Filed under: Fiber Arts, FO Friday, Knitting | Tags: fluffy, FO, hand knit, Knitting, Knitty, pink, shawl
Pattern: Citron
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze in 630 Fondant (this color appears to have been discontinued)
Notes: I cast this on months ago, before Wiggles was born, with the vague thought that it might be nice to have some small shawls to use as nursing covers. The pattern makes a light, lacy, delicate, feminine shawl without any actual lace knitting. It was a straightforward knit and went relatively quickly until the last few sections. It sat for quite a while with just the final ruffle left to go because by that point the rows were looking like this: K3, [kfb] in each st to next marker, k3. 540 sts. I finally finished it up this past week. I didn’t make any major modifications, but I don’t think I knit the full 11 rows that the pattern calls for in the final ruffle because I was running out of yarn. I also had to do a weird, improvised, backwards sort of bind off. I miscalculated and knit one more row than I should have on the ruffle and, at that point, it was easier to invent a new bind off than to rip back a row because the mohair halo makes this yarn a nightmare to frog. We haven’t tried it out as a nursing cover yet, but I’m hoping it works and the mohair isn’t too tickley for Wiggles because it would certainly be more stylish than using a receiving blanket.
Filed under: Fiber Arts, FO Friday, Knitting | Tags: baby, baby hat, hand knit, hat, Knitting
My OKD (Obsessive Knitting Disorder) has returned. This time it’s not mitts, it’s baby hats.
Specifically Aviatrix.
Somebody stop me.
Filed under: Food | Tags: diet, exercise, healthy, new year, quinoa, resolution, spaghetti squash, squash
Ok, so I know that everyone is blogging about their new year’s resolutions, their healthy new diet, blah blah blah right now. I don’t do new year’s resolutions because I generally find them more depressing than helpful. However, after two months of inactivity due to bed rest followed by new parenthood not to mention the nonstop sugar high that was December, I figure it’s time to set some goals for myself. Namely, becoming more active again and returning to more healthful eating habits in the interest of feeling better and losing the baby weight. So far, so good. Wiggles and I are getting quite good at using the Maya wrap to go for walks. Also, Wiggles has been a napping champ the last couple of days so I’ve had some time to cook. As a result, my lunch today looked like this:
That’s quinoa made from this recipe and spaghetti squash made from this one. Yum! Also, between meals and snacks today, I’ve managed to consume four different types of squash (hubbard, yellow summer, spaghetti, and blue banana). Not a bad start. I hope you’re enjoying a happy, healthy beginning of 2012 too.
Filed under: Fiber Arts | Tags: churro, fiber, fiber arts, fleece, merino, roving, wool
Remember this? I took the fleeces we skirted back in August to Spring Too Fibers and told Andrew to do whatever he thought best with them. Fast forward a few months and I get two large boxes in the mail containing this:
Yup, that’s 8 pounds of merino roving and 3.5 pounds of churro roving.
Now, to figure out how to spin while holding a baby . . .
Filed under: Family & Friends | Tags: baby, cute, funny, New Year's Eve, party
Our little party animal would like to wish everyone a happy new year.
Filed under: Fiber Arts, FO Friday, Knitting | Tags: baby, baby hat, babywearing, FO, hand knit, hat, Knitting
The FOs are three for one this New Year’s Eve Eve.
Please pardon the blurry phone picture. It was either that or a cat tree sprouting inexplicably from my head.
Yeah, don’t ask. Bad pictures, good handknits.
I’m wearing . . .
Pattern: Calorimetry
Yarn: Patons Soy Wool Stripes (which has apparently been discontinued) in colorway 70310 – Natural Plum
Notes: I knit this several years ago, but I don’t think I’ve ever blogged it. I like this pattern a lot and have actually knit two of them – this one and one out of some of my handspun. It keeps my ears warm without getting all stretched over my bun in the back. My only objection is that, as the pattern is written, it ends up being too wide for my head so I measured the top of my head to determine how wide I wanted it, worked the short rows in until it measured half that width, then started working the short rows back out again.
The red bowling ball that appears to be sprouting from my neckline is Wiggles. I’m wearing him in a Maya Wrap. He’s wearing . . .
Pattern: Aviatrix
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in colorway 893
Notes: Another pattern that I like and have made a few of. I started with one out of the yarn left over from Shalom, but it ended up being a little big and I decided that purple wasn’t the most gender neutral color so I made this one in a smaller size. I’ve since started a few others for gifts. Quick, easy, and fun to knit and very functional as a finished object. I love all of the options for different sizes and weights of yarn and I really love how well it stays on a wiggly baby and covers his ears.
We’re both wearing . . .
Pattern: Seaweed
Yarn: Noro Big Kureyon (which is also apparently discontinued) in colorway 12
Notes: This pattern includes really great instructions on how to measure to create a custom coat extender for babywearing. Unfortunately, these instructions are dependent on you having a baby to wear while taking the measurements. Since I was knitting this right before Wiggles was born, I made my best guess and knit until I ran out of yarn. Fortunately, this is a very forgiving pattern. It works great for keeping both of us warm on our walks.
Filed under: Fiber Arts, FO Friday, Knitting | Tags: body part, FO, hand knit, Knitting, organ, uterus
I’ve been taking it pretty easy this Christmas. I figure I have a pretty good excuse. We have decorations up because CodeMonkey’s parents helped put up the lights and decorate the tree. We have Christmas cookies because MommaBliss helped make them. I did all of my Christmas shopping online. However, I did knit one Christmas present this year.
Pattern: Womb from Knitty
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Roving in Magenta
Notes: Yup, it’s a bright pink handknit uterus. What else does one make for one’s midwife? I think she liked it.
MommaBliss is here to help with Wiggles for a few weeks. She was cleaning out the freezer and came across some mystery items.
MommaBliss: What’s this?
Me: Shredded yellow squash.
MommaBliss: And this?
Me: Placenta.
MommaBliss: . . .
Why yes, I do have plastic bag full of placenta in my freezer. Why do you ask?
Here at chez Bliss, we’re postponing Thanksgiving by a few days. Not because we have nothing to be thankful for, but because we have so much. As I type this, BabyBliss (who’s been known as Wiggles for so long in utero that it will probably stick) is sleeping on my lap. We decided to put off the whole turkey dinner thing until a bit later in favor of holding the baby and eating pancakes today.
I went into labor hard and fast on Saturday afternoon. I kept wondering where all this early labor business that the midwife had talked about was because within a few hours my contractions were just a few minutes apart. CodeMonkey was so supportive and was my rock through the whole thing. With his help, not to mention MommaCodeMonkey’s, our awesome midwife’s and her assistant’s, Wiggles was born at home at 4:27 Sunday morning. He’s 8 pounds, 22 inches, and (in my completely unbiased opininon) quite the cutest baby ever.
