Murphy, Lay Off!

Remember when I said I was going to have knitting content soon? Yeah. I'm having one of those Murphy's Law kind of weeks. My car was hit on Tuesday (I wasn't in it)(the guy left a note, thank goodness), so that's one more thing to deal with. Sweet kitty baby Julian is not well. He had bloodwork done on the same day my car was hit (luckily the car is drivable!) and I'm hoping that he will improve. I went to yoga last night and got so relaxed I could have fallen asleep three times! :) But my evenings have been spent with a sad, clingy furball in my lap, so not a whole lot of knitting done.

Notice that Jemima is making steady progress? The sleeves are done. Yay! I cast on the front (tubular, my new best friend) yesterday during a painful budget meeting at work (money + public schools = pain and anguish) and then realized that I forgot something... the sweater as designed is a bit shorter than I wanted and has no waist shaping... it just increases up from the hem to the bustline. I need more of an hourglass shape so I need to figure in some waist decreases from the hip, and then increase to the bust.

So I'll redo that tubular cast-on when I have that all figured out. Should be simple to reconfigure, as long as Murphy's Law doesn't send raining frogs or some other catastrophe to add to this lovely week. :)

One more thing:
Addi Turbos + Rowan Cashsoft = Heaven.

E is for Earth

My students, along with another class, planted 600 plants, shrubs, and trees on our campus last week. They've been learning about water conservation, native vs. invasive plants, drought resistance, etc. They had a blast planning the gardens, preparing the soil, and finally planting. I can't wait until spring is truly here so they can see some of the plants come out of dormancy.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Remember this girl?



Well, she looks like this now:



My only conclusion is that my home has been attacked by Pod People, and I'm carrying some alien life form under my skin. I feel lots of kicks and wiggles, especially after eating and at bedtime. Yesterday while I was teaching, I think the baby was doing downward dog, pointing its little butt toward my belly button. Good times. We're at the point now (25-26 weeks) where I'm just starting to feel uncomfortable if I eat too much lunch at once, and where I'm feeling the smallest kicks in the ribs. Oh, and I'm starting to waddle. I can only imagine how much more beautiful it's all going to be over the next three months.

It's funny how I look differently depending on what I'm wearing each day. This past week, several people have approached me and told me that I'm going to have a boy because I'm carrying the little sprout high and my belly is pointy. Also, some people are really irritated with me for not finding out the baby's gender. I gotta have a few good surprises in my life, you know?

Meanwhile, my cat, Lennon, is also behaving strangely; do the Pod People have Pod Cats?



You know how fraidy cats are about vacuum cleaners; both Julian and Lennon run full throttle to the furthest corner of the house whenever they see the vacuum come out of the closet. But now Lennon is showing a preference for the blow dryer. He likes to sit on the toilet and watch me dry my hair. Sometimes I'll aim the hot air toward him and he goes crazy for it! I could make some really tasteless joke about preferring blowing over sucking, but that would probably cross the line.

Finally, do you ever remember feeling so much joy over such a little thing like walking? This is my wee friend Anya, having the time of her life. I have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the smallest things.



Knitting content to come... tomorrow?

Slow But Steady Wins the Race

Shawl Collar Pullover, such an easy, basic pattern, no? Maybe I'm becoming a perfectionist in my old age, but it's taking forever to put together.

Shoulders seamed and shawl collar installed while watching Cinderella Man a few nights ago. That took a few tries. The ribbed collar/stockinette front/row/stitch count made it all quite an adventure. And the spot where the ends cross over one another was a little tricksy.

Sleeve caps installed last night during the Oscars. I DVR'd the show, so we watched it later on in the evening and fast forwarded through all the commercials, took a break to make dinner, etc., but there is no way it should have taken that long just to attach the sleeves caps to the arm openings. I think I did one side over FIVE times. Clearly I knit either the front or the back an eensy bit longer than the other. That's okay, it finally worked out.

Sleeve and side seams should go together well (fingers crossed) tonight during the TWO HOUR special episode of 24. Can't wait!

Cotton Fleece's Big Sister?

Is there a yarn out there that is comparable to Cotton Fleece but is slightly bulkier? Like 15-16 stitches to 4"?

D is for Designs That Inspire

I can't knit fast enough (or is it that I just don't have enough time in my day?) to keep up with all the inspiration.



This is really gorgeous. Mer was the one to introduce the pattern on her blog a couple of days ago; I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since. I keep reading the Drops pattern (free!) and after reading through the English translation several times I understand the construction and instructions well enough to want to do it. Someday. Here's my question... take a look at the diagram first:

If you knit something like this, which has one main piece that's a circle knit in the round from the inside out, how would you splice/attach each new ball of yarn if you're using a yarn that isn't feltable? See, I'm in love with spit-splicing whenever possible, but if I use a blend of fibers that doesn't include wool or other animal fibers, what's the best bet? There aren't side seams to hide ends into.








I saw this Drops design a while back, too, and thought it was lovely. The shaping is right up my alley. I have a bag of purple Misti Alpaca Sport that I was going to use for a Union Square Market Pullover, but this would be a much more flattering line on me. It's still a possibility. Someday.








And finally, I'm in love with Starsky. I can't help it. It's a great look! I don't have anything like it. I'm curious, though, about the designer's suggestion that it be knit with 8" of ease based on the bust measurement. If you're a medium sized gal with a large bustline, do you still want that much ease? These are the questions that keep me up at night.