Spring cleaning

Some people use the first of the year as a time to start new habits. While I usually resolve to do a thing or two around then, those resolutions often don't stick, which I am going to conveniently blame on winter funk. As the energy of spring grows, I start getting itchy to get into a new groove. Out with the old, in with the new. I procrastinate on everything, so why should new year's resolutions be any different?

Right now is a time for decision making for our family (gee, isn't being grown up fun?). A time to evaluate and re-evaluate. A time to clean out the proverbial (and literal) cobwebs. A time to prioritize. It's a good thing the days are getting longer. I'll need a little more energy to keep up.

Crafting is coming along, but I have nothing exciting (meaning no pictures) to share at the moment. I did make a pretty nice score of some new yarn to play with last night at our knit n sip, and I whipped out a quick one skein scarf last night (that may be a belt or something....not sure what to do with it yet. Maybe if I show some pics someone else can give me a clue) because I was so in love with the color of the yarn.

Baby girl turned 11 weeks old today and is now pushing a healthy 12 lbs. My, how time is flying. Two months from now and we will be getting ready to fly home from Rome. Anticipation is growing!

Caution! Construction Ahead!

It's only the first day of spring, and already, there's major construction underway. At least I don't have to navigate orange barrels to appreciate this project.

Corinna says she would oversee the project, but it takes away from time she could otherwise spend napping, nursing, cooing, pooping, or drooling.

No longer bald

I've been a busy girl. Six root children now have hair. I made three of them boys with short hair and three girls with long hair. Each girl has a different hairstyle, and because the heads were so small, doing the wrap and sew style hair made the most sense. I love the little redhead. She is so sweet with her green eyes, and the merino is super soft. It's funny how by looking at the little faces, I just knew what kind/color hair they needed. The little girl with the blue eyes just had to have blond pigtails. I only wish I'd had different colors of dollskin to make them truly more ethnic. I think they turned out pretty well. Now to make their twins in flower colors. The big question will be what flower will each root child represent as a flower child? I can see the blond as a daisy. The redhead will be a tulip. Not sure about the rest of them...


I've also been working on a strip for an afghan that the mothers' handwork group at school is putting together. So much to do so little time. Tick, tock, tick, tock...gotta get back to it!

Bald babies would be cold today

Funny weather, that. 70 degrees yesterday. Tornado touches down not far from here. This morning? About an inch of snow on the ground. The weather the past few days made us all forget that spring isn't quite here yet. This morning was surely a wake up!

Crafting continues here, and I'm finally feeling like I'm making some progress. The root child from the other day now has 5 siblings that are in the home stretch. They are all still bald with their Frankenstein-like stitching where I closed the skin fabric over the tops of their heads, but that will change tonight. Each doll has different color eyes. I did two shades each of blue, green, and brown. I have yarn for blonde, brunette, and black hair, and I might rustle up some red merino and see how that looks for hair. More updates soon!

Taking in a little fresh air

The boys have been thrilled to be outside the past couple of days. Even 40 degrees feels downright toasty when you're used to wind chills in the teens and single digits and not a temp above freezing for so long. Yesterday, they pulled out their bikes, the scooter, and even the Jeep got a turn up and down the sidewalk. The neighbor girl also has a Jeep...a very pink, very Barbie Jeep, which seats two. Jonah loves to get in with her and ride up and down the sidewalk. I have a feeling he's a bit of a backseat (passenger seat, whatever...) driver.


I suppose that all works out just fine, as the neighbor girl's dad says that his daughter is really quite bossy and that she'll make a perfect wife someday.


Liam has officially outgrown our Jeep, but that doesn't keep him from trying to drive it. The engine seriously objects when Liam's behind the wheel, but that also doesn't seem to deter him.


Corinna thinks that all this play just plain wears her out.

One down....11 to go?

