Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Enfin, a new blog post! I cannot believe it has been a full month since I blogged but in truth, I did very little knitting until the last two weeks and I'm committed to only blogging when knitting so here you go. There will be more updates to come because I am on spring break and I'm fully over my post-Christmas knitting funk!

By the way, have all of you discovered the new lines of Knit Picks???? I really want to order some Shine Worsted but I'm still getting through the $50 Knit Picks order from December. Do you know how much yarn $50 will buy you at Knit Picks? Take my word for it - HEAPS!

Before I show you what I've been up to, check out this amazing baby blanket my secret pal sent!!!!!!!! It's the kid's first hand-knitted gift - how exciting! We haven't bought or planned anything for the baby yet so maybe this will inspire us to start.


THANK YOU SECRET PAL!!!!!

Beth has inspired me to try a couple of diaper covers. She gave me a wonderful pattern that I've used to make these two. Sorry for the links to my flickr account. Blogger won't let me upload more pictures for who knows what reason.

Also, I bought this Phildar layette magazine last year so that I could make this one.

I hadn't made it yet because I didn't know anyone who was having a baby girl and planned to use cloth diapers. I still don't know anyone like that but I just wanted to make the little culotte so I did. :-) I also learned how to do intarsia so something good came out of the experiment.

Here is another sweater I've sort of finished. It needs a zipper. I don't know how to sew in a zipper. I need to do some research before I tackle the finishing process.

My current project is a little brassière from the same Phildar book (Layette Spring/Summer 2005). I don't know what this kind of sweater is called in English but it has a cardigan-style back for ease of use with a small baby. I'm using Kona Superwash wool for the first time. I might knit a swatch to see how well it washes and if it is machine dryable.

I'm spending the first few days of my spring break to sewing. I hate to sew but this mission is entirely outcome-driven. I found some patterns for maternity clothes and I thought I'd try to make them. With labor costs aside, I'm not saving a significant amount of money but I just wanted to make my own stuff. I've discovered that it is nearly impossible to find maternity clothes for women whose pre-pregnancy waists and inseams were under 30". If this graduate school gig doesn't work out, I might open up a factory to make maternity clothes for 1) short people and 2) people who exercise. Only Fit Maternity makes apparel for real exercise. This is a major source of annoyance chez moi.

I'll leave you with recent updates in the belly picture series.