3.0 (beta)

Knitting may stress me out, but sewing brings me back to center…especially when the kids are tucked away in bed and all I can hear is the humming of the sewing machine and the wisper of my fingers over the fabric.

[vintage fabric from Annie's stash and pattern from oliver + s]

It seems I have something in common with Liz Lemon: I take up knitting every two years for . . . a week.

Remember the bib I knit for E? That was November 2007.

Flash forward to November 2009. After untold hours shopping for a winter hat for E, my dissatisfaction drove me back to knitting. I used a pixie hat pattern from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies.  (Wish I had seen the free patterns here and here.)

I knit three hats. The first one turned out horribly. Then I successfully completed one for my niece and one for E.

The further those nights of knitting recede in my memory, the more I like E’s hat. Once I’m fully healed, I’ll probably knit again…I’m guessing sometime around November 2011.

Remember the halter top I made to match E’s bloomers? I made a longer dress version for E right before K2 arrived. Isn’t it a little bit of sweetness? I love the tiny yellow roses on the fabric and the way the cut of the dress accentuates E’s soft toddler arms and smooth skin.

Just recently, I started several new sewing projects for E’s fall wardrobe. I’m jazzed. Other than cooking, creativity had taken a back seat the last couple months to surviving K2’s infancy. It’s not that he’s a hard baby per se. He’s just different than E and I had to figure out how. He’s had horrible gas spells that woke him up frequently throughout the night and made him cry for lengthy periods of time. Turns out, he’s allergic to milk protein. So I’ve given up all dairy.

He also is a pretty grumpy baby who rejects the classic sleep aids (pacifier and swaddling), resists sleeping anywhere but his crib, and rarely gives sleep cues. As a result, a schedule has been incredibly important to him. He cries himself to sleep almost every nap and at night. But when he wakes up from his scheduled-in-the-crib-sleep, he’s a doll. Hesitant smiles, fingers holding mine with a tender grasp, and lots of cuddling. ::sigh::

And now I’ve even started imagining little outfits to sew for him…