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magic knitting

Magic Knitting = knitting that appears to fall off the needles, completed, as if by magic.  Knitting that gets done before you realize it.

I’m having my own little spell of Magic Knitting (hahaha).  I don’t remember if I mentioned that on Monday I’d cast on for the second of my mother-in-law’s Queen of Cups socks.  Both of my in-laws’ first Christmas socks fit perfectly, so I now have to knit their mates before the holiday is upon us.  The pattern is lace and charted, and so not as easy to knit “on the go” as other projects would be.  Therefore I’ve been using it as my nighttime, TV watching project.  The lace knit up fast, and by Wednesday night I’d turned the heel and had completed 2 of the 3 lace repeats on the foot.  Yesterday I finished the last repeat and the toes, and wove in all ends.  One gift completed- YAY!

Yannick has been coming to work with me every day while my parents are on vacation.  He’s got a bunch of renos to do before my dad comes back, and so we’ve been carpooling in the morning.  Because he prefers to drive, between getting Jakob to daycare then driving to work, I’ve had about an hour of car knitting time each morning since Wednesday.  I couldn’t work on the lace socks and manage the chart in the car, so I brought the green (and final!) Flower Scarf to work on.  It’s a simple garter-variant and requires no pattern whatsoever.

I must have really gotten into a groove Wednesday and Thursday mornings, because somehow the scarf nearly finished itself!  Last night I settled down to knit in front of the TV and my mother-in-law came to join me (they’re in again for the final office building stuff).  I didn’t want to work on my father-in-law’s socks in case he came down to watch TV too, so I pulled out the Flower Scarf instead.  I swear I only knit for about 20 minutes when I counted my rows and realized I was finished the length!  A quick weaving-in of ends later, and suddenly I was one flower and one stuffed ball away from having a second “FO” that same day.

I started the flower but it quickly grows from 9 to 243 sts and so I didn’t quite finish yesterday, but by tonight I will be done.  Photos to come next week because my in-laws are sleeping in what is still my office, and we turn the computer off while they’re here so the fan noise doesn’t bother them.

But…hopefully by Monday I’ll have a few more items knocked off my baby checklist!


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sheldon #2 ready and waiting for baby #2

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Pattern:  Sheldon by Ruth Homrighaus (Ravelry link and Non-Ravelry link). 

Size:  One size.

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Yarn:  Bernat Baby Coordinates in White and a bit of Patons Astra in Yellow

Needles: 3.25mm and 3.5mm

Dates:  December 9 – 14 2008

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Modifications:  None.  I followed the pattern as written, although I only used the contrasting color (yellow) for the outer shell piece, not the inner one as well.  I also did the icord trim in white (unlike my first Sheldon, where I used the CC for that too).  Instead of plastic eyes I used the same technique as the first Sheldon, where I cut a small circle out of black felt and embroidered over it to get baby-safe eyes.  This time I made brown eyes instead of black.

As usual you can find my finished (and unfinished!) projects in my “projects” page by clicking the tab up at the top of every page on my blog, and I also have this project in my Ravelry notebook here.

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Here are the two Sheldons side-by-side.  My gauge hasn’t changed much over the last 2 years, as they are almost identical in size.  Jakob’s Sheldon has been thrown in the washer and dryer many times, with no real loss of quality.  He’s floppier than the new one, but I expected that.  You can also see in this photo where the blue Sheldon’s neck is missing stuffing- that’s where Jakob holds it in his sleep.  When you pick the toy up the head hangs at a very disturbing angle!


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screwball socks

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(Click on any photo for a larger version)

 

Introducing the Screwball Socks! 

 

 

A fun, playful sock that would work well for both women and men, the Screwball Socks are both stretchy and slouchy, and really comfortable.  The reverse-stockinette raised ridge spirals evenly down from the garter stitch cuff to the garter stitch, short-row heel.  The heel and stripe blend seamlessly with the reverse-stockinette sole, while on the instep the ridge keeps winding its way along, all the way down to the garter stitch wedge toe.

