Beanzilla

So, if you haven't heard yet...

Thing 1 presents Thing 2

Are we super excited? 

"YES+" is even more than just "YES"

Of course, you want to see a baby picture. You're not made of stone.

Look like someone else you know?

How have I been? Pregnant.

My bump, my bump, my lovely baby bump.

How has Genevieve been handling it? Very well so far, if you ask me. We're handling this the way we handle (mostly) everything- with books. So far, we've really liked Baby on the Way (by Dr. Sears), When You Were Inside Mommy, The Berenstain Bears' New Baby, and The Birds, the Bees, and the Berenstain Bears (though, this one is a bit dated- they still x-rayed pregnant women).

Mom and I have a difference of opinion on Pecan Pie Baby; Mom didn't like it, I think it's important to acknowledge feelings that perhaps aren't all sunshine and rainbows. Though, I omitted the "Ding Dang" from my reading, because I don't need Genevieve picking up any extra pejoratives.

I'm knitting a bit for Beanzilla (name, courtesy of the brilliant CaffeineJunkie, who dubbed Genevieve "SharkBean" lo those many years ago. Unlike with my last pregnancy, I have knitting mojo- but it's all sweater mojo.

The Baby Vertebrae is knit out of yarn I fell in love with at Stitches West; it's "Nothing Says 'Screw You' like a Rainbow" from White Birch Fiber Arts (I know, terrible name) in sport weight. It knit up in about six seconds flat, and once it's blocked, I'll post a better photo.

Envelope, by Ysolda Teague, is brilliant, but alas, I am not. My brains are not what they were, sadly. I can't blame Ysolda; even if she was holding my hand while I knit, she couldn't save me from not being able to count. Sad, but true. (But wouldn't it be lovely? A knitting date with Ysolda? I think so.)

Once you get it, the sweater is awesome. The yarn is Berry Colorful Yarnings "Breakfast at Tiffany's", sent to us to review on the podcast. Since I have less than zero sock mojo, I thought this would make a lovely, gender-neutral sweater. So far, I love the colors, and it's holding up extremely well to being ripped out, reknit, ripped out, and reknit.

KHAAAAAAAAAN!

Yes, we're going to find out the sex. No, we haven't found out yet. Yes, I'll tell you.

Until then, Beanzilla demands tribute.

Whoosh

It feels so cliché to say it, but it feels like it was just yesterday that we brought Genevieve home from the hospital. I blinked, and WHOOSH, she's a walking, talking toddler. It's awesome and completely unbelievable.

I knit a little sweater for her before she was born, out of yarn (from Froebe Fibers) that I bought at Camp KIP (just before we conceived). The colors made me happy down to my toes, and while I knitted it, I thought about the little girl I was growing.

[For those of you playing the home game, I bought the pattern in a kit from Churchmouse Yarns and Teas, when I went there in 2008.]

Once she was born, and I realized that she had an olive complexion, I thought that there was no way she'd be able to wear it; the colors would wash her out. To say the least, I was disappointed that this sweater would have to wait for DistantFutureBaby#2, or worse, the gift pile.

So, I decided to check the fit, to see if I could at *least* knit her a sweater that would match her skin tone, to be pleasantly surprised to find that she *could* rock the colors.

It's a perfect sweater for reading.

Truth be told, it's a little small on her, so I find myself debating whether I should knit her another one (and make it larger, of course), or knit a different sweater. (There are so many cute little sweaters.)

I-cord waist tie!

For now, I feel the *tiniest* bit guilty when she brings me this sweater to wear, given that the sleeves are 3/4 on her.

But it's so darn cute.

Measure in leaves

I bound off Genevieve's Playful Stripes cardigan while she was napping a few weeks ago.

It's exhilarating finishing the knitting on a sweater. Especially a little sweater. But really, the best part is what comes AFTER the bindoff.

Playful Stripes cardigan by Alana Dakos

Casting on ANOTHER tiny sweater.

Cascade cardigan, by Raya Budrevich.

This sweater practically knit itself. "Just one more leaf!" I would think to myself, knitting frantically during naptime, after she was in bed at night, until my eyes started to cross.

