Mommy Brain

A couple years ago one of my childhood friends was pregnant and kept telling me the reason she was forgetting things or being a space cadet was due to “mommy brain.” I thought she was so full of it. I mean really, what the heck. Just because you are pregnant you lose the ability to think? Yeah, sure. Oh, and mommy brain continues even after you have the baby? Uh huh. Right.

Ok, now that I’ve been through my own pregnancy I realize how wrong I was. I swear I was getting stupider every week of my pregnancy. A couple months in I resorted to using Nintendo DS’s Brain Age to stimulate my mind a little. I wasn’t able to read, knit, remember anything. Yikes! So, I thought once Cori arrived I would be back to my old self. Well, apparently the mix of hormones and sleep deprivation causes a woman to continue on her path of spaciness. At least some of the time.

I wasn’t going to admit to my most recent (and frankly embarrassing) mommy brain screw up, but if you can’t blog about it, will one ever truly learn? I was all happy to be finishing the first sock on my second pair of socks for the Summer of Socks. It’s just a simple stockinette pair, toe-up, with a peasant heel. I usually knit both tubes of sock and then go back to add the heels when I’m done. Well, I was getting the first sock ready for its photo shoot with the first Zombie sock when I noticed something was horribly wrong. I saved the heel stitches off center from the toe. This means unless my heel magically migrates to the side of my ankle, this sock will not work.

I’m going to drink some coffee and then rip back to the heel. I feel really stupid. I don’t make mistakes like this…I’m blaming it on mommy brain.

Happy 4th of July!

A surprise and a zombie

Saturday I went out to get the mail and was surprised to see a package from my friend Jen. I opened it up immediately and was thrilled to find a skein of Socks that Rock in the much coveted colorway, Dragon Dance! In addition, there was a lovely note from Jen, two ballband dishclothes (perfect for baby goo!), and a Hello Kitty thermometer. Wow! Thank you so much, Jen!

There has been knitting going on too. In spite of the 100 degree days we had this weekend I spent some time working with my wooly Zombie sock. I am happy to report I finished the first one and I still remember how to kitchener stitch (it had been a while…). I absolutely love this sock! The yarn and pattern are just perfect. Now I know what all the fuss is about when it comes to Wollmeise. It isn’t just the fantastic colors, the yarn itself is a dream to knit with. Kind of like a more substantial Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock.

I am hoping to finish the pair of Zombies in time to make the first two week cut-off for the Summer of Socks 2008 drawing. Wish me luck!

Summer of Socks 2008

Summer of Socks 2008 officially began this past Saturday. For those of you who don’t know, Summer of Socks (SOS) is a summer long knit-along for socks to celebrate summer while preparing for winter. The festivities include prizes for different sock events like most socks knitted or random drawings for completed socks in two week periods. I will not even be trying for most socks knitted, but I am going to try to complete at least one pair every two weeks to go in for those prize drawings. I spent Friday winding the yarn I plan on knitting for SOS (Pictured above. From the left, clockwise: Socks that Rock (STR) Torridon, Yarn Chef Minestrone In the Pond, STR Foo Foo, Lorna’s Laces Simply Socks, STR Little Bunny Foo Foo, sKnitches Rugby, Wollmeise Poison Nr. 5 dunkel).

I cast on for two different pairs on Saturday. My first pair is my concentration pair. These are the socks that take a little bit more focus. I chose the Zombie pattern and my Wollmeise Poison Nr. 5 dunkel. I hadn’t knit with Wollmeise before, but now I know what all the fuss is about. Wow! What a nice spin and stitch definition! I knew I had to pick a dark yarn for these socks (who ever heard of a light happy Zombie?) and I am so glad the yarn and pattern are working so well together. The only drawback to this pairing is that I cannot work on these at night. I do not have a lamp close by in the living room and my eyes just can’t cope with the little black stitches in low light.

The second pair of socks I cast on for on Saturday are a plain vanilla sock using another first time yarn, sKnitches Syncopation in the Rugby color. Another winner! This yarn has a nice texture and the colors are so much fun. I love doing simple toe-up socks with self-striping yarn. It’s perfect knitting for while watching TV or chatting at knitting group.

I started these socks using my new Knit Picks Harmony double point needles, but after a little while I had to switch out to the Knit Picks nickel plated double points. I really do not like the points on the Harmony needles. Bummer. I bought the whole set of sock needles as I had heard good things, but I don’t know if I’ll ever use them. I think they will end up on my destash page on Ravelry. Oh well.

Anyone else joining in the Summer of Socks?

Little Knit

Baby Shrug

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Pattern: Baby Shrug by Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Prosperous Purple

Needles: US size 6 (4.0 mm)

Start Date: May 6, 2008

End Date: June 5, 2008

Comments: I absolutely love this little shrug! I had made the Fiery Bolero a few years ago for myself and it is practically the same pattern. It’s knit all in one piece then you just pick up to do the edging and sew the side and arm seams. Easy! I used Cotton Fleece so that it wasn’t too warm, but would be warm enough to put on over some of her summery clothes that Cori fits now, but it’s too chilly to wear alone. I think she’s pretty happy with the results.