 

The pattern was designed for the November 2008 Robyn’s Nest Sock Club kit, and as such I need to leave a 3 month exclusivity on the pattern for the club members.  Therefore the pattern will be available as of March 1 2009.  As I did with the Phlox Socks pattern, those who wish to be notified when the pattern is available can email me, leave me a comment here or through Ravelry, and I’ll add you to a mailing list.

 

The Screwball Socks are on Ravelry here.


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huh.

Divine intervention?  The good thoughts of family and friends?  A well-timed sneeze?  The sloshing about in my last prenatal aquafitness class?  Boredom?

Whatever you want to claim as the cause, something caused my little kiddo to be on the move, because when I went to my latest OBGYN check-up on Tuesday, I found out (and had it confirmed via ultrasound) that the baby had turned!  It is, or at least on Tuesday it was, head down.  Yay!

So what does this mean?  Well, I didn’t automatically cancel my c-section date.  I’ll be seeing my doctor again first, and then I will be having a 38 week ultrasound to try and get a final estimation of the baby’s size.  The ultrasound date is shortly before the c-section date, so if the baby is predicted to be too large to pass safely, then I will have the c-section.  Should the baby NOT be deemed excessively large, and should no other factors come up that would pose a threat, then I will cancel the c-section and wait to go into labor, and will be attempting a VBAC.

Seems kinda scary to think about, now that I had adjusted to the idea of another cesarean.  I added a few items to my hospital bag to help during labor, and will now also need to add some clothes and snacks for Yannick, because the last thing I’d want is for him to have to leave before the baby is born!

In honor of the baby turning (and because I just realized I never made this baby a toy yet!) I’m knitting another Sheldon.  The first one I made (Rav, non-Rav) has been in Jakob’s crib since he left our bed, and I still catch him sleeping with his fingers around its neck.

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 p.s. I think it’s because of all the gut-busting coughing I’ve been doing for the last 3 weeks…but who knows?


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velvet olive

When I chose the Velvet Olive color of the Colinette Jitterbug from Robyn to use for the green daycare teacher neckwarmer Christmas gift, it really was the lesser of the 3 evils.  The onscreen colors of the 3 green shades I was able to choose from weren’t exactly like the actual colors, and instead of having a typical “green” there were instead a yellow/lime, a darkened jade, and a khaki-esque green to pick from.  I chose the darkened jade, the Velvet Olive colorway, and now that I’ve been using it, I’m so glad I did!

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I really couldn’t see where the name came in while it was still skeined.  “Velvet Olive”?  Um, okay.  Nothing about this colorway says “olive” to me, and I couldn’t figure out the velvet reference.  But now?  Now that I’ve wound it up and begun knitting?  Oh yeah.  I get it.  I totally get it.

I still don’t see “olive” anywhere.  But I can’t stop looking at it in the light and almost breathing in the velvet-ness of it.  There are very subtle variations in color in this yarn, you can barely see in the photo above that the cast-on row is slightly paler, and there are random stitches here and there that are alternately paler or darker than the main color.  The effect his has in person is mesmerizing. 

The best way I can describe the color’s appeal is to reference a carpet, or- to adopt from the colorway’s name itself- a swatch of velvet.  You know how when you run your fingers one way, the nap lies flat and looks almost silvery, but when you run back the other way they seem to stand on end and look darkened?  I’m not sure if I’m explaining this right, but that’s the effect this yarn has on me.  Gorgeous colorplay of shade-on-shade greens. 

This is also my first time using Colinette Jitterbug (or anything Colinette) and I have to say that the yarn is so wonderfully springy!  I truly hope I have leftovers to make a pair of footies socks for myself, because the spring and elasticity in this yarn is delightful.

Ok, now that I’ve said “me likes” full of flowers and prose, I’m going to make supper.  I was supposed to go to the Montreal Knitting Guild’s December meeting (and likely my last until at least February) but we’re in the midst of a snowstorm here and I really didn’t feel like braving the night drive, nor the digging out of my car.  Instead I’m going to settle down with Dr. House and the other TV men of Tuesday night, and get my knit on.


