Sunday, February 27, 2011

Go Habs Go

I'm pretty sure I currently have a Habs fan in my uterus. He sure does kick a lot during the games. Therefore, I decided to make him his very own Habs socks.

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Pattern: Garter Stripe Baby Socks, by Jennifer Hoel
Size: Newborn, but I used bigger needles so it'll fit him later.
Yarn: Biscotte & Cie Bambooloo in Go Habs Go (I used the leftovers from an adult pair)
Needles: US 1 - 2.25 mm
Notes: There wasn't enough white in the leftovers I used to make a matching pair, but I like the socks anyways. Also, there is a mistake in row 11 of the heel turn in the pattern. You need to leave out the k3tog as there aren't enough stitches for it.

I also decided to cast on for a new project: socks for me! It's been a LONG time since I last made socks (not counting the above baby socks) and I thought I'd go with a Cookie A pattern to get back into it! I chose Glynis, from the book Sock Innovation and I'm using yummy purple yarn (Slackford Studio, LLC Stalwart Sock in From Dusk Till Dawn).

Friday, February 25, 2011

February is for finishing!

Pregnancy status: 39 weeks and 1 day! There's a lot of snow today so I told baby I'd prefer if he didn't show up today. I think he'll listen :)

I have THREE, count 'em THREE, FOs to share today. That means I've finished SEVEN projects in February so far (and there's a good chance there's going to be a #8). That's a lot for me. Do you know how many projects I finished in all of 2010? Eight. :)

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Pattern: Icarus shawl by Miriam L. Felton
Yarn: Knit Picks Shimmer Hand Dyed Lace Yarn in Maple Leaf
Needles: US 3 - 3.25 mm
Notes: I love it. LOVE with a capital L (and O and V and E). It's so light and pretty and it was worth all the work. I don't wear many shawls but it works well as a scarf so I may use it that way, especially when the weather gets a little warmer.

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Pattern: Pea Pod Baby Set, by Kate Gilbert
Size: 6 months
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish DK in Asparagus (3 skeins)
Needles: US 5 - 3.75
Notes: Well my finishing skills leave a lot to be desired, but believe it or not, it is getting better. And I think it can only get better with practice, right? I love the Swish DK and I can't believe how much softer it gets after it's washed. I will definitely use it again.

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Pattern: Very Berry Bonnet, by Cara B.
Size: 0-3 months
Yarn: Red Heart Buttercup
Needles: US 9 - 5.5 mm
Notes: I had some leftovers after I made my baby pod so I decided to knit this hat. It was a very quick knit, started and finished on the same day. I added the two pompoms, I think it makes it even cuter. I did not check gauge so it's bigger than I wanted it but I figured it'll fit him eventually.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Almost finished blob

Pregnancy status: I will be 39 weeks tomorrow! I've had bad cramps/contractions but nothing regular or anything. I'm feeling good today and don't think today will be his birthday, though you never know. My suitcase is ready, laundry is done, the house is as clean as it'll be, so now I can relax and knit, knit, knit.

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I'm happy to report that I finished knitting the blob! I only need to weave in two ends and to block it. I don't have blocking wires though, but I'll see what I can do. If I can't do it without, I'll order some and block it later. I think it already looks fabulous though, don't you think?

Thanks again Tara for saving my life with that extra ball of yarn!

Next on the list: weaving all the ends of my Peapod sweater and finishing the This end up baby vest. I'm on a roll! After that, I think I hear some sock patterns calling my name, but if baby gets here, I may not have much time for them!

Monday, February 21, 2011

My new love

I have a new love in the form of a scarf I just finished. It's soft, warm and beautiful, all optimal scarf qualities. I was actually happy when I saw it was cold outside today (and that never happens) because it means I can wear it to go to my doctor appointment.

The good thing about early maternity leave is that it gives me a lot of time to knit and finish projects. The bad thing is that I don't necessarily have someone with me to help me take pictures when I want to. So here is me playing both model and photographer. I did my best:

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Pattern: Infinitude scarf, by Jeni Chase (I made the larger size)
Yarn: Berroco Vintage (1 skein and a little bit of the second one)
Needles: US 8 - 5.0 mm
Notes: That was a quick knit! I cast-on on Wednesday and finished on Sunday. The only modification I made was an accidental one. You're supposed to purl four rows at one point and I purled only three. I realized it before the next repeat so I kept on purling three for every repeat.

