Eloise Sweater (again)

To review: Eloise Cardigan (free on Ravelry), one skein of Cascade Sierra, smallest size.

Here she is at two months.

One month.

And two weeks.

So MH has gotten bigger, but this sweater is still too big. I have a sneaking suspicion that all of her sweaters--no matter what size they are--will fit her perfectly in July.

More baby pictures (by popular demand)

Mitzi requested more pictures of Mary Hadley. How am I to refuse such a request (especially when it's made by a brand new grandma?) I was also criticized at Stitch and Bitch for not dressing MH in any hand knits. So here's killing two birds with one blog entry.


Here she is in her Eloise Eyelet Cardigan. A few weeks later, and it's fitting a bit better. (MH is a month old now!)

And here she is in the One Skein Hooded Baby Sweater (rav link) that Mimi (aka Cindy) knit for her.



Posing for pictures is difficult work!

First Sweater

I remember when I first knit this sweater and it didn't seem possible that a human being could ever be so small. Well, turns out Mary is even smaller than that! The sweater is a bit big, but she doesn't seem to mind! Here's hoping we'll get at least another month out of it.

Pattern: Eloise Eyelet Cardi (Lion Brand) [rav link]--the smallest size
Yarn: Exactly one skein of Cascade Sierra, gifted by Steven
Needles: US 8

This is a great pattern for a quick and easy baby sweater. It literally took me a day to knit.

In other news, we'll be closing early on Christmas Eve and will remain closed through the weekend. Have a Merry Christmas!

Baby!

After 9 months of pregnancy and 12 hours of labor, Mary Hadley Dennis was born on Thursday, December 9 at 7:18 pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs 2 ounces and 20 inches. (I know how you all like the baby stats!)
We're both doing fine. Sleep deprived, but recovering nicely.
And did I mention that she's the most beautiful person that I've ever seen in my life? Definitely knitworthy!

Baby Shower and Fall Sale

Last Thursday, I was given a surprise baby shower. Among many wonderful and adorable presents, I got this baby blanket.

Isn't it fantastic? Mission Falls 136 and the Mason Dixon mitered square pattern. (And just a few weeks ago, I looked up at the Mission Falls bin and thought to myself, "Hmmmm...why do we only have that much? I thought we ordered a lot more for fall!" I guess the mystery is solved!)

Thank you everybody for being such great knitters and great people!

In other news, we're going to have an impromptu FALL SALE the weekend of November 13 and 14. Everything in the store will be 10% off (notions, patterns, books, bags, YARN, classes--everything but gift certificates) and we'll have sales bins 30% - 75% off. This is our one and only 2 day sale, so take advantage!

Cravings

I would say that since I've been pregnant, one of the most frequently asked questions (besides "Is it a boy or a girl?" or "You're not shutting down the Knit Nook, are you?!") have been about cravings.

I have had two very strong cravings, but neither has been food related. No pickles and ice cream cravings striking in the middle of the night. Which is odd. If you know me at all, you know that I already have disgusting food habits. I drink pickle juice straight from the jar. And that's when I'm not pregnant.

My first craving has been for cigarettes. Almost every single night, I have had dreams where I am smoking. And in these dreams, I am pregnant, but I somehow convince myself that "one or two cigarettes won't kill the baby." Obviously, I have not indulged this craving in my waking hours.

The second craving is less hazardous, so I've been indulging with abandon.

(Ripple stitch blanket out of Mission Falls 1824 cotton.)

Crocheting.

I seriously can't get enough.

Candy Babies by Candi Jensen is one of the best books for baby crochet projects. When I saw Victorian Charm, I got a SERIOUS craving.

Made out of 3 skeins of Debbie Bliss Eco Baby [rav link] in color 14009 and US G/6 hook. I just love it and she's going to look so cute in it!

Unfortunately, sewing on pieces of lace trim has not been one of my pregnancy cravings.

It's a Mini Pini!

It's a Mini Pini!

It's a February Baby Sweater!

It's a Confection Shrug!

It's a GIRL!

Gorilla Knitting

And now for some Gorilla Knitting....

Okay. It's a bad pun, I know. But I've been meaning to blog about this sweater for a while. And then the gorilla was wearing it. And the last post was about Guerilla Knitting....yeah, it was lame.

