Please remember our friend

Mamma in your thoughts and prayers at this time when she's just lost her Mom.
~A

Bad blogger, bad, bad....

I apologize to the two people who read my blog for not updating in over a month. I've been quite busy at home with the four monkeys, you see, and although I'm still knitting, I'm not so good at posting about it.
Although I'm not a scarf knitter, I've finished two in the past two weeks. I'm still in awe of all of these mothers-who-knit who have 32 finished projects a month. It's just not happening here.
Ah, the baby calls. I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive.

Sick

Thumbelina and I are both sniffly. She's sleeping like a champ at night, but during the day, not so much. I feel like I'm trying to keep my head above water, literally. I pop online for three minutes here, two there and check blogs that I read to see if they're updated, and then she's up and screaming so I have to stand up and hold her over my shoulder, just like I did with Princess when she was colicky.
So obviously, I still have one and one quarter sleeves done, and not much else.
Oh, and I chopped my hair off yesterday, and it's now styled in what the Princess has termed, "Crazy Red Mommy Hair." She thinks it's cool.

One sleeve down

Two inches done on the other one. I wanted to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel so instead of casting on for the body of the cardigan, I started with the sleeves.
Is that so wrong?
Love the Knitpicks Elegance. It knits like a dream, shows detail evenly...cables look great. Love it. Hope it washes decently.
The baby calls....

I Ain't as Good as I Once Was

That yarn came and it's beautiful, people. THe grass green is lovely, more of an avocado really, and not at all vomitrocious. The Shine is a very pretty purply rose pink, and the Andean Silk in Sangria, well, I had purchased some for my SP awhile back and was craving it for months now. It knits like a dream, but unfortunately, I don't.
Why is it that the simplest of patterns is kicking my hiney right now? Baby Thumbelina's sleeping up to 5 hours at night, so I have no excuse...must be my hormones returning to normal...yeah, that's it. I started the corset and put it aside after frogging it three times because I didn't read the chart. I just kind of set off doing what I thought the chart read, and then realized that I was supposed to repeat row 1 for rows 3 and 5 as well...duh. I then must have missed a YO on row 5 because row 6 was short a stitch, or so I thought. I frogged, reknit, and realized I was counting wrong. Nice.
So. I started the cardigan in alpaca without glitter, here in the Elegance, and it's lovely. Good thing there's a lot of stockinette. It will give my brain time to heal.

Waiting on yarn...

While my dear mother was visiting this past week, she offered to go with me to the LYS and buy me birthday yarn. Yes, my birthday isn't until the end of the month, but it was the shared experience of shopping for the birthday yarn that we wanted.
As usual, however, this store didn't have enough of the Suri Merino I wanted for my Drops Cardigan with Glitter, so I was foiled. Mom ended up writing me a check and I ordered some goodies from KnitPicks instead. I bought two hanks of merino laceweight in Vineyard, some Andean Silk in Sangria for the Silk Corset, and I went with Elegance in lettuce (I think that's what it was) for the alpaca cardigan with glitter. I'm hoping it's not too evil a green, although I can usually wear the most putrid of green shades due to my hair and pink complexion. I just can't wear much of anything else.
I also picked up some Shine in Orchid, which is a color I don't ordinarily wear but I thought it was lovely. I hope it's fairly true to the website and catalog (wishful thinking, I know) as I sat here with both looking back and forth trying to make the decision. I'm making a lace camisole from the Spring '05 Vogue that was originally written for Anny Blatt's Kampur Silk~at $19 a skein. If it doesn't work out I'll be using it for Picovoli or something.
Can't wait to see my UPS man.

Put this in the "Things I should not be allowed to do" file

This goes in that category, certainly.
While wrestling the boys up the stairs for naps today, I thought I'd be clever ("'My, what a multi-tasker that Knitting Woman is'...I can hear them now!", I thought) and start the sterilize cycle for the bottles. I also put a pan of hot water on the stove to boil as I'm really new to this formula thing and I'm not sure whether I have to boil it first or not....anyway, that was the problem.
Multi-tasking. What ever made us think we had to do more than one thing at a time anyway? Isn't the world rushed enough? I feel so horrible that I'm contributing to that.
Turns out I'm not very good at it anyway. I got up to change the baby's diaper and smelled a funny smell. I peeked in on Bobo, who always has to poop three seconds before he falls asleep, and sure enough, he had 'llluck', as he calls it.
But no. That wasn't the smell. I flew down the stairs, dreading the thought of my rangetop in flames.
Yes, I boiled my dern pan dry. Amazing that I didn't catch the kitchen on fire, really, as I'm about as air-headed as I can be right now.
Somebody save me from myself.

