Andy hates my knitting.

andy cries moreSince my last post, I started knitting a sweater for Andrew. All the while, I’m hoping it fits because the last 3 were outgrown very quickly and/or never fit (just 1; it was sad when I realized it). Today, I’m moving some stuff around and I happen upon the Noro BSJ (Baby Surprise Jacket, an Elizabeth Zimmermann pattern) I made almost a year ago. I made it in the summer and thought it would be perfect for Andrew’s first winter. Little did I know, my child would continue his monstrous growth spurts well into his first year. By the time winter came along, he was practically outgrowing his 18 month clothes (at 7 months!!). I put the sweater on him a maximum of 3 times and could barely get the buttons closed. When I picked it up, this afternoon, I immediately wanted to try it on him. He wasn’t in the best mood (tired as a result of waking up early from his nap), but I really wanted to see it in action one last time. And what do ya know, the sucker fit!

bsj closeupLike, perfectly fit. The sleeves are supposed to be short (I chose not to pick up the sleeve stitches to lengthen them). The buttons don’t look too stressed and only the bottom one pops open when he sits. Fabulous, huh? The only problem is he pretty much cried the entire time he wore it. Apparently, he HATES long sleeves! He kept tugging at them. He was also tired, so the tears were my fault. Next time I’ll be sure to have some treat for him while he has to endure wearing my hideous sweaters. I hope that since he’s walking (and climbing, and trying his darndest to run), he’ll slim down even further by the time cold weather approaches and will still fit into this. It’s so cute! I love this Noro Kureyon colorway. I made a top-down bonnet from it for my cousin’s first baby “back in the day.” I think it’ll always be my favorite.

365.216: cablesMoving on, let’s talk about the NEW sweater I’m working on. I decided to go with the Offset Wraplan (ravelery link). Instead of applique-ing something to the front, I decided to insert a cable pattern. I really loved the one on Knitty’s Trellis, so I used that. It looks pretty neat, so far. I took this photo yesterday, and today I’ve already reached a bit past the sleeve split. The reason so much work has been getting done on this is that I’ve been knitting past my bedtime. Instead of going to sleep when a normal (i.e. sane) mother-of-two would, I’ve been going to bed around 2am. I feel like a zombie most mornings, but the sluggishness is nothing my b-complex can’t take care of.

BSJ finally done!

norobsjgarden

As many of you know, southeast Texas just got hit by a hurricane. I live in Houston, so my family and I “hunkered down” at my aunt’s house. Power went out before midnight, Friday evening, and isn’t predicted to come back on until after next Monday. That’s going to be a whole 10 days and 11 nights without power. They actually said it may be later, so who knows. Fortunately, my mother-in-law got her power back on Sunday afternoon. We’ve been here since Sunday evening. The boys and I only had to spend 2 nights in hot sticky weather. We are so thankful! My heart goes out to all those who lost their homes and/or loved ones as a result of the storm. Everyone in this area–be well!

Anywho…I brought 2 projects with me for hurricane fun. I sewed the buttons on the BSJ the first night. The next day, when the power was out, I brought out my embroidery project only to discover my embroidery floss had been chopped in various places. Guess who did that. Nathan! I remember the other day, finding my scissors where I never leave them (under my chair!). He must have climbed on the desk and fished them out of their container and tried to “cut” things. the floss is a mess and not salvageable. It’s in little hanks, so one cut makes like 30 pieces of string or something.

I can’t wait for more fall-like weather, so Andrew can wear his new sweater!

norobsjbuttons

coconut buttons!

multi-tasking

With an infant (7 weeks as of Tuesday morning, 6:39am) getting all my attention and a toddler doing crazy things to try and get my attention, I hardly have any time to sit and knit (or do other things..). I usually leave most of my own personal desires for the night time. Right now, the toddler is fast asleep and the baby just nursed himself into oblivion, so I have free hands!

One of the major perks of breastfeeding is the fact that I can knit while I do so! For the past week or so, I’ve been working on BSJ #2. At the rate Andy is growing, I’m highly doubtful he will fit into BSJ #1, so I started a new one. I wanted something a tad bit more colorful than the last one, so I chose to knit it in Noro Kureyon! I’m about 60-70% finished with it. I didn’t work on it at all on Tuesday, but I did get a chance to take a photo of it while baby slept.

Noro BSJ