Oh my

I really am bad at this updating thing, aren't I? At least I can console myself with the knowledge that the reason for my distraction is baby preparation. In that vein, I'm pleased to announce that the nursery is at least one coat of paint closer to being complete. The green is on the walls, and I love it and am rather proud for having mixed it myself. I just need to put a little blue on the trim around the closets, and call it a day. Other than that, the footing is the only thing upstairs that still needs a coat of paint (didn't know the boys were coming to install it, or I would have painted it before it went down) and I can't physically crawl around on my hands and knees to do it right now. So until there's a little baby around to make things a little more difficult, the footing stays three different colors and I've decided to be alright with it. I've also taken apart all the hand-me-down baby stuff to wash it all, so the carrier and co-sleeper have both been cleaned up to my standards. Woot!

As far as the knitting is concerned, the little trousers I was so excited about last post? Frogged less than 24 hours into the project. After an hour or two of plucking slowly along with tiny yarn on tiny needles, I was already at the point where I was having to pep-talk myself over the perceived lack of progress---it just wasn't going anywhere fast, but I was willing to keep at it if only to try and make the super-cute mental image in my head an eventual reality.

That was up until the point where I realized with horror that I'd twisted the stitches. Fits of rage and frustration ensued (after at least two more rounds of "Maybe not! Maybe I just have the stitches squished funny!"), I ripped the whole thing back, and threw that tiny yarn back into the bin. At some point I'll fish it back out and probably try again, almost definitely holding the yarn double so it doesn't seem like such a fruitless endeavor (I like noticeable progress after hours of work, so sue me!) but for now I'm happy with other things...not including the substitute trouser-jumper things I've almost made out of horrible chunky acrylic. Worst. Yarn. Ever.

Between weaving in the ends of the baby moderne blanket (crochet edge worked out fine, and there's only two or three inches towards one corner where it's slightly less wide than the rest as I ran out of blue yarn) I whipped out a ridiculously cute little top-down hat, complete with a Techknitter TKIO boing at the top. Inspired, I also dove into my Ravelry favorites to go through the baby things I'd marked but done nothing with, and busted out a pair of Stay-Put Baby Booties. While the first one took a little bit longer than I'd like to admit, since it took me a while to figure out the best way to pick up from the sole (I was multitasking, damnit), once it was done I was able to fly through the second without even looking at the pattern. Amazing little moon-booties, and I'm not ashamed to say I'm more than tempted to make them in grown-up sizes. I can think of at least two people who might appreciate ridiculous moon shoe slippers, and I really did enjoy whipping those suckers out once the pattern clicked in my head.

Other things are afoot (hah) before that happens, however. The first of many yule stockings is nearing completion, Lauren's to be precise, and I had another one of those intensely gratifying "Aha!" moments when the theory of the Afterthought Heel snapped into focus. We're at the home stretch and I have to say, for my second fair isle project it's looking pretty darn snazzy. I can't wait until Harlan wakes up and I can ask him to figure out how to get the battery out of the camera so I can charge it and take pictures...and then ask him to figure out how to get them up on here.

What else is on the plate at this time...I have a big skein of camo-colored yarn to do a hat for Mom's school roommate that I think is really ugly, but hey. It's not going on my head, right? Elden also picked up some yarn for a pair of fingerless mitts, and I have a couple ideas for cabling to jazz up the charcoal. Boring color palette, but I'm hoping I'll be able to keep it interesting. He likes owls a lot, so I'm probably going to try and work the owl cable into it some how. Maybe do one with owls, the other like a tree-? Try and do the owl IN a tree? It needs more thinking, but there's hope that it won't be the most tedious, boring project ever.

Other than that...after throwing some baby stuff in a bag to take to the hospital, I'm filled yet again with an overwhelming urge to knit up a bunting. We have several of the little sack-shirt things, but they're all pretty light cotton. Good for general use, not so much for going outside in the cold. I might just have to set aside my aversion for man-made fibers and hit the stash for some of the gifted skeins of machine-washable acrylic, because I don't have the money to go find more superwash. It's looking like all other promised projects are going to get shuffled aside--again--while I frantically kick out another baby item. I figure acrylic for what's essentially going to be an outerwear kind of piece isn't too bad...not like a sweater or something where he's going to be in it all the time and be sweltered by it....See me trying to convince myself? It's going to happen regardless, but I still need to talk myself up to it. Another reason for Harlan to get up--my trunk-o-yarn is upstairs and there's no way for me to get at it quietly. Rats.