It's Baby Season!

I've had the opportunity to do some baby knitting! I love babies and they seem to be joining the world all around me. I found a great book of patterns that I have fallen in love with. It is Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding. I have made two sweaters from it already and I have another one planned.

This first sweater is for my friend Michelle. She is a hockey mom, like me, and our sons play together. She is expecting baby number 5 in mid-March. We had a shower for her at the rink a couple weeks ago. She thought we were having pizza between games :-) And we did. We just also happened to have a cake and gifts for her too. I made the Fred Textured Sweater for her using Plymouth Yarn Baby Bunny. I loved the yarn. It has a touch of Angora in it so it has just the tiniest halo. It's very sweet and has beautiful colors. Best of all, it is machine washable and is only $6 a ball at my LYS!
Just by funny coincidence, my niece Marissa is expecting her first baby the same day Michelle is! Marissa knows she is having a boy. She has never been a pastel kind of girl and has always gone for classic styles and colors. So I decided to make something that was more bold for her. This is the Geordie Stripe Yoke Jacket. I used Cascade 200 Superwash so that it will be easy to care for. I just have to add the buttons and it is ready for her shower this Saturday!
I'm also planning to make a Milan Jacket for Marissa's baby when he's born. I've already picked up some Berroco Vintage for it.

My friend Holly gave birth unexpectedly a week ago Friday to a beautiful baby boy who she has named Keagan. He was born at 33 weeks and had a bit of a rough start. I'm very happy to say that baby Keagan has turned the corner and is now doing very well. In fact he was transferred yesterday from Dartmouth Medical Center to his local hospital. I think I'll make something for him too. I love this book and there are so many wonderful patterns in it. I may just make them all!

A Very Sweet Day

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and what did I do? Well, it was a Sunday in February so I was of course at the hockey rink. Two of them, in fact, because Chandler's team had two games yesterday. I am the Team Mom for his team and yesterday between games my 14 little sweethearts surprised me with this beautiful arrangement of roses! Those boys are so sweet and sure know how to make a girl feel special! Don't tell their friends, but they all gave me a hug too :-)
I finished Chandler's hat that I showed you last time. Apparently if you are 13 and play hockey for the Seacoast Spartans, these hats are high fashion! The whole team wants them. So I cast on hat #2 last night. My knitting partner is about to finish #3, and probably did last night. There's only 3 weeks left to the season so we better get busy!
I did cast on my February Lady Sweater Friday night during the opening ceremonies. I'm about an inch past the second button hole. The pattern calls for a one row button hole. I have to admit that they have been kicking my rear end, but I'm getting better at them and I don't have to rip them out 6 times to get one I'm happy with anymore. Yay!

Stay tuned, I hope to be into the lace portion of this sweater in a couple days!

Ready, Set, Knit!

Are you ready for the Olympics to start? I'm almost ready. I'm participating in the Ravelympics on Ravelry and I have a long list of projects I'd like to work on.

First though I've been trying to get a few things finished up. This is a hat for Chandler and it matches his hockey jersey perfectly.
There is another mom on the team who knits also and she started this hat madness by making a hat for her high school son. And then another one for a friend, and another one, and then one for her son who is my son's teammate. And another one. She shared her personal pattern with me and I jumped on board to make one for Chandler. I suspect there will be a few more cranked out by the end of the season :-) Maybe 11 more between us to be exact, but we'll see. I expect I'll finish this one this afternoon with earflaps and braids and it will be ready for the rink tonight and this weekends 5 games.
I've also been doing some baby knitting. This is Geordie by Louisa Harding in progress for my niece who is expecting her first baby in March. Her shower is coming up soon so I need to finish this up!

For the Ravelympics I am making another attempt at the very popular February Lady Sweater. I have joined Team Blue Moon and am participating in the Sweater Board Event and the Stash Dance event. I bought this yarn, Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk, in December 2008/January 2009 to cast on last February. Although I got gauge, even after washing my swatch, it was coming out too big. So I frogged it and it's been sitting waiting to restart for many months. I'm ready to cast on tonight during the Opening Ceremonies!
I also have a few sock projects I'd like to tackle, but realistically, I'm sure the FLS will be more than I can handle. Unless the house cleans itself, and my family completely fends for itself. Chances of that happening though are probably slim to none :-)

Do you have anything special planned for the Olympics?

We're Off to See the Wizard!

I joined Woolgirl's Wizard of Oz Sock Club and signed up for all the kits. I know I am behind in showing them to you, so here are a few. (Spoiler Alert! Ruby Slippers is included below. Come back another day if you haven't received yours yet.)

Please Mama, Can I help you make cookies for the boys? Please??

BTW, everything you've ever heard about Jack Russells being able to jump freakishly high for their size, is totally true. Emma's discovered a whole new world recently. OK. Everybody all set??

This is from The Cowardly Lion Kit. I love love love the stitch marker! He's holding his tail which I think is absolutely perfect. He makes me laugh every time I look at him. All of the kits have had stitch markers and they have all been by Jillian of Wee Ones. She has been right on the money with every single kit. The yarn is Whatnot Sock Yarn by Union Center Knits and the pattern is by the fabulous Irishgirlieknits! Carrie did a great job creating a stitch pattern that looks, to me, just like the lion's mane.
This next yarn is from the Toto Kit. Another fabulous stitch marker from Wee Ones! I love how Toto's little pink tongue is sticking out. The funniest part is that the stitch marker was in a little basket! The yarn is a new base called Windsor by Miss Babs. It has a beautiful feel to it and I'm looking forward to knitting it up.
This last one is Ruby Slippers. The yarn is Bling by Zen Yarn Garden. It's a pretty color, has a nice feel to it, and I love how it's shiny, but the color? Um..... Yeah..... Totally missed the mark for me :-( The Ruby Slippers pattern, by Bethany Whitney, is fabulous! I really love it, but I'm going to have to knit it using something different. If I used this colorway for Ruby Slippers I would feel like I was wearing Manolo Blahnik knock-off's.
I think that the Bling will make a really pretty shawlette. So into the stash bin it goes waiting for the right pattern to speak to me. I may be a lemming and make an Ishbel with it, because I think I'm one of the few people in the knitting world who has not yet made one.

The January Rockin' Sock Club arrived last week too, but I'll show that to you another day!