Top Secret Knit Project Revealed!

You may recall that I've been re-learning knitting (ever so slowly) and even posted a picture of the beginnings of my repeat performance of the first project that was top secret.

The first project was a gift for my lovely friend J who is expecting her first babe in September. The gift has been safely delivered by my own personal cross country couriers (thanks S & I!) to BC and I can now post pictures without spoiling the surprise! I'm a bit shocked that I don't have pics of J's blanket (how could I have overlooked recording my first-again knit project?), but here is a shot of the repeat performance that I am making for my babe:



(Hi, Hubby!)

I must give credit to S from SnB at Knitomatic for giving me the idea for this design. I procured her yarn choice (Mission Falls 1824) and the stripe idea, but made it my own. Instead of uniform stripes I decided to do a spontaneous pattern of thin and fat bars and I chose different colours as well. I also decided against fringe.

The garter stitch without a set pattern for the striping makes this a perfect portable project. No pattern to check or rows to count. It's easy to pick up and put down as time and tingly pregnant hands allow. (J was just telling me on the phone this morning that she hasn't been able to pick up a crochet hook for some time due to the pregnancy hand ache! Sorrow!)

Here is a picture of J having her first crochet lesson last summer when she was in town:



Baby update: We just heard from the genetic counsellor that my DNA is negative for retinoblastoma (the childhood cancer that made me a 2D Girl at 14 months of age)! Yippee! This means my cancer was a wild card and I won't pass it on to our babe. I was 99.9% sure it wasn't hereditary, but the genetic counsellor explained things in a way that convinced us to get the testing done.

The results came back just a few weeks before I would have to begin extra ultrasounds to check Babe's eyes, as an early detection method. Less trips to the ultrasound lab at Mount Sinai is music to my ears. The folks at Mount Sinai are lovely, but the lab is super busy and often backed up. Have you ever been in a waiting room with a bunch of pregnant women who may be waiting for over an hour for their appointment?! It can get ugly.

Our hypnobirthing class starts in a couple of weeks. I haven't been practicing the relaxation every night. Probably something I should be a bit more dedicated to if I really want the hypnobirthing to work for me. I'm almost finished the book and will pass it on to Hubby by Monday night.

Do you remember my crochet/Xbox debate with Hubby? Well, this morning Hubby shyly (ie. asking permission voice) told me he has a chance to 'babysit' an Xbox unit for a week. He also has the week off from his writers' room. I was so dumb struck this morning that I couldn't respond. Talk about a rush of mixed emotions. There is so much to get done before Babe arrives. So much to do that I doubt we'll get it all done if we work non-stop for the next ten weeks. I wisely thought it best to keep my mouth shut until my brain had a chance to think things through.

This afternoon I shared my thoughts with Hubby: permission granted, with the understanding that he balance his week between writing, domestic stuff, and the addictive Xbox. I do not want to be known on the street as the crazy 7 month pregnant woman who threw the borrowed Xbox onto the driveway in the middle of a thunderstorm. Not to mention that we'd have to buy Hubby's friend another Xbox. (I am very, very sensitive to the idea of being some voracious nag who denies her Hubby most of the things that make his life fun and boy-like. I feel a one-week loaner Xbox is a decent compromise from the 'over-my-dead-body' statements of the past.) Fingers crossed that it will be a win-win compromise.

Handkerchief

I use handkerchiefs. If you haven't figured it out already, 2D Girl has one eye. The other eye is artificial. My right eye socket, the one with the prosthesis, has always been a bit snotty and runny. In order to save some trees, I switched from tissues to handkerchiefs several years ago. I have some plain old white ones, but mostly I use some tie-dyed, funkified handkerchiefs to make things interesting. I always carry one in my left pocket.

I ended up on a bus this morning on my way to work. I usually walk or ride my bike, but it was just too icy and windy. I can't afford to fall and break my arm just before the holidays - I have too many cookies to bake!

I digress. I was lucky to get one of the last seats and like most Torontonians, I sat my butt down and stared straight ahead. As the journey dragged on, I noticed the man sitting to my left (my seeing side). I glanced over and something caught my eye - a huge drip of fluid on the tip of his nose. I realized that he must not have any tissues and I wondered why he didn't just surreptisiously wipe the drip on his sleeve. He just sat there and let the drip get bigger and bigger. By the time it reached his lip, I had clued in that he may not be in the best of health (general and otherwise). I reached into my pocket, pulled out my clean hankie and offered it to him. He wiped his nose and we had a brief conversation about how he was feeling a bit better today and that he got new boots just in time for the snow.

I'm happy my hankie has found another home.

