Sew Fetish: A Handmade Childhood: Thoughts in the Third Trimester and a Pixie Hat

The little sprout and I are entering our third trimester together and it's going well. I am definitely feeling bigger and more sluggish and last night she did keep me awake for a while with a bout of the hiccups (at once amazing but also a little irksome!), but generally it's been a wonderful experience. My husband and I feel remarkably calm about it all and paradoxically I sometimes worry about that. We chatted about it and think our age has something to do with it (I'm 36, he's about to turn 39), meaning that we waited until we really felt ready. Being pregnant has taught me to live a little more in the present. Every day can be different and you are caught up in the changes. This is a big deal for me who is something of a worrier and tends to always 'look to the horizon', as my sister puts it. Before the pregnancy I took several art classes too and I think that trained me a little to think more in the present and not worry about the future. The act of creativity must be about what you are doing, not what you get at the end if you are to truly do something unique. If you worry always about what might be, the fear can stop you doing anything.

Finally, I believe that working on crafts for the baby has helped too. It feels like I am being active in preparing and the act itself of making is very calming.

Over the weekend I watched the documentary, 'The Artist is Present' which is about the highly influential performance artist Marina Abramovic of whom I am a great admirer. I found it moving and inspiring. She has put herself through some truly punishing experiences to share ideas with the world. It made me feel that if she could spend all these years putting her body through so much, I could handle labor. It was mentioned in the documentary that she knitted sweaters. This charming detail made think a little more about crafting and knitting and why so many pregnant women take up knitting. I think it becomes a way of measuring time, of learning patience. The rhythm of it is comforting and meditative. Perhaps this helped her prepare for the grueling and painful performances she has created over the years.

Below is a pixie hat I knitted for the baby and is being modeled by our cat Winnie. You can get the pattern here on Ravelry.com. I really enjoyed the pattern and look how adorable Winnie is in it.