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for a good reason

Sorry for having been incommunicado the last few days.  My in-laws have been coming in every Thursday and staying the weekend to help us do the necessary renovations to get the house ready for baby.  They sleep in our current office/spare bedroom, which is where the computer is.  We turned the computer off for them Thursday, and I only turned it back on last night.  I still use “real” email (as opposed to web-based email, like Hotmail or Google) and prefer to not check it online, so I haven’t been able to reply to any emails over the weekend.

But boy did we get a lot accomplished!  On Thursday Yannick’s sister also came by and his mom and sister painted our living room.  That wasn’t strictly for the baby, but we all hated the Crayola Flesh color that the previous owners painted this entire house in an attempt to “freshen” it up to sell, as well as the hideous brown plaid curtains on the picture windows at both ends of the living room and dining room.  While they were in Florida his parents bought us new curtains and rather than wait until Christmas to give them to us, they decided it was time to fix up the room and put up the curtains.  We painted the two rooms (really one long room) a soft shade of gray which sounds strange when you think of it against a dark brown and tapestry Louis-the-something reproduction living room set and cream curtains, but it looks so soft and peaceful in there now!  Really inviting and cozy, almost like a country house, if that makes sense outside of my head. 

While that was being done upstairs, Yannick and his dad were busy working downstairs.  It’s not quite ready yet, but my future office now has the framing built, insulation, vapour barrier and firenze (sp?  The wood you put over the vapour barrier to attach the gyprock to) put up, most of the gyprock on the walls and ceiling put up, and all lights, plugs and cable installed.  I’m so happy with the speed it is coming together!  This coming weekend we’ll finish the rest and plaster it, and next weekend paint it and move the furniture down.  Woo hoo!

I couldn’t do much to help them with painting or renos, so Saturday night I emptied the dresser I will be putting into the baby’s room.  I then brought down ALL of the clothes Jakob has grown out of, folded them and put them into bags by size.  While doing so I took out any unisex clothes in the 0-3 months range.  I emptied my big metal chest (you might remember it from my old office, if you’ve been reading long, it’s a blue metal army trunk-type chest) of all the yarn and put that yarn into storage buckets with the rest, and put the bags of baby clothes into the trunk for storage.  I then washed all the unisex clothes I’d pulled out, and on Sunday I folded them all and put them into the dresser.  Now once we’re able to switch kids’ rooms all we need to do is move the furniture…at least the contents are already ready.

I was on such a roll that I started getting everything ready for my hospital bag as well.  I can’t find the bag I’d used with Jakob, which is really bugging me, but I did pull out the baby clothes I want to bring, as well as my toiletries and such.  I will be picking up a pack of newborn diapers today and by tonight my hospital bag will be fully packed and ready to wait by the door.  My due date is in 5 weeks from this coming Friday…so no matter what happens with the baby turning or having a c-section, no matter what I’ll be having a baby by the latest 5 weeks from now.

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Because of all the work going on and catching up on sleep when not working, I didn’t get to knit much.  Since I’d finished the Eye Lash chemo cap on Tuesday, Wednesday night I cast on for another hat for my cousin.  I managed 1 repeat (10 rows) before bed.  Thursday night I had my last prenatal aquafitness class and I did another repeat before getting to bed early.  Friday I did the same, leaving me with 1 repeat left to go on Saturday night.  Sunday I worked the crown decreases as per the pattern but realized after gathering the final sts together that it was way too short- when I tried it on it didn’t even reach the top of my ears.  The actual pattern calls for an aran weight yarn and I am using a sport/light worsted.  Doubled the hat would have been too big, used singly the width is perfect but the height wasn’t enough to follow the pattern as written. 

I ended up undoing the crown section and working another 2 repeats before redoing the decreases.  Flat on a table the hat looks long and funny, but now it is long enough to cover my ears and down to the nape of my neck, and I think that my cousin will prefer it with the extra length.  If not, it can always be folded up at the bottom.

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Pattern:  Lacy Slant Hat by Anastasia Roeszler (Ravelry link and Non-Ravelry link). 

Size:  As written – fits 21″ to 23″ head without being too snug.

