Bubbly Baby Cardigan

 
Voila! Here is the finished baby cardi. I hope it fits. I made up the pattern and relied on memory and judgement for the proportions. I'm sure it would fit a newborn, but the baby is already 6 months old and the arms may be a bit short. I have more yarn, so I'll rip it out if I have to, but of course I'd rather not. It is made with 3 colors of cotton (sorry, I don't remember the brand) to which I added some Berroco FX yarn. I made it in cotton because I wanted it to be washable for the Mom, but I'm not sure how these baubly things will hold up. It may not fit baby for many washings anyway. That's Ok with me, as long as she snaps a picture of the little darling looking cute.

As soon as I finish one project, I have to start another. I should make the 5th baby sweater. The mom is on maternity leave, and if I start it now, I could probably have it done when she returns. However, I'm slightly babied out for the moment. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a cute sweater for a one year old a little later.

I should make 2 knitted bracelets. One is a special order/sale and the other is a gift. They only take 1 and 1/2 hours each, so I probably will get around to making them this week and the recipient will not feel like they waited long.

Enough of the shoulds! What I really, really want to make is something with my luscious Italian angora that I bought at Stitches Midwest 2006. It has been calling to me from the stash for all this time, and I have always put it aside for should knit items. Enough is enough! I'm going to knit something for me for a change. I've already started swatching. Depending on how the swatches look, I may knit a bolero from a Rowan mag a few years back or perhaps it will be something from Adrienne Vitadini or the cute little short sleeve front tied sweater that I saw on Knitty.com, or perhaps an original Knitter's Journey if all else fails. Whatever it becomes, it will be soft, fluffy, and elegant. I can't wait!

Knitting Lessons

Allow me to introduce my newest knitting buddy, "E." (Shown here with Mom's permission) E was the winner of the Knitting Lessons that I offered for our school fundraiser/raffle. We got together for lessons over the Christmas holidays. E is a star student and is certain to be a State Fair prize winner some day. She already has two projects on the needles, a scarf and a purse. I can't wait to see her progress when we are back at school.

I've been a bit slow at working on my own projects. I'm currently working on baby project #4, for the 4th of 5 babies born to coworkers in 2007. Here it is in progress.



I just finished the second sleeve, and just have to sew it together and add the button band. I have the cutest jelly-bean-like buttons for it. It should be cute. Watch for a show and tell in the near future.

Mitten Tree

Well, I did my Mitten Tree thing again. It was such fun. This year I read the book The Mitten Tree to the children and I contributed a record 11 hats and 6 pairs of mittens. Here are pics.


The wonderful teaching day I had with the children was followed by sad news the next day that my brother passed away. I was greatly comforted by the support of coworkers and knitting friends, and though this has been a very sad time for me, I feel truly blessed that I have the love of coworkers, students, family, and friends. I hope that all readers of this blog will enjoy the love of family and friends over the upcoming holidays. Peace.

Teaching children to knit

I taught knitting to 2 little girls and their Mom yesterday. The girls are incredibly cute, ages 7 (just barely) and 9. It was only the second time I tried to teach such young children,and I made the mistake of trying to teach them casting on. It was perhaps further complicated by the fact that 9 yr old is a lefty and everyone else is a righty, so I thought I'd accommodate the 9 yr old and teach her continental knitting while everyone else learned the American way. That wasn't a good idea either.

Despite the initial frustration and floundering, we soldiered on and all learned the knit stitch at least. Mom mastered everything - casting on, knitting and purling. The 9 year old is highly motivated, and I'm sure I will have a future State Fair winner there. I will have another knitting lesson with them over Christmas break, and I hope to get pictures then.

Life Interrupted

Well, my vow to post daily lasted exactly two days. Life has interrupted. Or more precisely, a life has been interrupted. I received a call on Monday that my brother was in the hospital but he was refusing treatment. He will be sent to hospice care and will not return home. His story is so sad. It is unbelievable that someone has had to endure so much suffering.

12 years ago,when he was just 45, brother had a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and with short term memory loss. His left arm is paralyzed, and he cannot maintain his concentration long enough to read or watch a movie from start to finish. He managed to live on his own all this time, but his health has been deteriorating. Last year, his left leg was amputated above the knee. He has been fighting gangrene in his remaining leg, but he is losing the battle. He had a massive heart attack on Monday. The doctor's recommended treatment is that they amputate his leg and put a stint in his heart. If they do this, he may live for many more years. But what would his quality of life be? So he has decided to die.

I have been reluctant to blog much about my personal life in the past, but I want the whole world to know that I love my brother, that I will remember the happier years.

If you know someone who is a chain smoker, perhaps this said tale of what smoking can do to you will help them quit.

Prize Mittens

I vow to be a better blogger. Even if it is just a quick picture and note, I will post every day until I get caught up on my knitting news.

Here is my student, S., with the mittens that I made for her for completing her reading program. I only have 3 students in this extra-curricular class, so I decided I could make each of them a pair of mittens for completing the course. S was the first to finish. She seems to like them. Her Mom tells me she is learning to knit as well. I shall have the entire school knitting before I am done.

Teaching the Next Generation

Once again, I must begin my blog with an apology for not posting much. I actually have been doing a bit more knitting, having completed 4 sets of children's mittens, 2 hats, and another baby vest since my last post. But I have also been busy with work and Grad school, which started 3 weeks ago. I have a backlog of knitting posts to get to.

At the end of October, I contributed knitting lessons to the school student raffle fundraiser and am excited that I will be passing on my knitting knowledge to the younger generation. I offered 3 different knitting prizes -- a Knitter's Journey Knit with Wire Kit and knitted jewelry lesson for a middle school age student, Private Knitting Lessons (won by a first grader) and Mother/Daughter lessons won by a 3rd grader. I'm excited to share my knowledge with the young winners. But interestingly enough, all three of the prize winners already have some knitting experience--even the first grader! All are very motivated to learn to knit. The 3rd grader told me she was so excited to win the raffle prize that she screamed when her name was called. According to the 1st grader's teacher, she has been knitting since Kindergarten. Her grandma has already taught her the knitting basics and she knits lots of scarves, but I was her inspiration when I spoke to the kindergarten and demonstrated knitting in conjunction with our Mitten Tree student charity project. I look forward to doing my Mitten Tree schtick with the kindergarten once again within the next few weeks. This pic is from last year or the year before, but it's always the same . . . the students are fascinated that two sticks and some string can make so many things. I love young children. I love to teach. I love to knit. Teaching young children to knit it the greatest joy of all.