Eyelet Vest

Well, I can't believe this but I've actually started and finished a baby sweater in the post-partum period. It's a good thing I learned how to knit while nursing - otherwise my knitting days would be over with! I still need to find a button for the back and a ribbon to run through the eyelet holes but the everything else is done. Take a look:


Pattern: Eyelet Vest from Debbie Bliss' "Special Knits" book
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Orchid
Needles: US4
Modifications: I knit in the round until the armholes because I wanted to minimize the amount of seaming. I can knit while nursing. I can't seam while nursing.

So what's next, you ask? I still need to finish the most boring socks on the planet - remember those?

Ugh. This is not a sock I look forward to working on but I'm almost done with the second sock so I'd be a fool to let them sit on the shelf, right? I also need to knit the thumb on my second Lapland Mitten. Can you believe that I've done everything but the thumb? How pathetic.

Progress Pics and Pre-Frost Garden Harvest

First of all, I've retooled my blog a little and added lots of stuff to the sidebar. I added a link so you can subscribe to my blog feed with Bloglines so go check it out! I also moved all my links from BlogRolling to Bloglines, which is just so much nicer.

Here are some action shots of Beatrix in that Debbie Bliss jacket from Special Knits. It's knit with Cotton-Ease - have you heard it's coming BACK????? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited about that. Cotton-Ease was the only decent yarn Lion Brand ever made. In any case, the jacket is cute but I just can't figure out if the collar is supposed to stand up or fold over. It's a little awkward, as you can see.


Here is a progress pic on the pink tank dress I'm working on. My knitting group met yesterday so I got lots more knitting done than I normally would have!

Finally, I thought I'd post some non-knitting pictures. I try to keep non-knitting content (NKC) to a minimum but I'm throwing in some garden pics. We had our first hard frost last week so Aaron harvested all the green tomatoes he could. I wonder how long it will take them to ripen? We have four window sills full of them - enough for one last batch of spaghetti sauce.

The second picture is from the garden before everything died. Can anyone identify this??? It looks like a really, really, really well-fed green caterpillar munching away my tomato plants but WHAT are those nasty white things? Larvae of some sort, I assume... From the caterpillar or some other bug? Any gardeners out there?

Gratuitous Baby Shots

This is Beatrix working through a series of farts. Heh.

Midwest Moonlight Scarves

I don't know why I like this pattern so much but I keep coming back to it. If you haven't noticed, when I like a pattern, I knit it over and over until the amity wears out. Remember baby hoodies??

This one is Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Terracotta.This one is Knit Picks Andean Treasure in Summer Sky. I made this for the lactation nurse that's been helping me and Beatrix survive breastfeeding - who knew it could be so hard? That's definitely on my Things-Nobody-Tells-You-When-You're-Pregnant list.

This is the baby tank dress that I started a few weeks ago. I've only made it up a few inches because I really wanted to finish those scarves. I'm not so keen on returning to it right now. It's weird - now that the baby is here, I no longer feel compelled to knit for her. Maybe because I went overboard and now worry that she'll never wear all the stuff I made. We'll see.


I also bought some Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Bachelor Button. It's a bit more purple than it appears n the photo. I have 7 skeins. I was going to make ANOTHER Midwest Moonlight scarf but that's kind of boring. The advantage is that it's also mindless, which is good since you can't do much with an infant. Any pattern suggestions? Scarf or otherwise.

In other news, I got my SP9 match yesterday and I'm really excited. My spoilee and I have similar interests and lots to talk about! I can't wait to get started. I hope to have more regular posts because I'm really missing daily knitting. I hope things calm down n the coming weeks. Everyone has told me that things get much easier at 12 weeks. Only 5 to go!

Secret Pal 9 Questions

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I’m not really too picky about yarn. I like just about everything but old school Red Heart. Lately, I’ve been making lots of socks and baby stuff so washable yarn is GREAT. I’ve been knitting a bunch with Knit Picks yarn – that’s some of my favorite stuff too. I'm also pretty excited that Lion Brand is bringing back Cotton-Ease. That was a great yarn.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Several colored vases. I’m not very good about putting needles back into a case so the vases are easier for me.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Six years. Intermediate to advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes. An Amazon and Knit Picks wish lists. If you want the KP one, I'll have to email it to you. They aren't as sophisticated as Amazon.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I’m actually allergic to some body care products. As for scents, I like subtle ones.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Of course! I love chocolate but I'm trying to lose the baby weight so I'm staying away from it for now.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I sew when necessary.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Yes. Anything but country.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love blue but I buy too much of it, I think. There aren't really any colors I can't stand. I like both bright and muted colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Married, a baby girl and two mutts.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I don't wear ponchos and I rarely wear hats but yes to the others!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks, mittens and baby items.

