Phew...

OK, I think this is the last baby gift for awhile.



For The Migglesworth's dear friend's new baby boy.

Second project from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones.
Fabric by Joel Dewberry from reprodepot.com

Very easy! Very fun!

And they just keep coming...

It was like a beacon of light.

As soon as I approached the Crafts/Hobbies section of Barnes & Noble, it caught my eye. Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. I had no idea it was coming out, so it was such a pleasant surprise.

To all publishers out there: all books should be in this form. Spiral-bound, hard cover, pocket for patterns. The spiral-bound is so key, no? I like my book to lay flat and open to the page while my hands are busy making whatever it is I'm looking at. It's such a no-brainer to me.

I digress.

In one week I had learned that three friends all had baby boys. In addition to that, two friends are pregnant with two boys. I've knit the sweater... I've made the baby quilt... I've crocheted the baby blanket... I needed something different. So this book was more than just a pleasant surprise, it was exactly what I needed.

Here's my first completed project from the book:



Kimono-Style PJs
Size 3-6 month
Fabric by Denyse Schmidt from reprodepot.com

Cute!

Sweet Dreams Sailboat Quilt

For a dear friend's newborn baby boy, Zachary.

She's also making the big move out of the metropolitan area, up the Hudson. I think it'll be a perfect fit for their new home.



From Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

I think this may be my favorite baby gift so far.

Ask, and you shall receive.

Mom wants pillowcases? Mom gets pillowcases.



She loved this Moda fabric, especially that confederate blue.

Four 14" x 14" pillowcases.

A Nervous Twitch

One of my favorite gals in the knitting world is Phyllis. She works for Coats & Clark and helps out Pearl at Knitty City with the website, marketing and events (etc etc etc). One relatively quiet Sunday afternoon, a few of us were sitting at the back table at Knitty City gabbing away about yarn, hideous knitting patterns, our favorite customers and other yarn industry gossip while furiously knitting on whatever projects we were working on.

We didn't notice, but a few young ladies had started to gather round the table. Murmuring caught my attention and when I looked up, one said, "Whoa... I can't believe how fast y'all knit!" Without hesitation, Phyllis simply said, "Dear, I've been knitting for so long it's like a nervous twitch."

She was so right.

A good friend, who's pregnant, cleaned out her apartment and decided to unload some unwanted yarn on me. Little did she know it would come back to her in the form of a crocheted baby blanket. Not terribly exciting, but it's a gigantic granny square with some scalloped edges. I couldn't help but remember Phyllis's words while I crocheted this blanket. It was pretty much just double crochet's over and over and over... I think I blinked maybe twice crocheting the whole thing. And I definitely felt like I had some sort of tick.



I hope she likes it. She liked the yarn enough to buy 7 skeins of it, right?

I also started knitting a sweater I've been wanting to knit for the longest time. The Cabled Tunic from Vogue Knitting's Fall 2006 issue. I've got the back finished, and have started on the front. I decided to indulge and am using Jade Sapphire's 8-ply Cashmere.



I can't wait to finish this up!