The romper, finished at last

As if the romper was the most important thing that happened this weekend.

As you can see, even more important was the party we had for Alex, for his first birthday! It is pretty amazing, look at him, he is so big and healthy. And he has such a great smile.

The party was wonderful. So many people who've been watching Alex's growth and supporting his parents were in attendence. (for an exhaustive description of Alex's birth and illnesses and surguries, etc., see www.thenortonzoo.com and then click on "weblog for baby boy Norton".) The food was awesome. The cake was great. And the babies were cuddly. What else could I want at a party?

So. Back to the romper. I started it back in May with some random yarn I had in my stash--Classic Elite Provence, 100% Mercerized Cotton. Don't ask me how it washes up--I skipped that crucial part of the process. I am ashamed to say I didn't wash my gauge swatch. The pattern was a free one off the "Lion Brand" website, and my gauge was a bit small--I think I got 6 stitches to the inch when the pattern called for 5.5--but I didn't like the drape of the fabric on the larger needles, too holey, so I knit the largest size on the pattern, but in measuring the length I went with the medium-sized measurements. I think that guesstimation worked out all right this time. I also adjusted the pattern a bit, because after I spent some time with the baby I realized that he really needed snaps in the crotch, with the diaper-changing and feeding through the g-tube and changing clothes and all. So rather than sew up the seams the way the pattern said to do, I picked up lots of stitches in the crotch and essentially added two button bands there. Oh, and another adaptation I made was to put snaps on the button bands rather than put in buttons and buttonholes. But I'm a bit worried the snaps won't stay sewed on.

I've got lots of other worries about this romper. For example, I was afraid that by the time I finished it, he would be too big to wear it. But you can see by the picture that its taller than he is. So even though we didn't put it on him, it seems pretty safe to say that he should be able to wear it, at least for a few months. That's if his parents can bring themselves to put it on him. It may be too wild to wear. A couple of people have suggested that I knit a clown hat to match the suit, so that at the very least Alex can wear it as a Halloween costume.

Other worries: I don't know how its going to wash up. (I didn't have time to wash and block it myself--I was literally finishing it at the birthday party.) I don't know, it might fall apart, or all those lovely colors might run together. I guess we'll see. Kari probably won't ever tell me if something disastrous happens--she can guess how much time went into the knitting. So I'll never know, one way or the other, what happens. But it doesn't really matter, does it? Its the process of knitting, the love for Alex I poured into the romper, that is what really matters. The thing itself is secondary. Though I do hope Dan and Kari get some use out of it.

Alex seemed to like the romper. I handed it to him and he started playing peek-a-boo with it. That's my boy! Its always good to play with your clothes.

Practicing safe socks

Took this picture of Terrill a few weeks later, when we were all in Michigan together at Bill's ancestral cabin on Lake Michigan. For those of you who have never met Terrill, she is Bill's son Ryan's fiancee. Got that? Ryan (Bill's son) and Terrill are going to get married to each other next year.

I made the pink and orange socks Terrill is wearing of Lana Grossa Cool Wool Merino 2000. Really a nice yarn for socks, though its not technically a "sock yarn", so very very soft. It would be lovely for baby sweaters, its so warm and soft and luxurious. The needles I used were size 3, which feel monstrously big in my hands now that the socks I am presently working on are size 1. Terrill's socks came out beautifully, though a bit small for a big-footed person like myself. (I didn't do a gauge swatch. See how important it is to do a gauge swatch?) So I gave the socks to small-footed Terrill. And I think she liked them, and it makes me happy to know that they are going to a good home.

I taught Terrill how to knit in Michigan, and she picked it up quickly. She's one of those types who understands immediately how knitting works, a scientific knitter-type. My sister-in-law, Kari, is another one who picked up the concepts of knitting right away. In both their cases, they were immediately knitting beautiful, smooth, even, mistake-free rows. They took to it effortlessly, and seemed almost disappointed by how easy it was for them. They don't understand how the rest of us struggled.

Ryan is apparently learning to knit but I have never seen him do it. He is one of those SECRETIVE knitters. He certainly wasn't going to bring his project along where his father could watch him and tease him. But someday I hope to post a picture of all of us knitting away happily together.

What I did on my summer vacation

Well, this picture pretty much says it all.



