Sunday, March 30, 2008

Babies, babies everywhere



...I think I need a drink.

Tomorrow is the shower for my still-cooking nephew. With the deadline so near I finally got myself over to the local, independently-owned sewing shop1 for buttons and closures. This is where I learned that there are two kinds of zippers -- separating and non-separating. Non-separating don't release at the bottom, making them a pretty poor choice for jackets. And of the separating zippers, none of them were short enough for the jackets I had set aside for zippers (they also didn't match, color-wise, but that was the least of my problems).

The women cooed over my knits, "They're so small! Are they doll clothes?"

No. No, they're not doll clothes. Have I mentioned I'm a little paranoid that none of these things will fit the kid?

I managed to find some buttons for the Baby Surprise jacket (I keep spelling surprise with a z. I think having a stuffy nose is restricting oxygen to my brain and making me dumb).

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I got these GREAT hippo buttons, but they only just barely fit through the buttonholes, and that's with some real finagling, so I just put one on the top.

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Since I couldn't have my zipper, I got some clasps for my heavily modified Cardigan for Merry (made without the pattern or cable graph. Even though I had both of those things, I didn't have them with me, so I just figured out the cable over many many bus rides around New Zealand.

Cardigan for Pippin


Even though the clasps were a total pain to put on and don't close the cardigan all the way I'm really pleased with the way it looks.

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I got the same clasp for another Baby Surprise (ha! Spelled it right on the first go) -- this one for a friend who will also be at the shower, and who's due about the same time as Infant X -- and I love it.

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In the meantime, with no zipper, I have no idea what to do with the Tomten jacket I knit. A zipper would've been great, but nooooo. In a flash of brainliness I thought of toggles, but of the two the sewing store had, one was too big, and the other was really ugly. In the knitting store they were all plastic and hideous. So I don't think it'll get gifted tomorrow.

I pulled all the nephew-knits out to show off to my parents, and I have to say, it's quite a pile of FOs.

Infant X's knitterly haul


(Click for notes)

I'm feeling a little embarrassed by it all, actually. That's a lot of stuff. Do you ever feel like you've kind of... overdone it? Forced your craft upon others?

Ah well.

IN the meantime, I've been working ferociously on a new project. It's mostly stockinette, but there's some (4 rows) ribbing at the bottom. Even so it's curling like a Canadian on ice. This is the part where I need all y'all's help. I need you look at this picture and tell me that it'll block out just fine:

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Please. It's for my sanity.

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what I'm knitting? And why?


1 The local Michael's doesn't have buttons. What the hell is that about?

3 comments:

Tanya said...

Well I am for one very impressed! Nice looking baby duds. I like all of the closures very much.

Ummmmm I don't think that will block out sorry but I think I am not telling you anyway that deep in your knitters heart you didn't know........single crochet around the edge maybe?

Anonymous said...

Dude, if I ever get knocked up, you're the first one I'm telling. You are the bestest Auntie EVER. 'Cept, they might expect you to go all out all the time for the tyke. If that's the case, you are in deep doo doo.

And yes, it will TOTALLY block out.

Kate Schmidt said...

I love it all, especially the Cardigan for Merry. That's just fabulous.