This post makes me look more productive than I am....

What can I say? She's cute, feisty, always hungry, has some sort of internal radar that goes off if I am more than twenty feet away from her. Every day she is bigger, stronger, more alert, and more interested in the world around her. We're having fun getting to know her.

The week before she was born, I knit her a few hats (pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts). Let me go on record as stating that this pattern is both simple and adorable and if you are ever in need of a last minute baby gift, this can be whipped up in two hours.


In December, I also knit a Ribbed Soaker. It's still in need of buttons. It will probably need buttons until she's five.



My husband hopped on the handmade bandwagon too. We needed a changing table, but I didn't want to buy a freestanding one - it seemed like such a waste of space. So he built one that fit over an old dresser we intend to give to her. I am very happy with it. He even built a custom shelf for the wall above it where we store all her cloth diapers.


New project underway...

A scarf for Ally

Knitting a lace scarf is perhaps not the wisest breastfeeding project. For one, the needles are too long and that means holding them in an awkward position so as to avoid poking your infant. Two, babies don't understand the time old knitter's expression, 'wait until I finish my row.' Which means I'm always counting religiously. And being sleep-deprived means I've done my fair share of tinking. I hate tinking. I hate tinking lace more than anything in the knitted world except for tinking fisherman's rib with lace-weight yarn. However, this scarf is a very important gift and I'm determined to continue. I am holding out hope that once it is blocked it will look like the one in the photo. I also hope those are not famous last words...

My loom arrived at the end of December. I thought I would give it a name (as everyone seems so fond of naming their spinning wheels and looms) but due to the sheer size of it, it has been dubbed 'the Beast'.

The first thing I wove on it was an alpaca scarf.

Valerie's Scarf.

I meant to 'full' it more than I 'felted' it and I am annoyed with myself about that but getting over it.

Finally, I finished the cowl (also from Last Minute Knitted Gifts).

It's wonderfully soft, but (alas, alas), my one complaint with the pattern would be that it's too big. I knew better. Beforehand, I browsed the project photos at Ravelry and noticed that everyone's cowl drooped a little too low around their neck. Did I listen to my gut instinct and reduce the number of stitches??? Noooooo. I may find a way to fix the problem, or give it someone with a head and neck begger than myself.