Finally got around to taking pictures today, despite the rain and gloomy sky. This is the finished afghan I mentioned earlier in the week. LB's Pound of Love, the pattern is from the Diamond Lace Baby set in Knitting for Babies & Kids edited by Jeanne Stauffer. I have not blocked this yet (does LB PoL even need blocking?) so no measurements.
And this is the current Dutchican WIP: Pinwheel Baby Blanket from the knitlist in Bernat Softee Baby. I am guessing it is about halfway done. It will be edged in blue, of course. ;o)
Another pic of the tiniest socks ever
Ok, Blogger, Stop fooling around! Hope this post turns out. Sheeshe!
Here are more pics of the tiny baby socks. I swear this is the last pic of these. At least until I pack up the box to ship it out. I'm working on a little baby hat in the same sock yarn as the blue socks. Machine washable wool, and whatever sock yarn. Mmm-Hmmm. I also have a blanket, and some mittens to add, that were given to me by my blogless friend, Cindy.
Two pair of socks, one baby blanket, one pair baby mittens, and a hat in progress. Yay!
I hope you don't mind ...
I was a little bit bored and a little bit ambitious, so I thought I'd fool around with PSP a bit. I ended up making a couple of blog buttons for this KAL. I hope no one minds. No one has to use them if they don't want to. I just thought they'd be cute. :)
I have a hat!
What can I say? I couldn't resist whipping out one of these little hats after I finished Jason and Theresa's cardigan tonight. So we have a pretty little hat knit from the pattern in
Alter Knits in Cascade Sierra 80% pima cotton 20% wool.
Another Prize! And I wax on about knitters.
We have another prize donated. Some GypsyKnits Superwash Sock yarn in the Winter Mountain Flowers colorway. How great is that?!
I love knitbloggers. They're more caring, generous, and thoughtful that your blood relatives at times. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you have all come together to make Kristi so happy.
You know, I've never even met Kristi. I don't know her husband's name. If she hadn't posted a pic of her wedding, I wouldn't have known what they looked like if I did chance upon them. I'm fairly sure that she wouldn't know me if I walked by her (I do not always look as shiny as I did at the Harlot signing). So you may wonder what possessed me to start up this little hotspot, this blogsite, virtual baby shower, virtual knit together. I like her. I really do.
I like to read her blog. I love the humor she has about her pregnancy. I appreciate not having incessant droning about baby movements, changes, and every little ache and pain that she is going through. I like how she casts the bad and the good into the light of day and lets them just be what they are. I love how she sprinkles in the hard stuff so that you don't notice as much how much pain, frustration, and worry she must be going through. I like her.
And you know the great thing? All of you do too.
Questions Answered
I can't believe people are finished with projects already!!!! WOW!!!!
I've received some questions via e-mail and comments on my blog and thought it would be easiest to try to answer them here. Sorry if this is a delayed response, I'm a little out of commission right now and my sunny disposition is gradually wearing to a sideways crab walk with this cold/flu thing - I think I have the viral culprit identified - thanks DAD!!!
Am I adverse to acrylic or do I prefer natural fibers? No aversions here on anything! Now, I don't personally wear a lot of acrylic but if I had reflux and had a nasty habit of spitting and drooling over myself (at least on a regular basis), I would embrace acrylic. Machine washable is preferred just because I would loose it if I or someone accidentally threw a hand-wash only item into the washer and dryer and it came out a big felted mess.
What do I need most? This is a little tougher to answer. We know they are going to be born small and its very probable they will be in NICU for quite some time. Once they are home they will likely be living in onesies and sleepsacks and won't be taking too many outside trips because of their fragile immune systems and because of our impeccable timing in delivering them during RSV season. We will use everything and we are not picky people - if they are wearing diapers and clothes, we plan to consider that a successful day! My favorite piece of advice I've received was someone telling me how much their baby appreciated their butt wipes warmed, in which I responded, I'll be thrilled if they are wearing diapers and I can't even make promises that they will be dry - I don't hear much from this mom anymore ;) We hope to have them more social and out and about in the spring and I have been knitting spring/summer things in 4-8 month size and fall/winter things have been 8-18 month size but really it's gonna be a crapshoot because they may all grow differently. I'm known for wearing wool sweaters, felted clogs, and wool socks in 90 degree heat, so if any of them have my inability to regulate temperature, they could be wearing heavy hand-knits all year round!
