I have been going through my wishlist of projects I would love to get done for baby bean’s arrival. With just 6 weeks to go I thought I better narrow it down to the projects I really need to get done. Somehow I had totally forgotten that newborns born at home need a hat to keep their little heads warm since that is usually provided by the hospital for the first day and we are hoping to replace “the hospital” this time with a home birth.
I dug through pages on Ravelry to find a hat that looked like I could knit but would still not be so easy that there would be a seam. I can crochet almost anything but this year I have decided to devote myself to knitting and oh goodness, how I love it but it is so much harder for me and anything that has a new stitch in it sends me running. I decided to use some Cascade super sport yarn that I got on my trip to Purl Soho. How I love this yarn, it is sooo soft and I am so glad I never used it until now. I can’t think of a better project I would have used it for.
I also recalled all of my babies scratching their little faces up terribly during the hospital stay so I figured I better include some mittens. I went with this pattern. I jumped in with both feet only to find the beginning stitch was a new one to me and soooo scary. As scary as learning to knit with double pointed’s which is now one of my favorite ways to work in the round. I sat in bed next to Poppa (who was watching the Olympics) with a youtube video playing, this one, and I must have sounded pretty frustrated as I ripped out yarn and started over and over. At one point Poppa turns to me, though this whole time I am thinking he is so into what he is watching that he is completely ambivalent to my plight, and says “Trish, just keep trying, you know you’ll get it”. OK Poppa, you are right, I need to calm down and I will get it!
I am happy to say that I can now include the Turkish cast on to my repertoire of knitting stitches though I am far from mastering it. I think if the cable between my needles was a bit longer it would be a bit easier to keep the front half stitches from sliding over the cable and joining the back half. I may still transfer my stitches over to dpn’s at this point but at least I know how to do it now. I always wondered how socks that are worked from the toe down did not have a seam and now… I know!! Happy, happy and I should say that I wouldn’t be brave enough to keep learning new stitches without the inspiration I get from so many of you.
The next day, Poppa invited me to spend the day with him and then dinner for a date night since Alexandra has the day off and could take care of things at home. He told me we would have to spend some time at one of the restaurants in his district while he did interviews there so I brought my little project. As I sat there in that restaurant booth with a belly that hardly fits anymore, over a half dozen people came over to my booth to see what I was making. Elderly men came to tell me of how their mothers knitted with smiles on their face. Women with children came over to inquire as to what I was doing with yarn and needles. Many comments such as “I could never do that” and “how sweet, no one does that anymore” oh and “you are so lucky, your grandmother must have taught you”.
I mostly responded with a smile and a thank you, except for all the “wow you must be ready to pop” remarks. But what I wanted to say was that I was not taught by a grandmother (mine was a crocheter) no I learned through the internet and you can too! and I wanted to tell them that lots of people are making things themselves and they are not all elderly!!! I guess I was mostly surprised that I got that much attention from the simple and silent act of knitting of public.
One last thing I wanted to share..well kind of. There is something big happening in my family and I have been keeping it from you all for about a year now. It’s obviously not a baby since you all know about that. Won’t you join me tomorrow for the Stash Bash to find out and I would love to see what projects you have made this week from your stash of craft stuff. Hope to see you then.
I am playing along again this week with Nicole and Ginny. Hop over to their sites to get your fill of yarn and craft love.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or follow me by email at the top right hand of the screen to have future posts sent to you. Tricia (Crunchy Catholic Momma)
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