Over the weekend, I finished sewing up the doll bodies (with some help from my MIL...thanks!), making the doll heads, and covering the heads with skin fabric. Last night I took one of the heads and assembled a doll after making the pipe cleaner arms. I decided to embroider a face on this one, as I thought they looked better that way. So here's the final result for the root child:

Front view:

Side view:

Rear view:

Hanging onto a measuring stick (it measures 3 1/2 inches tall)

And with the bunny I finished last week for scale...big bunny, eh?

The body is made of cotton batik fabric. The body is stuffed with rice, and the arms are a pipe cleaner covered in wool. I sewed knit skin fabric over the ends for hands, and I used mohair for the hair. The pattern came from The Nature Corner. I still have 5 more root children to make, 6 flower children, 6 terry cloth teether dolls (which really just need assembling), Mother Nature, and more bunnies and sheep. Most of what is left to do is just the sewing together. The heads have all been made and the bodies cut and sewn, so the rest is just detail work. I was hoping to get it all done by today, but I must have been smoking something for thinking that was possible. Hopefully I'll finish by the end of the week, with time left before the auction.

What a difference a day makes

There's a saying about weather in Northeast Ohio. If you don't like it, wait five minutes, and it will probably change. Remember 9 degrees yesterday and a high in the 20's? Today's temp topped out at a very springlike 56 degrees. Pure bliss. Jonah was itching to get outside, and with the weather being so balmy, it was much easier to let him go out in front where I can see him easily knowing I could bop out with the baby if I needed to reel him in. There is still snow on the ground, particularly where the snowplows piled up the 2 feet or so that we picked up during the snowstorm a few weeks ago and in places where the sun doesn't shine this time of year.

Jonah got his bicycle out first and rode up and down the sidewalk for a little while, but the lure of the snow was more than he could bear. He tromped out into the backyard (braving the dog's landmines) and got to work moving snow. He stayed out for quite a while, and I could tell how pleased he was to be out of the house. The sky today was so clear, and the contrails were crossing everywhere. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid 40s with rain, and I know I will miss the sun. I'm solar powered, you know.


I'm still busily working on dolls and the such and hopefully will have some pictures of finished ones to show you all tomorrow. The bodies of most of them have been sewn, and today's work has consisted of making doll heads. Tomorrow, I'll finish the heads and start assembling, which is fiddly work. Hopefully by Sunday I'll be embroidering on hair and facial features.

The delivery man brought us a package today from my Aunt C. and Uncle P. in celebration of our new family member. A lovely velboa blanket (so buttery soft!) and a nifty night light that projects stars on the walls and ceiling in a choice of three colors. I think the boys will enjoy it as much as the baby will (heck, I might even turn it on tonight for me)! I'm so far behind in getting out thank you notes...gotta get on that.

Is is spring yet?!?

I'm suffering from major cabin fever and springitis. Temperature this morning when I got out of bed at 6:30? 9 degrees. Hi, March? Doesn't that mean average temps above freezing? Yesterday morning we had 3-4 inches of fresh snow on the ground that had fallen overnight. Ugh. At least the sun is out today. I'm going to opens the shades, hang out in the house, and pretend that it's really 66 degrees outside, since that's what it is in here.

To help combat the winter doldrums, I've also started working on some springy things. Our poor nature table never really had a winter scene on it, thanks to the impending arrival of baby girl. The minute the equinox hits, I'm putting out some spring stuff.

The school auction season has arrived again, and in my true style, I've procrastinated and have nothing finished to donate. Which means I'm crafting like a fiend this week in the hopes of getting something finished by the deadline.

To feed my need for spring, I'm doing some felt animals and flower children for a nature table display. I'm also making more of the terry cloth baby teethers like I made for the Children's Festival.

I'm also hoping to make some dolls, but I know I'm going to run out of time. Such is my illness. I want to do a million things but I procrastinate or get busy with other things until it's really crunch time. We'll see what I end up really getting finished.

So here's the first FO. A felt bunny stuffed with wool with a needle felted wool tail. She didn't take long to make, so I'll probably shrink the pattern and make her a mommy by giving him babies. Liam says she's a desert cottontail.

