Wrapping Up

The new year is nearly here and the Christmas knits for 2015 are already cast on. One of them is even finished! This is going to be a good year, I can feel it. Christmas was lovely; family, friends, food, knitting, lights, trees, it was perfect.

My youngest brother puts the train under the tree every Chrstmas- Michael loved it.

My sister finally got to hold the wee one- she was thrilled! Michael was fighting a nap, but I think they will be good buddies :)

If Only I Were an Elf

I love to knit. I love Christmas. I especially love these two things together. Every year I tell myself, "this is it. This is the year that everyone on the list gets something knitted". I have stopped saying "this is the year everyone gets exactly what I planned to knit for them". And every year, I find myself sort of  annoyed becuase I can't seem to get my crap together and have one perfect Christmas where everything is done exactly the way I want. But this year, I have decided to stop trying.

I don't mean that I'm going to stop trying to make it special, just not perfect. It won't be the end of the world if the gingerbread stars don't get baked, the knitting isn't finished and the house looks like a bomb went off. It will be okay.

I have decided to just enjoy the season as it happens. Here are a few things I've been enjoying:

Michael's first Christmas tree

Alex cutting down the tree

This was intended to be a Christmas present for Michael, but with at the rate he's growing, it may not fit by then...

Michael's first trip to the Grotto's Festival of Lights

The tree is trimmed, the presents are wrapped :)

Closer...

Christmas is around the corner. If you haven't purchased a gift for the Knitter in your life, I offer up the following ideas. They will save you time in guessing, and possibly, your life, as some of these can be given without having to brave the chaos that is the mall this time of year.

1) Time. If there is anything that a Knitter wants more of, it's time. If your Knitter has children, pets, or a spouse, offer to give them a day off to frequent their favorite coffee clatch (sock or sweater in hand), or to visit a new yarn shop. If you are feeling especially generous and full of the Christmas Spirit, offer to give them a weekend of Knitting Without Distraction.

2) Yarn. Lots of it. People tend to think that too much yarn is a bad thing. Not for Knitters. We love the stuff and lets face it, there are far worse things we coud be collecting (like bottlecaps or roadkill)

3) Needles. If the Knitter in your life tends to lose things (car keys, children, etc), then perhaps you should consider investing in a pair (or twelve) of your knitters favorite needles. This can be done according to size, shape, color or material.

4) Moth Repellant. Moths are a big threat against the knitting. Give a package of moth balls, or lavendar sachets to your knitter, and I can gaurentee that you will have a lovely Christmas season. Cedar chests are also a lovely gift option, but if you are short on cash and/or space, cedar blocks would also be acceptable.

I hope these ideas will get you inspired if you still have some shopping for the knitter in your life. I wish you luck and a very happy Christmas.

One Month

It has been a whole month since we brought home our tiny baby. I'm amazed by how quickly it has gone and even more amazed how much he has grown! Michael is taking his morning nap right now and is bundled warm in (what else?) a nice little handknitted sweater. Soon we will be leaving for church and that means going out into the cold. I'm wearing a lovely wooly around my neck and I must say that the effect is quite cozy.

The little one is making noises, I should go check on him. I'll try to post more as soon as I can. Love to you all and happy knitting!

Another One

Today Michael has been fussy. Not the kind of fussy where he is screaming and won't stop, just the kind where he just wants to snuggle all day and not be put down. So, it was a successful day in the Land of Knitting. The sweater is finished.

It started out like so

Then it was seamed and the buttons were added

And now it looks like this

It is warm and wooly and has plenty of growing room for the wee one. Becuase I know someone will ask, the yarn is from Knitpicks and is the Worsted Weight Wool of the Andes. This particular wool is not machine washable, but they do offer that as an option. I modified This Pattern slightly. The neck turned out a little wonky (by which I mean that the child wearing it would need to have the neck measurements of a bird in order to fit comfortably). Other than that, I think it turned out well.

This was taken shortly after we brought Michael home. It is possibly the only photo we took of him in the pumpkin where he is not screaming at us to get him out...

Happy Knitting! Supposedly we are still on a "Snow Watch" so if we do get anything, enjoy it.

P.S.- Thank you Aunty Heather and Uncle Jonathan for carving that pumpkin. The photos will probably turn up at some point to embarress the child. What are parents for after all if not to annoy their children?

Happy Mama

This past was lovely. Here's why:

Michael met his great-grandfather for the first time- they became instant buddies.

We took a 4-generation photo. Great-Grandma wasn't able to be there for this one, so we will try again.

Michael went to his first church service. The ladies oohed and ahhed over him....

I'm working on (another) pint-sized sweater. It is nearing the finishing stages so when that's all wrapped up, I'll post photos. The weathermen are  predicting a bit of snow for tomorrow so here's to hoping for Michael's first romp in the stuff. There are plenty of kandknits around here to bundle him up in for however brief we have it. What are you all knitting these days? I'm preparing to do some perusing of knitpicks for a bit of early Christmas shopping.

Home

The best way to do this post is via photos. We are home now and are enjoying our time as a new family. Michael Jefferson was born on the 24th of October and is a healthy beautiful baby. We are so happy to be home (after the first 24 hours at the birth center, we were a little antsy to sleep in our own bed...)

Our first family photo

Sleepy baby....

Remember this hat? Alex picked it out.

This child will learn how to knit. I think if we keep all things knitted and wooly around him he will absorb the skill via osmosis. Or something...

This was handknit with love by his mama. We wore it on our walk yesterday morning. It's a perfect fit. I thought it might be too big.

Alex made me a snack while I nursed the wee one. See the smiley face? 

I'm not spending much time on the computer these days now that we have a little one to care for; but I will try to keep everyone updated as best I can. Cheers and happy knitting!