Seaming and dreaming

I have found my desire to write/blog somewhat lacking of late. I am also finding that there is a limit to one’s tolerance for discomfort and prolonged inactivity. My world is so shrunken in so many ways…and I see the finish line but feel like it could be a little closer…could it not? Of course, every pregnant woman entertains these thoughts in late third trimester, things like ‘I want it to be done’, ‘I wish I could…’ (shave my legs, haha, which I did yesterday in the most uncomfortable and awkward of ways, with a very spotty job, I might add…but shaved they are), or even ‘Um, baby? Could you take your elbow/knee/finger/head out of my lung/liver/cervix/small intestines?’. these thoughts are fleeting but becoming more frequent, intensified by the sheer number of limbs that are currently flailing internally. And by the joyful, if not discomfort inducing fact that we know both beans are weighing in well over 5 pounds. I don’t know why that weight seems so significant to me, it just made me happy to know they are really growing and healthy. So, the pregnancy goes forth, no conformation of date by m.d. but a reassuring discussion that if I do go into labor next week I will be allowed to deliver rather than have to take the meds that halt (or attempt to) contractions. I hate the meds because I shake like a crackhead, my heart rate skyrockets and I can barely knit because of hand tremors. You can see why I would like to avoid any more of these meds. But they sure do stop contractions. There was the somewhat ominous reassurance by said m.d. that once next week rolls around I will likely stop getting pre-term labor and have to sit and wait for 37 weeks to roll around. You know, Murphy’s law kinda’ thing. Believe me, I want these babies healthy and ready, but that selfish part is totally crying out to be free of this state.

I should have taken pictures of the only non-medical related trip I took with tim the other day. It is totally indulgent and consumer, but we bought this at good ol’ Costco. It was a purchase we had discussed for awhile…our old tube t.v. was acting strangely…purple glow bleeding across the bottom third of the 17” screen, loud cracking noises emanating from its thick body. We received our annual rebate from the Costco, discussed and promptly decided to apply it towards the LCD. So, out we went and I was wheeled into the big box warehouse by my lovely honey (I just cannot walk or stand for more than a minute without crushing contractions/back pain. Yay.) and the lady checking cards kept trying to offer me a motorized w/c, and everyone was staring…that is what it felt like, anyway. The whole transaction took 5-7 minutes (we smartly chose Wednesday night to go in) and I felt freakish the whole time. Sure, I was probably imagining the looks, but it made me realize I have really been isolated from everything for a long time. No interaction with the regular material world; no ventures into Target or Home Depot, no dinners out, grocery shopping (I so miss Trader Joe’s), no yarn excursions when there are really good sales, no knit nights with the ladies. Okay, I am being self-indulgent but there is a limit to this. Folks. You may think it is lovely to have so much time on one’s hands…ohhhhhh, the things I would do/knit/sew, you may think. Does not quite work out that well when all activities are performed from sidelying (usually the left side…it is like a 70/30 ratio of turning) with the occasional 5 minutes of sitting to spice things up.

But knit I have. Not as much as I would like, but I tend to drift off a lot lately…in thought, into sleep, away from any focused activity. And then there is the behemoth at the end of the bed that transmits fascinating scenes in HD. Now, I am into TV, not obsessively, but I have my programs, my girls, Martha and Ellen, and those delicious shows with dancing and singing. It provides a great time to knit and seems harmless enough, or it did, before bed rest and the behemoth. But this thing, this TV, if you can call it that, is unbelievable. It has all these crazy digital channels that it picks up…weather channels all day long…PBS (all 3 that we receive in LA) is in HD, I mean, it opened up my day. And still free…no money to any of those companies that want arms/legs per month for programming. HD is what they say, I was watching a program with a castle/garden scene and I thought the bees on the lavender in the foreground were in the room. In the room. Weird. I could just be hallucinating from increased TV watching time. It will likely keep me distracted in these last few weeks so I find I do not mind it’s presence. It sure is an upgrade.

Back to knits. Nothing really special to show other than another hoodie. I plan on making these little creatures to applique onto the front.
I have the felt and embroidery floss, now to just motivate in that direction. Next up is finishing a little vest I have had lying in a state of ennui for over a year (one of those baby knits I started then left unfinished under the superstitious thinking that it would curse impregnation attempts) and some little booties with EZ instruction for an afterthought heel to simplify the whole bootie process. It will be an experiment for sure.

