September!!

I know. The blog suffered once again. But a lot has happened chez Knit Stricken, and I had to prioritize.

August was very eventful. A new daycare opened at the corner of our street, and at the same time there was talk of me working part time in a yarn store (Espace Tricot) - so off I went and asked if there was a part time spot available, and it was. Egg is going to daycare three days a week now, and what can I say, I'm still not used to it. Today was especially bad, since she anticipated what was coming and was crying all the way there. Apparently she was not alone in being miserable, half of the kids there were crying, too. (I blame this effing heat. Usually they are all quite content.) I definitely have to get over the 'feeling guilty' part, I am well aware that it is futile. We're always told that she had a great time when either of us picks her up and she usually is happily playing when we arrive. And, while I am working, I don't get the time to think about it too much, so that helps!

I am also going to teach a lot of knitting classes - most of which I haven't taught before and that means a lot of preparation. I'm not saying I can't pull it off, but it is a bit scary. Then again, it's knitting, there's hardly anything else I'd rather talk about. So on to new adventures!

Last but not least, I have a design in the upcoming Twistcollective. Yes, I know it is early to talk about a new issue, but I am so excited about it! I mean, sitting here in this heat it is hard to imagine we will be wearing sweaters again soon.

Nooo, I'm not ready for my close up DAYCARE!!

This might be too much.

I finished a pair of knee highs for Egg on Sunday. I always try create outfits to show them off, since I think her chubby legs look übercute in them.

Newsboy cap, Allison cardi and Kickers. Darn, I don't have knickerbockers. Well, let's roll up the legs of her jeans, they are a smidgen too short anyways.

She was quite disobliging when I wanted to take pictures. But maybe you get the picture. (And, I do realize that you can't see the knee highs, but I do know they're there!)



Is this too much?

(I'm acutely aware of the fact that I won't ever win a photographer's contest. I suck.)

Long week

I'm sure this week only has 7 days as any other week - but due to some strange time warp thingies (or, maybe, my imagination) it felt and feels a lot longer.

Egg has seemingly a health problem, her temperature was elevated for the last couple of days but she didn't seem to mind at all. No other symptons, just a higher temperature than is normal. Which makes me wonder what's going on, but according to the internet doctors her temperature is well in the limit of 'oh, that's nothing'. As her mother I don't exactly feel that way, but try to stay calm and get her through it.

Now it's Friday evening, I have ordered pizza and am thankful that I don't have to cook dinner.

I do hope that the two remaining days of the week feel exactly as long as the others did - but in a good way. (However, that maybe asked too much.)

Knitting!!

That's how I found Egg after coming back to the living room, I'd left my knitting on the couch. (Oh, and please excuse the MESS.)

Outside!

The weather has been fabulous for Montreal in April. Whenever there is sun I get the request "outside!" and thankfully we have the outside right off our kitchen. (No sandbox yet, though. They were labeled as 'in stock' online and when we went to the shop to pick one up, they were of course not.)

This is how 'outside' might look:

Grapes taste soo much better in fresh air!

Even though it doesn't look like it, I have been working/designing. There is one piece in particular I am sort of proud of, but of course I can't show you a picture just yet. Here's a peek:


I have lots of plans - publishing some kids patterns, for example. One is being test knit as you read this, repeatedly, which means it will be hopefully ready soon.

In the meantime I have finished some knitting for myself and Egg: Hex is done, and so is a skirt and knee highs for Egg, amongst other things. I should get back to write more about what I am knitting, that might encourage finishing faster. BTW, I need to take photos of the finished Hex, once I've done that you'll get to see it, of course!

This is the Twirly skirt (ravelry link)



and these are the new knee highs:

For now Egg is still excited when I finish something for her, and accordingly very willing to try/put it on. The perfect knitter's child!

One of these days

That would be today. Nothing goes right, child is cranky, makes me cranky.

Knitting a simple beret. Had to rip twice already. It's done now. Or so I think. It's too big. Rrrrrip.

Not to mention the countless scream fests we had today, and I had no clue why or what to do about it. Somehow the day went by only to end with another bang.

Child usually goes to bed without any drama. Not so tonight. Am close to nervous breakdown, but manage to stay calm. Child still doesn't sleep. Her dad is on sleep duty now while I hide in the office.

Please keep your fingers crossed that tomorrow will be better! Thanks, that would be all.

Music on a Friday

Today Egg and I are off to a friend's house where we are going to meet lots of other babies and will play music and sing. Egg loves it, and I enjoy it as well.

Having said that, when no babies are around, playing Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" does the trick also. I wonder what Lady Gaga would have to say about that.

