Cute. Cute. As a button.

Sorry that this is a little later than a week from my last entry.  I had planned to wait to update until after my appointment on the 4th, and then I ended up having a rough week at work on top of a buttload of school assignments this week (first half of the summer semester is over tonight, oh yes!) so I got a little behind.  So let's start with my appointment.

Everything at the appointment went great.  All of my tests from last month came back normal, and the visit was pretty routine.  I think I was in and out of there in about 15 minutes.  This months ultra sound was absolutely amazing.  When the baby first showed up on the screen, we had a really good view of the baby's spine and then it moved around a bit and we could see it holding its little arm up to its face - Ronnie said it looked like it was sucking its thumb.  At one point, the baby kicked its legs up in the air and kind of bicycled them around.  When I saw it kick its little feet, it became really real to me - last month it was hard to see anything and it still only had arm and leg buds, so seeing the baby's perfect little legs and feet kick up and move around was almost unreal.  I teared up and said something stupid like "Oh my god!  That's a baby!"  Then the OB took the picture and...

The elusive baby Webb - 12w3d

Is that even a picture of a baby?!  If I hadn't seen it squirming around on the screen myself I would suspect otherwise.  The OB wanted to take a picture of the baby's face, so apparently that is what this is.  Its little head is on the bottom right, and those are its legs on the left.  I know it sort of looks like an alien head with some pencil smudges...

No luck on finding out the sex this month.  The OB said maybe next month.  I also get to go for more lab work next month, I'm just thrilled about that. 

I finished a little knitted sweater for the baby this week:

 

I'm kind of in love with it.  I want to buy the yarn (Knit Picks Chroma Fingering) in every color to make a bunch of them. 

That's really everything this week.  Nothing too exciting to report. 

Well hi, do you remember me?!

Okay, I know, I'm a bad blogger.  I haven't updated in over two years.  Admittedly, nothing super exciting has happened - I'm still in school, I still work at the same job, and I still knit and read all the time.  Nothing very exciting happened until a few weeks ago.

Tiny baby Webb at 6 weeks.  Can you see him/her? Yeah, I can't really either.

I'm going to try to write about things that have happened over the last 11 weeks or so of my pregnancy, and some stuff that happened over the last 2 years or so that I haven't blogged about (oops).  This entry might be a little long.  I'm going to try to attempt to write once a week, and those probably won't be so wordy. :)

I've always had this vague idea that if I ever got pregnant, I would blog once a week starting from the minute I knew.  I love looking at those weekly pictures where moms stand next to a chalkboard and write things like "the baby is the size of an avocado and I miss margaritas!" but I'm just not that motivated.  I haven't even taken one 'belly' picture yet.  I don't really feel like I look very pregnant yet, I sort of look like I ate a pan of potatoes and I can't suck anything in.    Someone at work did notice about 2 weeks ago though - she just walked up to me, patted my stomach and asked if there was a baby in there.  I asked her how in the world she could tell and she said that the bust on my uniform looked tighter than normal, but then she told me she is 'on the lookout', and likes asking people.  She said she had an exchange with someone at her church that went something like this:

Work lady:  "So, when are you expecting?"

Lady friend at church: "Expecting WHAT exactly?!"

Aside from my uniform being apparently tight in the bust, all of my clothes still fit.  The belt on my jeans has been annoying, but I have been spending most of my summer in dresses anyway.  I ordered my maternity uniforms from work this week.  Our uniforms usually come in regular sizes (4, 6, 8 etc.) but the maternity uniforms come in S, M or L.  Since I wasn't sure which size to order, and the ordering sheet didn't have measurements, I decided to order a M.  When I went to pick them up yesterday, I thought they looked big, but when I got home and tried them on they were hilariously large.  I'm pretty sure I can fit myself, Ronnie and 2 small children inside of them.  Needless to say, I need to go down a size - I hope my bust lasts in my regular uniforms for another week or two.  

