muddy knees and knitting

A couple images of what my days look like recently. A lot of playing outside, now that the snow is gone, and whatever knitting time I can squeeze in. I've been making a few custom toys, since I'm not designing anything new right now. As you can guess, it can be very difficult to find moments to pick up my needles when this little toddler is bustling around getting into everything.

busy bee

Still here! Still breathing! I'm taking what time I can to do things that make me feel better, but that doesn't leave much for answering emails, writing, or work-knitting. Hopefully you haven't been waiting too long to hear from me (my group on Ravelry is super helpful if you need a quick question answered).

Here's something I have been doing: enjoying plenty of time with these chubby cheeks! Kyr is over 10 months now: crawling, walking around the furniture, babbling all day long, and growing out of everything!  Here he's wearing some pants I quickly whipped up from an old pattern I borrowed from my mom, a vest I knit him a month ago (with cute car buttons from my friend), and a hat I knit for Lev last Autumn (the hat is way too big on him, but looked too cute!) As you can tell, I'm making the most of this little break from work.

(I'm also busy as a bee with all the other things a mom does - I started this post in the early afternoon, and only got it finished after the kids were in bed!)

over-flowing inbox

If you've been trying to contact me, I'm starting to go through my inbox today. However, estimating by the amount of email there, and how much time I have on the computer, it could take me a week or two to get through everything. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Update (2:47 pm): I've replied to most of the messages in my email inbox, as well as Etsy messages. However, Ravelry messages will have to wait until tomorrow, as I have an upset baby to care for. (I wish there was some way to get all my messages in one place!)

Until then, look at the cute baby in knitted things! (the vest and slippers are both improvised designs, and made with some Knit Picks sock yarn I dyed a couple years ago)

welcome home

20110326: Welcome home, Kyr from Kay Ryabitsev on Vimeo.

meet Kyr

Meet Kyr Konstantin Ryabitsev (pronounced Keer), the newest member of the Fuzzy Mitten family. He was born on March 6, after only 34 weeks, so we spent a while in the hospital. But he is fine now, and we're settling in at home. I'll write more when I've not got a sleeping baby in my other arm.

baby mitten socks

This is actually the second pair of socks I knit for Lev. The first pair I made from a Debbie Bliss pattern, and they don't fit him very well. I guess sometimes you need to do things wrong, before you can figure out how to do them right! Anyway, I thought I would share how I made these socks, in case you feel like making some for a special little one you know. The pattern does not have a lot details, so if you do try them out, let me know if I can add anything useful (or if I've made a mistake, which is quite possible considering how much sleep I get these days).

Baby Mitten Socks
or Striped and Ribbed Baby Socks

These wee little socks use self-striping yarn for the main part of the sock, and a contrast yarn for the heel so the stripe pattern isn't disrupted. They take such a small amount of yarn, you could easily make several pairs from one ball of yarn, or use up some left-overs from other projects. I used a spare ball of Regia I had sitting around, and some random blue sock yarn for the heels.

Materials: 15 g of self-striping fingering weight yarn, 5 g of contrast yarn in same weight, set of five 2.25 mm dpns, darning needle
Gauge: 8.5 st/inch and 12 rows/inch
Size: newborn (approx. 9 cm or 3.5" foot)

Ankle
Cast on 32 sts onto one needle with striping yarn. Transfer 8 sts to each of 3 more needles. Join in the round, and work [k1, p2, k1] around for 20 rounds. Drop this yarn, but do not break off.

Heel
With contrast yarn, k16 sts, placing them onto one needle. You will work back and forth on this needle for the heel.
Next: k1, p14, k1. K 1 row.
Repeat these 2 rows for a total of 11 rows, ending with a ws row.
Next: k11, ssk, turn. (15 sts)
Next: s1 pw, p6, p2tog, turn. (14 sts)
Next: s1 kw, k6, ssk, turn. (13 sts)
Repeat the last 2 rows until 8 sts remain. Break off contrast yarn.

Instep
Pick up striping yarn, and with extra needle, pick up 9 sts along side of heel, then knit 4 sts from needle holding heel sts.
With next needle, knit other 4 sts from heel, then pick up 9 sts along other side of heel.
Work across top of instep, following ribbing pattern. You should now have 42 sts.
Next: ssk, k22, k2tog, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times. (40 sts)
Next: k24, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times.
Next: ssk, k20, k2tog, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times. (38 sts)
Next: k22, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times.
Next: ssk, k18, k2tog, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times. (36 sts)
Next: k20, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times.
Next: ssk, k16, k2tog, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times. (34 sts)
Next: k18, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times.
Next: ssk, k14, k2tog, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times. (32 sts)

Foot
Next: k16, [k1, p2, k1] 4 times.
Work this round for a total of 15 rounds. Or, work enough rounds so the sock foot measures the same from the back of the heel to the beginning of the toes, as does your baby's foot.

Toe
Knit 1 round.
Next: ssk, k12, k2tog, ssk, k12, k2tog. (28 sts) K 1 round.
Next: ssk, k10, k2tog, ssk, k10, k2tog. (24 sts) K 1 round.
Next: ssk, k8, k2tog, ssk, k8, k2tog.
Break off yarn leaving a long end. Graft end of toe together with kitchener stitch. Secure all yarn ends. Knit second sock.

