swift

This beautiful swift has found a home here with me. It's sure to make the time I spend winding my skeins of yarn go much faster, and I'm happy to let the swift do the work instead of my arms.

My father-in-law made it from rich-colored cherry wood and polished it to a fine gleam. It also comes apart so I can fold it up and easily stash it out of the way.

I can't wait to see it in action!

tasks for today

Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my last post. I am grateful for your support and encouraging words. You all made me cry! I felt much less alone carrying your sweet words around in my head. Thank you!

I am now 35 weeks pregnant, which definitely feels like a reason to celebrate. I'm happy for each day more that the baby gets to spend inside, putting on weight and developing his lungs and big brain. I got behind on taking and posting my weekly photos because I was having back pain (and contractions, though I didn't realize it at the time). All I wanted to do after work was go to bed. So, that's why my photos stopped at Week 31.

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Today feels good. The sun is shining through the window, I'm listening to Adele, and I have baby knitting and thank you note writing ahead of me. K and I met with The Diaper Fairy this morning, who is super enthusiastic (even at 8 a.m.) and could get nearly anyone fired up about using cloth diapers. I still can't believe how soon we're going to have a squirming little baby in our arms, but we've spent this last week gathering essentials, so we are ready when he decides to arrive. (I do hope he stays put through the end of the month because I really want to see Deb from Smitten Kitchen when she's in Louisville.)

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Links I'm loving lately:

Cute no-scratch baby mittens pattern

I can't get enough chocolate these days. And I miss baking. When I'm back in commission, this chocolate tart is on my to-make list.

Stefanie has some beautiful finished objects to share.

I'm still fawning over Jared Flood's studio. His yarn is definitely on my Christmas wish list this year. And my Umaro blanket is still on the needles and coming along beautifully.

I think I've finally settled on a couple sweaters to knit this year: a Larch cardigan in crisp red and an Argo in light heathery gray.

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What's inspiring you these days? 

Feel free to leave links in the comments. I've got plenty of time to look through them. ;)  

 

rest

Hello there. I'm writing this from bed, where I should be for the next 3 weeks if I'm lucky. It seems my baby was planning for an early arrival, so I'm doing my best to keep him in there until he's full term.

I'm sure if you've been on bed rest before you know this already, but I just have to say that it's no vacation. I went from feeling like a competent, confident expectant mama to feeling afraid to move, fearing that any movement might bring on preterm labor. I went from actively preparing for my baby's arrival to feeling like an invalid, unable to do things for myself, let alone my baby. I went from eagerly counting down the days until he arrives to nervously counting up the days he's been inside. I am thankful for each day more that my baby gets to stay inside and keep growing.  

I'm trying to quell the worry that occupies my days now. My body is gradually adjusting to the medication I have to take to ward off contractions. I am finding ways to keep my body comfortable. And I'm slowly finding productive ways to spend my time.

Yesterday my mom and sister helped me sort through boxes of hand-me-down baby clothes from my cousin. And I finished knitting this stuffed elephant for the baby. It's a really sweet, simple toy, and it makes me happy to think of my son playing with it in the not-too-distant future. You can read my notes on knitting it on my Ravelry page. It's an adorable product, but fiddly to knit (it's the only knitting project I've ever thrown across the room in frustration). 

K has been a great support in these bed rest days. He cooks, he cleans, and he makes me smile. He reminds me that 3 weeks is not long in the scheme of things and that even if our baby is born early, everything will be all right. He spent yesterday painting the nursery and making pie crusts to freeze so we can make pies and quiches after the baby comes. I already know he's going to be a great dad.

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I hope you are all doing well and spending lots of time with your loved ones!

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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?