First, the photo:
37 weeks
OK, for those keeping track, this is actually from last weekend. That means that I need a new photo for 38 weeks... and we'll try to get one up!
At my 38 week appointment on Friday, I was the same as at 37. 1.5 cm dilated, 80% effaced; baby is head down. I had two different doctors for these two weeks - one seemed to think it could be literally any time, the other was a little more conservative. However, no one seems to think that I'll go past my due date, and everyone is agreed that the baby seems to be on the big side :).
So, before we get too late... it's time for a contest!
Send me an e-mail (snarglesarah AT yahoo DOT com) or post your guess in the comments with the following info:
1. Birth date
2. Weight
3. Length
4. (Tie-breaker) Birth time
Deadline: midnight, Tuesday, March 11th.
Weight will only be used in the event that there's a tie on the first three :). Winner will get some tasty yarn, or (for non-knitters) something crafty TBD :). I don't promise quick results, but I will eventually deliver the goods!
I've had a few baby showers in the past few weeks - work, friends, and knitfriends. They've been great parties, and I'm relieved that I made it through all of them without having the baby :). Of course there were fun games, good food, and even some crafts! We also got lots of great presents (which will definitely come in handy!). Here's one of them:
I am a sexy Bobbi bear!
Lara made the baby a Bobbi bear! Some of my other knitty friends also made hats, sweaters, sleep sacks, and even a handmade mei tai! I haven't taken photos yet (a little distracted recently!) but will do my best... action shots at least!
Recent pregnancy symptoms: Honestly, more of the same. Still having heartburn (slightly less than before), still puking (more than before), don't sleep well, pee all the time (or at least feel like I have to), pretty serious pubic sympysis pain (especially when she's dropped down), occasional Braxton-Hicks contractions, but never enough to really get my hopes up. It's true, I'm definitely getting ready for this to be over. Next week is my last week of work, and then I'm off for 3.5 months. I'm definitely looking forward to that!
Hopefully another update soon... we need to see if 38 weeks looks any different!
We've got some winners in the house!!! Thanks everyone for playing - that was by far the best participation I've ever had (most comments, too), and I enjoyed each and everyone. Sorry for drawing it out on you (and sorry for not responding to comments via e-mail yet), but I'm taking a little vay-cay at the moment and I'm not home. But more about that in the next post.
OK, have I drawn it out enough? I guess so.
The 1,000 commenter was....
Mary Jo!
And the number of Kool-Aid packets, with an exact, right-on, perfect guess was...
Yep, there were 204 Kool-Aid packets on that receipt. To those of you who tried to use math and calculations with the average number of lines per inch and my height, I would have done exactly the same thing. Unfortunately, each of the Kool-Aid packets rang up with three lines (each):
Original Price: $.27;
You Save $.15;
Actual Price $.12.
(More than 50% off - yippee!) Sorry to throw you off like that.
Thanks everyone for playing! Stay tuned for an update about actual knitting, dyeing (using some of that Kool-Aid already), vacation, and my new fur-nephew.
On their whirlwind tour, Mason-Dixon Ann and Kay came through DC. Actually, they showed DC a lot of love, spending three whole nights in our fair city (and suburbs). I went to their first event, at Politics and Prose on Tuesday. (sorry, Maggi! I would have loved to see you at KH but was busy that night)
Lolly and I - love the self portrait!
Look! Kay's laughing at something I said!
I got to hang out with Lolly (always fun) and since she flagged me down as I walked by her table in the cafe (oblivious), I got to meet Ann & Kay over dinner before their talk. Lovely ladies both, and fun stories, and cool book. And they like linen yarn, too! (I made my Honeymoon Cami out of 100% linen) If they're coming to a town near you be sure to catch them.
And, funny story, I went out to get lunch on Wednesday around 3 PM (one of those days), and as I walked up to the local sandwich shop, Ann and Kay walked around the corner. Extremely surreal, especially when I said "Hi, Ann and Kay" and they recognized me (or at least my Clapotis) and said Hi back. And then we talked about how strange it was to run into one another on the street. And then I took my lunch back to work (really one of those days) and they went to be famous on the radio, which apparently has a studio quite close to my office (who knew?). I just hope I'm not promoted to Cara-like stalker status. (That's the real reason I didn't go to the 2 other DC-area events - don't want to look too much like a stalker, you know)
OK, let's have a wee contest, shall we?
Actually, it's like two simultaneous contests. But I'll explain that in just a moment.
Several of you asked in the last post exactly how many packages of Kool-Aid I purchased to get a receipt that long. The truth is I didn't bother to count, so I didn't know, but I immediately thought "That makes a great contest!"
To enter: add a comment or email me your guess with how many packages of Kool-Aid are on the receipt. The person who comes the closest will win a skein of Kool-Aid dyed sock yarn.
Of course, in the last entry I also promised a small prize to the person who wrote the 1,000th comment. We're not there yet, but this entry should do the trick. That person will also get a skein of dyed sock-yarn. If they happen to be the same person, I'll figure out what to do with that at that point.