 I have been trying to knit for the baby.  Since I don't know if it is a boy or a girl yet, everything has been neutral.  I think I have another pair of socks finished somewhere, but I can't find them anywhere.  I'm hoping that the baby will have a sock drawer that rivals mine.  Do you see the blue/red cardigan in the picture?  I knit that with yarn that I spun on my Valentines day present, a spinning wheel! (those are also the treadles poking out on the right of the picture)

My beloved Ashford Joy.  Ain't she a beaut?

The doctor seemed pretty confident that he would be able to tell the sex of the baby at my next appointment, but at the beginning of this month I had some severe lower back pain and my appointments were moved up a week.  So, my August appointment was originally set for the 13th, but now I go on the 4th.  If we don't find out next month, we will find out in September.

The doctor wasn't entirely sure what was going on with my back.  It started kind of randomly, I was sitting on the couch, and when I stood up I felt like I pulled a muscle.  I remember audibly saying "Ow, my back" while trying to limp away, but then every muscle in my lower back started twitching and spasming in pain.  It was the strangest, most painful thing I have felt.  I wanted to lay down in the bed, but any kind of movement shot through me like fire.  I thought it was possible that I was having a miscarriage, so I was asking Ronnie to Google search anything and everything trying to calm myself down.  Once we determined that no, it wasn't a miscarriage, I was a little more relaxed and could think a little more clearly.  It probably spasmed for about 4 or 5 hours, but since I was feeling more calm, it wasn't as bad.  That all happened on a Sunday, so I moved my appointment up to that Monday just to reassure myself.  The doctor thought maybe it was kidney stones, but the tests for that came back negative.  It hasn't happened again, aside from a little twitch here or there, so I guess it is just one of those weird pregnancy things.

The elusive baby Webb, 9 weeks.

The ultrasound picture at my second appointment wasn't much better than the first thanks to all the urine tests I had to take at my second appointment.  The doctor swears the baby's little head is under where it says HI, but I'm just going to have to take his word for it. I could definitely see the baby jiggling and wiggling around on the monitor but baby Webb doesn't like pictures apparently - hopefully the next one will be better.  :)  Weird back problem aside, my first trimester hasn't been too bad?  Everything smells bad, and I'm tired all the time but I haven't been sick yet which I am really, really thankful for!

Aside from the baby, school has been a huge focus for me.  Provided my fall internship goes through by September, I will be graduating with my Bachelor's in December.  I actually thought I wouldn't be done until next spring, so this was really exciting news for me.  Ronnie got hired at a new job in May, and he is supposed to start training at the end of the year.  We're also moving in December.  I'm slightly terrified that everything will be happening really quickly in December through February since the baby is due February 13th, but for the most part I'm extremely excited and ready for the change.  

I think that is everything for now, I'm going to try to stay on top of once a week entries so I don't have to post a wall of text again. 

Knitting for little Matthew

Pattern:  The blanket is just an extra large version of Grandmothers Favorite Dishcloth and the little Monster is Maddox the Mischievous Monster by Rebecca Danger
Yarn: The blankey was made from Lion's Brand Baby First in Pixie Dust, and Maddox was made from Patons SWS
Needle Size:10 1/2 for the blanket, 6 for the monster
Dates:  May 1st through May 4th for the blanket and Maddox was finished in one day on May 3rd.

 

My Project Name: I didn't name these anything special.  My brain is fried from all the math I've been doing lately.

Modifications:  None for Maddox.  The only thing special I did for the blanket was to knit it really big.  I bought 4 skeins of the Baby's First.  I increased until I ran out of the second skein and then started decreasing with the 3rd.  I think maybe one of the skeins was short because I ended up having to the store to buy a 5th! 

New techniques learned: None.

Notes: I really wanted to crochet the Tirimisu baby blanket.  I did give it a try, but my crochet isn't that great yet.  The sides of the blanket looked like they were a set of stairs.  :)  I still wanted to make something that had the look of the Tirimisu, so I figured this would be a good compromise.

