Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Cables for Jubilee

I've known it was happening for a while now but chose to ignore it.  I dismissed it.  I even managed to convince myself it wasn't happening at all - especially when I peeped into his room at night and caught a glimpse of his sleepy self in his little jammies.  But suddenly, there is no denying it anymore.  My Jubilee Bubilee is not a baby anymore!  He isn't even a toddler anymore.  He's, well, a kid!   


I came to this realisation recently as I flipped through my knitting books in search of a new sweater pattern to knit up for him.  None of the little knits who's page corners I had eagerly folded long ago would fit him anymore.  I have so many pattern books for babies and tots but only a handful are sized past that knitting critical (it seems) 24 month mark.  It's like a big knitting abyss for the 4 year old set and my Jubilee and I are totally stuck in it!


If it weren't for my Lolobean, who is also growing but still small enough to keep the dream of many of these little knits alive, I think I'd be completely heart broken over this.  I knit a lot.  I mean A LOT!  But I still didn't get it all in while I could and I have to say that the reality of it makes me really emotional.  

I'm so thankful that my husband and I somehow manage to make it work on one salary and that I get to stay home and enjoy every precious moment of their fleeting childhoods.  I'm also glad that I speak and read French and that I live in an area that doesn't lack in stockists for Phildar magazines!  It seems they're the only place for delectable knits for kids 4 and up.  That's where I found the pattern for this little cabled sweater. 

The pattern is 'Pull 004-T8-081' from Phildar Pitchoun magazine No. 004.  I knit the 4 year size using 5 balls of stash Valley Yarns Amherst in Regatta Blue.  The yarn is a workhorse - nothing fancy but it did the job, doesn't itch and hasn't shown any signs of pilling yet.  The pattern, as always with Phildar, was delicious to knit and is very well tailored.  I love this about their patterns.  They are always fully fashioned and don't cut corners even for baby garments.  

There are a few more patterns in this issue that I may have to knit for this kid of mine in between madly rushing to knit the 24-month size of all those patterns I've earmarked before my little Lolo outgrows them too!  Though even he is almost at that critical mark.  He's 21 months!

Here they are tearing up the lanes at Stephen's company's kid's Christmas party this weekend.  It was held at a local bowling centre (as Julian calls it ;0) and was a total blast!  Julian's been very eager to try bowling for a long time and so we were all thrilled to finally give it a go and it didn't disappoint! 

Santa even showed up with presents which totally freaked Julian out.  He thought Santa was just a Christmas decoration for our tree... not a real person.  Even the promise of a present was barely enough to get him in the same room with Santa!  In the end, he got the mini-golf set he'd asked for and was thrilled to bits.  I guess that Santa dude's not so bad after all!

35 comments:

  1. I love your son's sweater and the blue suits him really well too. Yes I agree that children grow up so quickly and sadly the handknits dont last too long. At least you have another little one that can grow into his handknits once he outgrows them.

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  2. Anonymous12:29 a.m.

    o man, you have an very cute bunch of boys. That sweater is beautiful, I think that blue is a perfect color for him!

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  3. Beautiful sweater!
    And they do grow up too fast...
    Love your twist of the santa Lucia :)

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  4. Anonymous6:58 a.m.

    I cannot believe little Julian has grown so big!!! That sweater looks so adorable on him and he looks all grown up:) What a gorgeous colour!!!

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  5. I think I hear a business opportunity knocking on your door. As the mother of a 2 and 6 year old, I agree that there is a RIDICULOUS lack of patterns for kids 4-12. I bet *someone* with talent, taste, and a burgeoning online business could do something about this.

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  6. Anonymous11:39 a.m.

    I thought I was the only one who was so sad about outgrowing those baby patterns! Even my little one is moving past most 24 month sizes. I've got a couple of good books by Rowan (Tadpoles and Tiddlers and Rowan Junior) and Lucinda Guy (Knits for Kids) that have some nice knits for that size range, and there's always Elizabeth Zimmermann. Luckily my friends are still having babes so I get to keep knitting the baby knits, but it's just not the same.

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  7. Right there with you in the sizing abyss. You are not alone!

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  8. Anonymous7:14 p.m.

    hi again et joyeux noël! the sweater is lovely on your no-longer-a-baby! phildar always fills me with happy thoughts as it reminds me of the time i lived in france. i love their work! :)

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  9. Your son's new sweater is really nice. Blue is my favorite color and your son looks adorable in it! So funny how he reacted about Santa Clause ;-)))

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  10. Anonymous11:25 p.m.

    He's a big boy now and handsome as ever. The sweater looks darling on him. I can't wait to see your next project. Merry Christmas!
    Martha

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  11. My son is in the rapid adolescent growth phase boys go through and its obvious even he's having trouble grasping how quickly he's growing. In his mind's eye he's still a young kid and he's surprised when people respond to him as the big, tall, muscular, young man his appearance and manner conveys - its no wonder as mom's we struggle to keep up. Don't worry though, motherhood and the phases of kid's development just keep on coming - enjoy each for what it is and you'll be amazed at how things stop seeming to pass quickly so much as just change regularly (and in my experience) always for the better!
    Beautiful sweater by the way!

