Sunday, March 9, 2014

Something's in the Water

This is something I have never been able to say before, I have eleven pregnant friends/family members/co-workers. ELEVEN. I am glad I didn't have time to write this post until now because the number changed from nine to eleven as I found out about two more just this week.  Additionally, I know at least two more pregnant women that are "Facebook friends," as in friends from my past, that are expecting.  I hate to say it, but I think I started a trend.  More likely though, 30 is the magical age when everyone you know starts or continues procreating.

A knitter has a lot to look forward to with these eleven soon-to-be-babies.  Baby knitting is the best knitting.  It is small which means it usually doesn't take too much time to make, it doesn't cost too much, and is extremely cute.  I knit a few things for Stormy, but with my swollen and numb during pregnancy, I didn't get as much as I wanted done.  Now he has grown so fast he is in 12 mos clothes (at the age of 7 months) and already outgrowing some really cute knitting patterns. I tell him to slow down and stay little, but he just does not listen to me.  I think this is just foretaste of what is to come in the listening and the growing fronts.
 
As for the eleven, these are babies I will all knit or crochet for.  I have already finished one baby item and I love it.  I want to make a million of these. Most of all, I want to keep it and that usually means the recipient will love it too.


The pattern is so fast and easy. 


The color is so beautiful these images don't give it justice. 


The yarn is so soft, I wish you could all feel it. I want to sleep with it.

It is a small lap blanket, suitable for stroller/car seat time.  It is also great for becoming a special cuddly as the baby becomes a toddler. You can see the details here.

In other news, we have a boy on the move (see the growing to fast statement earlier).


He is not quite crawling, but he is getting around.  Watch out sister, someone is coming for your stuff.
 

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Games Completed

I finished my project for the Ravellenic Games.

It took way longer than expected and I had to knit without end last weekend, but I finished before the Olympic closing ceremonies aired in Illinois.

I spent a lot of time on this Color Affection shawl and in the end, I am not sure I am totally happy with it.  I like the colors. I like the shape.  Over all it is beautiful and represents things I love: (1) a challenge and (2) something big made from little yarn.  I used sock yarn for this shawl. There is also a lace weight yarn option of this pattern and I am so glad I went with the thicker, yet still fine, option.

I just don't like the three-color-change-edge section.  As you might be able to see in the photo (yarn photography is something I definitely need to work on) there is a section of stripes that are orange, gray and teal.  It is just too tight there and so it does not lay right.  I have read comments about this pattern on Ravelry and found that some knitters rip out and redo that section to make sure that the edge is not so very tight.  I am not a masochist and will not be doing that.  I am on to bigger and better things.

As I age (I know I am still young at 30, but I am starting to gain some perspective), I realize that I cannot focus on all the things that are not perfect.  The shawl is not perfect and as I think about it, it really shouldn't be.  Handmade things are not made to be perfect, they are made to be made.  Made to show love and affection for a craft and for a person.  This shawl isn't perfect and that is what makes it handmade. It makes it good in its own right. Knitting is a great teacher; it is unbiased in how it can be a total jerk to those that do it and still we love it and take on the next project, learning a new skill and moving on.

I did learn a new bind-off with this shawl.  I have never really liked how tight my bind-off edge is on any project.  I can always tell the bind-off edge.  Maybe others can't, but I can.  I can always see the flaws in my work (I am working on not focusing on flaws, I really am). I tried a new bind-off where I knit two into the backloop and then place the stitch back on the left needle and knit two through the backloop again, over and over until all stitches are worked. I think found my new standard bind-off, which is pretty exciting.  I have been knitting about 5 years with the same bind-off. So out of a project that has a bit of an issue, I still learned something new tath is going to totally revamp my knitting in the future. Positives abound when you look for them.

I am also thinking I may need to change my color scheme....


I am now working on something new and exciting, but more on that later.