bellevett

tons and tons of yarn.

this post will come to you with very few words.

 

it is the last post in my series of things that have been knit lately but i am just not getting to remember to share.

 

the handsome man in the handsome sweater.

finished BEFORE his birthday, in an unlikely manner....

buttons from the mystic orb store on etsy.

i love this sweater and this pattern. 

it was actually a pretty quick knit. 

so handsome.

one problem: i may have created a situation for myself in that now, cody will know the power of a handknit merino wool sweater....  i fear (hope) that more requests will come soon for another handknit.

raveled.

 

the trip formerly known as beeryarnhikingfoodpalooza-part 2

the handknits.

i lived in handknits.  what is nicer than going on a camping trip and staying warm as a result of your own two hands.  really.

winner of most worn handknit:

the february lady sweater. 

any sweater that looks and fits equally well when pregnant, 5 days postpartum, and a back to normal body deserves an award.  this sweater is a true fav. 

 

2nd place:

 the rhubarb and custard sweater/vest. 

this is by far one of my favorite projects.  it was quick and easy.  super cute on.  snuggly warm. etc. etc.

i sewed up the sides a bit, making it a bit more fitted.  true love.

 

third place:

the unfinished levenwick.

i hastily sewed some buttons on this and threw it in my bag unblocked.  it is so warm and comfy that i knew i needed to bring it.  i just ordered some vintage glass buttons to go on this baby, and i will be extra extra pleased.  i am going to move the buttons over a bit to make it a bit more fitted and help the collar stand up a bit better. 

ravelry links:

february lady

first february lady

rhubarb and custard

levenwick

i obviously trust my handknits.  did you know that i most definitely did not bring a single jacket to wear?  i was supremely warm by way of my merino wool long sleeve undershirts, worn over my dress, and under a wool handknit.

 

 

yarn along.

i am participating in this yarn along.

novels tend to absorb me in the summer time. 

melissa coleman's this life is in your hands was pretty much one of the best books i read all summer.  

however, with the cold weather moving in slowly, i have moved toward working on readying my winter goals....

a quilt for our bed is numero uno.  that is aside from all of our new sweaters (and 2 for me).  the modern log cabin quilting guide is just the answer for my new quilt project.  fyi- i have only ever made crib sized quilts, and i am not sure that i would call them all tremendous successes.  this might be attributed to my pesky, i can figure this out on my own, and their must be an easier way to do this, attitude toward sewing.  you would think, after sewing for this many years, i would have moved past that. but here i sit, in the land of stubbornness. ironically, this only happens with sewing, and not knitting.  hmmm, deep thoughts.

the above sweater is still the levenwick.

*************************************

it turns out that lately i have so much to say and so much in my head that when i sit down to get it out of my head and on to paper, or blog, it gets all jammed up and nothing comes out.  i think this might mean big things.

in response to said overload, Crosby and i have been taking our bodies outside as much as humanly possible.  with the cool winds moving in, it proves to be the perfect place for us to both sit and just be.  Him with a few discovery blocks and me with my knitting, a book, or my journal.  tomorrow i will be here with a new weekly series called on the blanket.  which is where i will be until the snow moves me inside. 

ps. have you been following my weekly ice cream cone recommendation?

 

in my hands.

last week was a busy week.

this weekend i have some serious relaxation to accomplish. 

in my hands are:

**coffee**

**journal**

**my knitting: levenwick with berroco ultra alpaca**

**a few books: the new terranium, knitting socks from the toe up, and this novel**

last night i read a brilliant article in whole living magazine about the way our mind and thoughts control our feelings. 

even when they are not reality. 

it was deep, real deep.

this morning, in between stitches and sips of coffee i had a few moments of goodness floating around in my brain.

i wrote down a few new mantras.

this one is my favorite.

i will only allow others to make me feel happy.

i will be back tomorrow with some weekending.

 

finished object friday. or another one bites the dust. or number 4.

the fourth sweater of 2011 is now finished.

 

thats right you heard me.  on my way to finishing 12 sweaters in 12 months for reals.

i finished it yesterday am.  just in time for me to cast on a new tiny little sweater in debbie bliss ecobaby cotton in a light purple for a new babe that will someday call me aunt, or auntie, or most likely just amber (if we are honest here.)  i am making lucille.... thats right.

