Many posts ago, in a different life, I wrote about why I don’t like knitting in the round. Most of what I wrote there is still true; I love seaming, most circular needles bug the crap out of me, and stockinette stitch worked in the round is enough to drive a guy insane.
What I’ve realized now that little Mr. S and Miss M are here is that insanity is relative, and something that drove you crazy at one point might be just the thing to cure what’s flipping your cookies right now. After the first three sleepless weeks, I had such a craving for a mindless knitting project that, as per my last post, I voluntarily decided to rework Yankee Knitter Designs’ rollneck raglan to be worked in the round. More than anything else, this was a sign that I was no longer myself.
This other self had a pretty good idea, though. Knitting in the round might be terminally uninteresting, but it is freaking fast. I knit the body of the sweater, from hem to armholes, inside of a week. Sleeve number one was finished in two days. What you see here of sleeve number two was accomplished within twelve hours. And all of this happened between feedings, diaper changings, soothings, and pretending to sleep.
This is no special skill on my part; I attribute all of it to the speed of working in the round. When I started this sweater, I didn’t think I’d manage to finish it before the end of my paternity leave in February. Now I’m nearly positive that I’ll be wearing it on my first day back to work.
My little twins are two months old now. They’ve turned that magical corner into the place where they actually sleep for more than two hours a stretch at night. When I wake up in the morning, I’m actually waking up——not just noticing that the sun has, in fact, come up. Little Miss M smiled at me the other day, and Mr. S did the same a few days later. It won’t be long before my brain works well enough to do something like, oh, knit a sweater with cables, or color work, or something that actually requires a modicum of attention. When that happens, Mr. S and Miss M. are in for some dangerously cute sweaters.
11 Comments
Oh my goodness, gratuitous baby shots… They are gorgeous!
And knitting in the round is the shit. You just keep going and going and BAM, all of a sudden you have an FO! Bonus points for magic looping so you don’t have to change needles ever.
So fine, as they sleep there… *sigh* I remember when I wrapped my two like that. The youngest can wriggle herself out from the tightest wrap.
I have learned too, that mindless stockinettestitch is sometimes what I need to get at leat something finished. And the only thing I can do if my braincells has to keep up with me.
And I just wanted to tell you that I enjoy reading your blog and that I am linking to it from my own blog.
/Julia
Dangerously cute indeed!
yay, papa. it is crazy how twins change everything. such an understatement. happy 2 month mark!
Wow – those are cutie twins. I remember swaddling my twins just like that. I promise you, it does get easier as time goes on. Once they start sleeping through the night and taking 3 naps a day! Your brain power will not return for many years, I’m afraid 🙂 But knitting in the round does save the day!
I am just now catching up on your blog: congratulations on your twins!
I am experiencing sleepless nights of my own; my baby is nearly 5 weeks old now. I totally understand the modified knitting behavior!
Your babies are adorable. 🙂
Hi Jesse! I think of you, Zoë and the twins often, and I’ve wondered how you’re all doing. Seems you’re faring well.
Knitting in the round can be very soothing, can’t it?
Hugs to you, Zoë, and the wee ones!
– Sean
Fantastic photos, Jesse! Thanks for sharing them.
I’m so in awe of you knitting with the little ones! Mine is 9 months and I still feel I don’t have time to knit. Congratulations on your cuties!
Yo, YB! It’s been quite a while since I stopped by your blog. (Crazy work schedule, life, etc. My Bad.) So, I click the link and — WTF!?? You got BABIES!!!
Congrats. They’re awesomely beautiful and filled with awesomeness.
Much Joy. And much knitting!
Are you going to do a sweater for one in Raider colors and one in Niner colors? Just wondering. 🙂
they look like two little caterpillars…. huhuhuhu
so sweet!