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.

Specifically Aviatrix.

Somebody stop me.

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.

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 . . .

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.

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: 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?

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.