Wednesday 16 November 2011

Wee Wednesdays: Baby Blanket Progress

I tip my cap to Jolene, who suggested a fabulous new feature for the blog when commenting on the baby news- Wee Wednesdays! So, sometimes on a Wednesday (not every Wednesday, but I'll confine baby knits and baby talk to Wednesdays) I'll post about something baby/knitting related. Like this baby blanket:

 The night I was knitting the baby blanket, and then was struck by the thought that I only needed 5 colours for the blanket, not six, and what was I going to do with the extra colour?! I stared at it for twenty minutes trying to figure out how to modify the pattern to incorporate that 6th colour when it slowly dawned on me... I did indeed only have 5 colours. And then I realized all the work clothes that fit me right now are grey, which is boring. And then I started to cry. Because I apparently can't count to 5 and all my clothes are grey.


I may have missed out on morning sickness, but hormone craziness has hit me like a tonne of bricks.

But I let some days pass and looked at it again. And I started to think that  maybe it was looking a bit off, so I tried it without the green... which:

 Makes me think of  the 70's. Or clowns from the 70's. There are laws about red and orange being used together that requires more spacing than what I've done here in this second take. I don't know what I was thinking, taking the green out of the mix. Hormones, give me back my knitting mojo!

UPDATE: The pattern I'm using is a free baby blanket pattern which you can find here.

36 comments:

Peppermint Mocha Mama said...

Oh I've been there - several times - and the best advice I can offer you is to make simple projects with limited color changes. You will be in tears from silly things for the rest of your life now... make your knitting simpler for a while - single color or variegated yarns with slightly challenging stitch work should ease the pain.

Or just do what I did - make baby stuff. It's quick and cute and when the baby shows up, your knitting time will be super limited.

CelticCastOn said...

lol oh Julie you gave me a good morning giggle.
*hugs*

kingshearte said...

I have no commiseration to share, but you can have a hug!

Failing that, I'm sure you must have some nice squishy yarn to cuddle anytime you need a pick-me-up.

Good luck!

Suze said...

I missed out on morning sickness, too, but oh boy did the hormones mess with my head! The blanket will be beautiful, though. Don't worry :)

Zenitude said...

Oh I love the colours in the blanket...such happy colours!

LisaPrit said...

What pattern are you using for the baby's blanket? I just love the slip stitch, it reminds me of that famous dishcloth from Mason-Dixon knitting.

Unknown said...

Yay! I love Wee Wednesdays! The colourful baby blanket is so bright and cheerful.

Unknown said...

great blanket, what's the pattern??
for some reason your comment about crying because you couldn't count to 5 and your cloths are gray reminded me of the episode of Friends where Rachel has her baby and cries because she put her slippers on the wrong feet, and then cries again because she's "reliving it."
We're currently working on starting our family, so I expect/hope I will soon be experiencing similar mood swings.

Ashley said...

Oh my gosh! How did I miss you are expecting?! Congratulations. :)I found the Hap Blanket by Ysolda to be a soothing knit that was interesting enough to keep my attention but not enough to frustrate me to tears like some of my other projects. This time I am knitting/crocheting tons of washcloths.

Anonymous said...

You got the color wheel wrong I think. Are you going to stick with it?

Can you link to the pattern? I really like it! I've been thinking that the next baby blanket I knit should be really colorfull because babies are fun. And I like the slip stich!

grandmastatus said...

It's okay! You just got placenta brain! My preggo SIL yesterday searched for her keys for about 45 minutes, got near tears, and then realized they were in her pocket.
It's okay because they say knitting is good for your brains, so maybe you'll be better off than some. Or at the very least, your kid will have an awesome clowny blanket.
But you will still have all grey clothes. Time for someone to treat you... you deserve something purdy! Remind everyone of this.

Anonymous said...

Well, at any rate, that is a very snazzy blanket.

juicyknits said...

Oh, hugs to you. Your baby blanket is looking cute, I did not think of '70s... not until you mentioned it.

Crystal said...

I love the colours on that blanket! I do prefer it with the green, but if you didn't want the green I would do it just in the citrus colours and also leave out the blue. Either way, babies need cheery colors, even if they are 70's. The 70's were awesome! And don't worry about the crying. I cried over a commercial the other day. I think the crying gets worse near the end... so get ready!

Alyssa said...

Oh, it's so colorful! Babies love bright stuff :)

Jacey said...

