Oh, Baby!

I spend most every Wednesday evening at a supermarket. Not shopping, though, but with my knitting/spinning friends. The market has a food court that is large and usually deserted in the evenings and they graciously allow us to gather there every week and be loud and boisterous and creative.

One of our members, Rachel, is going to have her first baby in a couple of weeks. Rather than do a baby shower for her, we've all been making things and gifting them to her as they are ready. It's sort of a progressive shower.

So last week, I realized that I better get moving on my gift. I had some great pink, superwash merino in my stash -- it's Reynolds Revue and quite nice -- so I went on Ravelry and searched for a suitable pattern. I knew I wanted to do a little dress of some sort. When I found the link for the Ellis Dress (Ravelry link), I knew that was the right one. I started it on Thursday and finished it up on Saturday night after I got home from work. It is so cute and a very simple knit. I took it to the shop with me and one of the bears* there agreed to model. She was reluctant to give it back, but she did.

So tonight, I gifted it to Rachel. It's supposed to be a 3-month size, but I have no idea how big babies are these days. I figure if it fits her for a while as a dress, it can later be used as a top, too.


But wait! There was more!



This is a Baby Surprise Jacket that Bobbie made for Rachel from some really pretty sock yarn that is infused with Aloe Vera. I forget the name of the yarn, but I know that Red Heart makes it. I love the way the colors striped out and I love how she used different color buttons that coordinate with the stripes. So cute!







Judy made her contribution in the form of this cute sweater and pair of booties. I don't know what the pattern names are, sorry. I do know that the sweater is knit from Ella Rae Silkience, a lovely cotton/silk blend that was purchased at the shop. The green and berry colors are very cheerful. The booties are knit in Dale of Norway Baby Ull with the Silkience berry-colored trim.





And then there was a blanket, too! This is a lovely crocheted blanket and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the equally lovely lady who made it. I'm sorry, I just suck at names -- takes me forever to remember them. Suffice it to say that she is an accomplished crocheter and has made some very lovely things, including the pretty top she's wearing in the picture.

As if all this knitting and gifting aren't enough, I got some spinning done today, too. The Wednesday spinning group met at the Aloha Grange Hall and I finally made it there with my wheel. I finished up some superwash merino/bamboo singles I'd been working on and started on some Spinner's Hill roving that I carded with the drum carder a while back.

Tonight, I did some more of those singles and then asked Bobbie about something she'd posted on her blog about a technique for spinning singles that will make true, 2-ply laceweight yarn. She showed Kathleen and I the trick, which is so simple as to be pretty much a "doh!" moment. I tried it and we compared the single before with the single after. There's REALLY a difference! Now I think I can turn just about anything into an acceptable 2-ply laceweight yarn. Or, make a 3-ply sock yarn. Or . . . the possibilities go on and on!

Altogether, today was a fiber-filled, fun day. Hope yours was, too!