Well, despite my best efforts, Mary and baby Jesus had to spend Christmas alone without Joseph again this year...
Though while the boys were napping today, I got it together long enough to finalise Joseph's eyebrows and now the Holy Family will get to spend some good quality time together before Epiphany ;0)
I knit these using Alan Dart's pure genius patterns in Sirdar Booklet # 285 - The Nativity Collection with Knit Picks Palette wool in three shades of brown and size zero needles. Nuts, eh?
I modified the pattern ever so slightly to try to lessen the pain of seaming by knitting the body, arms and headscarf in the round. In the end, it was a lot of fiddly sewing anyway. Truth be told though, these patterns are so wonderfully detailed that the fiddliness is nothing compared to the satisfaction of having made them... no, really ;0)
Happy New Year everyone! Lots of love, happiness and yarn, glorious yarn in 2008!
In the last five days since my last post, I finished knitting this...
Monogrammed Christmas sweaters for the boys (Lolo's is finished too!) Knit from Valley Yarns Berkshire on US 9s in my own design. Really cute, really soft, but pilly as all get-out!
And 7 and a half toddler and baby socks for my Martha-inspired baby sock advent calendar (I know there are just 6 below, you'll have to trust me on the other 1.5!) ...
{1} Stripey green toddler socks in Knit Picks Swish in Dublin and Bare (34 sts, tubular cast on, 6 row stripes, short row heel, round toe)
{2} cabled toddler socks using quietish's pattern with bulky yarn (Valley Yarns Berkshire) and size 9 needles for 3yr size {3} basic socks also in Valley Yarns Berkshire and size 9 needles. Embellished with duplicate embroidered tree.
Trimmed the tree...
Wrapped a garland around the banister to display my baby sock advent calendar in progress...
Distracted a sick toddler (he's all better now thanks to your sound advice, extra cuddles, tandem nursing, steam/humidity, and lots of extra playtime with mommy to keep his mind off how miserable he was feeling) with an art project! I introduced him to pencil crayons (ooh!) and we made little card stock circles to adorn a tiny tree on the kitchen table. Between this and hours of tea party, he managed to forget that he couldn't breath through his nose ;0)
Helped dig us out of what seemed like 12 million feet of snow!
Survived Lolo's first cold (he barely slept for 3 consecutive nights because the poor thing couldn't breath through his nose which meant he couldn't nurse for more than a second at a time)! Got a cold and beat it myself. Went to Stephen's office Christmas party on Friday night. And hunted down DDR Hottest Party for Wii for my honey (what a lucky boy ;0)
Amazing, eh? I can't beleive I got that much done considering and I'm feeling so empowered that I'm thinking I just might be able to knit 3-4 pairs of mittens, 10 socks, and Joseph in the next week all while making 'green' wrapping paper with Julian, wrapping gifts of course, and going out 2 nights in a row on Friday and Saturday nights!
Socks five and six: check! A cute little pair of simple fair isle baby socks I designed for my little Lolo. I call these flakey baby socks and you can get the pattern free here.
I knit these with leftover stash from my peace baby sweater (Knit Picks Swish Superwas in Aloe and Bare, less than half a ball of each). They fit my new crawler perfectly ;0)
That's right, he's officially on the move since yesterday and I am so happy for him! Now because I've been down that road before, I know that this is going to have a huge impact on my ability to sit still for more than 5 minutes at a time while he's awake...but I'm still thrilled because my baby can totally do it and I can tell how excited and proud he is by that twinkle in his eye and I can't help but be totally elated with him. How I heart that little guy ;0)
Here are a few pics of him enjoying his first cookie (Farley cereal cookies - yum!). That was a few weeks ago already, he's now moved on to the Mum-Mum rice cookies which he totally goes gaga for. Literally ;0)
So what's the sock situation you wonder? Well, the flakey's are December 5 and 6. And I did knit a pair of boot socks for Julian on December 7 and 8. But since then...nada! But let's not get crazy, I can totally catch up tomorrow right after I finish sleeves, redo hems and block the boys Christmas sweaters. During naptime! It's not good...but did you happen to catch that the boys Christmas sweaters are almost done! That means I may indeed have a chance in hell of knitting 24 socks, 2 toddler sweaters, 3-4 pairs of mittens and a Joseph by Christmas day!
