Almost Better

But still feeling lazy. I've got this nagging cough left behind from being sick but am feeling almost 100%. I only have five weeks left in the pregnancy and can't believe there will be a little baby here so soon. Kyle is very excited (so am I, but he is so cute about it).



Here are Kyle and I at the baby shower. He stopped by towards the end after spending the day gold panning. I barely got to enjoy my cake. I've had a few pieces since the shower, but was still sick that I could not taste it entirely. I think I need to get another cake to enjoy now that I'm feeling better.

I have not done hardly anything crafty, which has me a little sad. I've been busy with work and doctor appointments. My doctors office is far away, probably 20 miles or so. And the appointments have been a little longer than they were in the past. Today I had to go get a third ultrasound to make sure the baby is on track size wise because I haven't gained a whole lot of weight. The technician said everything looked fine. But the appointment took me three hours with driving time, waiting time, and an hour of ultrasound time. That is just ridiculous. What a waste of a good part of a day. And Wednesdays are always harder because I work both morning and then back in for a few hours in the evening. So I like to get some time at home in between, but not much today.



So here is the hat I knit for the baby. The one that turned out to be a little too big. It has a Charlie Brown type zig zag stripe as requested by Kyle. I started a sweater also, but don't know how excited I am about the pattern. Mostly because I need to mix up the colors (I don't have enough of the brown (same yarn as hat)) and am having a really hard time thinking of ways to mix in the second color with the set up of the pattern.

I feel like YUCK!

It was supposed to be a good weekend. The baby shower was on Saturday. But Thursday night, I knew I was getting sick. I could feel it. Kyle said to pretend it was not coming on and maybe it would not happen. But I know my body pretty well. So I took it easy on Friday (which is pretty easy since I don't work on Friday's).

Saturday morning I went to help my mom prep food for the shower. But I was no help at all, I could barely stand up for more than 10 or 15 minutes before I felt weak.

On to the shower, I felt better for a while. Stayed on my butt as much as possible, which is easy to do since I'm pregnant. But by the time it was over I was ready to go. I had to wait around while clean up took place because I did not drive there. So I was home by about 5pm and into pajamas within minutes. Straight into bed. There I stayed for the rest of the... um... three days. Okay not really, but I've mostly been in bed or on the couch since Saturday night until now. I did have to go into work this morning for about an hour this morning for something that had to be done today. I have been feeling better today... mostly just a hacking cough and head congestion. At least the chills, sweats, and fever have gone away. Kyle bought me some cough syrup for me to take last night so we could hopefully both get a decent night of sleep. He was concerned because today was his first day back at work. He just called and said he is pretty sure he is getting sick. Poor guy, he just started back and he already hates to take time off. But if he feels even 1/2 as bad as I did, there is no way he can go to work.

So enough about being sick... it is really not that interesting anyways.

My friends and family were all so very generous for the baby shower. We got all sorts of things we needed. A stroller, a car seat, bedding, towels, washcloths, diapers, a bouncy seat. All sorts of things, I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of it. Unfortunately I barley remember what everything is after opening it and then taking to bed. I haven't really had a chance to look back over what we got. All I know is I am one lucky mama with one very lucky little baby on the way.

I'll probably be back to work tomorrow, but don't know how long I'll last. I'll try to add some pictures later. I don't have the energy now.

Things can change on a dime...

Last time things were not going well, and then everything changed again.



I was told my car was not going to be covered under the warranty so I picked up my dad, we called an independent mechanic and stormed into Toyota to find out what the issue was. About an hour later they called back to say that it now would be covered. I think they may deny as many claims as they think they can get away with and see how many people just take the first answer. I was mad, they claimed I over revved my engine and this is what broke it. So anyways, I should have my car back tomorrow.

Then Kyle was offered a job today. It is with the same company, they are just reorganizing... maybe under a different name. I'm not really too sure, but he will be managing the company. He is excited and will probably be getting back to work in a couple of weeks. I guess he just got an extended vacation at half pay. The nice thing is they already told him there would be no lapse in our health insurance. Very good to know, since this is probably what had me most concerned!!