Happy (belated) Blogiversary

It's been more than a year now since I started blogging. Part of me is really surprised that I've kept up with it as long as I have (long blog break post baby notwithstanding). I'm really happy with my experience, and blogging has helped to bring me closer to others in the knitting community but also helps me feel closer to those of you whom I cannot see on a daily basis. Thanks for hanging around and reading.

Projects on the horizon

So I mentioned last night that there had actually been knitting taking place. I've gotten really good at knitting while standing up with the baby in the sling. So what's been happening in the world of Bunnie knitting?

Well, we finally have a knitted blankie. Ends must be woven in (ick), and I've decided to put a dupioni silk back on to hide the seams, but other than that, this blanket is done. It turned out really cute and is super soft and warm. Love me some Malabrigo!

Here's the front:

And the back...ugh...look at all those ends!!

And with baby included for scale. By the way...Are we there yet? (Cliff loves those jammies...both the boys wore them, and I couldn't resist putting them on her too. They are super plush and soft)


I picked up Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies at the library a couple weeks ago, and I fell in LOVE with the patterns in this book. I've already started a pair of leggings that I plan to pair with a sweet flowered dress that I got from the neighbor's hand-me-downs. One leg down, one to go. Such a fast knit, even though it's in DK weight wool/cotton.

How cute is this set?

Showing a little leg (very curled in on itself)

I also want to make these (click for bigger pics):

The Mabel dress, Wrap cardigan, and pullover vest (really, it's a knitted T).

In a moment of weakness on my birthday (which was last weekend and was lovely, btw), I also stash enhanced. With a project in mind, though. After dining at Pad Thai for dinner (yum!), I stopped by JoAnn's on the way home to look for silk to line the back of the baby blanket. The yarn aisle kept calling me, and I went to see what new bulky novelty yarn they had (since that's all they seem to have anymore)...they never have enough lighter weight natural fiber yarn (they don't even carry sock yarn), but to my surprise, JoAnn's now carries their own line of yarns, and one of them was a wool/cotton blend in lovely pastel colors. I went shopping for clothes earlier in the day, and this time of year, you can't find sweaters (which I desperately need since I'm not small enough to fit in the sweaters I currently own...and we do live in Ohio, after all. Spring doesn't come here until, oh, June maybe?). I decided I'd just knit my own, and with a pattern in mind, I picked up enough yarn to make a sweater for myself. This is the pattern I'm going to make, and I've already swatched....The yarn is a purple and pink heathered color, and it's really so soft.

Breton Jacket from Fall '06 Interweave Knits

Needless to say, I've got enough projects to keep me busy for a while. On top of that, the school's annual fundraising auction is at the end of the month, and I need to make something to donate to that. I'm working on what to do. A doll perhaps?

Wiggle worm

Remember me??

I was really surprised when I logged in this evening and noticed that it's been a few weeks since I posted last. Time flies when you're having fun (and are sleep deprived). There has been so much that's been blog worthy...but at the same time so much that is routine.

Speaking of routines, we're finally getting into one here now that the baby is pushing 2 months old. Ugh. Baby is still in her same wake up/sleep cycles, and we're still working on that, but the daily routine is getting better. I've actually been able to get some things done around the house, which seems nothing short of a miracle to me. There's even been knitting progress. I have a finished baby blanket to show you all...tomorrow hopefully...and other projects that have found their way to the needles.

The baby keeps growing, and I keep shrinking (good things, I think), as evidenced by her growing into the next size clothing while I've managed to get out of my maternity clothes finally (though still not back into my prepregnancy wardrobe).

We received the disc that has all the birth and pregnancy photos on it, and they turned out spectacular. I'm so impressed by how lovely they are...our photos will actually be featured on the photographer's website at Cindy's Gentle Vision in a few weeks.