For fun, we'll say one entry (comment) per person. (So don't cheat, Mom...)
(But Karen, I rebuilt my blog archives, so you should be able to get into January now - just in case ;) )
Well, the results are in, and the winner is clear:
It's the cabled zippered jacket by a landslide!
I'll admit, this wasn't the one that I had in mind, but your comments swayed me. Here's my progress so far:
A swatch and some ribbing... and that's where she'll rest for a while. At least until after the holiday knitting is done. (Speaking of which, I've joined the Holiday Knit-Along hosted by Alison and I'll be posting my updates there... no family peeking!)
And the winner - thanks to the random number generator - is Big Lug Jen! Congrats, Jen!!! I'll be e-mailing you your choice of fabulous prizes!
First off, did anyone (besides me) see Arrested Development last night? I haven't laughed that hard at a television show in a long, long time. SO FUNNY. I'm glad I taped it because I missed at least half of the dialogue because I was laughing over it. Please, do yourself a favor and check this show out. And if you watched it, leave me a comment so I know I'm not the only one.
Tonight, I'm cozied up and watching my two hours (hooray!) of The Amazing Race. And trying to make an important decision.
See, recently I finished (well, almost) a big project - the bpt. In my most recent update on this project (here), I had everything done but one sleeve. I finally buckled down and forced myself to finish the last sleeve. It seriously felt like work, and made me reconsider my whole concept of knitting a cabled sweater in raw silk yarn. But now it's done - except for the weaving in of ends, of course. (that phrase makes me think of "the airing of grievances" every time...) I'm steeling myself for that.
In the meantime, I've been working on a few small projects - two critters for a baby shower gift; one Ruby Slipper sock, which was promptly deemed to be too small and ripped out, and then reincarnated with more stitches, a ribbing/cables pattern, and a funky striping pattern; and a stripy sock with everything done but the Kitchener (knitting's version of the singing fat lady, I'm sure); and a potato chip scarf pattern here) with a project cost of $2.50 (made from Target's $1 yarn) that I started at Rhinebeck - it will be either a craft fair scarf or a gift.
OK, so now I need a big project to take up. I've narrowed down the field, and I'd like to take a poll. Voting in this poll will also enter you in a contest to win something fabulous from my stash (to be determined). I think I've made my choice, but I might still be swayed...
Here goes:
A. Eeeny
Red sparkly No Smoking yarn to make this sexy tank.
Pros: Not too complicated, probably a fairly quick knit; pretty sparkly yarn; good to wear to a holiday party
Cons: Can't imagine that I'll wear it to anything but a holiday party
B. Meeny
Soft and stretchy brown Merino Stretch to make this sweater (free pattern from elann with yarn purchase)
Pros: Love the sweater, because I love cables; the brown is immensely practical and I would probably wear it to work at least once a week; the yarn is soft and squooshy
Cons: Will I get sick of the cables? Will the brown bore me to death?
C. Miney
Beautiful Foreplay yarn from Brooks Fiber Farm; purchased from Maryland Sheep & Wool 2004. To make a Ribby Cardi with blue body and colorful (coordinating) sleeves.
Pros: The yarn has been marinating in the stash for a while - it will be a relief to finally use it; I've loved the Ribby Cardi pattern since it came out but haven't committed to it yet
Cons: How often will I wear it? Not sure.
D. Moe
The gorgeous 100% alpaca I got at Rhinebeck just a few weeks ago to make a raglan cardigan similar to this one, but with stripes.
Pros: I love this yarn and can't wait to knit it
Cons: It might be unfair to the other yarns to knit this one right away (might hurt their feelings, you know); again, not sure how often I'd wear it.
Edited to add: Check out Maeve's sweater from the same yarn! Imagine it in a cardigan, and you've got my mental image of this sweater
OK, the polls are officially open. Declare your vote in the comments or in an e-mail.
There will be a mini-blog hiatus as I will be out of town for the next two weeks. You don't have to feel sorry for me, as I'll be in the Caribbean (first for fun, then for work).
Therefore, the polls will be open to accept your vote until 5 PM Nov. 20th. If you want to be a trendsetter and get your vote in early, or if you're a wait until the last moment to see how public opinion is going kinda person, makes no difference. Just vote!
With entries in the "How Many Miles of Yarn does a Crafty Snargle Have?" ranging from 1 to 62, I'm pleased to announce a winner.
May I have the envelope, please?
drumroll
expectant pause
more drumroll
annoyed crowd yelling "get on with it!"
And the award goes to...
with her guess of 26.5 miles.
Coming in a close second was Jaimi with 25 miles.
The actual answer...
34.1 miles.
It's true. Embarrassing, humbling, and completely true. Now can you see why I've started a YNBA? Actually, though, if you do the math, a little yarn goes a long way.
I know lots of knitters who don't like to do math, so I did some for you. There are 5,280 feet in a mile. That equals 1760 yards. That means that 8 skeins of Cascade 220 make one mile. There are 430 yards in one ball of Wool-Ease Sportweight, so only 4 balls of that equal a mile. OK, it's still embarrasing, but at least it makes a little more sense, right?