But not the sweater. This Presto Chango [rav link]. The smallest size took one skein of Cascade Sierra.

The thing that I love about this sweater is that panel. The idea is, that babies are messy. But this sweater is part bib. (Does that make it a swib? OMG, what the heck is my problem today! I'm seriously being so dorky!) Anyway, the baby pukes all over the front and PRESTO CHANGO, you replace the panel!

And the panels can all be different. Just think of all the various combinations. Instead of making a sweater for every holiday, you make one sweater and three or four panels. Or it you aren't sure if the baby is a boy or a girl, make the sweater in a neutral color and gender-fy the panels.

I also think you could remove the panel entirely and it would make a cute shrug.

Well, there were a few Presto Chango's made in the Baby Sweater class and those knitters seemed to enjoy it.


And the gorilla seems to enjoy wearing it. He hasn't taken it off yet, has he?

Naana Naana Boo Boo!

Guess who I got to meet last night?

Heeeeereeeee's Johnny!

And he had some new sweaters to show me, both by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Here is the Surplice Jacket made out of Corntastic. (This would be a great sweater to make in our upcoming Baby Sweater class that starts Sunday, April 11.)

And here is the Baby Surprise Jacket made out of Dale of Norway Baby Ull. (The BSJ is going to be a class in June!)

I thought the sweaters were wonderful, but Johnny wasn't too impressed. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Alright, Shizknit, I give you permission to steal these pictures!

Tonya's Baby Shower

(This picture was 100% stolen from Tonya's blog, but since it's in the service of her receiving a ton of presents, I figured she wouldn't mind.)

In case you didn't notice, Tonya is pregnant. Like really pregnant. (More pregnant than she was in this picture, that's for sure!) I know we're all still feeling a bit hung over from the holidays, but it's now time to pick up those needles and start a new project for a new person! (Eat a cookie for strength. Go ahead. You gave that New Year diet enough effort. It's been well over a week. Come on, one cookie won't matter.)

Once you finish said knitting project (let's say it's a hat) you weave in those ends and wrap it in tissue paper and bring it to the Knit Nook this Saturday around 3 pm for Tonya's shower. Maybe you bring a plate of cookies. I mean, the cookies you ate before don't count if everybody around you eats the same amount.

In conclusion: this Saturday, 3 pm is Tonya's shower. Bring something.

(And don't worry if you just can't stomach the idea of knitting something in the next six days. She's registered at Target.)

And speaking of New Year's resolutions, somebody asked me if I had resolved to write on the blog consistently only to give up on it halfway through the year. Ha. Ha. Ha. So very funny (she says totally dead pan and serious). Okay, maybe I did make a resolution to write once a week. I think that's totally manageable. It's like the years where I resolved to start drinking my coffee black or to start flossing more regularly. I set the bar low so that the goal is easily achievable. I set the bar low so that when I fail, I can say, "Meh, that was a stupid resolution that hardly even matters."

I hereby resolve to write on the blog once a week.

New Baby at Farmhouse Yarns

Farmhouse Yarns is a favorite around here (Andy's Merino, Lumpy Bumpy, Fannie's Fingering just to name a few). Beautifully hand dyed yarns, natural fibers from local American farmers--it's wonderful to imagine all those happy sheep while we're knitting or crocheting.

Carol, the owner of Farmhouse Yarns, sent an email announcing the surprise birth of one of her sheep. Since this blog has been dedicated to birth announcements of late, it seemed appropriate to share it with you.

The baby was 9-1/2 pounds and up and about. Both mother and baby are doing fine.

Makes you want to buy a sheep farm, doesn't it? Well, at the very least, think about this cutie the next time you're knitting Farmhouse Yarns.

Baby Ava is here!

It seems like I can only blog these days if there's a baby born...

On Thursday, July 23 Jessica gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Ava Jane is 8 pounds, 9 ounces (wowza!) and 20 inches. You can see pictures on Jessica's blog or on the Norton website.

Congratulations, Jessica and Chris! Your daughter is beautiful and we can't wait to meet her!

Summer Sale!

Our annual Summer Sale will be Saturday, July 11. Everything in the store will be 15% - 75% off.

Also, the Fall class schedule has been made, emailed, and printed. I will post it to the website as soon as I iron out some website issues (or rather, get somebody else to do it for me because I am clueless). If you would like me to email you a copy, just let me know. Otherwise, you can stop by and get a handout.

