Last night I updated my knitting/quilting queue. I want to make Isabelle’s velour cord blanket before our two week trip in early July. I plan to give it to her as a “travel blanket” in an attempt to dissuade her from trying to use it permanently on her bed. I may need to stop working on the Cable Jacket in order to get it done in time, which is a pain but I am hoping to at least finish the sleeves before pausing for a manic quilting session.

While I am away I plan to make a pink and orange Sophie bag for a family member and Shedir, also for a relative (though not the same one). Baby Felix is due soon after our return, but he may well arrive while I am away, which makes his baby blanket quite a priority too, but I can’t work on that until I return. There is a very good chance I will get both Sophie and Shedir done early in the trip (like in the 16 hour drive there perhaps) so my mind is wandering to the Apricot Jacket for the drive home.

I really want to knit this pattern but I am also really questioning the wisdom of it. I just don’t know how flattering all that waist ribbing will be. Is wearing a sweater that looks like it won’t do up over your tummy a good look on someone who is anything but rake thin? As it is I have found it somewhat difficult to remain unworried by the 4-5 kgs (9-11 lbs) I have gained over the last 18 months while trying to get pregnant. I worry this sweater will only emphasize my expanding waist and hips (it is particularly galling that they are expanding for the wrong reasons). I bought the yarn last year hoping I would be pregnant by the time it was done. I thought a pregnant belly poking out of it would be cute, little rolls of fat poking out will not be nearly so charming… The thing is I am not over weight, I am just heavier than the ideal weight I was a year ago, so my worry is about feeling fat more than being fat. It would suck to knit such a beautiful sweater and never wear it because it made me feel bad.

I have been pouring over all the apricot jackets I could find online. Every single one of these ladies looks great in their jacket. I think at least some of them are about my size (about half way between a US 8 and US 10). Trying to be rational I can see that this may well be just another one of those things I am getting all anxious about for no good reason (yes I do see there is a pattern here)….Oh and my other anxiety is to do with how well it will work with my SAHM uniform of jeans and tshirts (of varying seasonal weights and lengths).

Have you knit an Apricot Jacket? Are you around my size? Do you feel good in it? Do you wear it? Should I go for it or maybe get some contrast yarn and make a Ribby Cardi instead? Or if I can get more GGH Java in the same dye lot perhaps I could make a sweater more like this?

I finished Thomas’s quilt last night and it is oh so soft and snuggly. In the end it took two nights putting it together and two nights hand stitching the binding down… Which makes it doable to wait until babies are born and then make one before the first visit. The question is - will I (wait that is)? I am yet to decide whether to start another one of these blankets tonight or start making the Jo Sharp vest that is next in my knitting queue. I am planning to use Alison’s Leftovers Vest from the Winter ‘04 Knitty but I am having trouble settling on a size. While procrastinating over the vest last night I made some more stitch markers.

Taking photos of them reminded me that I had not shown you the markers I made over the Easter break. These may just be my favourites of all the markers I have made. It was such a shame I could only get three of these beads.