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Ellie

Pattern:  Lorna Suzanne by Ellen Mason (link will take you to the Ravelry purchase page)
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in Aquarium
Needle Size: 5 and 4
Dates:  February 18th, 2011- March 15th , 2011
My Project Name:  I was listening to The Third Day, the Frost by John Marsden when I started knitting this.  I really love the character Ellie Linton, so this cardigan was named after her.

Modifications:  Nothing big.  I used a backwards loop for my increases instead of M1's because my backwards loops always look quite sloppy.
New techniques learned: None however when I was grafting the underarms, I realized that a refresher couldn't hurt.  I used this article right here.
Notes:  I actually finished the knitting portion of this on the 11th but I had to go out and pick up some buttons today so I could finally wear it.  The buttons are a Beatrix Potter bunny which I got from Joann's.

I had some really bad rolling issues with mine because I knit it on smaller needles.  Blocking really fixed it but I think I'd like to re-block the collar because the right side is still looking at little funky.

I really love everything about this cardigan, it's so cute!
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Mamma's Little Baby Loves Shortnin' Bread

Pattern: Daphne and Deliah the Momma and Baby Monster by Danger Crafts
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in Wisteria and Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Seaspray
Needle Size: 5
Dates: January 26th - January 29th
My Project Name: There is a part in Steven Banks' Home Entertainment Center where he sings a little song with these lyrics while making cookies.  It's become a bit of a habit for me to sing it now when I'm feeding my piggies.  I loved this comedy show as a kid and I recently re-watched it on youtube and I still really love it.  Here is part one, follow the links to the rest of the show if you want to see it too.

Part 2 I Part 3 I Part 4 I Part 5 I Part 6 I Part 7

Did you know the Beach Boys also did a version of this song?  It's right here if you feel like checking it out.

Modifications:  I was going to attempt to knit the pocket on, but it was looking really sloppy so I changed my mind.  I think my seaming is getting better though so it wasn't that big of a deal for me to seam it on after I knit it up.
New techniques learned: None.
Notes:  I loved working this pattern.  I picked it up as a 5 pack from the Danger Crafts etsy shop.  Rebecca was seriously awesome to buy from and the pattern was written really well.  I'm definitely going back after I finish up some of the other patterns I bought from her.
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Tears of a Rapper

Pattern: Naked Star Hat by Irina Bil

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in Black

Needle Size: 1 for the Ribbing and 2 for the body of the hat

Dates: December 20th - December 22nd

My Project Name: This one is named after the song Hurt Feelings by Flight of the Conchords:

Hurt Feelings from Brian Kessler on Vimeo.

Modifications: I kind of used this pattern as more of a guideline because I loved the shape of it. I was in a big hurry to finish up all of my Christmas knitting, and when I saw that this was knit flat and then seamed together I quickly decided I would use the sizing and decreasing of this hat and wing everything else. I basically just knit ribbing for the body. In the round, after the brim I knit a row and then k1, p1 for the next row.

I ended up checking gauge and got it on size TWO needles. When I was about halfway through the hat I ended up realizing I could have cut down my cast on number to use larger needles but I was in such a hurry to start that it didn't even register to me right away. Knitting on such small needles so quickly made my wrists hurt pretty bad so if I ever make something like this again I'm definitely going to be more careful before starting.

New techniques learned: None.

Notes: Nothing special to add to this one, except my brother seemed to like it.

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From Christmas day. Can you see him back there wearing it?

Like a Boss

Pattern: Easy Mistake Stitch by Whitney Van Nes

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in Gray Mix

Needle Size: 10

Dates: December 11th 2009 - December 13th 2010

My Project Name: Like a Boss, which is a name of a song by The Lonely Island. This song always reminds me of my little brother for some reason, but it was the first thing that popped into my head when I was making this scarf for my dad. Here is the video. You probably shouldn't watch it if you are at work, or don't like swears/other random weirdness.

Modifications: None.

New techniques learned: None.

