Another baby hat!

My hourglass sweater progress was interrupted by a new baby boy, Noah, who came two weeks early. This is the second time a friend of mine has gone into labor early and sent me scrambling to knit something. Maybe I should just start knitting for babes earlier?

Another Child’s Cotton Hat, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I truly love this book and the last minute-ness of this particular project. I suppose I could probably finish one in a day if I didn’t have, umm, interruptions. This is the fourth cotton hat I have knit in the past 6 months and the first time I experimented with color changes. I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.

Noah’s mom is my table leader at MOPS, a Mothers of Preschoolers group I belong to . When Sweet Pea was born, she organized meals for us the first two weeks after we came home from the hospital. Yesterday was my turn to bring over dinner to her house. And a cute knitted gift.

MOPS, is a group of mothers who share the common bond of having little ones at home, from pregnancy up to kindergarten. We meet twice a month and cover all sorts of different topics, share stories, and enjoy a little time away from our little ones (who are being cared for by a loving nursery staff).

The support from a group like MOPS is great, for first time moms and fourth time moms alike. It’s nice to have somewhere to go, to meet other women in similar situations, and to be encouraged! Being a mom is NOT an easy job. You can’t clock out at 5 or 6, you are on call 24-7. I would highly recommend a group like this to everyone!

People ask me often how I am adjusting to motherhood, if I’m going stir crazy, etc, and I have to say I really feel pretty good. I don’t stay cooped up in the house all the time, I am out just about every day, doing something, whether it be bible study once a week, MOPS twice a month, or exercising with a friend. Even on days that I am home ALL DAY LONG I usually feel okay about it. I’m raising our daughter, and I can’t think of a more important job I could be doing. It’s a privilege to be a wife and mother.

Dog phobias

Mercy hides under the bed when I am cooking.

You’d think I am a really bad cook or something, if my dog runs for cover every time I turn the oven on, but I’m actually a decent cook! I love cooking. My dog is just super afraid of smoke. We can’t even make grilled cheese without sending her running.

Other phobias Mercy has? People with large hats, construction workers, garbage men, men with beards, and anyone that smokes cigarettes. It’s quite embarrassing to be on a walk with her when we encounter one her fears. She barks, growls, and just generally freaks out.

Perhaps a trip to the doggie psychiatrist is in order?  (Have you seen “Best in Show“? )

Always double check your needle size…

This is what was Daphne’s Baby Cape.

Cast on 261 stitches, knit about 15 rows, frogged all 3,915 of them.

I was using my size 3 Addi’s instead of size 6. The 3’s were hanging around because I had just finished the back of Princess Sweet Pea’s cabled coat.  I don’t know how I will be able to catch up!!!

I blame baby brain. You know, the mysterious forgetfulness that shows up during pregnancy and then doesn’t leave after the baby is born?

At least it’s still snowsuit weather here and not cape-weather yet.

Mercy’s new ‘do

Mercy got a new ‘do this week.

I’m not sure if she likes it. Looks like she’ll be wearing those lovely handknit sweaters a little bit more this year! I think the cut makes her look younger.

This morning I finished up Sleeve #1 and attached it to the body of my hourglass. As exciting as it was to see my sweater start taking shape, it was a bit of a tease since I am still a few days away from starting the yoke.

How did I have time to do this? We didn’t have anywhere to be this morning and Sweet Pea slept until 9, giving me ample opportunity to have a cup of coffee (half caf, of course), have some devotional time, and knitting time.

Speaking of sleeping… what exactly is the definition of “sleeping through the night”? I think of it as, we put her to bed at 8 and she sleeps until 8am. Sweet Pea is NOT doing that yet. She will go to bed between 7-9, have one more feeding before midnight and wake up about 6 hours later, eat and go back to sleep. She has had a few occasions where she has gone from 10 pm until 8 am, but not consistently. Ahh… predictability would be nice.

The postman rings twice

And he brought me what I had been waiting for:

Size 6 12″ Addi circulars, so I can make my hourglass sleeves, and my Patons Street Smart pattern booklet.

Using such a small circular needle was a first for me, and I found it a bit difficult for the first 10 rounds or so. After a bit of fabric was established, it became a great deal easier.

My knitting goals this week are to finish the sleeves and finish Sweet Pea’s booties. Let’s see how I do!

Daughters of the human and canine kinds…

I printed this photo and framed it for part of Keith’s Valentine’s Day gift. His 3 girls! I sometimes forget that he is outnumbered here!

I mastered the side lying nursing position when I had that awful flu a few weeks back and you know what? It comes in handy, especially when you are exhausted from lack of sleep, have a headache, and just need to put your pounding head down for a bit. The above photo is from such a time, and Sweet Pea fell asleep for a few minutes, in what I call a “food induced coma”. Mercy is all snuggled up to her! Don’t worry, I didn’t leave my baby in the bed with all those covers and SIDS factors. She sleeps in her crib, free of stuffed animals, blankets, etc. This was just a few minute occurrence. Besides, they don’t IMMEDIATELY die from SIDS if they have a blanket near them, although I feel I have been trained to think that!

Thank you all for the yorkie misbehaving suggestions from my last Dogs on Thursday post. Mercy continues to bark, although I have proactively given her a “pacifier” while nursing Sweet Pea- a Kong filled with her food and treats or yogurt, a biscuit, a bone to bury. And that helps. A LOT. I’m waiting to finish some applesauce to try the coins in the jar trick.

The weather here continues to be uncooperative for walks with Mercy, the slush does a number on her paws and she doesn’t last very long outside. Soon enough though, all four of us will be in San Diego and we’ll be taking Mercy and Sweet Pea to Dog Beach! I can’t wait!

Ahh… Dog Beach memories….

Lost that knittin’ feeling?

I seem to have lost my knitting mojo lately. Project hiccups, erratic sleep, guitar hero and exercise seem to have taken their toll.

I finished the back of Sweet Pea’s sweater a few weeks ago and haven’t worked on much of anything since. I could cast on for the rest of the sweater, but it’s for 6-9 months, and she’s only 3 months right now. I’d like to work on something that she could wear when we go to California at the end of March, like Daphnes Baby Cape.

I heeded all of your advice and the Denise needles were not the same gauge for my hourglass sleeves . I also tried the magic loop thing with no success so I ended up ordering the right size addi circulars to finish it. They shipped out from Threadbear yesterday, along with the famous Patons Street Smart booklet.

I’m slow to get on the bandwagon, I know. Better late than never, huh?

So I sit and wait for the mailman. He rings twice, no?

SUPER TUESDAY- go out and vote!

I’d like to encourage all of you to participate in your state’s primary today. We are privileged in America to be a part of the political process. Be sure to exercise your right to vote! The following states are holding primaries today (click on the link to learn more):

Alabama

Alaska

American Samoa

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Kansas

Massachusetts

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Tennessee

Utah

West Virginia

Tomorrow we’ll be back to my regularly scheduled blog.