Baby Knitting

For a couple of weeks I was a knitting fool! It is funny, because sometimes I don't care to do it, but when the mood hits, I can't get enough. I am actually still in the mood, but I really need to tend to my sewing before the baby is born. I can knit with a baby in my arms, not so much use the sewing machine. I found the pattern for the gray sweater in a Debbie Bliss book I checked out from the library. I started it before I knew Sophia was a girl, so picked a neutral color. Once I found out she was a girl, I added a picot edge in pink. I love pink and gray together. There is a great video tutorial here for doing a picot edging. Both sweaters still need their buttons sewn on, I am so bad about completely finishing things. I will probably wait to sew them on until I want the baby to wear them. lol Oh, the yarn is a DK weight Merino yarn from Rowan.


I found this pattern at Knitting Daily. It was a free pattern. I love the cable down the front. I really like simple knits, but also love a little special stitch to add interest. This was rated as easy, but I wouldn't consider it easy. More like intermediate. A beginning knitter would cry if they tried this pattern. I used Sugar Rush yarn for this project, it is made from sugar cane. How cool is that?! It is so soft, even softer than bamboo yarn and has a beautiful drape to it. It really is perfect for knitting for children. I know, it is blue. I really love blue on little girls, you will see that I end up buying more blue than pink. I am going to knit a hat and booties to match, as well. The second picture is more true to the color of the yarn. I took all of the pictures on one of the girls' baby dolls. I know it is kinda creepy, but it shows how the sweaters fit.

26 1/2 weeks

I thought I would take some preggie pictures today. I got the cutest maternity t-shirt at Ross (for $6.99!!) yesterday and wanted to document my belly wearing it. I just love the little rhinestone stork lol As you can see, the belly has really started to grow. I swear I can feel the baby getting bigger everyday. The kids can watch my belly move as Sophia kicks around inside. Yes, we have decided on a name, I got what I wanted and she will be called Sophia. Dh just doesn't want her to be called Sophie (men can have weird ideas sometimes lol) Still no middle name though.



We took the pictures right before heading out on a trip to Joanns, you can see Savannah holding my sales flyer. : ) I snapped the girls sitting on the swing. Ava was being a poot and didn't want to be photographed, little turkey. We have been very productive with our sewing lately. I am going to have a brag post soon to show you what my girls' have been doing. I am really proud of them, they are turning into some good little seamstresses. I have also finished some knitting to show y'all. I just need to get on the ball and photograph everything.



I have so many projects I want to do. This week I am sewing all 3 girls some linen walking shorts and am waiting for some fabric to come in to make baby Sophia a little crib quilt. It is getting harder to do what I want, I forgot how you can't just move around and do what you want when you get this big. Plus, a lot of my time is spent helping the girls with their sewing.

I love my Kenmore!

This is a meme from Sew Mama Sew. I love to read sewing machine reviews, so I thought I would add mine as well : )

What brand and model do you have? I own a Kenmore 19606

How long have you had it? About 2 1/2 years

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? I got a great deal for $450. This machine originally sold for $799. There was an open box, a lady had returned hers because she decided she wanted an embroidery machine. I don't think she had even taken it out of the box.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? All of the above LOL I mainly sew clothing for my kids and have recently started quilting. My machine handles everything really well. The only thing I wish is that the distance between the machine and needle were bigger when machine quilting a large quilt.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I sew several days a week, sometimes everyday. Usually for no more than 2 or 3 hours at a time though. I would say my machine gets average use, I wish it got heavy use LOL

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? I really love my machine. It has a lot of decorative stitches and sews a beautiful seam. It is also very smooth and quiet. I love the needle down button. I feel like I got a really great machine for a really great price. I don't have a name for her, but I want to think one up.

What features does your machine have that work well for you? Like I mentioned above, I love my needle down button. I also love my automatic needle threader, this wasn't something I even planned on using, but now I use it all the time. I also love all of the embroidery and decorative stitches, they are fun to try out.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? I am not thrilled with the alphabet because it is so small. But this is minor, I wasn't expecting a full out embroidery machine and don't really use them anyway.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! Just the great deal I got! It was a surprise because we were just checking the machines out at Sears, not planning to buy that day, when the sales lady told us about the great deal on the open box. So, I got to go home with a brand spanking new sewing machine when I wasn't expecting to : D

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? Definitely, you can't get much more machine for the price, even the regular price. This Kenmore is made by Janome, so I would highly recommend Janome machines as well. I can't afford a Bernina or Viking, you would pay well over $1000 for all of the bells and whistles I have on my Kenmore.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? I want a smooth running motor and a nice balanced seam. My machine has auto tension, and I rarely have to mess with it. I really like my needle down button, and would probably require one on any new machine I bought. I think I will look for a bigger harp on my next purchase, it would make machine quilting much easier.

Do you have a dream machine? Well, I guess my dream machine would be a top of the line Bernina or Viking. I don't know about embroidery though. I prefer the way hand embroidery looks, but I am sure I could have fun with machine embroidery too LOL

Pincushion Giveaway results!

Ok ladies, I used an online random number generator and the winner is number 118!!!!

alana said...

Beautiful pincushion and turquoise is my favorite color!! I hope I win! Thanks for the giveaway!

Yay Alana! I will be emailing you : ) Glad you share my love of turquoise. I hope you enjoy the pincushion.

I just want to thank everyone for all of the lovely comments, y'all were very sweet. I really enjoyed participating in this swap and hope to do another one soon.