He's Here!

Connor Joshua Manuel Weigle. Seven pounds, fifteen ounces, twenty one inches long. Born on the 12th of December 2007 at 11:01am.

He is in the Women's Hospital NICU right now with an infection. He's doing very well and he's eating a lot. Prayers would be appreciated so we can take him home in time for Christmas.

*RANT*

Excuse me? Do I know you? What gives you the idea that my belly is public domain and free for you to fondle? FUCK OFF.

Long Overdue Post.

I was done with the Short Sleeved Cardi that I loosely based on the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet. I lengthened the body and used a cute clasp that I found at JoAnn's. It was a fun and fast knit. I think I finished it in less than a week. I wore it twice already (without blocking it.. shhh!)





It's really pouring down here in Evansville. I am so happy that it cooled down and I absolutely love the rain. I love knitting or reading next to a window while sipping hot milk tea. Just perfect. While I'm enjoying the rain and the nippy air, I'm working on this:


The Cardigan is my own design. I wanted a nice empire waist, bell-sleeved garment that I can wear during the fall. I already bought three sets of clasps from JoAnn's put on the upper part of the cardigan. This is my fourth attempt at it and I hope it works this time. Phew!

New Project! Woohoo!

You can just tell what my current addiction is, no?

I picked up four more hanks of Malabrigo Worsted in the Oceanos colorway. I love it. I'm using it now to make a modified Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet which I will probably turn into an empire waist cardigan. Only time will tell.

In other news, it's getting chilly! Hurrah! No more walking around wanting to take my clothes off (probably not a very good idea in Evansville, or anywhere actually...) and I can finally wear something pretty and wooly and maybe retire my sandals until next summer.


Also, I finished another sweater for Connor. I modified the Malabrigo One Skein Baby Cardigan pattern. I didn't use the textured stitch pattern, I opted to do a one inch garter stitch hem and did the rest of it in stockinette stitch. I also didn't want to do another cardigan, so I worked the front as I did the back and just made a split in the middle. I used a metal Levi's button cut out of my husband's old pair of shorts and crocheted the loop and the trim on the neckline. It was so easy to do and I love it! I even have quite a bit of yarn left over for maybe a hat or a pair of bootees.

Finished Object, Work in Progress and My Growing Addiction

This was a fun knit. Though you do get apprehensive that you would run out of yarn one inch away from finishing the last sleeve. But I had none of those problems. In fact, instead of using a button and loop for closure, I crocheted two ties instead.

Pattern:
Malabrigo One Skein Baby Sweater
Size:
0-3 Months
Yarn Used:
Malabrigo Worsted in Verdes
Needles:
US Size 9

And I'm working on another one! I originally wanted to make a hat out of the skein I had of Malabrigo Cypress, but I changed my mind. I'm not really a hat person anyway.

And dude, Ravelry is seriously like crack.

Waaah. Why is she doing this to meeee?

Look how gorgeous that top is!
And I have the just the yarn for it too.

SQUEE.

I had a wonderful time yesterday knitting with Chris, Royale, Erin and Barbara at Panera yesterday. It was absolutely inspiring to see what those lovely ladies had on their needles. It really helps to be in the company of people who know what you're talking about and want to talk about. No more glazed looks from my long-suffering husband when I talk about how soft and vividly dyed my new cake of Malabrigo is. These ladies know and its veneration is like a naughty yarn lover secret. Hee.

Speaking of Malabrigo, I bought my first two hanks of it last Monday. I was desperate enough to ask Royale to take me to a yarn store so I could get the emerald yarn I was craving for. Now I'm pacified and absolutely in love with what I have.

The Current Work In Progress.

I am working on a One Skein Malabrigo Baby Cardigan in Verdes. I also bought Cypress, it is dyed such a deep green, it's almost black. Don't let the picture on the website fool you, it's much much more vivid in real life and so so so so soft! I have worked with wool, and most (if not all) of the wool I worked with felt scratchy or icky regardless of how expensive or popular it was. But this one feels like butter in your hands. If I had loads of cash to burn I would drown myself in this stuff.

I love it so much that I even scanned it. I'm so lame. Hahaha.

I had a doctor's appointment after the Panera Knitting session and an already wonderful day was made perfect when we were able to get to see his face clearly for the first time:



We couldn't believe it. The first sonograms showed that Connor looked like his dad and now with this, he looks exactly like me: nose, eyes and all (I just hope he gets his dad's height). We're so happy and excited. Now I'm even more inspired.