It has to be some seriously good knitting for me to pass up on sleep these days. I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed knitting this sweater. I even enjoyed *blocking* it. (MADNESS!)

The yarn (Cascade Greenland) is delightfully round, robust, and substantial, which makes it an utter joy to knit with. It's the next best thing after working with my own handspun.

While I was working on it, I couldn't help but think of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which I've had memorized for some time now. "On Sunday, he had one nice green leaf, and he felt much better."

Nice green leaves

Then I went all If You Give a Mouse a Cookie on this sweater. I dug through my button box and found caterpillars, but it wasn't enough. We found oranges, grapes (not entirely accurate, but close enough), strawberries, a butterfly, and apples (with the help of a friend). I also found grosgrain ribbon with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

I remember reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar to KidBrother Sam, when he was little; how he used to say "cal-i-pittar", how we would count all of the fruit and poke our fingers through the holes. And now we're sharing this with Genevieve, and creating new memories.

It's not quite finished, but I am already so excited about this sweater. It will be something beautiful that reminds her of one of her favorite books.

I guess, sometimes you measure love ... in leaves.

Stitches therapy

Stitches West was great this year. It's great every year, but this year was different. Special. Amazing.

It was a family affair; Genevieve's whole entourage was there. We had toys. We had "chewies". We had our trusty stroller and our diaper bag. We had our bag lunches and healthy snacks. We had knitting aunties available at every turn. We were ready for anything.

The convention center had plenty of room to run and play, without being underfoot.

Piggyback, with extra pigtails

And a few quiet places for DangerMouse to get her beauty sleep.

Napping at Stitches, under the Love Blanket

Andrew was incredible. He did most of the DangerMouse wrangling all weekend, and I got to take the two classes like we had planned.

It was incredible. I took Lily Chin's Short Rows for Bust Darts class, which took all of the mystery out of short rows and replaced it with completely accessible math. I took notes. I participated. I learned. For three incredible hours, I was a Knitter.

Andrew, as you may have guessed (and are not surprised AT ALL to find out) surpassed all expectations. He had the help of a friend's charming daughter (Dr. Adorable) who was more than happy to play with Genevieve, and it was obvious that Genevieve thought that Dr. Adorable was the cat's meow.

I got to spend a lot of time with friends who I don't get to see nearly enough of, which was the best part. It recharged my batteries in a way that I desperately needed. It was like taking a deep breath of fresh air after being cooped up too long. But better, because there was knitting.

I did a little shopping, and I added to the "good intentions" pile. You know, the one where you buy materials to make stuff for your friends' kids, but sometimes you don't have time to follow through? That's the "good intentions" pile.

A two-sided blanket to go with this one.

What was the most remarkable was what I'm referring to as the "Stitches Miracle". In over a year, Genevieve had only slept through the night once or twice. During Stitches, something happened. With the exception of one night, she has slept through the night every night during (and since). Clearly, this kid has whatever the knitting equivalent of midi-chlorians are.

It has been amazing. I'm feeling almost well-rested. The sun shines a little brighter, Genevieve's laughter is more joyous, and I'm feeling better than I have in ages.

I've always thought that observing traditions is incredibly important. Observing knitting traditions are even more important when you're raising a future knitter.

How Mama Got Her Knit Back

Without realizing it, I lost myself. Again. (Still?)

It's easy to do when you are *literally* chasing a toddler all day, and have a convalescing dog to add to it all. This last year, I had only managed to get Genevieve a few naps (less than 20) *not* in my arms. Or in the Ergo.

I'm incredibly lucky to have a knitting group full of brilliant, creative women. Most of whom have beta tested raised children who are all incredible adults. While commiserating about nap times (or the lack thereof), Ingenious Janice told me that when her boys were little, they all had a sheepskin that they would sleep on.

Honestly, if they had told me I had to ritually sacrifice a chicken to get her to nap on her own, I would try it. I was getting stir crazy and resentful of being pinned to the glider for between two and six hours every day while she napped. Genevieve hasn't been a child who "transfers well" - a concept I'm only now learning about. That combined with how low her crib is? No wonder it ended in tears for both of us.