Colors or matching outfits? I promised hubby that I wouldn't put bows in their hair or tiaras - but if they want a princess party without any prompting from me, I say, bring on the magic wands and glitter! We don't plan to dress them in matching outfits at the same time unless that outfit happens to be on the top of the clean laundry pile - again, I think we'll be happy if they have clothes on! Colors? Anything goes!
Again, we want to send out heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you!!!! We still just can't absorb being the recipients of such an amazing gift!
Donations
A blogless friend of mine told me this morning that she has some knitted items to donate to
Warm Up The Three Little Dutchicans. Isn't that neat?
Gotta go knit!!
I also have socks done
Hi everyone!
Jill checking in. I have 3 pairs of socks done, an afghan (from the stash of baby knits I seem to have) and a bonnet that just needs ribbons ready to go. Sorry I can't share any pictures right now, I missed the chance to take decent pics while the sun was out today. I am so delighted to have the chance to knit for boys! I cast on for another afghan last night and hope it will continue to go quickly. Each thing is different because my attention span is about - that long some days.
Well, blogging means less knitting time so I'm out of here. Happy knitting...stay put boys, we aren't quite ready for you yet! ;o)
Well, I did say I'd offer something good didn't I?
How about some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, 100% Superwash wool, 225 yds in color number 504 Lakeview. Huh? Pretty good huh? I thought so.
It's pretty, it's soft, and it could be yours. Every item (or pair for socks) gets you an entry in the prize pool. So far we have
Sarah's contributions of Jaeger Super Kid Mohair, some Koigu, and hand dyed Mohair Boucle from
Lynne at Color Joy!. Plus the Lorna's Laces, a skein of undyed KnitPicks wool from
Jill of SewDuckQuilts, and a skein of "Red Dog Knits" dyed yarn donated by
Laura from Sugar Bunny Boulevard.
I'm big on goals when it comes to knitting. So, I'll tell you what, if we get a total of at least 9 pairs of booties/socks, 9 hats, 6 toys, 6 sweaters, and 3 blankies. I will buy one winner a skein in the color of their choice of
Alpaca With a Twist Fino. It's 70% baby alpaca 30% silk lace weight, 875 yds per skein. They've introduced two new colors for this fall, a beautiful coral and a buttery yellow.
Now if we far surpass these numbers, I will buy a skein in the color of their choice for two winners. So you have six prizes without even meeting the quota. If we meet the first goal you can add a seventh prize and if we surpass it you can add an eighth prize. Pretty good odds if you ask me. ;)
Words Just Can't Express Our Thanks....
Dear Amazing, Generous, Thoughtful, Caring …did I say AMAZING? Knitters,
We are utterly speechless and teary-eyed over here at Casa baby oven to be the recipients of this generous gift that you have given us. When I read Sarah’s post and began clicking to see an actual virtual baby shower created for the boys, the powers of a knitting community became clear - for cripes sakes, when is a knitter planning to run for President???
Wanting a family was something we dreamed about and as mom always says “be careful what you wish for, you just may get it!” (By the way. this is the same mom who carries one of many multiple genes on my side of the family). Coming from a line of knitters, it was a given that our children would follow in the tradition of wearing hand knits. Our family has a cedar chest that stores all the hats, blankets, mittens, scarves, etc that my great grandma and grandma knit for us when we were growing up– what memories – still have those pair of mittens with chew holes at the end from my childhood border collie pulling me off the toboggan ! So of course within weeks of us finding we were preggers, I casted on and began to knit. Then the following ultrasound showing twins prompted a call to my mom asking her how long she had to wear that sling from her carpal tunnel surgery and when could she start knitting again? Fast forward a few weeks to the next ultrasound and even more news (1 in 8,000 odds we were told), I accepted this was beyond me (and after I failed to convince hubby that knitting was THE new manly extreme sport).
All of you have made my dream a reality and I can promise you that each item will be cherished and cared for with love and that once they are outgrown, they will be tucked away in a cedar chest for when these boys grow up. And, if they decide to have children of their own, they can share with their children about giving, sharing, and being part of a community and maybe even teach them how to cast on!. Thanks to each one of you!
Kristi
The Jig is Up!
