Falling behind, catching up

So, I have not updated the blog in a while. I have been avoiding it. It isn't that I don't have anything to share. It's more that I just didn't want to sit still for long enough to write about it all. :) I have been knitting. A lot. An awful lot. I have much to show you.But before the knitting, I will show my latest weaving project (albeit, a few weeks old now).




The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Silky wool in various colors. Stash yarn, all. Weaving really uses it up. I have a few other things planned for other pesky yarns in the stash that just can't seem to find appropriate projects. :) Yay!

As for knitting. Where did we leave off? I'm just going to plow through and not give much detail here, because there is a lot of stuff!
First, this is a gift that I pulled together for my BFF who is due only a few weeks after me!:



Patterns here and here. I fully intend to make matching ones for our little guy. Squee.

Here is another super easy crocheted soaker:


It's not as cute as some of the others I've made, but it will fit for a long time and that is possibly more important. :) Pattern here.

I was commissioned by a friend to knit a yellow vest for one of her ACEN cosplays this year. I worked my bum off and managed to finish with time to spare! The convention is May 14th-16th.



The actual color is more yellow in person. It looks really light in the photo. It fit her. Success. I will post pics of her wearing it with the rest of the costume (which I didn't make, for the record) after this weekend. :)

Finally, I just finished this vest over the weekend. It is from a Japanese pattern from this book. It was comically small before blocking, but now it fits just right! This was another stash buster project. I've gotta get through it before the baby gets here!




I'm starting to feel very cluttered and panicked over the state of the condo. I don't feel like any room in the entire place is up to my standards at the moment. We need more bookcases, and storage. I need to go through every cabinet in the kitchen and re-organize it all. I need to fill up a few boxes for the Salvation Army...trouble is, I don't know what to fill them with! All I know is that there is way too much going on in this tiny space and I am SICK TO DEATH OF IT ALL! I know that this is all a part of nesting and completely normal, but I'm definitely working myself up over it. I just feel like I don't even know where to start.

Otherwise, this being pregnant thing is a good experience (can that go on my resume someday?). I've not had many issues or discomfort...just a bit of acid reflux/heartburn and sore and swollen legs. I don't sleep as well either, but I think that's just nature's way of preparing me for the sleepless nights to come. Thanks a lot. I really like making my husband do things for me...like the laundry and sweeping. :) We thought we had decided on a name a long time ago, but now we are changing our mind and haven't made the final decision yet. For certain, his middle name will be Uel after my great-grandfather.

The baby's room is slowly coming together. Pics when it is more presentable. We have a crib and a glider/ottoman (thanks to the in-laws). It's looking cute (but cluttered) so far. Oh clutter. Hopefully our trip to IKEA tonight will help with that a little.

OK, that's enough of an update for now, I think.

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!!

All that's left now...

...are the sleeves!! The front and back of my sweater are finished! Yay! It only seemed to take forever.

I started a scarf to learn continental knitting. I'll show it to you later.

So, normally, I hate to purl. However, I have found that I love to purl continental style! Actually, I love a lot about the continental style and want to master it and make the switch!! I knit so much more loosely, which is good because I am a very tight knitter and it makes things frustrating when starting new projects. Yay, continental!

I had a knit night with some friends the other night. Our antics looked like this:




Alana is wearing the scarf that she cast off THAT NIGHT!! Can you tell how excited she is, even with the dangling loose ends? lol I taught her how to bind off! Yay!

My novel has been neglected for the past two days and will probably be absolutely starving for attention by this evening. I've been feeling down and not up to writing. I don't know. My birthday was on the 14th and I'm not who I thought I'd be at this point. I mean, I'm me...and I know that I'm great...it's just other crap that I've dealt with my whole life that hasn't gone away now that I'm a "grown up," even though I really thought it would. Stupid stuff...I won't go on about it.

I wound up some two year old yarn that was in a tangled hank in my bedroom:


Oh, and I knit my pregnant buddy, Michelle, some super cute baby booties:


That's all. :P