Calling all knitters/crocheters

I have a favor to ask of you all.
I'm starting to hit concern mode about the wool diaper covers. Not anywhere near panic mode, but solidly in the concern mode neighborhood. I've been cruising along, have knit several covers and am feeling good about my pace. But last night in Lamaze we had some post-partum conversations, and I'm thinking that the idea of knitting the larger size soakers after the baby is born might not be a feasible idea (experienced mothers can feel free to laugh right now). I'm focusing on the small ones for good reason - they're the ones I'll need first. But the larger ones are, well, larger, and will take longer to knit than these teensy guys. And I'll have a wee one hanging off me all the time. You see where I'm going with this?

My diaper cover stash so far:
Newborn size (13-17" waist): 2 completed (desire 4-5; I'm pretty sure I can handle these)
Small size(14-20" waist): 2 completed, two on the needles
Medium size(15-21" waist): 1 completed (desire 4-5)
Large size (16-23" waist): 1 completed (desire 4-5)
Toddler size (17-25" waist): I am in utter denial that a child will still be in diapers by the time he/she is a toddler

If you want to help:
Yarn requirements - Absolutely 100% wool, preferably not 100% merino. Any color, worsted weight works best (or double stranded sport weight). If you have partial skeins of yarn from left over projects, feel free to mix and match (have you seen the photos below? I'm not picky). I'm not sure about how much yarn you'll need for the bigger sizes - definitely no more than 1.5 or 2 decent size skeins. Note: anything that says it is machine washable is not going to work.
Guage - ~5 sts/inch for both patterns I've been using, see patterns for others
Patterns -
I've enjoyed this one for easy, mindless, circular knitting
This one lays flat and is knit back and forth - also very, very easy but feel free to ask me about modifications I've made to make it even easier. I have no problem sewing on the velcro for these if you only want to do the knitting part.
This one also looks like a good pattern
Many other free patterns exist, though I've been avoiding the ones with drawstrings.
For crocheters there isn't much out there, though I did find this and these. Can't speak for any of them as I can't even understand the instructions.
Deadline - I don't think I'll need the medium size before December, so you have some time.

If you don't knit or crochet, then send me some good knitting mojo. I have to go now. Knitting to do, you know.

Pregnancy brain

A very "Oh my goodness" morning this morning. I stopped to get a bagel on the way to work. I lucked out and pulled into the parking spot right in front of the shop (this was especially lucky as there is a deluge happening outside right now). I ordered my bagel, waited patiently, and as I picked up my things to go out to my car...where's my car? I looked up the street, allowing that pregnancy brain might have only made me think I'd parked right in front of the shop. No...my car wasn't in the other parking spots either....

I looked left and there was my car. It had rolled down to the intersection. I had either completely neglected to apply the parking brake, or I had not applied it fully. Running like a mad-woman, I dashed down the block, hopped in, and drove back to the parking place. This time I pulled HARD on the brake, went back inside to retrieve my hastily forgotten bagel, wallet, and umbrella, hopped back in the car and drove on. No harm no foul?

What scares me is that I have been driving stick shift vehicles for FIFTEEN YEARS. I have never routinely driven an automatic. I have been parking, putting the car in neutral, and applying the parking brake for FIFTEEN YEARS. If my car had made it through the intersection, it would have been at the top of a very steep hill...and I shudder to think of the damage (pedestrian, vehicular, property) it could have caused. Pregnancy brain is no laughing matter. Thankfully the luck of the rabbit was with me today. Maybe the luck of my Year of the Pig baby was also in action.

On the up side, I made a simple discovery on the way to work (after calming down from the near-multi-car-pileup-inducing parking accident). I'm not enjoying knitting the new diaper cover pattern, and though knitting for necessity, there is no reason it shouldn't be pleasant, too. The unpleasantness comes from the multiple difficult increases in the pattern - every other row for about 20 rows. The pattern is very basic: knit 40 sts for several rows for the front, decrease down to 34 between the legs, then increase up to 72 sts for the back wrap-around portion. Adrenaline helped clear the brain this morning, and I realized there is absolutely no reason I can't start from the back, decrease down to 34 and only have to do the increases up to 40. Decreases are fun - it's always fun to watch your knitting go faster and faster - and they look prettier than increases.

You sew?

Mom called today and asked what I was up to.
"I'm sewing," I told her.
"You mean knitting?"
"No, mom, I'm sewing. Like on the sewing machine?"
"You sew?"
Of course, this is to be expected from the woman who had to help me hem my first skirt, which somehow was off by a good two inches in places, despite my diligent attempts to cut along pattern lines and sew as instructed. So there you have it - I sew, but I don't say that I sew well.

I made a baby blanket a couple of weeks ago, and the left-over fabric was too nice to throw out, so I sat down to make some bibs. I started by slapping the right sides together and stitching a bib-shaped squarish thing,

Flipped them right side out, ironed, and sewed on some binding.

It was so simple, it really shouldn't have taken the entire morning. So I sew, not well, and not quickly. But look at this, mom, look at these corners!


And what to do with the left-overs of the left-overs?
Make stripey diaper wipes, of course!

I found a blog where a woman mentioned making her own wipes, and at first I thought it was madness. But I don't know...if I'm already washing the diapers...and if I use disposable wipes for the noxious messes...why not give it a try? Check with me later about how B. feels about all of this "crazy hippy stuff." It's a slow, insidious process of converting a Jersey boy into a California spirit.

It's all baby, all the time right now. I've tired of the CurlyPurly pattern - it isn't very satisfying because the leg openings may or may not fit, and I really have no sense of what to expect. Have I made half a dozen useless butt sweaters? So I've switched to knitting a wrap-style cover....we'll see how that goes. Two pair are currently on the needles, more fabulous non-baby colors.

various wool from stash, various sizes, will they work?

There are pictures of our home project on the camera, but I'm afraid to jinx things before we cross the next big hurdle. So we'll just pretend it really is all baby all the time, all right?

Knitting the 100 degree weather away

It's hot and nasty out and I am not feeling very home improvement motivated. So when sitting around sweating, what's a girl to do?
Yep, start some new projects.
Not much to show for this yet, but the idea of knitting some light, lacey cotton socks seems perfect for this weather.


And I picked back up with the baby blanket this weekend.


What's this???

Yes, I'm dipping my toes into crochet. Don't worry, I'm not turning to the dark side, just acknowedging that sometimes the dark side has something to offer. After searching stitch dictionaries and Knitting on the Edge for borders for this blanket, I have finally given in. I want something that looks nice on both sides, that isn't too fussy, and that will work visually with the existing stitches. Crochet will be much faster, and it's more flexible. At least that's how it looks when I still don't really know what I'm doing. I have a couple of books from the library and am just going to sit down with them.

And for those who asked...