And now, for my pregnancy status: I'm currently 38 weeks and 4 days. I'm still feeling fine and enjoying the end of my pregnancy. At this point, I'd have a hard time predicting when he's going to come, but you can be sure I'll keep you posted.

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And I want to thank my friend Robyn again for the lovely gifts she brought me last week (the duckie and blanket are only part of it)! She came to my house for a lovely knitting afternoon and I got to meet her cute son Quentin. I love seeing my knitting friends, we always have a good time.

I was a bad blogger and didn't take pics during the visit, but she did and you can see them in her post.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Tiny little hat

Pregnancy status: 38 weeks pregnant and I don't think baby is coming soon. I have a feeling it'll be a couple of weeks still. I'm ok with this. I'm not too uncomfortable, I can still sleep and I know my life will change completely once he's here so I'm appreciating these last moments by myself and with Chris.

Thanks to maternity leave, I have plenty of time to knit so I have another FO.

Munchkin Hat (February)


Pattern: Munchkin Hat, by Jeannie Kubricht
Yarn: Dale of Norway/Dalegarn Baby Ull (it's a fingering weight, I held it doubled).
Needles: US 8/5 mm DPNs
Notes: What a quick knit! I knit the whole hat in a day and didn't feel like doing the twisted cord + pompom then so I made them the day after, but I really could have completed the whole project in a day. I wish I had made it longer though. I plan on using the hat for pics only.

Knitting the hat isn't the only thing I did last Sunday. I also went to Espace Tricot, a LYS that is pretty close to my house. There, I met with Tara, whom I hadn't seen in like a year. It was super nice to see her again, plus she had brought this for me:

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Knit Picks Shimmer in Maple Leaf! You know what that means? I can finally finish...

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The Blob! Aka my Icarus shawl, that I had set aside after I had ran out of yarn in November. Weeeeee! I'm very happy about that, since I only had a few (long!) rows left. Thank you so much Tara!

Oh yeah, and since I was at Espace Tricot, I just couldn't leave without buying a little something. Other than some DPNs, I left with these:

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Two skeins of Berroco Vintage. I was actually looking for yarn to make a little newborn sweater. I first picked some Cascade 220 in a cute heathered blue, but then changed my mind and went for the orange. I hesitated, because it's only 40% wool and the rest is acrylic and nylon, but it's super soft and machine washable, so it won in the end.

But then I got home and I realized that I just didn't feel like knitting a baby sweater. Does that make me a bad mom already? Or just a selfish knitter? I just felt like the yarn wanted to be a scarf. So last night I cast on for an Infinitude scarf.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Quick Knit

Believe it or not, I have another FO to share. This has got to be some sort of record (for me anyways). I cast-on for this cocoon during the Super Bowl on Sunday and just cast-off this afternoon. But really, I could have knit it all in one day.

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Pattern: Baby cocoon and pod, by Angie Hartley (there are two patterns, I made the pod).
Yarn: Red Heart Buttercup in White
Needles: US 13 / 9 mm

Thanks to my son's teddy bear for modeling. I'm hoping to get a nicer pic with my son in it soon :) I'm not a good photographer, but I thought it would be a cute prop to have.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Baby has a blanket

*drumroll*

I have a FO to share! I never thought it would take me so long to knit a baby blanket, but I finally did! It's about time too, now that I'm almost full term (currently 36 weeks pregnant and on maternity leave, woohoo!).

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Pattern: Sleeping Beauty Baby Blanket, by Diana Matthews
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Honey Dew
Needles: US 6 - 4 mm

I had a hard time photographing it. Let's just say it looks much better in person. The colour is prettier. It was my first time working with Comfy Worsted and I really liked it even though I'm not usually a fan of cotton yarns. The pattern was well written, but as you can probably guess, the middle part (all stockinette) was a little boring.

I hope my baby likes it!