Freaky Cute

Knit pants? Oh yeeeaaah, in a 2 year old size. They're so cute, they're freaky cute. I still have to find some elastic and add that, sew down the waistband and add some cute ribbon as a tie around the waist. Then I'm done-baby-done. I think they'll fit better when there's elastic around the waist instead of a yarn needle holding it together in the back. :) I'm kind of shocked that I refrained from photographing the adorable diaper-butt.

Specifics:

Pattern: Baby Bell Bottoms from The Blue Blog
Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Sport - I'd never used this before but it's super soft.
Needles: Size 6
Comments: I started this on the way out to South Dakota to say goodbye to Grandma. Unfortunately I could neither count nor write down exactly how I had changed the pattern, so the second leg is slightly different from the first. (Bad bad knitter) However, you really can't tell from looking at it. I am apparently also just plain dumb when it comes to measuring pants. Her inseam is 12" so when I measured the pants I measured 12" top to bottom, not along the inseam. Duh. So they're a little long instead of fitting perfectly like I had hoped. But hey, this way she has room to grow!

I'm hoping to do a few pairs of these for friends whose children are not quite fitting into standard sizes.

Dreaming of Spring

Our snow is finally starting to melt so that we have bare, muddy patches in the yard. (ask me how much I love dogsitting an energetic puppy that doesn't like to have her paws wiped off.) (you could also ask how many times I've mopped the kitchen today for just that reason.) Don't get me wrong, spring is still a long way off up here by Lake Superior. We still have drifts of snow and I heard we had several inches of snow predicted for tonight. However, it will most likely melt shortly after landing.

So here I am, dreaming of crocuses and daffidiles that won't poke their heads up for another month, when I run across this. Oh yeah, baby!

This is the most yarnalicious scrumptious yarn I think I have ever seen. All of the colors available right now look like spring! It's Yarni and as far as I know, it's only found at the Yarnery in St. Paul, MN. BUT now they offer online shopping, so I don't have to call and ask them to describe the colors for me anymore! It's a pricey little number - $30 for 470 yds. It's dyed by a couple who live in/around St. Paul so it's somewhat local for me. This is my honest to goodness favoritest sock yarn eva'. It is soft, it is squishy, it is so much fun to knit.

I'm in Luuuuvvv. I've had that Yarnery page open on my computer all week. Just staring at the colors. And how can you not love the names?

New Shoot Green

Favorite Jeans - Remember these? My River Rapids socks made for my Sockapalooza pal last summer.

Raspberry Blueberry Swirl - nothin' says Minnesota like blueberries!

Tangerini - sounds like a drink I could slurp right down!

Prairie Landscape

Rose Petals and Sage - I can almost smell it

For those of you wondering about an Addie update, her doc called us at home yesterday. Apparently after 2 days her strep culture did begin to grow very spotty strep colonies. So... we put her on antibiotics. She seems to be in better spirits today, but she still doesn't have a lot of energy. This afternoon she actually told me she was tired and asked to take a nap!! That never happens!

When It Rains, It Pours

I'm taking the sick little kiddo into the clinic for the 3rd time this week. This time for labs, a chest x-ray and another dr. visit. She's been running a temp steadily for 6 days. Today she was very whiny and clingy. She's been a trooper up until now but I think it's beginning to wear on her too. Flu and strep tests have come back negative and there's no ear infection. If these trips to the clinic keep up, St. Mary's is going to name me their biggest financial benefactor for 2008!

Thomas' New Booties

Darla, as soon as I weave in all the ends these little booties will be coming your way. They're a little lighter weight than the last ones, so they should work for spring and summer. Let me know if they don't fit right. I added on a little in length and height to accommodate Thomas' growing feet.

CARE INSTRUCTIONS: You can machine wash in cold and air dry. However, it never hurts to hand wash and air dry. :)

For Lisa

Lisa was asking about some favorite baby knitting projects, so I thought I would share a few with her. Sweater from _______ knitted in cotton... I don't have the ball band anymore, it's long gone. You've seen this one before, both girls have worn it in pictures. I actually made it for my niece, but we re-inherited it.

Saartje's booties. These are very fast and fun.

So fun, that I made 2 pairs right in a row for my friends babies.

Cottage Creations Babies and Bears Sweater. The mittens are from Fittin' Mittens. I highly recommend any Cottage Creations patterns for babies. The Lilly sweater is sweet as is every pattern I've seen from them.

Last but not least (because Blogger is getting cranky with all the photos) is the Slip Stitch Baby Hat. Knit with contrasting shades of sock yarn, this one is so cute. I got the pattern from The Heathen Housewife. I think I emailed her for the pattern, although I think there are a few yarn shops in Minnesota that you can buy the pattern at. I hope this helps!

Sock It To Me Again

Although there has been quite a bit of knitting going on, there hasn't been any finished projects and I haven't really felt like photographing any works in progress. To top it all off, while in the hospital with my Grandma, most of us caught some sort of hospital-grade crud. Mine was most likely pneumonia, although not confirmed. So I lost all momentum for about a week.

However, I did get this very nice package from Michelle, my Sock It To Me Again pal. It was full of wonderful things, including a skein of yarn that was leftover from the socks she made me.

Coincidentally, my friend Darla called me with a dilemma. Her husband, Eugene (who deserves to be ridiculed a little), put the booties I had made for their son in the wash. It went through a hot wash and into the dryer. So these cute little Koigu booties that I made will now fit an elf. Maybe. Since I know Darla loves these booties and her son wears them everywhere, I told her I would make her another pair. So I started a pair out of the leftover sock yarn. They're more of a summer weight bootie - much thinner than the Koigu ones. I thought about embroidering "Handwash only" on the sides, but thought that might be too subtle. What do you think?

Grandma Betty

I just wanted to give you a heads up that I will be out of contact for a bit. My grandmother passed away last night. Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers during this time.

The God of Knitting Will Smack You Down

Just when you start to get cocky, the God of Knitting will smack you down. And not just a little, "no, no, honey, don't do it that way." but a full-on frontal smack to the forehead. I've got the red mark on my forehead to prove it. And don't be fooled girls, the God of Knitting is definitely not a woman. Seriously, would a woman do this to another woman? We know how much work & love goes into our knitting. A knitter would not do this to another knitter.

The story:

I decided to make a crown for Lily for her 2nd birthday which is coming up in 2 weeks. I found this super cute pattern on Ravelry. I found some pink yarn down in the basement, sans label. I was pretty excited because despite what you would think, pink yarn is in short supply at my house. (I have enough blue wool to felt the entire house - anyone want a boys crown?) To find pink worsted weight wool is even more exciting. To put me completely over the top, this was the very first yarn that I ever bought. This was the yarn that I learned to knit with. To make a long story shorter, I knit the crown and threw it in the washing machine. I took it out, not really felted. Hmmm... must not have aggitated enough. OK, threw it in again. Did not shower this morning because 2 loads of laundry used up most of the hot water. Still, no felting. The ^&*(*^%$^%^ wool is superwash. Feel free to smack me.

Good thing tomorrow is Thursday and it's knit night at Fabric Works. I'm choosing to look at this as an opportunity to buy prettier colors. Something to match the dress in this picture, which is probably what Lily will be wearing to her birthday party.

Who's Who in Whoville

All the cool Who's in Whoville will be wearing these mittens! Hubby pointed out the other day that with their pointy top and loop for buttoning, these mittens look like they should be worn by Little Suzy Lou Who. They're toasty warm and make me smile - so it's all good.