Yarn:  Bernat Natural Blends Soy – in a soft blue shade whose name I forget right now.  My ball had been started already so I had to dip into another for the crown decreases, but I’m pretty sure that 1 full ball would be enough.  Don’t forget- I also added 2 repeats so it is a bit too long.

Needles: 4mm

Dates:  December 3 – 7 2008

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Modifications:  See the details above.  I also used a much smaller needle than required, omitted the final non-decrease round of the crown shaping, and modified the pattern to be worked in the round as opposed to flat then seaming.

As usual you can find my finished (and unfinished!) projects in my “projects” page by clicking the tab up at the top of every page on my blog, and I also have this project in my Ravelry notebook here.

Oh- and while they were here I had my in-laws each try on their 1 completed sock (while blindfolded so it wouldn’t technically ruin the surprise).  Both claimed the socks fit perfectly, so once I finish the last Flower Scarf neckwarmer (to be cast on today once I get around to winding the yarn) I will complete their pairs of socks.


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’tis the season…

…for knitting hats…fa la la la la la la la la

Why couldn’t I have decided to knit hats for everyone for Christmas?  Things would be going so much faster!

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Pattern:  “No Hair Day” Hairy Chemo Cap by Sue W. Thompson (Ravelry link and direct link)

Size:  21″  It is meant to fit a 23″ head, so I gave it 2″ of negative ease so it will stay on and not flop around.  I’ll find out as soon as I give it to her if it fits! 

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Yarn:  Bernat Eye Lash in the Eyeliner (black) colorway.  I used about 80% of 1 ball.

Needles: 5.5mm needle

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Dates:  December 2 2008

Modifications:  None.

This was knit up for my cousin who underwent her first chemotherapy treatment yesterday and so had cut off her hair the day before.  I showed her an assortment of photos of “chemo caps” I’d found on Ravelry, and she picked out 3 that she liked.  Her mom (my aunt) went yarn shopping, and this is the first of the 3 that I made for her.


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more of the same

This weekend went by faster than I would have liked.  I worked on Saturday as usual then spent the night having dinner at my sister-in-law’s house.  Jakob was wonderful and went to bed in a pack ‘n play, stayed asleep for the transfer into the car and then the whole car ride, and through the transfer into the house and into bed when we got home.  He stayed asleep until 6am the next morning.  I was so relieved because my in-laws were sleeping in the next room and I’m always afraid he’ll pick a night when they’re over to wake up at 3am screaming.

My mother-in-law and I took Jakob to his swimming class Sunday morning so Yannick and his dad could get started on the office downstairs.  Things never move as fast as I would like when it comes to construction, but by the time they left Sunday night we had enough accomplished to make me feel like things might start to come together before too long.  I did some knitting while watching TV that night, and then again on Monday while sitting at a local coffee shop for 2 hours.

Oh- get this.  I brought my car in to have a wheel alignment done.  After 2 hours of me sitting at the cafe next door (ok, Tim’s, but still it was better than sitting in the garage itself) I finally call them to see when my car will be ready after the supposed 1hr wheel alignment.  “Oh Madame,” the guy says, “I was going to call you, you need suspension work, etc, etc, I just finished your estimate now.”  So basically they did nothing on my car and want to charge me nearly $600 to do what they claim needs to be done first.  And if that weren’t enough, when I got back there to get my car, my driver’s side window was wide open!  Parked in the parking lot!  Anyone walking by could have reached in, opened my door and taken whatever they’d liked.  It could have rained.  Hell, it’s Winter in Montreal- it could have snowed.  And my window was so wide open at first I thought they’d removed the glass.  Boy did that guy get a piece of my mind!

The end result was that nothing was done on my car, but at least I didn’t have to pay for anything.  And after 2 hours of listening to my iPod and knitting, I managed to come home and finish off the last bits of what will now be Vanda’s blue Flower Scarf.

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Pattern:  Flower Scarf by Robyn Diliberto (Ravelry link and direct link)

Size:  one size. 

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Yarn:  Dream in Color Smooshy, in the colorway Nightwatch.  I didn’t check yet but I’m assuming it took the same 150 yards as the pink one.

