Chugging along!

I won't talk about the million other projects I have lingering that really need to get done, like the entrelac baby blanket, and Robby's little jeans, and sweaters, not to mention that Treeline cardigan that I have yet to start on, because Swallowtail is my focus at the moment.Looks like third time was the charm!I've had a few scares, but since I understand the lace pattern now, I was able to fix mistakes without ripping out. It's not perfect, but the pursuit of perfection was abandoned a LONG time ago. I had one really scary incident involving thisguy getting tangled up in the yarn and dragging my knitting downstairs, thankfully no stitches were dropped in the process.

In Robby news, his Aunt Amanda has been watching him since Aunt Olivia has been sick. He loves his auntie, and he LOVES his cousin Lizzie. He is just fascinated with her. I think when he gets a little bigger they will be really good buddies, what do you guys think?Don't they look like they will be serious partners in crime here?She is such a doll and calls herself "big sister" :) Check out the super long drool string! That big smile is for Aunt Amanda, which shows how much he has taken to her! His separation anxiety is starting to ease up, I also was told that he put himself to sleep and napped for an hour, hmmmm, must be a different baby. The cut on his face is from this week, I left him in his cosleeper for a minute, and he grabbed his Snappi and hooked his face! I felt SO bad, but it's healing up nicely thanks to help from Aunt Kacey, NICU nurse extraordinaire and owner of Baxter, the above mentioned doggie. I have some photograhic evidence of some hijinks Baxter and his brother Bentley carried out on Robear and the blanket I knitted, but that's for a different post.

Damn!

Thanks for all of the kind comments about the Swallowtail! Unfortunately we are having technical difficulties, due to the unfroggable nature of Kidsilk Haze, Robby sleeping on my lap while knitting, and slippery Addi Turbo's. I'm thinking about ordering some Inox circulars, because I read they are not quite as slippery and have a nice sharp tip, that's suited for lace. Have no fear, I'm not giving up, it's a pride thing now, I'm on my third attempt, let's hope this one works out.

Unassuming

grey blob,and then the magic happens. It's the Swallowtail Shawl from the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits.

I decided to do this project after I found out that my grandma is going to be visiting my family in Atlanta for a month, and I wanted to make her a gift that would be fitting for this amazing woman that raised her children during the Korean War and has this amazing history. I can hardly communicate with her because I speak very little Korean, but hope this gift can convey how much I admire and respect her.

From the moment I cast on, I knew this was going to be a different kind of project. I've never tackled lace before, much less with Kidsilk Haze. It's so light and airy it catches on the slightest breeze, and it has this wonderfully soft halo around the core. I find myself holding my breath till I get to the end of a row and find that I've counted the stitches correctly, although that will get harder as the rows get longer. I'm loosening up though, and going with the flow of the yarnovers and decreases, it's definitely a challenge, but it's a refreshing change from the mind numbing countless diaper changes!

Look

what Robby started doing yesterday! Here are the finally finished socks for my aunt.And the Jaywalkers for my Maw Maw.

And in this corner...

weighing in at 15.37 lbs and 26 inches tall, is Robby..the Robertater!!!! We went to the doctor for Robby's 4 month checkup and booster shots. He's grown 2 inches in the past two months! Jessie, that's your yarn in the picture in case you're wondering :) Robby's been feeling yucky since he got his shots, he woke me up every hour last night and then started crying at about 3 in the morning. He had a fever and was probably just feeling achy and sick. Poor bubba. Today he has been very SENSITIVE. He has been sleeping and nursing all day and cries if he wets his diaper or if I disturb him by coughing or chewing too loud. Sigh. Poor booger. Rob did a Wal-Mart run at 3am to get me a thermometer because I forgot to pack it. So, he has been on my lap all day except for diaper changes and I'm getting work stuff done when I can. Do you guys like his shirt? Here is a happy moment yesterday before the yuckiness settled in. I'm also almost finished with my Jaywalkers! Yayyy! I ordered the yarn for the Treeline cardigan I blogged about and am finally going to invest in a swift and a ball winder so I can make those yummy little yarn cakes. Joy and Colleen, save the ones at the yarn store for me! I have a whole crapload of skeins that need to be wound in our storage unit. Oh and if you happen to be moving into your brother in law's house temporarily and pack your yarn stash, put the box in front of the storage unit. My yarn is stuck behind a gajillion heavy Tupperware and will probably stay there until we move into our newly remodeled house...someday... And because it's too funny not to post, here is another installment in the Robby hat series. He used to fit into it, for about a week.

