Bah Bah Wooden Sheep Buttons

Once upon a time, the Sailor and I took a short road trip and I realized I could knit in the car while he drove. 

I nearly finished this sweater. 

When we got home, it took forever to finish it because the Peanut was trying to help me. 

Then when I finished it, I still needed buttons. 

Even my giant button stash didn't have five buttons that suited this little cardigan.  

(If you need to clear out your own giant stash, read this post...)

I finally made it to the local knitting store, where I scored these wooden sheep ones. 

I had seen them before when I went to look for buttons for this cardigan, but I liked the black ones more against that green one. 

Then the buttons sat there while the Peanut learned to get into everything. 

Finally, during two separate naps, I managed to get the buttons sewn on. 

Just in time for Spring. 

{Sigh.}

The End. 

Matching Cardigans (well, almost)

Last week during our little getaway, I feverishly worked on a cardigan for the Peanut. I tend to get a little car sick when knitting, but since I hardly get any knitting in these days, and I knew this was my chance, I kept telling myself it was all in my head and I persevered. (And thankfully didn't feel sick!) 

I had one gray skein and a bit leftover from my own cardigan I started around this time last year, when I was pregnant. The Peanut never got to wear his Newborn Vertebrae sweater (August babies don't really need cozy cardies...) but lately he's been wearing his Ouma's white sweater nearly ever day to ward off the chill. 

And I know he's going to quickly outgrow that thing. 

So I'm making him a new gray cardigan. It will almost match mine, but not quite.

I'm thinking of keeping it in the car so that the next time we drive two miles up the road, I can get a few rows done. 

Oh and that granny square blanket? My own grandma made that many, many moons ago. I found it in my box of treasures this week and I decided it was useless sitting there under cover. Treasures should be used and loved — especially granny square crochet blankets. Not many kids can say that have something handmade from their great grandma, can they?

A Little Recap of the Week

I seem to have more time to read these days, especially during long feedings with the Peanut. Remember I have a magazine obsession? (Don't forget this list of what to do with your magazines when you're finished with them.)  

My mom sent me a Bird magazine of all things over the summer... and while I'm not a bird fan, I have a new thing for hummingbirds. I saw my first one, finally, the day after we brought the Peanut home from the hospital. Over the past few weeks, we've seen nearly one hummingbird a day! Apparently we're right along their flight path as they migrate south -- and September is a prime viewing month.

Birds aren't the only things I'm reading about though. The other day the Sailor and I were in town and I had a rare moment to run into a craft store to grab a magazine. The pickings were slim, until I saw that Interweave has just come out with a special edition Crochet Scene magazine! I was hooked and of course I had to have it. Knit Scene is one of my favorite magazines out there, although admittedly, I've skipped the past few issues since I knew I'd be making baby things instead of sweaters for myself in the months to come. 

Although, let's face it, thanks to the generosity of my friends, I have lots of cool clothes for the Peanut and probably don't need to knit many more just yet. And because of that, I've been writing a ton of Thank You notes. My top tip lately for writing multiple thank you notes? Make sure you keep a list of who gave you what. I have a running list, and then I just tick the name as soon as I write and address the note. 
 
(However, I did splurge on the crochet magazine!) 

I mean, how cute is this bag?! Hopefully I can get more than just a dishcloth done in the near future with the Peanut. 

Speaking of the Peanut, he is swiftly growing out of these jeans! Aren't they the cutest things EVER, though?

The Peanut of course is growing, because he's eating a ton. (As am I....) Having the Sailor home for so long meant that he cooked a lot during the early newborn weeks. Grilling season may be over in some parts of the States, but where I live, it's still gorgeous out and frankly, a little cool in the air is the perfect time to get your BBQ on. Here are the Sailor's top grilling tips. 

And, what goes in must come out! The cloth diapering experiment is still going strong, and frankly, I'm actually enjoying it. My current vote is that I love basic flats with a simple diaper cover over them. I hope to do a longer cloth diapering post later... in the meantime, it's probably time to change the Peanut. 