Becca and Jaimi, I'll be contacting you for your info and your choice of fabulous prizes. Everyone else, thanks for playing! I'm so excited to find out that at least some people read my blog... now that you've broken the commenting "ice" feel free to come back and comment again! And I challenge each and every one of you to figure out your stash mileage. Maybe then I won't feel so bad about mine :).
Hooray for people entering the contest!!! There's still plenty of time (I'm taking guesses until Wednesday), and the odds are still good. If you missed the contest news, all you need to do is guess how many miles of yarn I have in the stash, and e-mail it to me, or leave it in the comments to Saturday's entry. It's as easy as that!
And now for the Works In Progress. I updated the sidebar, so that may give you a hint. First of all, Tanja is mostly done:
I just need to weave in the ends. And try to block her a little bit bigger. If this was a summer sweater to wear next to the skin, the fit would be perfect. But since I probably need a turtleneck to go under, I'd like it just a bit bigger - 1-2" would be fabulous. Worst case scenario, I'll steek the front and add a cardigan button band. I have enough yarn left (I think). Aside from the fit, I'm very pleased with how she turned out.
Since I finished (OK, almost finished) one project, I gave myself permission to cast on something new. I chose Banff:
I know that that's a completely boring picture of a dark yarn in 2x2 ribbing, but since my New Year's blog resolution was to post more pictures of Works in Progress, you get to see it anyway. Since I took this I've made a bit more progress and am now up to the raglan shaping. This is turning out to be a big sweater. I know the pattern says oversized, and I want it to be oversized and comfy, I'm just not sure how big it's going to wind up. I held a measuring tape up stretched out to the finished size, and it was huge. But I'm going to knit on, and see what I get. If it's a sad sack, I'll just have to either seam it up smaller or re-knit it. (the Horrors!)
Also in knitting news, I managed to join a few knitalongs. Am I crazy? Remains to be seen.
First up, Alison's Sockapalooza.
I'm in the beginner group, because the only socks I've thus far managed to finish are my Fuzzy Feet. I did start a "normal" (Regia) sock once, but ripped it out to make a baby sweater instead. Speaking of, I've never seamed that up. I'll have to finish it, and then I'll get to start a new project - hooray!
Anyway, back to the socks. I'm still trying to pick my pattern. The socks are due to the recipients by March 15, so I've got some time. I've also got plenty of sock yarn in the stash, but I'm waiting to see what their desires are. I hope I get my partner soon!
And last but not least, Stacey's Fry Up Along:
I have been talking about making this pattern for a long time, and I decided it was time. It will also be a good use for some of the acrylic I have in the stash. I think I'm going to try to ad lib a bit, though, and figure out a way to make toast (since I'm not really one for eating peas for breakfast, and I don't like the sausage). Oh, and mine will definitely be a purse - I'm not really into the whole beret thing, even when it's a breakfast plate. Now to find some fun fabric for the lining, too!
Next post: my thrift store adventure!
So, the holiday recap (let's ignore the fact that I'm 12 days behind, OK?). My family visited including my sister and brother-in-law, and a great time was had by all. Except maybe Linus, who couldn't understand why we had to ruin his holiday with a white fluffy dog thing.
My parents brought their dog Toby, and Linus wasn't terribly amused. He did stop becoming the total puffy cat around day 2, though, so the rest of the time wasn't so bad.
Cleo was bothered more by having strange people in her house than by the dog. She and Toby reached a clear detente: 
I gave and received many fabulous Christmas presents, including several knitty ones (yarn and pattern books). The knitted presents all went over well - Mom's clogs, Dad's balaclava (pattern of my own), and Jenna got the purple purse from the craft fair. Probably the best present I received was my mom helping me do yarn inventory. Linus and Cleo helped too (see how helpful they are?). We went through every box and tote, typed everything into a spreadsheet and then reorganized by fiber type and how soon I think I'll use it. There was a lot of yarn there. The photo above is the merest tip of the fibery iceberg. Enough yarn for me to contemplate a Yarn Non-Buying Agreement with myself. Possibly until Sheep & Wool, but we'll see how I do.
Did I mention that I figured out the total length of all of the yarn I have? Yarn that's in stash, not counting anything currently involved in projects on the needles? Does anyone want to guess how much (how many miles worth (yes, I said miles))?
I know, it's time for a CONTEST!!!!!
I've never had a contest on my blog before, so this is very exciting! If you have a guess as to how many miles of yarn I have in my stash, send it to me in an e-mail or leave it in the comments. The person who comes the closest without going over (Price is Right style) will win a fabulous something from the stash! There may even be second place prizes, too! I'll take entries until Wednesday, and then reveal the winner and the correct answer here on the blog. [NOTE: This contest is not open to blood relatives who already know my yarn mileage.]
Alrighty, this entry contained practically no knitting content, but I'll get to that soon. The cats are cute, though, right?