novamade

something in the water

I am not sure about the timing of things; but, it seems like a significant number of my friends (the female ones, obviously) are in the family way, as it were.  The power of craft compels me to make things for all of these people who find themselves ready to propogate the species (or really, their offsping, but you know what I mean), especially when one of them is having twins.

 
My friend Stacey (who is a twin) is going to have twins soon-ish. Despite what I have said in the past about sweaters for babies, I couldn't resist (I mean, twin baby sweaters, cutest thing ever, right?).  Stacey  lives in Colorado, it gets cold there, and she knows how to take care of wool, so I made two striped placket neck pullovers.  It's a cute sweater and I have never made one before.
 

So here is what I am wondering: is this the fastest baby sweater pattern available?  I feel like it must be (unless you are somewhat mascohistic and decide to stripe it like I did, but there you are--use variegated or self-striping yarn and save yourself the headache, trust me on this).  It's knit in the round and you seam under the arms.  That's it.  Because I striped it, I employed the Jogless Jog method to make the stripes pretty and had some interesting adventures when I got to the raglans; but, that's what makes knitting fun, I guess.  And I also left the beads/buttons off because, well, choking hazard.

 
I also knit a pair of baby booties for my friend Heather's third baby due sooner rather than later.  My favorite go-to baby bootie pattern from Mim Knits.  Very quick and easy, made with yarn leftover from my Ishbel shawl.  I love this pattern; but, I am thinking that I need to branch out some more in the baby bootie department.  But why mess with a good thing?

pardon the interruption

 

Catching up now (but I don't think I have any more excuses to do this "ketchup"-after blog-silence-thing for the rest of the summer).  I wanted to let you know that packages are good and mailed.  Winners should be receiving them shortly. 

We got back from our annual family trip to California on last Friday(additional pictures here if you are interested).  It was fun, a great week of rest and relaxtion (if you don't count visits to first aid centers at theme parks and chasing an adventurous toddler around the beach).

 

I spent most of the holiday (on Monday) dyeing wool and then spent the rest of this week waiting for it to dry, no easy task when you are in the midst of a heatwave and it's so humid it might as well be raining.  There will be a shop update on Sunday  night, in case you were wondering.

 
I have been knitting, and quilting like a crazy person--or schizophrenically, which well, depending who you ask, same thing.  In any case, I have a serious case of multiple craft disorder, but that's nothing new.

  

And to top it all off, my family has become an outdoorsy hiking family, much to my chagrin (as most of you know, I detest the whole business of sweating--needs must). 

This whole "we are outdoorsy thing took me completely by surprise, so I can neither explain it, nor can I offer any advice on how your family can become outdoorsy.  I am given to believe that this outdoorsy-ness is something that just happens.

Next time, I might actually talk about some knitting.