Here is what twins on a 5’1” frame look like at 34+ weeks. The ability of the body, the female body, to do this is amazing. And not a little freakish also.

I also had to incluse a pic of my wonderful husband who has assumed every responsibility in our lives that cannot be performed on the internet/via computer. He spent most of his teen years working in kitchens, a few really nice restaurants, before he decided not to pursue the culinary arts. Now, he has rediscovered his talents for preparing lovely meals. I caught him yesterday in the kitchen, whipping up a brekky fit for a king (and a beach ball, ahem, me). All I can say is that I have never had doubt in my heart regarding us, our lives together, but these past three months have revealed the truest character of this man and it is solid, strong, generous and beautiful. He said something to me last night, that he was thinking: these are the last few days before he is going to be a dad for the rest of his life. It sounded a lot more profound than how I just recorded it, but I will not soon forget the look in his eyes. Anticipation and joy, not a speck of fear. I love this man.

Uh, more baby stuff, of course

I wish I had the babies to model the latest FO, my first tomten. Definitely not the last. As with all the EZ ideas, this one was both a pleasure and a bit of challenge to knit. I do love her organic instruction, but found a problem in my interpretation on this one. I own 2 EZ books, Knitting Workshop and Knitting Without Tears. I find I frequently use the Knitting Workshop, this is where I gleaned my instruction for the tomten. While ‘under construction’ I found that the proportions looked a little odd, recalled my 2nd book, and pulled it out. The instruction is much clearer in K w/o T, the numbers added up in a way that I assume (on my next tomten) will better resemble the tomtens displayed by the numerous lil’ cuties on some of the Zimmermaniac blogger sites. I hate ripping items, especially as my revelation came after I had picked up the 1st sleeve stitches…so I just knit on. I think the piece will fit a newbie for a bit…like a really new newbie. And then I might just hang it on a cute hanger on their wall until I have a friend who needs it. I love the elfin-ness of the pointed hood, so the photos reflect a little of the whimsy of the garden. The yarns used are: Lion Brand 100% Organic cotton and Cascade yarns Pima Tencel in 7478. I included the color # because it is the most brilliant and delicious red, think shiny candy apples with that hard cinnamon coating. Yummy. The organic cotton is nice and feels durable and….well, organic. I want to cast on for another, in the 1-2 year old range, with another shade of the organic cotton with the same red edging. The pompom was my fill-in for lack of button/toggle, plus Martha did a segment on pompom bunnies that inspired me. And it allowed me to use more deee-licious red.

Another little bit is more booties, I have sock yarn that was just sitting, so between hoodies I cast on this little ditty…I lurve these booties. Quick and cute, resembling moon boots in an odd way due to the bumpy sides. I thought argyle for the instep but went with simple stripes instead. One down, three to go. I am at the start of Hoodie 2, Hoodie 1 posted on here. This color just gleams; I am desperately in love with this yarn and think I may need to use it in a ‘grown-up’ piece once baby knitting peeters out.


Just a thought…memes crop up all over the posts/pages but I thought it might be cool to hear from other pregnant women on the subject of 5 Weird Things About My Pregnancy. Here is mine. If you are reading this and preggers, consider yourself tagged.


5 Weird Things About My Pregnancy

1. I do not have cravings. I do not want sweet, salty, pickly or otherwise. It just never materialized and I am almost done, still waiting…

2. I am having twins…this is not as weird now, but as first pregnancies go, it was weird when we found out. I don’t know why we were so shocked (they are natural twins) because my husband has 5 or so sets of twins in his genetic line, but still….twins!?!

3. None of the body stuff has freaked me out (yet). I thought it would be harder to be pregnant, I’ve heard some women complain of feeling as if their body has been hijacked. These feelings have not materialized, I just feel cool to be a huge human incubator (though it is wearing a little thin now.) The one weird body thing is my night sweats…I get them only in my boob area. I’ll wake soaked from neck to boob crease, but no other place. Anyone else? Didn’t think so.