Abbreviations
k = knit
p = purl
k2tog = knit 2 together
ssk = slip, slip, knit (or whatever left-leaning decrease you prefer)
s1 = slip one
pw = purl-wise
kw = knit-wise

happy december!

Happy December! Month of fun holidays and the start of winter up here (which means time to wear warm knitted things!) I had planned to have the Santa Reindeer pattern ready for you today, but things went a little awry this weekend and the pattern isn't ready yet. Depending on how busy Mr. Mitten is this week, it should be ready for you by this coming weekend. I know several people have asked about it already, and it does seem like the best time to release it.

In baby news, we had another ultrasound today, and everything is progressing very well! He's already over 2 kg (about 4.5 lbs) and a bit big for his age. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind if he shows up a little early. I'm impatient to meet him! Also, the third trimester is starting to show it's difficult side and I'm ready to be done with it.

Don't forget about my give-away contest on Wednesday, Dec. 3! The contest will only be open for the one day, so I don't want anyone to miss out!

busy weekend

I hope you all had an excellent weekend! I had a busy one. Saturday we went to town and spent lots of money - babies require so many things! Good thing we've been saving up for a while. Just one quick trip to Ikea, and our spare room will be all ready for our little boy. I've had to give up my sewing room, but we had empty space in our living room for the sewing table, and I don't mind, given the reason! Yesterday I spent the whole afternoon making curtains for his room. I wanted to do them well, with lining because of the street-light outside the window. I didn't expect all that fabric to be such a big job to haul around, from pinning on the floor, to sewing machine, to lap for the final hem. It's all done now, though, and looks great!

I also found time to work on something new for the holidays! A free pattern for little decorations, a bit like I did last year. I need to knit a few more to double check everything, and take photos, but it should be all ready by this time next week!

gingerbread cupcakes

Yesterday was my baby shower, and I had a few friends over. Instead of playing embarrassing games, we baked cupcakes. However, the mothers there did tell stories about their pregnancies, frightening at least one person into swearing she didn't want children (and we didn't even get into the really unpleasant parts!) I made mini gingerbread cupcakes with lemon glaze, and promised to share the recipe, since they turned out so well. Hopefully this makes up for the emotional scarring of my friend :)



Gingerbread Cupcakes

Makes 4 dozen mini cupcakes, 1 dozen regular size cupcakes, or a 9" square cake.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Mix together well in one bowl.

1 cup hot water
3/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey

In a second bowl, add hot water to molasses and honey, and stir until they are dissolved.

1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup white sugar

Cream butter in a third large bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Add egg and mix until smooth.

Add half of dry ingredients to butter mixture, and mix well, then add half of liquid ingredients and mix until smooth. Repeat with rest of dry and wet ingredients.

Prepare pans with paper liners, or grease and flour cake pan. Pour batter into pans. Bake at 350 F: 10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes, 15 minutes for regular cupcakes, or 1 hour for cake. Place on cooling rack until cool.

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
6-8 tsp lemon juice

In a small bowl, stir lemon juice into icing sugar one tsp at a time until you have a thick but spreadable glaze (you may not need all the lemon juice). Spread over top of cool cupcakes - glaze will smooth out after spreading, and be sure to add any decorations right away as the glaze surface will dry after a few minutes.

more bats for Halloween

Hey there. I hope you're all doing well, and getting ready for Halloween (those of you who celebrate it, anyway). Here's another adorable bat, knit by Dani. I really like how fuzzy he is! I'm glad I have a few photos of these bats in the flickr group, so maybe more people will get inspired to post photos of their own.

Autumn is progressing steadily here. We've had our first bit of snow, and most of the leaves are down now. I've got a new coat (which actually fits over my growing belly) and wear a hat, scarf, and mittens to the train every morning. I love this part of the season, because the arrival of snow is still exciting and beautiful - the fluffy, thick blanket of snow that you know is going to stay and is the first sign of winter. Year after year, it never grows old, and I never feel like complaining about it (unlike some people, but they're probably the same ones who always complain about the weather, no matter what it is). Maybe I can convince my hubby to get out this weekend, and we can get some photos. We haven't done that in ages.

I guess I haven't talked about my pregnancy in a while, have I? Everything seems to be going as it should. I get bigger every week, and the baby is so active, he tires me out most days (and he's not even born yet)! We've hired a doula, so now I need to start looking forward and planning for the birth. Funny enough, I've just been trying to get through each day as it comes, and haven't given much thought to the conclusion of all this! But it's reassuring to have someone so experienced to help us, since most of my family is so far away, and my doctor is too busy to really support us as much as we might like.

plans schmans

While I believe my plans for next winter and spring are pretty reasonable (and I'm glad you agree) we'll have to see how it really works out! I've learned not to be disappointed when things don't go exactly as I wanted, and make plans more tentatively. Maybe I'll have more time for knitting, sewing, and blogging that I thought, maybe I'll have much less. But whatever happens, I will try to keep writing here, and let you know how things are going. Besides, I'm sure to have a million baby pictures to share with you!

