Knitting: One Skein Baby Bolero for Tess

This was my overdue--early labor--hospital post-partum project. Since Tess arrived later than expected I found myself with a clean mental slate and the freedom to pick any project next. So I picked this baby bolero pattern from the book, One Skein.

 

This seemed like the kind of thing I could do quickly, but not anxiously, and it was. I used a skein of yarn from my stash--Reynolds Cabana in yellow (907). This was a yarn my mother had picked out to knit a sweater for her first granddaughter, my niece, and I've had the leftover skein for six years now. It was nice to use it for another of my mother's granddaughters.

I love the sunny yellow color!  But I had exactly one skein and ran out so I used a contrast color for the ribbed border in this great Tangerine yarn (Lily SugarN' Cream). I also added a single crochet edging to the sleeves, which I think is a nice finish with the two colors. I love these two colors together. And I'm laughing because I seem to be repeating a similar color palette for Tess!

 

Well, two color palettes, actually. I've got this one going: tangerine, coral, white and yellow, as in the Heirloom Cut Chenille Baby Blanket I made her. I just purchased fabric for a car seat cover unintentionally in the same colors. And then I have the palette from her crib bedding: linen and lavender. I would actually like to combine these two in her eventual nursery because I love them together!

This color palette thing must be a bit contagious as my good friend, Sue, just gave Tess a darling little one piece Zutano outfit in similar colors. Perfect to coordinate with the sweater!

I realized that I haven't knit anything since making this sweater for Audrey for Christmas! Crazy. I guess I have just been really into crochet. It was nice to get back to knitting and I was glad I didn't seem to have lost too much (phew!).

My favorite thing about this little bolero is the eyelet detail on the back. Difficult to see in these photos but so so cute on the baby--the book shows a picture of a baby all curled up on someone's chest with this little eyelet showing.

 

The pattern has a great method for adding the ribbing to the bottom, by using waste yarn to cast on in the beginning and then removing it. Loved that! Don't love picking up stitches all along the front and neck. That process is always so slow for me. Also don't love the seams, which in this worsted weight yarn, end up pretty bulky. I'm a huge fan of seamless sweaters and can't wait to get to a few on my list!

I thought even though this sweater is sized for a newborn it would be way too large for my little Tess, but it turns out it's not too far off. Lucky thing as Fall weather seems on the horizon. She could even wear it right now as my little preview demonstrates. Here is sunny Tess in her yellow bolero lying on her Heirloom Blanket. What fun we're going to have!

Crochet: Tess in the 0-3 Month Best Baby Cloche

 

So amazing to have little Tess here safely. So fun to finally be able to hold this little person we've been anticipating. I can't resist pulling out the things I've made for her and seeing how they look. Taking pictures of her in her crib, laying her on her blanket, trying on her layette...  I was so happy to see her little cloche fits perfectly! Not that a new baby needs any embellishment, but what a cutie with that flower on her head! 

She's Here: Tess Augusta

She finally arrived! Little Tess is here.

She kept us waiting longer than her older sisters, going overdue by a few days. But she was certainly worth it. To us she is perfect. Healthy and beautiful and a sweet mix of her sisters.

Nice to finally give this little girl a name too. Her father and I were able to agree on "Tess" and "Augusta" is a family name (both Augusts and Augustas) on my side. Nice that she also happened to be born in August. We liked the idea of continuing our pattern of a first name we both loved (more difficult than it sounds) and a family name for the middle name.

Tess is doing her jobs well so far: eating and sleeping and keeping me busy diapering. She has received perfect check-ups, thank goodness. We are so blessed to have another baby. It's a miracle we went from zero to three children in a little over four years!

 

Her older sisters loved her immediately. Audrey is especially taken with her saying over and over: isn't she beautiful? Oh...look at Tess...

Tess is a good sized baby--weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and 20.5 inches long--but still seems so tiny. It's difficult to quit taking pictures. So many precious things to document. This little foot, the long fingers, the sleeping expressions, the eyes opened, the eyes closed....