4. I have been using hypnosis to get me through the bed rest/pre-term labor stuff. It is a program called Hypnobabies and for 45 minutes each day, I practice deep hypnosis that focuses on relaxation and preparation for birth. I have a feeling we may be looking at a C-section because of the beans’ position (the program advocates natural drug-free when possible) but in itself, the sessions calm me and give me a place full of peace and rest that I might have cracked without.

5. I wear very little maternity clothes. There are a few reasons for this. A) I do not leave the house a lot and B) loooong t-shirts and yoga pant were a staple pre-preggers. I find this ensemble most comforting. I do wish I could have modeled more of the adorable clothes one views in the multiple mags stocked at the OB’s office. Maybe next time…..j/k.

So, not terribly weird, but possibly interesting to other preggers. On yet another note, I had to include a few more backyard pictures. Spring does have its shining moments here in SoCal and I was struck by the lush foliage that is proliferating in our yard. We try to maintain a low care, native based plant population, with some exotic exceptions because my mom cannot resist plants…this is the joyful scene I encountered upon venturing out of my hole. So lovely. She explained that our dire lack of water this season actually seems to have helped certain plants/trees, the trumpet tree is pinker, the chinaberry more retrained in its canopy. I love it all. Cheers to green beauty.

Sprung

You make me feel so young
You make me feel like spring has sprung
Every time I see you grin
I'm such a happy individual

The moment that you speak
I want to go and play hide-and-seek
I want to go and bounce the moon
Just like a toy balloon

You and i, are just like a couple of tots
Running across the meadow
Picking up lots of forget-me-nots


You make me feel so young
You make me feel there are songs to be sung
Bells to be rung, and a wonderful fling to be flung

And even when Im old and gray
Im gonna feel the way I do today
cause you make me feel so young



Unable to resist the lure of the blooms and promises of the season, I took a little backyard stroll. The pink trumpets burst forth in the last 2 weeks, the bulbs put forth their precious gems, fleeting but so cherished. The large columns hold the roots of heirloom tomatoes-to-be, instead of cages my mum thought to let them hang off the sides as they fruit. The varieties she chose include the zebra stripe and one that is purported to be black/purple in color. Our peach tree has multiple flower clusters despite having received a severe pruning to reshape unruly branches, all is well in the garden. We have scads of future work to do to establish the hardscaping that will lend itself to decades of backyard celebrations, but for the time,the green will do. I hope to get a few raised beds of other bits of veg, some beans, and the obligatory herb garden going before true heat settles in to the area. Ahhh, Spring...so short here, but sweet in its own right, no matter the zone one lives in. .I caught a glimpse of myself in the very dirty glass of our slider....my white does accent the tummy, does it not? The very degree of protrusion...shocking to me. I think because I so rarely take to my feet. And there are few full length mirrors around. And my top is white. Jeez. Well, by the time all the lovely garden bits come to bear, I too will likely have brought my own Spring beans forth....starting to fantasize about gardening...me, the black thumb of the family. Shows you how I am really feeling it, the preggers thing. In knitting news, I am working on a teeny Tomten jacket a la EZ. Should be done soon because of the teeny-ness. Pics to come. Have I mentioned I love EZ. I am thinking of ordering the DVD of her Knitting Workshop to have her witty presence grace my home. I have the book but would delight in hearing it in her own words and delivery. What a gift to the world of knit. I also supplemented my library with the Mason Dixon book, and this book to get my Ripple on. Guess I better get back to my needles (though my usual Ellen hour has been bumped to feature the inane coverage of a 'raging' foothill fire in HW)(I frickin' hate the news here)(Idiots). Have a lovely weekend, folks.

