Great Job on the spinning! Go Twins Go!!!! I love baby bellies!

Is the sock listening for heartbeats or waiting to be kicked?

Wow, that is a whole lotta baby in there. Bless her, I hope that she's getting some sleep ...

I agree with Laurie (of course. Who wouldn't?) that it's a good idea to start. If nothing else, there's the spiritual reinforcement, but besides that you'll be able to actively say that you're "knitting Joe a gansey," not just that you're thinking about it, or contemplating it, or spinning for it. The *actual* knitting for a 48" chest is something that demands to be actively acknowledged. As soon as you've cast on, you can do that for (knowing you) all of the 2-3 weeks it takes you to finish.

That's some serious karma. /nodnodnod

Oh my, button buying had better be done VERY quickly. It doesn't look like they're going to be hanging out there (pun intended) much longer.

I am so impressed (well I'm continually impressed) at your spinning abilities. That's a heck of a lot of yarn.

Holy Cats! I think I was first. (whew. . .I might need a moment) YaY!!!! I'm getting reaquainted with my wheel. Tricky stuff--spinning. I know I "used" to be able to. Please come to Wisconsin.

I am SO going to e-mail that belly picture to my friend who is now officially overdue with a singleton. That woman has got to me more uncomfortable than she is!

Go gansey go! Can't wait to see it become reality after all this time.

The fact that anybody who is that unbelieveably pregnant still has what it patently a teeny behind is amazing to me. And...more than a little depressing. Sigh.

Wow.

To the knitting AND the belly.

Just, wow.

I just finished your book, and now I want to read it all over again. And all the archives. Just want more Pearl-McPhee!

Oh, you and the Mason-Dixon ladies are in the current issue of Family Circle magazine!! How weird to open to that page while both of your books were sitting right near it. (cue the spooky music)

You know, the whole gansey thing would be much simpler if you had just fallen in love with a smaller man.
I'm just saying.
That's a LOT of love in those there skeins. ;)

Do you have any idea how nuts you've made the east coast people posting after they left work? Elder son and I are wondering, Just what field do those work bloggers work in? Do they need more help? We are available.

Wow! That is amazing spinning, I can't wait to see your swatches for the gansey. As I write that I wonder if you are really going to swatch. I have seen your swatches become shawls before, could a swatch become a sweater? Are you going to start on the sleeves so that it will be come part of the sweater.

I love your raised flower beds! They look so nice. And hooray for the spinning! You amaze me with your perseverance.

That's a great pile of spinning. I agree with Laurie, get knitting. If you do need more yarn, you'll spin it later, right? And you will feel so much better with it on the needles. No longer just a twinkle in your eye.

Wow, those twins look way ready for the world. Look out and get knitting!

dee

The pre-gansey looks beautiful. I have to admit to channeling you when I've been spinning yarn for...a scarf. Is that why I get impatient? Hmm? I don't know if I would have what it takes to spin yarn for my man - he has a 52" chest. No way.

I love baby belly too. That sock is not shy at all is it?

I am so glad I had singles. Early. 'Cause even 3 weeks early one was still 8 lbs. I don't envy her - but go mama, go!

Love the gansey wool, too.

Cool sock & belly pic by the way. Now just remember that next time: Read blog before ripping. Love the raised garden too.
I'm having the same problem with my laundry that you are having with the pile of dirt. I can't seem to move it using the power of my mind either.

Go ahead and swatch for the Gansey, ya know ya wanna!

I think the sock is very brave for sitting on top of the belly. It could be kicked off and fall or worse it could fall and her water could break. Brave, Brave sock.

So, I'm looking at the twins-in-progress shot and thinking, I could never be a woman. I just couldn't do it. It would scare the daylights out of me. Y'all are a brave bunch.

Wonderful photo of the belly and the sock. Can't wait to see the babies and the sock (I'm sure I'm not the only one). Your wool looks beautiful - go for it...start knitting!! And take a photo of you knitting Joe's famous (infamous) sweater. For Rams, if not for posterity.

