Nearly Finished!...

I kept my hands busy this weekend, completing the knitting for the baby kimono. Just in time, too! I saw that the baby for whom I've been making this was born on Thanksgiving Day! My dear friend, Wendi is a grandma for the first time, and I'm so thrilled for her. Being a grandma is one of the greatest blessings I've been given.

Now that the knitting is complete - except for grafting the sleeves together - all I have to do is cut the lining and sew it in. I waited to join the sleeves so that I could measure, cut and assemble the softest flannel lining for it.

I'll do that today, and this piece will be finished and ready to wrap for the new parents. I'll take a few more photographs when it's all done to share with you, along with a picture of the beautiful, wee girl born to Danielle and Josh. Just past their first wedding anniversary, they are now parents. God is good.

Knitting At Night...

This is one of my earlier baby kimono projects, but I wanted you to see what I'm working on after the sun goes down.

Remember last October when my girlfriend's daughter, Danielle got married? Well, she and her husband, Josh are expecting a new baby in December (very close to my Birthday!). I'm invited to their baby shower the end of this month, so I decided to make a baby kimono for the wee one.

I may line the one I'm working on with flannel this time. I'll decide after I finish the knitting. It's a perfect project for evenings, as I'm more comfortable working on the cardinals during the daylight hours. That project is coming along nicely, too. I'll share photos of that tomorrow.

I want to thank you if you've left a comment on any of my most recent posts while I was away. I'll catch up with responses in the next day or so. I love reading what you have to say to me after each posts, so thanks for each one. Thanks so much!

Rain, Rain, Go Away. A Bridal Shower Yesterday...

Brynwood Needleworks - Danielle's Shower Cookies

 

Yesterday was so much fun! I spent about four hours with friends for a bridal shower. My dear friend of nearly twenty five years is going to be a mother-in-law in October. Her eldest daughter is getting married, and Sunday was the bridal shower, hosted by her younger daughter and the bride's attendants. 

 

The weather was perfect. It was chilly and overcast in the morning, but by the time I was driving forty minutes south, the temperature had risen and the sun was shining.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - The Future Bride

 

Danielle, her younger sister and brother (not in attendance) were mere kidlets when I first met Wendi, and over the years we have quite a few shared memories. I was so happy to be invited to share in the making of a monumental new memory for their family.

 

My guess was that there were at least fifty others who were as happy to be there as I was. The venue was decorated perfectly; the food (in typical Wisconsin style) was abundant and delicious; and even strangers were just friends in the making.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Toilet Paper Bridal Gowns

 

We played bridal gift bingo (you had to fill out your own card with gifts you thought the couple would be receiving, prior to Danielle beginning the gift opening, and then x out your squares if/when they were revealed when opened); a "how well do you know the couple" questionnaire;  and there was also a contest to see who could make the cutest bridal gown from up to five rolls of toilet paper. Each group (loosely) consisted of five women (except the ladies at my table left shortly before this game started, so I grabbed my model and went to work on my own). Can you guess which dress I made?

Each "tp bride" received a small gift, and the winner (which we weren't) received an extra gift. It was all great fun, especially seeing all the creative ladies in the room.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Party Favor Coffee & My Bingo Win Towel

 

I won a bingo gift, so I chose a button tab kitchen towel (created by Wendi's mom). I was drawn to one kitchen towel with a chicken motif on it, but I know you're not surprised that, in the end, I chose coffee! Then, on our way out, our party favor was a cute package with coffee from a local shop (enough for twelve cups!!).

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Dear Friends

It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, and to be able to get together with a woman I admire (and the daughters she's raised into amazing young women) was icing on the cake. I made sure to get a photograph of us together before I left to drive home. 

 

I'm really looking forward to the wedding, and plan to create something special for the bride and groom. As the wedding is in October, I have plenty of time to lend some thought to what I want to make for them.

 

So, last thing...if you leave a comment guessing which tp gown I made, I'll have a little gift for the first person (or everyone) who gets it right. I'll let you know on Wednesday!