All is looking well. Including the brioche hat I am knitting for Kyle. I had lots of issues getting this bugger cast on. But finally moved forward, as some people on Raverly said that the cast on looked funny until they worked a few rows. I did drop a stitch and had no idea how to pick it up in Brioche cast on pattern so there is a funky spot where it looks like there is no black row between the green rows. Or like two green rows grow from one stitch. Anyways, I had Kyle inspect the mistake to make sure he would still wear the hat. He said it was fine. I even had him try on the half inch I've knit so far. I really like working brioche stitch, but it is slow. Essentially you knit every row (or in this case, round) two times. So it takes twice as long to make, what I would consider, normal progress. Plus the yarn overs and knitting/purling two together slow things down. But no complaining, I like the look. There was also lots of issues with the decrease rounds, so we'll see how that goes for me when I get there. It won't be for another 8.5 inches, so maybe next year sometime!



Here is the brioche scarf that I also began. FAster then the hat since it is only one color. But I don't think I like the yarn for this. I'm still pondering!

You know the saying...

When it rains, It pours.

Wow - Is that going on for us right now.

Kyle was laid off from work a few weeks ago (the company is closing). He was the main bread winner and was pretty much supporting the family. My contribution was minimal. I worked little while going to school and did not really intend to work more through the end of the pregnancy and first months of the baby's life. He will get unemployment at about half what he made before. The biggest concern for me is the loss of both of our health insurance. We should be able to get Cobra to cover things at least through the birth. We may re-evaluate what coverage we need after that.

Then last night my car would not start. We had been doing pretty good, living really tight. Eating what's in the house. Avoiding eating out. Not buying things we don't need (not really buying anything at all). Then this car problem. Today Kyle had it towed to the car dealership because my car is still under the extended warranty. The frustrating part is they do a diagnosis that you have to pay for unless they determine the problem is under warranty. I spoke with someone this afternoon and they think the engine may need to be replaced.... WHA'??? The car is less then 5 years old and hasn't had a single problem up to know. So if it is deemed to be a warranty problem, We'll be fine. If not, I am on the hook for about $450 just to find out what the diagnosis determines. What craziness. All I can say is, I'm glad I went for the extended warranty. I kind of regretted it after I did it, but can't say that I feel that way now. I should know more tomorrow afternoon.

Finally (small in comparison to the other issues) is the Tilted Duster. I don't know what I was thinking, but I kind of accidentally felted it. All that time, all that (expensive) yarn, all that work. And I toss it in the washing machine thinking that I never hand wash things and they turn out fine. It has shrunk considerably. The most concerning part is the sleeves. They are pretty short and snug. The body fits okay. Not loose and flowie like before, but wearable. I have been tugging on the sleeves quite a bit and need to wear it around the house to see if I can stretch it to a more appealing size. Pictures to come soon.

Here is an old picture of me knitting at our old apartment with the cat. Very cozy!

On other knitting news... I tried to start the brioche hat in the round from Weekend Knitting. This is hands down the longest I've worked on a project and have NOTHING to show for it. I spend at least one to two hours trying to cast on. The problem, it is in the round and it is cast on with two colors at once. I can't remember all the details, but I could not get anywhere with it. I think the problem is my needle was too long to combine in the round. And I could not get anywhere with DPN's. My next option is to try casting on with a really long circ needle and use the magic loop method.

Have you been to Ravelry?? I am in love. I could really get into it. Know that if you sign up, it may take a little while, but now too long to get your invite. I love the organization of it all. But what is the best is to see what other people are doing with the same project. I looked up the above hat and checked what other yarns people had used, and someone had subbed the Brown Sheep for some Karabella Aurora, what I wanted to do. It was nice to see how the sub worked out. Plus a lot of other people had issues with the cast on. Made me feel a little better.

All right, I'm off. I feel inspired to try tackling the hat again. Maybe with some better results!