Sweater Number Two Plus Something New!

Well, I finished the second sweater!

Sheesh. I really don’t like doing the same thing twice. This may become problematic… Still. They turned out well, and they look cute together.

Plus, if after all these babies turn out to be girls (the doctor told us she’d give us a 20% chance that they were not boys. Woo!) they’re gender-neutral enough to do well. Do you like them? Well, if you want to make one of your own, you can find the pattern over at Inner Child Crochet. (For free!)

Now that I’ve finished them, I’m taking a brief baby-clothes break to work on something for myself:

Pattern is Shrug Springs Eternal by Nikki Adams. (Rav link!) I need to expand my lightweight shrug collection, since all of the knee-length or better maternity dresses I can find are sleeveless - and I don’t do sleeveless. I’m using Red Heart Lustersheen Multi in Ocean, and I think it’s a beautiful color. Hopefully I’ll have that finished soon!

That’s One Down

The sun has come out around here, by which I mean - the sun has FINALLY come out around here and it looks like we’re finally going to get some real summer weather. I forget still that when the seasons change, a gigantic wind comes in and literally blows the old weather system out of here. (It’s pretty awesome to watch the massive cloud blanket break up and blow away, even if it’s rough to be outside at the time. Poor Charlie got an eyeful of gravel dust because the boys could not wait to play outside in the sunshine until the second or third day, when the wind’s exhausted itself.)

For that matter, as soon as I saw how sunny it was, I whipped the buttons on and the ends into the first sweater so I could get a decent picture.

It was harder than it looks to get this shot: the wind kept flinging the sweater up onto me! (Look, you can have the sleeves cuffed…)

(or uncuffed.) I think little sleeves with little ribbed ends are just adorable. Now, the second striped sweater is completely finished except for the ends and the buttons - so as soon as I get my buns in gear and do the finishing work on it, I’ll get some pictures of that one, too.

Sweaters x 2 …

…take longer to do.

Sweaters! Sorry about the photo. Its cloudy today. Cloudy, and foggy, and dim, which it has been for the last week (when it wasn’t raining) and is predicted to remain for the next week. It’s been nice and cool, usually in the 60s, which makes working on little sweaters a pleasant pastime.

First up we have the nearly-finished cardigan:

It just needs buttons and end-weaving to finish. I’m a bit grumpy because I couldn’t find the buttons I wanted, but I’ve got some I think will do. We’ll see. As you can see, I’m saving all the finishing until I’ve finished the knitting on the second one:

I really, really need to use longer needles for these… still. All I have left on it is the body (the easiest part!) and then I get to weave in all the ends, and sew on the buttons, and they’ll be finished!

I really need to get stuff finished, too, because I’ve got a rapidly expanding list of things I want to make over the next few months.

I Suppose I Might as Well Tell You

Since, given the nature of the blog, you ought to figure it out pretty quickly. When I had my appointment the other day, we had another ultrasound. There was some pretty strong evidence that these babies are…

Boys! (Yes, we did ask the doctor to double-check. Let’s just say the images were pretty convincing.) We were more surprised than anything else, because we had been so sure that we were getting girls. And I am a bit bummed that I don’t get to make flowers and dresses. AGAIN. But do you know how much knitting I would have to do to outfit two girls in everything I’ve ever wanted to make for daughters? A LOT. Like, an impossible amount. So that’s a bit of a relief. Let me say, too, that the amount of mayhem we expect to have with four boys - so young - is both daunting and really, really exciting. It will be a zoo…and I’ve always loved the zoo.

But! Most of you will have just stopped by for the pattern.

Basic Baby Beanie

Materials:

• Lion Brand  Wool-Ease (197 yd/180m
  per 85 g/3oz skein); about 50 yds per hat. Hats shown in Denim.
• H/8 -  5.00mm hook

Gauge: 12 sts x 10 rows in hdc = 4″

Size: Newborn (to fit approximately 15″ head)

Abbreviations

• ch = chain
• hdc = half-double crochet
• inc = make two stitches in next st
• sc = single crochet
• sl st = slip stitch

Note: US pattern conventions used.

Directions:

Do not join rounds.
Rnd 1: Ch 3; make 8 hdc in 3rd ch from hook.
Rnd 2: [Hdc inc in next st] around. (16 hdc)
Rnd 3: [Hdc in next st, hdc inc in next st] around. (24 hdc)
Rnd 4: [Hdc in next 2 sts, hdc inc in next st] around. (32 hdc)
Rnd 5: [Hdc in next 3 sts, hdc inc in next st] around. (40 hdc)
Rnds 6-15: Hdc in each st around.