Love the garden- Bleeding hearts are my favorite. I completely agree with Laurie- start that sweater and maybe you'll be more inclined to spin yarn later. BTW, does anyone else out there think a spinning wheel would be an EXCELLENT wedding present?? (For myself of course)

I concur on the wow - not only for spinning and babies stuffed into a very large tummy on a beautifully small woman, but also the knitting and gardening! :) GO HARLOT!!! I'm having trouble just getting a little hooded towel done for a baby cousin who's already born! Of course, we did just buy a house and move in before all the painting and fixing are done - but really, are they EVER done??? I can still knit right? ;)

Three and a half weeks to go on a singleton and I've got WAY more belly going on than her. Clearly, no justice in the universe.

I'm beginning to suspect I've grown a fetus the size of a fourth-grader.

Sigh.

Wow, what a belly! I didn't even see the sock until I read the comments and went back for a second look-see.

Glad to see you're back in the swing of your life again... at least until the next leg of the sock tour - I mean, book tour, right?

...all of the way into the spiritual equivalent of sucking quicksand...

boy, do i share the feeling!

thank you for making me laugh out loud this dreary afternoon before my last school exam!

the quality of your spinning and your persistence leave me otherwise speechless.

I've got to agree with Laurie; start knitting that gansey. A gansey for such a large man, no matter how much you love him, will get to you. You'll need the diversion that spinning more yarn for that enormous labor of love will give you.

Thanks for the photo of that other enormous labor of love; baby bellies are so beautiful. I'm sure she's more than ready to have those twins out here before the weather gets too hot.

And, when you figure out how to get the garden to landscape itself, please let me know.

Wow - that is some spinning. And that is some belly! The twins' sweaters ae beautiful. I especially like the white one.

Isn't it just amazing how a woman's body can do that? Spectacular!

I'm amazed at your spinning as well. This gansey is truly a herculean feat.

is the sock whispering sweet little words of sock-goodness to the babies??
telling them the ways of knitters?
lulling them with tales of fibre?

OMG LOVE that belly-balanced sock pic! Any minute's about right, too.

Joe's yarn is beautiful. I vote you start knitting, too. It'll break up the remainder of the spinning. Hey, where IS Rams?

Hurry up with those twin sweaters :)

Good lord, put something under that woman before she topples over. Another sock on that belly and it would reach critical mass!
Pretty pretty sweaters. Oh well, you are a brilliant knitter and the buttons will look gorgeous.

Way to go on the gansey spinning and stuff. The sock is so lucky to be up close and personal with the double baby belly.

Holy cow, Stephanie. That sock sure does get around.

Am I the only one who counted 12 skeins in the photo? Don't count yourself short! and, I have to add: if you missed that, might it make your total amount of yarn "mileage" different?

I love bleeding hearts -

Stephanie, You have a great blog. Today I am officially reading it in real time. I read about your blog during the Olympics. Until then, I did not realize there was such a wonderful knitting community online. Anyway, I decided if I was going to read your blog, I needed to start at the beginning. So four months later, here I am. This happens to me when I knit also. I start lots of projects then tell myself I cannot buy anymore yarn until they are all completed. It drives me crazy until I succeed. All this to say, I love reading your blog. It makes my knitting seem so much more fun.

Goddess bless her now and in the days ahead.

OK, I'm probably going to be banned from here forever, but that last picture?

I totally thought that was someone's bare behind, and could not, for the life of me, figure out why you would put that on your blog. I will be quiet now.

I just had this picture in my mind of the sock being kicked and flying across the room... ???

Wonderful raised bed. When you figure out how to move dirt (or anything) with your mind, will you let me know? I could use a trick like that. The twins' sweaters are still fabulous, but nothing is more fabulous than that gansey wool. You most definitely rock.

Um. Small detail, but, have you designed the gansey yet?

*sigh*
I always thought it would be SO COOL to take it from the sheep all the way to a sweater.
Please start knitting so you can tell me how absolutely wonderful it is. :D

I thought I counted 12 skeins also.......but then I almost didn't recognize the sock...I was so enjoying the big baby belly!! I bet mama would love to be able to see her feet again! I love your spinning....I'm trying with a spindle and must look like a marionette with twisted strings!But I have actually spun something that doesn't look like Whoopie Goldburgs Dreds.....you give me hope to continue on!! Better get busy on those twin sweaters they may beat you to the finish line.