Hoods, Hooks, and Choc-choc

So, knitting rules most of my time. It is that thing that makes me sane, it brightens my day, it alleviates the pain of bad local programming, and it distracts me from the various aspects of my life that are starting to grate on me. I finished a lovely piece for a bean…little hoodie. It is sized up. I am not sure of the ‘when’ it will fit, but it will eventually fit. I loved working with this yarn, it is cotton and lacking any stretch, which can be a bit rough on the fingers, but it has some synthetic in it which seems to soften its hand. It has a great sheen, little bit glossy, just that little bit of special. Initially I intended to use it for an adorable knit in The Knit Café book, but the pattern looks a bit femme to me, and neither of the beans are female, so I used this great pattern from Knitty. I did not embellish it yet; I am contemplating some embroidered animal…stick figure in nature. We will see. I do recommend this pattern as it is simple and fun. As with all little items, it knits up quickly and provides that rush of satisfaction that accompanies completion. It is currently modeled by Clyde, my orangutan. He is a bit scruffy, but beloved. I inherited him from my little brother about 13 years ago. Clyde was intended as a gift for Ricky, then 4 years old. Except when he pulled him out of the wrapping paper, he ended up screaming in fright and throwing him across the room. The primate has been mine ever since and followed me cross country and up and down the West Coast. He cuddled with me on long solitary nights in NY and weathered a few bouts of storage. Now I plan on gracing the beans’ room with his watchful presence…hope he does not frighten them. Hoodie #2 will be of the same yarn, but a lovely greeny sagey color…I am not really keen on dressing them identical, just dressing them well.


Another development in the Command Central area is picking up the hook again. I have been over at this site a bit and find endless inspiration in her projects, colors, and overall lifestyle. I found these posts and links exciting, to say the least, and gathered stash/scrap yarn, a crochet hook, and quickly downloaded instructions
from Google…and I was off. I actually started with crochet, in high school/college I made beanies and flowers and scarves…gifting my buddies with warm items. Until that day I picked up knitting needles…I abandoned my hook and rarely looked back. That was about 3 years ago. My magnum opus was a crocheted afghan that covers a full/queen. I love it but am too lazy to go photo it right now. Anyway, after seeing this post, and needing a bit of a break from the needles after all that cotton I cast on for a granny square. A little later I cast off…then on…then off. I really couldn’t stop. It is so great, little unfolding gems of color and shape, endless possibilities of color and combination. Scraps of yarn I have had forever: that green cashmerino from my first knit beanie, that cherished purple ball of fuzz inherited from my grandma when she passed, all those bits…weaving together to be a coherent piece of work. I decided to hook up 9 and sew them into a square for a
decorative pillow, tackling a blanket is not my intention right now. Especially not when the next blanket I have to make is this one. And I have to make it. Once pattern, hook and yarn do arrive (and this is many steps away) I plan on making it my next magnum opus….it will be great for post-bean times because, unlike knitting, crochet of this nature can be mindlessly picked up with ease, one stitch to recall, one stitch to put on hold when not in play, lots of color variation, lots of fun. I think I will aim to have the new blanket for next fall….to replace the ubiquitous faux quilt you see in the background of most of my pictures. Seems like a long time from now, but bed rest has taught me an important thing. Even when you think time is still, even when it feels a bit stalled, it is flowing forward faster than realized.

All is fairly quiet on the pregnancy front. Maybe better described as fairly unchanging. Days can be good, with a quiet calm uterus that remains relaxed and comfortable. Other days it has a life of its own and clutches so tightly around these boys I worry for them. Those are the days when the husband brings me things to distract/comfort me. I have had few strong cravings and since I cannot go procure the desired treats when the longing strikes, they usually pass unfulfilled. Last week I wanted cake, called T begging him to get cake from Trader Joe’s; he was so busy getting regular grocery (usually my realm) he forgot the cake. A few days ago he walked in to Command Central with a dozen of these…procured at Vons…but
absolutely delicious. They are just the right size, the butter cream delightful. Mmmmm, that made the day look (and taste) a lot better. I did not eat the dozen alone, we distributed them throughout the household, but I had more than one. Heehee. Only thing is chocolate gives me heartburn, but then, everything gives me heartburn, so whatever. I also relocated my wedding ring to my favorite necklace…I still have little edema, but I do not want to wake up one morning and I find myself unable to remove it from my finger. I have entered countdown mode, that world where calendars gain profound significance and marking off days bring rushes of excitement and the dawn of each new day brings joy. I see my doc weekly now, discussion has yet to turn to an exact ‘when’’ though I would love a concrete date. You know, just to have a goal. I have set one for myself, I think it coincides with the doc’s plan…maybe we will discuss that today. We will see. Until then. I, the incubator, will hang in there.