To finish, sc in next st, sl st in each of next two sts. Finish off, weave in ends.

These hats are very quick to make (I made both of them last night while Greg tried out a new video game), and you could easily make two out of a  ’standard’ 110-yard skein of worsted.

Watch this space for more baby boy items. I’m feeling better.

Hey, I Made Something

No, seriously, I did. I looked it up in my Ravelry notebook (I never miss a chance to put in a new project there, so it’s not like I missed one) and I have not completed a project since March. Maaaaarch. That, more than anything else, is a true measure of how completely wiped out I have been. At any rate, I crocheted something this weekend.

I had another medical appointment today (since this whole thing started, I’ve had tons) and I had to leave my kids with my friend Julie…once again. She’s been really good about watching them when I have to go in for another test or exam or scan without the tiniest hint of unhappiness or irritation, and I would have had a much harder time without her. Now, one time when dropped off the kids, I brought their supplies in a bag I made last year (but apparently never blogged…curious. At least, I can’t find it, so here it is.)

Anyway, Julie asked me what I would charge to make one for her. HA! As if she’s going to get away with paying me for one of those after she’s spent at least 12 hours watching my children over the last month.  So - I made one for her.

Pattern is Econo-Shopper Mesh Bag (free online); I made the large size using a J hook and some Sugar n’ Cream in Cornflower. She liked it! I hope it holds up as well as mine has.

Answers and Winners

Turtlegirl wins partial credit with the following:

 ”There’s a potential correct guess other than “you’re pregnant”? Congratulations!”

Congratulations to you, Cristi! If you want one of my patterns let me know which and I’ll send it to you.

Of course, full credit has to go to Jennifer for the correct (and insightful)

“You are pregnant with twins and are feeling tired and overwhelmed and are just getting over the shock? :)”

I’ll be sending you an email re: the Toy Bundle, Jennifer. Good eye!

Hmm. Those blockquotes should not be orange. Anyway, here is another pair of ultrasound images, this time from another angle and helpfully labeled by the radiology tech.

Twin A!

Twin B! They still look a bit like aliens, don’t they? Let me tell you, I was NOT expecting that. (The twins, not that they look like aliens. Believe me, I was expecting ONE baby to look like an alien at this point.) It’s still too early to know whether they are boys or girls, but we can tell that they are identical, which means that it’s one or the other.

Anyway. I went in for my first ultrasound about three weeks ago. The doctor poked around a little bit while I watched the screen, but then he kind of pulled up short with a puzzled expression and turned the display away from me. Then he poked around some more and the look on his face can only be expressed as, “Whoa, cool!” Of course, what he said (in a carefully neutral voice) was,

“Well, here’s something interesting.”

Of course, I’m freaking out (what’s wrong with my baby?!) and I said, “WHAT?” Then something about the suppressed grin on his face sparked a connection and I said, “Don’t say twins.”

He stopped trying to hold back the grin at that, and said, “Well, I won’t use that word, but there are two of them in there.”

Goody. An OB with a sense of humor.

Sigh. I kid. He’s a nice guy. Anyway, yes. I’ve been wiped out from nausea and fatigue even before I knew there were two - I’ve been pretty much constantly under the weather since March (when I had my wisdom teeth removed *wince*), actually. The twins are due around Thanksgiving, so I don’t see the rest of the year being much easier. In fact, I’m going to have to fly to another base for the last few months of the pregnancy, since our hospital here does not have a NICU or any neonatologists or perinatologists and they therefore categorically refuse to deliver twins. Which is understandable, since if there were complications all three of us could die, but it still STINKS.

So, um…anyone have gender neutral baby patterns to recommend?

Where Have I Been?

Why haven’t I been blogging? Here is a clue.

Place your guesses in the comment section. Partial credit available (first partially correct answer wins the pattern of their choice). First complete correct answer is eligible to receive a free Toy Bundle! Please make a note if you would not like to receive the patterns, since I know that not everyone who reads this blog crochets…(fine print: make sure you leave a functional email address in the email field so I can contact you if you win.)

 Mom, no fair helping.

More Fun with the Peanut Gallery

So, day three of reef construction: our first school of fish.

