Baby Boots

I haven't written on my blog for slow long, but I am still knitting away. I finally finished the last of my trifecta of baby blankets, this one for my nephew Riley, who is due to join us in less than a month. I loved this wavvy pattern, made from the "circus blanket" pattern from Knit Picks. I love knitpicks' fab swish superwash yarn for baby stuff. It's soft, machine washable, and warm.

I still have more baby stuff in my future, this time for my own baby. I have become addicted to making baby booties. Here are a few of my recent:

I'm Still Here

Thankfully, I have completed the baby blanket for my little sister's baby just in time for her little one's birth, any day now. I am very pleased with how it turned out. After the caterpillar, each tier features a piece of fruit with a hole in it (with one exception) until the butterfly on the top tier. I had a delightful time knitting it, and now that it's arrived with my sister Vanessa, I can share the picture:

Now, I'm knitting a sweater for my hubby. I still actually have one more baby blanket to make for my brother and sister -in-law's baby Reilly, but as he won't be joining us for three more months, I am taking a break from baby duties to knit Blake's sweater, usually done in the summertime. It's the cobblestone pullover from the fall 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. I choose a red/orange heather in Telemark from Knit Picks and I'm already on the sleeves so I hope to share news of that progress soon.

Coco's Knitting Vendetta

Early Tuesday morning, I discovered my cat, Coco on the floor, hoarding a knit scarf.

On Wednesday morning, I found the orange cabled blanket I made for Blake on the floor of my bedroom. This, given the morning before, was not in itself terribly surprising. But my six pound cat had pulled the three pound blanket off a couch and dragged it down a stairway, across the kitchen and living room and into the bedroom by her teeth!

On Thursday morning, Coco opened a duffle bag with her teeth to pull out Blake's green knit sweater from the bag.

I don't know whether to be insulted or honored that my new kitty is now obsessed with knitwear. I also am unsure of her motivation. She has yet to destroy anything. I am proud to have such a smart and determined companion!

Blue Blanket Pictures

Jill has received the blue baby blanket and has sent a couple of pictures from her baby's room:

Hungry Caterpillars

I spent last week on a business trip to Boston without a major project on my needles. Gasp! I made an order the week before from KnitPicks for yarn for the hungry caterpillar blanket and a sweater for Blake but it didn't come in time for my big trip, so I had to rustle together half finished balls of yarn and produce some toys. The book Last Minute Knitted Gifts has a pattern for a rabbit, an elephant, and a bear that are just too cute to handle, so I created on my trip 2 bunnies, a pair of handwarmers and a baby hat.

This week I started anew on my hungry caterpillar blanket for my niece, Claire Elizabeth. Her mother, my little sister, is a children's librarian so what better project than one based on a children's book. I'm making this up, once again, as I go along with a similar entrelac base as that for the blue blanket that I recently finished. Here's a look at my first two tiers.

Success!

Now that the blue baby blanket is safely on my blocking board, I think I announce with confidence that I have successfully completed this project. It's always a challenge when I create my own patterns for a project, usually involving some unfortunate frogging. Still, it's lovely to make something that no own could buy in a store, especially for someone so precious as a new baby.

Onward now, I have a second blanket to knit, again patterned in my head and likely fraught with challenges. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Discouraged but Not Defeated

I have had to unravel the better part of blue blanket for another try. I realized yesterday evening that somehow it was growing wider rather than longer. Blake disagreed, asking whether it really had to be square to warm a baby. Of course, I want it to be pleasing to eye, so my determination won out, and I'm on the path to a square blanket again, granted back at the start rather than almost done.

Still, I'm determined to get it done quickly and our recent chilly weather here should help me in the task.