Notes: As you may remember, I had intended on knitting my dad the Cerus scarf for Christmas. I bought 2 different shades of gray that I was going to use to sort of stripe the scarf. The problem was, the shades were too dissimilar and it looked pretty icky. I tore it apart and then I had come up with something quick to finish in time for Christmas. This was my answer. It knit up super fast and I think the stitch pattern looked pretty neat. I wish it could have been a little longer but I used up a whole skein and didn't have time to pick up another one. My dad liked it though and that's all that matters.

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The ribbing, unblocked.

I have heard the singing of real birds

Pattern: Malabrigo Loafers by Julie Weisenberger

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in Grey Mix and Wisteria for the sole

Needle Size: 7

Dates: December 19th - December 20th

My Project Name: Named after a lyric the Magnetic Fields song 'Better Things'

Modifications: I slipped the first stitch of every row on the sole to make picking up stitches for the actual slipper easier. This worked like a charm.

Also, it's not a very big mod, but I crocheted the loops on the back a little longer because my mom felts these things like crazy. She says it gives her a custom fit.

New techniques learned: None.

Notes: My mom LOVES these slippers. This will be the 3rd pair of these that I've made for her. I wasn't actually going to make her another pair but when I was over there a few days ago, I noticed that she was still wearing a pair I made her in 2007. There was big black spots all over the bottom where she had sewn up holes. I think it's time for a new pair! I've made her 2 other slippers from different patterns since, but these are clearly her favorite.

I probably could have knit these in a day, but I ran out of the wisteria color for the sole and had to go out the next night to grab another skein. I picked up 2 black skeins to (hopefully) make my dad a quick pair. I just have to finish this hat for my little brother Kevin.

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Everything is One Big Christmas Tree

Pattern: Hap Blanket by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Fisherman and Seaspray

Needle Size: 10

Dates: November 30th 2009 - December 15th 2010

My Project Name: Named this one after the Magnetic Fields song 'Everything is One Big Christmas Tree.' It is a Christmas present after all. :)

Modifications: Doubled the size of the body. I was going to try to add more to the border but I wanted to have it finished before next year.

New techniques learned: none, however I did learn not to leave a project laying around for a year. Even though it was in a plastic bag, it smelled a little dusty when I finally pulled it out again. Thankfully washing it completely got rid of the dustiness.

Notes: Well, I finally finished Auntie Kay's Christmas present. I started this last year with the intention of giving it to her for Christmas 09, buuut that didn't end up happening. I was working on the Percy Shawl for her but I decided if I wanted to get something done for her quick, it was going to have to be something easy. Hap blanket to the rescue!

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Pinwheel, Pinwheel Spinning Around

Pattern: Pinwheel Sweater by Shelley Mackie

Yarn: Bernat Mosaic in Psychedelic. I've read a few bad reviews about the yarn, but I thought it was great to work with. I didn't encounter any breakage problems and my hair doesn't stick to it as bad as it does with Noro. Plus, Christina can throw it in the washer and it I only paid about $10 for the 2 skeins it took to make this sweater.

Needle Size: 7 for the body and 5 for the collar area and the edging. I misread the needles sizes in the pattern. Oops.

Dates: December 4th - December 8th

My Project Name: Named this after the old Nickelodeon show 'Pinwheel." I sing the theme song to myself every time I see a pinwheel so naturally it was the first thing I thought of when I saw this pattern.

Modifications: I increased the body up to 20 stitches before the sleeves, which is a good thing since I used the wrong needles sizes. I also did the 'afterthought heel' method for the sleeves instead of the provisional cast on.

New techniques learned: I learned how to do the afterthought heel for this. I have to admit I was still a little confused about it after reading the tutorial above. I didn't realize that after I knit with the scrap yarn that I should put it back on the left needle and knit again with the working yarn. After I got it all figured out, it worked GREAT!

Notes: This knit up super fast so I'm thinking about knitting one of these for Janalynn instead of the Nonstop top.

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Lady Julia

Pattern: Ringwood Gloves by Rebecca Blair

Yarn: Patons SWS Soy Wool Solids in Natural Indigo

Needle Size: 1 (Yes! I had to use that small of needles to get gauge with this pattern!)

