hiaku for a hobby

i knit for my child

because otherwise i would

have no excuses.

Baby Fashion Show

In this special episode of baby fashion show, Del models his awesome present from graphic designer friend Nikki, and the super cozy new pants handknit by yours truly. Be amazed!

That's a map of the DC Metro system, for my non-local readers.

A close up of Nikki's fun adaptation!

Del's stylin' new wool pants

 

Knit in cushy blue washable merino.

Do these pants make my butt look big?

Gratuitous adorableness. You're welcome.

For the knitters, the details:

Pattern: b20-10 Knitted Pants by Drops Design (free pattern on Ravelry)

Yarn: Merino 5 by Crystal Palace Yarns, superwash, royal blue. This yarn is insanely wonderful to work with – stretchy, cushy, soft. I will knit with this a lot!

Twenty-eleven

This year will definitely stand out in my memory in all its fullness, more so than most other years of my life. Not because no other year contains momentous events – certainly they do. But this particular year encompassed one of the most transformative events and that event took almost the entire year to accomplish. While pregnancy and Del’s birth were huge parts of this year, there were other wonderful things!

A few highlights:

In January, Zach took me to see the B-52s at the 9:30 Club! They may be old but Kate was rockin’ that red wig.

In February, we went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras! We saw great parades and spent time with cousins – hi, Pallie!

I got an A on my Calculus for Business final.

We toured the Dogfish Head Brewery, and met Sam Calagione at his restaurant during brunch. He autographed my shirt – we were such fanboys.

Yeah, THAT!

It was a beautiful spring in DC, and I enjoyed almost daily walks to work.

Zach took the first level improv class at Upright Citizens’ Brigade in NYC. I joined him on the last weekend of class to see his showcase performance.

It was Mothers Day while we were in NYC. Zach and our little Red Bean surprised me with this card.

I started showing.

Kim and Mat visited us from NYC, and we visited the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum – known to DC locals as “the good one”. We love you guys and can’t wait to be a part of your wedding this summer!

I started knitting again. Inspired by Red Bean’s arrival. This blanket was the first thing I did, and it now gets used every single day. Many thanks to my friends at Looped Yarn Works.

We went to a baseball game courtesy of my office. We had great seats, but alas, neither of us are really baseball fans. It was fun to hang out with co-workers, eat hot dogs and enjoy the summer night though.

My belly grew!

And grew!

Hurricane Irene skirted the DC area before causing serious damage farther north.

Buying cute maternity clothes was excellent for the morale.

We set up the crib in the fall.

Baby showers ahead!

Maternity photos, shot by my best friend Kristi, at Meridian Hill Park.

Zach installed the car seat in November.

This was me at Thanksgiving!

The baby shelf, in our bedroom. Diapers on the bottom, cute things on top. Ready to welcome our baby.

More maternity style.

December 8, 2011 — Welcome, Del Giacomo Walls!

He did this on his own.

Father and son.

Kristi visits Del, helps me out with housework, and lets me gab about my maternal experiences.

Parenthood is growing on us so well that we catch ourselves calling each other Mom and Dad instead of Katie and Zach.

Three generations of Walls men.

Del’s birth certificate arrives in the mail. I was somewhat peeved that our transfer to the hospital for his birth means he was born in Virginia instead of the District, but what can ya do?

This is me, at the end of 2011.

Katie Jett Walls, wife and mother.

The latest off the needles

Little romper, knit from sock-weight washable wool on freaking tiny needles (size 0!). This one took FOR.EV.ARRR.

But, it’s pretty adorable, bright turquoise and waiting for gender specific buttons when we know what Redbean is. (The orange safety pins you see are temporary.) I don’t think I could have gotten this done if not for 10 hours of flying to and from San Diego for a work trip in September. I’m glad this one is finally done! The pattern is Pepita by Martina Behm, via Ravelry. Thanks, as always, to the ladies of Looped Yarn Works for helping set me up!

Sweaters #2 and 3

Zach just keeps saying “I hope it’s a cold winter…”

Double Breasted Seed Stitch Hoodie, lime green

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pattern. Those are not the buttons you see in the photo, they’re just place marker safety pins. I’m waiting till we know whether Redbean is a boy or a girl before I choose buttons for this sweater.

"Pebble" baby vest (I can't get the image to rotate)

 

 

 

 

 

Pattern. Those are little oval shaped wooden buttons on one shoulder and down the side. The sweater opens up one side so you don’t have to pull it over the baby’s head.

Baby’s first sweater

A hand knit pullover for Red Bean.

I was knitting with the comers to Looped Yarn Works last Thursday when the shopkeeper announced summer cotton blend yarns going on sale at 30% regular price. I needed to reserve funds for our New York trip that weekend but come Tuesday I was there, armed with a couple of simple baby sweater patterns, to purchase some  yarn. I left set for three sweaters that, due to an overbuy of one yarn, is now enough for four sweaters. Sweater one came off the needles and got finished tonight – just four days after casting it on. From a free pattern called Filipe by Joji Locatelli, I adapted it slightly by choosing a different color for the top ribbing. I love the green and gray together. Just need a little pair of gray pants and a comfy onesie underneath for early spring or winter indoor wear. I have plenty more of the green, along with a cream in the same yarn, so plan to make the same pattern in a green and cream stripe next time around. I leave the other  yarns I bought to be a surprise for future posts!