The sheepskin in the crib was not successful. Mom has (as usual) been invaluable, and suggested putting the sheepskin on the floor in the living room (nowhere to fall from) and going from the glider to the sheepskin as soon as she was asleep. (If we nurse laying down, it becomes Cirque de au Lait.)

The first few tries were not successful, but with Mom cheering me on (silently, of course), this has been working really, really well for us.

Napping with Pat the Bunny

This has worked so well, in fact, that I started knitting again. A lot. Because, while I could do ANYTHING (within reason) while Genevieve was napping, what I did was knit and see what all the fuss was about Downton Abbey. (Which is surprisingly fantastic, by the way.)

Playful Stripes cardigan by Alana Dakos

Not only has it given me a little breathing room, but my creative side - which admittedly, had atrophied - is blooming. Andrew has noticed that I'm happier, too. And like we've all heard, when Mama is happy, everyone is happy.

Another naptime bunny. I'm noticing a theme...

An unintended bonus of using the sheepskin is that when Genevieve is starting to get tired, she'll mosey over to the sheepskin (which we put down around naptime) with a book and stay put for a few minutes. A clear indicator that her batteries are running down.

Reading Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?

Even if she thinks she isn't tired enough for a nap, this is usually what she looks like about 15 minutes before she's out cold.

Reading The Very Lonely Firefly from Eric Carle's Very Little Library

She naps, I knit, and when she wakes up EVERYONE is happy. And better dressed, in the long run.

If you knit a mouse a sweater

Like my blog, my knitting has also become a love letter to my darling DangerMouse. When she was first born, the baby clothes on the "girls'" side of Carter's were all pale, pastel colors. Like her father (and her grandmother) she has beautiful olive-toned skin, and pale pastels just don't do her complexion justice.

When spring arrived, and with it, the spring color palette, I was overjoyed. Bright colors. Fuschia! Lime green! Daffodil yellow! Citrus orange! Be still my heart!

3 months, 18 days

I bought Genevieve a set in the 9 month size, and it turned out to be my favorite set to dress her in. And as it started to get small on her, I noticed that they match EVERYTHING in her wardrobe.

6 months, 14 days

Naturally, I needed to knit a sweater to go with them. Onesie in hand, I made my way to Purlescence and got *perfect* color matches in Cascade 220 superwash.

In my usual "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" fashion, I thought to myself, "If I'm going to knit a sweater to match this set of onesies, I should buy some in a couple of bigger sizes." 

Same onesies, 18M and 24M sizes

I came home, did some doodling, and then remembered the Playful Stripes cardigan by Alana Dakos. The pattern is well-written, adorable, and I'm enjoying watching it grow like magic off of my needles. Especially the garter stripes.

Sweater in progress

You'll notice that I started the garter stripes on the right side (as opposed to the wrong side) because my tenuous grip on sanity demanded it. (When I knit this sweater again, I'm doing it as written. KNITTING ON THE WILD SIDE!)

Sweater, onesies, and the yarn.

Knitting yoked sweaters is incredibly satisfying; you knit the boring bits first, and as soon as your attention starts to wander - BOOM! The fun part! Plus, the knitting goes fasterandfaster as you go.

As of today, I only have the collar and buttonbands left to knit. You know what happens when you knit a mouse a sweater.

She's going to need a matching hat.

Pride cometh

... before the frog.

Allow me to explain.

Last year, to mark our ten year anniversary, I told Andrew that I would spin and knit him a sweater. I know that - had I *not* had some unforeseeable complications - I totally would have finished the sweater in 2011.

Shouldacouldawoulda.

So.

I made some excellent progress on my Ravelympics Ravellenics project- which was the Ribbed Baby Jacket by Debbie Bliss out of Malabrigo Rios. I finished the knitting with a week to spare in the Ravellenic games.

Occasionally I'll have a bout of finishitis, where I'm inspired to dig in my UFO bins and FINISH EVERYTHING.

"I'm going to finish knitting your sweater during the Ravelympics!" I told Andrew.

"Ravellenics," Andrew corrected, "And I'll believe it when I see it."

I pulled the sweater out. The sleeves were half-knit. (Both of them. I was knitting the sleeves two-at-a-time.)

