Just when I thought I was done knitting baby sweaters I was invited to two baby showers! First up is a little boy who will be born in September. I knit a size 9-12 months and I think it will fit this winter and have some room to grow. I used Koigu Painter's Palette in three graduated colors and used exactly half of the yardage and have enough to make one more tiny sweater. The pattern is So Faded Pint Sized by Andrea Mowry. If you are new to fading then this pattern will be helpful. Also I like the way this pattern fits--it seems to have good proportions which is so important even with babies. The neckline has just enough space for a baby's large noggin without being sloppy. This is my pattern project page.

As for the quilt, years ago I worked at a fine linens shop. We sold bespoke bed, bath and kitchen linens with our cotton fabric sourced from Italy and our linen from Ireland. The samples were quite large and just gorgeous; many of them embroidered and appliquéd. Twice a year when certain fabrics were discontinued the owner handed the samples over to me, sometimes bags at a time! I also got chummy with one of the reps and she gave me more. I made dolly clothes, tea towels, and napkins galore, but then started cutting the fabric into 6" squares. After I had two full shoe boxes of squares I invited my girlfriends over to make baby quilts. At that time many of my friends were about to become first time grandmothers. We met once a week at my house, and over several months we made simple patch quilts, sewing them all by hand and hand quilting them. Every single quilt came out beautiful. You can read about it here. I made three crib sized quilts--a mostly yellow quilt, a mostly pink quilt, and this one, mostly blue. This is the last one I have and I'm so happy to be able to gift it to the sweetest and most excited and most beautiful new mama I know. 

The gift box will have this quilt, the sweater, a pair of the cutest teeny weeny jeans, some bibs and towels that were on her registry, and a dozen gently used picture books that Carter has outgrown. I'm so excited and I think she'll love it!

When I cleaned out my sewing room a few years ago I really tried to be practical and donate half finished crafts and craft supplies that I had lost interest in. I had a large stack of quilting fabric and I didn't see myself ever making complicated quilts again, but maybe I'd made a simple patchwork quilt? I really had enjoyed making those simple quilts with my friends. It was clear I wasn't ready to say goodbye to quilting completely so I took all the fabric and cut them into squares and now I have one shoe box full--perhaps enough to make a full size quilt if I choose. Sometimes I think I will make a quilt and sometimes I think I will donate this box, but I don't have to decide yet. It's there if I want it and it takes up very little space. It's funny, but quilting was such a big part of my life until knitting took over 20 or so years ago. And when that knitting bug bit, I was a goner! I've got one little needlepoint Christmas ornament that year after year I just can't seem to finish. I love needlepoint, but with all my knitting I just never pick up anything else. How about you? Any crafts or textile arts that you've neglected because of knitting? I'l bet there's a lot of us out there!