Forcing Handknits Upon Unsuspecting Parents...

This really should be the name of my blog. I love to give new and expecting parents handknit items. Why? I don't know... could it be my pure love of all children? My desire to show the parents that I think enough of them and enough of their child to take time to knit something? Or is it, as a girlfriend mused today, to show up all the other people at the shower who bought something at Babys R Us? Personally, it's because baby sweaters are small, quick, easy to finish and provide a great way to hone knitting skills...oh, and reasons #1 and #2 as listed above. PC will tell you all, he has to remind me that the cute baby in the stroller belongs to someone else and even though she has the cutest pigtails, I cannot take her home. Once again, that baby doesn't belong to us. :) Nope, not some crazy woman desperate to steal kids, but just someone who always sees the "cute" in all babies. :) Well, I offer to steal my girlfriend's kids, but she is usually offering them up at that point. ha ha ha

So, why the baby talk? We have baby sweaters! Well, we have 2 of the 3... and a quilt that needs to be made. *sigh* going to be a crazy Saturday morning! (Saturday morning is when I do my best quilting...don't ask why)
This one is my favorite so far... knit with bulky yarn (Plymouth Encore, soft, warm, squishy and machine washable!)



This next sweater triggered the whole "green/yellow/blue" theme ( sex=unknown)... I love it! Plmouth Jelly Beans... very good kids yarn and very well priced! ( I did all the sweaters for under $25)


close up of SUPER CUTE duckie buttons from my LYS!


And now, I want to say thank you to all of you who have left such wonderful comments in regards to my dad. We both appreciate them, alot. He is staying strong... it's hard to imagine that the man that I took to preschool for Show-N-Tell because he could lift a car, could be weakened by a mindless senseless mass of cells. (side story: I thought my dad could lift cars b/c he would work on cars in the driveway and they would be up in the air while he was under them. Dude, I was FOUR.. I knew nothing about hydraulic jacks for cars) So, even at 28, my dad is my superman, and I am his princess. PC will tell you that I am "daddy's girl" but he's also "mini's Daddy". He aggravates me, frustrates me and sometimes infuriates me. But, he always loves me, and he worked very hard to make sure that I had everything I wanted and needed. I had a LARGE (the ummm, whole wall on one side of my room) mural of a rainbow when I was growing up, with a pink canopy bed and over 2500 stuffed animals. He is off to Mass General tomorrow to see a specialist and get more tests done. Right now, he's not a great candidate for surgery, but hopefully chemo and radiation will be sufficient. I am trying to be a good little soldier, but on the ride home tonight, I lost. I pulled the car over, and started sobbing. The song I have always wanted to dance with my Dad at my wedding was on and well, it was a mess. But, this is the first time I have lost it... I tend to go through "stages" when upset or greiving. My emotions come at private moments, when I can't seem to push them away.

Ok, now gratutious photo of the "superdog" that my parents are spoiling beyond belief! Do you believe that dogs (or cats ) can sense illness? Rascal lies on the couch with my dad every night and sobs when he leaves in the morning. Also, the dog appears to have begun a hunger strike in sympathy for my Dad. Overall, he's been overly attentive to my dad.

More tomorrow!
:) Mini