Great shot of the baby belly!

I count 12 skeins....and I certainly hope there are only *2* babies!

But there is only ONE Harlot! :)

Now that the sock visited the twins, will they expect you to keep them in handknit socks forever? Or did it just tell them to wait a little longer till the buttons are on their beautiful sweaters?

Best travelling sock pic ever!!

I'm admittedly a little late to the game, but just wanted to say that I have stayed up the last two nights to read everything here (it's ok, I'm on vaca) and I have never laughed so hard in my life!
Thanks!
pseudored

Wow, does that pic bring back memories... sort of... except that when I was expecting my twins my belly was much larger and covered with stretch marks... still is, actually, and the twins are soon to be 10! Of course, that was my second pregnancy, so things were already kind of stretchy, and the combined weight of my twins was about 12.5 lbs, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised .... Lots of best wishes to that mom. Twins are an amazing gift, as are all babies. You just have to expect to be in a daze for a couple of years :-)

Hurahh for the gansey yarn--it's looking GOOOOD as does the raised flower bed and the plants. HOW in the world does a little woman's tummy stretch that far? Lordy better get the buttons and keep them in your purse to sew on at he hospital when waiting for the delivery. I'm GLAD you didn't go for the zipper for a small child.they have to learn how to fiddle with buttons first. Hope you take sock to the delivery too.All the BEST to Mom to be

That sock just can't get enough photo time, can it?

good lord!!!! that poor missus looks about to explode. does she get a sweater?

You know, you could start the sweater at the top, knit down, work both of the sleeves, then knit the body until you like it/run out of yarn/are sick of it. That way, you can gauge exactly how much yarn is enough yarn.

With my long arms, that's the only way I knit sweaters anymore, if I can help it.

Really wonderful stuff. You have more than earned the privilige to commence the knittin'.

I am amazed at the fact that she has no apparent stretch marks! What good genes!

How is it that a woman with twins has a smaller belly than I ever did with any of my three kids?! I looked like I had a watermelon on end, way too pointy to just have one baby in there. Some days, I wished there were twins in there just so people would stop commenting on how "out there" I was.

Big congratulations on the gansey yarn. It is beautiful and obviously spun with love!

That's my favorite sock picture yet! The gansey yarn is gorgeous too.

Is it me or have you been spinning the gansey for, oh, 3 years? Holy Crap, woman. Holy Crap.

What will Rams have to fuss at you for, now?

WOW.....read today's blog and then went back to yesterday's to read through the comments..".Next time I'd appreciate the opportunity to be in a "sock picture" too!
Posted by: Margaret Atwood at May 23, 2006 03:49 PM" I am so impressed!!!So there you go, sounds like an invitation to me, you lucky woman. The trip sounded great,plus the memories of holidays, timbits, poverty packs, what an education I am getting. The yarn is beautiful, start knitting, you know you want to. So very glad you are back, missed you terribly.

Yes before you grow any nuttier over it, swatch. It will make you feel better. And maybe you will realize you don't need that much.

Ah, Take On Me. I so love that song, the lead singer and the video. I majored in art in high school and that video left me speechless.

As for the preggie belly, I so can relate. That's what I looked like with my twins.

Good luck with finishing before they decide to pop in.
:)

I forgot to comment about today's news, I have bleeding hearts in my garden, love them, I did comment on the gansey wool, beautiful, and best of all, really, what a beautiful pregnant belly, wow, absolutely beautiful!

Wow wonderfull spinning! Wish that my spinning was that even. Momma looks really close to having them... knit faster! :-) Didn't recognize the sock for what it was lol! Stared and stared at Obvious baby belly, wondering what the heck??? some sort of fancy funky new fangeled monitoring system??? Hee hee hee, the sock just hangin out. Jeeze!

Happy knitting!

Twins are great - especially when they're not mine! I have 2-month old twin neices, and they're definitely on the receiving end of a bunch knitting (booties, hats, blankets, Christmas stockings, etc). The advantage is since the projects are little I can make more things faster!