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  12. Anny, you are an amazing mommy and knitter. I so admire you!
    I have Ann Budd's book "Knitter's Handy Book Of Sweater Patterns" (http://www.interweave.com/knit/books/knitters_handy_sweaters.asp) and its great for creating sweaters from newborn to adult. You are so fluent in English and so creative that I bet you could come up with amazing patterns for your guys to wear!
    It is too bad about the lack of French patterns though. We get the complaints at the shop a lot that the books we have aren't in French (but they don't come in French!) and that good French patterns are hard to come by.
    There is a definite market and individual patterns sold in yarn shops can be very lucrative for a good bilingual designer such as yourself. ;oD

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  13. Anonymous2:22 p.m.

    it's beautiful
    il est superbe ce pull et ce bleu lui va à merveille

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  14. Oh they grow so quickly! I'm glad you were able to come up with such a cute pattern -- he really looks more like a little man, now, rather than a toddler. Our grandbaby will soon be out of toddler clothes, so I'll be looking to you to start designing in larger sizes!

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  15. That is a lovely sweater. Top Down for Toddlers has that age group (as well as smaller age group) ... Quick and easy knits with lots of versatility. :)

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  16. It would be great if you filled the void of childrens patterns for both boys and girls. All my little girls are just about out of the 24 month size- tell me... whats an aunt to knit? I do hope you will offer your very talented aide to this very dire situtation :)

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  17. absolutely adorable!

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  18. Your son's sweater is very very adorable. And so is he!

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  19. Anonymous3:28 p.m.

    I found this blog a couple of years ago and check in once in a while to see your awesome knits. Your most recent entry really touched my heart, so I decided to write.

    My "babies" are 27, 24 and 17 and I do remember that realization moment when they were "kids" rather than infants or toddlers.

    I did not knit for the kids much when they were small, but I did sew up a storm for them. Like you, I tried to get all the cute patterns used before they got too big. I sewed everything for them (well, not undies... though I did actually buy the patterns for those too!). If the needed playclothes, costumes, PJs, bathing suits, sweats, fancy holiday clothes, quilts, drapes... Mom made it and I loved doing it.

    As sad as it can seem to leave a phase behind, the excitement of each new one makes up for it. After all, what is that we want for our children most?....that they Grow Up into happy and healthy and self-reliant individuals.

    You are right that "it goes so fast" (and then there are days when it doesn't "go fast enough" -- LOL) As much as I loved my wee ones, I can't imagine life without these wonderful young adults the wee ones have become. They are my greatest joy and my best friends in all the world.

    And yes, they still "need" Mom to help them out once in a while (and vice-versa, like today with my car on the blink the 24 year old was able to come over and take the 17 year old to school).

    I remember when my two oldest were teens and I would lament the fact that they were "Growing up so fast" then one of them would do some bonehead thing and I would be reassured that "No, they weren't really growing up as fast as I thought!"

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  20. The sweater is gorgeous! I totally agree with you on the choices for 4yo's. I am always nastalgic whenever one of mine passes the "baby" stage and sadly we will have no more babies - I will just have to enjoy each of them at older stages :o)

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  21. Anonymous8:10 p.m.

    Those beautiful boys are surely keeping you busy, but I sure do miss your posting.

    Esther

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  22. I hope all is well and that your boys are keeping you busy with playing!

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  23. Anonymous12:19 a.m.

    We haven't heard from you in a while on the blog. Hope all is well with you and your family. I enjoy seeing your boys model your very creative knits!

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  24. Missing you and hoping you are well! Bet the boys just keep you busy these days, huh? I have six and I know that for myself.,.. Happy day to you!

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  25. Anonymous7:22 p.m.

    Come back Anny! We love you :-)

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  26. Anonymous7:19 p.m.

    Miss you - Hope all is well with you and your family.

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  27. Anonymous8:24 a.m.

    Uh oh! If a young mom blogger is not blogging this long, it usually means nasty bugs going through the family. (Hmm, what's my excuse when I'm now an empty nester!) Hope it's not that and something fun like a vacation! Take care of yourself and those cuties!

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  28. Anonymous7:53 p.m.

    Just checking in on you, hope everything is okay! Drop a line or a quick post, if you can!

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  29. Anonymous8:42 p.m.

    Knock, knock... Who's there? Wee... Wee Who? Wee miss you Anny, come back soon!

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  30. great sweater. love the color

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  31. Anonymous12:49 a.m.

    wow. my boys grew too. But I miss reading your words. Deep breath life moves in a beautiful way. Enjoy those boys. I love mine more than anything. In will check back from time to time. As I have over the past few months.~Jo=Ann

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  32. very nice sweater..

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  33. Ohhh gosh that baby it's so beautiful!! My son looks just like him when he was a baby. Congratulations for this space it's really nice. Keep working on it.

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  34. Nice sweater! I would like to make 2 for my two boys! They love blue color and I think that if I make the sweaters both will be blue. Thanks for sharing.

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