Skin of my teeth

Like a lot of people, NOTHING motivates me like a deadline. The latest case in point. I have known for 7 MONTHS that my son's teacher was having a baby in early April. However it wasn't until about a month ago I kicked myself into gear to start working on her baby's present(s).

Sheldon/Shellie and her blanket

So, what to knit? I am a pragmatic knitter and am always searching for that practical yet cute knitted baby present that stands a really good chance of getting used. I've knitted countless hats. I've done custom blankets for all my sisters' kids (four and counting) as well as lace and sampler blankets for my own two.

My go to gift of late has been this toy dragon byZaryffa Sandan. It's quick, very cute and sturdy. And it will be at least a few years until the child truly outgrows having a dragon around. :)

However for the current baby in question, I decided to go for a car capsule friendly baby blanket with accompanying turtle. It would be made out of washing machine friendly yarn and in the colors that the parents had decorated the nursery in. I wanted something that was baby/bomb proof. No manner of baby produced fluid was going to be too much for this blanket. Need something to put on the floor as an emergency diaper changing area? No problem. Want a barrier between the floor/ground and the squirming 6mth old that needs some tummy time? Sorted.

The blanket, as per the pattern, would have a pocket to fit in the turtle in. So, out of my raverly queue came: Sheldon's Baby Blanket and Sheldon. I have been wanting to make these two for a LONG time. I think the date I originally queued the Sheldon pattern  was sometime in 2008.

There was one "small" snag in my execution. I didn't have the colors I wanted in DK weight in my stash. So, I used the left over yarn from the blanket, which was worsted weight. Sheldon came out bigger (as expected). However I didn't have time to redo the pocket on the blanket. So, Sheldon will just have to ride along in the diaper bag. :)

Purple Sheldon

I finished the blanket with 8 minutes to spare before I had to walk out the door to deliver it. The baby, a little girl,  arrived two weeks early on Monday. Mum and baby are doing really well. I won't get to see the Mum's face as she gets to see the blanket and Sheldon/Shellie. However, I truly hope she likes it.

It's all gone

I endeavor to keep this blog primarily about my knitting exploits. However sometimes life and knitting meet in such a way that leaving out one half of the story does not make sense.

In my previous post about the hats I made myself, I failed to mention that I had a specific purpose in mind. Yesterday, I had my head shaved by a lovely lady named Alison. She spent the morning helping to shave about 20 people along with myself. We were shedding our locks for Saint Baldricks - a charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research. My team mates and I have currently raised over $15,000 and are hoping to raise a bit more.

So, the hats are now in constant rotation. However there is a downside to knitted hats on a freshly shaven head - they stick like velcroe. :)

So, I know you wanna see what it looks like.... So here you go....

My kids and I immediately after the shearing.

Here is the link for our St Baldricks Team, Team Thompson. It was such a blast.