Archive for October, 2007
Sanpoku
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007
A few weeks ago I borrowed this pattern booklet from my friend Cindy. She knit a Sanpoku and it came out so cute that they asked her to teach a class on it at the yarn store. I decided that it’d be perfect for me in my current bodily incarnation. Because it’s actually kind of a shrug, I decided to knit mine on 9s, instead of 8s, to try for a roomier fit. I’m also using Berroco Comfort instead of either Touche or Ultra Alpaca. Comfort is 50% nylon, 50% acrylic, so I’m really interested to see how it washes and wears. So far, I really like the feel of the yarn, it’s soft and squishy. Doesn’t feel “fake” like some acrylics can.
Here in waaaaay Southern NM, we don’t have but 3 or 4 months of sweater-wearing, and even then it’s not wool. Unless that’s what you wear as your coat. It’s still in the 80s this week! It’s been getting down to the mid-40s at night, which has been so awesome for sleeping! Even though it’s still 80, it’s 20-30 degrees cooler than it was this summer, and is starting to feel like fall! It’s so exciting to actually have the energy to get around during the day. Something about not sweating a gallon of water on the way to the car is just invigorating!!
Here’s the zoom-out of the photo above. Harvey likes to watch me take pictures.
I really like having something stockinette to knit while I’m in the middle of doing other stuff. I find that if I take a total break, it’s hard to get back to making knitting time, but if I just switch to the easier project I keep going.
Posted in yarn reviews, Patterns | 2 Comments »
better update!
Monday, October 15th, 2007
I’m back to knitting and sewing!
In addition to the normal book writing and freelance stuff, I’m working now on the scarf for the class I’m teaching on the 27th at Unravel. It’s a ribbed lace pattern that looks equally good from the front or the back, and doesn’t curl at the edges so after blocking it stays nice and flat.
It’s knit on 6s, so it’s not incredibly tiny and goes fast for lace. (Those are my redwood Colonials, if you haven’t had a chance to try these needles, I recommend them. They’re really pointy and flexy but not TOO flexy…and they’re just pretty.)
(If you do the zoom on that photo…please ignore the cat hair on the couch! I need to get the vacuum out this afternoon….)
The sewing part of the post is baby-related…here’s what the newest batch of diapers look like:
Front:
Back:
Inside:
These are size small Fattycakes (of course) with woven cotton Hello Kitty outer, hidden layer of PUL inside, along with a few layers of cotton terry for absorbancy. The inner is cotton flannel. This kind of sewing is totally addictive. Choosing fabrics, thinking about Mazey’s outfits and what she’s going to need to go with what. It’s also very assembly-line, so I cut everything out and do step one on them all, then step two, etc., so it goes FAST. I can make 10 or so diapers in a day if I really sit down and do it. Just very mindless and satisfying because it’s so immediate.
——-
So I started taking a B6 supplement, and it has helped SO MUCH with the tiredness!! I was living most days like this:
Wake up at 7, prep for class, teach, come home for lunch, sleep till about 5, wake up for 4 hours, go to bed.
Lately, I’m not needing that 3 hour nap in the middle of the day. It’s also knocked out the morning sickness completely. The day is SO much better when it doesn’t start out with a vomit. I’m also getting used to the extra weight out front, and the new center of gravity. There were a couple of weeks there when my belly suddenly just POPPED out, from nothing to HUGE…and I just wasn’t used to it. I wish someone had suggested B6 earlier! It seems like every single pregnancy is different, and they just don’t know what will work for every person. It’s hit and miss.
Posted in just chit chat, Patterns, baby | 5 Comments »
Update! (now with photos)
Thursday, October 11th, 2007
This past weekend, we went up to Philly for Yahaira and Tom’s wedding. It was so much fun! Nate and I really enjoyed meeting everyone and seeing the city a little, too.
Do you recognize any of these knitters??
Here we all are together…
And here’s Nate and me in front of the art museum:
I’ve been knitting away on the new book, and getting patterns ready for knitters to knit, too. Also working on some freelance stuff, stuff for the site, and of course…sewing diapers.
——
OK, so I’ve decided that I’m just going to be tired for the next 3 months and find a way to work around it.
I meet lots of people who *LOVE* or *LOVED* being pregnant…and it makes me feel guilty for feeling so tired, awkward, and sort of emotionally out of whack. I’m incredibly happy to be pregnant, but I don’t really enjoy the actual physical state of being pregnant.
It’s better now that Mazey’s kicking and moving…it’s like she’s finally a real little girl and we can communicate and she tells me she’s in there and what she likes and what she doesn’t. Before I could feel her, I was just gaining weight, being tired, and feeling sick. It felt like such a long time until she’d be here that I didn’t know how I’d get through it. But now that it’s only 3 more months…I can DO this!