My Own Design

Ok, so now I can post about it...

I wrote my first pattern!!! And, it's being used by Make1 Yarn Studio for their sock club as the first pattern for 2007. **Gulp** I am both totally elated and totally nervous at the same time. I mean, what if there are glaring errors in the pattern? What if people hate it? What if? What if? This pattern is going out to a lot of people... too scary and cool all at the same time.

Ok, deep breath. As the ever wise Claudia puts it... well, check out #6. I guess no one will really die or go to jail if the pattern is a bit off... ok.

If you want to check out the pattern, check out the Make1 website.

This has been such a great week for me, truly. Besides having my pattern used for sock club, I am pleased to announce that I got the promotion that I was hoping for has been awarded. When I come back to work after my mat leave, I will be in a new position with a nice raise. The letter came today and I am totally thrilled. I have been working for the last two years to get this position.

So, on that happy note, I have two more weeks of work left and then I have the next while to spend at home with Bunny and the New Bean. Life is sweet.

Edited to add: I totally forgot - my sockapalooza pal left me a message asking how big my calf is around - it's 15.5" and from heel to back of knee is 15". Thanks sock pal! I can't wait!

Spring has Sprung...

...for the most part.

Ok, not withstanding the fact that it snowed a lot last weekend, I managed to get some planting done this weekend. This is our first summer in this house and I am so loving how the yard looks now that the grass is mowed and the flowers are in. I stepped out this morning and took some shots of the new hanging pots and boxes that Hubby made me.

And, thanks to the snow, I did get the Jaywalkers off the needles. I am so happy to be finished these now that spring is here.

Pattern: Jaywalkers from Magknits done toe up

Yarn: Lily Petal from HL Miller Yarns.

Small Progress

I have been working on mainly smaller projects lately because of the intense fatigue that I am finding goes along with creating a human. You would think that would make for fast knits, but sadly, this doesn't seem to be the case. I have made some progress on the Lily Petal Jays that I was working on, but I feel like they possibly won't be done in time to make the SAM3 KAL for May. I am going to try to push through the next few days and get them off the needles asap.





Its taken me this long to admit to myself that I may have taken on a bit more than I can handle as far as knitting projects go; especially given my ever looming due date and the things that also need to be done around the house to prepare for the new babe. I currently have to finish:

• a chevron scarf to finish for the end of July (although this was originally intended for Mother's day)


• another pair of socks (Trekking XXL) for the same time


• Baby projects out the wazoo (no pun intended, heh) which all need to be ready for mid-July


• a pair of socks for my sockapalooza pal for the beginning of August


• finishing on the Monica tank that I knitted for Bunny to go in her "Big sister kit" for when the baby arrives


• a scarf that I have been working on as a store sample for Make1


• and finally... a sock that I am working on for Make1... that has *gulp* somehow disappeared. It just walked off. Luckily, it's in a plastic bag so it won't come undone. I think it's probably in my car as I have been knitting on it during my lunch hours in an attempt to get it done as quickly as possible. Have no fear, I will find it this weekend and plan to have it done for Tuesday knit night.

I must admit that the projects I am finding most enjoyable lately are for baby... go figure. They are quick to knit and are such a change from socks! I have some trouble justifying buying an entire sweater's worth of yarn for me, but somehow buying for the babe is no problem. I am working on the Sirdar pattern that I talked about in a recent blog post and it's flying along. I finished the back in record time and am slowly working on the front cabled piece (this thing has about 8 different types of cables!) but I have forced myself to put it on hold until the socks get done. Must resist baby cuteness...

And, speaking of cuteness...

Where do I belong? Well, now you know...

Turns out I belong in Amsterdam.... no big surprise there hey? Check me out.

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam.Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

Oh and I have been tagged several times over for the 7 weird things meme, but since I have already done the six weird things meme, I am just going to say I am lazy (and like 20 months pregnant) and only add one more thing to the list:

7. I want a monster truck. I have wanted one for as long as I can remember. It has to be really big, with those huge tires and a lift kit and a roll bar with lights along the top. I probably wouldn't ever be able to park it or drive it down a narrow street as I have no depth perception, but I still want one... go figure.

Home Sweet Home

I am back! It feels so nice after being away for so long to sleep in my bed and wake up in my own house. I am getting to the point now, at 32 weeks pregnant, that hotel beds and working 12 hours a day is a little more than I can handle. However, I received some amazing news the other day that I will hopefully be able to share in a bit. No, we still don't know the sex of the baby...

However, I will admit that everything I seem to be making is blue. I am not drawn to green or yellow at all. I feel like this baby will be wearing blue for some reason. Although, I am trying my darnedest to pick gender neutral stuff, it sure feels as though I am unconsciously leaning one way.

I did finish the baby sweater that I was working on the weekend before I left to go to Canmore for work. I absolutely love it! I also made a matching "fruit cap" hat from an Ann Norling pattern that I picked up at Make1.


Pattern: Baby Placket Neck Sweater - Last Minute Knitted Gifts - size 0-6 months
Yarn:Rowan Handknit Dk Cotton
Modifications: I didn't sew the placket the same way as the book asks for. Instead, I sewed it closed at the bottom and sewed 2 mother of pearl buttons in permanently so that the neck would fold over or stand up on its own.

I didn't make any modifications on the fruit cap, however, I do plan to make another one using seed stitch instead of a rolled brim. I think I will also make the next one somewhat smaller as this one came out a little larger than I thought it would.

