Greetings from Life as a Working Mom!

Hello again! Such a lag in my postings, I know, I know... but what can I say, being a mom keeps you busy! I've now been back at work for 3 weeks. In some ways it seems like I never left! But in most ways, it seems like my old life lies years in the past.... the baby is doing great at daycare - I think it was a tougher transition for me than for him! But the highlight of my day, every day is going to pick him up. I can't wait to scoop him up in my arms and kiss his smiling little face! I could go on and on forever about him, but let me re-focus on knitting.

One project I did complete on my maternity leave was DS (dear son)'s Christmas stocking. This is the Ancestral Christmas Stocking pattern, or at least a modern variation of it published in Mason Dixon knitting. This was my first attempt at Fair Isle, so I did have some trepidation doing the snowflake portion of it, but I am very pleased with how it came out.


I did have a couple variations from the written pattern. First, I was knitting using DPNs and the instructions called for circular needles. So I did have to do some re-arranging of stitches on my DPNs, but if you've knit a sock before, it's pretty easy to do. Next, The red diamond field is supposed to be argyle, but when I put in the green stripes via duplicate stitching, they didn't come out looking even, so I just took it out. Third, I didn't knit the Fair Isle portions inside out, per instructions. That direction just seemed shady to me. And finally, I didn't block the stocking. I'm scared to! Even though this is Cascade 220 superwash, I spent so much time on this, I don't know what I'd do if I blocked it and it.... I don't know.... got pulled out of shape...? Or... the Fair Isle got twisted and ruined the diamond field or the snow flake? I think if this was a smaller project, or didn't have so much sentimental meaning to me, sure, I'd block it. But... I just can't. Do I need someone to hold my hand when blocking it, literally? Yes. So we'll just wait-list that activity.


This stocking is LONG in length! Not long like the toe pools up on the floor when hanging from our mantle, but long enough where DH and I will have to work to fill it! DS probably won't care that his mommy made this for him when he's a little boy or even a teen, but maybe later on he'll feel good about it. Regardless, it means a lot to me. The top of the stocking has his name on one side and the year of his birth on the other.

I plan to make Jason and me Christmas stockings as well, but no time soon. I'm instituting a "one stocking per year" knitting policy!

On to more projects - finishing a simple scarf I started for myself some time ago, and maybe a few Christmas gifts for friends and family. I definitely don't have as much time to knit as I used to, but I still try to take even just 10 min or so each night to knit a little. It makes me feel like I'm still making progress, even if it's baby steps!!! (Get it? Baby Steps????).