 

i just cant get enough courtney kelley.

my latest and greatest finished object is the #28 lace cardi from spring summer vogue knitting by courtney kelley.  and boy oh boy did vogue do a number with that pattern.

 

according to the notes on ravelry from the designer herself (see above) there were numerous things they changed.

 

therefore, i fumbled my way through this pattern using my noggin more than vogue knittings instructions.

see below for changes. 

and also, here are a few photos san self portrait.  before you give me a hard time about that, just picture this:

just got back from a month worth of travelling with a 4 month old

i have no clean clothes

i hate laundry anyways

i have a 4 month old

however, i am making a promise that i am going to slap some makeup on, put on a pair of jeans, and find a bra and a decent tank top and show you guys how adorable this little cardi is when on a  real person.

oh, and ps, the sleeves look great on, no matter how funky they look on that dress form.  who does she (dressform lady) think she is anyways, being all crazy little and stuff.

 

 

okay, now i am just waiting waiting waiting for my pictures to upload. and it is

taking

for

ev

er.

i guess thats what happens when you have 300 pictures and a few videos on one memory card.

and thus the reason why i took all of my pictures at the beach with a disposable camera.

in the time that it is taking to upload all of these photos, i have:

eaten a rice krispy treat, unpacked some groceries, received a refund check in the mail for a medical payment, received another unexpected medical bill in the mail for the amount that i was just refunded, thought about how i have already figuratively spent said refund check, sent an email informing cody of the good news, received a response,  laughed at the ridiculousness, cursed my insurance, checked on a napping crosby, eaten another krispy treat, found my cat sleeping on top of my shoes in my closet, thought about our wildberry hike we are going on tonight, thought deeply about how i could combine lemon vodka (that i found in the freezer!!) and tonic water (got for christmas) and wild blueberries and raspberries into a delicious refreshing predinner beverage....

and NOW they are finally uploaded.

i give you photos:

please dont comment about the sleeves.  i promise that they look delightful on human arms.

here is the breakdown (sorry non knitters....):

yarn: queensland haze.  perfect for a quick summer knit.  went down a needle size to accomodate.  used a size 8 needle.

needles: see above

mods: i picked up the stitches from the arm holes to make the sleeves.  my first try, i did some short rows to accommodate for shoulders.  completely unnecessary.  and looked terrible.  tore out and just did a plain old rib k2p2.

wishes: i wish i would've done more short rows around the neck.

why?: 1. why in the heck was it necessary to begin this garment with a provisional cast on???  you already have to pick up the stitches around the rest of the garment to do the ribbing. waste of time (says the person who hates provisional cast on.....) and doesnt make any noticeable difference. 2. why would you make tiny tiny tiny sleeves flat and then set them in?  why vogue knitting? why?  courtney kelley specifies on ravelry that she picked up the armholes and did some short rows.  so there.

 

here is where i would include a ravelry link, but alas, i havent had a chance to ravel it just yet.  feel special blog world, feel special.

 

***************

 

happy lace.

CAREFUL: RANDOM STATEMENTS AHEAD.

i have avoided showing any pictures of  my lace leaf cardi from vogue knitting summer 2011.

i decided in 2011 that i wouldnt show work in progress photos anymore. or take them for that matter.

therefor, i havent really talked about my lace leaf cardi.

i bought this yarn for my birthday and cast on about 2 weeks later.

i love this queensland haze yarn.  so soft. and wonderful.

i am breaking my rule for this sweater because it is so close to being done, and i just needed to show SOMEBODY.  only the ribbing around the body and neck are lacking, which i am working dilligently on now.

i had decided to finish this before i take my ladies only (and crosby) beach trip so that i could start a new project.  hmmm, a little mindless ribbing might be nice for a flight with a 4 month old.

but i do not want to be under yarned. i must pack another pattern and yarn for underyarned insurance.  it will of course be another 12 in 12 project. did i mention i would only be taking a carry on? and a car seat? hmmm.  

oh yeah, and by the way, considering my months got a little off and i have now finished 3 sweaters in 5 months, i am revising my goal to just get 12 sweaters done before january 1, 2012.

birthday presents from may that i am enjoying daily: yarn. patterns. subscription to the new yorker.

sidenote: i am thinking of going back to the disposable camera.

does anyone else miss that mystery and anticipation of getting your pictures developed? 

 

19 may

in between making the most delectible strawberry rosemary jam, i managed to finish my rhubarb and custard cardigan/vest/something.....