Lol! Kristi found us out on the first day. I was hoping she wouldn't read Sarah's post until tomorrow morning, but darn that girl has a nose for secrets. I won't give you all of the details, but she is very grateful and all sniffly that we would knit for her.
She dreamed of handknits for her baby, but knew she couldn't do it all by herself when she found out there were three. You have all touched her heart today with your generosity and knidness.
Let's show her what a Knit Blogger's Virtual Baby Shower looks like!!!
I have cute baby socks knitted
Hello, it's
Arleta. I'm a Michigander, and I read Kristi's blog every time she posts. It surely does get cold up here, so I already have a pair of baby socks all knitted up, and a pair on the needles. I also started a baby hat. I'm excited! This is so much fun! It is really like a virtual baby shower.
Prizes? Did she say prizes?
Hi there!
Sarah here. I'm the co-conspirator/co-host that Kelli mentioned. I've got three boys of my own, but they're not babies, they're all different ages, and I'm married to one of them. Okay, that didn't come out quite right, but you know what I mean!
I'll be in charge of getting the goods to Kristi and her little guys. I've also got a few prizes to add to the pot. There's some Jaeger Super Kid mohair, some Koigu, and a hank of a mohair boucle hand dyed by LynnH of
ColorJoy!Get those needles moving, knitters! We've got babies to keep warm!
Warm Up the Dutchicans
So what's this all about? Red Dog Triplets? What is this, some kind of advertisement for free puppies?
Uh, no! This is about Kristi, of Red Dog Knits. She's pregnant and she doesn't have just one little baby to get ready for, she's got three. That's right, Kristi is having triplets and to top it all off they are all boys!
Now our Kristi, she's a mighty strong lady, I'll tell you, but even strong women need a little help once in a while. Kristi, like many of you visiting this blog is a knitter. She makes some gorgeous knitted items, but can you imagine knitting for not one baby, not two babies, but three?
I know I'm boggled by the staggering amount of knitting that would need to be done. So here's where I'm asking for help friends, and Kristi doesn't know a thing about it. If you are willing to knit for the triplets and would consider helping me make Kristi's knitting life a little less hectic, please drop me a comment in the comments section, or send me an email.
I'll even make the pot a little sweeter. For every donated item (or set for booties) I'll enter your name in a drawing for some yarn. I'll make it really good yarn like Regia Silk, or Claudia's Handpainted, or Lorna's Laces, or something great. So if you make 6 bibs for Kristi, you'll get your name in the pot 6 times. Who knows if I get a lot of help and handknit items, I might just up the number of prizes.
Now for the nitty gritty. Kristi wants each baby to feel special all on its own, so no matching triplet sweaters, bibs, booties, etc. Try to be creative and think about how special you would want to feel. I'm thinking of making a sweater and some mittens or maybe a couple of hats and who knows. . . I'm a little high on the wool fumes right now.
Since I'm not very close to Kristi (as in I live in Indiana, she's in Michigan) I have a
co-conspirator co-host that has agreed to drop off knitted items. So leave me a comment when you finish your item(s) and I'll email you her address to send them on down the line. :) If you have friends that are knitting items please feel free to send them together to save on postage and time. If you live in Indiana I would be happy to pick them up if possible.
Oops! I almost forgot, if you are planning on helping Kristi please have all of your items in the mail and leave me a comment by Nov. 2. According to Kristi, the Dutchicans (half Dutch half Mexican) should arrive sometime in November. They will have to stay in the Natal Intensive Care Unit for some time, but she hopes to have them home for Christmas. I want them to have a pile of handknits to keep them warm. Michigan gets COLD!
Thanks for reading this long post and I hope that you'll join the "Warm Up the Dutchicans" campaign that I'm sort of thinking about running. :)
Finally got around to taking pictures today, despite the rain and gloomy sky. This is the finished afghan I mentioned earlier in the week. LB's Pound of Love, the pattern is from the Diamond Lace Baby set in Knitting for Babies & Kids edited by Jeanne Stauffer. I have not blocked this yet (does LB PoL even need blocking?) so no measurements. 
And this is the current Dutchican WIP: Pinwheel Baby Blanket from the knitlist in Bernat Softee Baby. I am guessing it is about halfway done. It will be edged in blue, of course. ;o)