13. What are you knitting right now? A scarf and a baby tank dress.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I like straights and DPNs but certainly use circs when necessary. My favorites are Brittany birch needles but I'm interested to try the Knit Picks circulars.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?Who's counting??

18. What is your favorite holiday?Summer ones.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Other than yarn? Nope. I’m actively trying to clear out my house of junk. My husband is a pack rat. He’s the collector.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I'm not too big on magazines - I buy books instead. There aren't any books I'm dying for. There are a few on my Amazon list that I'm interested in. I'm sort of interested in those sock blockers but I've never seen a real one in person. You know, to block the four socks (not pairs, mind you) that I make a year.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd like to improve my intarsia skills.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? You bet. Ankle: 7.75". Heel - toe: 9.5"

23. When is your birthday? 12/03

Knitting on NPR

Renee Montaigne did a piece this a.m. on Morning Edition on Tracey Ullman's knitting obsession an new book. Check it out!

Hey, it's not even been a month since my last post....

Hi everyone! We're still here, alive (but not sleeping much) and well. I thought I'd post the last 6 weeks worth of knitting. I've taught myself how to knit while nursing. Boy, did that make the time go by faster! Who knew nursing took sooooooooo much time???

Here's a Midwest Moonlight scarf (from Pam Allen's Scarf Style) in Knit Picks Shine Worsted (color: Terracotta). I ran out of yarn so I'm waiting for a new KP order to come with an extra two balls.

Here's a sweater I was working on when I went into labor. It's a good thing the intarsia was all done because I guarantee you this would never have been finished if it hadn't been straight stockinette stitch after the argyle. Pattern from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits in Knit Picks Shine Sport.

Here's a hat I made for Beatrix just after she was born. It's done in Rowan Cashsoft DK (I splurged) and PINK because all of her clothes are blue or yellow. Everyone thinks she's a boy. I don't mind too much because I'm not into dressing her in pink and purple but I think one pink hat would be nice.

Yeah, well speaking of gender-neutral clothes (oops), here's the beginning of a new sleeveless dress from Debbie Bliss again. In KP Shine Worsted (orchid). The yarn for this was ordered long before Beatrix was born so shut it... ;-)And now, some gratuitous baby pictures. This is Beatrix at 4 weeks.

Mama and Baby

Knitting and baby updates

OK, first of all, let me say that my secret pal for SP8 was absolutely AMAZING. I was so lucky. She spoiled me rotten. Check out her final package.

The most beautiful little baby bolero - my husband totally fell for it. It is gorgeous. And five skeins of KP Shine in a kit for the most adorable baby sweater and hat. And Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks with a TON of itty bitty short needles. I didn't even know sock needles came so short. They were just what I was looking for earlier this summer. I hope she'll tell me where to find such short needles. My LYS only carries 5" DPNs. Also included were two pieces of dark chocolate but of course they were devoured in a post-partum chocolate raid. THANK YOU MOST WONDERFUL SECRET PAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!














I have lots of knitting to blog about. All finished pre-Beatrix. First, a few baby hats from the pattern my secret pal sent (remember that pink striped hat?). I made 3 hats but two are in our car so you only get a picture of the blue and green one. The others have braids on top. I ran out of yarn on this one so no braid.













My current project is an argyle baby cardigan from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits book in KP Shine. The color is blue with purple and white diamonds. I've been dying to finish it but I'm at a shaping point that's hard to do with a baby on hand.














Another Debbie Bliss Special Knits sweater in Pink Cotton-Ease from a sweater I recycled. I made a sweater last summer that I ended up hating. Now I have lots of this yarn so you'll see more of it in the future. I need to find a good clasp for it. I was thinking of a gigantic safety pin. What do you think? It's weird- as I was working on these two sweaters, Lynn emailed me to tell me about her workaround for that crummy Debbie Bliss kaftan pattern. When I read her blog, I noticed she had recently made the argyle tank and this bolero. What a coincidence! Anyway, you should check out her blog because she has lots of cool stuff over there.














Using the Kidsilk I bought at the sidewalk sale, I knitted up a Midwest Moonlight scarf from Pam Allen's Scarf Style. Last year, I bought the same yarn in pink and made one so I thought I'd make an orange one. It's really pretty but needs blocking.













Here is that blue baby sweater from a few weeks ago with the buttons added on. I think it came out well.













Beatrix is doing well. I just unloaded a bunch of pics from my camera to the laptop so I'll post those later tonight. For now, we're off to hear Andrei Codrescu speak at the university so I have to run.

It's a girl!

It's a girl! Miss Beatrix was born on Sunday, August 20th at 3:08 p.m. She was 7 lbs 12 oz and 20.5 inches long. We're doing well and labor/delivery wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Here are some photos:




I expect to return to blogging soon. I have lots of knitting pictures from the last month of not blogging. I was at home with no excuse but I just couldn't get anything done in those last few weeks. Stay tuned for both knitting and baby updates. I will definitely post more over the weekend.