I am finally finishing up some socks I started back in July of last year. I hope to get them off the needles asap so that I’m ready to start the Summer of Socks 2008 starting Saturday. My goal is to knit a pair of socks every two weeks this summer, but we’ll see if Cori cooperates. (Anyone remember when I knit 5 pairs in one month? Ahh, pre-baby knitting time…)

In non-knitting news, I am feeling much more myself after all the post-baby complications. We took a nice day trip to the Columbia River Gorge on Saturday and saw a lot of the waterfalls. Wrigley came too and was such an attention getter. Everyone kept stopping to pet him. He was in heaven!

A New Mom Finds Time to Knit Lace!

Lace Ribbon Scarf

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Pattern: Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Mediumweight in Bella Coola

Needles: Addi Lace size 3 (3.25 mm)

Start Date: May 19, 2008

End Date: June 1, 2008

Comments: I did it! I found time to knit a lace scarf while caring for my newborn baby. Yay! I was a bit skeptical when I signed up for the Lace Ribbon Scarf Knitalong (hosted by Allison of Simply Sock Yarn Co.). I wasn’t too sure that I would be able to find time and concentrate on a lace project. Thankfully, Cori began to sleep more during this period of time and my brain has started to function again. I had a great time knitting this pattern. I normally think of myself as a lazy knitter. I don’t like to have to do to much pattern as it takes focus and energy. This pattern is the perfect amount of commitment. I memorized it after the first repeat and then it just became a rhythm. (I highly recommend putting stitch markers between each repeat).

The finished scarf, blocked, is 70 inches long, 7 inches wide, and 16 pattern repeats. As I am right around 5′9″ and I like longer scarves, this scarf will be a gift for a shorter person in my life. I only had the one skein of Socks that Rock in Bella Coola so this was the maximum length I could get out of one skein of mediumweight. I had cast on 44 (one repeat less than the pattern indicates) to make a slightly more narrow scarf and to stretch the yardage I had. Overall, I am very happy with this project and I think I may actually make it again though I always say that, don’t I?

Gratuitous baby photo.

And the winner is…

And the randomly selected winner of two skeins of Panda Cotton is:

Kelli of Knitterbunny!

Thank you everyone for your sock pattern suggestions. Surprisingly there was very little overlap and a number of them were unknown to me. Here’s a rundown of everyone’s favorites (pattern links are to the Ravelry page):

Kelli of KnitterBunny loves the Uzume pattern from Monkeytoes, but she likes Marilinda by Cookie A. for a challenge (and that one is going in my queue for sure).

Zarah of Zarahwithahook likes the So Square Sock by Anne Hanson.

Deb from rather-be suggests the Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt.

Allison from Simply Socks Yarn Co. also likes Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt and in addition recommends Hedera by Cookie A.

Emily of MLE Knits just discovered a new favorite, Nutkin by Beth LaPensee.

Blogless Leslie always enjoys the Broadripple pattern by Rob Matyska (That was one of my very first socks!).

Liz of Sisyphus Knits let me know about Ridges and Ribs by Criminy Jickets. I have a feeling this will become one of my favorites too!

Suzanne from 4theloveof is enjoying the anklet pattern featured in the May 2008 issue of Creative Knitting Magazine (page 51).

Blogless Shayla thinks Clessidra by Gabriella Chiarenza is a gorgeous pattern and I agree (though the name of the pattern sounds a tad bit like something you don’t want to catch). Shayla also recommends the Mata Hari pattern by Craftoholic.

Blogless Janet enjoys plain ol’ stockinette socks (I have a soft spot for them too).

Drin likes to knit the Merino Lace socks from Interweave’s Favorite Socks book and she also enjoys the Tyrolean stockings pattern from Interweave Knits, fall 2007.

Blogless Colleen also likes to knit the Merino Lace Socks from Favorite Socks.

Blogless Debbie hasn’t yet gotten the hang of socks, but she says that the first pair she gets right will be her favorite.

Tamara says she has knit socks, but just doesn’t love it. She does however collect sock yarn (that’s how it starts!).

Blogless Kim is another fan of the plain stockinette socks, but she likes to add a picot cuff (cute!).

Susiequeue thinks that Wendy’s Cabletini socks are comfy and a perfect fit.

Thank you everyone for playing along!

With a little help…

*3rd Blogiversary Contest at the end of this post!*

Yesterday afternoon while Matt and I caught up on the last few episodes of Lost I came to the end of the skein. After casting on 44 and knitting 16 repeats my Lace Ribbon Scarf was as long as it was going to be - 58 inches. Well, that was before it took a bath today. It hasn’t dried yet, so no pretty modeled photos, but just from pinning it out I think it is going to be at least a foot longer. All through the magic of blocking (and help from my cat, Nemo, of course).