The sweaters you are knitting are adorable. :>)

I LOVE the baby-belly! Even when I felt like I'd swallowed the Queen Mary I still loved the whole pregnancy gig. Imagine how much fun she's going to have trying to figure out "how in the world ALL THAT came out of ME!" :-) Babies are great, I'm just really thankful that I am NOT in that stage anymore!

Joe is going to love his gansey more than anything, because he'll know how much love for him you put into it. I think that is pretty darn cool. You rock.

The gansey yarn is yummy! Wanna whip out a few thousand yards for one for my hubby? He's 6'2, 265#, and has a 54 inch chest (he gets mistaken for a retired pro ball player all the time).

Sheesh! I would be so flattered! Margaret Atwood commented on your blog! Makes me wonder is she a lurker, or better yet, A KNITTER!

Oh, please start knitting the gansey! The yarn looks great and I can't wait to see how it knits up. Tell you what, if you finish one side of the body (back or front) before I leave Japan, I'll send you something crazy, and possibly wasabi flavoured. Go Harlot!

P.S. I'm leaving Japan at the end of July

I would be afraid to touch the poor lady. She might explode!

And here's praying the knitting fairy visits you while you sleep and you end up having enough yarn for the sweater and an extra set of socks besides!

Jeez, I check all afternoon, and the minute I step out the door you post.

The yarn is grand. It is, to someone who can't ever spin more than one bobbin before casting on, staggering. And I, too, count an extra bobbin. My suggestion would be to, just for the diversion (and to torment the y.s. squirrel,) wash a batch of locks. If, sometime in the [near] future, anyone's children were out of school, carding those locks would be FUN!!! Yes, it would. And, of course, if yarn (it wouldn't) should run (it couldn't) short (arg)toward the end, mere spinning it would be a dawdle...

I, too, missed the sock in The Glory of the Incipient Twins. Wow.

Frivolous Spinning Tuesdays. Has a nice sound, doesn't it? How about - oh, I don't know -- a shawl?

What an adventurous sock! Belly climbing and apparently ready to bungee down!Fame must be going to it's ribbing! The beds look lovely, wish I didn't kill everything I plant. Seems all I can raise is children and bacteria.

I can only imagine - spinning is on my list, but I haven't tried it yet. I finished a sweater for a rather large man, my twin, in a size 50-something chest, and that's a lot of knitting! I am in awe of that pile of yarn, it is so gorgeous.

I think we should all go give Franklin a hug. I think we're pretty brave too, popping out babies.

That's a hilarious pic of the twins with the sock!

love the sock perched casually on the belly. beautiful belly! twins, yikes, is all i can say!

Beautiful spinning. Can you think of the last bit of spinning as the toe of the second sock and simply will yourself to finish? Or, taper the sleeves and do a deep V neck and ... to skimp?

There are few things in this world as beautiful as babies almost born. Thanks for the photo. The sock at the wedding was also a delight. Top hats! Wow.

Best. Sock picture. EVAR.

I was going to ask how long you thought you had now to spin for your own amusement and pleasure as opposed to spinning for Rams' amusement and pleasure, but I see she's already thrown down the gauntlet. Nevermind.

Ooh, ooh. I see a foot. I see a foot outline on her belly. See, look, it's right there. How cool is THAT?????

(God I am SUCH a nurse)!

The sock looks seriously impressed with the belly! Your raised bed looks wonderful! I think the spinning is just gorgeous, I can't wait to see it knitted up!

Come to Oregon soon! The rain is starting to let up, and it just might be summer one of these days!

Your spinning is absolutely spectacular! Yes, please start knitting the gansey. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

I love your blog and your books...you are constant source of inspiration for me to better my fibery skills. And of course you make me laugh! Thanks so much!

I'm picturing in my mind's eye the twins in High School. They bring their prom dates in so Mom and Dad can meet them and are shown the twins' first baby picture. With the sock. It's making me giggle wildly.

The spinning looks great! Swatch a little; you'll save your sanity and at the same time be able to guesstimate how much more you need to spin. And I agree with Kelly--the raised bed looks great. And you're getting closer to making me take up spinning. Please stop beaming thoughts of drop spindles and wheels into my head.

holy COW that's a lot of belly. Wowza.