December 16, 2005

I went from this:












to this:













I cannot believe you're two weeks old already, little precious.

And the one we worried the most about, the One who's still just a baby himself, our little Bobo...how has he reacted to Princess Thumbelina of Quite-a-lot?
You tell me.

Llamaface...

Being the knitter that I am, I just love that Emperor's New Groove, but anyway...
I swatched for the Alpaca Cardigan with glitter today in three different yarns, just to get a handle on what gauge should look like, and I've come to the conclusion that I must be a very tight knitter. I never thought that before, but somehow, I'm getting 26-28 stitches on the size 4 needles (the pattern requires 23st/4") in every DK weight I swatched with. So why am I smiling? Perhaps it is because the Andean Silk I wanted to use for this is actually a worsted weight, so I can fudge the gauge a bit, or perhaps it's just insane pregnancy hormones.
***Crunch!!!***
The world may never know.

A watched pot never boils...

as my mother used to say. And a watched overdue mama may never labor...that's my own right there. I had a lot of great contractions this morning, and off and on throughout the day, but nothing at the moment. We walked miles in the mall, so I'm praying that things just get started on their own tonight. The midwife who delivered #1 and #3 is on tomorrow all day, so it would be *wonderful* if she could be there for this baby. That's what I'm hoping at least.

No baby yet

Thanks for everyone who checked in on me, but nope, still no baby. Went to the hospital on Friday during the snow storm (as most of you know)and I was only dilated a bit past two, so I walked for two hours (even climbed nine stories' worth of stairwells) and my contractions promptly took a break. THIS IS MY FOURTH BABY, UTERUS.....get to going already.
And what's adding insult to injury (injury being getting my membranes stripped this morning. Again.) is that every friend I had due in Nov/Dec/Jan has either already had their baby or will by the end of the week, thanks to the magic of scheduled inductions and sections. I really would prefer to labor and push out a baby, thank-you-very-much but the thought of another c-section when you consider that my child would have been outside of my body for the past week makes me a little misty. And I'm not the crying type. Logically, I know that I've gone into labor spontaneously twice, (had the section with Monkeyboy) but my irrational side wonders if I'll have to call Guinness about a record...either that or my hips will both dislocate.
On a more positive note, I reported knitting a hat to help the baby to realize she needs to get here. I've knit one every night since Thursday, although yesterday's had to be frogged and re-knit, so I have three hats, one UFO which will be frogged again this afternoon and re-knit in another yarn tonight. I was using Suri Merino, which is a lovely yarn (and I may use this for the Cardigan with Glitter, although I haven't swatched with it yet...can you say "incredible drape"?) but not right for a hat with little patterning. I thought I had cast on few enough stitches, but apparently the Suri thinks I'm knitting for a nine year-old. I have to go pick up fundraiser stuff tonight so I may stop over at Fabric Place on the way home. I have a sudden compulsion to knit everyone a Christmas Stocking.

AAAARGH...aka "What is wrong with me?"

I've had my butt kicked by a hat. Not just any hat, mind you, but Kate Gilbert's Shining Star hat. Lovely pattern, simple repeats, should be able to kick it out in an evening, no? No.
I've tried every solution (including Emily Oecker's circular beginning, yes) to cast on for a top down hat (did I mention how cute and SIMPLE it is, really?) and I cannot keep the needles straight, or I drop one on the floor and cannot bend over myself to pick it up, or it pulls to one side and looks wonky. Sigh. I suppose I'm going to have to spend nap time figuring the pattern out backwards to bind off at the crown. Which ticks me off because I thought that this hat would be DONE by now, but I'm a knitting loser this week.
I did knit a little skull cap out of some baby alpaca that Lauren sent me during SP4, so I guess her wee baby head won't be cold, but that's not the point. The Shining star is just so much cuter.
Can I have this baby yet?

