Earflap Hat for Bean

Here's another shot of the earflap hat in action. Yeah, the hat fits just fine, just a little room to spare. It will keep my little Travelin' Man warm in the car during the cold winter mornings.

He's almost 9 months old now, and a little suspicious of strangers. He warmed up quickly and shamelessly mugged for the camera. He's pulling himself to stand, sitting down (not falling down) when he's tired, and is an absolute speed demon when he wants to get somewhere in a hurry. He loves his Grandpa J, who reads him story after story. J has a history of scaring every little kid he meets, but Bean never flinches.

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner at Diametrag's house; good food, great family, lots of love to share.

Hat for Bean and Schlumbergera blooms

I finished an earflap hat for Bean, it looks like a good fit to me. The booties are huge, but I'm taking them along anyway. We'll at least try them on and see how close they are. I used Woolease and #8s. The pair I made with #5s was almost too small. I should have dug a bit deeper and found my 7s, but I use them so rarely they are deep in a pile somewhere.

I used a pattern for an earflap hat I found on a blog. It's for dk weight, and I used the smallest size, Woolease and #8s. I feel confident the hat will fit, at least for the weekend.


Two more Thanksgiving Cactus opened this morning. I picked up the red one last year, and nursed it through the summer. It is a beautiful, true red, with a prominent white throat. This picture doesn't show the throat because I like the side view of these blossoms so much.

I picked up the yellow one this weekend, and the first blossom is now fully open. I was looking over the display of plants; pink, white, and orange. Then I saw this one, the only yellow one. I darted around a man who was holding a pink one and looked very undecided. I snatched the yellow from the table, "This one is coming home with me" I said. He put the pink one down and finally decided on an orange one. You snooze, you lose, especially when there's a yellow houseplant involved.

5 Hour Baby Sweater for Bean

I finished the second sleeve yesterday, I need to pick up some buttons this morning. Bean is only 8 months old and this sweater looks huge to me. The chest is 22" and the sleeves and body are about 7". I'll see how it fits Thanksgiving Day. Maybe he'll be able to wear it to preschool.

I have another full skein and I plan to get matching hat and booties done before Thanksgiving. The weather has finally turned and Bean needs warm nose and toes!

White Schlumbergera

My white Thanksgiving Cactus opened today. It's been in the cold spare bedroom and has a touch of delicate pink on the throat. The buds are creamy white, it's only when it opens you see the pink.
It may be White Christmas, but I lost the tag years ago. Back then I didn't appreciate that some plants were named. I bought it about the same time I got Christmas Fantasy and a yellow schlum. The yellow one died years ago, and I still have Christmas Fantasy, which is a wonderful peach-salmon color. That one is not doing so well, even though I repotted it this spring. I rooted 2 cuttings when I repotted, but no buds on that this year.

I'm not sure how old this plant is. It may be 20 years old; I think I remember moving it from Lansing to Grand Rapids. Last spring I lost the original plant; I rooted 6 or more cuttings so I have a backup again. I am better about backing up my plants than computer files.

I finished one sleeve on the 5HBS, about 1/2 on the second sleeve. I'll post a picture then.

5 hour baby sweater and more

I finished the body of Bean's 5 hour baby sweater. The yoke looks small to me, but it may even out when I pick up the stitches for the sleeves. Bean may end up wearing this to preschool! I must admit I may have overestimated his length.
I figure I must have at least 6 or 8 hours into the sweater, but I'm not keeping close track. I can knit longer and longer before my fingers get numb, almost up to an hour at a time. I hope that next July I won't have any limitations.

Here's Bean! All dressed up and ready for his first Halloween.
He's almost walking and is determined to do it sooner rather than later. See the booboo on his forehead? Bean falls down, but it doesn't stop him for long.

Last I must show a picture of my newest Thanksgiving Cactus. I was at the grocery store where a small collection of schlums greeted me as I entered. They were all the same, a pretty rose-red with white streaks on each petal. I found a tag which gives the name Maruska. Remember the Addams family movie where Gomez dances the Marushka? The memory made me smile, so Maruska came home with me.