Baby's new Curly Purly

So here it is this morning after I finished up the ribbing on the second leg cuff. I knit the entire tiny soaker last night with that exception. The color IRL are very pretty olive and harvest mix (both Malabrigo leftover from my f.pea mossy sweater and my first pair of knit longies). I did a k3tbl, p1 ribbing for 21 rows approximately, then switched to St st, and did k1,p1 ribbing for the leg cuffs for 15 rows. Jim got a giggle over the "pod legs" as he calls them. I used the sewn BO that I learned from knitting up my Baudelaire sock (I have to start the next one...I'm definitely doing two-at-a-time-toe-up-socks next time!) It's attractive, trim, and stretchy.

I added in 3 short rows as indicated in the pattern since I knew it was a trim-fit soaker. It really is. The long waist and leg cuffs I think help to keep it trim and in place. But look at how cute it looks when you fold them back :)

So, this was a satifying project as it took no time at all, took barely any yarn, used up some of my stash, made me feel more prepared for the upcoming birth, and now I can finish up the embroidery on the face of M's floppy puppy. That's all I have left to do. I buckled down yesterday morning and finished the ear and tail, seamed and stuffed, and now I just have embroidery to do. I actually like that part the least (well, I really didn't like the seaming either - there was a ton!) because I have such trouble making french knots turn out right. I have to work on that....

So, I need to knit up some socks for the baby too. I haven't gotten my BFL from Angels & Elephants that I ordered (coming from UK so it's cheaper, but might take a bit long with the holidays) so I found a pattern that calls for DK yarn for baby socks. I'm going to see how that goes with my locally spun alpaca that I got. It looks to be a DK weight so I'll swatch it and see. I was thinking of doing the Saartjie booties out of it (Bockstark way to use that wonderful magic CO) also but I think it might be a little big and if so, I'll probably wait for my BFL sock to just make life a little simpler right now.

I think we're ready for the holidays. Despite the fact that I haven't done any baking, have no idea what I'm cooking for Yule or xmas, and that I never sent out my holiday cards yet. Oh yeah...I need to scan that Santa picture.

Beautiful snow again this morning, and really a lovely morning. Even with taking four little kids to the dentist - it went swimmingly. Honestly. I feel peace and happiness is in the air. Jim came home with a carload of holiday cheer and presents, and things are feeling good. Despite the fact that Jim has to work xmas night.....

Hopefully more snow, although it's warming up a bit now and actually finally melting some. Hopefully no freeze tonight - Jim's off Sat. night which is when the freezing rain is supposed to start. I'm thankful he won't be going out in that weather. Driving at 1am where there might be ice makes me worry until he texts me to let me know he's OK. School was canceled all week, so the kids officially now are on Winter Break, but with the snow week they are off a total of 25 days in a row. Talk about a vacation.....

The quest for socks

Well, there are a million things I'd like to knit, for the holidays, but I don't have the time. Next year, I can plan it out better since I'll have all year to work on items. My recent obsessions seems to be with socks. I just seem to be unable to find what I want though. I know what this means. It means I need to just pick somewhere and start there before I keep putting it off waiting for perfection. Perfection of what - I don't know. The right color, the right yarn, the right price, the right pattern.

It's getting closer and closer to the time of this baby's birth. I am feeling a greater and greater connection to the baby as days close near, and I love this part. I keep trying to get an idea of whether this is a boy or a girl, and I didn't seem able to figure that part out. I realized that in all of my new baby knitting, I was keeping the designs and colors fairly neutral, but that I was feeling like it was "okay" to be drawn to more girly items. Does this mean I'm carrying a girl? Possibly. I have the hardest time differentiating between intuition and want with these things. Everyone but my mother thinks it a girl. I'm not quite sure what she thinks actually - just that she seemed skeptical of my thoughts of it being a girl. But she likes being skeptical of everything I think, so that's probably all it is. Hmmm. Not too much longer to find out.

So...there I was two days ago. Friday. Rush hour. Me. Driving into rush hour in downtown Portland. I was actually heading to Yarn Garden because I was thinking they had Blue Sky Alpacas dyed cottons. I found out that they only had the natural colors, and that that yarn is very hard to find in town for some reason. I settled on Mission Falls 1824 cotton because the colors matched up with what Miss M requested. I'm not very excited about the hand with this yarn, as it slightly annoys me as I knit with it - but it's not bad at all. Definitely a good deal though. As for her xmas present project, she's requested a pink and purple puppy from Heidi Boyd's book of fun designs. So far, I've got the body done, and working on the third leg. It's really simple, but a little boring with the legs. I think it's because I have to work on it in secret to avoid the little girl seeing it - so I find myself working on it at times when I'm sleepy or would rather be doing something else - out of pure practicality of course. It's become my "must do" project instead of my "want to" project right now. I'm still contemplating whether or not I have time to make the little finger puppets and castle from that book for her teacher.

Really, I want to find a yarn store today that's open on Sundays (that's possible), and that has the sock yarn I want (also quite possible). Next month will likely be dedicated to making many more longies and sweaters for the new one arriving sometime then.

For now, it's time to go and do something else on this lovely and quiet Sunday morning. I seem to spend all my time on Ravelry anymore instead of other places I used to haunt.