Recent Happenings

It has been awhile..... 

Let me briefly share the following updates on my knitting committments & mothering:

• I was able to knit a few more squares over the holiday.  This is not the progress I hoped for, but progress, nonetheless.
• I received a set of circular looms for Christmas.  Hmmmm......they have made me curious & I have toyed with them a bit, making one hat and one more is in process.
• Lily is sleeping better!  After renting every book on babies & sleeping from the library, I've decided to be more routine in the times that I feed her cereal.  I have been quite sporadic, and since I've gone to feeding her rice cereal twice everyday, at 9 and 2, her sleeping has improved.   The night we returned from visiting family resulted in a ten hour stretch!!!  One word: AMAZING.  I thought it would be difficult to maintain this routine while visiting family, but instead found it quite easy.  Her six month check up will be Monday.
• Knitting is great because it's a convenient hobby that gives back.  I don't need to take up a whole table, I don't need a ton of tools... I just need a bag, some yarn & some needles: I love it! 

I leave you with the following epiphany:

How cool is it that God has given us the desire to create beautiful, unique things?  For this is His very nature, as OUR creator.  I am so thankful & humbled that He would allow me to experience just a taste of how divine it is to make something and acknowledge that it is good!

Season's Greetings

I have a confession.  The Garter Stitch Blanket (aka the second project I have embarked upon from the baby knits for beginners book by Debbie Bliss) is not a fun project.  It is in the sense that I can knit one of the squares fairly quickly..... But then I realize that all my squares are not as uniform as I'd hoped.   And then...then....I want to give up because I don't want to end up with a blanket that is all whopper-jawed and made of expensive yarn. Aargh.... Sigh.... 

Hence, I have put the completed "squares" in my knitting bag and have officially set it aside.   I hope that over Christmas break, I re-discover my motivation for this project.   In the meantime, I tried to start a stocking for my Lily.  Double-pointed needles=awkwardness and confusion.  It looks like I may need to spend some time once again on knittinghelp.com or in the presence of my Martha Stewart friend.   Now, don't you worry---I am not giving up entirely!  Just taking a mini-break.  You all definitely help in the accountability department...   

In the meantime, I plan to work on sleep.   You see, the other reason why I am not finding myself in the knitting mood lately is because my knitting time has been taking place between the time Lily goes to bed and when I got to bed.   The little one goes down around 7 or 8, and then proceeds to awaken half-a-dozen times before I hit the sack around 11.  And then, then....she is still waking another half-a-dozen times before the morning....   Yawn.   Growth spurt? Bad habits? Not sure.  But one thing is for sure: I am tired and I am not knitting.   

Sleep-deprived in Indiana.

Garter-Stitch Blanket

Thanksgiving has passed and the Christmas season is now in full swing!  The holidays are so different with a child.  Decorating our home was quite the challenge this year.  But my Lily certainly looked the part in her Santa pj's while squealing for my attention amid attempts to hang ornaments and string lights.  I kept trying to tell her that it was all for her, but she didn't seem to understand, or care really ;)  And I guess that's not entirely true either.... those decorations are as much for me as for anybody!  I adore Christmas time.   It is so magical to see the house and the town come to life in glows and bows!  Lily's first ornaments are also on the tree---a silver baby rattle and a blown glass bootie.    

And along with the snow and the decorations, comes the knitting pressure.  I want to knit gifts!  The next project in the book is a patchwork quilt made of garter stitch squares.  Easy enough, yet guess what the most difficult part of this project will be for me???? You guessed it: seaming.  Which is good, I need to work on this skill.  I splurged and purchased actual Debbie Bliss yarn for this creation, so here's to hoping it's not wasted on scars caused by my attempts at knitting seams.   At the very least, it will be super soft ;)

At this point I am becoming a bit nervous as each square is not completely the same & I may be in the market for a row counter....

If only my knitting exuded the same sparkle as the Christmas season.  I'll get there.  Someday....