Why

must she do this to me. Knitters, what do you do when a project grabs your eye and you REALLY want to make it, and it's really hard to pass up deals like this to make that certain project? Am I crazy to buy more yarn, when I have so much in my stash already and have so many projects going on? Rob, don't comment on this post! Help!

Happy Berfday Bubba

Tomorrow, you will be 4 months old Robby! I can hardly believe it, these past four months have been the longest and the shortest months of my life. When we first brought you home from the hospital, you were a little slug that only ate, pooped, and peed. It was all we could do to get you to open your eyes, every once in a while, you would crack one eye, take a quick glance around and shut them really quick. Very gradually, you started opening your eyes more and more, looking around you, and staring at people's faces. Then, wonder of wonders, you started giving us real smiles! At four months, we are starting to see more and more of your personality. Firstly, you LOVE mommy! Whenever I walk into the room, your eyes light up and follow me around the room. You get this HUGE smile as if to say, "Hey, I know you! You are the lady that feeds me and holds me and changes me and plays with me! You're cool!" If I'm gone for too long, you have this whine that sounds like you're saying, "Hey......hey......helloooo.....lady...where are you? I'm all alone here....heyyyyyy." When you are with me, you rarely cry, unless I break out the big blue booger sucker of death, but when you are with your Aunt Olivia, or your Dad, or your Aunt Kathy, every once in a while you will cry for 45 minutes straight, and be inconsolable, nothing works, feeding you, slinging you, rocking you, you just cry and cry because you miss mommy. It takes a while for you to trust someone, you usually cry when someone you don't know holds you, your forehead worry wrinkles come out, then you break out into a wailing cry, head thrown back, tears streaming, it's so sad, but a little funny because your sad face is a perfect sad face, like those Greek tragedy masks. You are also a very shy baby. When someone smiles at you and I'm holding you, you smile back then bury your head in my chest. When I'm holding you and we walk by a mirror, you look around in the mirror till you see me smiling back at you, then you smile at yourself and then bury your head in my chest. Your laughs are a thing of wonder, and daddy and I will make total fools of ourselves to hear it. You save your best laughs for daddy, his stubble can elicit deep throated chuckles when he eats your chubby armpits and legs. You love when we read to you, sometimes you will talk back to us! You really like for us to hold you so you can stand on your legs, you will stomp your feet and bend your legs. You just discovered your feet a few days ago, and are actively trying to get your foot into your mouth. You haven't gotten that far yet, but I'm sure you'll reach that goal someday. For the most part, you are a very quiet baby, and when I'm holding you, you are content to look around and take everything in. You are the best thing that's happened to us, even when you are being a little Robby the Turd, we love you so much. It's been an adventure, happy four month birthday, we look forward to many many more.
Gosh this is a long post! I still struggle with doubt about you being too attached to me, but I'm working through it. You are a very good baby, and to get on my soapbox here, the Western idea of a good baby is silly, most little babies will not lie passively in their cribs entertaining themselves, they need to be attached to people at this stage, not a doll, a mobile, or a pacifier. Needs that aren't met in infancy don't go away, they get replaced by other needs, so while it's hard sometimes to respond to your need to be held, hugged, played with, I know it will pay off in the future. I know the time will come when you are independent, the time when you are ready to sleep by yourself and start detaching from me, but for now, you are still your mama's boy and that's ok.