At it again
I’m not going to make any more promises about blogging more frequently. My life keeps getting in the way of knitting and blogging, and I should just accept it, right?
The good news is that I’m knitting something again. I think I went about a month without picking up my needles. I’d like to think of it as a fallow period, where I just needed to regroup and refresh. I didn’t force any knitting projects upon myself. I just waited until inspiration came to me.
Or, you know, motherly guilt came to me.
My mom reminded me that my stepsister was due to give birth to her second child in August, and I hadn’t even cast on for any baby gifts. Crap. For her first baby, I made this entrelac baby blanket:
So I kinda had to do something for this baby, lest it feel left out.
I searched my stash, and thought I might make a cute summery dress or something. But then I remembered my recent interview with Susan B. Anderson (to be published in the Interweave Holiday Gifts 2011 issue), and I recalled her saying that she loved making toys because they were knitted gifts that children actually used and liked, as opposed to clothing that their parents thought was cute but they grew out of immediately and thought was itchy and gross anyway.
So I changed my mind. I already had Susan’s newest book, Spud and Chloë at the Farm in my library, so why not make the adorable eponymous sheep, Spud? I cast on two nights ago and I’m already nearly done with the body:
I need to go pick up some fiberfill for stuffing, but it’s so nice to have a knitting project again. And knitted toys just fly off the needles, they’re so fun!
Readers, have you knit toys? What’s your favorite baby gift project?
Categorized in: Musings
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I’m currently in a monkey and gnome knitting way. Only I haven’t made any for kids yet! (Everybody wants booties, so I’ve made quite a few of those.)
I found this great knitting magazine at a cook book exchange ($1, you can’t go wrong) and meant for 3 years to try making the Christmas gnomes. I finally picked up some lovely wool for very little and … well! They’ve been really easy to do and I should have a half dozen by Christmas time for hostess gifts.
The monkeys are on the next page and I’m a sock monkey freak — I have about 7 of them myself. I made my first, and it told me I must give it to my mother, so I did. The next is going to a sick friend in Indonesia and then I think my kids might not forgive me if one doesn’t go their way!
My six year old middlekid today drew a cartoon bunny, and is planning to knit something based on the drawing. She told me she needs to “knit a ball” and then she’ll figure out the rest. I love how a bit of encouragement and a non-self-judgmental parent (hard earned, believe me) opens them up to see the possibilities! I’ll send you a note if I get these up on tumblr one day … we’re newer to knitting than you appear, but I’m not ashamed of being where I’m at!
I think we’ll be looking for the sheep soon enough, though. They look amazing.