And you're almost there on the gansey! Don't give up now! Swatch if you must, cast that puppy on, but spin when you can. You're SO in the HOME STRETCH!

*whips out the cheerleading pom-poms*

Here, here, I think everyone has already said it all. I concure.

fabulous, simply fabulous.

(all of it, but especially the spinning and "pre-grand-entrance" twins. I hope the family is enjoying getting to know each other and wish them all the best!)

I used Sweater Wizard and a gauge of 6 sts inch and 8 rows to an inch with a chest of 48 inches and you might need a little more yarn. Just repeat. It's a labor of love, it's a labor of love.

You're a much better person than I am.

Definately start knitting.. it works wonders with the mind/body connection, and encourages more spinning (since there is absolutely NOTHING on this planet like handspun yarn :-)

Nice bleeding hearts and hostas - food for the soul.

Fabuloso sweaters for the twins.. even makes we think about having another baby just to get some gorgeous baby clothes! oh, no.. wait a minute.. I'm too old for that stuff.... cancel that last thought.. maybe grandkids? anyway, they are beautiful!

Hey, I totally understand about that gansey yarn. I'm in the same spot of feeling like I'm losing my mind with laceweight merino -- and there's only 4 bloody ounces of the fiber to be spun up.

Yep, looks like 12 skeins to me, too. See, you are better than you think...I'm with That Laurie, start knitting. I'm not with whoever said deep-vee and taper the sleeves just to skimp. That would drive you nuts, I'm guessing. But you have designed it, right? At least in your head?

WOW, great belly shot. Knit faster, bring buttons to hospital to sew on. Tell the Mom our collective best wishes for a safe, healthy, speedy delivery have been put out into the universe for her.

Congrats on the finished porch and flower bed. If you can figure out the move objects with your mind trick, it's only a matter of time before you rule the world as "The Most Esteemed Yarn Harlot, Head Knitter of the Revolution".

Wow! I am always amazed at our ability to stand upright with our bellies protruding that far from our spines!!
Your flowers are beautiful. I always try the mind power thing first. So far, no luck. I still have to wash the dishes and fold the laundry the old-fashioned way. Sucks.
Maybe if we all tried mind power at the same time. Give us a time, we'll try it! We're loyal like that.

oh, for goodness sakes. that belly!! here's sending good vibes for a safe labor and healthy babies, and finished sweaters!

I went "ooh pretty!" at the garden picture, and then ooooh, at the mama. I remember the days. So cool. I also remember the clerk who asked me my due date on my last one, and when I told her, she looked stunned and gasped, "How MANY!?" Just one, thanks a lot... My sister had twins a few years after that, and I tried not to be jealous. Twins. Too cool.

Amazingly beautiful baby belly photo! Am I the only one to notice the twins' mum doesn't appear to have even a single stretch mark? All my babies came singly, and yet my belly looked like a subway map. Best wishes and safe delivery vibes to her!

Your spinning remains for me a source of awe.
three ply sport weight.
jeee-zuss.

The buttons are likely to have to wait. I would expect to find you are in labor. You're in a serious round of nesting. Maybe we should all just send you some buttons and you can pick the ones you like. It could be fun. I truely don't think you're going to make it much longer. Love and kisses, good luck with the new ones! If we don't hear from you for awhile.... we'll know. ;)

Hmm, strange compulsion or normal knitterly-ness that people stop to count the skeins in your photo?

Start knitting the gansey. Now. Don't go all crazy on us from THE SPINNING.

As someone whose only children are canine-Americans, it always astounds me how the tummy can expand to hold a baby in there. *laugh* Ok, quit laughing at me.

And how in the WORLD do you never have any spam comments on your blog? I've been getting slammed and I have .000001% of the readers you have!

Hiya - wow, what a belly your friend has! How neat (and crazy) it will be to have twins! Way to go on the spinning. :) I have a question for you - do you set the wool by boiling it after you ply it? I'm a beginner at this and am wondering if that's really necessary, or if I can just start knitting with my spun wool... If you do set your wool, would you be willing to share how? Best of luck on beginning the gansey!

