OT: Exciting news!

Mazel Tov! What great news.

Lucille

Congrats!

Hee hee Granny - I saw some baby yarn in my yarn shop the other day that is oh so soft and lovely. I understand it is new. Do be sure to check out the newest yarns before you start, even I could feel an urge to use some of that yarn. It looks almost like chenille when knitted up.

First and foremost. ASK the expectant mother what she would like!!! She may have very decided ideas. For instance, when my dd was expecting her first, she anounced that the nursery WOULD be decorated in Beatrix Potter. Nothing else. A sampler which came from her inlaws was very grudgingly hung up only when they were expected to visit (mind you, in fairness, it was very poor work, unevenly stitched and with a very lumpy back and lots of show-through).

She also announced that anything I knit for the baby had to be in acrylic. No wool, not even machine-washable, just acrylic. Not the cheap, scratchy acrylic, the good stuff mind you (as if I would use anyhthing else!). Unfortunately, her MIL crocheted a dress out of very cheap, scratchy yarn from WalMart, which was put on once for a picture, and never seen again (I told her not to throw it out, just save it for a dolly).

With those caveats, congratulations. Baby things are such fun to make, as long as you know they will be used and appreciated.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans

Joan, all of my grandchildren and greatgrandchildren have 'blankies' knitted, crocheted, whatever by me. Every child needs a blankie, their parents all loved them, the kids all loved them and my granddaughter now early 30s was just reminiscing about the day her blankie blew out the car window as they crossed the bridge to Dartmouth. They arrived at the tolls with her screaming her head off, the toll taker asked what the problem was, my daughter told him and he alerted the cop car to take off, siren going, to see if it was still on the bridge. It was and it was retrieved. The nice cop presented it to her and made some comment about 'every person needs their blankie' - lovely yarn, beautifully knitted, you can't go wrong!

Congratulations!

My advice: Look way beyond baby samplers. Anything can be made into a treasured sampler, and "cutesy" baby things don't last as a decorating theme. I recently did the child's name in a sampler with the letters from Blue Ribbon Design's "Alphabet Zoo", and it came out lovely. I used the extra half-blocks from the "short" letters to put birth date and family info. (I don't bother with weight, height, etc. Nobody cares after 6 mos. But who the parents and siblings are is of lifelong importance! Possibly baptismal date included.) I have made birth samplers by adapting designs from Jeanette Douglas ("Northern Shield" for some Canadian friends, replacing words with birth info) and one with an underwater theme (I can't remember the name or designer) for the child of two marine biologists.

If you must do a "baby" sampler, splurge on something really special! My favorite birth sampler, hands down, is the one I did for DD from Permin:

(Again, I changed the info included in the bottom strips to family history info.)

Wonderful news!!

Sue

Interesting! Do you remember what it's called?

When I was looking for yarn for my hat & scarf last week, I saw some bamboo blend that was really soft. Didn't notice if it is washable or not but am thinking, since it's a summer baby, a lighter yarn would be good, which this stuff is.

Joan

Oh, I most certainly will. She's pretty picky about certain stuff and isn't into craft things, so I wouldn't spend a lot of time on a cs piece unless I knew she liked it. I don't think they've gotten as far as what theme they want for the baby's room. Blankets are another matter, since they'll be used for multiple kids (if there are multiple kids, that is! lol)

Wow, she was pretty demanding! Why *would* she think you'd use scratchy stuff for a baby, anyway? Sheesh.

At least I have quite a bit of time to make stuff. They will be finding out the sex, which won't happen until January, I think. In the meantime, I can start on some multi-colored blanket.

Joan

Hurrah - a baby... Cheryl

Wow, now *that* is public service to the max! What a great memory to have.

Joan

No, I don't, but I will ask her tomorrow, have to call her. She has been soooo good, since I am stuck, she delivers the yarn for me as she lives not too far from me.

I will get back to you.

I told her it 'dated' her because cars have had a/c for quite some time now lol

Thanks and please do. I've done a bit of research these past few minutes and it looks like bamboo is hand-wash only, so I guess that's out of the question. Darn. It was so soft!

Joan

I just finished a beautiful Celtic-design baby blanket in crochet (I think it's in my r.c.t.n. file) and used a cotton/acrylic blend. It is soft - not super-duper, fluffy soft, but very comfortably soft. The blend was to achieve machine washability, which all-cotton wouldn't have done. And there's no point in baby stuff that isn't machine washable!

(Now I'm using bit of the same design for scarves. Started a new one Sunday night for a travel piece for an upcoming trip.)

Sue

Each of my dgc has a blankie hand knit by me. Every one a different color and different pattern, no two alike, so there an be no chamce of siblings making a mistake. Blankie decisions are easy - it's when you get to baby clothesa and baby acessories tht you have to be careful.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Congratulations, Joan. What a thrill that is. What type of blanket will you do?

Dianne

Joan E. wrote:

"Olwyn.Mary" wrote (snip)

Isn't that all you need to do when given a present, whether it is lovely or loathsome. Say "Thank you! How thoughtful of you!" and "you shouldn't have" (which is reallly true in some cases.) Take a picture, send it to the gift giver...and then, whatever happens to the gift is up to you. It is, after all, a gift.

I remember a letter my DB wrote to my grandmother when he was in his early teens and she had given him a truly hideous pair of socks at Christmas. " Dear Grandma thank you so much for the socks. They will be good for wearing with my cowboy boots."

Dawne

Congrats to you and the family :-). What sort of birth sampler will you do? I'm especially fond of the one I did -- to keep for MOI -- when the SMDGD was born. It is a band sampler and the verse (the main reason I chose the pattern) says something like "During your life we wish you two things, one is for Roots, the other is Wings." Has a bit of SRE and Hardanger, too so it's got a little bit of everything. I would even be happy to lend you the chart if you liked it -- I know where you live. Grandbabies are so much more fun. Well, not when they are babies since you know how I feel about babies -- LOL! But once they start to walk and talk and become little people, they are fun. And just wait until about the third Christmas -- it'll be even more fun. Keep us posted on the progress -- of the little one AND the stitching for "it". CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

Excuse me, are you implying we Cancerian crabs are grouchy or something. . . ?

linda whose birthday is July 9!