The big thing that our life seems to revolve around at the moment (other than the children) is planning our upcoming trip to Rome. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. Passports are being processed, airline tickets are on hold, and hotels are being researched....and I'm trying to learn Italian. Corinna will be bilingual by the time all is said and done...well...maybe.

And now...for cuteness.

Look at me...I smile!!

Whack dance shots...Get down sister friend!

Ok Mom...I'm getting tired of all this already...Can we be done now?

Nearly 5 weeks

Hard to believe that the baby is already almost 5 weeks old. Time flies when you're sleep deprived. We're still working on getting a reasonable schedule figured out. I've realized that her wake/sleep cycles are fairly similar to what they were in the womb. Really, that shouldn't be so surprising, right?

Both the boys are still being very sweet and gentle with her. I sure hope that lasts. Liam is constantly asking if he can hold the baby. I managed to get this photo of the two of them together. Our camera is working hit or miss these days, and lately it's been more miss than hit.

Liam's been making some strides in doing new things. He recently figured out how to tie his shoes. We've been trying to get him to do it for a while, but he is insistent on figuring things out on his own and wouldn't let anyone show him how to do it. He's also got two new adult teeth that have poked through behind his baby teeth. Momma thinks a visit to the dentist is in order.

There is some knitting progress that I have to show you all, but I haven't had a chance to snap pictures of it yet. The baby blanket is coming along very nicely, and I'm nearly ready to seam and put the border on.

Today is hubby's birthday. Money is tight, so we've decided not to do much of anything except maybe order out dinner.

And finally, here is a sampling of some of the pictures I took this morning while the camera was behaving...

Cutie booties

I received my first gift from a fellow knitblogger this past weekend. A pair of hand-crocheted booties in pretty pink for my little girl. They are sooo cute, and it was so generous of Andi to make these for Corinna.

They arrived by snail mail, and as soon as I got the box from the postman, I had to put them on baby's sweet feet:

Legs in motion

They are only a little big on her, and it won't be long before she'll be able to wear them without socks. The little flowers on the top are just the sweetest. Love them! Thanks again, Andi!

A birth story (rather long considering it was such a short event)

A warning for those faint of heart...or constitution. This story may be considered a bit graphic or blunt to some. Part of why I keep this blog is so I can have a place to put things down in black and white in the hopes of somehow mentally processing it. So here goes...

As evidenced by previous posts to this here blog, I was beginning to get a bit impatient about the non-arrival of our little girl by the beginning of the New Year. Liam came 2 weeks early, Jonah a day early, and I was expecting little girl to show up somewhere in the middle considering all the laboring I'd already been doing. I knew those contractions were doing something, and I tend to do a fair bit of dilation before the "real thing" kicks in. No big surprise that things were the same here.

The week before the 4th, I had an appointment with the nurse midwives, and we both agreed that we probably wouldn't be seeing each other until after the birth since I was already 4 cm dilated and had been having contractions off and on for a couple of weeks already. This time baby girl was lined up quite nicely, unlike Jonah, who decided to come out sunny side up (posterior). I made an appointment for the 4th with the midwives, and we all assumed that I would not be showing up. So when the 4th rolled around and the baby wasn't here yet, they were surprised to see me for my regularly scheduled appointment.

The night before the appointment, I noticed something different. It seemed as though the baby was looking for the door. My contractions were the same as before, but I could feel the work they were doing stretching my cervix...and I was having the tell-tale "bloody show" that gets everyone all excited. When I got to the office, I was having fairly regular contractions, nothing that I had to really pay attention to, and I wasn't getting my hopes up too much. I was curious to know if there had been any change since the last appointment and the previous night's contractions, not that it would make any difference or give us a clue as to when the baby might show up, and she told me I was 5-6 cm. She told me I'd likely have the baby that night or the next day and that I was probably in the process of gearing up to really get going. Again, I tried not to get too hopeful.

