One Post Before Fall Ends

When life gets busy, something has to give. These days, it's my personal blog, but I love to have it to look back on, document my life and keep my little part of the internet. I turned 35 in November. I'm enjoying my 30s, and appreciate the chance to get another year on this planet. Better late than never, here goes a list of the things that happened at 34 that I'd like to remember:

1. I became a mama. Being a mama is pretty amazing. You get to run with glee towards a fire engine at a kid's party and people just think you're being a great mom. Ha! Impending motherhood also gave me a kick to start things going on other dreams I had before I got sucked into a vortex.

2. Case in point: I became an official small business owner with my design partner-in-crime, Ann. We started Design Move Toss, LLC, which is a virtual and in-home interior design consulting gig. The goal is to have it be a fun and creative outlet where we can help people, make some extra money, and let it grow responsibly and organically. I'll probably talk about it more, and we're in the process of getting our logo / collateral redesigned soon! However, it was great to get started and not worry about making everything perfect in the beginning. Anyone else have a tendency to suffer from perfectionism paralysis?! Oy.

3. I really made a go of my Etsy shop selling watercolors and custom home portraits, and was pleasantly surprised to exceed my expectations in sales! I want to explore some paper collage and larger scale paintings this year, but we shall see. (Again, that limited free time and day-job thing).

4. I went out of my comfort zone a few times, and as usual, was glad I did it!

5. I said "no" when needed, to make sure I wasn't spreading myself too thin, so that I can be there for my family.

6. I tried to stay present in the moments and enjoy my new baby, and was "gentle" with myself, per the wise advice of Leya (Curious Bird).

7. I read some books for fun. I laughed with friends. I watched more TV than one should, and tried not to feel too guilty. I ate lots of chocolate muffins in the afternoons with a side of coffee.

8. I got to spend lots of time with our family and friends, which is the most important thing to Mike and me. Having Henry as initiative for people to visit really helped! My heart bursts when I see how much he is loved by my amazing relatives.

9. We got to go to NYC, Washington D.C., Indiana and Florida. Not too bad for year one. (We also all got severely sick in NYC with our Indiana relatives, but have many stories to laugh about now).

10. I picked up my knitting needles again! I'm making Henry Pickles (his nickname) a Fair Isle sweater.  I'm looking forward to see what good things 35 brings!

Notes from a New Mama

When I last left off, (two whole months ago!), I was having a little too much fun acting crazy with my big belly, which is a completely fun prop before it exhausts you. Sadly, the writing waned as I was tying up loose ends at work, getting the house ready and trying to enjoy the last bit of selfish me-time for awhile by taking naps, going to the movies and just doing whatever I wanted.

Henry Andrew was born in February, and we are counting ourselves very lucky to have a happy and healthy baby boy. I think he's already a little flirt, and is making friends and charming women and men alike wherever he goes. Mike and I were so excited to finally meet him, and it's so cool to see what a sweet dad Mike is becoming. And to see someone who had never changed a diaper become a pro in a few short weeks!

I was so very lucky to have my mom stay with us for five weeks to help during this exhausting yet very special time in his life, especially since Mike didn't have much time off work. I was grateful for her support, advice, cooking, cleaning, for another set of hands to hold the baby, for hands to hold me if I was overwhelmed, and to see the magic of my mom becoming a grandparent and falling in love with this little boy.

Apart from the intense new motherhood experience, I also had the opportunity to work on some design and illustration work. A friend and I did some virtual interior design for a client in New York City, and I did some watercolor illustrations for a fabulous local designer, Caitlin Wilson. It was boot camp in terms of figuring out free time with a new baby, but it also helped me to reconnect with the part of myself that is "Marissa" and not just a source of nutrition and love for a new human. Please refer to the part where my mom was here for 5 weeks lest you think I'm pretending to be a super-mom.

Some days I felt like I never left the sofa while feeding the baby. Though I spent many hours gazing into this baby's sweet face, I also watched all three seasons of Downton Abbey. Yes. It is all it's cracked up to be, and I'm already missing it!

