Two More Dresses

The second round of dresses for Bailey and Chloe are finished and delivered. There were a couple of mistakes ... I didn't get the button holes exactly centered horizontally on one, and vertically on the other.

The dresses are completely lined with the pink eyelet; however, the only place the lining is sewn to the dress is at the yoke. The dress fabric is heavier than the lining and will hopefully hang separate from the lining.

An added bonus: the flower is perfectly centered on the front yoke of Chloe's dress. Completely accidental, but a nice touch nevertheless.

Box of Happiness

There's nothing like a box of yarn to warm your heart and lift your spirits. Smileys Yarns had Bernat Organic Cotton for 98 cents a skein and I ended up with ... well ... lots. I prefer to knit with wool, but cotton baby sweaters are more practical in this climate. And since shipping is one flat rate, why not get a few more skeins of happiness?

Tiny Top Down

Baby K has arrived and it's a boy! Named Quinn. I promised Matt I would make a sweater once I knew the sex of the baby. I LOVE this top down sweater pattern from Cabin Fever. It is so easy and so fast and so cute. I've made myself several sweaters using the adult version.

I usually don't buy pattern books, just individual patterns, but this is the best knitting pattern book for children ever. I've tried most of the patterns in this book, but my favorite is this one. Cabin Fever patterns are the best, so easy to follow and no ambiguity.

Finished and Almost Finished

I finished Baby R's blankie and I like it a lot. The pattern is simple but lacy (my new requirement for baby blankets) and the yarn--Plymouth Encore Colourspun--is nice. For the most part. I was annoyed with the color/dye lot. Although the wrappers indicated that the skeins were from the same dye lot, they most certainly were not. About two thirds of the way through the third skein, the yarn was tied and the last third had to be a different dye lot. Up until then, the colors were very muted, then suddenly I noticed I had a bright yellow stripe running through the middle of my blankie. The fourth skein continued this new brightness, and on the fifth I was back to muted colors. I returned to the yarn shop to see if I could get a better match, but they were completely out of the color. Since it is a baby blanket that will be washed a zillion times anyway I decided to just finish it up.

I am also close to finishing the baby cardigan I started months ago. To finish the sleeves I needed size 5 double pointed needles and finally remembered to pick some up over the weekend. I started this sweater primarily to see how I liked the yarn. I have a couple of skeins left and I think I'll try a top down pull-over next. I wasn't impressed with the way the color pattern turned out going back and forth, maybe I'll like it better going around and around?

Back to Normal

Ben is home and we are returning to normal. Bit by bit, we are learning of his adventures, in between naps and long conversations with his brother, which are totally unrelated to his trip. Italy was by far his favorite, and he was awed by the statue of David and the Colosseum.

He called from the top of the Eiffel Tower at 10:30 pm Paris time and that was probably when I envied him most.

Note to self: sign both kids up for a photography class before sending them off on any more European adventures.

attraverso il mare

Ben is across the sea, in Rome, in good spirits but exhausted. He reports that he loves the pizza. He is staying in the Grand Hotel Dei Cesari, situated on the seafront of Anzio, just a few minutes from the city center. My anxiety level has decreased significantly. I realize this morning, after a good night's sleep, that much of my anxiety is work related. Everyone has assured me that Ben will be fine ... now I just need some assurances about work!

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Ben left today on his grand adventure. The last communication I had with him was at 1:43 pm when he texted me from the plane in New York: "I'm off to Europe!" Craig took him to PDX, where all the security measures really take the fun out of seeing someone off at the airport. Craig reported that he seemed a bit panicked, but then seemed fine when he called after landing in New York. The decision to get Ben a cell phone with international capabilities was a wise one. For Ben and me. I am experiencing high anxiety, similiar in intensity to the levels produced by the Mt. Hood climb when Ben was 9 and Peter was 11.