By the time we left the appointment, it was 4 in the afternoon, and I had not yet had lunch. Hubby mentioned Swenson's, and I was instantly desperate to have one of their double cheeseburgers, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. Swenson's is a Northeast Ohio icon, and their burgers are absolutely to die for. So after taking the long route there by way of a bank (hubby was convinced there was one nearby, but there wasn't), we ordered some lunch (dinner by this time), and I noticed that things were starting to pick up in intensity, but the timing was still a good 8 minutes or more apart. I made a few phone calls and let our homebirth midwife know that we would probably be having a baby that night or early the next morning. I was really anticipating that it would be some time in the middle of the night, as both the boys were born in the early morning hours.

By some time shortly after 5:30 we were finishing our burgers , and I had the idea that we needed to hit the wholesale club to pick up a few things that we'd need over the next week. Hubby wanted to know if I thought I could make it through, and I assured him that we had a long way to go yet. So off we went, and by the time we got there, I was beginning to doubt my previous assertions. Once in the club, I was noticing that I was having to actually stop and collect myself during the contractions, and they were coming with more frequency than previously. We rushed through and grabbed what we needed, and by the time we were getting ready to check out, the only line with a cashier was 4 deep. To the self-checkout we went. Hubby worked as fast as he could to get everything out of the cart and through the scanner, which, of course, required rescanning every 2nd or 3rd item. The last item in the cart was a large bag of broccoli that was sporting a gaping hole. I was starting to get pretty serious. "Leave it." A checkout helper asked if we wanted someone to go get another, and I curtly told her, "No thanks...we're leaving now." I'm sure I made more than a couple of folks nervous there that night.

We got to the car, and I called my SIL so she could get on her way from C-bus. I still thought I had hours left to go, but I knew that I was definitely in labor this time. Home we went. By the time we hit home, I was really breathing with the contractions. As I came up the sidewalk, one came, and I leaned over the railing to the front steps to brace myself. The neighbors saw us pull up in the driveway and had noticed the extra cars in the drive (only the grandparents, who had kept an eye on the kids so we could go to the midwife's office), so they poked their heads out the door to see if there was to be a baby that night. Seeing me leaning over the railing and getting the confirmation from hubby that I was indeed in labor, they wished me luck. The time was somewhere around 6:30.

FIL was waiting by the door as we pulled up, on the phone with BIL who had thus been informed by SIL that we were on our way home and that I was in labor. I figured that as soon as we arrived home, he would be on his way out, as I know it's not easy to listen to me in labor (can't think of anyone who enjoys listening to sick farm animals). Bless his heart, he managed to stick it out through the entire thing. Afterward, we joked that I didn't give him long enough to escape. Once inside the house, I realized that I needed to vocalize (read: moo like a sick cow) in order to cope with the intensity of the contractions which were now coming quite closely together. In between, I directed hubby to call the homebirth midwife, and I somehow managed to call our friend A., who was going to be our doula, and the photographer. All were within a 15-minute drive and were already on high alert. I also directed hubby to fill the pool, which, thankfully, I had inflated the night before.

The photographer arrived first and started getting some shots. The pool was not yet filled, and I wasn't willing to wait any longer to get in. The water was an absolute blessing. I completely melted into the pool, even though the water was barely up over my thighs when sitting. The contractions were coming pretty fast and intense at this point, and I wasn't getting much break in between. I was starting to panic that if this was going to last for hours on end that I would never be able to cope. In between contractions, I was still able to direct traffic and ask for what I needed, but during the contractions, I was only able to vocalize. The boys were convinced that they really wanted to be in the pool with me, and Jonah kept splashing his hands in the pool every chance he got. By this time, we'd run through one tank of hot water, and the pool was not even half full. I directed someone to boil water on the stove, quickly. By the time the midwife arrived not very long after this, I was starting to feel pushy, but I wasn't sure I was really ready to do that yet. It seemed much to soon.