I also treated myself to some new yarn and a pattern at the one yarn store in Canmore. I bought some Sirdar snugly dk yarn in a light greeny blue and a cute baby pullover pattern. I can't wait to get started on this. Just as soon as some of the other things that I have committed to do are off the needles. I am having a hard time deciding if I want to knit it with the hood as the green photo shows. I think I am leaning toward the hooded one and I did buy enough yarn just in case I decide to make it that way.

Remember the Jaywalker that I started on at the end of April? I have had this half finished sock on the needles for a while now and am just getting ready to turn the heel. I am hoping to have this pair finished for the end of May for my SAM 3 KAL.

Of course, I did get some new yarn in the mail while I was away. The day it arrived, I had been working since 8am and called hubby at 11pm (still working!) for some sympathy. He was also seriously grumpy and we ended up getting into an argument. By way of making peace, he let me know that I had gotten some yarn that day and when he opened the box, he loved the colors so much that the argument was forgotten. We talked about yarn for a few minutes and I went to bed happy. See, yarn really does solve problems :) What did I get? Some new custom dye sock yarn from HLMiller (again, if you get a chance, check her out - her yarn is amazing) and some Louett Gems Pearl in a light pink color. I have no big plans for these yet, but once I have some time off, I'm sure that I will have it all figured out. For now, they will go to the place that all good sock yarns go... the stash shelf.

Only 4 more weeks until I am off on maternity leave... the needles will surely be flying then.

A Work in Progress

I do have a number of things on the needles right now, but nothing seems to be finishing very quickly. As I get more and more pregnant, I am finding that I am more and more tired and unable to complete more than a few rows a night. Thus, today I have only works in progress to show to you.

I have actually started knitting some baby things. Now, don't get excited because it's blue... we still don't know what we are having, but I figured since we have so many left over pink clothes from when Bunny was a babe, I would try my best to even things out a bit. Anyone recognize this? It's the placket neck sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I love this book. I originally wasn't going to get it, but I became sold on the book when I saw the number of amazing chevron scarves that were being knitted out of it. I am knitting the sweater in some Rowan dk cotton that I scored off of the Destash blog.

I am also making some headway on the Chevron Scarf that is being knit for a special someone. I don't think that she reads the blog, but just in case, I won't mention her name. Of course, if she does happen to read the blog, she will know instantly that it is for her... no one else I know wears this much pink!

I am also about halfway done the secret project that I showed you a few days ago. I can't wait to get this off the needles and into the hands of the person that needs it. I am woefully behind on delivery, but there are some reasons for that which I will share in a minute.



Ok, onto the real reason that I am so behind on my knitting. (Warning: baby stuff ahead...)

I went to the doctor yesterday and found out that my iron is seriously low. This means that there really is a reason for my being so tired all the time. I need to get an iron supplement and take it daily and hopefully that will help.

And, we also got some somewhat scarier news... turns out between my last 2 sets of bloodwork, my white blood cells and platelets have dropped and this puts me in the low end of acceptable for these numbers. What they are telling me is that I will need to have my bloodwork done regularly and that they will monitor these levels closely. The bottom line is that if it drops too much, they will need to deliver the baby early. And, if I make it to term and the number is too low, they won't be able to give me an epidural. I guess that this can happen to some pregnant women and that the concern is that it affects blood clotting. So, we are keeping our fingers (and my knees) crossed in the meantime. If I can make it another 6 weeks, I will be considered full term. Wish me luck.

A Real, Live, Knitting Meme

Another Meme... This time actually about knitting...

The instruction part:

Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

AfghanI-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac - have a pattern for a bag
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
JewelryKnitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public


What have you learned to do that has marked a definite change in your knitting life?

I think that the day that I realized that I could create my own patterns and tailor patterns to fit my needs/ yarn on hand/ personal style & size made the most difference in my knitting to date. I owe this realization to the SnB Nation Book which broke down the math that goes into designing patterns. Until that point, I didn't really have a very deep understanding of gauge and how the pieces fit together. Once that all came together, the class that I took at Make1 helped to solidify the basic knowledge of how a garment is constructed and how to put all the pieces together.

I came across this Knitting Survey over at Yellow House Treasures and thought it was interesting.

HOW ABOUT YOU?!!
Place this on your CRAFTY Blog and link to me.. I’d love to see how many different techniques you’ve done or hope to do and what knitting has meant to you!!

TGIF Baby

Just a few quick things to show today...

Since it's Friday, I figured I would show you something pretty. This is something that I am working on for someone else and it must remain a secret, hence the abstract picture. I really wanted to share the colors of this yarn though. Beautiful, no? I am totally into the jewel box tones mixing with the rustic browns and greens.



I also finally finished the Socks that Rock Inside Out socks that were February's kit from the rockin sock club. A big thanks to Dana for helping me figure out where I went wrong on the cables. A little time out, some quick frogging, and re-knitting, and they are finito. What do you think? In case you are wondering, I took the pictures with the socks on inside out...



That's really all I have on the needles right now that is blogworthy. I am still working on the Chevron scarf and have another scarf on the needles right now that I keep putting off (bad, bad, me), but otherwise, I have nothing. I am at an impasse. I really feel like starting a baby project, but am lacking the motivation to jump right in. You see, I am so tired these days that knitting is actually a chore of sorts and so I am trying to work on very small projects that require little thought. Maybe once I am off work life will be a little easier.