Crafty Girly

Why is this taking so long?!

22" knit on this blanket and it seems like its taking forever! I'm supposed to knit until its 29", so technically I'm almost there but wow it just seems to go on - kind of like this pregnancy. I'm an impatient one. Anyone who knows me knows how horribly impatient I am and I'm sure in the grand scheme of things it's not taking all that long, but I want so badly to meet my baby already...and finish this blanket.

I'm 19 weeks pregnant now and my stomach has just finished popping. I swear it happened over night because I was normal last week and this week - POP! - there's a belly. Since I'm a little on the bigger side it was hard to see the pop, but its not hard to see anymore! I also felt movement for the first time Friday. It was only for a second, and I think I felt him again the following day, but nothing else since.

I think this has been the best journey I've been on. Every new experience with this baby has been amazing. Getting to see him on the monitor during ultrasounds, I can already see his little personality. I just can't wait for the next phase - to feel him kicking and swimming around in there, but like my blanket, it's taking so long for that to happen! I'm sure it'll be here before I know it but right now it just doesn't seem that way.

And so it Begins!

The baby knitting has begun in full force! I made my first order in I don't even know how long for yarn, and I have started knitting a few things. Of course, I live in South Florida, so really, how many warm sweaters is the baby going to need when it gets really cold maybe 3 times a year? But nonetheless, I am knitting him a sweater.

I started with a simple hat, that I think may be a little big for a newborn, but come whatever us South Floridians call winter, it should fit him fine. That was a quick little knit, so it's done and ready to be washed and blocked.

 

 

I'm also knitting the Lace Edged Shawl out of Debbie Bliss' Simply Family, and that one is going to take sometime, but will be so worth it. That little blanket I have always thought was the cutest, simplest thing ever. It may take me some time to complete, but I have plenty of time to get it done, so that's fine - just so long as it's done before he's born. I have made some progress on the blanket though.  The yarn came in on Thursday and I cast on and knit maybe 2 rows.  The picture below is where I am at as of yesterday.  Considering I work full time, and it's Saturday morning and I haven't touched it yet, that's some good progress.  

I also have plans to knit the Ribbon Tied jacket out of the same book, and I have some left over yarn from the baby hat that I may be able to turn into a pair of socks for him.  The hat and what will be the socks I used some amazing Koigu yarn, so it' is nice and warm and elastic.

I'm not sure what else I will knit for him.  I'm sure it'll come to me with time, but suggestions are always appreciated.  

Bad Weather and Finished Shawl

Bashful Butterflies

The Bashful Butterflies shawl is done!  I finished it last night and this morning I woke up, put it in a basin with Euclan and started blocking it.  It's blocking as we speak and as I said (and I'm glad I didn't get to eat my words) it was a really quick knit and looks amazing!  I was actually a bit hesitant about the pattern because I wasn't 100% sure I like it, but it is an amazing pattern.  It's very intricate and very nice to look at.  It also taught me a few things, like the crochet center decrease it called for in the edging.  The cable in the middle of the final butterflies was also pretty interesting to knit.  It's a stitch I have never done before either, but it gives the piece a nice feel to it, and keeps the work consistent.  It took me a whole 8 days to knit this shawlette, which is pretty fast for me.  I also love the way my handspun striped up.  It's so subtle and in all the right places.  

Kitty Pi Bed

I think I need to make another Kitty Pi bed.  I had originally made one for Onyx, my eldest cat at 15 years old (human years of course) who spends most her days outdoors because she just refuses to stay indoors with her housemates.  I made it something like 7 years ago and it hardly got used, so I put it away for some time.  I brought it out today, put it on top of a coffee table that I noticed all the cats had been sleeping on lately, and this is what I find.

 

 

Socks is aparently in love with it, but is keeping it all for herself so I think if I make another and put it on another table or on the sofa, one of the other cats may get to use it.  She spent the entire day on it, in different positions, rolling around in it and obviously squishing it down and hanging off the side.    

 

Irene

This is what's going on in my world today.  This is a Miami reality.  Yes, Miami is gorgeous, it's got great weather year round, it snowed once for a whole 5 minutes in the 1970's and the "snow" melted before it even hit the ground and the beaches are to die for.  BUT, we get hurricanes.  Truth is, we get hurricanes once every 5 years or so, and often times they come right up the caribbean where they are weakend by the mountains in Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, so if it follows the path of coming up the caribbean, we're usually in the clear, like with Irene below.   