That didn't seem to matter, because my body was on autopilot, and I was along for the ride. Within a few minutes, I was spontaneously pushing with the contractions, letting out a roar with each one. My water broke with a big pop underwater, and I could feel the baby's head descending down, and soon I felt like I needed to get out and take care of serious business. Of course, it was just the baby's head. The midwife asked me where I wanted to be, and I knew that even if I did need to get to the bathroom, I had about no hope of making it there. So I stayed put. She asked me if I could feel the baby, and when I reached down, I could feel the wrinkled top of the baby's head almost starting to crown. This was a surprise and a relief at the same time. I knew there was an end in sight, and probably rather quick to be had. There was not much break in between the contractions, and I kept pushing with everything I had. She crowned slowly, thanks to the midwife getting into the pool (which she assured me she wouldn't do for just anyone) and supporting the baby's head as it started to emerge while reminding me to slow down and breathe. As the baby came out, she floated toward me between my legs (I was on hands and knees almost squatting), and the midwife told me to pick her up, which I did. Apparently, my final push was a roar that turned into a long "Helloooo!" to our new little girl. Most of the labor I had my eyes closed so I could focus on what was going on in my body and so I could relax everywhere else, and with this greeting, I finally opened my eyes to see our wiggly little baby. The minute her little head was above the water, she was crying briskly, and she continued to do so for quite a while. Someone noted that the time of birth was 7:23, so less than 2 hours from the start of true labor to the birth, and only about 45 minutes from the time I got home. I pushed for maybe 10 minutes.

We cuddled in the pool for a few minutes and then decided to get out to deliver the placenta and cut the cord. The baby was also already rooting and smacking her lips, so she settled in for a long nursing session. Hubby started making phone calls, and the neighbors were shocked to learn that we already had the baby, considering it was less than an hour before that they saw me on the porch. The cord was very limp and white, and Liam and hubby cut the cord. SIL arrived about 8:30, nearly an hour after baby arrived. I sat in awe of the whole thing and tried to put the timing of it all together. I was completely unprepared for how quick and intense it was going to be, so for the next couple of days, I tried to come to grips with what exactly had happened. The photographer said she got some good shots, and I'm eager to see them as I had my eyes closed nearly the whole time.

In comparing this birth with my previous births....there is no comparison. This was our first waterbirth (though not the gentle, slow birth I envisioned...something about putting the birth on fast forward will do that), though I tried with the boys for one and got out of the water to push for different reasons each time. Each birth has been so different (as has each child), yet each time, I think the lesson I need to learn is the same....you cannot control it, you cannot predict it, you can only give in to it. I also have realized just how quickly the intensity fades from the memory. I never at any point thought that it was so intense that I couldn't handle it. There was the thought in my head at some point that if it did get more intense that I couldn't do it. That's transition, baby. Wasn't but a few minutes, I cried a little (again...transition!), I got through it, and I was pushing. I'm still so in awe of the whole thing, and loving on this new baby after this experience has renewed my faith in the process (which I think I need from time to time). I'm blessed to have had three beautiful, empowering birth experiences. I have faith in my body that it knows what to do and that birth does indeed work and is not the emergency that TV would lead you to believe. It is a powerful, life-changing, amazing thing that I was able to experience as it was really meant to be. It just makes me ever so resolved that the way birth is handled and the way women are educated about their bodies in this country really needs to change. Hopefully I can help a little...and in the process help other women realize that which I'm lucky already to have done more than once.

A week and some change

We're all doing pretty well here. Finally starting to get into a rhythm with everyone. Night time is getting better now that I have a routine down (you'd think that by #3, this would be old hat...), and I'm not changing so many diapers at night.

A., who acted as our doula, mobilized moms from Liam's class into action, and they've been providing us meals for the past week. What a lovely gift! Out of everything, having a meal that I don't have to come up with and that we can heat and eat when we're ready has been lovely. I have so many thank yous to get out for this and from all the gifts that have been arriving for Corinna.

