4 years?

On the 23rd, I hit my 4 year blogging anniversary. I've pretty much missed it every year, so don't know why this year would be any different. Blogging has been really great for me - I have met so many wonderful people and learned SO much... I'm so glad I made the plunge 4 years and 2 days ago!


I started my 'birthday' sweater. Seems like every year around my birthday I start a sweater that I've been really wanting to make. This year, it's the Susie Hoodie (ravelry link) from More Big Girl Knits:

It's a pretty plain sweater (the color in the picture is much darker than it is in real life)- but with detailing that really makes it a sweet sweater. There is a fairly simple cable on both sides of the front, and then biased shaping that makes the shape of the sweater neat. I'm already nervous I'm going to run out of yarn - but I will soldier on. I bought what the pattern specified - so guess I should just trust it. I'm excited for this to be my vacation knitting! Next week Aaron and I are off to the Equinox Spa for our first real getaway since we got married. I have spa treatments scheduled each day, and plan to spend the rest of my time reading and/or knitting.

Oh - and if anyone liked the Yarn Harlot's Baby Mine and Baby Yours sweaters - the patterns are for sale on the BMFA site. I got them both, and am totally making both as the 'going home' outfits. I'll bring them both to the hospital since we don't know if it's a girl or a boy. Some yarn also jumped into my cart - but that tends to happen to me when I'm dealing with STR.

Hurrah!

I'm sad that the Olympics are over, but not sad that I finally finished the Cabled Wrap!

Yarn Purchased: Dec 2006
Project Started: April 2007
Project Finished: August 2008!!!

Close up!
Details:

Pattern: Wrap Yourself in Nature, Inspired Cable Knits
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Melange, 10 skeins

This is a wonderful yarn and the cabling in this pattern is really beautiful. I'm not sure the baby alpaca would hold up to the wear a sweater would subject it to, but think this wrap is a great project for the yarn. It really drapes beautifully. It's a bit brutal to have to knit a total of 90 inches of the SAME pattern (hence it being place on hold not just once but twice). Especially when the cable is just exactly hard enough to not be able to memorize... so you need to carry the chart with you everywhere. Now that it's done, I do think it's going to be a great thing for me come fall, when my preggo belly will not really let me wear most of my sweaters.

While this was blocking, I was able to finish what I considered my 'extra credit' Olympic project:

Pattern: Summer of Love Lace, JC Briar
Yarn: Flower Power, STR lightweight

These were a fun knit. For whatever reason, I was nervous to knit them, as the cuff is knit back and forth, and then you join it to the sock. Looks a heck of a lot harder than it was to knit! For the ankle, I knit the medium size (72 sts) but then for the foot, I went down to 64 sts. Fits great!

And - these are both Mission Possible projects! Only 2 more to go (Kauni and the red tweed yarn).

Eyes on the Prize

Ta dah! I finished the pieces for the Cabled Wrap today! Here is a really crappy picture of it blocking:

Bending over and blocking at 6 months pregnant is rather difficult. But - it's looking great, and I've got a fan on it - hoping it'll dry fast! Hurrah!

Onto my 'extra credit' Olympic project.

Going for the Gold...

Progress continues apace on the Cabled Wrap:

I'm at 24 inches of the 36 required for the smaller rectangle. I took a close up of the cables so everyone can understand why I'm determined to finish the damn thing:
It's just so pretty, I can't bear to leave it unfinished!

Nothing super exciting to report here otherwise. I'm 6 months pregnant, and feeling good. The baby likes to kick my bladder really hard if I let it get too full (MOM! I need SPACE! kickkickkick). I continue to enjoy the whole no news is good news pregnancy. We did go out an order our crib this weekend - Aaron actually found this (Baby's Dream Ocean) somewhat 'normal' one in a sea of insanely fancy (and expensive) ones:

We got the crib and a 'dressing station'. The one bit of advice EVERYONE with babies has given me is to not get a changing table that is open underneath - the one we got has drawers, and can be the baby's dresser as it get older.

Other bit of news that I may not have mentioned here is that Aaron got a new job! Much closer to home and bigger $$$. We are both really excited. His current job has been under new management for the past 6 months, and I can't even explain to you how much his work life has changed since then. He really needed to get out - and is going from a huge corporation to a small, but mature, start up company. I think it's going to be a great change. He starts next week!

Now I remember.

When I decided to pick up this project to knit on for the Olympics, I wondered what made me put it down in the first place.


