Hooded Baby Sweater Project!

I learned to knit when I was a teenager, back in the dark ages if you ask my grands!  I love simple projects that work up quickly with soft and supple yarns on good sized needles.  If you ask me how many UFOs I have in my knitting, I refuse to tell you...

However, I did manage to finish one from last winter because I wanted to make a new one from the same pattern and I needed the needles!

Sorry for the sideways photo... Grrr...  Tilt your head to the left a bit.  There you go!

This little wonder was knitted with about a skein and a quarter of some Red Heart variegated worsted weight yarn on number 8 needles.  You'll note that I didn't change needle sizes when I did the lower ribbing on the sleeves and bottom.  I don't know why, I just didn't read the pattern closely I guess.

It has a zipper down the back.  The cool thing is that you lay the baby on his or her back, put the sweater on, turn him/her over and zip down the back.  No struggling over the head, no zipper pinching the little chin.  Sorry, there's not much you can do about arm wrestling, they will flail around while you try to dress them no matter what!

I lost the magazine somewhere among the UFOs when things got moved at Christmas.  Lucky for me I had made a copy to put into a sleeve protector to store with the project.  I had marked it up with the instructions for the medium size and highlighted the first increase row where you place the markers.  Otherwise I would not have the pattern.

This one is in progress...

 I did remember to change needle sizes here.  I just have to pick up the sleeve stitches and finish, then block and add the zipper.

This one is completely done.  I actually used left-overs from previous projects.  It turned out cute!

Honestly!!  It was NOT upside down when I took the picture.  Sometimes Blogger hates me.  Sorry for the inconvenience but I can't get it to stay rotated.

Anyway, knit on!

Weather or Not...

Here in Wisconsin we have a saying, we have three seasons:  June, July and Winter.  This winter has been kind of crazy!  Last winter was one of very minimal snowfall, and then of course in the non-winter months we suffered a drought.  So the winter of 2011-2012 was a 'snow drought'.

The Water Resources engineers were all bemoaning the lack of snow, saying it was going to affect groundwater in the spring, impact fishing and farming.  Shoulda listened!  They were right.  (I don't like to admit it when they are...)

This year it's been feast or famine.  Christmas Eve was cold but not snowy.  The guys wrangling the donkey at our live nativity service did have an outdoor fire but they didn't get wet and soggy.

We celebrated a record long streak without measurable snow this year -- 288 days on December 15.  I looked at historical climatic data from the 1990-2000 period and our high was 50 inches in 2000.  The average for the year is 46-48 inches.   Last year we got 30.

I like snow in the winter.  DH says that is because I don't have to shovel.  There's probably some truth to that.  I did shovel when I was younger but since the arthur-itis hit my hands I don't do it anymore.

This is what I saw on the way to work last Friday, the day after the 'big storm'.

I worked from home on Thursday, and by Friday morning we had gotten about 8 or 9 inches in my neighborhood.  Nothing like what they got in Boston on Friday, but I am happy that it finally looks like Winter in Wisconsin is supposed to look!

It's raining today.  That will put a nice crust of ice on the roads... hmmm, also a Wisconsin tradition!

Drive carefully.  Sew on.