Stacked

My life right now is a series of stacks and lists. Stacks of books waiting to be read. Lists of tasks waiting to be checked off. Stacks of laundry waiting to be put away. Lists of groceries waiting to be bought. Stacks of clothes waiting for my postpartum body to deflate. Lists of movies waiting to be seen. Stacks of boxes waiting to be unpacked and thank you notes waiting to be written. And of course lists of of knitwear waiting to be knit, but something else has been demanding my attention. Namely keeping this little "finished object" content.

  This is a relatively easy task as he happens to be one of the most serene and easy going babies I've ever met, never mind given birth too. Maybe it's being the product of two experienced parents who spend much of our time together being generally serene and content. Maybe it's being blessed with so many hand knits at an early age. Either way, he's beautiful and mellow and worthy of the abundance of attention bestowed on him by all members of the household.

If I've been quiet here in recent months it's in large part due to my desire to not post until I've chipped away at my list of WIPs. That and the fact that I was newly married and taking part in blending a rather large family and moving house and having a baby. Or as a friend recently noted, basically cramming every trial by fire for a married couple into one year. Hey, we're late bloomers and time's a tickin'!

Sooo....what's off the needles? Let's start small. plain jane toe up socks based on Wendy Johnson's formula posted at the Wendy Knits blog. The most significant part of finishing these? They're all for me! I haven't knit socks for myself in about 5 years and I was only inspired to cast on these because I discovered a hole in the heel of my favorite pair. I also dyed the self-striping yarn myself using good ol' Koolaid and vinegar as a mordant and couldn't bear to part with it.

Next up, I finished the Vitamin D cardi which does exactly what I hoped it would, worked nicely over a pregnant belly and also provides some drapey coverage for a nursing Mom. It also reinforced my affection for Silky Wool. If this yarn is ever discontinued I will hold a candlelight vigil.

  And then I finished Cobblestone for my husband.  He immediately announced that I had finally presented him with his first sweater and we were at last officially married. As anyone familiar with "the sweater curse" can tell you, he's not that far off.

Then I decided to conquer my lace-phobia and cast on Ishbel in Twisted Fiber Arts Octarine. This was a Mother's Day present for my Mother In Law which had the added bonus of saving my sanity while on partial bed rest in the last few weeks of pregnancy. I couldn't do much, but I could count rows and stitches!

  Last, but not least came phase 2 of conquering my fear of lace.  I finished the Monkey Socks designed by Cookie A and available online at Knitty.  I have for some reason been calling these Pomotamus Socks which is a completely different pattern.  Sorry, mommy brain in effect.  In fact I completed these in the hospital a day after giving birth.  My husband joked that I would now have to go home a day early as I had run out of knitting.  We laughed, but I was home in my own bed by the next morning, due in part to my aversion to hospitals and...I needed to cast on some new socks.