Four more baby hats

Four little baby hats sitting in a row,
Ten are done,
Two more to go!

That reminds me of jumping rope for some reason. I've been a bit under the weather, and spending my time drinking green tea, napping, knitting baby hats, and re-reading the Dresden Files. I'm only on book two, Fool Moon. Dresden helps me nap when I'm tired of knitting.

I will get six hats from each 140 gr skein of Bernat Softee Baby, with about 10 grams left over. I think I can locate a partial skein of white Softee Baby somewhere deep in my stash. If I do, I'll try to knit a seventh hat; a cuff in color and white for the body. I'll weigh my leftovers and see if there's enough.

Starting at the left the patterns are: Uneven Rib, Waffle Stitch, Wavy Rib and Little Basketweave. I think I improved my decreases for Wavy Rib and Little Basketweave. Wavy Rib might need one more adjustment, but it's going in the right direction. All are 72 stitches; rib 3", pattern 3", decrease about 9 rounds to 8 or 9 stiches, finish off.

I am planning an excursion to the hospital next week to drop off the hats. If I'm lucky I'll have 14 hats.

And Here's Bean!

As promised, I have pictures of Bean.

He's wearing the sweaters I knit, and he's warm and toasty. This little sweater knit as quickly as the infamous 5-hour Baby Sweater. It's a raglan cardigan, called Going Home Outfit I left off the buttons, and Bean doesn't care. The newborn size really fits a newborn. How cool!

Yeah, that's me, the one with bad hair. Just look at the baby, he's the cutie.



Diametrag gave me a skein of Bernat Denim, and while I was at her house I made it up into a nice blue sweater. It's bulkier yarn than what I like to use for babies, but neither Diametrag nor Bean seems to care. When he's warm, he sleeps longer and she gets to rest a bit. The sleeves are a bit short, I had a 100 gram skein of yarn, and almost ran out. I skimped a bit on the sleeves, and managed to get it done.

Three more hats ready for the hospital, that's six in the bag and 1 on the needles.
From left to right, the patterns are, Fancy Slip Stitch Rib, Little Basket Weave, and Uneven Rib.


The Fancy Slip Stitch Rib is a multiple of 5, and I cast on 70 sts. Next time I'll cast on 75 because the slip stitch tightens it up a bit. The Little Basket Weave stitch is very pretty, but I'm not happy with my decreases at the top. Next time I'll try to continue the rib a bit while I decrease.
Uneven Rib is my favorite so far. It's stretchy and will fit many sizes.

Too busy to knit? Never!

I'm back! I've been helping Diametrag adjust to motherhood, and came home yesterday evening. I had a great time; Bean is the best baby and Diametrag is a wonderful mother! Well, of course I had to say that, I'm such a stereotypical proud grandma.

Once I knew Bean's size, I grabbed a skein of yarn and knit a little jacket. It fit him well, and he wore it all day. He also liked the little red sleep sack I knit. His first night must have been like a scene from Goldilocks. This sleep sack was too big, that one was too warm, and the red knit one was just right. He was so happy, and slept so hard he peed all over it. hahahaha.

I also got to see my baby socks in action. Rather non-action, because those socks stayed on while he kicked and wiggled all day. Pretty cool. I hadn't ever seen my socks on a baby, and I was pleased to see how well they fit and stayed on his feet.

I've got lots of laundry here, the dog needs a good brushing, and I plan to spend some time resting and cast on another baby hat. Diametrag took some nice pictures of Bean wearing my sweater, and I'll post them later.

I will show you my latest plant. I found an Easter Cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) at a local garden center. It is loaded with buds, and I am eager to see these flowers open. I have an Easter Cactus from my grandmother, and it has bloomed only once in 20 years or more. That one is orange-red, and this new plant is pink. I did not expect to find an Easter cactus in the store, they are not as easy to bloom as a Thanksgiving Cactus.

Life seems pretty good right now. The sun is shining, birds are singing, most of the snow is gone, and my loved ones are healthy and happy. I am blessed.

Baby Hats and Hoya Multiflora in Bloom!

It's been an exciting week for our family. My grandson was born, a healthy 6 lbs 15 oz, 22" long. He's nursing well, and growing like a weed, Diametrag and her husband are doing a great job.
When we visited in the hospital I was appalled at the baby hat they gave him. Knit from worsted weight acrylic; it was scratchy, unwashed, and it even had a seam! No wonder Bean wouldn't wear it. I'd complain, too.
I went home; I was a grandma with a mission. I dug through my stash and found a skein of Cherub dk left from my 2006 baby hats. When we visited yesterday, I brought a casserole for dinner and a new hat for Bean. I had never actually seen my hats on a newborn, and I was pleased to see it fit perfectly! The k2p2 rib is stretchy, the hat stays on his head and he can't push it off. The rib is a generous 3", and there's lots of room for adjustment.
I'd like to celebrate Bean's healthy birth into the world by knitting more baby hats for my local hospital. I prefer to knit newborn hats, all babies need to wear a cap to regulate their body temperature. In a wonderful coincidence, the Jo@nn shop had Bernat Baby Softee on sale at 30% off. I bought enough yarn for roughly 40 hats, which should keep me knitting until their next sale rolls around.
While this news isn't as important as Bean's arrival, I am delighted to see my Hoya Multiflora finally opened its first blooms! I used to have a pink Hoya, and the flowers were all fuzzy. These flowers are smooth and look almost artificial, they are so perfect.

Knitter's details: Bernat Baby Softee, Cast on 72 sts with #4 needles. Rib 3", change to #5 needles. Knit in rib pattern of your choice another 3". Decrease to 9 stitches, end off.

The Bean Is Here!

Bean made his arrival Friday, March 7, 2008. Diametrag and son are feeling fine, but J and I are making a trip to the hospital today just to check things out. Bean is 6 lbs and change, and has a pretty good set of lungs, I heard him hollering when his Daddy gave me a call.