On the merits of library paste.

The doctor wasn't surprised that Zak is still breastfed- to the contrary, she was rather pleased. That was a change from the last doc, who was simply flabbergasted that I was breastfeeding Zak two months ago. The formula feeding norm in this country is so strong, I'm always worried that I'll come across a doc who is keen on formula. That's not to say that this doc and I saw eye to eye on all feeding issues- hence the reference to library paste in the title.
I'm sure that rice cereal for babies is good for something, but I'm also sure that such a function would be more like a non-toxic cement or glue, not a foodstuff.  I'd happily use rice cereal if Zak had diarrhea or we had to hang wallpaper. But as the first non-medicinal substance to cross Zak's lips that isn't my milk? I can think of much better first foods.
I will probably start Zak on grains soon- but whole grains, not ones stripped of all their soul and substance. I'm hoping to try oatmeal and banana for those brisk winter morns.

I finally got started on the Cozy Cardigan for Zak. The colorway is lovely, the knitting a bit boring, at least until I reach the sleeves. This will be my first shot at buttonholes, so wish me luck. And I got about $50 in knitting store gift certs for my birthday. Yay.

Gone platinum?

I'm prepping for a visit with my family, and I'd wondered what I could whip up for my mother and grandmother, who both have lovely silver hair- not that they know it, unfortunately. And they don't know this because the public perception of grey hair is that it is something to be covered up at the earliest sign.

I confess- I've concealed a grey hair or three in my day. But as I'm just shy of thirty, it didn't seem right for me to have grey just yet. To me, grey hair goes with wearing Chanel No. 5, well-tailored clothing, and a certain confident elegance that isn't devoid of sex appeal, but certainly doesn't suit the adolescent awkwardness that I still possess in great amounts. I'm quite looking forward to a silver cloud of curls at say, forty-five, but not just yet.

My mother and grandmother, however, have gone quite platinum, and I've been looking for something to complement grey hair. My research turns up loads of ways to prevent or conceal greys of varying credibility, but few to make the best of what you've earned. I may just do a general hair oil that boosts shine and encourages growth, but really, is it too much to ask for suggestions on making silver tresses glow without chemical interventions? Oh well.

I've also finished my first pair of hand-knit socks for Zak, and for now, I'm a three-needle bind off girl in terms of finishing. Perhaps I'll keep working on grafting - a.k.a. Kitchener stitch, but my bind off looks better than my grafting, so that's what I'll stick with. For those who are familiar with hand-knit socks, you can skip the next sentences.

These socks fit beautifully. Zak is a baby clothing escape artist, with socks being a specialty of his. I won't say he can't wriggle out of these, but it's at least a bigger challenge for him. They were fun to knit, as there was the excitement of the heel between the predictability of the leg and foot. They may be my new favorite thing to knit, as the happiness-yarn ratio is excellent.

Next: a pair of toe-up socks, as I'm hoping to start knitting for Socks for Soldiers, a charity that provides hand-knit socks to military servicemembers on deployment. Any flaw in a sock would be felt acutely, so I want to have the techniques down before I cast on for someone relying so heavily on my skills.

And Eid has arrived, with its fond farewell to Ramadan and delightful gifts for Zak. I prayed Eid prayer at home, presented Zak with his gifts, and opened my brand new.... electric kettle! It was a gift from a friend of mine. It's wonderful, and I think I must have used it a half dozen times already. I just hope the gifts I whipped up and sent out were enjoyed half as much as my new kettle. Either way, I am humbled to reflect on how blessed I am.

Rather handy, aren't we?

I've decided on another bath mitt for my travel knitting. It will be easy, useful, and can be done on a circular needle, minimizing risk of losing a needle mid-project. I've rolled a ball of yarn from a massive skein of Sugar and Cream cotton yarn, cast onto a circular needle, and knit a few rows. This way, I can pack the project into a carry on with enough work not to simply slide off the needle and unravel, and I'm all set for hours of mindless knitting- if the Milk Monster lets me.

I am also obsessed with the idea of mittens for him. Probably thumbless and preferably in a yarn that provides some color interest, as this bath mitt is a dye-free but boring cream color. The other project on my needles, his other sock, is in a charming yellow-green, but I'm looking for something, well, not green or yellow. And the fact that I tire of those two colors is all my fault.

Zak's sex was a surprise because I planned it that way. I wanted a bit of the mystery, the speculation, and the freedom from what would have been an all-blue wardrobe for him had it been known that he was a boy. At least he's now got three colors dominating his wardrobe: green, yellow, and blue. But for a knitter who glories in a variety of color, it's not enough- not nearly enough. I'd like to work in rich browns, somber greys, and deep, clear burgundies. In short, I want to work in non-baby colors for my baby.

I've got an easy baby mitten pattern set aside, and it calls for sock yarn doubled. Maybe I'll strand together deep blue and beige, or burgundy and apricot. I may do a hand-painted yarn- I've got to do something to relieve the monochrome blues.

On the road again...