In other knitting news, I have joined a couple sock clubs, but I have also resisted buying lots of other various yarns so it all evens out, right? I made it into the first ever Vesper Sock Yarn Club as well as the Toes-n-Heels Club at Simply Socks Yarn. (Both clubs are now closed). I’m very excited to be in both clubs. Did anyone else join up?

Simply Socks Yarn is also having a little contest. Just go to this blog post and read all about it. The prize is self-striping sKnitches sock yarn! Plus, you can check out the exclusive Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock color that she just got to celebrate the store’s 3rd Anniversary.

YOWZA! I just realized today is my 3rd blogiversary! Wow, time flies! I am seriously shocked I’ve kept up with this blog that long. I know I’ve never kept any sort of other journal for longer than a few months. Well, to thank all of my readers, especially those that stuck through the random postings during my pregnancy, I think I should have a contest…Hmmm…let’s see…last year I asked everyone what his/her favorite book is, but this year I think I will instead ask for your favorite sock pattern (and if you don’t knit socks, tell me why!).

All you need to do is leave me a comment with the the name of your favorite sock pattern and where I can find it. If you aren’t a sock knitter, tell me why! You have until midnight pacific time on Sunday, June 8th to leave a comment. The winner will be selected randomly and will win 2 skeins of Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Cotton in Blueberries and Grapes, perfect for summer sock knitting.

On Monday, June 9th, I will announce the winner!

Yarn Torture

Even though I have a newborn…

And even though I’m only halfway through my Lace Ribbon Scarf…

And even though I have yet to finish up a little baby shrug I started weeks ago…

I cast on for some socks.

And these just aren’t any socks. These are the first socks I am making using the 2-at-a-time magic loop method (found in the 2-at-a-Time Socks book). Since these are my first attempts I decided to use two different colors and, if all goes well, I’ll make the other two shortly after finishing these. (The yarn is JoJoland Melody, a gift from Tamara).

During the first row I wanted to give up. I felt like this technique was unwieldy, slow, and bordering on yarn torture. I hated it. After 2 rounds I got into the rhythm and the yarns became much easier to keep separate. After a few more rows I’m almost enjoying myself. I do think that I spend almost as much time adjusting the cable as I do actually knitting, but I’m hoping that with time and experience that won’t be the case. We’ll see…

And here’s my sweetie (11 weeks old tomorrow!):

Spring Cleaning

As I had a bit of baby free time this weekend thanks to Matt being home I took this opportunity to sort through and organize all my knitting needles and knitting accouterments. First of all, until I rounded up all my dpns I had no idea I had so many. Why on earth do I have 8 pairs of 2.5 mm (US 1.5) dpns? I think I keep buying them since I stash them away in different bags and can’t ever find them when I want them. Enter the Lexie Barnes Dottie DPN/Crochet Hook wallet. I couldn’t resist and I am now eagerly awaiting the arrival of my diablo Dottie. I’ll post pictures of the inside as soon as I have it in my hot little hands.

Next up, I was trying to figure out what to do with my umpteen million stitchmarkers when I stumbled across an organization thread on Ravelry. Someone suggested using a split ring to hold all the stitchmarkers. Brilliant! So off I went to JoAnn’s (though I’m sure they are cheaper at the hardware store, but I don’t know where the hardware store is in Hillsboro). I found them in the embroidery floss section and an hour later I had wrangled all of my random stitcchmarkers onto 4 easy to manage rings. Hooray!

While at JoAnn’s I found the cutest little project bag and I just had to get it. It’s perfect for holding a pair of socks in progress or my Lace Ribbon Scarf. How could I say no? (I’m in the Ravelry Lace Ribbon Scarf KAL and I’m actually getting some knitting done! I’m using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock mediumweight in Bella Coola and I think it is turning out really well).

I’ve also been working on organizing my yarn stash, but that is a bigger project that will take a bit longer than a 3-day weekend.

Things are going well with baby Cori. Matt and I are getting into a routine with her and everyday it is fun to see how she changes. She’s beginning to smile more and she has really taken an interest in the world around her now.

For now, I am going to try to keep up with blogging, but it just will be a bit more intermittent than it used to be. Thank you everyone for your comments about Cori and my blogging. Please feel free to check out my Ravelry page as I tend to update that more frequently.

Tagged Again!

6 weird things about me
I was tagged by Angela, the force behind A Swell Yarn Store and the fab Duet Sock Yarn.
The rules are:
*Link to the person that tagged you.
*Post the rules on your blog.
*Share six weird things/habits/quirks about yourself.
*Tag six others. And let them know they’ve been tagged!

1) I dissect pretty much all candy as I eat it, e.g., to eat a KitKat I first eat the chocolate off and then each wafer.

2) I have to finish a chapter in a book before I stop reading for the night.

3) I have a pattern picked out for every sock yarn in my out of control sock yarn stash.

4) I make up little songs while I cook about what I’m cooking.

5) I love to dance like the gopher from Caddyshack.

6) I hate to tell people when it is my birthday, but then I feel sad when people don’t say “Happy Birthday.”

I tag:

Kim

Jen

Claire

Lynae

Liz

Emily