Kidsilk stole & wee stocking
Hi guys! Time is really going by fast these days. I am 31 weeks pregnant today and the baby is officially “allowed” to come anytime after 37 weeks. That means I only have 6 weeks left to get ready!! Ahhh! I’m nowhere near ready, but I am glad that time is going by quickly because this pregnancy thing is killing me! I haven’t had more than 3-4 hours of sleep a night in over a month and my back and hips are so sore and throbby and it’s getting harder to be active. These days, the baby is into hosting all-day/all-night dance parties which is great because it means it’s doing well, but I swear it feels like it’s punching me in the lungs most of the time, leaving me really short of breath…but enough whining, onto the good stuff! We got the crib and dresser for the baby’s room a couple weeks ago so I am just starting to decorate it now. As soon as it’s done I’ll take some pics. I think doing the nursery has to be the most fun part of this whole process.
Also, I finally have a couple finished items to show!
Pattern: Kidsilk Haze Wrap, found on Cheeky Attitude
Yarn: 1.5 balls of Rowan Kidsilk Spray (70% super kid mohair, 30% silk) color: Vino
Needles: US 10.5 Denise
I knit this for my friend Betsey who’s making some artwork for the baby’s room. The pattern is super easy and I am pleased with the results, but I friggin’ hated EVERY SECOND of knitting with this horrible, slippery, fuzzy, fine yarn. Kidsilk spray is the varigated version of Kidsilk Haze. I know a ton of knitters love this stuff, but I am not among them. I will never use this stuff again. Plus I think I am allergic to mohair because my eyes were itchy and I was sneezy the whole time I was working with it. The finished fabric is lovely (even though I couldn’t wear it) so I am glad I stuck it out, but yeah, wouldn’t work with it again. Anyway, I hope she likes it!
Secondly, I joined Amy’s Christmas ornament swap. Everyone in the swap is making 5 ornaments and you get 5 in return. I decided to knit the teeny stocking ornaments from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and here is the first one. These only take about an hour and a half each to knit, so I hope to get the rest of them done tonight! They are a really satisfying little project and I think the teeniness makes them extra cute! It’s just about 2″ big. I am using Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool (I absolutely LOVE working with this yarn…) and KnitPicks size 1 circs. This pattern also uses a short-row heel which I had never done before but I am glad I did because now I know how to adapt this to full-size socks! No more picking up gusset stitches, whee!
As soon as I am done with the rest of these, I need to get cracking on my Christmas knitting! Only a month left! Ack! I also signed up for my first knit-along “A Cardigan For Arwen” from the latest Interweave Knits. I ordered my yarn (Cascade 220 Superwash in a pretty orange color, currently on-sale at Little Knits!) I won’t be able to start it until after ai am done with Christmas and baby knitting, but hopefully I can get started on it sometime in January or February. It’s an ambitious project for me, but I really, really love the sweater and with a name like that, there’s no way I could have not knitted it. The shape seems fairly simple, so I think the cabling will be the main challenge, having never experimented with them before. We’ll see! Thanks to Jody for hosting the knit-along!
Anyway, back to work for me. I hope everyone who celebrates it has an awesome Thanksgiving tomorrow!
The wrap IS beautiful, but I totally agree with your re: Kindsilk Haze (night, spray, whatever). Between the sneezing and the slipperiness, no thanks.
The little stocking is adorable–I made a bunch of them a few years ago for my family, and everyone loved them!
Any sort of mohair makes me sneeze like crazy. I’m with you, I hate the stuff.
But the problem is, look how nice the finished piece is! Go figure.
teeny stocking! that is just too cute.
for the arwen sweater, it will probably help if you do some cable practice swatches before you start the sweater. that way it will be less painful if you have to rip something out
I’m sorry yor baby is giving you fits. Don’t worry, it will be worth it in the end, so hang in there!
The shawl is gorgous and I will make a mental note not to knit with that yarn. I’m not a huge mohair faan anyway. The little stocking is adorable! I ought to try one before attempting full size socks.
I can’t wait to see your Cardigan for Arwen. It is such a pretty sweater.
It may not have been fun to knit with, but the kidsilk wrap looks beautiful. Love the stocking too.
Happy Thanksgiving to you down there. (We filled up on our turkey last month up here)
You waiting on Arwen to see what shape the body takes after the big baby thing?
That’s a nice sweater, though– I cast on for the Nantucket Jacket last night, but Arwen would have to be my second choice.
That wrap is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! You are so skilled… I just love it.
I’m with you on the Kid Silk. Evil stuff. Only 6 weeks though! Wow! Hope everything’s going snazzy.
Oh, I love that wrap! I have a load of kidsilk haze I bought to make the cowl and cami from Weekend Knitting or LMKG (Can’t remember which), but getting gauge in that stuff in lace makes me want to poke my eyes out with the needles- I’ll be making that wrap, me thinks!! Lovely job. Hang in there for the baby olympics happening inside at the moment!
Bertha, the wee stocking is TOO CUTE! And the wrap is gorgeous, there’s no way she won’t like it. The baby house party is a workout isn’t it? Just wait though, the first breath you take after the baby delivers will be the best breath youever take and if you’re having heartburn, it goes away instantly. Plus you have that sweet baby right in your arms!
Bertha!!! I got one of these sweet, sweet stockings in the mail yesterday from Amy’s swap and I just wanted to thank you! It is the most adorable thing I’ve seen! I just keep looking at it in awe…it’s perfect
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