I'm traveling for the first time with the Milk Monster, and so many issues present themselves: travel crib or co-sleep? What toys should I take for the flight? Will it be OK to read to the Milk Monster on the flight? But most importantly: what to knit on the trip?
I've got Zak's other sock to do, but I'm on the foot, it's cuff down, and it's for a baby- not nearly enough of a project to last me for more than a week of my Grandma going on about how incompetent I am as a parent. I don't have the needles I need for his cardi, and I don't want to do anything in the round, as I use DPN's, and if I lose one on the plane, I'll be an unhappy camper. I need a single-point needle project, preferably using stash yarn.A scarf would fit the bill, and so would another bath mitt. But I don't want to do another bath mitt so soon after the last, and I need something with color interest. Sounds like a job for (trumpets, please)- a  hand-painted yarn!
The crystal ball indicates that I've some online yarn shopping in my future, as I've no hand-painted worsted weight in my stash. I could pick up some size 4 straight needles then, too Any suggestions?

I've got finishitis!

For some strange reason, I'm determined to finish the projects I have on my needles before beginning another. For non-knitters, it may seem strange, but having several projects in progress is the natural state of being a knitter; to focus on one project from start to finish is something of an aberration. I've wondered why this is- after all, you don't get to show off your finished objects if you don't have any. Then, I cast on.

Knitting is an adventure. Each stitch, each yarn over, takes us closer to a destination unique to every knitter, for no two knitters are alike. Knitters often make slight (or dramatic) changes to a pattern, lengthening sleeves here, adding cables there. This creates an object even more different from that created by the designer. Knitting is not the mindless parroting of a designer's will- it is a dance of the fingers that makes art of piles of string.

I've blocked and sewn up Zak's bath mitt, and the swatch for his sweater has been blocked and gauge noted. But before I'll allow myself to buy the new size four needles to start on his cardi in earnest, I must, I must, I must finish this sock. It's my first pair, for Zak, and in a charming shade of yellow green. I've already done the first, and got down to the heel on the second. Perhaps this is a new knitter's disease- Postpartum Second Sock Syndrome? I started the first sock while in labor, and managed to finish it by some miracle while Zak was a newborn. Yet, the turning of the heel for the second sock stopped me cold for a while.

Knitting a sock is the closest thing to magic that can be accomplished without a scantily clad assistant. You use straight needles to create a round tube, and without bending the needles or the time-space continuum in any way, you change direction. No seams, no glue, just knitting around and around until you're at the toe- or cuff, depending on where you started- and you graft or cast off your way to an exquisitely well-fitting sock.

But the allure of this magic trick seems to fade with the second sock- no matter how many socks a knitter makes, the second holds less charm than the first. I'm determined to finish before I start a new project, in part because I tire of white socks on Zak, am too cheap to buy colored socks when I have some on my needles, and just because I want to. Oh well.

Happy Knitting!

On pins and knitting needles.

'Tis the season for cool weather knitting. And for learning to speak up for myself.
I've picked the Cozy Cardigan pattern by Patons, but instead of a Patons yarn, I grabbed some of the Fibranatura Baby Merino in my stash and started swatching. The colorway is "Johnny", an electric-blue/olive/tan mix. I'd post a pic of my swatch so far, but the camera and my computer aren't friends today. Phooey. Perhaps I'll get it sorted before I finally cast on.
Update: my swatch is below- still on the needles.





I'd bought the Baby Merino on clearance weeks before Zak was born, not knowing whether I had a boy or girl kicking me. It's a beautiful colorway, and I'd dreamed of whipping up a sweater-dress if I had a girl, or a hat-sweater bootie combo for a boy. It's a beautiful yarn, doesn't pool in garter stitch on size five needles- at least at my personal tension. I plan to swatch in stockinette, as well- but this garter stitch looks so right, I may skip it and do the pattern in garter stitch as indicated. And it's soft enough to be worn close to the skin. I keep touching it as I knit and type this entry.

There will, however, be one alteration to the pattern: the sleeves. I plan to make them a bit longer and wider than indicated, for a full sleeved cardigan that's slightly loose- that will lengthen the wear time, be easier to pull on, and provide an inch of extra warmth. I'm hoping to find wooden buttons- that will set off the colors perfectly.

I'm just glad that I didn't have my needles with me when someone decided to tear into me for not conforming to their ideas of what a young mother ought to be and do. To them, I just couldn't be a proper parent unless I was doing exactly what she did while raising her daughter, regardless of the fact that some of the things she did are illegal now.

I didn't have my knitting with me when I read her the riot act, but my statement to her and the sweater I'm working on share one thing: the importance of working with what you have, and valuing it. I don't have a house I can sell for ready cash or the yarn the pattern calls for. I don't have a husband that can help watch Zak, and the yarn I have may or may not be a proper match for the project. What I can do is what I can do, be it working from home or whipping out a yarn from my stash. I'm grateful that I can be at home with Zak, and glad I've a beautiful yarn to work with. Whatever comes of either Zak or the sweater is partly beyond my control- but I can choose to do my best with what I have, or whine about what someone else has.

So far, I have a glowingly healthy son and half a beautiful swatch. I think I'll just knit on.