Why Ganon?

Why did I name my son Ganon?  No, it wasn't a drug-induced whim in the hospital, it was a carefully thought out process that I had planned even before my pregnancy.  I began playing The Legend of Zelda on the NES when I was a toddler.  Playing Nintendo with my grandmother is one of my earliest, and happiest, memories.  I can proudly say that I have owned every Nintendo console (and handheld) and played every Zelda game since.  Zelda has been a constant in my life.  It was there, no matter what else changed.  At each major transition point in my life, a new Zelda game was released.  Coincidence, I know, but it still helped strengthen the emotional bond I formed with this childhood 'friend'.  It feels strange to speak in such a way about a video game, but it's true, Zelda has gotten me through all the tough times. 

So I knew that I wanted to name my children after The Legend of Zelda.  But why Ganon?  Well, the three recurring characters are Link, Zelda, and Ganon.  Link is the legendary hero, the chosen one, the knight.  He steps up to every challenge, defeats every foe, and emerges unscathed.  Zelda is the princess.  She is ever vigilant, ever patient, and kicks some ass when needed (Sheik, anyone?).  But Ganon... Ganon is the king.  He is ambitious, persistent, cunning.  Though he is never the victor, he is never truly defeated.  No matter where the game takes you... when you reach the end, there he is.  Ganon.  Always Ganon.  He even has a TV Trope saying as much.  Aside from all that... I think we all know that Ganon is the most badass.

I have always known I wanted 3 children - two boys and a girl (along with every little girl's dream of twins).  So I also knew that I wanted to use all 3 major character names from Zelda.  There's always the fact that Ganon is the oldest of the 3, and that he is separate from the other two.  (Part of me is still holding out for that dream of twins!)  The Triforce of Power (Ganon's piece) is also the top of the completed Triforce.  So there it was, obvious in my mind: My eldest son would be named Ganon.

My choice was reaffirmed when he arrived, with an olive complexion, a full head of red hair, gold flecks in his eyes (once they lightened from the black they were at birth), and a hairline that nearly reached his eyebrows.  Any doubts were irradicated and I was only left to hope that he would grow to love his name as much as I do. :)

Abbreviations

I thought it would be prudent to make a list of abbreviations I use in my patterns here.  I use pretty standard abbreviations, and an experienced knitter/crocheter should be able to figure out the rest...  I do try to explain any abbreviations I use within the pattern, but sometimes I forget.  I will also try to update this list as I use more abbreviations.

Knitting abbreviations:
K: Knit
P: Purl
K2tog or P2tog: Knit or purl two stitches together
Sl: slip stitch
Slp: slip purlwise
AxB ribbing: Work "A" Knit stitches, then "B" Purl stitches, and repeat

Crochet abbreviations:
Ch: Chain stitch
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: Single Crochet
HDC: Half Double Crochet
DC: Double Crochet
TC: Treble Crochet
inc: Increase (work two stitches in the next stitch)
SC2tog: Single Crochet 2 together
dec: invisible decrease

Five Months

Such a roller coaster it is, having a baby.

Ganon's new favorite activity is to stand on my lap, with me holding both of his hands, and jump and bounce.  He will do this, laughing, for nearly half an hour at a time.  His little legs are getting so muscular, it's rather shocking!  He has also been reaching out and grabbing things on his own.  The most common target: my mouth.  He will lay in my arms, one hand firmly clenched around my lower lip and teeth, while I talk to him (or to visitors or on the phone).  From what I've read, he's using his hands to help figure out how to speak.  I guess if it's beneficial, I'll just put up with it!  Speaking of teeth, Ganon's first have yet to show.  Some days, the little (painful) bulges on his gums seem ready to sprout a tooth, then the swelling will recede for a few days to a week.  It's very frustrating for the both of us.

He's been eating more foods now - a full variety of cereals and vegetables!  He likes the baby cereals, but isn't terribly thrilled with them.  Foods with more flavor, however, are a real treat!  He has loved everything we have given him so far.  (Green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots)  The only problem is that he sometimes gets so excited about eating that he sends himself into a fit of the giggles!  Have you ever tried to eat with the giggles?  I can't.  Neither can Ganon.  So I have struggled to find that perfect balance between fun and too much fun.

Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen this month is Ganon expressing his opinions on things (his face is so expressive!)  His favorite animals are lions, pandas, and birds.  His favorite shapes: circles and stars.  And of course, all children have favorite colors.  Ganon's are red and blue.

Those are the newest things this month, hopefully I'll have some tooth news next update!

House Unity Blanket

Hello, folks!  In preparation for Part I of the Deathly Hallows movie(s), I decided to make a house unity blanket!  If you don't know, that just means that instead of choosing one Hogwarts school house, you use all four main colors.  This is a fairly quick knit on large needles, and can easily be completed in a weekend.  I used 15mm needles and two strands of worsted weight yarn held together.  (As per usual, I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn)  For colors, I used "Black" as my main color, "Bright Yellow" for Hufflepuff, "Paddy Green" for Slytherin, "Ranch Red" for Gryffindor, and "Blue" for Ravenclaw.  This is a very simple pattern.  Finished piece measures approximately 4'x4'

The basic blanket is worked as follows:
Use wither a super bulky yarn, or two strands of worsted weight held together.
With black, cast on 3 sts.
Row 1: K1, YO, Knit to end of row.
Repeat Row 1 84 times. (87 sts)  (This is 4 rows past the second red stripe)
Row 2: K2tog, YO, Knit to last 2 sts, K2tog
Repeat Row 3 until 3 sts remain, bind off

At the same time, work the following color pattern:
8 rows black
2 rows yellow
8 rows black
2 rows green
8 rows black
2 rows blue
8 rows black
2 rows red

If you'd rather have a pattern matching the Prisoner of Azkaban style scarves, work the following color pattern:
10 rows MC
2 rows CC
2 rows MC
2 rows CC

For Gryffindor, use Ranch Red and Gold,
For Slytherin, use Paddy Green and Light Gray,
For Ravenclaw, use Blue and Light Gray or Warm Brown,
For Hufflepuff, use Bright Yellow and Black.