There's a few wild cards in the mix now though. Lolo's crawling is a huge curve ball. He still pretty much stays in his designated area (LOL!) but having been there before I know it won't be long until he's running a muck and one can't get any productive knitting done with a little one running a muck!
The other wild card this week? My poor little Julian has the sniffles and a congested chest. It's his first cold and he's so confused about it. He cries every time he sneezes because it hurts in his chest and tries to explain through the tears that "it happened again."
I didn't have the heart to tell him it would probably get worse before it gets better and that it would happen again and again for a week! Though I did get a humidifier up in his room and as a special treat, gave him a little porcelain tea set I had bought and stashed for just an occasion such as this.
We got in our fleece jammies, put on some christmas tunes and sat on the floor in his room playing tea party for hours. He loved it and it served as a great distraction. Plus I think the humidifier helped a lot too.
Is there anything else I can do to help? Anyone got a secret remedy? So far, it's just a runny nose and sniffles with some chest action when he breathes in through his mouth or sneezes.
Okay, so technically it's not really the fifth day of Christmas. But it is the fifth day of December and I'm off to a roaring start on my baby sock advent calendar: 5 socks in 5 days! Yay!
Okay, so while I started one a day...none of these were finished on the day it was started. So it's not so much a sock a day. More of a two half-socks a day ;0) But I'm not behind,yet!
Here are the deets...
Brown and white polka dot socks (pattern from 50 Baby Bootees to Knit) knit from Knit Picks Swish DK in 'cinnamon' and 'white' (left overs from Julian's stuffed owl). I knit the pattern as written using the DK yarn and ended up with about a 12 month size - just right for Lolo! December 1 & 2: check!
Next up a pair of stripy picot edge socks for my Jujube knit from leftover Peruvian Highland Wool (to match his mittens). I totally winged this one: 32 sts, worsted weight yarn, 4 stitch deep picot edge, 2 row jogless stripes, and an afterthought heel ;0) December 3rd and 4th: check!
The fancy green one in the top photo is my own design (I'll right it up and share it with you next time) and is today's sock. So fun ;0)
Plus, now that today's sock is done, I can get started on making the boys their Christmas sweaters tonight. Also on my Christmas knit list: Joseph, and 4 pairs of mittens! Though I'm starting to think that I may not make it...but I sure am going to give it and honest try ;0)
And finally, in honour of the 50 feet of snow that has been falling on us these past few days, some pics of Julian making a snow toddler. I could barely keep it together when I saw him get up close and personal in our snow toddler's face and take a bite out of his carrot nose! "Mommy, his nose, it's a snack!" he exclaimed as he ran off with it munching away. Too funny!
I mean...realistically speaking? Because I just came across this via Whip up and I must make 24 socks by yesterday!
Martha's version...be still my heart ;0)
It's just 24 socks. Okay, I know I can't make them by yesterday but I think I can knit one a day between now and Christmas and thus counting up to it (besides, Julian is too little to understand the advent calendar thing and if there was a treat in each one I think even he would be unable to resist the urge to pillage through them right away ;0). Come Christmas eve, Stephen and I can fill them for the boys to discover on Christmas morning. It'll be like their mini-stockings!
Plus if I knit them in Jujube and Lolo's sizes they'll each have 6 pairs of festive socks by Christmas. Doesn't that sound really nice? Plus I have the perfect place to hang them ;0)
That's it! I'm going stash diving for all the red, green and cream yarn I can find...
Thumpety thump thump, thumpety thump thump...look at mommy go...
{2 hrs later, edited to add...}
Turns out my stash is bursting at the seams with just the right stuff for this project. Yay, stash!
And since it was still technically December 1st when I started it...here's the first almost sock in the series! It might be the late hour, or it might be the Timbits, but I am giggling like a schoolgirl at this sight next to me in bed...
Is it not the funniest in-progress sock pic ever! Poor Lolo. If he was a wake, we'd all be in serious trouble. Teehee!
Alright, time to make some zzz's as Julian would say and rest up for another sock tomorrow ;0)