I'm sitting on the futon couch in our cabin in Maine, eating pie, drinking coffee, reading a Harper's Magazine and knitting on Alex's romper, which is almost finished. Aren't those colors great? Next to me is a shopping bag from the new yarn store that opened up in Readfield, only about two miles from our cabin. Can you believe the luck? Of all the places a yarn store could have landed, it had to land in the middle of nowhere, Readfield ME, within walking distance of two of the most fanatical knitters I know: my mother and myself.

Maranacook yarns--that's the name of the yarn store--keeps funny hours. Only Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3-7 PM. And yet somehow I figured out how to sneak over there three times during my short vacation, and I bought something each time.

Add to that the nearness of Water Street Yarns in Hallowell, ME. Which has an amazing selection of yarns and the delightful owner and teacher-in-residence, the beforementioned Libby. I went there three times and bought piles and piles of yarn, I am ashamed to admit.

And...when we were in Michigan, I found another great yarn store, Nautical Yarn, in Ludington. Can you believe it? Because it felt to me like a dream come true. There is not much else in Ludington. But there is a top-notch yarn store, large and well-stocked with anything you could possibly need. I bought some sock yarn there, some lovely Merino wool and the Sockotta mentioned below. The Yarn Harlot calls sock yarn Methadone for knitters. Its really true. Buying sock yarn means that one can go into a store and buy only one or two balls of yarn. And yet somehow I found myself buying SIX balls of sock yarn at Nautical Yarns...Methadone is still a drug, people!

Because of all this purchasing this summer, I now announce that I am going on a yarn-buying fast, which I am not going to break until after Easter of 2006. Really, I am not depriving myself. I have enough yarn to carry me through 2008. I just need to keep reminding myself of this sorry fact, whenever I feel weak and start lurking around on Ebay, looking for good deals.

Back in Maine

It feels like I've been all over the world on this endless vacation I took from my job. Now, if I were a good blogger, I would have blogged from every corner, notating every little knitting enterprise, for all the hundreds of people who look daily at my blog. Or at least I would have blogged how sorry and disappointed in myself I am for not blogged (this seems to be the most common feeling people express on their blogs). But I haven't even done that.

I have been knitting. Lots and lots. I keep plugging away at my numerous projects. I would like to post pictures but I don't have a handy camera. Someday soon (when I get home) I will have to post a flood of pictures.

I'm nearly done with the romper for Alex. Only a bit of one sleeve left to finish, then a few more snaps on the front, and then tacking down the collar with a bit of thread to keep it from flying up. I've been spending the past couple days with the baby who will receive the romper, and I hope he will like it. Red seems to be his favorite color, and there is quite a lot of red and other primary colors which I hope will delight him (for the two days he's able to wear it before he grows out of it--sigh--).

The mysterious bag has now--all of a sudden--become a mysterious sweater. Here's how it all started: I bought this pile of Artful Yarns Cartoon at a yarn shop in Middletown NJ that was having a clearance sale. It was so cheap--something like $4 a skein--that I couldn't resist it. I was thinking I would make a bag out of it, and then full it (it wouldn't completely felt because it has some rayon content) to make it stronger. This was the project I soon decided to use for my left-hand knitting practice.

When I was in Maine a few weeks ago I went over to Water Street Yarns in Hallowell and made instant friends with the owner there--the lovely lady Libby--and asked her to teach me to knit Continental-style. I managed to pick it up pretty quick, but I still find that I can only do it if I am using a stretchy wool yarn (cotton isn't forgiving enough). I practiced the new technique on my Cartoon bag.

But while I was thinking fulled bag, fulled bag, as I knit, this other thought kept running through my heart...the bag would so nicely fit around my waist, what if I were to make it into a sweater instead? So after thinking about this for a long while, I finally decided to make the change. The mystery bag has now become a mystery sweater. I would so like to show you how it is looking--coming together really very well--but again, no pictures. You'll just have to wait and see.

Finished the pink and orange socks, and gave them to Terrill, Ryan's fiance, who (with her petite feet) looks much nicer in them than I would have. Those were knit out of Lana Grossa cool wool (Merino--delicious, so soft). Some day I'll post a picture of Terrill in the socks.

Nearly finished with Bill's stole, which needs only fringe.

And working on another pair of socks out of Sockotta, a wool and cotton blend--using, God help me, size 1 needles (the SMALLEST needles I've ever used), a sort of pink and orange and purple yarn which self-stripes. I'll finish them maybe by 2009.

And also working on a beautiful cotton baby blanket using Blue Sky cotton in this purply gray color to give to my friend Karen, who is, surprise surprise, have a baby. I can't wait to knit her about six more baby things.