Sweaters, Hats, Seeds and Birth

 

Well the sweater is done and blocked and has already been worn several times. My verdict... this may be the best sweater I’ve ever knit. I love it and my husband assures me it is flattering as well. It’s not perfect and were I to knit it again I would make a few changes. It is a little bit too long – not so much that it looks strange when worn but enough that I wish I had altered the instructions just a bit from the Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. I am fairly short waisted and the dimensions from the pattern called for me to knit the body for sixteen inches before hitting the underarms. I think that was a bit much for me. I did have enough forethought to change the sleeve instructions since I was directed to knit the sleeves for twenty inches before joining to the body. I measured my arms to the shoulder and didn’t even come up with twenty inches so I knit about fifteen to sixteen inches increasing at a slightly faster rate until I had the right sticth count and called it a sleeve. Now that the sweater has been put together and finished sixteen inches turned out to be just the right length for my short armed self. I love the KHBofSP but when you knit something as individual as a sweater you really need to view the patterns in light of your own measurements. If you do this the book is really invaluable for its handy dandy generic patterns. You’ve already have someone who has done the stinky math for you and you can just get on with the knitting.

 

Since completing the sweater I’ve been knitting on pretty small projects. You’ll remember there are several new babies around in my life right now and I’ve been fiddling around with several baby patterns. This week I’ve been on the baby bonnet pattern from Hello Yarns – I really like this pattern and am currently on my second hat. The first was done in white acrylic to match a sweater I’d already knit for a baby shower coming this weekend. The second is in a pretty blue handspun for my new nephew in north carolina. I’ve knit him one sweater already and am planning another with this little hat to match. It is my mission in life to cover this baby in handknits. Besides baby things are so much fun to knit and they go so quickly the gratification is almost instant. My only beef with these little hats is that I need to get some lighter dpns. The ones I had in the needed size are metal and their weight is problematic with these light little hats. I have some circs in the right size but they don’t work until about the last inch so they aren’t that helpful. I think some wooden dpns would do the trick but right now they are a bit fiddly since I’m trying not to let things get stretched out as I work each round.

 

I received my seed order in the mail day before yesterday and have plans to start seedlings this weekend. I also want to work out an organized plan for the garden plot this year instead of planting things a little bit haphazardly like we did last year. Mom – pipe up with the varieties you are interested in and I’ll make up a packet for you. I’m assuming you don’t want a little of everything – sounds like you might not have enough room for corn and winter squash!

 

Last night we did something really fun – we drove down to  Oxford to see a screening of The Business of Being Born  . I had heard about the movie on some of the mothering message boards I frequent and after checking out the website I knew I wanted to see it. It is a documentary that focuses on the sad way childbirth is treated in the united states and how home birth or at least midwife attended birth is a saner and many times safer way to go for many low risk women. Now with me they were totally preaching to the choir as I had both of my children at home attended by midwives and would never do it any other way unless it was absolutely medically necessary. Luckily both of my pregnancies were low risk and my labors beautiful and strong. This may be tmi but I delivered both vaginally with no tearing and no drugs or other interventions and they were each at least eight pounds. I have always been a crusader for home birth and midwives and if anyone out there has any desire to know more the Business of Being Born is a great introduction to the subject. The dvd will be out on February 26^th (on netflix although amazon has May 6th) and there are still many screenings taking place all over the country in the next several weeks. You can check out the website for dates and other details. Please see this movie – especially if you are a woman who is pregnant or thinking about having children . The way we come into this world is actually important. I’ll get off my soapbox now as I leave you with a quote I love - We have a secret in our culture...and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong. - Laura Stavoe Harm