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Have you wondered why the garter stitch is called a garter stitch?  It makes me think of weddings and one of our western traditions I hate most---the groom removing his bride's garter from around her thigh in front of a crowd of friends & family who clap, hoot, and gawk.  Why in the world do we do this?  It's disturbing to me.   Anyhow, my baby's garter-stitch-scarf will NOT be around her thigh, but will be cutely styled around her neck instead; though also for a crowd to enjoy!  And all of this leads me to my first mommy topic: breastfeeding :)

As I was knitting my first Debbie Bliss project, The Garter Stitch Scarf,  I thoroughly enjoyed the ease I've come to in my knitting.  Though I have far to go, it is with a smile that I can say I have mastered the garter stitch.  This project was a breeze for me.  Almost mindless.  I could do it while watching television, riding in the car, even while having a conversation!  And it turned out great.  Indeed, I believe I have in fact enhanced my Lily's life by making her such a creation.  

And then it occurred to me: I had come to the same place in my journey with breastfeeding.

If there was one thing that I didn't quite know what to think about in terms of becoming a mom, it was breastfeeding.  I knew I wanted to do it though.  It was healthiest for the baby and had benefits for me as well.  I had had friends and family members do it.  I could do it, too!  Months before Lily's birth, I stumbled upon the book, How My Breasts Saved the World by Lisa Shapiro.  The title alone was enough to convince me of reading it.  However, I was so focused on preparing for labor that I didn't start reading it until I'd gotten home from the hospital with Lily and had already begun to breastfeed.   In actuality, this was the perfect time to read it!  As I was adjusting to the process called breastfeeding, I could read about another brutally honest woman who related to my situation.  It was encouraging....  It was motivating.....  And it was hilarious!

The process at first involved feeding her every two hours, upright (me, not her) with pillows & a boppy all around; both arms in action.  It was exhausting and painful.  In fact, several times I used so much of that lanolin cream that my poor baby couldn't get a grip!  Twice, I went in to see a lactation consultant.   The good news throughout those first three months of breastfeeding was that Lily was certainly getting enough to eat.  I could hear her swallowing and her weight showed that she was healthy.  The first time she smiled occurred during a feeding. There I was curling my toes, counting down the minutes and then it happened: she looked up at me and grinned a big 'ol grin--losing her latch even.  I will forever remember that moment.  God used it to give me the courage to keep going.  There were times I wanted to give up.  It was awkward, and I often felt restricted by it.  But, I continued to persevere, trusting that things could improve.  And I can now say that they have!  I can feed Lily so easily now.  Like my knitting, it's virtually mindless.  I can have conversations, I can change the channels on the television, and I can even do it without a pillow!  

So, cheers to the garter stich!  And cheers to breastfeeding!  Thanks to Debbie Bliss, I now have a delightful little scarf to remind me to persevere in all things, for great is the reward ;)

And So It Begins....

Update: So......I received the infamous book on Tuesday: baby knits for beginners by Debbie Bliss---only $3.15, used, from Amazon.com. Yesterday, I picked up the yarn: Alpaca ivory--only $2.99 on sale at Michael's!  It appears that my heavenly Father is blessing this journey of mine!

Yes, I believe He cares even about my little knitting escapades. In fact, I know He just plain cares for me. Period :) What a comfort....

I've read through the first two chapters: "knitting essentials" and "beginning to knit".  I have to say that I feel more prepared to deal with seaming again.  Debbie's drawing's and explanations seemed (no pun intended there!) clear to me.  We shall see....

In many ways, I feel the same as I did when preparing for Lily's arrival!  All those books on getting ready for baby, first days, etc....  As prepared as I felt, there's nothing like hands-on learning.  And with Lily, I couldn't just give up and throw her in a knitting bag!  I feel the same sentiments this time around with knitting.  Perhaps I will one day write a book entitled, "What to Expect When You're Knitting".  Best seller, right?

