Babies are the most magnificent creatures on earth, even when they are loud and stinky. They make us want to bury our noses in their necks and bellies to inhale their scent, both earthy and light, and rub our cheeks against theirs, hoping some of the softness will rub off on our aged skin. They bring out our best, weakening the knees of even the strongest, reducing us all to babbling idiots. They make us want to hide our worst as if they can truly read our thoughts and hearts. Babies totally depend on us, and we want them to. We want to be needed, to feel a little body relax against ours as its sobbing subsides, to nurture and nourish and watch and wait for each day’s growth and changes. Babies are the eighth wonder of the world. And they need sweaters.
Friends just adopted a 6-month-old baby from China. He needs a sweater. I did through stash and come up with two color combinations: royal, peacock, and sunflower; or sage, celery, and white. Then I happen across a partial skein of near-fluorescent pink and think wow! This looks great with the blues! And so I knit this,
soon to be reminded by DD#2 that the recipient is a boy. But the colors look so good together. No, Mom; it’s a boy and you’re not giving that to him. But in some countries, pink is a boy color. No. But... No. So I’ve started another.
Other knitting has been disappointing. I’ve almost worn the yarn out on the tank from reknitting so many times. It’s ripped back (hopefully) for the last time. I think I finally have the armhole decreases figured out. And to think I used to be good at math. At least I think that was me.
Wednesday was a trip to the doc which meant an after trip to the Wilde & Wooly! My resistance was strong, and I managed to walk out with a small bag containing a circular needle and three patterns:
The jumper pattern is for a friend’s new granddaughter, the sweater for Hubby’s Christmas sweater, and the flowers for fun. A girl needs a little fun, right?
No yarn. I was tempted, but determined. Forgive me if I offend, but they even had all Noro yarns 35% off, and I wasn’t even tempted. Okay, so I looked, but no good colors left anyway. My one experience with Kureyon was disappointing. I made a felted purse as a gift in a browns and pink color-way. The yarn was so rough that knitting was not enjoyable. It was very soft after felting, but too soft I thought for a purse. I knit for the process as much as the product, so poo-poo to yarn that doesn’t feel good.
To top off my day, I had this waiting for me when I got home:
Fun goodies to peruse with hot chocolate in hand, but I’ve decided to let all my magazine subscriptions go, and I will not buy any more books without a good look-see first. Nada in the FCEK that I’ll ever knit, a couple in the books. If I’d perused first, I’d have skipped the mag, the MK book, probably put Colors on my Christmas list to have as reference. Not as many patterns in this I’ll ever use as in the Knit and Purl books. I don’t like the sweater shapes- too boxy or flared. I sound very disgruntled, but really I’m not. I’m loving knitting, but if I’m going to surround myself with yarn and patterns, they’re going to be yarn and patterns I love. So there.
Max sez Hi.
I love reading your blog. It is because of you that I returned to knitting at a time that I thought I would give it up. I too love knitting for babies. Everything you said about babies is sooo true! I love the EZ sweater you made; those are great combinations although I know my daughter would cringe at the possibility I would put it on my son but I think he would just love the brightness of it.
Posted by: Nancy | Saturday, October 08, 2005 at 02:38 PM
You totally make me feel lazy, damn it. You've pumpled out like eleventy zillioin FO's in the past couple weeks!
Posted by: bobby | Sunday, October 09, 2005 at 01:53 PM