And then there were two!

I finally finished the second bunny cardi on the weekend. Actually, I finished knitting it on Friday but couldn't find carrot buttons anywhere! I bought the original ones at Wal-Mart, but they only had three cards of it and I needed four. After checking out 3 different stores in 3 different towns on the weekend and 2 fabric stores to boot, we had to improvise.

So here are the bunny cardi and the kitty cardi (click here for bigger picture)! You may notice that the bunny cardi looks different than it did earlier in the week...I held my breath again for open knit surgery and knitted in an afterthought pocket (Elizabeth Zimmerman really is a genius) and am really stoked about how it turned out. The pockets are exactly the size of the finger puppets who are snug as a bug in their custom tailored pockets!

I just love how neat they look and I must admit I love the thrill of snipping a stitch and unravelling a garment I've been working on for several days with the potential of disaster! It's unnerving, but just like the afterthought buttonhole, totally worth since it makes up for lack of careful planning! Check out the inside:

{blogger is throwing a hissy fit again, click here to see picture on the better-mannered flickr}

Now I really have to finish my niece's one skein wonder so I can deliver it and both cardis tonight since she's leaving for Algeria tomorrow! Talk about cutting it close. Plus I really need to get started on my World Cup project. I'm already 3 days behind! Not good. Although I did watch the England vs Paraguay match on Saturday (really nothing else on the telly) and it wasn't as boring as I remembered. Just boring enough to make even tricky knitting possible :0P

Finally, remember the amazing pinwheel baby and lady cardis I told you about on Friday? Well I love the pattern so much I thought I'd host my very first knit-along! I set up a dedicated blog for it here (or check out my fancy button in the sidebar) and would love for you to join if you're interested. I won't get to mine until after the Knitting World Cup on July 10th (though you can start earlier or later if you prefer). It would be really cool to see it come together in different colour combos. I'm planning on using the recommended Peruvian Collection Highland Wool (total baby version cost is $20..., now that's a deal!) but can't decide on which 7 colours to choose. Too many choices! Good thing there's plenty of lead time ;0)

Hope you'll join me!

Quick...

If you'd like to knit something really cute AND sophsticated for a girly girl between the ages of 0 and 4, go here quick! I'm so ordering yarn and making that! It's actually one size fits all - it's a hoodie with rolled up sleeves on a baby and becomes a bolero on a 4 year old.

Brilliant!

Okay, I don't have any girls to knit for but I haven't let that stop me before ;0)

Knitting World Cup

I have a dirty little secret. I don't like soccer. Actually, I'm not big on professional sports altogether, but soccer, well it's really not in my Canadian blood. I mean, we don't even have a team in the tournament! But the Knitting World Cup, well how can I resist that! Just like the Knitting Olympics, the idea is to choose a personally challenging project, cast-on at the beginning of the tournament (June 9) and cast-off by the end (July 9). I'm sooo in! So what will I be knitting? Hmmm...

Bernat Satin stash yarn

+

Mason*Dixon Knitting Mitred Blanket

+

classic nursery rhymes

=

an activity blankie for my Jubilee Bubilee!

My idea is to make a (much smaller) version of the Mason*Dixon mitred blanket and then knit and add-on activities inspired by classic nursery rhymes. Some I've thought of already: Humpty Dumpty on a brick wall, lost kitten mittens, a cow jumping over the moon, five little piggies glove puppet, Jack Horner's pie with pull out plum, etc. Of course I don't know if these knittables will actually work out so I need a longer list of ideas to choose from so if your wheels are turning too, please share ;0)

Oh, and be sure to visit Yarn Monkey if you want in to the Knitting World Cup too (I just visited and noticed there are some rules on how to incorporate an existing project as part og the challenge. Cast-on is this Friday.

That means 2 more days including today to finish up some gift knitting first. I've got to finish the second bunny cardi and one skein wonder for my niece. I'm planning on dropping all three off on the weekend so my brother-in-law and niece can bring pack the gifties in their suitcases when they fly off to Algeria to meet my sister and nephew on Tuesday (or is it Wednesday?). And Helene (my sis), if you're reading this, I got your message and I love and miss you lots too! Gros bisou ;0)

Well then, better get knitting ...

That works too!

Well I haven't written up the pattern for my baby kimono pattern yet (because I have to deconstruct the actual thing to figure out how I did it in the first place LOL!!), but that didn't stop me from working on my second original pattern. May I present the bunny pocket cardi:

My sister is in Algeria for the summer getting to know her in-laws better. She asked if I would knit a little something for her new sister-in-law who is expecting twins next month. No one knows the gender (or if they do they're not telling, nor hinting) so it's another neutral knit. It was looking a little boring so I added some carrot buttons and a finger puppet bunny in a pocket for whimsy. I quite like it ;0)

Now all I have to do is knit another one just like it! Well, at least it's just twins, right? Could be worse! LOL!!! No seriously. Imagine knitting for quints?

In other news, Stephen and I thought of an ingenius (we think) way to get Julian to nap during the day without the swing. I love that swing. Evidently so does Julian. He only goes in it to nap and it's the only place he'll have a nice long restful nap during the day. But the maximum weight limit is 24 lb and he's now 23 and a half butt naked with no diaper! Time for a new solution. He won't nap in a playpen (reminds him of the bars of his crib). And won't nap in his crib (hasn't slept there a night in his life) because, well, it's nicer tucked in between mommy and daddy in their king sized bed ;0) So what to do, what to do? Ding-ding-ding:


We took the mattress out of his crib and made a "big boy bed" in a corner of our living room. Worked like a charm! When he wakes up, he just crawls out on his own and comes to play with mommy or daddy. Marvellous!


We had a great weekend of lawn enjoyment too... Though ever notice that when it comes to home improvement, the more you do, the more you need to do? Stephen and I were really b-b-b-b-bad with the spending this weekend. It started with the grass earlier in the week. K-ching! Then we picked up a mower. K-ching! And a baby pool and other wonderful things on sale at Toys'R'us. K-ching! And a gazebo for our balcony. K-ching! And a video card for daddy. K-ching! And a 21 foot above ground pool! K-ching! K-ching! K-ching!

Good thing I'm going back to work in a few weeks, eh? Once the pool arrives, I'm sure we'll need a bajillion other things. Oh and a fence! And a deck! And those pretty rocks around the pool! Oh, yeah and I can't forget about the pool noodles and mats and balls, and rings... And we need bathing suits. And towels! You know what else we should get, a clothesline to hang our towels to dry... oh, and some garden furniture... oh and plants... and a trellis...

It never ends, does it?