Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Anyone Have a Baby I Can Borrow?

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, an old friend who lives far away just had her third baby--after neglecting to mention that she was pregnant for the entire previous nine months. This is the second friend who has done this this year--don't these people understand that I need time to knit?

Ordinarily, I would whip up a baby sweater in a couple of days and mail it off. But since it is summer in Georgia, where they live, it occurred to me mid-cast-on that a fuzzy, hooded sweater might not be all that useful. This is progress for me, since I usually only realize such things during the bind off. "No problem," I thought, "I'll make a sun dress." Several fruitless hours of internet- and library-searching for a pattern ensued. Finally I decided to just cast on and see what happened (this is code for "throw logic to the wind and deny everything I know about my knitting skills, then blame the yarn/needles/stars when the project doesn't work out").

This is what happened:

I don't hate it. It does look a little like a pastel lampshade, but I'm telling myself it's baby retro chic. I have no idea whether it will actually fit a human baby, since I based it on my own shaky recollection of the general size and shape of a new baby. It's been a few years since I've had one of my own, and I don't have any nearby friends with new babies. So unless I can find a baby to borrow, I'll just have to wait until it reaches its intended recipient. It's also a little heavy. Maybe a little more than a little heavy. The yarn is worsted weight cotton that I've had in the stash for long enough that I've forgotten how long I've had it. I know I've had it at least since my friend was pregnant with her first child, about five years ago, because I found this in the stash, along with the yarn:

This is a baby blanket I started for her first baby, but what with one thing and another, life and all that, I never quite got around to finishing it in time for her first child to use it. When she announced she was pregnant with her second child, I thought, "Great, this is the perfect opportunity to finish that blanket," and I pulled it out and worked on it some more. But, what with one thing and another, life and all that, I never quite got around to finishing it in time for that daughter either. So now, with the birth of a third daughter, I am convinced that the fates are giving me one more chance to redeem myself and finish the damned thing already.

I am plugging away at it--a task that is complicated by my having, somewhere, sometime, lost the pattern I was working from. It turns out that I have actually gotten good enough at playing with string that I was able to deconstruct the fabric and figure out the pattern. And since I have roughly enough of this horrid, heavy, pastel cotton to outfit every baby in town, there's no way I'm going to run out of yarn before I finish. I have made a deal with myself. Not a deal so much as an ultimatum. Until I finish this blanket and mail it off to its new owner, I will not knit anything else. Not a stitch of Icarus, not a row of the twinset, not even a cast-on for the two lovely summer projects that are just waiting for my attention. Not one thing.

Give me strength.

11 comments:

sophanne said...

I don't have a baby but I do have part of a baby kimono and your sundress looks about the same size if I were to put it on a hanger (unless of course you were using mini-hangers in your photo)

I think your ultimatum is whacked. Friends don't let friends make ultimatums like that when they've been making scrapbooks, etc etc ( I forget the rest of the post)

NO guilt knitting in the summer!

Yarnhog said...

Actually, it IS a mini-hanger! It's amazing the things you discover when you have kids.

5elementknitr said...

That baby dress is so sweet! I'm sure they'll love it! And if it doesn't fit the baby, then maybe she can use it to dress up her baby-dolls... eventually.

Good luck with that whole monogamy thing.

Sarah said...

I have my fingers crossed for you. I've never managed that kind of project monogamy myself, but I'm sure it's possible!

Olga said...

Yes, the worst person to make a deal with is yourself 'cuz you always welsh on it. Ask me how I know........oh, very cute dress. And it does not at all look like a lamp shade, speakers maybe, not a lamp shade.

Patty said...

I'm not sure I can support the idea of knitting monogamy. Some days all the brain can handle is stocking stitch! Or socks, or lace, etc. Mind you, this comes from the same person who generally has 4 - 6 books on the go at the same time. I consider reading like TV watching (which I rarely do). I decide what book I'm in the mood for or, I 'change the book channel'.

Romi said...

Very very cute! Not at all lamp-shady. :)

Faith said...

Oh my goodness! That is a perfect baby dress! I really love it, here's hoping it works out!

Quail Hill Knits said...

Hey Suzanne -- the sun dress is adorable. I am sure that your friend will love it. But knitting monogamy? Oh dear. What will you do when a soft silk/merino blend spots you in a yarn shop and seductively whispers "knit me" as you pass by?

knottykitty said...

Ooooh. Solo project knitting. Good luck on that one---I can't do it! The little dress is very cute! I don't have a baby, but I have a very globular 14lb cat that might be willing to give it a go. He doesn't have gender issues, so he might not even mind wearing a dress! ;)

Twigbymeg said...

I think this baby dress is gorgeous. I can kind of see what you mean by lampshade in this photo, but the one on your flckr gallery makes it look so much better, i guess because you can see the texture of the skirt pattern. BTW, what is the stitch pattern used for the skirt?