Needles: 3.75mm needle and crochet hook

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Dates:  November 23 – December 1 2008

Modifications:  None!  I used the garter variation from the pattern itself, and did everything else as written.

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As usual you can find my finished (and unfinished!) projects in my “projects” page by clicking the tab up at the top of every page on my blog, and I also have this project in my Ravelry notebook here.

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Here are the completed pink and blue neckwarmers.  I didn’t block the blue one, since I found the pink one ended up thinner and more drapey after being blocked, and I prefer the squishy (smooshy, hehe) texture of the unblocked version.  I’ll probably wet it and let it dry flat to get rid of the ruffled edges, but I’m not going to pin it out and actually “block it” like I did the pink one.

I’ll leave you with a photo of Jakob from a few days ago.  We were playing in bed before leaving for daycare and for the first time ever instead of just wanted to “read” his book, he wanted to sit tucked in bed to read.  He climbed in front of my pillow himself and pulled back the blankets to tuck his legs under.  It was so cute!

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go figure!

As soon as I finished the pink Flower Scarf (for Jakob’s teacher Vanda), I found out that Vanda would be leaving the class, to be replaced by Angela.  “Ok,” I thought, “I’ll just give the pink scarf to Amanda and hope she likes pink.  I then cast on for same scarf in a blue Smooshy colorway, to give to Lucia, the “sub” teacher who is in and out of Jakob’s class all week.  (She’s not officially his teacher, but she’s in his class half a day almost every day, which counts as a caregiver to me).  The last scarf I would make would be for Anna, Jakob’s second official teacher, to be done in a green colorway of a Louet sportweight yarn.

I’m about 80 rows into the 200-ish row length of the neckwarmer part of the blue scarf.  (If you count the knit columns there are only 100 on the finished pink scarf, but it takes 2 rows to get 1 knit stitch on each side of the scarf…ergo 200 rows).   I probably could have had the scarf finished by now, but I haven’t been doing any knitting at home this week.  Check it out:

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We finished unpacking all the boxes!  Yes, technically there are about 5 boxes of stuff that was officially unpacked then “repacked” (condensed) into other boxes so all the stuff that will eventually go into my office goes together, but we went through everything!  10 jumbo industrial trash bags and 20+ boxes of clothing, shoes, purses, craft supplies, picture frames, knicknacks and other items donated to the Mercaz later, and we’re done!

So yeah, I haven’t done much knitting, but I knew that once Yannick’s parents got here they would be busy working downstairs, and during the week my nights can return to knitting by the TV instead of deciding which of my possessions are worth keeping.

I got a phone call last night from my cousin who works at the same daycare.  Go figure- Lucia doesn’t work there any more!  Apparently she had some health issues that need her to focus more on herself and taking care of the kids was getting in the way.  Don’t get me wrong- I wish her all the best and a speedy, healthy recovery…but what is UP with my luck lately?  I knit a pink gift- the supposed pink recipient leaves his class.  I knit a blue gift- the supposed blue recipient leaves the school.  I’m afraid to knit the green one- who knows what will happen to Anna?!?

My luck isn’t all bad, though.  Angela’s (the new teacher) favorite color is pink, so she will get the pink scarf.  Anna (supposedly) isn’t going anywhere, so she will get the green one, as planned.  And Vanda has been called back in as the sup (to replace Lucia), and while it isn’t her favorite color, she looks fabulous in blue.  So she will get the blue one.

And now I’m here at work while my mother-in-law takes Jakob and his cousins to a local Christmas parade. I wish I could be there to see his face!


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back with a finished object and an 18 month old!

See, even when away, I still get knitting done!  Of course…in keeping with the way things have been lately, especially with my “why bother?” post…the first of 3 neckwarmers for Jakob’s daycare teachers that I complete is pink.  The pink one is for a specific teacher (we’d found out their favorite colors).  I got a call on Monday that she would be leaving his class for another class, and a replacement teacher would be starting this week.  I sure hope this new girl likes pink!

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Pattern:  Flower Scarf by Robyn Diliberto (Ravelry link and direct link)

Size:  one size. 

