Step Into My Thimble

Two weeks have passed since the last post…a bad cold followed by allergies really got in my way lately! But I’m all better.

Here is the first version of the Oliver + S playsuit. A more subtle one, in green and pinks, is coming soon.

I’m knitting a section for a comfort shawl right now, and I also just finished a pillowcase dress for Maeve using scraps from this skirt. Next things include a baby item for a friend, and something for me. I’m leaving my family for 2.5 days, my first overnight away from the kid, to go to a conference in Tacoma in June. What will make that easier? A summertime knitting project for myself. Yeah.

Sometimes we martyrs mothers forget to take care of our own needs. I did something about that for myself yesterday.

The bracelet tutorial was on Whip Up a couple of days ago (by way of Cornflower Blue Studio), and I had a little unscheduled time yesterday during Maeve’s nap. It only took about 45 minutes to make, and I’m wearing it to work today. Love it!

As soon as the rain and thunderstorms get out of the forecast, and we have some warm afternoons, I’ll show you Maeve’s new Oliver + S playsuit too. It is adorable and like the Amy Butler skirts I’m going to make several more.

If you’re thinking about buying the pattern, here’s a bit of my insight. Maeve is currently 33 1/2 inches (85cm) tall and weighs about 26 pounds (11.8kg), at exactly two years old. She is not “chunky” and in fact seems to be moving into the “skinny” territory lately. I made the 3T size and it fits fine, not too loose in the torso, and not falling off at the shoulders. I’m sure the 2T size would have been OK, but the 3T gives us room to grow, and maybe it will fit next year too! I think the key difference is in the length. Since she’s still in bulky cloth diapers this year, the extra crotch space is useful; next year when she’s in underpants the length will likely be right again.

I also made the whole entire thing without using the iron, which I know is bad (especially when sewing curves!) but I had no problems–in fact I was surprised how nicely it turned out. The only thing I don’t totally love is the snap tape on the crotch. I bought a yard of it, and it probably would have been better to sew on twill tape at the crotch seams and then add your own snaps. The position of the snaps on the pre-made tape allowed for three snaps across the opening, but there really should be four. That fourth snap fell right where the tape had to be cut and folded, and there was no getting around it.

Pictures soon!