Bedrest Yarn Challenge

Bedrest will do some crazy things to a normally sane person...which I'm not really claiming to be. I have in the past decided to do semi-irrational or bizarre things with my crafting projects. And being confined to one's house for more than 6 weeks will certainly fuel such behavior.

So the background on this challenge is this: Last April or so, I started the Jo Jo Basic Crew Sweater from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms as a shower gift for my boss who was pregnant at the time. I picked up 4 hanks of Bernat Soy Natural Blends (two Flax, one Seasalt and one Celery) at our local Michaels. The idea being that I would knit the sweater from the Flax and Seasalt (she was having a boy) and then knit booties or something else with the Celery. I picked out this yarn because it was 'non-knitter-friendly' (i.e. washable and soft to the touch). It was also on clearance for $2 a ball (i.e. a bonus). The problem was that I ended up hating the yarn. It was crazy slippery as well as had the occasional knot or strange over-spun bit that I couldn't splice together like wool. I had to start new strands each time I came across one of these blemishes. It was a pain. Around this time, I also started having major problems with my hands. So I decided to sew her gifts instead and retire this sweater.

I previously mentioned that since I'd been home, I was busy finishing up stalled out projects. I looked at the 3/4 finished Jo Jo Sweater...realized I was also having a boy...and decided to finish it up.

Pattern: Jo Jo Basic Crew Sweater from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms
Needles: 4 and 5
Yarn: Bernat Soy Natural Blends in Flax (1.5 balls) and Seasalt (.75 balls)

But then I realized I had a full ball of Celery left as well as some decent leftovers in the Flax and Seasalt. Now, normally, (given my *love* for this yarn), I would have just donated the rest of it. However, I needed something to preoccupy myself so...I decided a hat for our boy was was in order. I flipped through my books until I found this lovely three-color option, which I made 'newborn' smaller using my smaller gauge:

Pattern: Bobbled Topper from Boho Baby Knits by Kat Coyle (by the way...this was the first time I knit out of my lovely signed copy of this book and I can't wait to knit more! Thanks Kat for a great book and thanks Nonnahs for getting it signed and giving it to me!!)
Needles: 4 and 5
Yarn: Bernat Soy Natural Blends in Flax (.3 balls), Seasalt (.25 balls), and Celery (.2 balls)

Now obviously this didn't use up all the Celery, but it did get most of the Flax and Seasalt out of the way...but not as much as I'd hoped! So back to Natural Knits and I knit up a modified stripe beanie hat like so:

Pattern: "Modified" Boy Beanie Hat from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms
Needles: 4 and 6
Yarn: Bernat Soy Natural Blends in Flax (.2 balls), Seasalt (.04 balls), and Celery (.4 balls)

This used up the Seasalt and was left with a couple yards of Flax and about .4 balls of Celery. The bootie pattern from this book is cute and I thought I would have just enough Celery for the booties and could use the rest of the Flax for the contrasting tie, so again, I cast on...

Pattern: Boy's Booties from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms
Needles: 5
Yarn: Bernat Soy Natural Blends in Flax (1.3 yards) and Celery (.25 balls)

But gosh darn it! I still ended up with Celery leftovers!! ARG!! The next pattern in the book was for mittens. Now (and B will most certainly agree with me on this point) this is really where I started to loose touch...just a bit. We live in San Diego. The idea that this baby of ours will ever need mittens...while not on a snowboarding trip...is practically nill. But, I was on a mission! So, I knit a mitten and then got through the ribbing on the second one and ran out of yarn! Dude. I was so close! B was like, well, I think your project is over...and I did very nearly toss the mitten and a half in the garbage...but well, I'm somewhat of a conservationist...and the idea of throwing out a whole mitten did not sit well. So, believe it or not, I ripped out what I did down to the ribbing section on both mitts. Since the ribbing was meant to fold over, I shortened the ribbing section so there was no fold and thus saved that yarn...which was enough for me to make the two mittens:

Pattern: Mittens from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms
Needles: 3 and 4
Yarn: Bernat Soy Natural Blends in Celery (.15 balls)

And that left me with this:


Trash. And if you were paying attention, that also meant that I made a sweater, two hats, a pair of booties and a pair of mittens for $8! Plus, it kept me (in)sane while I was cooped up in our place for the last couple weeks. All in all, a fun and productive little game. The best part being...I don't ever have to knit with that yarn again! Ha!

Boleros for Moms and Babies

Thanks everyone for all of your nice comments on my Tilted Duster! I was actually able to wear it out yesterday and I felt so stylish and cute :) And given that I more or less haven't left either a hospital room or our condo for the last 8 weeks, haven't had a hair cut since the beginning of November (those of you with short hair will understand what a big deal this is) and waddle when I walk...I would call that a success! ;)

37 weeks and counting!

