The Sinful Sweater

When I was pregnant, I came across this cute cardigan on Knitty, and I knew I had to make it for my little one.

Knowing how quickly babies grow out of clothes when they're newborn, I decided to make it the 6-12 month size.

 

  

 

Trouble is, sizing is tricky. Little B just turned seven months old and fits perfectly into a lot of 12 month clothes.

So, imagine my dismay when I tried it on her * just to see how it looked * to find that the sleeves were ALREADY too short. Her first time of wearing it, and it's too small. I mean, just look at this:

That's some serious wrist pudge peeking out. Bronwyn is definitely blessed with some long limbs.

I didn't stay frustrated for too long though. And this is why: she really wanted to hold this apple when I tried it on her.

 

Making references to biblical stories at such a young age already... Little B has a lot to teach us.

For you knitters out there, the pattern is here. Unfortunately, I lost the label so I can't tell you what yarn I used. For the locals, it was an organic cotton from Knitterly in Petaluma.

Inspiration Overload

I recently finished these legwarmies for my wee one who needs warm legs. I LOVE the way my color design came out. The pattern is here at Never Not Knitting, and I modified it a bit to have a different look. Trouble is, after all that work, they don't stay on her. Just a few wiggles, and boom. They're off. Hmph! What did I do wrong?

Right now, I have a "problem" that is this: I am inspired. Like way, way, way too much as of late. I have all these projects in my head, some just started, others temporarily abandoned. This includes books to read, classes to take, cakes to bake, outfits to sew, plants to trim, letters to write, etc. etc.

There is that little (very little, little), part of me that laments what comes with motherhood. I know, it's only temporary, this time I have while watching a little one double in size goes so quickly. Still, putting aside my desires isn't easy sometimes.

Since I don't have much time to craft now I plan on doing some retrospectives of past projects. Look for an upcoming week where I'll be featuring baby quilts I've done.

Meanwhile, one recent inspiration comes from Lily Boot's block-a-month blog. She makes these ridiculously awesome tiny quilts, and has given me permission to post a photo here.

I also asked her to do a tutorial of one (cross your fingers). I know a red-headed gal who would be very inspired by this, as well as many other crafty women.

What has inspired you lately?

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 UPDATE:
I asked the pattern designer, Alana, why she thought the legwarmies fell off and here is her response:


"I've found that the leg shape makes a difference in determining how well they will stay put. I used to put them over a pair of tights a lot for added warmth and I found that they stayed up well. Also you could run an elastic thread through the top ribbing and that will help too."

Also, I forgot to mention what yarn I used. Here you go: Cascade Cotton Rich DK in colors Del Rey and Lapis.

Hats off to 2009!

I'm excited about all the wonderful things in store for me this year. There are a lot of surprises awaiting, including birthing a child and becoming a mother.

Part of my journey towards this is getting a lot of crafts done beforehand since it won't be as much of a priority as soon as the little one comes.

I've been doing some knitting on the side, and happened to have completed three hats recently. The first is one of my favorite hats I make for babies, a little strawberry head. This one is for my baby - boy or girl.

The second, I made for a friend's baby boy, called the umbilical hat. This is definitely my second-favorite hat to make for a baby.

The final hat I made for my friend's birthday. It started out different than I planned it, having to use two different yarns. Many times in art, serendipitous events occur, and this was one of them; the hat will suit her better with the orange accents.

The interesting story about this hat was that I couldn't mail her present to her, well, legally anyway. I went to the post office to ship it and was asked what was in the package, innocently, I said "A hat. A hand sewn hat." The postal worker said he wasn't sure it was allowed. I laughed and smiled at him, until I realized, this dude was serious.

He then showed me the screen of forbidden items imported to Italy while reading it, "Haberdashery and sewn articles of any kind, including trimmings and lace; handkerchiefs; scarves; shawls, needlework including stockings and gloves; bonnets, caps, and hats of any kind," he read quite pointedly. Oh boy, perfect. A belated birthday present that will be seriously belated if I have to wait to see her. Unbelievable!

In the end, I sent it to her at another post office and lied on the customs form, crossing my fingers to make sure it makes it her way. To see what other nonsense Italy doesn't allow, click here. The list is quite odd.

Pray this makes it to you, Ambra!