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Yarn:  Dream in Color Smooshy, in the colorway Cool Fire.  Exactly 150 yards.

Needles: 3.75mm needle and crochet hook

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Dates:  November 20 – 23 2008

Modifications:  None!  I used the garter variation from the pattern itself, and did everything else as written.

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As usual you can find my finished (and unfinished!) projects in my “projects” page by clicking the tab up at the top of every page on my blog, and I also have this project in my Ravelry notebook here. 

I wanted to thank everyone for the comments over the weekend, and to explain a few reasons behind what I’d said.  When we had found out that Jakob was breech (I think it was early, like 28 weeks) we were repeatedly told that there was plenty of time for him to turn. 

I had been really hearbroken back then about getting “cheated” (my opinion only) out of a natural birth, and looked up all the different ways to turn a breech baby around.  We found many websites, including the Spinning Babies one.  With Yannick’s help I tried most of the non-invasive ones, including, but not limited to: ice packs, music, standing on my head, lying on a board at a 45 degree angle head-down, visualization, talking to the baby, lights and a few more.  We didn’t try acupuncture or moxibustion (is that what it’s called?) and after consulting with my OB-GYN we decided against attempting the version technique.  I know it can be successful but it can also lead to an emergency c-section, and because I had a number of extra pounds on my belly to begin with and was hard to “feel” the baby, my doctor was really doubtful it would be successful with me.  Plus the baby could still reverse afterwards, making it have been for nothing.

Despite our efforts, nothing worked.  They kept doing ultrasounds, right up until 5 minutes before the c-section, just to make sure.   Obviously, he never turned.  When my doctor was doing the surgery she told me that while his body was small (he weighed 8lbs 0 oz) his head was large, and was wedged into my ribs.  She actually had a slightly hard time getting him out because he’d made himself such a home in there.  Also, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck.  It was loose and not life-threatening, but I still wonder if he HAD turned, would the cord’s placement have resulted in a possible tragedy?

My c-section went very well, I was awake the whole time and saw Jakob the moment he came out.  Once he was cleaned up and weighed he was given to Yannick who held him at my face and let me kiss him and nuzzle him until they left for our room and I went to recovery.  My actual recovery was relatively painless for my first-ever surgery, and my scar is small, neat and tidy.

So what does this mean for this child?  I won’t be trying any turning techniques.  My desire to have a “natural” delivery (as opposed to surgery) is a desire, but not an all-consuming one that would trump a baby’s safety.  I know there are many mostly risk-free ways to attempt a turn, but after the experience with Jakob, Yannick and I both agreed it wasn’t worth the possible risk to the baby.  I know many babies have the cords wrapped around them and it doesn’t always pose a danger, but I don’t want to know that any risk was caused by my intervention.  As well, I know for a fact that a version won’t work on me.  I have only gained 8 lbs with this pregnancy (so far) and there simply isn’t room for the baby to be turned manually without force, which I am not willing to subject myself or the baby to. 

I know the options are there and I really appreciate that some of you would write to me with suggestions, but I have come to a sort of peace with the fact that I will most likely end up having a second c-section.  My doctor is going to keep checking, though, just in case.

Oh, and about future VBACs…I don’t know if it is an official practice here, but after 2 c-sections, my hospital won’t allow a VBAC attempt.  Could I switch hospitals, find a midwife or other practitioner who would allow it (or who would even allow a breech delivery)?  Possibly.  But my doctor is a high-risk specialist who I trust with mine and my babies’ lives.  If I didn’t trust her opinion I would have switched a long time ago, and I’m not going to run to someone else because she gave me information I don’t like.

That being said…I still have 7 weeks for this baby to possibly turn.  Either way, I’ll still end up starting the new year with a new, wonderful addition to our family, the support of my friends and loved ones, and a year to stay home and get to know the new person in the world.  Things really aren’t as bad as they had seemed last week.

I’ll end this post with one of the shots we took during Jakob’s 18 month chair photo (forgotten about those?) last weekend.  He was getting over the residual fever and had broken out in roseola from it, was tired and a little cranky, but is still as cute as ever!  Enjoy!

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