I finished something

I actually finished a crafty project. A maple teething ring with a cotton flap for the baby to slobber on if they prefer fabric over wood. I got all fancy and used a COWYAK provisional cast on so there’s no seam on either side. Oooh, fancy. I actually have 5 of these teething rings to make and only finished one….and it’s a fairly small something but still it’s a something and it’s finished so it counts. I’m officially a hot mess these days…only not so hot. Mostly just a mess. I’ve had some pretty extreme nausea lately and have found life pretty rough. But I’m 12 weeks tomorrow and oh so excited about the approach of trimester 2. I have to be honest….I am finding pregnancy to be much harder than I expected. Anyway…I think that this time I actually, really, truly am starting to feel human more and more often. And I am super excited about getting the urge to sew. I’m just waiting for the energy to match the urge. Any day now….

Baby steps

If I thought I was tired before I was wrong. W.R.O.N.G. And if I ever felt lazy…I shouldn’t have. Now I know what lazy feels like. I look at the list of planned baby knitting and laugh hysterically. Well no, laughing uses too much energy. But I certainly snort and roll my eyes. Currently a good day includes doing the dishes. Or making dinner. Or doing laundry. Doing one of those is a good day. Doing two is a miracle. Perhaps later on I’ll have some freakish nesting fit where I find myself able to knit a full cardigan in half an hour. But for now this is my progress:

It’s taken me 3 weeks at an average of a row a day. I had a freakish day where I knit 5 rows but then I didn’t pick it up for about 4 days. Obviously 5 rows just wore me out. Oh well, I have time. And I’m going to need all of it at this rate.

Dave voluntarily took me to the thrift store today and I finally found something I have been hunting for, for a long time. A vintage wooden high chair! My mum had one as a baby, I had one as a baby and I am ridiculously overexcited that my child will have one as a baby. I can’t stand those enormous plastic things. It needs to be cleaned and repainted and that decal will have to be removed. That will have to wait for the nesting (and money – man, paint is pricey!) but I am so happy I found one for only $15. I just wish I had found it before I bought a fancy wooden one for $100! Isn’t that always the way?

Recent knits

Just off the needles and in urgent need of blocking is this adorable newborn sized Gnomey, Oh! hat. It was one of those rare patterns that jumped to the head of the queue as soon as I saw it. I can now hardly bend my left thumb but it was worth it for the end result. I needed a small project after my epic shawl knit. Someone asked me to make a shawl for their baby-to-be. They didn’t need to ask hard:

Winterising

I’m knitting a shawl for someone at the moment and I am in love with it. I plan to have it done by the time I get the results of my next cycle (so I can continue the baby knitting!) and that is coming up very soon but I thought that just in case the real winter weather arrives even sooner than a result it might be prudent to make myself a quick winter cowl. Something solid, no lacy holes, thick and squishy and definitely something long enough to cover my nose in a biting cold wind. New Zealand get fierce southerly winds right off Antarctica in winter. Guess how much they suck? Ravelry notes here.

Claret Cowl

After casting on a month ago I finished my claret cowl inspired by Ginnys gorgeous yellow one. This is the first ‘just for me’ thing I have knit. Which possibly explains why it took so long. The Malabrigo silky merino yarn was my consolation purchase for being unsuccessful at IVF cycle 1. If I hd succeeded it would been my ‘reward’ though because lets face it – I’m never going to pass up a chance to buy Malabrigo. This was my first try using silky merino whih is a DK weight and while it pilled a little it is like butter against my skin. I thought that it would be a bit bluer/grayer than it turned out to be when it arrived. I was like “pssshh, a purple sky?” Turns out even we get purple skies. That shut me up!

And I thought I better mention that my appointment with Doctor Handsome went very well on the 10th. He is even more delicious than I remember and he said that we can try again next cycle. I will be doing a manufactured cycle which means there is a small mountain on pills and pessaries waiting for me. But if it works then I know that all the hassle will feel like it was just a tiny little moment in time!

Baby blues

I started this little (0-3m size) Beyond Puerperium cardigan during my 2 week wait (which is technically 9 days but anyway) and finished the body in 6 days. After I got my negative I took the best part of a month to finish the arms. I swear I knit and I knit and the bloody things never grew. But finally last night arm number 2 was officially the same length as arm number 1 and I was done. There are more mistakes in this little cardigan than I want to think of, it really is riddled with them. But I’m philosophical about it now it’s finished – a baby won’t care as long as it keeps them warm, an adult won’t notice once a baby is in it and if anyone points out my mistakes I’ll just bop them in the nose. Simple!

Winter preparations

A bare branches cowl in Malabrigo Silky Merino. I think it will pill in about 5 seconds flat but silk and merino? I’ll probably wear it until it falls apart. Because it’s for me. Knitting just for me. Not for a baby or someone else. Oh I can barely stand how happy it makes me.

Dave’s BIL is obsessed with orange and his wife has asked me to make him a hat. I picked Malabrigo Rios this time. I like to vary my Malabrigo obsession. 4 months ago I hadn’t knitted a stitch with it and now I have so much of it stashed you’d think I had shares in the company.

A hat to say thank you

A hat to say thank you to Dave for taking me to so many blood tests last month – and for the one or more cycles still to come. Just like winter is coming. Oooh boy is winter coming. Next on the needles is a cowl for me – my ivf treat was a skein of Malabrigo Silky Merino. Then a shawl or two is in order. The keyword this winter is definitely going to be comfort.

It’s my first project knit in the round – not just magic looped like all the baby sleeves I’ve done but cast on in the round and everything. I am sickeningly proud of it. I mean really, look at that swirl of decreases. Gorgeous. And do you know what else? I think that I am officially ready to say that I now know enough to be an intermediate knitter. Oh that feels good.

(Thank you for all your kind words. I’m feeling better although still….not right yet. My review appointment is April 10th and perhaps I’ll dare to feel a little hope after that.)

Beyond Puerperium…again

My third time knitting this (including the free newborn version “Puerperium‘), using Malabrigo yarn every time. This is the 0-3m size and although the colour turned out to be nothing like the etsy photo I have grown to like it. I am using my new Knit Pro interchangable needles and I think they make me knit so much faster. The nickel needles are slick but have just enough grip. Best knitting investment ever.

Blood test in two days.

Off The Needles

Finally something comes off the needles. This took forever – the difference in size between the newborn one I made and this 6-12m one is quite terrifying. But I am so happy with it. I finished it yesterday, 1 day post transfer so only one day later than I hoped to. 1 day late is practically on time for me. The yarn (Cascade 200 Quatro Superwash) was not my favourite in the end. It is soft but I suspect it could have a slight itch factor although blocking softened it further. And it curled like crazy. I’m a lazy knitter and don’t block anything but this was always going to be something that had to be blocked to make it look like it should. Although it appears to have made my tension difference in one of the sleeves so noticeable that it’s all I can see. Oops! I’m not sure why one shoulder is so loose. I guess this project reflects my mood as I moved through the last month of treatment. And if I put it like that then actually I think it’s perfect the way it is. Made by me with love and intent for my future Petri – whether it’s Petri the first or one of his 5 frozen siblings.