On the Brink

I'd like to be able to tell you I am currently on the brink of giving birth to a happy, healthy, brand-spankin'-new baby. Or maybe on the brink of some great epiphany. Heck, I'd settle for being on the brink of having the house all clean and organized. Instead, though, all I can say is that what I'm most likely on the brink of is insanity. I've still got six hours till midnight (and would therefore no longer be giving birth on the date predicted by the Silly Sticks - or maybe I should hold off on insulting them till at least 12:01), but I've so far never had a fast labor, and I can't see how that would start now - though, you never know. My problem is that I can't seem to concentrate on any one task. Sure, I've maintained the cleanish state of the kitchen (for the most part) and I have washed and folded a few loads of laundry, but there is so much more I could do with my day but just can't concentrate on. I really should just go sit down and knit, since that would be a good way to occupy myself, but I'm having trouble justifying it, when I still haven't gotten the house as clean as I'd like. Can anyone offer motivation that can out-do the antsiness? I can't seem to find any.

So, instead of doing something productive, I've decided to share the pictures of my newest knitting projects (finished and unfinished), plus a little something extra just for fun. I was considering posting a picture of my house-sized mid-section, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it after seeing the picture. I know that many people may even be starting to wonder if this whole pregnancy thing is just a big hoax designed to lure you back to my blog as often as possible. The picture would have given you proof, but you'll just have to wait for a shot of the newest Lambchop when it decides to grace us with its presence (surely it'll be more photogenic than its mommy at this stage of enormousness pregnancy).

Bootie Call:

Now, without further ado (aka blabbering), I bring you my newest knitted goodies. First up is the finished pair of baby socks. It's the ruffle baby sock from the Summer 2005 issue of Interweave Knits. Not a bad pattern, I think. I didn't modify a darn thing aside from the yarn, which is Knit Picks Essential in Fawn. All in all, I liked the knitting of them, and I like the finished product. I think the cast-off row is particularly interesting (zigzag cast-off to close the toe without sewing). I wasn't sure how I liked the appearance, which is growing on me, but what I really enjoyed was the fact that you don't need to sew anything up to finish the sock. Also, I can easily remember how to do that zigzag cast-off, whereas I always have to look up the grafting kind of approach to closing a toe. I'm all for not having to get out the books, you know?

Next up is the Durrow sweater (you guys have a great memory for the things I'm knitting - or neglecting, as the case may be - see the previous post's comments if you have no clue what I'm talking about.) from Mag Knits. Every time I look at this sweater again, I fall in love with it a little more. Probably what has prompted me to continue making it, despite my doubts about how well it'll be cared for, is the idea of seeing it on my husband. I just think it'll look great on him, but we'll have to see if the vision in my head will match reality at all. And, what's really nice at the moment is that the body is just a bunch of ribbing that is good for my current antsy state of mind.



The last knitting picture of the day is a total surprise - even to me. I got in the mood the other day to do some dyeing and went for it. It took me a very long time to decide to actually dye this yarn. It was such a beautiful color of white, and the fact that it's 100% alpaca gave it a lovely halo. Now that it's dyed, though, I'm very glad I did it, and I love the colors. They are soft and muted for KoolAid, I think, and I had to start knitting something with this yarn immediately. Unfortunately, I only have about 625 yards of it, which appears to be just enough to make a little v-neck sweater vest. I'd much rather have a full, long-sleeved sweater, but I'm not going to complain. Guess I'll just have to find some long-sleeved shirts that might look nice with it, right? An excuse for shopping? Hmmm.



And, now for a little bit of fun. You may remember a while back, I met Street Walker Barbie and her good friend Tattoo Barbie. Because they don't seem to be sold in "a store near you," I said I'd take a picture of the two of them to allow you to see what they look like. Now, they appear to be a little camera shy, because it took quite a while to get them to pose for me. I think it had something to do with the fact that Tattoo Barbie was completely naked (or perhaps Street Walker Barbie was afraid her parents would find out her real job is, indeed, not librarian at a school for the deaf). No doubt Street Walker Barbie would have had few qualms showing up on the net in the buff, but Tattoo Barbie is apparently a bit more modest. So, last night, I threw some clothes on her (sorry I couldn't find the bikini top that matches her shorts, but at least you can still see the tattoos). They did, however, decline any interviews. The only words I could get out of them were the following turn-ons and turn-offs.

Street Walker Barbie:

Turn-ons: Pink hot pants
Turn-offs: What's that?

Tattoo Barbie:

Turn-ons: Body Piercings and Harleys
Turn-offs: Suits and Ties (unless, of course, you discover a tattoo or ten hidden beneath)

A little note about these dolls: I swear I did nothing to alter their appearance (aside from dressing Tattoo Barbie to avoid making this into some kind of twisted porn site). I noticed them while chatting with my brother on the phone on my birthday. He was quite concerned about the fact that Lambchop #2 (my son) was playing with them. I assured him all was quite right with the world, because he instantly began undressing Street Walker Barbie (as she intended). Perhaps I was wrong, though. All is not quite right with the world when manufacturers of doll clothes can't come up with designs a little less hideous than these.

I'll leave you with a little apology: I have no time to reread this post for errors, so please excuse any if you find them.