pity party baby vest

Three weeks ago I was very pregnant and 10 days overdue. I was cranky with the whole world. By this point, even my understanding family started to reply to every grunt and groan with, "Was that a contraction?". I felt like a ticking time bomb and I was sick of it.

When my husband cheerfully asked me over breakfast what I wanted to do with my Saturday, I replied in my best Oscar The Grouch voice, "I want to hibernate in the bedroom and not talk to anybody". I was kind of kidding, but realized after saying it that maybe hibernation was a good idea. At the very least, it would help to protect the innocent from my inner pregnant Godzilla.

So I holed up in my bedroom and had myself a pity party. I watched all 6 episodes of the charming PBS documentary, Circus, and unraveled a lovely off-white United Colors of Benneton sweater. Turns out that the destructive activity of unraveling is highly therapeutic for the Exceptionally Cranky (pregnant or not).

The yarn was perfect for a pattern I've had in my Ravelry queue for a while: Ruth's Baby Top. The wool was incredibly soft and the yarn was the perfect weight to get the right gauge. Not long after starting the top, I began to get some noticeable contractions. I was in denial for a bit, but finally realized that I was, indeed, in labor. My midwife and her assistants came and started to set things up, while I paced my living room floor and knit, knit, knitted (I kept the ball of yarn in the pocket of my bathrobe). By the time I got to the placket (about 11 pm), contractions were strong enough that I couldn't concentrate on knitting anymore. I've never been so delighted to have to set aside a knitting project. Sweet Stella was born the next morning at 7 am.

I finished the vest when she was four days old. My only regret is that it's a little small on my big girl (she's nearly 11 lbs now). I'll be knitting this again soon, but I'll do the 9 month size.