Speaking of baby, he's really starting to move in there! It's such an amazing feeling, when it's not uncomfortable :) I think all babies must start out wanting to be soccer (football) players. At the moment his favourite kicking spot is my belly button. I can't wait until my husband can feel it too!

Okay, enough chatter for now, I guess. I have a full day of pattern editing ahead of me!

no title

Here I am, procrastinating about making bread, despite the fact that I won't have anything for lunch tomorrow if I don't. Well, I will get to it as soon as I answer a few questions.

First, someone asked me recently what yarn I use for the Siamese kitty, but for the life of me I can't find the email. I guess that happens sometimes. Anyway, I use Elann's Peruvian Highland wool in worsted weight, in coffee bean brown, nutmeg heather, and bisque. If you want more contrast, try bittersweet for the dark brown. I love this yarn, because it's soft, comes in lots of great colours, and is really affordable.

The other question was about my Ravelry id. My patterns are here, and my own account is here. I do have a shop, but it only has the free lamb pattern. (these links only work if you have a Ravelry account) I'd looked into having my other patterns there, but decided it wasn't worth it for the extra work it would create. It looks like lots of people would like a Fuzzy Mitten Ravelry group, so I guess I need to look into how I do that.

Someone also asked what will happen to Fuzzy Mitten once I have my baby. While there's still a few months to wait, I have been making some plans. I have a couple new things coming before Christmas, but then January will probably be pretty quiet while I get everything ready for the new Mitten. Some of the secret stuff I've been working on are new patterns that I will release next winter and spring. I'm hoping this will keep things interesting for you, while being the minimum of work for me. My Etsy and Lulu shops will stay open, though it's likely there won't be any kits or toys for the first few months. I have no idea how much time and energy I will have for blogging, so we'll just have to wait and see. I hope that sounds reasonable to all of you!

the new me

A slight departure today from my usual ramblings.

As my pregnancy has progressed, I've noticed that the changes to my body are as significant as what I went through during puberty... and I'm only half-way there! I'm not sure why this is such a revelation, maybe because most women don't talk about what pregnancy is like until you find yourself in that condition. Perhaps they believe the truth will turn too many women off of having children, or perhaps they would rather forget about all the changes that happen to your body.

While most of me is very happy to be pregnant (because I get a baby out of it!), a small part of me is struggling to deal with the new me. I was a very shy and awkward kid, who always thought of herself as unattractive. Then in university I gained lots of weight, which made things worse. I have worked so hard since then to stay fit and healthy, and it took me a long time to overcome that negative image of myself and become happy and comfortable with my body as an adult. So, it hurts a little when each piece of clothing becomes too small, when doing yoga in the morning becomes more awkward because of my growing belly. Among other things.

I know that most of the weight will disappear in the first few months after the baby is born, but I also know that I will never look quite the same as before. I suppose time will help me become accustomed to the new me, and I will probably forget about most of my struggles in the day to day business of taking care of a new baby. But some days it is hard to look that far ahead and be content right now.

I thought of an idea this morning which, while it won't help me now, might help me once my baby is born. I keep hearing about friends and fellow bloggers doing the 365 photo thing on flickr, but I never thought my life was interesting enough from day to day to both joining in the fun. But I think that a photo a day, of the slowly changing me and my baby, would be a project worth undertaking. I also think it would be a fun thing to share with my son one day, so he can see how much he changed and grew in the first year of his life.

mystery solved

I know a few of you guessed already - not so hard, seeing as I have a difficult time keeping exciting news to myself (and have trouble not whining when I feel sick). So yes, Mr. Mitten and I are expecting a baby, due sometime near the end of January. You can see the little one in the image there, so tiny, yet so special! My husband decided to nickname it the Pickle (which makes me the pickle jar), but I enjoy his sense of humour and the name has stuck.

I announced the news to my family while we were on holiday, and everyone seemed pretty excited. It's not my parents' first grandchild, but I'm sure they're still happy to have yet another one to spoil. My favourite part of the holiday, actually, was hearing all the womens' tales of pregnancy at my sister's wedding shower - from from sisters to my aunts and even my grandma and some of her friends. I don't think I've ever felt so connected to other women before, and I was more sad to leave my old home than I've ever been. Having all their support and understanding was exactly what I needed, and I will miss it so much.

I'm starting to feel a little better, and I'm crossing my fingers that the morning sickness will pass soon. There were some days when I was seriously wondering what I had gotten myself into, but hopefully that will soon change into excitement and curiosity at what our child will be like. Anyway, don't worry that this will turn into a blog all about babies! I still have lots of fun knitting to do, and lots of new ideas to share with you.

There will eventually be some changes. I expect things will slow down a lot after Christmas, and there might not be many new patterns next year. But I plan to keep both my shops open, and continue writing here when I can. All of that is some time in the future, though, so no worries yet! I'm just super happy that this little adventure has gone so well, and will allow me to stay at home with my new baby so I don't have to miss anything!