Some Knitting and Non-Knitting News

So, first of all, the non-knitting news:



We don't know yet if it is a boy or a girl, so we're calling it Rose-Edward. We're not very secretive about names, obviously. My mom says the ultrasound looks like a boy. Seriously?

My son Adrian (who has appeared on this blog here, here, here, etc. and yes I'm probably violating child labor laws making him model so much) will be 23 months when this one arrives in April.

That's going to be a lot of diapers.

I'm currently angsting, though, that these vampire books came out recently with some dude named Edward as the romantic hero (and don't lie and say you haven't read them). And now, apparently, every teen mom has named her kid Edward (and Cullen, apparently, too). Edward is my DH's favorite and late uncle. A wonderful man by all accounts. I just want to be sure we all know that I'm not naming my kid after a teen-fiction hero. (BTW, I freaking love teen fiction. I've read it all. No snobbery here AT ALL.)

Moving on to the fibery front.

I haven't posted any patterns or projects lately because I've been building up to a surprise: a book. After doing some research, I've decided to self-publish this one. It will be available through Ravelry as an eBook, or as a perfect-bound softcover book via Amazon.com and other online book retailers. It will contain some of the patterns that have been readers' favorites (such as Nella) and also a group of new patterns that I've been writing these past few months. I hope to have it out on the shelves come January. Late December if I'm bizarrely lucky and efficient.

Here's a sneak-peak of a super easy, top-down, stash-bustin', one-piece beaut that will be included in the book:



As with all Knitty Professors patterns, the patterns in this new collection will have lots of sizes, lots of good background stories, and lots of options for knitting in a cost-saving and eco-friendly way.

Peace on Halloween to all.

-Katie Rose

Why It Makes Sense to Handknit for Babies

Jordynn made a sweater for my son Adrian a long time ago, before he was born. He wore it right away:



(She made the leggings too. LOVE them.)

Here is Adrian wearing the same sweater, one year later, even though he's twice as big as he used to be.



Handknit sweaters just work for babies, and babies get tons of wear out of them because they're so flexible.



(DH and I call him Dieter van Hooverstein when Adrian is dressed like that--tall socks, Euro boy-sandals, etc. You can just see him hiking in the Alps.)

Where's Katie?

Jordynn has been holding down the fiber fort over here lately. Thank god.

I've been knitting a lot and have a lot of new patterns in the works, but I've been a little bogged down with teaching and writing this semester. Not a lot of time for knitty-writing. Which makes me sad.

My spinning wheel is dusty. I have an entire gorgeous Icelandic fleece sitting unwashed and getting skanky. My yarn is actually giving me dirty looks.

Here's an interesting sweater, though. This jacket was crocheted by the mother of my husband's nanny in Holland--that's where he was born and lived the first part of his life. So--a Dutch nanny's mother made this for him 35 years ago. Here it is on our son, Adrian:



And here's another:



I wonder if the woman knew that we'd all grow up to be Tarheels when she picked those colors.

Probably not.

Cat in a Plath

I don’t know if this cat is wearing a Plath sweater, but doesn’t it look like it?

See more cats in sweaters here—109 of them, to be exact!