Introducing... ABE WESTERVELT

Here he is :)

(wearing Picky Pants w/Curly Purly waistband knit in Manos del Uruguay yarn)

Just hanging out while I cleaned the bathroom before the knitters come over for SnB!

A little about the birth...

It went so well! Abe was born into my hands just an hour and forty-five minutes after waking me up to let me know he was ready to be born! I am still having a problem wrapping my brain around that one! An hour and forty-five minutes?! Taso took 13+ hours! They say the second kid comes fast, but seriously?? It was much more intense than my first labor. I am thinking that I probably slept through some of the beginning rushes. No time to fill the pool up, bounce on the birth ball, or even think about finding the birthing stool!
Taso woke up just before I started to push Abe out. As I was kneeling on the floor, leaning against the bed, he and Adam stood behind me and watched Abe be born. Taso pointed at Abe's emerging head and said, "Ow, Ow, Ow."
We decided to do a Lotus Birth, so for three days (that's how long it took for the cord to detach itself naturally, leaving a nice lil belly button) we carried Abe and his placenta around. Taso still asks about the "ladenta."


This is the afternoon after he was born, Abe was born at 4:45am. He weighed 9#7oz and was about 22 7/8" long! Big boy!
You can see the umbilical cord running from Abe to the placenta (it is all wrapped up in cloth diapers) on my leg. This was before we had named Abe, my mom brought over a name book for me to look through. We named him the morning after his placenta detached.
Abe is wearing a hat that Haley knit for him. I am glad I put it on right away, he is so big and it does not fit anymore!


Taso is getting used to us wearing Abe around a lot. We wanted him to join in the fun so we had Carolynn sew him his very own pouch to wear Lalo in!

This one is funny because both boys look a bit nervous!

FO - Gnome Hat and Stripey Slippers

Gnome hat (no pattern) and LTK Stripey Slippers knit in Noro Kochoran. I love, love, love that yarn! I need to enlist Adam to help with pictures from now on. He saw me taking this one and insisted the gnomes jump in!

Baby Gifts!!!

My friends are too good to me! Below is a Punk Knitters Soaker from Lisa knit from her own handspun merino! It was a little big, so I bravely (I was so scared I would ruin it) felted it in my front loader. It came out perfect and still so soft. I will dye it once the baby gets here. I might add cuffs, but am going to wait to see the chunk factor of the babies thighs first!
















Next, two pairs of lovely socks from Sally who I work (I am not going to give in to saying I no longer work at Lily Lane Knits!) with at Lily Lane Knits. Can not wait to put these on the baby! I put them in a lanolin soak and they are super soft now. These served as inspiration for the two pairs of socks I whipped up for Taso last week.
















Here is a super cute Mason Dixon Baby Kimono and matching booties from Crystal. If the baby isn't a girl, she says she will knit me a more boyish one, but that means I have to give this one up and I don't know if I am comfortable with that! It is too cute!
















Last, but not least, is an awesome baby set from my friend's Chantella and Haley. Chantella (who just started knitting a couple months ago!!!) did the sweater and her daughter, Haley, made the matching hat and socks. Knit from the soy/wool blend from Patons. The colorway is super nice and the yarn is very soft!

WIP - EZs Tomten Jacket

Tomten jacket from Elizabeth Zimmerman's "An Opinionated Knitter" knit in Mother Nature's Yarns hemp/wool blend. I love this yarn! It is so good to work with that I am even going to (someday) knit Adam (large, tall man I call my husband, see previous entries for him sporting the Babywearer poncho) a sweater out of it. This jacket is the smallest size and will probably fit the baby for quite some time. When this one is done, I am going to start one for Taso in the next size up from the same yarn.

FO - Taso Socks!

Rainbow colorway socks knit in Schaefer Laurel Mercerized Pima Cotton. This is leftover yarn from the KPS cardigan way back in the blog. Taso really likes them and I really like him wearing hand-knit socks. Makes me feel good! Just a random online sock pattern.