 

Of course, that's not always the case, and we have been hit with some catastrophic hurricanes.  The last one was Andrew in 1992 and was a category 5 when it made landfall over Homestead.  Thankfully, hurricanes like that hit here once every 50+ years or so.  The one before Andrew that was as powerful was in 1926 and was horribly catastrophic because it was during Miami's boom.  Here's a picture I found after that hurricane with ships toppled on Biscayne Boulevard, which is the main road that goes North-South along the coast of the city, not the beach - the beach is actually a barrier island off the coast of the mainland.

 

I will keep all the people in the Bahamas in my thoughts as the eye of Irene will be passing right over them, and she is a category 4 storm.  I will also keep the people in the Carolinas and Virginia in my thoughts, since she's projected to head their way once she's done in the Bahamas.  You guys stay safe.

Bad Weather and Finished Shawl

Bashful Butterflies

The Bashful Butterflies shawl is done!  I finished it last night and this morning I woke up, put it in a basin with Euclan and started blocking it.  It's blocking as we speak and as I said (and I'm glad I didn't get to eat my words) it was a really quick knit and looks amazing!  I was actually a bit hesitant about the pattern because I wasn't 100% sure I like it, but it is an amazing pattern.  It's very intricate and very nice to look at.  It also taught me a few things, like the crochet center decrease it called for in the edging.  The cable in the middle of the final butterflies was also pretty interesting to knit.  It's a stitch I have never done before either, but it gives the piece a nice feel to it, and keeps the work consistent.  It took me a whole 8 days to knit this shawlette, which is pretty fast for me.  I also love the way my handspun striped up.  It's so subtle and in all the right places.  

• 
• 

Kitty Pi Bed

I think I need to make another Kitty Pi bed.  I had originally made one for Onyx, my eldest cat at 15 years old (human years of course) who spends most her days outdoors because she just refuses to stay indoors with her housemates.  I made it something like 7 years ago and it hardly got used, so I put it away for some time.  I brought it out today, put it on top of a coffee table that I noticed all the cats had been sleeping on lately, and this is what I find.

• 
• 

Socks is aparently in love with it, but is keeping it all for herself so I think if I make another and put it on another table or on the sofa, one of the other cats may get to use it.  She spent the entire day on it, in different positions, rolling around in it and obviously squishing it down and hanging off the side.    

Irene

This is what's going on in my world today.  This is a Miami reality.  Yes, Miami is gorgeous, it's got great weather year round, it snowed once for a whole 5 minutes in the 1970's and the "snow" melted before it even hit the ground and the beaches are to die for.  BUT, we get hurricanes.  Truth is, we get hurricanes once every 5 years or so, and often times they come right up the caribbean where they are weakend by the mountains in Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, so if it follows the path of coming up the caribbean, we're usually in the clear, like with Irene below.  

Of course, that's not always the case, and we have been hit with some catastrophic hurricanes.  The last one was Andrew in 1992 and was a category 5 when it made landfall over Homestead.  Thankfully, hurricanes like that hit here once every 50+ years or so.  The one before Andrew that was as powerful was in 1926 and was horribly catastrophic because it was during Miami's boom.  Here's a picture I found after that hurricane with ships toppled on Biscayne Boulevard, which is the main road that goes North-South along the coast of the city, not the beach - the beach is actually a barrier island off the coast of the mainland.

I will keep all the people in the Bahamas in my thoughts as the eye of Irene will be passing right over them, and she is a category 4 storm.  I will also keep the people in the Carolinas and Virginia in my thoughts, since she's projected to head their way once she's done in the Bahamas.  You guys stay safe.

Lazying around

 

 

This is something I don't have the benefit of doing today. I have a ton of things to get done but I wish I could spend my day laying around on a sofa doing nothing more but stretching and turning over every now and again.

Lazying around

 

 

This is something I don't have the benefit of doing today. I have a ton of things to get done but I wish I could spend my day laying around on a sofa doing nothing more but stretching and turning over every now and again.

Lazy cat Saturday

I wish I could spend my Saturday the way these little kitties are spending theirs, but there's a house to clean, food to be cooked, laundry to be cleaned, and yarn to be spun and knit. Maybe tomorrow I can be lazy?

Lazy cat Saturday

I wish I could spend my Saturday the way these little kitties are spending theirs, but there's a house to clean, food to be cooked, laundry to be cleaned, and yarn to be spun and knit. Maybe tomorrow I can be lazy?