You have a dicentra in your raised bed - one of my favourite plants! And I read something interesting the other day - more women are having twins, and they reckon it is due to the growth factors given to cows to keep them producing milk longer.
I agree that there is a point where you just can't spin that stuff any longer. No way no how. It can be the most beautiful fibre ever but nope!

Great news on the spinning. Would love to see more of the grey 'rats' before you complete.

Ooh, that picture of the pregnant lady made my head spin, do I really want another?

Becky

As a knitter for a husband of similar proportions- my sympathies. It's an epic sweater worthy of the likes of Gilgamesh. Just spinning that pile'o'yarn is a heroic feat! :)

I love your bleeding hearts, mine have only leaves so far. What gives, surely it's warmer in Massachusetts!

Hope the twins and the twin sweaters are done soon.

Think knitting a swatch and starting that sweater is a good idea...I have a feeling you'll be trying to give away some of that yarn in the near future. I fail to see how all of that is not enough yarn to knit a pool lining much less a sweater for a tall canadian man. It's beeeautiful yarn! I'll take a hank;->

Ang

Wow, the sweaters are beautiful. And, the mom won't be knitting much herself after having twins unless she's a whole lot more organized than I am--though she probably is! Mineare almost14 months, and I've only finished a hat, scarf,my Olympic socks, and started a few other socks--a far cry from my previous output. Luckily, I have talented friends who got to work and mad my babies heirloom quality items. Now, I just have to stretch those things until the wee bairns are in high school!

Good luck with your garden. I can't believe that you have a green thumb on top of everything else. Very impressive!

Sheila in Boston

What a nice feeling to have gardens done, gansey yarn done (and ready to knit) and twins (sweaters and babies)almost done!

There might be a bit of hope for the rest of us to finish some projects, too.

Being the mother and grandmother of twins, I can relate! As we would say here in the South, "Bless her heart!"

Where are the stretch marks? Don't tell me there are no stretch marks-I will be so bitter.
I am so impressed with your spinning. Words fail me.

Oh, my back hurts just looking at that picture (I've been big with child five times, but only one child at a time...)

OMG! please tell the Madonna Beneath The Socks that i will be wearing my prayer beads for her today.

How many times must I remember not to drink hot coffee while reading your blog? Hot coffee hurts when it gets into your nose from laughing! (The line that did it for me this time was "It would appear that I still cannot move things with the power of my mind.")

Congrats on the almost-done-ness of Joe's spinning... swatching sounds like an excellent idea at this point!

I think you had better buy those buttons soon ... however when I first saw the picture, it looked so much like someone leaning on a railing with their butt hanging out! Goodness. First glances can really shock a person! However, I got it figured out ... and hurry, buy those buttons.

Wow. Two miles of love, or more than three kilometers. I am counting both plies here, because I want to produce at least 440 yards of sock yarn, and have been meditating on the knowledge that that's really 880 yards. That would (if I got it done) be a mere quarter of yours. Wow.

Oh, I LOVE pregnant bellies, especially when you can see little baby parts pushing out here and there. She looks great!

Is that the sock perched upon the belly? Oh my goodness. Makes my back hurt just looking at her.

Beautiful bleeding heart. I love them!

I knitted a sweater for my six year old daughter and wanted to poke my eyes out between the bottom ribbing and the design at the neckline. All that purple stockinette nearly killed me. I bow down to a love so strong to want to go through that for a large man. And to start with the raw wool? Does Joe have ANY idea of how much he should appreciate you? LOL!

Dude, that's a lot of (spun) yarn! Start swatching before you go slightly mad.

Hehe, we're both talking about moving things at the same time.

I think there is nothing more beautiful than a woman's body in the throes of pregnancy...except for maybe THE SOCK resting comfortably on a woman's body in the throws of pregnancy...heehee.
I love the raised beds. Would you consider coming to do mine? I will make you pesto. If you like pesto. If not...well, I will make you something else you *do* like.

I can't wait to see the pattern for the gansey, does Joe know about it? Your garden is looking great do I see hints of spring up there? And really nice that you kept the red for the sweater, his offsets hers beautifully! JUdging by the way mom-to-be looks, hurry!

Was there an awkward moment where you had to explain to the sock where babies come from?