As for me and baby, yesterday marked the beginning of our 37th week! This means that he is officially full-term! *big sigh of relief!* This also means that my doctor has released me from bedrest! While I certainly didn't immediately jump up and run a marathon...8 weeks of laying around does a number on your body let me tell you!..I am gradually upping my activity level. B's been able to take me out a little the last couple days...even if it is just for quick trips to the library or store and it feels amazing! I'm slow and exhausted, but I really don't care :)

In the knitting front, I used a good portion of my time at home to complete some long languishing projects and begin a little personal yarn challenge (a post to come on this soon). First up is the Two Tone Shrug from Fitted Knits that I began a year ago December.

Nothing super intriguing to report on this one. Its a simple, pretty basic pattern that I knit on the recommended needle sizes (8s and 5s). Although if I were to do this over again, I would knit the ribbing on larger needles. I was able to block them out for width, but lost some in length, so it lost a bit of its dramatic effect I think.

The yarn is Manos 100% wool with the body knit from a hank and a smidge of the multicolor brown (112) and the ribbing knit in a little over a hank (literally 3 rounds out of the new hank) in chocolate brown (G).

I also knit up a Baby Bolero from One Skein (on size 8 and 9 needles) with about 2/3rds of a hank of Rio de la Plata Lana del Artista, which is a nice handspun combination of Aqua Green, Chinese Violet and Ceylon Yellow (at least according to the label).

This was a special little project because I bought this yarn from the Green Thread knitting store on our way back from our snowboarding trip to Mammoth last March. That week we had decided to start our family and I picked up this cute gender neutral yarn to make a little something for our prospective baby. I fell in love with the colors on the hank and it continued to delight me as I knit the bolero. I added the picture below so that you could see the color range a bit better. However, the natural light we've had lately is making it difficult to capture the yellows and greens, which are brighter in real life.

I guess that's it for me for now. I will be back to talk about by strange yarn compulsion project as soon as its finished...which should be any day now. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!

The Company of Friends

I love my friends. I know I say this every time I get together with my knitty girls, but it cannot be overstated. Each time I'm able to hang out with the girls makes me appreciate them, and their friendship, even more. The Ravelry crew (sans Bob) were in town last week for an event at Unwind, so the rest of us jumped on the opportunity to meet up. Happily, Jess, Casey, and our long-lost Mary-Heather were able to join us for a quick bite to eat before heading over to the event.

Julia, MJ, Lori, Amiee, and me

After a couple of potato balls (you'll just have to trust me on this) and scrumptious desserts at Porto's Bakery, we headed down the street to Unwind. It was my first time visiting this cute (and spacious) LYS in Burbank. At least, I think it was a pretty big space, but it was kind of hard to tell, since the place was packed! What a turn out! We met up with Maurene, Kat and her beautiful mom there, and I was so happy to see Jillian again!

This is what happens when 5 knitbloggers (3 Project 365ers) set their camera timers at the same time. Silliness!

It was just a really great evening, visiting with old friends, and meeting some new girls. I met Laura Birek, author of Picture Perfect Knits and designer of this amazing Obama sweater (Ravlink) and I especially loved chatting with Kelly and Dawn from Namaste. Now I know why I love their bags so much- those girls are awesome and such a blast!

Not so surprisingly, we didn't have time to knit, but an especially cute knitted item did make an appearance! We (Bean and I) were lucky enough to be gifted this super sweet hat from Amiee. Lookit!

Gah!

Bean's very first knitted item! And it couldn't be more precious. Thank you so much, Amiee, for knitting this adorable hat- I love it to pieces and I can't wait to try it on Bean. :)

All in all, it was a completely wonderful evening. I look forward to doing it again soon, while we still have our MJ in town!

Tilter Duster - First FO of 2009

When I first became pregnant and realized I would be my biggest in the winter, Norah Gaughan's Tilted Duster was one of the first projects I picked out. I loved that it could be a maternity sweater as well as a regular sweater. Plus with our mild San Diego winters, I knew I would have plenty of opportunities to wear an open wool sweater like this.

I ended up starting the sweater at the end of September, but made the majority of the progress since I've been on bedrest. This was also a perfect bedrest knit...at least for me...since I haven't been able to handle anything complicated at all. Because while it may look a little 'different' to knit, it is actually a very simple pattern and very straightforward.

(I swear my sweater isn't tripping on acid...I have no idea why my camera decided to do this, but since I was cheating (by standing up) while taking these photos in the first place...I unfortunately won't be retaking them.)

I knit the sweater on size 8 needles with less than 7 balls of Rowan Magpie in Boggy (690). The yarn was a good basic wool yarn. Although it tended to be a little splitty, which I wasn't expecting. However, it blooms nicely once washed, easy on the hands and blocked wonderfully.

The only thing I modified was the neck line. When I reviewed other finished sweaters in Ravelry, it seemed that most had trouble staying closed where the neck band overlapped in the center. First of all, I knit mine down a needle size (7). I also started my button holes at the one inch mark and only used three buttons. (There are actually two more buttons inside to hold the neck closed, but my modifications meant that the two lowest buttons would end up on top of each other. So, I eliminated the lower hidden button.) I also only knit 4 inches of the collar, since I didn't want mine too high up my neck. Finally, I added a hook and eye closure to the center of the front to help the neck meet nicely in the middle.

