No News is Good News

I know, it's been real quiet around here.  But, in my defense, it's not just me.  I would say that this is the case for most of the knitting blogs I read.

Why?  Christmas Knitting.

We're all working on stuff we can't show you.

But there are actually a couple of things I can share:

This is a cowl that I knitted up from stash yarn (some O-Wool balance - which I'm not super fond of, btw - and some grey mixed wool from BMM, with a SUPER GORGEOUS cashmere (!) blend fingering weight - also from BMM - on the inside, as a liner).  The buttons are vintage, from a variety of garage sale/flea market sources.

This is actually a gift for someone, but she doesn't even know about the blog, so I'm safe. 

{Um, so crazy story: I am estranged from my biological father.  It's a long, sordid story.  Haven't seen or heard from him since I was in kindergarten, which was...um...almost 30 years ago...yikes.  He never made any effort to be in my life and it was extremely traumatic.  Anyway, last year I decided that I had spent enough time living with this dark cloud of ancient sadness/anger/stress over my head and I contacted him.  We've been corresponding for a little over a year and it's been ok.  I haven't met with him in person yet - we live half a continent apart - but I feel liberated, in a lot of ways.  I found out that he and his wife adopted two kids who are biological siblings and I've been corresponding with the daughter, who is 14 years old.  This cowl is for her.}

And here is an awfully-posed photo of me wearing it (yikes with the white hair...not that I plan on doing anything about it- I just don't usually get such a good view of it):



And I made another Tomten:

I just remembered that I need to add the zipper.  Oops.

This guy is for the cutest, fattest, yummiest baby I know: Fatty D.  Here is the most recent photo I have of him, wearing the legwarmers I knit for him when he was still a bun in my cousin's oven:

And the last wip that I can safely show you is this:

I know.  Fascinating, right?  Ok, keep your panties on.  Here's a better shot of it (draped across the corner of my mattress - lace doesn't photograph well until it's block so cut me a break, would ya?):

This is a Dew Drops Shawl (free pattern!) and I'm using yarn that I bought with my mom in Ottawa, on Canada Day.  She ok'd the colour, so I know I'm safe in that respect and I think she'll like the pattern.

(Knitting notes: do not try this as your first lace pattern.  This is definitely not for the faint-of-heart or the short-of-temper.  I have gotten lost more times than I can count.)

My mom has started to - ahem - go through "The Change" and her hot flashes are epic.  She isn't used to this - we're both wool-sock-wearing, flannel-nightgown-sporting, duvet-covered, hot-water-bottle-toting shiverers.  Once I get warm I stay that way and I can tolerate low temps easily, but let's just say that I don't have the luxury of walking around outside in winter in high heels.  My toes might not actually freeze off, but I'd be miserable.  And she is - or WAS - the same.  We dress warmly and stay happy.  Except that now, she cranks the windows down on her car in the middle of March.  And she can't live without air conditioning (in winter).  It's confusing for me.  And for her too, I suppose.

So that's why I chose a shawl.  I wanted to knit her something pretty and useful (she taught me to knit and really appreciates handknits, so I have deemed her an Approved Handknit Recipient), but it couldn't be too warm.  Enter lace.

{She just moved to Kamloops, BC (that's on the other side of North America from me) so we're 4 time zones apart now.  I, for one, find it hard having her so far away and I think she's going to start feeling it soon, if she hasn't already.  The rest of our family is right smack in the middle - in Winnipeg.  I'm hoping this shawl acts as a virtual hug.}

Anyway, so that's it for the wips for now.  I'll keep you posted on progress and anything else that comes up.  Happy knitting!

Sweetness

My cousin F with her little guy, D (2 days old).  I can't WAIT to meet him in person, this summer!

MORE BREAKING NEWS!

My cousin had her baby last night! My sister emailed me to say that he is 7lbs, 56 oz (which I assume was a typo - 'cause that doesn't sound right). He has an elevated heart rate (course, I prolly would too, had I gone through that ordeal). They're monitoring him, but it sounds like everyone's super happy! Squee!

BREAKING NEWS

My cousin is in labour!