Monday

Random.

- Left over pizza for (second) breakfast for a toddler? (Hey, she insisted. At least it's home made.)
- Is she going to nap for more than 20 minutes today that I am alone with her? (She did so over the weekend, just to prove my complaints to my husband wrong.)
- Egg started saying her name on Saturday. It sounds a little bit as if her nose is stuffed up, but it's definitely recognizable.
- Big plans are in the make. Slowly. It involves Knitting and writing patterns.

I leave you with this:

Sleep or no sleep - Haiti doesn't care

In light of what has happened in Haiti I really shouldn't whine about disturbed night sleep and about a toddler not wanting to nap and being whiny all day long - but that's what's happening in my life, so it's important to me.

It was also important to me to make a donation for the relief effort in Haiti. Though it feels like darn little one can do to help out. Still, it's better than doing nothing. Right? Right!

First FO of 2010 - and lots of irritation

Gaaah. I'm having a bad day because Egg is having a bad day. She just does not want to nap. And I can tell she's tired, very tired. She's cranky, needy, pick-me-uppy, whiny...It's just - I have no words.

She's also wearing my first FO of 2010 - a dress made from Noro Iro which was a Christmas present.


I don't know how, but she must be aware that I am irritated beyond anything, because after our second try to get her to nap, she came to me and smiled, said 'hello' and tried to give me kisses, all the while not wanting to nap...Gaaah.

ETA at 3.35 p.m.: I might have overreacted. A little bit.

2009 Statistics

Blog statistics

6 unmoderated comments, discovered today. Yes, dear readers, I'm terribly sorry I didn't check better if someone had left one. Please excuse my sloppiness, I do very much appreciate comments, always! I got some unwanted crap, so I decided to moderate and look what happens...

To answer the questions:

@quinn: yes, it's her first - but most probably not her last.
@KnitandPurlMama: I picked the name Erna, 'cause that's what I secretly called Egg when I was pregnant before I knew she was a girl. Now we have another Erna around.
@lori: Erna didn't come with the sweater, I made it. And Egg was very excited about that. Just as excited as when I made the hat. She does appreciate hand knits.


Knitting statistics

Now to the other statistics, the knitting. Ravelry makes me look prolific, as my friend Melanie assures me. But then she clearly didn't have a closer look at how many childrens' hats I made to pump up the volume...no, not really, that just happened. I do admit though that there were a lot of smaller things I made in 2009, but also a baby blanket, two shawls and some scarves.

Projects begun before but finished in 2009:
- one baby raglan
- a pair of socks
- fingerless mitts for Rolf

That's 3 projects I won't include in the final tally.

Projects begun and finished in 2009:
- 8 baby/toddler tees, vests or shrugs
- 15 baby/toddler/kids sweaters or cardigans
- 11 scarves, cowls etc. (some lace)
- 2 lace shawls
- 7 pairs of baby/kids shoes or socks
- 1 pair of socks (OMG, just one pair?)
- 1 baby blanket
- 12 kids hats
- 2 hats
- 1 doll hat
- 1 doll sweater
- 1 kids tie
- 1 kids scarf
- 1 kids skirt

That's 64 projects, 1.23 projects a week. I was a bit stumped by the amount, I don't think I ever knit that much in one year.
Now I'm under pressure to make at least one more this year (which is, I can safely assume, not going to happen).

St. Nikolaus

December 6th is "Nikolaus" day in Germany. You put your boots out and if you were a good kid during the year, Nikolaus will leave some goodies in them. (Yes, I know it sounds a lot like Santa Claus, this is confusing. But Germans don't have Santa for Christmas, we have the "Christkind" who leaves the presents.)

So Egg got a little gift, too. She loves it. She's been pushing around Erna for the whole afternoon.

Ever once in a while she leans over or squats and talks to her doll, only to get up and going again. It's too cute.

On growing but not outgrowing

Egg has been growing like a weed - at least in my opinion. I mean, in one year she managed to add 30 cm to her height and put on about 8.5 kg of weight. So one would expect that she outgrows her clothes in no time, right?

Well, most she does, some she didn't. I wanted to put some knits away I had made at the beginning of the year and just for fun put them on her once more. And, don't you know it, they still fit without looking outgrown. I know they had been too big when I made them, but I never expected them to kinda grow with her. So if you want to knit for a baby and make sure to get some a lot of use out of what you worked hard on, try one of these (pattern to come soon):

The Tapestry Tee:

January 2009

November 2009

The Velvet Yoke:

February 2009

November 2009

I been busy

With life. You know how it goes.

With knitting. Small things for small people.