Finally, the only other complaint I read about in Ravelry was the tendency for the bottom of the stockinette sides to curl. I figured Norah Gaughan knows what she's doing, so I just made sure I bound off in the direction she recommended and hoped blocking would solve any issues. I wasn't overly concerned because I had already seen at this point how well the Magpie blocked out...and I was right. There is a slight 'tip' to the stockinette portion, but certainly no more than in the publication photos and definitely not enough to bother me.

So I guess bedrest does have its 'perks' ;-) I haven't knit so much in a long, long time! Its not exactly comfortable knitting given that I have to lay propped up and sideways, but because I'm not working on the keyboard all day long, I've been enjoying seeing some knitting progress. Also, as you can see in these photos, I am making good progress on baking this little baby boy of ours. He is currently at 35 weeks and I am off all my medications. I plan to continue to take the rest of my pregnancy easy so that this little guy will be born as close to his due date (February 12th) as possible! Thanks again for everyone's well-wishes. Your support has meant so much to me and my family!

A New Year

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes, everyone! You guys are awesome! So, 39. No discernable difference from 38, really, or any of the mid-30s, for that matter. Although I will say this birthday was worlds better than last- most likely due to all the good (and great) happenings over the past year (let's see how the next one is- yikes).

On the knitting front, I didn't accomplish much in terms of volume or complexity of projects, but I am pleased with what I made. Looking back, I realize that a great majority of my projects were knit as gifts for friends and family and I only knit two things for myself, but I lovelovelove both of them, and it makes me happy that I was able to share my handiwork with some very special people in my life.

2008 FOs, from top left: Greyscale, Luke Hat, Luke Booties, Bunnies
Diana, Grassy Pants, Espresso Soaker, Snailsace
Ruby Red, Oatmeal mittens, Oatmeal sweater, Halekulani Wedding Shawl
Rex, Paprikash, Guri Guri hats, Rex II

On the homefront, 2008 was one of the most life-changing (in a good way) of all my years to date (hmm...I guess that could explain the lack of knitting)! And the best part is, I didn't see any of it coming this time last year. 2008 brought into my life among other things- marriage to the greatest guy I know, the blessing of pregnancy, the hybrid car I've been wanting for years, and a very promising new president! I can hardly wrap my puny brain around all that has happened (and is happening) to me, and to all of us Loopy Girls. Dis is also expecting her first baby (in the near future) and Nasus graduated from law school and passed the bar exam! I am so profoundly grateful I look forward to 2009 and all this year will bring, including of Bean (nickname for the proverbial bun in the oven).

On the extracurricular front, I embarked on the 365 days project on flickr, and it has been such a wonderful experience, better than I ever could have imagined. First and foremost, I'm so happy that I've been able to document so many of the events in my life, both big and small. Who knew, when I started the project, all the exciting events I would soon be documenting- I love that I will have this to look back on for years to come.

A few shots from my 365 set

I've also been learning more, not only about photography, but also about myself. Taking a self portrait on a daily basis can be a daunting task at times. I certainly don't feel like documenting myself every day, but it's really taught me a lot about self-acceptance. And last but certainly not least, as with blogging, I never expected, but am so very pleased about all the connections I've made with other crafty gals who knit, crochet, sew, and embroider. I'm just at the halfway point and I've *met* some of the most supportive, talented, and funny ladies- I truly treasure the new friends I've made there. If you have any desire to explore photography more, or just want a fun way to journal, I recommend giving this a try.

Finally, I rarely make resolutions outside of the standard "eat better, work out more" basics, but I came across this list on Jillian's blog and really, really love it. I will consider these things to do more of in life:

12 Rules to Live By -- Robert Louis Stevenson

1. Make up your mind to be happy, learn to find pleasure in simple things.
2. Make the best of circumstances. No one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow.
3. Don't take yourself too seriously; don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortunes that befall others.
4. Don't let criticism worry you. You can't please everybody.
5. Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.
6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
7. Don't borrow trouble. Imaginary burdens are harder to bear than the actual ones.
8. Hate poisons the soul, so don't carry grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.
10. Don't hold post-mortems or spend time brooding over sorrows and mistakes.
11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.

Well, Happy New Year, everyone! As always, thanks for stopping by to see what we're up to and offer your kind words of support and encouragement. We appreciate it so much! Here's wishing you all a wonderful year ahead! xo

Happy Birthday Nonnahs

Please help me in wishing Nonnahs the very Happiest of Birthdays today! She should really be here:

From Nonnahs' 365 day pool - original photo here

But instead she is at work...the first day back from vacation...on a Monday...and our office isn't letting anyone have any days off this week, so yeah...I do believe super happy birthday wishes are in order! We love you!