Look who’s up! And for the moment, I feel fine! This is so weird. Yesterday was one of my worst days, and here I am, bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6 o’clock in the morning!

Like I said, yesterday was one of my worst days. The first half was normal, even good, but once the afternoon hit, it was a rapid downhill slide until I finally passed out in bed. My sweet mother-in-law came by to pick up the wardrobe that is FINALLY out of my living room!!! She came early (before the men/muscle arrived) and brought dinner and dessert, cleaned my kitchen and one of the bathrooms, helped Abby with her homework, and then cleaned up everything after dinner as well. That was nice! And I needed it more that I would have guessed, considering how rotten I felt.

So I didn’t even THINK about knitting yesterday. But I have something fun to show you, if you’re interested. There’s a new goldfish auction on my favorite goldfish website. They haven’t had an auction for a long time, so I was very excited, and as usual, they’re going fast. Of course, I can’t afford them, but I never tire of looking.

The funny thing about fancy goldfish is that many of them are really grotesque. There’s only a few that catch my fancy, and some of the fish in this auction have caught it.

Lot 4 is cute, despite being incredibly expensive, and I have no doubt that Nate would hate it. (He thinks that most of the fancies are ridiculous looking, and every time I show him one of the calicos like this one, he is incredulous and amused.

Lot 14 is stunning, and would match Bridget (my little pearlscale) very nicely. I’ve always liked the chocolate color of goldfish, even though it really is the same color as the brown algae that grows in my tank, which isn’t pretty.

Finally, Lot 19. He’s goofy looking, and he looks a bit “rough”, but I think he’s cute in a weird way. The sort of “pinch-your-cheeks” kind of cute, you know?

Well, here’s hoping my health will last today. Unfortunately, I don’t have much hope, but at least I’m having a good morning, so far.

And now I’m working on the front, which is the most exciting part. I think I’m 7 centimeters into it so far, and at 22 or so centimeters, I get to start the “H”.

But my mind is already wandering.

I really should finish up Veronica’s Kimono, but I’m thinking it may be too small, and I’m not enjoying the slow-going of the garter stitch, so I don’t know when I’ll do it.

Since Olivia lost her beautiful coat from last year that should have lasted her three years, she is in need of new outerwear. I have some bulky, wildly colorful yarn that was given to me by a friend of my husband’s and I’m thinking about making a slip-stitch jacket or something for her with it. Something simple and quick.

Also, I’m thinking about me. Remember my butterfly brooch? I want to wear it this winter, so I spent a lot of time over the weekend hunting around for patterns and color ideas for a suitable scarf. And I think I found one.

It’s the Interlocking Balloons scarf from Scarf Style, and I think the smooth and flowing movement of the cables will look very nice with the pin. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn, which I don’t have, but I’m wondering if I could get by with that lovely red Angora I have from Elsebeth Lavold. It will make a bigger scarf, but I have plenty of the yarn, so I’m going to start it and see how it works up.

The search for a scarf has initiated a search for a new cardigan. Also for me. I have 12 or 13 more balls of that lovely brown Lopi that went into Lauralund, and while I’d like to use something different, this won’t cost me anything. But I want it to be different enough from Lauralund as not to be easily confused with it. And I want to design something myself. So the creative wheels are turning, and pattern books are scattered everywhere.

“I Do” has fallen out of favor. Maybe it’s because I think I’ll need to be thinner to wear it. Maybe it’s because I was way nauseated the day I started it and therefore will never be able to touch it again. I don’t know, but I do know that I don’t want to make it any time soon.

Hey. How’s it going? I’m still sick. Want to hear an awful story? It will only be truly awful to those of you who have gone through it (or something similar), because you’ll be able to feel my pain.

Yesterday, I wanted to make popcorn. We pop popcorn in oil in a saucepan on the stovetop. I put the oil in, put the single kernel in the pan to let me know when the oil was hot enough, and then got bored and went to read emails. I forgot about the pan and the oil and the popcorn and the fact that I ever wanted any.

When I finally surfaced, the house was filled with smoke and the oil in the pan was thick and black. It smells in my house. It will go away eventually (I’ve burned plenty of things in the past, and the smell always dissipates), but it smells, and I can’t stand it. I am SO scent sensitive when I’m pregnant. As if I needed anything else to turn my stomach! This is killing me, and it’s not fair.

So, no healthy post from me, but please, talk amongst yourselves.

I know some people really like Jello. I’m hit and miss, although I love that layered, sour cream jello thing. So, I’m running out of foods I can stand to take that gosh-awful taste out of my mouth and last night, I turned to Jello. And I’m enjoying it. Until I can’t stand it anymore, and then I don’t know WHAT’S next! I hate being this sick. It sucks my will to live. I don’t want to do anything!

Yesterday was a particularly bad day, so I didn’t even pick up my knitting. I’m not yet sure how today will be. The problem is that when I knit while nauseated, I then associate being nauseated with knitting, so feeling sick right now, I have no desire to knit because thinking of it makes me feel more nauseated. Make sense? No? I don’t blame you. I don’t make sense to me either, I’m just living through it.

