I haven’t been posting many in progress posts/pics, lately and really just need to be more in the habit of doing that.
Here is my Anouk in Progress. I am using cotton-ease and yes, it is kind of hunter orangish, but I think when I get the pockets with the other colors on it will tone it down a bit. Anyways, Halloween is right around the corner and this is a little pumpkinish.
Pattern: Summer Swing Top
Needles: size 5
Yarn: Cotton-ease in color Banana Cream
Pattern notes: This pattern worked up very easy and quick. I was a little thrown off by the circumference of the bottom of the top, but it looks cute on Madeleine so I think it is fine. I was 1 1/2 off in the length, but it is for a toddler who is smaller than Madeleine, so I think it will be okay. If I were to make this for Madeleine, I would do one more pattern repeat in the skirt part. It would change the yoke a bit, but since it is ribbing I think it would be fine.
I am happy to have finished something, of course it isn’t one of my work’s in progress…because apparantly I have some type of attention problem.
And…because I have a category for bugs, I found a moth today in a bag of wool roving. Can you believe that? It was in a sealed zip lock bag. I checked the seal and it was fine. Ick! I looked through all the bags of wool I have and that was the only one.
If I told you the past three days have been hot here is an understatement. The problem is that last week it was so cool, 75 degrees one day. Then, Friday it was 100 degrees and felt about the same Saturday and today. I love the sun, but I hate 100 degree weather. My ideal is low 80’s. We almost went to see my parent’s this weekend, but we really needed some time at home. Maybe tomorrow I will show you a picture of my flower garden.
I had planted flowers about a month ago and they all died (except the lavender, it is still doing really well.) Yesterday we went to home depot and bought some more flowers. I also bought some mulch and hopefully my flowers will have a better chance now of living.
That is the circumfrence of the bottom of the size 2 (toddler) swing tank top in this pattern. Now, I know it is a "swing" top, but doesn't 4 feet or 48 inches sound a tad giant for a toddler? It looks so huge on my needles. I know I will be decreasing, etc…it is just so big.
Weird.
On the home front, we are working on getting a hot tub. It is a nice one (6 person) and the best part is it is free. The problem you ask? Trying to find a group of guys who will go and get it for me. Then it will sit in my garage until we can get a 220 line put in the backyard and get something for it to sit on. Tony thinks we should build a small deck. We aren't home owners, just renters…but with my bad back, this hot tub is a blessing for me. I will know by Wednesday night if we get the tub. I keep hoping. I think of all of those mornings I wake up hurting so bad and all I will need to do is crawl downstairs and get in the hot tub.
I picture playgroups where the kids are playing on the swings and the moms are sitting in the hot tub…Okay, now that is just silly. 
Of course we would just make it a mom's night out.
I made a cute little matching halter top. I incorporated knitting in the top part of it and crochet is the bottom part of it. I have no idea what this will look like on a child as mine are both asleep and I wrapped it to give to my friend tomorrow. I am crossing my fingers she won’t think this is ugly. Yes, I know the stripes are kind of weird, but I think in a quirky way it matches the cardigan and will look cute as a once in a while type top. Maybe I am out of my mind, I don’t know…it is 3 am here. Yikes. Sorry for the bad lighting/pics. Oh, and this is for my friend’s 3 year old daughter.
I did sew some chicky buttons on the cardigan, but not the snaps. So, they are purely decorative. I am going to give the mom-to-be the decision on what I should do. Should I add snaps? Should I sew in some button holes (I think I can do this with my sewing machine) or should I leave well enough alone. I will let it be her call. All though I am hoping for the latter.
I finished Knitty Childhood. It is a baby present and matches the little outfit I bought for a steal at Tuesday Mornings. I went all out with this. It was an easy knit, but the seaming was a bear. There is a band that it says to slip stitch on and so I did slip stitch like you would a crochet hook with my knitting needle and put it on. It went on very easy and did not become a problem for me like some other people. However, the sleeve caps suck. Part of the reason is because my sleeve cap had 44 stitches while the body had about 16 more. So, I am putting a smaller sleeve into a larger hole without having any obvious holes. Why oh why? I don’t know. I guess that is what happens when you are going by inches and not rows.
It is knitted with Cotton-ease in popsicle and pistachio. I used size 8 needles and got perfect gauge.
Overall I am happy with it. What? No buttons? I found these little yellow chicken buttons that I thought matched the outfit, but they are little and I worry about a baby having it in his mouth. Plus, the pattern calls for snaps and I think I fear buying snaps and sewing it on. Is it wrong to give a baby cardigan without buttons?
Who really buttons up baby cardigans in California?
Should I go get the snaps and put them on and then sew the buttons on too? (you know the buttons in this pattern are decorative.)
Suggestions…please.
Sorry I have been missing for awhile.
Can you believe I didn’t finish any of my UFO’s while on my vacation? I swore to you all I was going to and then I dropped the ball (of yarn.) I visited a nice yarn shop in Parkland. Of course, this was a “poor” vacation so I didn’t come how with soft wonderful lovely yarn.
The inlaws were very nice to see and are doing okay. The weather up there severely effected Tony. It rained the whole time. When we got home and it was sunny he was so happy and decided there is really no place like home. Funny thing is he grew up in rainy Washington, but finally told me he cannot go back there to live. He likes his sunshine and was bummed the whole time we were there because the kids couldn’t go play in a park. I also think he was sick of driving in the rain.
We also got to see both of Tony’s sisters. They are both doing well and I loved seeing them and watching them interact with the girls. Overall it was a very good trip and was especially important after the past few weeks that I had here.
Ps…yes, childhood is a new project, but hey atleast it is a finished one…or finished enough…in my book…yes, I realize there are no buttons…good thing babies don’t know how to button.