Hope you are having a wonderful Fall-inspired weekend! 

Knit One, Purl None

In the past five weeks, I've managed to knit one washcloth. 

ONE.

Remember this is my go-to 'in between' project. It's not like I just learned to knit... But I am learning that sometimes you need more than two hands to knit with a newborn in tow. 

Baby steps, right?!

Gift Blankets

My mom used to say that a baby can never have too many blankets. I'm starting to think that is true. Even though it's summer, it seems that I have a blanket in the laundry daily. 

The only thing more fun than making a blanket as a gift for someone with a baby, is receiving one (or two!) in the mail as gifts for your own little one. 

I'm fortunate enough to have friends around the world... and even though not many of my pals actually knit and crochet, some of their mothers do. These two blankets made their way into our post box courtesy of some talented moms. 

I told my friends that I didn't have 'colors' picked out (see this post about the non-nursery) but that I wanted calm colors that reminded me of a safari (inspired by these critters.) 

Even though they are both totally different, I love the 'safari inspiration' in each of them!

A Winning Streak

I've had a lucky few weeks on a winning streak. No, I didn't bet on the Triple Crown... in fact, I'm not much of a betting person. But free raffles and giveaways? I'll take 'em! 

Several months ago a local hospital offered a 'mommy-to-bee' event (complete with baby shower bumblebee decor...) For a small fee, a bunch of us pregnant gals got lunch, a tour of the labor and delivery rooms, photos with our bumps, and a chance to chat with vendors selling all manner of baby goods (most of which I was blissfully unaware of before I discovered I'm having a baby... many of which I'll still stay blissfully away from.) 

Bees I knit for a friend's
baby shower a few years ago.

However, in the whole process of meeting and greeting and chatting with the vendors I was actually interested in, I managed to win myself a gift certificate to a local baby consignment sale, as well as two free weeks with a diaper service! 

That same week, I also won a digital copy of this neat 'Knit the Alphabet Book' through a giveaway on iMake's blog. 

(I hoped that my winning streak would continue with one of the Pioneer Woman's many Kitchen Aid mixer giveaways that she often offers on her site. Alas, I still haven't won one, perhaps proving that I need diapers more than a giant mixer at this point in my life in any case.) 

Nevertheless, the alphabet knit book got me a little excited about making something personalized for the Peanut. When I first learned to sew, I made myself bed cushions in a weird pink floral print that spelled my name. I loved those cushions. And I loved the fact that they were personalized because I got to sew my own name AND I got to pick the fabric (I only wish I could find the photo to show you how tacky the fabric was.) 

But since we're not sure yet if the Peanut is a boy or girl... I'll refrain from knitting any names. I may have to start on some ZZZs though, simply to put on my bed in the meantime to remind me to stock up on sleep while I can.

 

Bellies, Bobbles and Blankets

About two months ago, the Sailor and I escaped to the beach for a few days, where we soaked up sun, sand and seafood. 

I used the long car ride on the way home to work on some bobbles. I remember thinking that my belly looked HUGE in this photo. Suffice it to say, it is MUCH bigger now that I'm 30 weeks along! In fact, my lap has all but disappeared.

Forget my burgeoning belly at the moment though, and check out those crochet bobbles! I had an extra skein of yarn leftover from making this bag, and I wanted to make a little companion bag to stash inside of the big one. I didn't use a pattern, which is very unlike me, so it took several attempts until I figured out what I was actually doing. 

I'm still not sure what I did (I really should have written down my method) but in the end, it turned out kind of cute, I think.

I also had some leftover giraffe fabric from this blanket I was working on, so I lined the inside and added a zipper.

And then, when I got home, I finally finished the blanket, too. 

The blanket is super squishy and will be perfect for when the Peanut wants to roll around on the floor. If only I had the energy to make one in my size!