Mom and I baked three chocolate chip cakes in five weeks, and got hooked on no-knead sourdough bread which my Aunt brought for us with a starter.  We balanced it out by making some bright colored salads with the first of the gorgeous spring vegetables. I am so excited for Spring!

The weather has been cold but sunny in Philadelphia, and we've been taking Henry on walks in the neighborhood. We have some friends in the neighborhood who occasionally join us, and I have been treating myself to hot chocolates at our local coffee shop as an extra incentive to get outside! He loves being carried around in our Baby Bjorn and will fall asleep for entire hours it seems.

I did finish knitting a baby sweater for lil Hen before he was born. It's way too big, but he looks pretty cute wearing it at around two weeks. It's crazy how quickly they do grow and how their faces change. He already looks entirely different than in this picture. We're enjoying him and adjusting and learning every day.

I'm not sure how much I'll post about Henry or being a mom on here in the future, but wanted to show my face and introduce you to our little boy. Thanks for being my virtual friends, and  I look forward to reconnecting on this space with you all in this coming year.

xoxo, Mariss

Charlotte's Web Shawl

There are some projects and goals that lay on the wayside for the duration of time it takes to graduate from high school. Case in point, I have had these Koigu mill ends since 2008 which were always slated to become a Charlotte's Web Shawl. After I found out I was having a baby, it seemed like hundreds of strangers and friends wanted to tell me how little time I would ever have to myself, labor and delivery horror stories, advice (some good!),  more horror stories and very personal inquiries. Regarding the knitting, I took this time to finally make myself this particular shawl - before my life is over and I never have a minute to myself! I jest.

Here is the yarn. Mike helped me to put them in order for the shawl.

My illustration from four years ago was inspiration to someday knit this!

I really just wanted to knit this shawl for the fringe.

Here is the finished shawl. It's huge. It's about my height fully stretched out, so around 66 inches.

I'm really happy with how it turned out. Once I got the hang of the lace pattern, it was pretty easy, but I recommend placing a lifeline in case you mess up. I messed up and restarted it at least three times. This is not to scare you off, just to provide some realistic expectations.

This colorful detail below is one of my favorite parts of the shawl.

Well, besides the fringe of course! I held myself back from adding beads or sequins!

I don't know why I waited so long, but it was worth the wait!

Wenlan Chia's Lacy Chunky Throw

Earlier this summer, I used my pending baby as an excuse to finally knit Wenlan Chia's Lacy Chunky Throw. I was pleased that the 5 (free) skeins that I won in a drawing contest from Heather Ross (among other goodies) was enough to make a good-sized lap blanket. This would be great to throw on a bed later for added warmth. However, I think there are too many holes and the fiber is too fuzzy for a baby. I could barely get by without getting fiber in my own mouth, so figure it would be worse for a little guy!

Overall, I liked the pattern and think it looks lovely (once I corrected my mistakes). I'm glad it's done though, as I did not enjoy knitting on huge baseball bat-sized needles!

Besides all my complaints above though, it feels and looks like buttah, I tell you.

Handknit Socks

I'm giving sock knitting a second chance. I didn't think it was for me, but I love the portability of socks, the idea of making them, and having endless semi-mindless knitting that you can bring with you whenever you have a spare moment.

When I finished my most recent pair this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised that they are super comfortable, even for a picky sock wearer like myself. I grew up wearing flip flops everywhere or being in a pool, so socks and shoes still get on my nerves sometimes. Plus, I was totally one of those kids that drove her mother crazy lining up the velcro on my shoes perfectly (they were too tight!) and changing my socks two times since they "felt weird".  I still remember those socks too! I still wouldn't wear them today. They were a polyblend material material with odd heel placement and felt crunchy-stretchy. Thankfully, my mom was awesome and also bought socks that even I liked. My mom will be rolling her eyes right now!

Off to cast on another pair for the next few months, since other projects will be calling to me before the warm weather hits.

Perhaps we should clean up the Library / Studio before I start another project...