Leftovers

The coat done - what next?? I woke up feeling, lost - I had nothing to knit. Oh, I had plenty of projects on needles, but they don't count. Well, it's present time -- new nephew arriving and dad's birthday the same week in September.

I hate knitting baby presents. I've said it. Yeah, they're cute, yadda yadda, but the bottom line is that often a. they're unappreciated, and b. the parents put the kid in the handmade garment for a photo op, take the kid out of the outfit, wrap the outfit up in tissue paper, and save the outfit - for what? what are they saving it for? To pull it out 20 years from now, go aw - Auntie Wendy made that for you, and you never wore it.

The other thing I hate more than knitting baby outfits, is baby showers. I avoid them like the plague - actually, the plague is preferable, at least you lose a few pounds and there isn't a jello mold in sight -- so it's not surprising that I have two baby garments on needles, and the babies for whom they were meant are well on their way to toddler sizes. I have this:












which only needs a button band, collar, and this:





Unfortunately, this pattern is MIA, as I've either lost or lent the Debbie Bliss book the pattern was in to someone who held onto the book, as they probably didn't finish their baby present either.

And, can you really regift a gift that was never gifted? What I mean is - shouldn't I be knitting something for my future nephew with my nephew in mind -- I knit this for YOU, isn't that what I should be thinking? Wouldn't it be cheating, and kind of cold, to pass off something knit for a baby that I didn't even care enough about to actually finish the little cardigan?

While I was mulling this over, my brother called - the father of my future nephew. He said, quick, get on Jdate -- this new guy is going to be on, and you need to snatch him up. How do you know? I asked. Because he was engaged to a friend, she dumped him, he's definitely looking to get married, and I'm sure he's reactivated his profile. You need to strike while the iron is hot! This immediately didn't smell right to me. Isn't that like looking for an apartment in the obituaries?

So, with that in mind, I decided fresh is best - and off to Rosie's I went, early dismissing myself from work at 3:30 on Friday. I picked a hoodie - because every newborn needs a hoodie - out of Rowan's Pipsqueaks -
And, rather than wool cotton (which is $10 per ball), I picked the Zara, which was on sale for $5.50 (look, I've already guilttripped myself into making a whole new baby thingy when I have two perfectly good things started, I can buy the sale yarn!),and while I watched the world's worst movie on On Demand today during our typical Philly rainy Saturday afternoon (meet the Fockers - do we really need one more smacked ass movie that makes Jews look like we all stepped out of Jackie Mason routine??), I quickly knit up the back:


And, I do feel much better that I'm not recycling for my new nephew - just as I won't be looking for leftovers on Jdate.