Keeping busy with bebeh-to-be

I have been working on this and that, I just haven’t had a lot of time to talk about it.

First, I’d like to show off a much better picture of those baby socks I completed for bebeh-to-be:

Pattern: Just Your Basic Baby Socks from p2designs.com
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM Color #204

I really like the way the striping came out using the Koigu. It’s very different. Part of the reason I’m so pleased with how they look is because they look similar to the newborn baby’s socks in the childrens’ homebirth book Welcome With Love (a fantastic book by the way):

Kidlet especially liked the page that showed the little boy holding the socks on his fingers because they were so small so I’ve made these to give to him while I’m in labor. I’ve told him that his job will be to hold on to the socks for the baby and when she’s born he can put them on her feet. To say he’s totally psyched about this job would be an understatement.

I’m also working on a matching hat using the Crystal Palace Yarns Pixie Hat pattern, which in fingering weight yarn is taking just short of an eternity. I get bored with this really easily but I’m making good progress:

Pattern: Pixie Hat by Crystal Palace Yarns
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM Color #204

I’ve been alternating the Pixie Hat with another project for a coworker of mine who just had her baby in November…I have a number of hanks of some great fingering weight yarn from (unfortunately) a now-defunct Etsy seller and I’m in love with the colors.

I started a baby beret and have gotten a good ways into it:

Pattern: Baby Beret from knitlist.com
Yarn: Handpainted fingering yarn
Stitch Markers: Spindle Cat Studios

However now that I’ve actually measured the band I’ve had the sinking realization that it’s far too small. Damn. I think the pattern’s calling for “baby” yarn means sport and not fingering weight. I’m currently trying to come to grips with the fact that I’ll be best served frogging this whole thing and using this yarn for another pattern that’s a bit bigger as I have no patience to actually sit down and convert this one to a larger size.

I’m not totally heartbroken as I’ve been sort of on the fence about how much I’m liking the color pooling, anyway. Onward!

Last but not least, look what came in the mail!

Well…what I picked up. I got these from a destasher on Ravelry and she sent the parcel Certified Mail, which means someone has to sign for it in person. Being that we both work all day no one was ever home to accept the durned thing so I had to truck it over to the Post Office on Saturday morning before they closed at noon. So it’s actually been in the area for a week but it’s great to finally get my hands on it.

As previously mentioned this is slated for Jack Sparrow’s Favorite Socks as soon as I get some Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Charcoal and Natural to use for the other bits. I have some other sock weight yarn that I could have used, but I’m glad I didn’t as the Lorna’s seems a bit thinner than I expected so the gauge wouldn’t have worked out at all.