Ohmygawrsh! That poor woman looks like she's about to explode! Hope her labor is short and easy and everyone comes out of it healthy.

The gansey yarn is yummy; I'm with the others - it's time to start swatching.

Thanks again for a good chuckle to start my day.

I can SO relate to the belly! My twins are now 18, but were nearly 14 lbs. of baby (#1, 6 lb 7 oz, #2, 7 lb 7 oz) when delivered 2 weeks early. I had to get busy on a second blanket when #2 was "discovered" at 6 months. Please give the mom my best wishes and tell her to say yes to Anyone who offers to help with her housework. And that she will see her kneecaps again.

To Franklin - I don't know about others but my bravery was faked. By the time I realized just what I had gotten myself into, it was too late to change my mind so I pretended to be brave.

To Katie - the knitting mama - Plying already set your twist. Just soak the skein in sudsy, warm - to - hot water, squeeze out, soak to rinse, squeeze, rinse as many times as needed to remove the soap. Don't run the water on to the yarn or it will felt, fill basin then put in yarn.

Sock is a shameless attention hound. Imagine perching on that poor, soon to explode belly!

Start knitting, I always do. The knitting keeps me eager to spin more and the spinning keeps me knitting to keep up.

What a beautiful shot, and what a coincidence that you are each at the end of an endless, tiring project....and can probably both understand the other's feeling that "one more day of this" would be entirely too much.
Best of luck on both, although somehow twins are even more exciting than the best of hand-twined yarn.

Wow that twin mama looks fantastic for being so close. That sock is sure popular. I agree with every one else - start swatching. By the way, after spinning all of that gansey does it feel like Joe's sweater is half way finished now that all you have left is the knitting of it? Or would that be when you finished the frontpiece or something. Not being a spinner I'm not sure that the accomplishment ratio (that being actual accomplishment vs. feeling of accomplishment)is like that of knitting. The hard part is over right?

Bleeding Hearts! I love bleeding hearts.
Twins' Mama is one wonderful woman. Carrying one is hard enough.

I'm just finishing a sweater for my partner (46") chest. I spun 13 skeins of a sportweight-ish 3-ply, which did take forever. It's looking as if I will have at least two skeins left over, probably three, so I think you're safe to start knitting.

My yarn actually varied a bit in grist since it was spun over several months. I didn't alternate different skeins/rows and it's still turning out just fine - in fact, I like the slight variations since I think it looks more "handspun". I have had people tell me that my yarn couldn't possibly be handspun since it was so even.

One last thing - double check your pattern to make sure it has the same number of repeats front and back. I didn't, and had the chagrin of having to rip the whole body once I'd reached the underarms. After 25 years of knitting! The shame!!!

I would start knitting. For all the reasons stated, but also to keep your sanity intact. And might I just say that this is truly the most awesome act of love I have ever witnessed? 1800-2000 yards of handspun? Made into a handknit sweater? All in gray? I think you may have to change the name of your blog from "yarn harlot" to "really, really, monogamous yarn-hording woman."

yarn-hoarding woman. hoarding. really. I can spell. (Did I mention the time that I won the school spelling bee? Well I did. Twice.)

Twins?!! Awesome! My twin sons are 11 yrs old now and they were good babies! Fed them at the same time for the first year, slept at the same time...they actually were good to me! Enjoy...the pleasure of twins will last forever.

Twins?!! Awesome! My twin sons are 11 yrs old now and they were good babies! Fed them at the same time for the first year, slept at the same time...they actually were good to me! Enjoy...the pleasure of twins will last forever.

You have soooo many messages, I wonder if you will ever read mine! I just bought a copy of
"KNITTING RULES" this past weekend. I love it, love it, love it! I'm on page 75 now....

~A Guru/Organic Knitter!~~~~o

Sorry to inject this here...but I thought you'd appreciate this story of unlikely yarn thieves...
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/9268970/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=news

Diane

As a mother of twins, boyo, does that belly bring back memories. See where the sock is resting? I used to rest my dinner plate there! Using the belly as a drink holder is a bit dicey, especially when there is movement going on. Kudos to mom, she doesn't need to lean against anything to stay upright!

