knitted baby things (baby bear hat, booties, blanket, and bubble pants)

I've been busily knitting for this baby of mine, who is set to arrive in less than 7 weeks! The deadline seems to be approaching ever faster.

My favorite project so far is this Baby Bear Hat. It's tiny and has such cute round ears. It was a breeze to knit up, and the pattern is free. I'd happily knit more hats like this if I didn't have so many other projects I want tackle in the next few weeks.

I also knitted a pair of baby booties, though they might end up fitting the baby in the heat of summer because the smallest size was 3 months. Oh well. If he can't wear them to cover his little newborn toes, we'll just have to venture out to somewhere air-conditioned come July.

This Umaro blanket is coming along so slowly, even though I'm knitting it on giant needles. I'm not enjoying knitting it very much because the rows are long and require me to refer to the pattern quite often. However, I'm think that if I don't finish this before the baby is born, I may never finish it, so that's keeping me motivated. And I do like the look of it, so the finished product will be worth it.

Because I can't take the Umaro blanket with me for commuter knitting, I cast on a vanilla pattern: Balloon Baby Pants. I call them old man pants and think they're about the cutest things ever. I first saw them on Alicia's blog and have been pining for a pair since then. I'm knitting this pair from the same yarn as my blue featherweight because I had it on hand.

K and I have picked up a few children's books, including The Snowy Day, at thrift stores and sales. Some nights we have story time and he reads to the baby. I not-so-secretly enjoy being read to as well, but I haven't been able to convince K that the baby really wants to hear the Harry Potter books.

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P.S. The quilt in the background of some of these photos is one I've been working on with my mom. We're making two baby quilts together, and this vintage sheet one is our practice version. I'll post more on our quilting adventures soon.

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P.P.S. I'm trying to keep my word of the year (resourceful) in mind lately and really weigh wants versus needs. However, Alicia is making it so dang hard with the adorable bunny kits she's putting together and her promises of little boy bunnies, too. Double want.

weeks 29, 30, and 31

29 weeks

29 weeks: We finally got some focus (and baby's first toy: a tiny wooden train).

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30 weeks 

30 weeks: I can't believe how big this baby is now!

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31 weeks

31 weeks

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The weeks are flying by now. They've been a whirl of focus, panic, excitement, tears, exhaustion, and amazement. 

I'm most amazed by just how much I can feel this little guy moving. We've started having regular mid-morning playtimes. He'll start squirming around, I'll rub his back, and then he'll press harder against my hand. The other day he was kicking his feet and moving his body at the same time so that I could really feel just how much he's grown (according to the Internet, he should be around 17 inches long now and weighs nearly four pounds!). This whole pregnancy experience feels more and more real each day.

We chose a wonderful doula and are thrilled that she'll there to support us during the birth. We instantly felt comfortable with her. She's attended more than 100 births and has worked with our care provider and hospital many times before. In fact, at our last midwife appointment, I mentioned our doula's name and our midwife not only knew her, but had wonderful things to say about her. Our doula makes me feel much less anxious about the birth.

However, I did panic a couple days ago when it felt like my body was going to explode. Every part of me feels full and stretched tight; I cannot imagine how it will continue to grow for another eight weeks. I underestimated how much of a toll pregnancy would take on my body and emotions. I kept thinking that labor and delivery would be the hard part, and I know they will, but I glossed over the whole "I'm growing another person" thing. This week I've been exhausted and slow-moving, which finally made me realize I need to take things slower and treat my body more kindly. More naps, early bedtimes, walks, and warm showers are in my future. 

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I hope you're treating yourself kindly this week too! I plan to take it easy today after I check off some errands from my never-ending to-do list.

pots: glazed

 

belly pots

Here is a smattering of pots I made in my ceramics class last fall. It felt great to sit at the wheel with a ball of clay and just see what my hands would make. My goal for the class was to make some bigger pieces, and although none of my pots are huge, I did make some decent-sized soup bowls. As you can see, I had a lot of fun experimenting with glazes.

I'm taking another ceramics class now and am focusing on mugs. I worried that it would be too difficult for me to work at the wheel in my third trimester, but I haven't had any problems. 

I've discovered that I'm a process potter and a product knitter. I knit because I want so many knitted things, but I make ceramics because the process feels so good. I can turn off my brain and just let my hands shape the clay. 

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Do you makes things for the products or the process? 

Does it differ with the craft for you, too?

simple socks and knitting inspiration

My brain has been knitting-obsessed lately. Knit, knit, knit. My blue featherweight cardigan is nearly finished; I have only about an inch of the collar left to go! I hope it will be ready to wear by next week. I'm anxious to have it off the needles and on my shoulders!

Oh, but on to these socks! These are the simple socks I knitted for K as a Christmas gift. He's worn them multiple times (more than the obligatory once), so I think he likes them. However, he politely hinted that, although knitted gifts are nice, they should not replace board game gifts. Hint taken. Next year he'll get a handmade gift and a game. We are a board game geek and a knitting nerd. Sometimes our bedtime reading consists of board game instructions and knitting patterns. No joke. Our baby will have plenty to be embarrassed about someday!

The free sock pattern served as an OK guide, but it contained a couple errors. I spent a frustrating time trying to figure out where I went wrong before I discovered the pattern was off. Luckily, other knitters had already found these errors and figured out solutions. Check out my Ravelry notes for their tips.

K likes the simple style of these socks and the interest the contrasting heel and toe add. They're knit in worsted weight yarn, but they're still thin enough to wear with regular shoes.

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Knitting inspiration lately:

Tea, yarn, and a gorgeous cabled cardigan

More tea and beautiful yarn

Bright pink socks

Luxurious hat (My friend wore this last week and before I knew it, I was petting her head. Oops!)

A perfect lacy shawl (I've got a serious style crush on this lady!)

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I'm convinced by all you mama bloggers that there will be knitting after baby. Maybe not right after, but I think I can make it happen soon enough. So, I've decided to buy yarn to make myself a sweater come autumn (my mom gave me a gift certificate for Quince and Co., lucky me!). I'm having so much fun choosing a sweater pattern; I like thinking of all the possibilities. Cardigans seem to be the best choice because I don't know what to expect of my after-baby body, and I can always wear cardigans unbuttoned if they're too snug. Here are a few front runners:

Gnarled Oak Cardigan

Effervescence Cardigan

Annabel Cardigan (with pockets! I'm in love with those pockets! If you love them too, check out Lori's tutorial.)

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Do you have any favorite sweater patterns I should check out?