Change of Plans

Remember last week how I was all gung-ho to knit the February Lady Sweater? Well, I pulled up the pattern, got out the needles and yarn, and changed my mind. The featured photo on the Ravelry pattern page with the pregnant belly poking out is just adorable, but I had to face facts and realize it won't look like that on me. I was already going to do a round yoke instead of a raglan, but I'd also have to change where the yoke transitioned to the lace pattern, or it would make the girls look huge and saggy.

So I started looking around at other patterns that might accommodate a pregnant belly (maternity sweaters suck!) and I went to the Knitting Daily site to see if the Mommy Snug was available for purchase. It's not, and I had actually purchased The Best of Interweave Knits thinking it was in there, and it's not there either. But I did come across Norah Gaughan's Ballet Wrap and thought maybe it had potential. It still risked putting undue emphasis on certain things I'd rather not draw more attention to, but it also is open over the belly, meaning there might be a chance that I could wear it during pregnancy and beyond.

Oh, the joys of the 'pregnant or just round?' stage. Hopefully I'll be decidedly pregnant-looking by the time it's cold enough to wear this sweater.

So I've been working away at knitting the back and fronts, which went pretty fast, and the long noodle of ribbing, which went pretty slow. Actually, in the original pattern, the noodle is supposed to be even longer, to wrap around and tie in front. I took out the split in the back (which allows the sash to cross over and continue around) and started and ended the noodle under the left arm, finishing with a half-graft for a near-seamless look. I worked all afternoon on sewing all those pieces together to see (breath held) if it was going to fit, and it does!

I don't have a picture (doing the mirror-shot of the front was pain enough), but the back is kind of rounded on the bottom and comes down to about my waist.

Now for sleeves. I'm thinking about making them short, because the alpaca is warm. I think it would look cute over long-sleeved tees. What do you think?

First Cool Morning

I reluctantly rolled out of bed this morning to let the insistent dogs out, only to be greeted by the most wonderful cool autumn-like morning. I made coffee to celebrate, and the urge to knit got stronger. I've really been wanting to cast on for the February Lady Sweater (hasn't everyone?) for a little while now. I think it will be a good use of the Suri Merino that didn't work out in the High Neck Cable.

Only problem? I really feel like I should be finishing up old projects. The more I think "this is what I should be knitting," the more I don't want to knit at all, and the more I don't knit at all, the deeper these things fall into their UFO black hole and the guiltier I feel about them. I've especially been thinking that I should push through on Mom's cardi and get it finished for her birthday (in, um, a week), but I'm just getting over a bad case of hives and that alpaca yarn makes me itch. The Suri Merino is alpaca, too, but I don't remember it making me itch. Someone tell me it's ok to start a new project for me, please. I'm feeling guilty, but it's not getting me anywhere.

Hot weather and procrastination haven't been the only things keeping me away from the needles, though. We're expecting our first child in March!

9 weeks 5 days and 12 weeks and change
I'm 14 weeks 5 days now (Second Trimester, 4th month).

Crazy, huh? Anyway, I spent my entire first trimester feeling basically hungover, and knitting was pretty much the last thing I wanted to do. And spinning. When your nauseous, watching something spinning around very quickly isn't exactly fun. I got through spinning for the HHHH swap by forcing myself to do 10-15 minutes at a time until it was done. I was going to take it easy on myself and aim for a DK weight, but it came out fingering, anyway. Ha! Anyway, just when I started feeling better, I broke out in hives from some unknown irritant and was even more miserable for several days. But that's all over now, knock on wood :)

I have done a little crafting for kiddo. I knit and felted a bunny toy that still needs a face embroidered on and stuffing. I also started a sweater for the bunny, but it probably needs to be frogged. And I cross-stitched a little Peter Rabbit scene that needs to be washed, blocked, and framed. No pics of those yet.

I am planning to use cloth diapers, so I have crafted a little bit toward that end. Namely, some awesome wooly soakers (pattern from Buttknits.com), and some cloth wipes.

I am 3 or 4 half-finished wipes away from having about 2 dozen (in three different prints). They're kind of addictive. I think I could get into this sewing thing, even if I did have to youtube how to get the bobbin case thingy to go in.

That's probably all I'll do until we find out the gender in about a month. In the meantime, I've got just enough time to knit myself a sweater, no?