Superwash Merino socks from the same pattern I used with the Laurel socks, but on these I ribbed the top of the sock all the way down. I really like how these fit Taso's feet. I can't remember the name of the yarn, but it is something that Lily Lane Knits carries.

FO - Organic Cotton Baby Washcloths

Twisted Warp and Skeins just got in some of the new Lion Brand Organic Cotton yarn and of course I had to try it! It is super soft and okay to work with, but does split easy. The softness makes up for the splitting, though! I didn't want to buy enough to make a whole garment and Taso and the new one need new washcloths anyway! With two washcloths done, it looks like I will be able to make five total from four hanks.

WIP - LTK Picky Pants Capris in Bartletts

Small Picky Pants from Little Turtle Knits in Bartletts with handspun llama trim. These are currently bagged and shelved with only one leg and the crotch graft to go. I figured I could wait until I find out if this kid is a boy or girl before finishing them.

FO - Mason Dixon Knitting ABSORBA!

This bathmat seemed to take me forever to knit. Mostly because I just did not want to knit it. If you ever need a knitting work-out and really want to feel the burn, pick up the Absorba that you are knitting with five strands of dishcloth cotton on size 15s! I am happy to say that it is done! This picture shows its size after having been washed and dried once. It really did not shrink too much, not as much as the dishcloths do. I am so happy it is done!!!

Almost FO - Jen Wrap Soaker

Chamomile tea-dyed Jen Wrap Soaker. Needs buttons and I might overdye it with kool-aid once I know if the baby is a boy or girl. Knit with pencil roving from Twisted Warp and Skeins.

FO - XS Wonderpants w/ Manos del Uruguay

XS Wooly Wonderpants knit with Manos in Caribe. Merino trim.

FO - Tiny Birds Longies in Bartletts

Well, the pants are finished after being bagged and shelved for who knows how long. One small issue, they were supposed to be for a six month old! Instead Taso has a new pair of long shorts. They must have been hanging down a bit in the picture because they are just a bit shorter. The pattern is Tiny Birds Longies, the yarn is Bartletts from Lily Lane Knits, and I put a "No Strings Attached" waistband on them.

New Hat for Taso.

You can not see the colors too well in this picture, but it is a really nice kettle-dyed yarn from Manos del Uruguay. This yarn is so good to work with.

FO - Knitting Pure and Simple Children's Tunic

Finished yesterday. Taso's face is all red because we had just gotten back into the house from trying to fly a kite in 30mph winds! Brrrrr!

FO - Felted Ball

I took a huge ball roving and hand-felted it for awhile in the sink, then I threw it into the washer for a cycle. It came out a nice size, but needed some needle-felting to finish it up. I borrowed a 6 needle felting tool from TWS , tossed a bag of small colored roving chunks at Adam and told him to get to work! He had fun. We are definitely buying one of those tools sometime. We only have single felting needles right now.

I love this picture.

I love this picture so much. I wanted it to headline the blog until I update again.

FO - Lisa, I made a dishcloth!

Started this after SnB last night and finished this morning.
My count was messed up on one row, but it's a dishcloth, big deal!!!!!

FO - Lalo!

Boy doll from Knitted Toys. Knit with dishcloth cotton, handspun alpaca hat, and stuffed with wool. Taso named him Lalo.

WIP - Tunic

Knitting Pure and Simple Tunic for Taso. It looks huge and it is a bit big, but not as massive as the picture makes it look. Knit with Southwest Trading Companies Karoake. 50%wool/50%soy silk. The yarn is super soft. Just the sleeves to go!

FO - Picky Pants longies and shorties

Picky Pants from LTK. Knit with Blackberry Ridge Kaleidoscope yarn in Sierra Madre. This yarn is amazing! I love it! I put an enclosed elastic waistband on each pair.

FO - Briar Rose Sleepy Soaker Sack

Sleepy Soaker Sack with Curly Purly Waistband. Knit with Briar Rose Sonoma.