With working. Now, that's a lie. Though, it depends on what one calls 'work'. So maybe not.

Here are some of my favourite FO's:

The "Lili Kimono" - I think Egg just looks übercute in it. Two balls of Diakeito Diamusee Fine I had in my stash did the trick. I'm working on the pattern. The sample knitter is already waiting for it. And there will be a vest version, also.


This is the "Shishiza Cardigan" - it was a gift for my nephew's first birthday. It's worked from yarn from my stash.


This scarf is inspired by the "Baktus Scarf" - I modified it and as you can see it looks great as a head scarf also! This one is Malabrigo Worsted. What can I say, it's just the perfect pink.


The "Purpleneck" - Egg can totally grow into this sweater. Lorna's Laces DK Swirl Blackberry. Love it.


And, last but not least and only finished yesterday (sewing on the darn flowers!): "Flower Power". It's also large so Egg can wear it for a long while. (First thing she did was try to pick off the flowers...) It's made from Noro Kureyon Sock yarn. Who else could get away with colour combinations like that??

A very happy 1st!!

Egg turns one today. Seriously. Where does the time go? We've had a wonderful year, she's a delight and the best kid ever as her Daddy likes to point out.

Happy Birthday, my lovely, beautiful daughter!!

Whirligig Shrug

Saturday Egg and I spent the day at the Roxham Woolgathering with some friends. More about that tomorrow. Today it's about the Whirligig Shrug from Interweave Knits Weekend that I finished after we came home from said Woolgathering. I had started it Friday afternoon.

It's a sweet little knit and I didn't think I would like it that much, but I do! And Egg looks really cute in it. I used Reynolds Odyssey, a 100% merino yarn in variegated reds. It took only 86 grams (about 200 yds) for the 12-18 months size, so it is the perfect project for leftovers I dare say. Come to think of it, why not hand spun??

Are you fed up yet with Egg pictures?

Thanks for your good wishes - the toe is on the mend. Today it's already much better!

Egg Vogue

Egg likes to be informed about what goes on in the fashion world.


That's a beautiful coat! That colour would look fabulous on me!


Those gap boys are fer sure goodlookin'.


Ellen's doin' a commercial!


Oh, Manolo, I wish they came in my size!



When she was bored with perusing, she ripped out what she really, really liked:

Yes, it's the Manolo Blahniks.


And the Ugg ad. I'm sure it was the knitted item on every single page (as our friend Todd pointed out, I hadn't realized it before) and not the boots that caught her attention.

More than one year later

Remember last Summer when I was put on bed rest when pregnant? Some of that time was spent in the Hospital, which was no fun at all. While being there Mary and Molly Ann brought me two skeins of Schaefer Anne, which is one of my all time favourite sock yarns. They even brought me a set of dpns to get knitting. Problem was, I didn't feel like knitting socks.

So after looking through some pattern books which Rolf brought me I cast on for what I thought a small cardigan. I had to think of that baby in my belly a lot, after all. It turned out a bit large, I thought Egg might be able to wear it in Spring, but it is only now that it fits. I didn't use the whole skein, and it's quite loosely knit on a 3.5 mm needle. The body is a lace pattern and the sleeves have garter ridges, that can be found in the raglan decreases also.

Here, have look again:

Calling Oma?

Egg never ceases to amaze me. She's not keen on 'talking' on the phone, she'll listen politely for about 5 seconds and then she wants to play with the phone and push buttons. I did not think she grasps the concept, yet.

Imagine my surprise when I found her on her own phone, babbling away and having fun? That was last week.


Every day there's something new she can do, sometimes we have a whole day of discoveries: Friday she stood for about 10 seconds on her own, she climbed stairs (I never showed her how!) and she phoned people all afternoon.

The night from Monday to Tuesday was rough. She woke up at 10 p.m. and just wouldn't go back to sleep, just sit in her bed and talk to herself, play and undress (yes, another thing she can do now!). I could tell she was tired, but she was up and about until 1.30 a.m. Then she fell asleep and stayed that way. I had no idea why until last night when I by chance spotted something white on her gum - she's sprouted a molar!! I never would have known, since except for not wanting to sleep she showed no sign of distress or pain. Haven't I the bestest kid ever??

We're off now to Mommy and Baby knitting - maybe I'll get to knit a couple of stitches, maybe not.

That's my girl!!

Egg 'found' some 3.5 mm circs this morning and I caught her clicking the needles together. Here she is with a bit more kid friendly (well, I'm trying) 8 mm:



Please excuse the bad quality, I'm still figuring out this youtube thing - and the heavy breathing, that would be me...(yikes!)