Ok, ok, I'm almost done talking about it

I know you're sick and tired of hearing about my cousin's baby and how excited I am to send her a bunch of handmade swag for the little guy (oh, didn't I tell you? he has an outtie, apparently! no, he's not born yet, but I guess they checked with the ultrasound thingy and that's the final word.).

But I was packing all the stuff into the box to send it off and I just felt that *something* was missing.  I can't really explain it, except to say that when she opens it up, I want her to really understand how much I love her.  Like, the stuff I made is cute, but it's not totally perfect.  Like, I want it to really reach out and grab her.  Like I wanna make her cry.  Yeah, I want her to bawl when she cracks open the box.  She's pregnant.  It shouldn't be too hard, right?

Does that make me a bad person?  Yes, it does.  I can live with that.

So I got to thinking: what could I add to the (enormous, let's face it) pile of stuff that's coming her way that would make her cry?  It took me a while, but I think I figured it out.

A drawing of her parents' farm (where she grew up and we were her neighbours).  The one her parents had to sell almost 15 years ago.

That'll do it.  Hell, I could barely even keep my own eyes dry while I was drawing it.

Baby Gifting Update

You'll recall that my cousin is having a baby.

I've taken all your suggestions, whittled them down to the achievable (for now) and came up with this package to send her (she's due in March):


1) Bibs (free pattern here):

2) Itty bitty legwarmers (I invented this pattern - I tried to make them funky and gender-neutral-ish, but I only had these colours in my stash):

3) Some little terry cloth rags for stuffing in a diaper bag (just in case, you know)(these were a little freebie - I made them out of the leftover terry from the bibs...even if they never get used, I won't care):

4) Nursing Covers (free pattern here):

Uh, hi.  Take a closer look at the gorgeous fabric I found (and I insist that you swoon, 'cause it wasn't cheap):

And I thought I didn't have enough fabric leftover but surprise! I do, so she's getting a market bag made from these two fabrics, too:

(That's my project for this weekend.)

When she pops and we all find out whether it's a boy or a girl (I'm voting for either one, 'cause as long as all its parts are accounted for, I really don't care whether the little one has an innie or an outie), I'm going to plan for a zip-up-in-the-back hoodie (that idea still astounds me!) and a meathead hat and some other fun stuff.  Not that I'll be knitting stuff all in pink if it's a girl or anything, but you know what I mean.

Baby Stuff

I mentioned a few posts back that I recently spent some time with my "little" cousin (who is actually 26 and very much a grown up... it's just that I refuse to accept it).  She's pregnant for the first time and I don't know if I can express how excited that makes me feel.

See, I don't want kids.  I like kids just fine.  There a even a few that I love.  I spent years babysitting (e.g. the aforementioned cousin) and really enjoyed it, for the most part.  I just don't want any of my own.  And neither does my stepsister.  And my brother is disabled so he won't be having any.  And I have another stepsister who lives a continent away and I don't have a relationship with.

So what I'm saying is: I kinda feel like my cousin's baby is going to make me an aunt.  You know what I mean?  This particular cousin is the closest female to me in age in the family (my step-sisters came after she was born, so they don't count for the purposes of my explanation) and I was absolutely smitten with her when she was born.  My uncle and mother get along very well, so we spent a lot of time together when she was little.  I see her as a little sister.  And I know she sees me as a big sister.

(As a juicy aside: her father - my uncle - had a little fling when he was 18 or so and fathered a daughter that was put up for adoption.  None of us knew anything about it and a few years ago, they were put in contact with each other for the first time.  How cool is that?  Just like that, I got another cousin!  Yay!  And it means that, out of 5 children, my uncle had 4 daughters.  That's crazy town.)

But I digress (REALLY? YOU DON'T SAY!).

So now I need something from you all: ideas for handmade baby gifts.

I have made her some bibs and a few little washcloths.  I'm also making her a market bag to use for whatever.

I know those little legwarmers thingies are the best thing evar, so I'm making some of them, too.  They're teal and they're going to have lighter teal and mustard stripes.  I am so smitten that want to make myself a pair.

So what else?  She's due in March, so I gotta get crackin'!