November 19, 2008
Hey, I Knit Something!
Nobody's more surprised than me, but I started and finished an entire knit object last week. The arrival of cold weather meant Annabelle was wearing the knit hats friends had knit for her quite a bit, and I was fielding a lot of "did you knit that?" questions. I just couldn't stand saying "nope!" all the time, so I went looking for a cute hat pattern. I settled on the Lilly Hat (Ravelry link) and used leftovers from my Very Necessary Sweater.
I made it a bit longer than the pattern calls for so it would cover her ears a bit. I actually think I went a bit overboard on the length, but I'm trying not to over-focus on the imperfections. The pleasure I get from answering the "did you knit that?" in the affirmative makes it much easier -- as does the extremely high cute quotient of the model!
Posted by shannon at 10:20 AM | Comments (4) | For related posts: Baby Hats, Cheezit
November 2, 2008
Too Full for a Title
Y'all, my life is full. Full full full. Annabelle is growing like a weed, and a delight most of the time. And I got a new job (which, to those who know me, should read: I GOT A NEW JOB!), so days have a new routine as we figure out daycare pick-up and drop off.
I am, however, knitting a bit. And I finally, finally finished Annabelle's blanket. When I got back to knitting it, I reviewed the rest of the pattern. After finishing the squares, all I really had left was to knit and attach the border, and then embroider the circles. I stalled for a day or two, and then came to a realization: if I wanted to call this blanket done before the cool weather arrived, I was going to have to ignore the pattern. Instead of knitting the border separately and sewing it on, I knit it directly onto the blanket. And this blanket will not have any circles. It's done.
It's not perfect. The attachment of the border is a bit rough, and I'm sure it would look really cute with the circles sewn on. But time passes too fast and my days are already plenty full -- and I'd rather Annabelle had an imperfect blanket to love than no blanket at all.
The only other knitting I've done since then has been a scarf for me, the repair of a hole in a friend's favorite sweater, and several inches on a sock for Jason. There's so much more I want to do, but... did I mention my life is full? Here's two shots from this weekend alone!
I hope your lives are full, too!
Posted by shannon at 8:58 PM | Comments (8) | For related posts: Annabelle's Striped Blanket, Cheezit
August 12, 2008
Itchy Fingers
It was very faint at first, but over the last two months the "itchy fingers" feeling has gotten stronger. I found myself thinking fondly of yarn, and feeling twitchy during the (brief) times I was watching television with nothing in my hands. I waited a few weeks to be sure, but I can no longer deny it: the knitting feeling is BACK!
I started a blanket for Annabelle (nee Cheezit; actually, still sometimes Cheezit!) before she was born, but it suffered the same fate as all my projects: complete neglect. It was the first thing I reached for when the itchy fingers set in.
The pattern is Circle and Stripes Stroller Blanket (Ravelry link!) from Susan B. Anderson's Itty-Bitty Nursery, and the center pieces are done and seamed. All that's left is the border and the crocheted circles. I used Dark Horse Fantasy, which is (*gasp*) acrylic. I have no way of knowing if I've passed my tragic wool sensitivity on to Annabelle, so I'm keeping it at a distance for now. And I wanted something super durable; I want this blanket to get lots of lovin', so anything with special care instructions was out. It's very soft, and while it doesn't have the elasticity of wool it feels pretty good next to the skin.
And speaking of baby (kind of, anyway), here's a gratuitous baby shot.
How are all of you?!
Posted by shannon at 10:23 AM | Comments (4) | For related posts: Annabelle's Striped Blanket, Cheezit
March 27, 2008
Cheezit has landed!
Just a quick note since I have a squirming infant on my lap (!!!) -- Annabelle (aka Cheezit) arrived on Saturday, March 22. Everything went well, she's healthy and we're adjusting to life with a newborn. This is fun!
Thanks for all of your great comments on my last entry... they definitely helped me enjoy those last few days before she was born!
Posted by shannon at 10:55 PM | Comments (24) | For related posts: Cheezit
March 19, 2008
Ding!
Pregnancy can seem to pass very slowly -- at least it has for me. One of the things I did to help the time pass a tiny bit faster was mark off every day on a notepad on my desk at work. When I got into the office this morning, it was quite a triumphant feeling to mark off the last day of the 40th week of my pregnancy. That's right, today's Cheezit's due date! It's been surreal and exciting to see both of my due date buddies have their babies already!
One of the weird pregnancy symptons I've experienced has been a lack of desire to knit. Can you imagine? It's been so distressing. (Fortunately, others have stepped in and produced some beautiful handknits for Cheezit... more on that later.) It's also a large part of the reason that I've been so quiet here -- nothing to show!
The next time I post here, I'll probably have a newborn so I won't make any promises about the imminent return of knitting content. But it -- and I -- will be back. Wish us luck!
Posted by shannon at 11:12 AM | Comments (11) | For related posts: Cheezit
October 25, 2007
And the yarn color is...
Cheezit's a she! Let the knitting commence...
Posted by shannon at 9:49 PM | Comments (19) | For related posts: Cheezit
October 14, 2007
A Long Time Coming
Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while know about my dear, long-time friend Jillay. When Jillay got engaged last year, I told her that I would make her a shawl for her early fall wedding -- you might remember that I inquired about beads for the shawl in this post. She and I picked out the yarn together and I chose the pattern -- Eunny Jang's Print O' The Wave Stole (opens a PDF!).
I added pearl beads to the pattern repeat and got to knitting back in March. And knitting, and knitting. As is my usual, I finished up at the last minute, in this case the day before the wedding. It ended up blocking in the hotel room during the rehearsal dinner... check out Jason helping pin it out!
Of course, it was 85 degrees on her wedding day... so a portable air conditioning unit would have been more useful to her than a wool/silk blend shawl. But Jillay is a good friend and a good sport, so she graciously posed for some pictures on her big day.
I have been knitting this shawl exclusively since August, and since Jillay has been known to check on this here weblog I haven't been blogging about it. But I've also been working on another super-secret, off-blog project that's been absorbing a lot of my attention.
This project -- known around here as Cheezit -- should be "done" around March 19, 2008, putting me in the very good company of fellow knit-bloggers Cara and Sarah. We'll find out if it's a Miss Cheezit or a Mr. Cheezit on October 25... feel free to put your guesses in the comments!
Posted by shannon at 9:49 PM | Comments (23) | For related posts: Cheezit, Jillay's Wedding Shawl