FO: 45 and Rainy Vest; and a belly pic stretches my tanktop

Yes, I really did eventually finish my vest, "45 and Rainy" (pattern is "70 and Sunny"). I've worn it a couple of times to work, and it does what I want - adds a nice warm layer to thinner shirts in the office (unfortunately, most of the cute button-down shirts I planned to wear it over are, well, not so much buttoning any more!). The pattern was very nice, easy to follow, and went fairly quickly since we're talking bulky wool (and silk).

But. I chose a slightly larger size than I might have if I hadn't discovered I was pregnant about a week before casting on. This was not a bad idea - but the sari silk I chose also was much bigger than the suggested yarn/gauge (maybe super-bulky?) and ended up pulling down the front. I have to assume that the pattern author's sari silk yarn, from Artfibers (not Knitpicks as I incorrectly wrote originally), is both better quality and more uniform (mine went thin-to-super-thick).

And I think the huge-ness of the silk is what's making me dissatisfied with the eyelet closure - it's really pulling at the front sides (though I do have plenty of ease at my back thanks to the generous sizing). I guess the individual stitches of the silk want to stretch out, rather than pulling the whole garment in. Picture demonstrating this is to the right.

But, but, but... it won't be too long before I'll just wear it open anyway, and like I said, it has been a useful layer, at least over that particular shirt which is pretty thin cotton.

By the way, these pictures were taken by the rosebushes in the interests of having a record of how they looked just a few weeks after pruning. It will be neat to document them growing as I grow!

And speaking of growing... we thought it was time to start taking some belly pictures :D. I don't really have a "before" picture (somehow it felt like it would jinx things to take one the week we found out), but I do have my tank top FO pics from last July. So I figured to start out, I'd put
tank top back on and take a picture.



Now, keep in mind, I'm pretty sure that a worsted-weight, tight-fitting, cabled garment adds at least 4 weeks to a pregnancy. I don't look nearly so huge in somewhat loose clothes (see vest pics)! This was taken at 17weeks 2 days.

One more thing - Sasha also appreciates the vest, especially when I've thrown it on top of the couch. I don't blame her - wool and silk are a nice, warm, cat-friendly combination!

Thank you, KT!

Last summer I picked up a skein of Malabrigo Worsted, and my erstwhile college roomie KT volunteered to design a one-skein felted bag for it. Well, just in time for Malabrigo March, she's come out with the pattern!

It's here (along with her other posts in our bag-design conversation - my half is here). Isn't it gorgeous? I think the thing about Malabrigo is that it's so soft and pretty, it's tempting to pick up a skein here, a skein there... and so a cute 1-skein pattern ought to be in high demand! KT, if you make a million bucks on this pattern, then you'll owe me dinner :D!

I will probably pick up a new skein to make this with, as I knit a pretty substantial felted gauge swatch from it and might run out of yarn. Plus, the watermelon-y color combo of my current skein is really cute, but maybe more suited to a scarf or perhaps some slippers for the Bip (as we are calling the baby-to-be). And I haven't bought any new yarn in a while, so it will be a nice excuse to go a-hunting.

But before I can start my eponymous tote, I need to finish my SIFfing gloves (Ravelry link). I'm 50% plus a tiny bit done (i.e. I finished the right hand and have knit 3 rows on the left) and hopefully it will go much faster than the almost 2 months it took its mate! Look, here's the finished one:(posing amidst the tax papers - ack, April 15th is not far away!)



I am quite pleased with how the fingerlets came out, since the original pattern is purely fingerless. Now, hopefully I made good enough notes that I can replicate them for the left glove!

Other notes: Bip and I are doing well, getting some energy back, still very well taken care of by Andy the Maker of Dinner... we have our 20week ultrasound scheduled in 3 weeks, right before we go to Boston to visit family. Yes, we are pretty sure we'll find out the sex (if the Bip cooperates!)...