Dates: November 26th - December 4th

My Project Name: I named these Lady Julia after Lady Julia Grey. She is a main character in a series of books I read last month by Deanna Raybourn.

Modifications: None.

New techniques learned: No new techniques, but I haven't used the Ringwood stitch before. It looks beautiful knitted up.

Notes: When I knit the first glove, I put the stitch markers in the wrong place so the thumb ended up being under the fingers. I thought it looked a little weird, but I didn't realize what I had done wrong until I finished the second glove. I ripped back the left glove and had to reknit it, so that's why it took me a little longer to finish these than I had anticipated.

The pictures look a little weird, one glove looks a lot longer, but that's because one has been blocked.

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Oh Stewardess!

Pattern : Emerald Isle Cardigan by Melissa Wehrle from Knitscene magazine Fall 2009

Yarn: Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool in Navy

Needle Size: 5 for the ribbing, and 7 for the body

Dates: November 5th - November 15th

My Project Name: I knit this for work. As you can see, I named it Oh Stewardess as opposed to Oh Flight Attendant. I named it this for 2 reasons. #1, it's what my husband used to say to me when we first started dating and #2 because when I was at my local yarn store picking up the yarn the owner asked me what I was going to make with it. I told her it was a sweater for work and was deep in thought when she asked what my job was. When I answered I distractedly said 'stewardess' confusing both her and my husband who I dragged along yarn shopping.

Modifications: The only huge change I made to this was the sleeves. I needed the sweater to look as similar to our uniform sweater so that meant no sleeve tabs. I also wanted a more fitted sleeve so although I knit the sweater in a medium size, I knit the sleeves in the smallest size listed. I also knit them in the round.

New techniques learned: Tubular cast-on I LOVED this cast on and will be using it a lot more in the future.

Although these techniques weren't exactly new to me, these two tutorials were very helpful to me. One Row Buttonhole and Mattress Stitching for the seams.

Notes: I really love this finished product. The fit is really good. I wanted to make it a little big, so I knit a size 37.5. I didn't actually end up blocking the pieces because as I was trying it on while knitting, the fit was coming out perfect. The waist shaping looks great. Also, the yarn is super soft. I had originally wanted to knit this with a superwash, but quickly changed my mind when I felt how great this yarn is. I would definitely knit something with it again.

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The color is off on this shot, but it's a good picture of the cast on.

Cassie Maddox

Pattern : Ishbel by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Wolle's Yarn Creations, Color Changing Cotton 100gr in the color 'tealish purple'

Needle Size: 4

Dates: October 28th - November 3rd 2010

My Project Name: I've been completely enthralled by Tana French's Irish detective novels this month and I'm particularly in love with the character Cassie. I listened to 'The Likeness' in it's entirety while knitting this up.

Modifications: My original plan was to knit the larger size of this shawl on smaller needles so that all I could use up all of this pretty yarn. I thought I was going to be alright, but it became pretty evident that I was going to run out of yarn while I was knitting section D. I ended up omitting rows 7 & 8, and then pretty much so did the yarn overs where I knew they were supposed to be for the one row of chart E.

New techniques learned: None.

Notes: Starting my Christmas knitting a little late. This one is for Sarah. She's allergic to wool so I was on the look out for something cotton. This color reminded me of a shirt she has, but after I finished knitting this up I'm a little worried about the pink. It's not her most favorite color, which I of course forgot about because it's one of my favorites. I hope she likes it anyway.

I stumbled on this yarn on etsy. I picked up this color and one more in the color in 'Carrot cake.' The yarn took me a little while to get used to. It's a 4-ply, but the strands aren't twisted together. It didn't cause me any problems while knitting but I really had to watch what I was doing to make sure I wasn't knitting into separate strands and making a big ole mess of my lace. The strands actually ended up being a god send in the end when I was running out of yarn. When I did my bind-off I pulled 2 strands apart and tied them to the end of the other 2 pieces to make myself a longer piece.

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