Thank you for making me feel better about my ONE stubborn any-minute-now baby. After two false alarms over the weekend, I've been feeling large and frustrated that the beautiful sweater set (not to mention the booties I made to match my newly finished socks) I knit her is still empty. I'm just glad mine's not twins.

Give yourself a little sanity and knit on that beautiful grey sweater, before you have to spin up that last ±350m of yarn.

(For our non-metric friends out there, a metre is roughly 3 inches longer than a yard, and our Stephanie did that 1600 times!)

Rams has a great idea with the carding. Hank will think its a great summer camp project! And you might feel more like spinning up that last little bit by the time he goes back to school.

Sweaters are gorgeous, yarn is gorgeous, babies' first sock picture is gorgeous.

Cheers!

Do you know that a google search on the web produces 36,600 hits. Awesome

It took me a while to realise that the photo was not of a non-pregnant person bending forward with their pants down! (Silly me)

I love your blog. I'm new to it, as I'm new to knitting!

im amazed she can stand -or is the camera tilted sideways so it looks like she is standing....

Woot! Tell that mama nice job cooking those babies! I know it's not up to her, but still, congrats are probably good because it probably takes her 20 minutes to stand up. Not that I'd know about that. ;)

Also woot on the gansey yarn. I'm still figuring out how to psych myself up for spinning a large sweater project. You let us know if you figure out how to remain excited through the whole thing. Or does it really come down to the nagging services of Madame Rams?

I refrained from suggesting an afterthought buttonhole because I thought you'd just do that. I liked the snaps idea too. But ripping? Oh the humanity. Well, what's done is done.

But I'm thinking mama might be ready for you to finish that there sweater pretty soon. No CCU stay to buffer you this time, knock wood.

By Zeus, that's a lot of belly! It leaves me talking urgently to my own nascent tummy bump: There had better just be one of you in there. You hear? Just one! I'll abandon you on a wind-swept crag otherwise.

In 'childhood' by Natalie Wilson from Knitty summer 03, she very cleverly uses SNAPS under pretend buttons. I love this and so do the mothers who needn't struggle with little squirming torsos (times two).
I almost didn't post because there were so many, but I love entering this warm, friendly, buzzing room of brilliant knitters.
Wish I could send you some of my shade plants. I have them between my bleeding hearts and hostas. But unfortunately Sardis is zone 4.
Love you, the sock and your writing.
kthanksbye Angie

Dude--That's 3.08 US miles that you have spunso far! That certainly entitles you to much celebration (and swatching).

OMG! Does someone have to hold her upright?

I am at 30 weeks and I keep telling everyone that my butt is a counterweight to keep me from falling forward...I am already as big as the twins momma and as far as I know there is only one in there.

Steph, is there somewhere a picture of the sweater you will make for Joe?
Get going with it. vj

Isn't the pregnant belly a thing of beauty?? Though I have to say, I'm oh so glad NOT to be the one sporting it.

Better get knittin' girlfriend. :)

I see you guys are starting the twins out on knitting quite young... :-)

I love how you can see a twin bit sticking out at the front of her belly. Foot? Hand? Elbow? Glad it's not me...

such a small sock for such a big belly. what i want to know is where are the stretch marks, am i missing the stretch marks? if not i need to know what lotion combo she has her hands on..please...and quick.

I married a man with a 54" chest. He wants TWO sweaters, one with lots of cables and another "plain old sweater". In merino/tussah. Which I am going to spin.

Why did nobody warn me?

Your spinning, btw, is lovely.

Yep, snaps to the rescue! I'm finishing "childhood" right now and hope to have a decorative button buying day soon, too.

I'm assuming you still have *fleece* left to spin. . . now that would be The Big Problem. So swatch! Cast on! Knit like the wind! Just as long as the remaining fleece that you'll need to spin doesn't disappear under a pile of dirt or into the black hole known as "Stash", never to reappear. But it looks very much like you have other priorities at the moment. I hope those babies will be here soon, & safely. :-)

I sooooooooooooooooo feel for the mama... and I've only ever had one in there!!!! And by all means, start knitting!!!!

I love your bleeding heart plant. We had one in our yard growing up and I just think they're wonderful!