The Hunt Is On

The pattern hunt, that is. And it is occuring right here in this house. I'm trying to locate all my smocking patterns in sizes newborn-12 months. This is a major undertaking, due not so much to my slap-hazard housecleaning methods, but simply because things have been moved around so much since the sewing room was damaged. Oh, well. The end is near.





So far I have found this one, which is what The Princess wore home from the hospital (white batiste trimmed in cotton lace trim):

I made the one on the left, and I must say she looked absolutely divine. But yall already knew that, didn't you???

I have my eye on these two, from here.

The T-Yoke Dresses and....


The Baby Smocked Layette.

Yum. I need to send someone downstairs to get that credit card, ASAP. I could probably get away with blue smocked daygowns for a baby boy (or two) just once, couldn't I? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Here's a progress picture of the left front of the Minimalist Cardigan. I did most of this last night during the New Orleans/Tennessee ballgame on TV:




This is moving right along. I'm happy.

I have spent time (while knitting) during the last week, trying to decide why I like knitting so much.

Like I've said before, I love knitting with this particular yarn (Cherry Tree Hill). It is so soft, and so pretty, and shows off the stitches so well. I really am hoping for lots of cold weather so I can see if this wears as well as it knits.

But there is more to it than just the color and stitch definition. I'm a continental knitter, and it really surprises me that one of the things I enjoy about knitting is the feel of the yarn running through my fingers and over the back of my left hand as I work. And I've noticed the same thing with the As Yet Unidentified White Lace Item that I posted about yesterday. One of these yarns is 100% wool and the other one is 100% cotton. So it must be a tactile thing.

I love the process of knitting. I love seeing something grow in my hands. I look at every stitch, touch every stitch, admire every stitch (even the ones I end up ripping out and redoing).

The smocking process has the same effect on me. As does sewing. I take my time with all these handcrafts and enjoy each and every step, from beginning to end. It's nice to have a completed item to wear, use, or give away, but thinking about the process, doing the process, and being pleased with the results of the process is where the true reward lies.

And I guess that's why I spend so much time doing these things. Having darling babies to do it for just makes it all that more worthwhile.