Nate found the new Harry Potter trailer online this morning. We’ve watched it about 20 times. It looks SO good! I don’t head off to the movie theater very often, but I’m really looking forward to Elizabethtown and Harry Potter. Yesterday, I watched the first disc of the extended version of Fellowship of the Ring (I don’t think I need to link that one, you ought to know what it is), and the second Harry Potter movie. I’m still looking for a shot of Harry in his “H” sweater. I’ve seen pictures, but I have yet to either see or perhaps notice it in an actual MOVIE! Can anyone help me with that? Where the heck is it?

And finally, I neglected to fill you in on my doctor appointment Wednesday. I’ve had a few emails asking, so I’ll cut and paste my response in yesterday’s comments here. Thank you all for your concern and interest. It continues to surprise me.

“Oh! I forgot to say. My due date is still April 5th. We will re-evaluate after my second ultrasound at 20 weeks. He explained things much differently than the nurse did. (She was wrong). So we’re only one week (not three), off of what I think it should be. So in my mind, my due date is April 12th, but whatever. One week is not that big of a deal at this point. I’m sure it will make ALL the difference in April :-).”

Like, really clean! Vacuumed and everything. If I could wash my curtains and quilt, it’d be right near perfect! And it feels so good.

I didn’t do much knitting yesterday. I’m still almost halfway done with the second sleeve, so Hayden can TOTALLY chill out :-).

I’m sicker again. Nate bought me some vitamin B/whatever-it-is that is supposed to help with nausea. I took one, lost the bottle, and then totally forgot about it until this morning, so I’m going to go couch diving today to try and find it.

I have found that Junior Mints help, and now I’m out of them, so I need more. I’ve also found that sitting in a nice, CLEAN BEDROOM helps. So maybe I’ll do more of that, too.

I made it out to Village Yarns yesterday to pick up the Silky Tweed for the “H” on Abby’s Harry Potter Sweater. It is going to look so much better than the beige.

On my computer screen, the pictures are a good representation of all of the colors, despite being a bit dark. I don’t know how they’re going to look on your screen.

While at Village, I saw this…

and had to have it. It’s a handy little guide, you know.

I think I’m approaching the half way point on the second sleeve. Not nearly the progress of the day before. I have a doctor appointment today (where I will argue my case on what exactly my due date really is), so I hope to get more done because I’m anxious to start on the front.

Sleeve #1 is done,

and sleeve #2 is started and cuffed. And no, I am NOT an amazingly fast knitter. Believe me when I say that I literally did nothing else yesterday.

I still maintain that one of my least favorite things about knitting is sleeve increases. They suck. They have to suck, because if they didn’t, the other alternative would be that I’m incompetent. As hard as I try, I never space them perfectly.

I think I’m going to need another skein of the blue (which my LYS still has), and HAPPY DAY!!!!, I found another local yarn store that has the new color of Silky Tweed that I think will be perfect for the “H”. I have a yellow Silky Wool, that is no where near the same thickness, despite what the label says, and I have a pinky/beige Silky Tweed that I was going to try and make work. BUT, there is a new color out now that is a straw yellow sort of color, and Village Yarns has it! I’m so happy.

So I’ll be picking those up today, sometime after my physical therapy appointment.

Would you believe it? I’m finally knitting Abby’s Harry Potter Sweater! It’s only been, what, 9 months or so since I committed to Alison’s knitalong? (See sidebar). Anyway, I started Friday evening, and finished the back last night.

I’m using Silky Tweed, and it is making such a pretty fabric. Here’s a detail shot.

Nice, no?

So, I took the sweater to church with me yesterday, and was knitting in the foyer while visiting with people (I should have been in bed, I was way nauseated. The knitting helped distract me from my pains), and someone asked if Abby was going to “be” Harry, or Harry’s girlfriend? I didn’t think that a non-knitter might not understand how totally cool it is to make a Harry Sweater.

Ok, so another question.

This is my first time doing intarsia. Amazing, I know. My pattern says to carry the yarn across the back of the letter, fair isle style, instead of using separate balls. What do you think? Sounds weird to me.

And I finally sent out my stitch markers! So I’m catching up with my “Participating In” commitments. I must be nesting already. The sad thing is that one of the ladies I sent to lives in the south of Louisiana. She’s further west than New Orleans, but still… I hope she’s ok. She has neither updated her blog in a month, nor answered any of my emails. We checked out her zip code on the USPS, and it said they’re getting limited delivery.

Back to the sweater…. I can’t believe I’m knitting a silk sweater on size 5 needles (32 inch bust) for a 7 year old! I’m definitely sewing a label in the back with name, phone number, plead to please return if found, and explicit instructions to NOT WASH IT!!!!!

UPDATE– One more thing. After the comment in church yesterday, I asked Nate if I should make the sweater with an “A” instead of an “H”, and he said, “No way. Then she’d be Alvin Chipmunk“!

Yeah, Harry is better than Alvin. Any day.

Hello all. I’m the same, so it’s up to you to regale us with tales of your week. Other than the physical therapy on Thursday, I’ve continued to lay low. I’m hoping that in a couple weeks, I’ll be better able to exercise, but I’ve sort of given up for now since even the movement from walking upsets my tummy. The only news of interest I have is knitting related, and that’s going to wait until Monday.

The happy news is that I’m at least able to eat again, which is much healthier than not eating. And I’ve been able to drink more liquids, which is also good.

What’ve you got?