Aww, Julie! Don't be too hard on yourself! I think the blanket is happy and cheery. I agree with Peppermint Mocha Mama; maybe a few tiny FOs will help get the mojo back! Maybe a wee little hat?

Susan said...

The not so great news....the hormones don't really get better the first year after you give birth. I was just bawling my eyes out at work just a minute ago. lol. The baby always makes it worth it though. Hang in there.

Hilary said...

Ah, hormones. Still waiting for mine to calm down and Daniel is almost 8 months old! Maybe after I'm done breastfeeding?

You learn to handle them, though. :)

I think the blanket looks great!

Anonymous said...

point the first- i love the idea of wee wednesdays!

point the second- well, the red and the blue are by far the strongest colours in the mix. if you want to get rid of one of the colours, i would suggest one of those two. the orange, yellow and green should play nice together, and the red or blue would add a little punch.

also- hugs.

Anonymous said...

I really love it with the green! Plus, I think your version is a lot cuter than the one in the pattern, which is kind of ewww. I'm not sure I would make it just judging by that picture, but yours makes me want to add it to me queue!

Anonymous said...

omg, im so sorry but i had to smile while reading about you crying about not being able to count and clothes being gray. I'm not even pregnant, and on some days I get like that too. *there there*

On the other hand, the blanket looks so bright, colorful, and happy! I should knit one for my baby (dog).

Erin Kate said...

Ooh it's beautiful! And gender neutral too. :)

Jolene said...

More hugs coming your way! Days like that are bad enough on their own without hormone enhancement.

And yay for Wee Wednesdays -- whose life isn't brightened by baby knits to kick off a "hump day"?

Pam said...

Your colors remind me (though not really, now that I've found it) of a Dale baby sweater I knit OH so many years ago (said baby is in college, I think).

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/3201-fairisle-pullover

If you want some fun, page through the Dale baby pictures on ravelry. I knit some of this for other people's babies, before I had my own. My children mostly had simpler stuff.

Rue said...

The blanket is lovely with the green!

Garter stitch was a life saver when I wasn't sleeping enough to focus on anything. Try a baby surprise jacket. Simple yet clever and you don't have to pay too much attention.

The hormone craziness will pass - or at least you'll get used to it. Sometimes just knowing that it is hormones helped quite a bit. Growing a person is hard work!

Evelyn said...

While I completely understand what you mean about the red/orange/etc. color combination looking a bit like a circus, I have to say that I love it. We don't have enough color in our lives (I have a mainly grey wardrobe, too), so to surround your wee one with brightness and color is a true gift. Keep knitting!

Knit 1 LA said...

The green looked so pretty. If no green what about splitting up the citrus colors? I love the vibrant colors you chose. Yes, the hormones! Today you're crying about all the gray in your wardrobe & in a few months you're crying because your baby looks so adorable when they're sleeping; wrapped in a beautifully hand knit blanket by mom of course!

Tanya said...

I like your baby blanket. The second take looks even brighter.

Jules said...

Aww, I feel for you! It's a weird and wonderful time, but you've kept your sense of humor about it. I like both the 5- and 6-color versions of the blanket (kidding ;o). I agree with others, something pretty for your wardrobe will cheer you up. Hugs!

Anonymous said...

My best advice is to roll with the hormones and emotions that follow. Don't try to not cry. There is nothing wrong with crying, and the growing tenderness of feelings only helps you to be a better mum. And as for grey, hooray for grey! You have lots of pretty cowls, and scarves, and shawls you can add to your outfit for a splash of color. I personally love grey. :)

Anonymous said...

I have that same baby blanket pattern queued! lol Love the bright colors you are using... I think the blanket will be beautiful when finished & the baby will love the texture. :-)

Maryse said...

Hormones ARE strong ;-) Beautiful yarn! Oh, and I too, have so many gray pants and black tops. I too would need a more colorful wardrobe. The blanket will be fabulous!

Karen said...

Haha... cute! The blanket is going to turn out beautifully, and just think of all that awesome brain power going into helping that little baby grow.

Anonymous said...

congrats on the baby news. looking forward to seeing your baby knits!

Michele Saunders said...

You've got "baby brain" - and I'm sorry to say that it doesn't go away after you have the baby. Your blanket looks good so far - much better with the green.

Lisle said...

I like the green version of the blanket. You could, however throw a white or black yarn in there to accentuate the colors. Black might be crazy without the green, but the white would be really nice.

You can do this!! It just takes a while to wrap your brain around your belly, you know? And it's all totally worthwhile.