"I can totally do this!" I told Andrew, who responded with a few less-than-encouraging skeptical remarks, including one about his sweater being in the "sweater [witness] protection program"**.

"You'll see. I'm going to get this done before the end of the Ravelympics," I said, with the confidence of a woman who Could. Not. Lose.

"Ravellenics."

"Sweater. Mark my words, husband."

I knit a few more inches on the sleeves before I realized that something wasn't right. I looked at the sweater diagram, and at their largest point, the sleeves should have been 18 1/2". This was closer to 15".

There was nothing wrong with the math on the sweater. I measured my gauge, and then remembered that when I swatched for the sweater, I needed to go up a size or two on my needles from the body of the sweater.

Which I neglected to do when I started the sleeves. Because I was so excited about powering through the sleeves. HUBRIS!

Before and after, the background is the body of the sweater

Andrew ripped out the sleeves, apologizing the whole time.

Maybe it won't get done during the Ravellenic Games, but since it's going to be in the low to mid '90s, I'm sure in the next few weeks will be *plenty* soon enough.



** How exactly would one get into the Sweater Witness Protection Program? Is this a sweater that has seen too much? If it's identity was made public, would it go to sleep with the frogs?

A matched set

This last Saturday was all about Big and Little. (Which totally reminds me of Grover Monster's Near and Far bit.)

I'll admit it. I am a HUGE fan of matching stuff. When KidBrother Sam and I were little, Mom used to make us matching outfits. If Mom sewed me a dress, she sewed a matching one for my stuffed pig, Perfect. I LOVED it.

So, I'm knitting a few matching mother-daughter sweaters for Genevieve and me, starting with the Garter Yoke Cardigan, out of my handspun:

Also, matching dimples.

I loved knitting these sweaters. I think I might make matching ones in another color, once she outgrows this one. (That should be in about 12 minutes, for the record.) The thing I may love best (about the sweaters) is that my buttons are the same as the ones on Genevieve's sweater- except that mine are a little bigger.

TOES!!!

You may have noticed that she's wearing a hook bracelet. In Andrew's family, there is a tradition that when you go to St. Croix (and everyone does, eventually), you get a hook bracelet. Hook bracelets are worn at all significant family functions.

You can imagine how charmed and delighted I was when we opened a gift from Andrew's Uncle Ted (and family), and it was the tiniest hook bracelet you've ever seen. Given how big Andrew's hook bracelet is, I found it even more adorable, and an incredibly thoughtful gift.

The Biggest and Littlest

When I was taking these pictures, I also noticed that Genevieve's outfit has a crab on the butt, and Andrew is wearing one of his Portland, ME lobster shirts. Total coincidence.

(Yes, I know that crabs and lobsters are totally different, but you see how they're *kind of* the same, too, right?)

Peas in a pod.

Down to our accessories, we're a matched set.

Milestones and mimosas

It's been busy around these parts.

First, I finished DangerMouse's mini garter yoke cardigan; a smaller version of one I knit for myself out of my handspun yarn.



Unfortunately, it was just in time for a ridiculously hot week. Lest I miss my brief window of opportunity to photograph her in it, I grabbed a shot early one morning.

I have also started sewing, and I LOVELOVELOVE it! Sure, I'm only sewing baby blankets at right now, but I'm learning techniques that will translate into other projects, too.



Genevieve has been hitting milestones left and right, including rolling over and grabbing her toes!



There has also been the beginnings of teething,



Genevieve is chewing on EVERYTHING. Fingers, toys, her play gym. I may have called her a tiny termite the other day. The best/most terrifying part is how she goes in for the bite- like a shark.

When she's working on one of your fingers, it is NOT the time for kisses on her cheek. Because she'll try to chew on anything. Noses, chins; nothing is safe. Teething babies need tough, fearless parents.

I can feel the bumps under her gums when she gnaws on my fingers, and she's starting to look at our plates hungrily.



She still smiles in her sleep, which I find endlessly charming. A new development is that she will babble in her sleep, which proves that she's my daughter. (KidBrother Sam and I both talk in our sleep. I have even been known to enable in my sleep, if Meghan is to be believed.)

We celebrated my first Mother's Day with our family and some close friends. We had a delicious, decadent brunch.



And of course, mimosas.