Monday, December 20, 2004
I'm Back!
Contrary to what you might believe, I did not give up in disgust. I have been busy, busy with my Mom visiting and my husband away. Things always get a bit hectic this time of the year. My husband left last weekend, my Mom flew in from New Hampshire on Tuesday. We dashed from the airport to my daughter's school for our first official Christmas program. This one was official--even had the little program with the kids' names in it! So begins the trips to school programs--probably for the next 18 or so years.I posted the question about the Union Station Shawl/Poncho on the Knitter's Review and heard from another woman who made the same pattern with the Via Mala. She suggested that I keep going, as the ribbing tended to tighten. I have now finished about 5 inches and it does seem to be getting tighter. I guess my swatch just wasn't big enough to tell me the true gauge of the pattern. Argh. This pattern is going to take a while, but the ribbing/baby cables are enjoyable.
When my Mom visited we had a pre-Christmas gift celebration. She was finally able to open her secret knitted gift--the requested poncho! Mom was a trooper and modeled the poncho:
Here's her Sears Catalog pose:
The pattern is from Vogue Quick Knits and used Lion Brand Homespun. It took 8 skeins. I'm pleased with how it came out and it seems to be a hit with Mom. Anna wanted to model the poncho as well:
Mom, of course, spoiled Anna. They had a Christmas present opening frenzy:
Since Mom won't be here for Christmas, we had an early Christmas, opening the many packages. Anna has now decided that every present under the tree is for her!
Grandma and Anna also had a little crafting time on the toenails:
And, just to show that I'm not the only creative one in the family, Mom made Anna a gorgeous polar fleece quilted blanket. Anna loves the new fuzzy blanket, and she spends a good bit of time making sure that Mi mi (the cat) doesn't perch on her present.
When Bruce came home from his trip, Anna discovered a new use for Daddy's laundry and her blanket:
