Dinner with Donovan

This one is for the grandparents, especially those far away. Donovan is becoming quite the storyteller. An entertaining combination of stories from TV and books with his enthusiasm and dramatics makes mealtime lots of fun.

Here is the story of the Golden Goose and the Forte Giant and the "Beanstop" (screenplay by Disney's Little Einsteins). You might need to turn your volume way up.

Okay, maybe he's watching too much TV before school...

Baby Items!

The only thing that's really bothering me about not knowing Georgie's gender is the knitting! We're not decorating another room, so that's not a project to do. If she's a girl, I have no concerns about her going without clothes since she would be the only girl born since me. But, it sure is hard looking at all the cute patterns and not starting something pink or another truck sweater... my only consolation is with an April arrival, he/she really won't need a sweater for a while. So, I can make up for it with all that free time I'll have after he/she gets here. (Do I even need to add the sarcastic "ha!"? There will be no free time!) So, these items had to tie me over until we know for sure if it's pink or blue (and no, I have no strong feeling either way).


The Kimono baby sweater is from the Natural Knits for Babies and Moms. I knew it would be a little short, but I only had enough yarn for the newborn size - exactly the same yardage as called for in the pattern, so I was worried I'd run out if I added more length. Now that it's finished, I was right! I picked up the yarn in Maine this summer when I was just feeling first-trimester icky, (or was it because I'd just lost my half-finished sweater on the plane?) and I saw an example while shopping at this cute LYS, String Theory. The yarn is super-wash (a must with baby!) merino wool and hand-dyed. There is just the slightest variation in the green throughout. So soft, so sweet. Buttons will be determined by Georgie's gender.

This little hat and bootie set is made from bamboo yarn given by my SIL in LA who knows the owner of the company making all sorts of bamboo clothes and stuff. It's soooo soft, it's almost too slippery to work with. But, it feels cool to the touch, it's hip since it's renewable bamboo and it is antimicrobial. So 2008! These will be great summertime wear for a baby on the go, frozen by Texas air conditioning. The bootie pattern is a circular "seamless" pattern (you have to kitchener stitch the bottom seam) from a Knit-a-day calendar I had in 2006.

With baby items out of my system, I finally found a pattern we can agree on, so I've started the Cobblestone Pullover for Jim with the yarn that came from his family's trip to Ireland two years (?) ago. I'm tired of the nagging! So far I have 1.5 rows... maybe I'll have it done in another 2 years.

The Big Dig

I find it very apropos that the day I finished the digger sweater was the same day The Big Dig was completed. The tunnel construction project in Boston cost way more than expected, faced delays with errors in construction and continues to receive tons of criticism. From Wikipedia, "The project has incurred criminal arrests, escalating costs, death, leaks, and charges of poor execution and use of substandard materials."

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating.

But, here's the sweater story. I switched yarns because the pattern called for wool/cotton. I wanted the boy to actually wear the thing in Texas, so I chose Rowan Handknit Cotton. I swear I checked my gauge, but when I started on the bottom half, it could have fit me. Frog. Start over.

I switched to the basic pattern from the Handy Book of Patterns and just used the chart from the original book, Handknits for Kids.

The rest of the project went well, except for the occasional knot in the yarn... what is up with that? A few times I just knit along, but now I see those knots poking through and I wished I had unknit and cut the yarn where needed. Lesson learned.

So, as with the Boston Big Dig, construction was delayed with my 3 month knitting vacation (aka first trimester exhaustion) and I finished a month or two later than expected. I finally finished the week before Christmas just when it's getting cold enough to wear it. I showed it to Donovan and with his usual enthusiasm he said, "I want to wear it!" He will continue to be my favorite knitting customer with that attitude (hint, hint, future knitting recipients ...).

We go to get dressed and Jim tells me it won't fit. What? I knit the size 4 knowing it would be too big, but he could wear it for a couple years. The neckline is too tight. It won't stretch over the kid's head. After we try over and over, Donovan falls down on the floor crying. Not sure if it was due to pain or because he wanted to wear the sweater. Sigh.

I tore out the collar and one shoulder seam, crocheted in a button hole and crocheted a chain stitch along the collar. It doesn't look as good as it originally did, but at least he can wear it... and nobody died during construction.

A Christmas Blog

After a really long time away from the blogging, I'm back with a Christmas song! If I can keep the second trimester energy up (and work down), there will be more blogging on a regular basis.

Donovan learned a Christmas song at school, but didn't make it to the performance because of the traditional Christmas illness. Now, with the magic of the Internet and my awesome new Christmas toy from Santa... here it is. Keeping the performer in one spot was a challenge, but when the music takes over, you just gotta move!

Translation:
Merry, Merry Christmas
The Lord made this day
We're so happy the Lord had his way
With a great big hug
And a kiss from me to you
Won't you say Merry Christmas too!

Fuzzy Fireman

This blog is supposed to be about knitting, but you wouldn't know it by my last few posts. Oh, well. It's my blog, I'll post what I want to.


Anyway, photos of my latest FO... the felted Fireman hat from Vickie Howell's New Knits on the Block. I love this book! I want to make almost everything in it for the kids in my life.


I tried making a cowboy hat version of this last year without the extended brim for my nephew Wyatt, but I over-felted it and it wouldn't fit on a 6lb infant! So, this time I was more cautious, maybe too cautious.

He'll grow into it.

My embroidery skills are a little lacking, but I hope to take a class at Make soon. Until then, hurrah, I move this from the WIP list to Recently Finished!!

Dry Run

We went to visit 2-day-old Everett Smith yesterday and I'm calling it a dry run. What a tiny little dude! 6lbs! I could put him in my purse. And I threatened to.

(Poster children for teen pregnancy prevention)

Donovan saw me holding him and said, "No! That's not your baby. That's her baby!" pointing at Kerry. Then, I invited him to come see him and he wanted to show him the buses. He laughed and said, "Ooh, he's so tiny! He has little feet!" All was good. I'm breathing a small sigh of relief, but he knows who Everett belongs to and he didn't come home with us....

I especially like this picture.

Me holding the baby. Jim in the background looking for an escape.

The Littlest Longhorn

We decided to see how Donovan would fare at a UT game this year. Last year he lasted 3 quarters, so we thought he might actually enjoy the fanfare this year.

After taking a really exciting shuttle bus ride, we arrived in time for the opening band performance, the World's Largest Texas Flag, singing "The Eyes" and the running of the horns. He loved it. He clapped, he yelled, he tried "Go Horns Go!" When we tried to help him hook 'em he would pout sadly saying, "No, I can't do it." We'll keep practicing.

The first quarter began. He jumped and yelled for the first few plays along with the crowd and then... he sat on my lap and then....

Out. For almost two straight quarters, through bands playing and fans cheering and yelling (mostly yelling...) all around, he slept!

He awoke in time for the halftime performance and a little snack and then....

Rain. Torrential Texas-sized raindrops. We were lucky to have a blanket we intended for him to sit on available and dry for wrapping up in the air conditioned shuttle bus on the way back. And I was worried about it being too hot.

When I ask if he had fun he says, "Yeah" but it's his "I don't really know what to say, I haven't quite learned to lie - Yeah."

Yeah.