First project: Garter Stitch Scarf

Which leads me to the following question:

Are scarves a safety hazard for babies?  I can picture my little Lily grabbing both ends and pulling tightly.... Yikes! 

Nevertheless, I will knit!  I am excited....I am motivated....  My name is Lori Gonzalez, and I am a knitter!  Phew....there....I said it.  I feel so much lighter. 

I believe I can finish this project sometime next week!

Hope Emerges: Knitting Project #3

As Baby G's birth date drew closer, I persevered.  Not only physically and mentally as a pregnant woman, but also as a knitter.   I went to the library several times a week, perusing the needlework aisle.    Surely I could conquer this knitting thing and make something my baby could wear, or at the very least put her limbs into.   Then I stumbled upon a Vogue knitting book for beginners.  It was pocket size and guaranteed to be easy enough for the most novice of knitters: aka me.    I have to confess that it was not a first grab.  Vogue seems to be at the forefront of knitting patterns, and the name is appealing enough.  The magazine is certainly fashionable.... But each time I'd pick up a Vogue knitting book, I would giggle at the pages!  The models....those designs....that yarn----so eighties!!  Even the new editions had the look of a worst dressed page of it's own magazine.   But there was something about this particular edition that made me believe I could make something in it and make it cute.  I settled on the "Tiny Topper", or baby hat, as I liked to call it.  Hence the beginnings of knitting project #3.  

I also picked up a copy of knit aid, a pocket-size informational knitting guide: love it!  At Walmart, I picked up new swords; even more dangerous than the previous as I had graduated from plastic to aluminum---and from size 11 to size 4!   The design also called for a yarn needle---which was comical to me.   Of course, I went for inexpensive, and cheap (Walmart, duh!), but I had no idea that these things are plastic, ginormous versions of what I was used to "sewing" with.   I thought I had accidentally gone down the toy aisle.    

Anyhow, I began work on my "Tiny Topper" early in June of 2009.  Baby G, or Lily as we now refer to her, was born on June 22nd.  At the time of her birth, I had officially completed one centimeter of K2, P2 ribbing on what would become her very own Gap-like baby hat.  Let me just interject here, that I should have perhaps used a circular needle.   Casting on 96 stitches required needles that were extremely long---four feet it seemed!  I would have to knit in perfect posture and far from either end of the couch to avoid puncturing the poor sofa. 

Lily's arrival was long and arduous....32 hours of labor.   Yet with one miraculous push, she emerged: a bundle of goodness who had been knit together in my womb by the most skilled of all knitters.   Unlike my other knitting projects thus far; she was perfect.  And I was inspired.

After the first 3 months passed and the Fall season had arrived, I got the itch to stitch again ;)  This time I could tell when to knit and when to purl---though if you look closer at my "Tiny Topper" you will see it took several rows of accidental knits on purls, purls on knits before I picked it up.  No worries, I just turn that hat around and no one is the wiser!    And seaming remained an issue for me.  Once again I freehanded it....and simply hide it when Lily is wearing her Gap-like baby hat.   It looks like a bad scar on a fairly beautiful piece of handiwork.   However, I am pretty proud of my ability to embellish---for I also made a pom-pom and added it to the tip-top of the hat :) Please note that a pom-pom was not part of the pattern---pat, pat on my back!  I also learned a bit: I can now increase and decrease stitches! 

Three weeks after I completed knitting project #3, I made another one for my "Martha-Stewart-Friend" and her upcoming little one.  Toushay! (spelling?)  There were some improvements: for instance, the seam only looked like half of a scar!  And I am currently working on a third "Tiny  Topper" for another expecting mama.  LOOK AT ME!  Knitting & gifting.....wow.