This week was her first visit to the doctor, and she's already up over 8 lbs. (yay mama milk!). Her length was 21 inches. We also sorted through some breastfeeding issues (thank heavens for friends in high places and craniosacral therapy!). I finally got some batteries for the camera, so I have pictures of the baby (we are awash in a sea of pink...and I LOVE it!! Hubby has said we need a moratorium on allowing any more pink into this house...):

She's growing in eyelashes and eyebrows (which are very light in color, so I'm thinking she's going to be blonde like the boys or have very light brown hair). Her eyes seem to be moving toward the blue range, though there's still plenty of time for that to change.

The thing that seems to be causing the most problem so far is her name...No one seems to know how to pronounce it. All the folks who have seen her name but not heard us pronounce it have been saying "kareena." So, in case you all were wondering, the correct pronunciation of Corinna is "core-inn-ah." No careening around here. Her name comes from the greek word for "maiden" and is a familiar form of the name Corinne.

Knitting and any other crafting has come to a complete standstill due to my inability to string more than a few minutes together at a time, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to work some in here and there as the days progress. Posting to the blog will likely be haphazard for a while, since I'm still getting my bearings.

We're all pretty exhausted today. Apparently coming into the world so fast is pretty traumatic for baby too....

She's here!!!!

Corinna Grace arrived this evening at home at 7:23 after less than 2 hours of serious labor. She weighs in at 7 lb. 12 oz. and is cute as a button. Photos and birth story will follow shortly...we're gonna enjoy the babymoon...and get over the shock of how quick things happened!!

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A belated Happy New Year!

Not much new to report here. The New Year came and went without much pomp and circumstance, but that was perfectly fine by me.

We spent New Year's with the in-laws, had the requisite pork and sauerkraut dinner that night since BIL and SIL were in town, and settled in to watch the ball drop. Surprisingly, a very tired Liam managed to stay awake and celebrated the New Year with a glass of sparkling grape juice (which he decided he was not terribly fond of...but I rather enjoyed!) with the rest of us. Shortly thereafter, we came home, where he promptly crashed. Surprisingly...he was actually the first one up the next morning!

I actually spent most of New Year's Eve knitting and relaxing. As a result, there is actually an FO to show!!

Remember this hat? Well...after photographing the progress I'd made, I realized there was a pretty big mistake in it and ended up frogging back to nearly the beginning. Then I knit back up to where I thought the decreases should start and had a dilemma. In the book, the hat doesn't have decreases at the crown, you pretty much knit the tube and bind off the stitches at the top. BIL wanted more of a fitted hat, so it needed to have decreases. So...how do you decrease on an asymmetric hat? The answer to my question came on Christmas Day, when SIL (wife of BIL whom I was knitting the hat for) received a lovely cabled hat...not asymmetric, but pretty close. The designer's solution was to just switch to stockinette and decrease on down from there. So that's what I did. This is the result:

side 1

flip side

handsome hubby modeling finished product

So I used the Asymmetric Cable Hat pattern from One Skein knit on 10 1/2 bamboo needles in Reynolds Lopi. I followed the pattern until I thought it was time to start decreasing, and then I switched to stockinette and used the decreases from the felted bowl pattern (same book...ssk, do a set # of stockinette, k2tog) until there were no stitches between the decreases. Then I cut my yarn and drew it back through the live stitches, pulling them tight together. Voila!! BIL seemed pretty pleased with the results, but I may have to snag it from him some time and line it with some microfleece or something since Lopi can be kinda scratchy. Should be plenty warm, though!

There has also been knitting on baby girl's blanket:

There are only a few more rows to go on the pink block, and then I'll cast off and start the next strip. This has been coming along so quickly that if she decides to hold out until the weekend or after to come, I may actually have this thing finished before she gets here. Progress was slowed yesterday when my self-wound skein of natural color got tangled and I ended up spending a few hours trying to undo the mess I'd created. If it had been cheap acrylic, I likely would have just said forget it and tossed the whole skein, that's how tangled it was. I'd likely do anything for this Malabrigo stuff, though...like crack it is.