Gah. I am completely enthralled.

I just purchased the pattern for the Orchid Crocheted top over at Lily Go's blog. Ack. Another project lined up for me, but I don't care. It's gorgeous and completely doable in a short period of time since I crochet faster than I knit. Now to get the buttons! :D :D :D SQUEEHEE.

Ooh, the Sage Cardigan is also very pretty...

Punk Baby Hoodie

At my husband's request, I made a punk-ish baby hoodie for the baby. It's made with Lionbrand Microspun in Ebony and Lime. I THINK I used US 4 needles (I may have used a smaller size. Hoh well.) Again, I winged the pattern.

In other news, I miss the Philippines.

Say hello to my baby!

Connor Joshua. Or at least that's his name until his dad changes his mind again. ;p

My startitis strikes again. The idea of knitting Sahara doesn't really appeal to me right now. It's not because it's not fun to knit etc... but what's the point of knitting something you can't wear anyway? Hours and hours of work will be wasted. SOOOOOOO, I decided to to put the project on the backburner for a while (or completely frog it and use the yarn for something else) and concentrate on making baby sweaters etc.


So this project is what is on my needles right now: The Bunny Hop Side Wrap Kimono. I thought it was adorable and the pattern sounds super duper easy. I did want to do something like The Harvey Kimono from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding, but I'm too impatient and I want to do work on something RIGHT. THIS. MINUTE. But this baby sweater is a good substitute (and it's free!)

Hmm... is it strange of me to crave emerald colored yarn?

Casting on (again): Stitch Diva's Sahara

I have decided to frog my second attempt at Sahara and have a third attempt at it. While the pattern is easy to knit, I keep forgetting to take certain (very important) things in to consideration. Liiiiike, I was too excited to swatch when I started knitting it the first time and it ended up looking like it would fit three of me. The yarn I used is also not the recommended yarn in the pattern, I used four strands of number 10 bedspread weight cotton. Two strands in a variegated violet and two strands of white. It looked gorgeous, but like I said, it would have been too big even though I've never been (or felt) bigger in my life.

For the second attempt, I forgot to take into consideration that, oh yeah, this top is rather form fitting and what's my condition again? Heavily pregnant. Arrrgh. So with a bit of calculating and remeasuring, I tweaked the Sahara pattern to accommodate my huge pregnant belly.

So we will see how this goes...

What I've been up to...

I had to quit my job a few months after I found out I was pregnant. My doctor told me that I have a heart-shaped uterus (also called bicornial... or something like that) and because of that little difference I am apparently more prone to miscarriage or early delivery. My job required me to stand up for long lengths of time and sometimes I would have eleven hour shifts. I would start spotting and cramping after the end of every work day. It was definitely scary during those few weeks of all that. My parents urged me to leave work and take it easy, so I am taking it easy and enjoying things I know I wouldn't be able to do or enjoy for a while after this baby is born. It sounds completely scary, but I am absolutely excited about having this little one.

Tea and crochet. (The infamous Marguerite pattern.)

The most basic baby jacket and hat ever. Done with two strands of number 10 crochet thread and US size 2 knitting needles. I mixed a variegated yellow with white and the color turned out to be a cute baby duck yellow. Thanks for sending the yellow thread from the Philippines, Mom!

Another variation of the super-duper-no-brainer basic baby jacket pattern, only I used acrylic baby yarn and US size 6 knitting needles (I think). I was also playing with some watercolors that day (if you notice my Sakura Koi paints on the upper right hand side of the picture), but that's another entry.

I'm currently working on Opptuna by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton in her Noro Collection Book 2. I'm using Caron in Autumn Red and US Size 7 knitting needles. The pattern is also very very easy. I can't believe I had second thoughts about tackling this project.

I'm now five months along and I'm more than halfway done! The baby is very active, and from what we saw in the sonogram two days ago, very healthy. He gives me spin kicks a couple of times a day and absolutely wriggles in delight when I demolish Banana Cream Pie Blizzards. Hoh yeah. What more could I ask for?

Oh man, has it really been more than a year?

A lot has happened since I last posted here. I went back to my husband in Evansville and subsequently got pregnant. :D Now life is filled with joy, anxiety, excitement and baby knitting.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

Back In Evansville

Hoh my God, it's so c-c-cold!!!!!