And this leads me to where I am today: writing a blog that juxtaposes knitting and motherhood.  I received in the mail today my personal copy of "baby knits for beginners" by Debbie Bliss (no more library fees: yes!).  My journey starts Monday as I begin the first stitches of knitting project #4: a garter stitch scarf.  This will go perfectly with Lily's "Tiny Topper"!  I hope.... 

Poncho or pillowcase?

Several years ago, I got together with a few friends and learned to knit....sort of.   I didn't really retain the know-how and lacked the time/energy/motivation to pursue it further.  It didn't come naturally to me as it does to some, and I had other interests. The beginnings of a "scarf", the rope-like yarn, and the swords-for-needles sat in my "knitting bag" for about three years before I picked them all up again.  

*digression: I use "quotes" to emphasize the ridiculousness of everything connected to me as a knitter*

So about a year ago, there was another gathering.  I decided to give it another shot.  This time I had a bit more counsel and definitely some more motivation: I was pregnant.  {And my "Martha Stewart-friend" had already advanced from scarves to socks and mittens: I also had competition.}

I pictured my baby wearing cute baby knits like the ones you see in Baby Gap, and I wanted the satisfaction of knitting clothes for her myself.  I picked up those swords and finished that blanket, err....scarf.    It wasn't pretty, there were loads of mistakes, but I had finished it!!!  Knitting project # 1. I was so stinkin' proud of myself.    And I decided to look into this knitting thing a bit more....  I bought some smaller swords and actual yarn, figuring the rope-like stuff I'd used for the scarf would be too bulky for baby items.  Then I hopped onto knittinghelp.com.   AND THERE IT WAS:  a video showing how to make a poncho for a baby.   "I can do that!"  I thought {ahem...disillusioned}.  Knitting project #2: baby poncho. 

All it required was the knitting of two rectangles (boxy scarves, basically) and then sewing them together.  Easy enough.   My "Martha-Stewart-friend" taught me the stockinette stitch and I was on my way!   This was around December of 2008.   At the time, I was working as a resident director in a college dorm where knitting was neither a priority nor a release.  I'd pick up my needles to find I'd forgotten where I'd left off.  Which needle?  Purl or knit?  (I couldn't decipher between the two...)  It was a lot of thinking. Too much thinking...

Needless to say, I wasn't ready to seam the two pieces untill May of 2009.

At this point I was again proud of myself---like I was with the "scarf".  I had completed two rectangles, and they looked pretty good! Baby was on the way, and she was going to be super cute in her new poncho from mommy that looked like it was from the Gap.   I tried to figure out the proper way to knit seams and found it would not compute.  None of the pictures, drawings (please!), or videos looked clear to me.  I decided to just freehand it.   That worked alright because, as a novice, it all just looked like green, braided yarn to me.  I remember sitting on the couch beside my husband as I tied off and cut the yarn from the last seam.  Wa-la!  I picked up the "poncho" to reveal to him this wonder, and as I did, I realized that I had sewn the whole thing together....  The only gaping hole left in it was for the head.  Explain to me how a baby gets her head in the head-hole when she cannot get her body or her arms into the rest of it??!!!   What  I had in reality was a v-shaped pillowcase, free for the stuffing.  Easy fix, right?  Just pull out your seams.  Easier said than done.  Try removing a seam sewn randomly with the same yarn that the rest of the piece was knitted in.  It was a nightmare.  I ended up cutting through the seam edges with a scissors.  Now it looked like a rabid dog had gotten ahold of my baby's "poncho".  At this point, I was miraculously still hanging on.  I was not going to be defeated.  I was going to be able to show my "Martha-Stewart-friend" that I had made a poncho!  I bought pink ribbon and glue, deciding that I'd just frame the piece and hide the ripped seams.   Didn't work: you could see through the pink ribbon to the mossy green yarn.   And, the glue didn't hold. 

Defeated, I set the piece in my "knitting bag" and thought that maybe I'd try knitting again in the future.  Baby was coming (or Baby G as the college students referred to her), and I had to run to the Gap.