Four years

Hubby and I have been together for four years this week. Our first date anniversary was on Sunday and neither of us remembered until we were walking to our apartment from our house in the cold and dark. I remarked on the date and Hubby said, 'Gee, I hope you like those safety goggles I bought you today. Happy four years anniversary, Honey!' We giggled. (I do love my goggles. They have elastic to hold them tight against my face and go over my glasses. This 2D girl has to protect her one good eye, don't ya know!)

As an aside, I thank the goddess for nature's goggles - the eyebrow. Before I got my anniversary gift goggles, my good eye was saved when my eyebrow caught a big puff of ancient dust that fell on me when I pulled down an old plaster ceiling in the hallway. I still had to scramble to the wash out my eye a bit, but it would have been a real emergency had it not been for my eyebrow. Thank you, Eyebrow.

Well, four years and goggles. I really, really love my life. This relationship is the longest relationship I've ever had. I love Hubby with a ferociousness I didn't know I had in me. He makes me laugh everyday. He makes me breakfast everyday (it's true!). He is my best friend and favourite person to hang out with. I just love him to bits!

I had a nice day

Friday was a really nice day. It started out with a wee sleep-in, then some coffee and newspaper reading. I checked my email and favourite blogs and talked with my cousin on the phone while Wonderful Hubby made me a homemade diner breakfast. With our tummies filled with greasy loveliness, we watched a couple of episodes of Weeds. I checked out some crochet scarf patterns and decided on two more projects. Hubby made plans to see a matinee.

On my way to Knitomatic, I picked up a Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts. I have no idea what sport has to do with these squares of chocolatey bliss, but the makers say that 'if you enjoy an active life you also expect more from chocolate.' Ok (shrug). Well, in my books that is a huge marketing leap because this 2D Girl couldn't hit a baseball or tennis ball to save her life but I love my Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts! (Thanks to Mom & Dad for always encouraging me to try to hit balls and for not teaching me to use the one eyed thing as an excuse.)

(Interesting side note: I loved my Fisher Price View-Master as a kid. I'd click my way through Puss in Boots, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and The Flintstones for hours. I borrowed my older sister's View-Master until my parents bought me my own. They hadn't thought of buying me one initially, thinking I wouldn't get much out of it since I can't see 3D. I loved having my own private slide show. I'd be lost in my own little kid View-Master world for hours. Here's the great part: I learned that View-Master was a 3D toy in my early 20s when I overheard my mom telling a neighbour this exact story! I can't really describe how I felt when this 3D tidbit hit my consciousness. Relieved that I didn't know when I was 8 years old; a little bit embarassed that I was in University and only figuring this out now; aghast that if it hadn't been for my mom telling this story in my presence that I could have gone another 10 or 15 years without knowing. Well, this topic is turning into a whole other blog entry. I shall put it on a list with the 'I want to have a baby urges' topic for future posts.)

At Knitomatic I bought some delicious yarn (Manos del Uruguay and Joy) for my two scarf projects, the latest Crochet Today issue and a crochet hook. H and I shared the Ritter bar and, between customer purchases, passed a couple of hours chatting and crocheting/knitting. I started on the scarf I was intending for Hubby (more on that below). I got all filled up with creative juices in those two hours and I'm still riding the wave.

In the late afternoon I met a friend for coffee in the Annex. We had a nice visit and just before parting we checked out the new version of Trove. Lovely, fun and little beyond my means right now, but it is always nice to spend a few minutes fantasizing. Just that little taste of the store satisfied my craving for stylish purses and boots. It just simply feels good to know that my friend and I have good taste, even if we can't part with our dinero right now.

We also slipped into the recently opened Cobb's Bakery on Bloor. Can't wait to taste something savory and sweet from there.

I met up with Hubby and friend (post-matinee) for dinner on Yonge Street. Hubby and I carried on from there to Massey Hall for the Bruce Cockburn concert. Another direct injection into my creative juices vein. It is an understatement to point out the obvious: Bruce is an artist with his guitar. It was a great concert and I love going out on dates with my guy.

It is now Sunday morning and I am happy to report that the scarf I started at Knitomatic on Friday is already finished, including the fringe! Here is pic:


Here is a good look at the detail:


I am not sure if this is still a scarf for Hubby, since it looks a little femmie, but I am starting another scarf that is less fancy that will likely turn out to be his. I also want to get started on my own scarf and Hubby has requested a king size (!) afghan for our bed. I'm also working on some fast shopping bags in between all these projects. I'm hoping to have enough bags ready for holiday gifts. I think I will need about 10 bags and I'm more than 60% there.

Whew! I am feeling a little manic just writing about it.