Lucy, you have some 'splainin' to do

Don't know why that popped into my head, really. Just weird things running through there lately anyhow.
I'm still pregnant. My mother called yesterday and asked if I had had a baby yet. My own mother. I know that there's a little "under the microscope" feeling one gets at the end of a pregnancy, but my Mom? People calling you, just checking with morbid curiousity to see if you're still swollen or if you've literally popped open...you're-so-big-can-you-fit-any-more-in-there-are-you-sure-it's-not-twins-your-back-must-be-killing-you type thing. Bah.
I dreamt of knitting last night. Sitting around with some of my favorite knitbloggers, people I've never met in person and some that I have. I think I need to hit the S&B tonight as it could be my last for awhile and I haven't been since before Thanksgiving.
And special thanks to Mamma, whose tribute to her own creative children perked up *this* bedraggled Mama today. I really needed that.

And I'm still knitting

Not much sleep last night, but no contractions yet either. I'm still here. And yet, I'm feeling "in-a-rut-ish". I have Christmas socks that need knitting, and yet for no good reason whatsoever, I cast on for another Ribby Cardi with the Tree Bark Melange Paton's merino....Hub's sweater yarn. He saw me knitting it and asked, "OOOH~what pattern is that?" and I hunkered down behind my needles, hung my head in shame and said..."it's a woman's sweater pattern." The defeat in his eyes made me take pity on him, and so, I've decided that the Ribby was just a, what-do-you-call-it-now, um, ploy...yes, a total sham devised by me to fool the poor dear into thinking I wasn't Christmas knitting for him this year. I left Ribby on the needles and yesterday afternoon cast on for Lucky, from Knitty's Man Issue. Why didn't I realize that mistake-rib still takes as long as a regular 2X2 rib, what with all the purling and such? Oh well, at least it's mindless, and he has no clue.

Take 3

Good thing they're so darn cute.

Sometime, you just need a good Ballpark Frank

I know I'm losing it when I'm blogging about hot dogs, but oh well. Purchased a package of nitrite-free, filler-free 'dogs from Trader Joes this week, thinking that they'd be healthier and less of a junk food to the kids, and that at least I wouldn't be brining the latest babe (need to think of a good pseudonym for her too, now that I think of it) in chemical soup. Too bad that they tasted as funky as they did. Like I said, sometimes you shouldn't mess with preservative perfection.
I'm searching for the perfect "back-to-my-body" knit. I have about ten things I'd like to start, but then I get frightened that perhaps *this* body is it and that the size S I'd knit would fit around my forearm, and I chicken out.
Off to swatch again...it's about the largest piece I can focus on at one time.

I know an old lady who swallowed an octopus

That's how I'm feeling at the moment. 1cm dilated, no more. For those of you not in the know, that's typical for me. Two weeks left.

On a cheerier note, I believe that Mamma has persuaded me to knit this:



By the time this distracted Mama gets it done, I may actually be able to wear it. I've only gained 32 lbs with this babe (as opposed to the 40+ I usually pack on) so perhaps it will be easier to ditch and I'll be back in my jeans- my JEANS!- in a few months' time.

Off to check the stash and oogle yarn...

Elvis has left the building

This is the last of a series of just,well, really tired posts. Look at that, I almost typed, "tured". Real nice.
You see, I'm 38 weeks pregnant. OK, not until Tuesday, but still, I'm rounding up. My belly is so why shouldn't I? Anyhow (sometimes I type 'anyhoo' and then I realize I *hate* it when I hear someone use that word. Hate it.) I'm just about checked out of my life at this point waiting for this babe to arrive. I feel like I'm going through the motions, just getting through the day, because honestly, I'm just plain beat. As you know, there are three other little ones under four feet tall in this house and it's a perpetual motion machine around here. Sorry to sound like such a bummer, but I'm just going to go stick my head in the sand until December 13th. Or later, as each child has been 'late' by 3, 2, and 4 days, respectively. I always thought that that number was supposed to go down with each pregnancy (as labor is *supposed* to be shorter each time as well. My first was 12 hours, the third was about 8. Guess that works) but somehow someone forgot to tell my body it's okay to have a baby anytime after the docs give the 'all clear' signal.
So we're waiting. And I'm driving everyone crazy.
And I'm trying to knit, but I'm just being plain stupid and making ill-timed mistakes, and then realizing that it takes more brain RAM than I possess to rip out half of a Conwy sock to fix the third row of cabling and then get back into it. LL on size 1s should be banned from gestating women, I swear.
MIL's Christmas socks in Bearfoot are more than halfway done, and I'm quite pleased. Since we wear the same size, I knit hers to be the same length as mine, and they *do* fit me, so I'm crossing my fingers that somehow my feet just appear to be the size of a small dinghy and in fact, are not.
Two weeks left.

