6

My little guy turned six last week. It is such a wonder how time can seem to stand still and yet sneak by when you are not looking. I see before me now a collage of the baby he was and the little man he is today. To celebrate this most momentous of birthdays (when you're young, aren't ALL birthdays momentous?), we decided to add a little DIY flair to the usual party decorations. Over the summer, the kids have been busily crafting away using ideas found in this book. I can't recommend it enough. It has been both a fountain of inspiration and a handy way to distract the little ones while I managed to get a spot of knitting in. How proud they were to show off their creations!

They decided that a birthday bash would not be complete without masks...

...and some dashing party pins.

I couldn't let an opportunity to knit something festive slip by, could I?

Grandma L. came down from New York and baked not one, not two, but three cakes since the birthday boy could not decide. Lucky boy, since his mama has zero talent for baking.

Happy birthday little guy! We are so lucky to have you in our lives, brightening our days with your smiles and hugs.

FO: Quintuplets!

It was dangerously easy to get swept away with this fun pattern. I meant to knit just one, mainly as a distraction from sweater knitting. But as they say, "With chocolates and toy knits, one is never enough!" So introducing...

The Quintuplets!

These Kool Kats will be making an appearance at my little guy's sixth birthday bash. Then they will be sent to their new homes as party prizes, despite my total reluctance to part with them. Maybe the kids can be bribed with chocolates? At least the red one will be staying with me the little guy.

Check out FO Friday with TAMI'S AMIS for the latest and greatest in knitting and crochet.

FO: Grapevine

If ever there was a back burner knit, this was it. I started my Grapevine around this time last year, but kept shoving it aside for something newer and shinier. Knitting a few rows here and there has really paid off in the end. I love the simplicity of the sweater, which lends itself well to being dressed up with a skirt or more casually with jeans. The yarn is Hempathy which was a surprising pleasure to knit with and the resulting fabric is perfect for transitional weather knits.

Hooray for the first FO of the cleanup month. Thank you for the encouraging comments on my last WIP Wednesday post. Sometimes all it takes is a little gentle nudge to get those ends woven in. Check out FO Friday with TAMI'S AMIS for fabulous projects and inspiration. Hopefully, I'll be joining in on the Friday party for another few weeks!

On Vacation

We are on an end of summer vacation down at the shore. I managed to find a quiet spot to get in some knitting. Currently working on kitty number four. Such a fun and easy pattern, although knitting it in public has garnered some odd looks by non-knitters trying to guess what I am making. It still amuses me to see the reactions I get whenever I knit in public.

Loose Ends

At this point in the year, I always have more projects on the needles than I can handle. So August has been designated "the cleanup month". I will be trying to tie up some loose ends before September, which is when the fall sweater knitting starts. Some projects in need of a little bit of work to be finished include:

Stripe study: a few inches of the border to knit, weaving in ends and blocking.

Grapevine: weaving in ends and blocking.

Vitamin D: two sleeves to knit, weaving in ends and blocking. I wish I was the type of forward thinking knitter who weaves in ends as she goes. But no, I am and will probably always be a procrastinator. You can spot me by the gazillion strands of yarn ends hanging out of my project bags or by a pesky bear still nagging me for some limbs. I think Henry might be a little jealous of the finished kitty (full reveal will be in a few weeks after I knit three or four more).

Go check out WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis for some fun projects from the coolest bloggers around.