it off on scrap yarn and start the sleeves. He's pretty much accepted that this thing will take me forever to finish. My snowdrop cardigan is moving along as well, but very slowly. I'm still finishing the second sleeve, then I have to do cuffs on both sleeves, the pockets, seaming of peices, and picking up around the whole darned thing for a collar and border. So, while I wish I could say I'm nearly finished as I usually do when finishing the sleeves, I am nowhere near finishing it. It might take another month at the rate I'm going now. :/

School has got me pretty busy. This week I have to work on a take-home final exam ("take-home test" in graduate school usually means a gazillion times more work intensive and time consuming than an in-class test. Sigh. I had two weeks to work on it (it's due next Monday), but I went to Saint Louis for Thanksgiving and, of course, did not hit the books. Not even once. I must study for the final in my other class (which will be on next week's Wednesday), write one more paper, and read a couple-hundred page book for class discussion (by tomorrow, I might add). I'm not complaining, not yet anyway. I just know that I won't get much knitting in until finals are finally over. Then, I will become a knitting and spinning fool!

That's right--a fool!

Twisting Wool

I have some FOs.

The first is the result of my first time navajo plying. I came out with two mini skeins of about 50 yards each. I have a lot of this roving left over, but I wanted to work on more exciting spindling projects. :) Still, I love this stuff.


The second is a Superwash Merino, Ingeo, Lincoln, and Firestar blend from Dragoncraft. I got this fiber as a freebie with my Dragoncraft spindle (the pretty orange one--eep). I was pleasantly surprised by how much fiber I was given for free! I managed to get 120 yards out of it as a singles, which is how I'm keeping it. It was a different experience spinning with this roving because it sort of lended itself to being kind of unpredictable. There were little bumps and clumps here and there and it really added to the organic feeling of the roving. Plus, there were sparklies in it. Gotta love the sparklies!


I also have a picture of my new spindling Wip:


It's handpainted BFL from this shop.

I'm having a great time with the spinning lately. I might even like it more than knitting at the moment. However, I will happily tell you that I think I have the knitting mojo back! I picked up a pair of socks I started working on a while ago. They are Just a pair of toe-up socks that I’m working on. I started with a linen stitch toe and am planning a simple stockinette foot and leg with scattered purl rows. I’m planning on arranging them randomly…just whenever I feel like purling. :)


I haven't knit a pair of socks since FOREVER ago. I forgot how much fun/addictive they can be!

Yay for knitting!

Urchin

I have an FO to show you:


Urchin hat! I made some modifications. I knit 10 short row sections instead of the 8 specified in the pattern for more poof. Also, it was missing something in the cute department, so I added an adorable pom pom. I really love it and it is my favorite color! PINK!

Oh, I got a haircut:

Adulthood

Today, I got my driver's license!!!! For the first time!!!! And I'm 24 years old!!!!

And very happy...

...but other than that, I have an FO to show you!





The blocking worked! I love it!

Look at this:


TOFUtsies! I'm not making socks with it, though. I'm thinking of a lace scarf or something along those lines...

I got on my flickr page and someone favorited one of my photos. Then, I looked at the person's page and their favorites are all redheads! This means some dude is probably at home right now, hunched over his computer, wanking to a completely innocent photo of me and my cat. Whatever, glad to be of service. lol

New Jessicas

We happen all the time.

I got together with my friends Sandra and Alyssa to have a super fun hair dye party! Here's the three of us together:


Sandra's ended up much darker than we expected it to and Alyssa's and mine look very similar in the photo, but are less similar in real life I think...lol ;) It was so much fun. Sandra is coming over on Wednesday and I will be adding some highlights to her hair...and we might put some carroty orange-red highlights into mine. I have the dye, but I sort of like it how it is...I have a few days to mill it over. It's only hair, right? Right. lol ((more photos are on my flickr page))

Alyssa really want to learn to knit and I think she is going to come over sometime this week so that I can try to teach her. Sandra mentioned too that it might be fun...which is funny because I tried to get her to learn through college when we were roommates and she showed no interest whatsoever. But YAY! More knitters!! I'm luring them in!!

My mom's socks are done!!!!


They look great after a nice wash and block on a towel!! I hope she loves them! I think they will be a nearly perfect fit, if not completely perfect. Proud. lol

Since my mom's socks are off my mind now, I worked a bit on my Purple Lace Blouse (a bit means 16 plus rows, which encompasses two decrease rows on both front pieces). I will probably work more on it this afternoon after I get in some spinning time. I want to at least get the singles out of the way before I head "home for the holidays." I think it will be much easier to ply on the trip than to spin up singles and I definitely want to take some spinning with me.

OK, I feel like watching anime all day now. So, I'm going to do that. ;p

Gentleman's Fancy Socks

They are finally finished!! The Russian is a happy boy!!


Pattern: Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Fearless Fibers superwash merino sock yarn in Marrakesh colorway
Date Started: 5/07
Date Completed: 10/21/07

Seriously, what was the hold-up? Five months? Are you kidding me? One sock at a time is what did it to me. NEVER AGAIN! It's two socks at the same time from now on!

He Might Not Be a Pirate...

...but a Ninja could definitely pull this off:





Pattern: We Call Them Pirates by Adrian Bizilla
Yarn: Knit Picks Telemark in Grey Wolf and Burlap, Knit Picks Merino Style in Tide Pool
Needles: Inox size 4 and 2 16' circulars, Crystal Palace size 4 DPNs

I think he likes it.


What a Block-head! Get it? Block-head?

And now for a little section I like to call, "What I've learned."

I've learned through this, my first stranded colorwork project, that you must keep your floats loose, but not too loose. I have not, necessarily, learned what that means.

I've learned that maybe I should have gone up two needle sizes instead of one. The hat still fits the boy, but it is more like a beanie than the flat topped number in the pattern photo I linked to.

I've learned that doing colorwork on DPN's is something to be avoided at all costs, as it is difficult to maintain your rhythm, let alone hold the two strands of yarn at a steady tension with those awkward points sticking out everywhere. The top section of the hat exhibits a much less even tension than the bottom section simply because of the awkwardness. In the future, I will simply use two circulars when the circumference proves too small to work comfortably on one.

I've learned that hemming up a lining invisibly is not at all as difficult as it sounds. You simply whip stitch around into the purl loops on the inside of the hat. I was surprised to discover that it didn't actually matter what color the purl loop was, making the hemming just that much easier!




These lessons having been learned, I am ready for my next color project. Next up is a hat for me! I bought the yarn for it together with the yarn for Max's hat. All I need now is to decide when to cast on. I may choose to wait a bit and make some more progress on other projects, maybe after the wedding (this Saturday, whoo-hoo!)?