I totally remember now. It's soul sucking. The cable isn't easy to remember. I need to follow along on a chart. And it's wide. So it takes about 10 minutes a row. And it's a thin yarn. It's taking me about an hour to knit an inch and a half.


Mom is totally NOT getting this wrap.

I'm three inches into the second rectangle. That means about 22 hours of knitting left - less than 2 hours of knitting a day until closing ceremonies. Totally do-able within the duration of the Olympics. And, the more I knit on it - the more I know I will love wearing this.

It's just sad that I'm not loving the actual process of knitting it!

My own Olympics

I know loads of people over the knitting world have signed up for a bunch of challenges over the duration of the Summer Olympics. I just didn't get things together in time, with work being so insane... but I love the Summer Olympics with a white hot passion. When I was in high school and college, I rowed crew, swam and played water polo - all of which are summer Olympic sports. I could sit for 14 hours a day and watch everything. Love. It.


In the meantime, for the last few week, I've been hearing a little squeek from my yarn room from this project.... the Cabled Wrap. I started this in April of 2007. I pulled it out and worked on it again this spring. My big problem is that I'm having trouble deciding if I will actually wear the thing... and it's a lot of work. But the yarn is beautiful, and the cables are fun. I'm within finishing 'distance' on this one - so it's my personal Olympic challenge:

This wrap is knit in 2 rectangles - one is 54 inches long, and the other 36". Then you sew them together, and voila! A pretty wrap. I'm at 46" inches on the big bit... so I have a feeling we'll have a winner in a few weeks! I think something else that is helping me push to the finish with this is that if I decide I don't like it - it's totally going to be my Mother's Christmas present.

A meme...

Since the Ladybug sweater is slow going (I did mention it's at 8 sts to the inch, didn't I?), I thought I'd do this neat meme I saw on Knitting the Blues - where you ask you hubby a list of questions about your knitting:

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?
Him: It’s part of who you are and I love you. Plus the hats.
Me: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?
Him: Am I going to get quoted on this?
Me: Yes
Him: The mess. You know, the sprawl.
Me: What is something I have knitted that you recall as being good?
Him: My green sweater, my blue sweater, my grey sweater, my hats, and that sweater you knitted for yourself – the yellow and orange one with the zipper. (He means my Marmalade, which doesn't actually have a zipper)
Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?
Him: Depends. Some of the stuff you buy is expensive – but it isn’t the most expensive hobby out there. And it’s worth it for how much you love it.
Me: Do you have any hobbies?
Him: Building computers
Me: If we compared money spent on hobbies, who would win?
Him:You. Guaranteed.
Me: Has my knitting in public ever embarrassed you?
Him: No.
Me: You can't remember any times in particular?
Him: That it’s embarrassed me? Are you crazy?!?
Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?
Him: It’s made of silk? Maybe the next one you are going to buy?
Me: Can you name another blog?
Him: Nope
Me: Do you mind that I want to check out yarn stores everywhere we go?
Him: No.
Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?
Him: Yep. You do it to make sure that what you are knitting is the right size and that yo uhave enough yarn.
Me: Close enough! Do you read Fiberfish?
Him: Of course I do!
Me: Have you ever left a comment?
Him: Yep.
Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?
Him: No.
Me: Thanks so much for playing along, is there anything you would like to add in closing?
Him: I love Cece.
Me: Awww!

Going buggie

Since I've gotten on the baby wear kick, I've knit a bunch of newborn sized sweaters.

I also was the lucky recipient of some of Just Jussi's cast offs. She is a knitwear designer, and these weren't up to her high standards - but I think they are pretty awesome:
Needless to say - 9 baby sweaters. Sure, two are girl sweaters... so maybe there are only 7... but I'm thinking I'm good on the newborn sweater area.

Back in October of '05, the Yarn Harlot posted (October 25th) a quick picture of an adorable ladybug sweater. She was planning on knitting it for a pair of boy/girl twins. After poking through her achieves for a long while, it doesn't look like she actually knit this sweater - but when I saw it, I knew I had to knit it.

So - I started on the Ladybug sweater. It's been calling my name for a while - but I'd been scared of the fair isle:

I love it. It's supposed to be a 18 month size - but it looks huge to me (it will be 26 inches across the chest). I'm still a little scared on the whole steeking idea - this pattern doesn't have you add extra stitches to cut later.... scary. I'm just going to press onward - making the little ladybugs is a lot of fun, although slow going at 8 sts to the inch.