Middle Earth

I'm taking off today for my Memorial Day weekend.

I plan to relax, knit a ton (finishing tea leaves, more baby knits), and watch the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (yes, I'm that kind of nerd). So, while I'm not going far, you could say that I'll be in Middle Earth for the next few days.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Baby Sweater

The month of May sure went by quickly. Even so, I've been busy.

My tea leaves sweater is almost finished. I ran out of yarn, and couldn't make it to the yarn store until last weekend. I plan to finish the sweater this weekend, since I have four days off. Here's a sneak peak:



Since I couldn't work on the tea leaves, I decided to start a sweater for my cousin Valerie's baby. I used the boat neck sweater pattern from Debbie Bliss. I decided to use a cotton/acrylic blend called Baby's First because it has easy care instructions (can go in both the washer and dryer). That, and it's super soft. And green. A lovely green called "beanstalk."



I had to adjust the pattern a bit, since the yarn I chose was bulky weight. I ended up using a size 9 needle for the majority of the pattern (and a 7 needle for the wrist and waist rows). I cast on three stitches short of what was called for the 0-3 month size, which ended up giving me the same measurements as the 3-6 month size. Since this baby will be born in November, s/he'll have a February-May sweater. Of course I realize that the sizes are completely arbitrary. Baby could be smaller than that, or bigger than that. No matter. Cute is cute.

projects to begin

When I heard the news that my cousin Valerie is expecting a baby, two thoughts went through my brain:

1 - I am going to be an Auntie! (technically cousin, but whatever)
2 - What am I going to knit/sew for this child?

I am so excited to begin creating for this child. I won't meet her/him until November, so I figure that's plenty of time for a few projects.



I came across the Debbie Bliss books through my local library. After much perusing, and careful thought, I have my list of potential projects. I ended up choosing projects from Essential Baby: Over 20 Handknits to Take Your Baby from First Days to First Steps and Baby Knits for Beginners. I very well may only do a few of these, but it doesn't hurt to have a long list.



I tried to organize my list according to age/size, so that the things baby will need first will be finished first. I made copies of the patterns, since (a) I should resist the urge to be a library-book-hog and (b) I like to mark up my patterns. I'm not quite done with my tea leaves sweater yet, but I should be able to begin baby knitting by June.



Here are a few things I would like to make.











What are your favorite things to create for a new baby?

Happy Mother's Day

I'd like to wish all the mamas in my life a Happy Mother's Day.



May I share a few more pictures of my "children"?



While I know that one day Joe and I will have human children, for now we practice parenting with our kitties.



We've learned to deal with bodily fluids, trips to the "doctor", excessive crying meowing, running in the house, the need for constant attention, sibling rivalry, and the importance of enforcing a strict bedtime routine.



Pretty much covers it, right?