Oh, and we had a wonderful time at Jessica's baby shower.

Jessica's Baby Shower

Jessica's Baby Shower will be at the Knit Nook Saturday, June 27 at 2 pm.

(That is NEXT week--originally it was scheduled for this Saturday, but neither me, Tonya, or Jane could be there. And there is no way we can have a baby shower without the Mayor!)

So come and show Jessica and lil baby Ava Jane your love!

(I totally stole this pic of Jessica from her blog, but I figured that since this was to advertise her baby shower--where she and her baby will receive lots of gifts--that she wouldn't mind!)

Bekah's Baby Shower: the dinosaur

Last week, we had a baby shower for Bekah at the Knit Nook. I've got a lot of pictures from the happy occasion, so I decided that rather than overwhelming you with one humongous blog post, I would spread it out over the next week or so. (In other words, I'm going to milk this for all it's worth!)

A lot of things were knit for the baby. Jessica knitted this adorable dinosaur.

The pattern is from Knitted Toys. The yarn, Cascade Cotton Club (60% cotton, 40% acrylic). The needles, I forgot to ask. Knitter beware: the pattern is British which means that you knit no less than a thousand little pieces and then stitch them all together.

As you can see, he isn't a very big dinosaur as far as dinosaurs go. Look, the mole is almost as big as he is. Evolution takes no prisoners.


But I'm sure Baby Posnansky will happily drool on him regardless.

Kimber Baldwin Patterns

We have just started carrying patterns by Kimber Baldwin, a designer from the Cincinnati area. While she offers many beautiful lace patterns and kits, you've got to see her designs for babies.

This is the Frog Princess set. The dress alone is adorable, but the whimsical hat and the little lace socks just jack up the cuteness of this little outfit to a whole new level.

And here's Quackers. While it's a pretty traditional baby set, the hat might be the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Do you notice the tiny webbed feet on the bottom of the ear flap ties? I've shown this to about fifty people in the store during the past week, and everybody squeals just a little when they notice that.

Actually, the pig hat might be tied with the duck hat in overwhelming cuteness. His nose is a coiled I-cord. Don't imagine a pudgy little baby wearing that hat because it just might send you over the edge.

All of these patterns are sold for $8.00, or $5.00 for either just the sweater sets or the hat and booties sets. For more information on Kimber Baldwin, check out her website here.

Babies and Yarn

Ever since Kira gave up the glamorous life of a yarn store owner to be a stay-at-home mom, there's been something about the Knit Nook and babies. But this spring, there must be something in the water around here because everyone seems to be pregnant!



Ruth is expecting and her first knitting endeavor for the baby is this adorable cabled sweater, Trellis from Knitty and a matching hat of her own design. This is a great gender-neutral pattern that works well in cotton or wool.


Tonya is also expecting, but before she started knitting for the baby, she finished this present for her mom, another Knitty pattern the Broadripple Sock out of Cascade Fixation.

Like most knitters, Tonya has fallen in love with this book, Itty-Bitty Hats, but she won't make anything until she finds out if she's having a boy or a girl.



Check out some of these adorable patterns. The snowman would be particularly cute out of Rowan Romance, a sparkly wool blend that just happens to be in the sale bin at the moment. Tonya is afraid that the sparkly yarn is too girly for a gender-neutral snowman, but I think it just looks like snow.

I also love this sail boat hat out of Mission Falls Cotton, and I'm trying to convince Tonya that this would be adorable for a boy or a girl.

Just imagine a little matching nautical sundress out of Katia Jamaica Cotton!
If Tonya is having a girl, I just might have to try it out.
(At the very least, it will prevent me from trying to knit a patriotic tube top for the Fourth.)

And speaking of knitting for little girls, have you ever seen a more precious hat in all of your life? This color choice is pretty traditional, but I'm imagining something more tropical, like an orange hat with a bright purple flower.

And I haven't figured out what to do with this yarn yet, but the Katia Margarita just screams summer knits for baby girls.

There are tons of yarns and patterns that are gender-neutral or boy friendly, but you've got to admit that this yarn is awesome in a specifically girly kind of way. It looks like gingham yarn with embroidered daisies!