 

i am very pleased with it.  the day i finished it, it was a balmy 88 degrees outside. suffice to say i havent actually been able to wear it, aside from the obligatory try on. 

i raveled it here: ravelry ravelry ravelry!

i used cascade 220 and i think a bit of knit picks wool of the andes.  it was all from the stash. i had big plans to use up my big tubs of stash yarn before i bought any.  and this cardigan used up about 800 yards i imagine. but then, you see, i entered the doors of loopville yarn, and found about a million skeins of yarn that were cotton perfectforsummerknitsmusthavethem NOW.  and lucky for me it was just my birthday.  so lets say that the hempathy yarn i that is now in my stash was there all along. yup, there allll alllloooonnngg.

the good news is, my yarn is strategically placed under the bed in the guestbedroom/fly tying/sewing/knitting room so it is unseen to prying husbands eyes.

 

up next: rosemary strawberry jam.  so so good. you might try to drink it.

guess who's got a new sweater...

sage remedy: complete

 

the sage remedy saga and timeline:

feb. 1: started sweater, 9 months pregnant
feb 9: due date, finished sweater
feb. 10: realize sweater will be too small for even a non pregnant amber.
feb. 11: tear out while trying to somehow induce labor
feb. 12: re- cast on while having contractions.
feb. 14th: give birth
feb. 24: re-cast on. overcompensating for previous undercompensation.
march: an apparent complete wash of a month.
april 7: cast off and block.
april 8th: realize its a tad too big for me.
april 9th: wear it anyways.

 

raveled here.

 

onward knitting.

the weather report

last week, i enjoyed several days of warm sunshine, several picnics, several hours of knitting outside, and nice sunburned back to prove it.

this past weekend, it rained for an entire 72 hours.  i welcomed the rain, and my freshly planted spinach and carrot seeds did too! 

i had an entire weekend on the couch, with coffee, chocolate peanut butter bars (more on those later....), movies, knitting, and wine with one of my best friends.  when i say it was 72 hours on the couch, i am not really exaggerating that much.  we did make it out of the house for a brief 2 hours to get some lunch, and soon realized the weather was far too undesirable to interact with on such a close basis... 

a girls weekend of relaxing, chatting, and wedding planning was just what i needed before my big week.  and by big week i mean the last week of march.

 

and by last week of march, i mean just a few short days before my deadline for my march sweater is up.  and by march sweater i am referring to the sweater that was originally the february sweater but had to be ripped out for the sake of increasing chest size and other postpardum luxuries.  so here i am, with my sage remedy sweater, (pictured above), workin like a mad dog to make sure i achieve my goal!  and by achieve my goal, i mean have a brand spankin new sweater before april. 

i am almost at the finish line.

it better fit this time.

a few things i have learned...

here are a few things i have learned in the 12 days that i have been a mother:

1. i never knew how many things i could do one handed while still holding a baby securely.

2. my threshold of tolerance for bodily fluids has dramatically increased.  it is amazing how much spit up and baby pee one can actually come in contact with before it even crosses the mind as a reason to get into the shower.

3. babies love breastmilk.

4. engorgement is not a force to be reconed with.  (see picture below.)

5. holding a sweet baby for hours a day and staring at his angelic face is a proper way to spend hours every day.

6. completing a full load of diaper laundry makes you feel like you are a champion of time management.

7. cloth diapers are totally worth it, and most adorable.

8. laundry will now dominate my life.  i have already changed my sheets more in 12 days than i would have in a month.  spit up is no joke.

9. it is amazing how quickly you forget how it feels to be pregnant.

10. in one days time span, i have the though: "i cant believe a precious angelic being actually came out of my body", about 350 times.

11. time appears to be more precious than i ever knew.

12. knitting while breastfeeding is a little more complicated that i had imagined.... my february 12 in 12 sweater has been benched more times than i would have ever imagined.

 

here is my wooled up 5 day old babe. and here is me in all of my engorgement/ 5 days post birth body glory in my january 12 in 12 sweater.  it is the february lady sweater.   

 

 
ps.  those wool soaker really are my favorite. and exceptionally waterproof. 
pps.  those are hand knit baby leg warmers that i recieved as a gift.  and he wears them daily.

ppps. it was 68 degrees when we took this picture, so do not think i am freezing my baby outside.