Question. How many tiny fish can you cut out of one piece of orange construction paper? Answer. 52. Yeah. I think I need to buy a roll of double-sided tape. That would really make this whole endeavor easier, especially as we add more and more fish. Max has started asking for a blue whale; I need to see if I can convince him that they don’t inhabit reefs. I think it’s going to be a tough sale.

In other news, what do you do when the kids get antsy?

Why, haul out a cardboard box, of course. My mom used to make the best cardboard box creations, from mazes to forts to whatever you call it when you cut out a hole for a face and draw something on the outside.

We took a trip to the Arts and Crafts store for some tempera paint and big brushes, and one painting blowout in the driveway (plus some drying time) later, we had something really fun.

They had so much fun painting….obviously I did the crab and the whale, but those kids were not afraid to get their brushes dirty. (Only their fingers.)

We even made up a little song about the crab that Max thought was hilarious and Charlie thought was irritating. Charlie has to be in a specific mood to enjoy my singing, and apparently pretending to be a crab doesn’t cut it.

“Noooo, Mommy, stop singing.”

Good Morning

I’ve been feeling pretty under the weather lately (ironic, since the weather lately has been gorgeous). Things are looking up this morning, though (ironic again, since today is the first day in recent weeks to be gray and rainy), and I thought I’d fire off a blog post. I haven’t had much interest in crocheting - the whole sick thing, you know - but I read a few books and, as always, the kids kept me busy. Max’s love of all things aquatic continues unabated. We’re going on four months here, which is easily the longest he’s obsessed over anything besides the perennial favorite, cars and motorcycles. In recognition of that, I’ve started making things for him…we’ve started building a reef on his bedroom wall, for instance.

Reef construction: Day 1! I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to draw, or render, or create a coral reef, but it’s pretty complex. A lot of different shapes and creatures, a lot of different colors and details. This is what we managed the second day.

The cool thing is that we’re basing these off of real coral, so Max is learning to identify the different  species as we put them up. (The big red one is a seafan, for instance, and the large orange hard coral is called Elkhorn. There are also rocks. It’s educational.) Max says our reef is big enough for fish to live in now, so we may start adding more animals next. Although technically coral are animals. Whatever.

Despite everything, I actually started a crochet project the other day. I ran across Max’s baby blanket in a closet and realized that I had never photographed it for blogging or Ravelry, so I thought I would:

Aww. Five years ago, this was the most ambitious project I had ever attempted. Despite my inexperience, it turned out well. Anyway. I pulled out the pattern to enter it into my projects and, prompted by the I-haven’t-crocheted-in-weeks shakes, I decided to make the project on the cover.

It’s a striped baby bunting that I always thought was cute, from an old, old pamphlet - one I, ah, ‘acquired’ on the way out of my parents’ house. (Mom, if you want it, I’ll mail it back, I swear.) Greg says it looks like an old blanket. Isn’t he sweet?I’ve never had seven colors of the same yarn before, to make it, but I had a lot of leftovers from the boys’ striped hats and I thought I’d give it a go. It turned out to be spot on gauge with the Wool-Ease and the lovely rosewood hook I got at Christmastime…

So it’s shaping up to be a simple, cheerful, and very enjoyable project. Aside from the ends. Heaven help me…the ends.

Warm Weather On the Way!

Hey, um, I think I’ve managed to break comments on my blog. Normally I’d just assume no one was commenting, but I’ve completely stopped getting spam comments as well, so I’m pretty sure I’ve broken them. (Although, I have no idea how.) So, if anyone has a moment today to try and comment, I’d really appreciate it - and we’ll see if we can get things working again.

Edit: I think I’ve fixed it! Somehow the letter ‘o’ got on my comment blacklist, which means that if you posted a comment with an O in it it would have been incinerated at once. Sigh.

Anyway, I haven’t crocheted much this last month. I mean, I’ve crocheted some -

and that’s good progress, too. That poor guy’s been nothing but a neck since October. Still, he’s far from finished, and I can lay a large part of the blame on my newer time and money suck hobby, jewelry making. This month the sun came out…the snow melted…temperatures rose…and the Arts and Crafts store got a whole shipment of summery beads and materials. Cowrie shells, coconut beads, mother-of-pearl, abalone, tiger shells, hemp, and far, far more - and I was not immune to their lazy tropical call.

Enough to bedeck a whole beach party, I know, but they’re just so cheerful! After all, why not? It’s WARM! It’s SUNNY! It’s SPRING! It’s….

Snowing? Now that is not even right.