Make 4 tassels, one in each color (or all MC for single-house blankets) and attach to the corners.

I make tassels by wrapping the double-stranded yarn around a DVD case about 25 times, tying across one end, and cutting the other end, then tying around the whole bundle about 1.5" from the tied end.

Scaring myself.

I've been reading blogs.  Blogs that scare me.  Blogs about severely disabled children and blogs about grieving lost children.  Why do I scare myself like this? 

I think it's because I like to be prepared.  I have always found myself imagining the worst possible outcomes of any situation, preparing for that outcome, and being pleasantly surprised when things turned out better than I had expected.  The downside, of course, is all the additional stress I put on myself.  But I really don't know any other way to handle my fears - this is how I've always done things.

How would I react if something terrible happened to Ganon?  I don't know, but at least now I know that it wouldn't be the end of everything.  Somehow, these brave parents have coped, and that means I could, too.  That's what lets me sleep at night - the knowledge that no matter how bad things get, I will always find some way to pull through.

Doctor Who Scarf

I'm making a Doctor Who scarf as a holiday gift this year, based on the pattern here.  Using the guideline for the number of rows in each color... I went off on my own.  As I am allergic to wool (a terrible fate for a knitter/crocheter, it's true!) I had to find acrylic alternative yarns.  I thought I would share them with you today.  All of the yarns I am using are Red Heart Super Saver colors. 
Red:  cherry red
Brown:  warm brown
Beige:  buff or linen (from what I have seen, these colors are very close in person, the linen being slightly more grey)
Grey:  grey heather
Purple:  dark orchid
Green:  cafe (a slightly greenish brown. It was the closest match I could find - the original is a bit greener.)
Yellow:  gold

I used the photos of the actual scarf (also available on the previously linked site) and matched the colors as closely as I could.

Since this yarn is all worsted weight (as opposed to sport), I also moved up to a (US) size 8 knitting needle from the recommended size 5.  I get about 4 stitches to an inch with this yarn on this needle.  The original scarf is a mix of 11" and 9" widths, so I split the difference and cast on 40 stitches.  This scarf is still in the works, so I don't have a final length measurement or yarn amounts yet, but it will be spectacularly long, I'm sure. 

I'm also considering making one 6" wide for myself, with 2/3 long stripes, as well.  Thoughts?

Public Decency

A while ago, I went on a road trip with my family to the Mall of America.  Out of convenience, I did not bring any bottles, frozen milk, or even my breast pump.  I would be with my son, and could nurse him myself - I didn't need the extra bulk or worry of forgetting something.  I did put my Triforce nursing cover in the diaper bag, however, since I didn't know the ins and outs of Minnesota law regarding breastfeeding.  Using the cover, I nursed him in the mall several times throughout the weekend.  He's a terribly patient child, crying his distinctive 'hungry cry' while in the stroller, then quieting when I picked him up and staying quiet until I could find a place to sit and get him in position. 

If you don't know, there is a Nickelodeon theme park in the middle of the mall.  I did use the nursing cover, but it was still quite obvious what I was doing, and to be honest, it doesn't hide much.  When I nursed Ganon in the theme park area, the only looks I got were from curious children.  It seemed that my fellow parents just understood.  But when I was nursing him in the clothing wing of the mall, the dirty looks abounded.  Only one look was from someone who had a child with them, the rest were from lone women or groups of women. 

Shortly before we were leaving the mall, I was quite warm from all the walking, and Ganon kept pulling the nursing cover aside (he was overly warm as well).  With a shrug, I pulled it off entirely and put it back in the diaper bag.  I was on a bench in the hallway, and my mother had a comically shocked look on her face when she walked out of the store and saw me there, nursing uncovered!  I very nearly laughed out loud - but it would have startled the baby.

Now, if you think about it, a baby nursing doesn't show much breast.  My shirt covers the top part of my breast, my bra covers the bottom and outer side, and the nipple is in the baby's mouth.  His head covers even more, but you could conceivably look around it from certain angles.  The only thing even possibly visible is my cleavage, which my mother, once upon a time, encouraged me to show more of.  (Ooh, dangling participle!  There will be more of these.)

What people don't seem to think about is that breastfeeding is what breasts were made for!  Breasts are not 'dirty' or 'indecent'.  All mammals have them, and their sole purpose is to nourish the young.  While large breasts do attract mates, that is hardwired because of the reproductive implication that a large-breasted woman would be better able to feed offspring.  (Not true, just as it's not true that a wide-hipped woman is better at bearing children, but it still causes a physical pleasure response.)  So whip out those ta-tas and feed your tots! :D