The waiting is the hardest part

Two weeks, 6 days, and some-how-ever-many-hours. Until my due date. Which I always pass. But it would be nice to have a baby on THanksgiving, wouldn't it? My grandfather was born on Thanksgiving and they always teased him that they got two turkeys that year. I'm just not feeling myself lately, I guess. No serious contractions yet, just that "Who the heck is talking out of my mouth?" feeling again. It's like I cannot make normal conversation anymore....sheesh.

Knitting....I'm absolutely addicted to Bearfoot. I went to the LYS this morning and bought two more skeins, one for Mom, one for MIL (neither of whom read this blog, so pbbbttthhhpptt~you'll both be sur-pri-ised!) and I'm trying to figure out which patterns to use. MIL was very gracious this week and stayed for us for three days while DH was in Toronto (just in case, dear. You never know what might happen) and Mom's coming up for two weeks once this little bambina actually gets here. I was thinking Christmas, but I may just give them early if she makes her appearance sooner. I really like a slightly lacey pattern, sans cabling if I can help it for the bulk factor. I must say that my favorite socks of all time (and I've knit five pair so far!) were Sockbug's RIver Rapids Socks. The pattern is easy to memorize (although I changed the number of knit-around rows to 4 instead of 3 as it elongated the pattern. Unlike what Hub says, it wasn't *ahem* a mistake. Cough, cough.
I'm still plugging ahead on Hub's Conwy socks, which are beautiful, but so slow going on the LL and size 1s that I can't seem to really concentrate on what repeat I'm on, etc. When I get motivated I'll break out the notebook and really go to work. But the wooly mohair is calling to be wound into a lovely ball....must...not...keep...for...myself.
Anyone up for a game of guess when this baby's coming?

We're getting there

First, Happy Veteran's day to everyone. I'm so thankful for your contribution to the freedom of our country and my personal safety. Words are not enough, but thank you.

Today, I'm starting to feel better. The princess is home from school today, as is the monkey boy. And they're actually getting along...should I say that? Don't want to jinx myself. I actually slept about 1/2 hour longer than I usually do because they were cuddled together reading books this morning. Yay! I have no idea what happened between yesterday and today, but hallelujah.

Second River Rapids sock is almost done. Like if I get off the computer now at 10:05, it should be finished by lunchtime done. I think that I have a second "if I could only knit with one yarn for the rest of my life, I would choose this" yarn, and that is Mountain Colors Bearfoot. The color, the hand, the froggability without showing frogginess, *sigh*. Aurora 8, you're still tops in my book too.

That leads to Hub's socks. I think I may just veg out and knit these in plain stockinette. Boring, I know, but he'd prefer it, and it would get me a quick "kudos" from him, as I've only ever finished one project from him. We have a running joke that he will get a sweater one day. I started one for him while we were dating, and grew to hate LB Woolease and then became a better knitter and my gauge changed, and well, it's just a big basket of frogged goodness now. That's almost ten years of promised sweater angst. I started another sweater for him this fall, but I don't like the yarn for the project, and I'm thinking that my DH's tendency to wear his clothes in a full throttle way might just preclude the use of Paton's Merino. I see a big bark-green pilled mess, and that ain't good, folks. I'm thinking perhaps something in a cotton blend or a superwash may just work better. I'm just not knitting sweaters right now, as I'm sock-addicted.

Off to try to grab a shower while the kids are camping in Monkeyboy's room, and then, sock-love.