 

And of course with the awe comes the humilty too. How to do her justice? How to raise Tess and her older sisters in the way they deserve?

So much responsibility with such a small bundle.

We love her.

Cooking: Pasta Salad with Peas, Salame and Feta

I'll admit I have a bit of a thing going with pasta salad this summer. But it's just so easy, the possibilities are endless, it's a great way to get your veggies, and I love having a bowl of it in the refrigerator for lunch, dinner or a snack. So here goes another. This may be the best yet, if you put any weight on the reaction of my extended family. It's a highly seasoned combination.

1 lb campanelle pasta (could use bow ties), cooked, cooled and drained
1 package frozen peas, thawed
1/2 c. sliced black olives
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
6 oz italian dry sliced salame, cut into 1/4" strips

Dressing:
1/3 cup white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried crumbled tarragon
2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
pepper to taste (I used four turns of the pepper grinder)

Put the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Put the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify. Pour dressing over pasta ingredients and stir gently to combine. Chill for about an hour and serve.

Sewing: Linen and Lavender Crib Bedding

I didn't think I would finish this, but since this baby girl decided not to be early like her sisters I had extra time. So her crib bedding is finished! Not that she needs it immediately, but I feel better having a little nest for our new one. Especially since she doesn't have a room of her own... It looks lovely outside though...

The room that will be hers eventually is the only of our children's bedrooms with stained window mouldings. The idea of cherry wood threw me for a while in my nursery concepting. Seems a bit more tricky (to me anyway) to come up with a color palette and "feel" than if the trim were white, as it is in the other rooms.  Cherry seems more masculine, or at least more grown up, but I kind of liked the challenge too. I was thinking for a while about something very British in feel--perhaps a Spode-inspired blue and white, or blue white and a shade of magenta. I even I found some pretty fabrics but they seemed too serious. I love the whimsy of Audrey's and Scarlett's rooms and wanted some of that for this baby.

Then a few weeks ago as I was finishing the lavender cardigan for Audrey, I tossed it over this crib (which has been sitting elegantly in our entry!) and loved the combination. I also loved the idea of using linen--one of my all-time favorite neutrals. So it was decided: linen and lavender. I seem to be on a bit of a lavender kick this summer. Audrey has inspired me I guess. 

It's always dangerous to start getting ideas in one's head as it seems the actual fabrics or wallpaper or furniture is impossible to find, but I lucked out in finding this jacquard upholstery fabric (at one of my favorite stores) and decided to use it as the only pattern. It feels a bit youthful and whimsical to me even though the palette is sophisticated. I just wish I'd purchased more as I decided to use it on both sides of the bumper and now am out, and the store is out too, and who knows if I'll find more. I was thinking of stashing some for the "big girl" version of the room--throw pillows or something. Maybe I'll find some eventually.

I used a Vogue pattern as a reference for the bumper and crib skirt but ended up calculating measurements on my own for the most part and then totally ignoring the instructions because I improvised so much. Rather than piecing the skirt per the pattern I bought a full bolt of the fabrics and cut strips as long as each of the sides--much more satisfactory final product I think. I added the contrasting band to the skirt, made wider and longer bumper ties, added piping to the bumper and lengthened the skirt decking as the last couple I made were about two inches too short. I'm glad it all worked out! I had to hand sew the entire bottom of the bumper, which is not my favorite thing--way too slow--but it's finished and it was worth it.

I was toying with the idea of finding another patterned fabric for the fitted sheet (maybe a small polka dot) but decided to stick with a solid lavender and I like it. The bed feels very serene to me. A good place to fall sweetly to sleep. More subdued than the other girls' crib ensembles. Maybe I'm mellowing as I mature?

The only "problem" with having finished this is that it really makes me want to do the complete room. I would love to incorporate some of the great apricot and coral shades from this baby's heirloom cut-chenille blanket--love lavender and apricot together. I think I'll display the blanket, in fact it would look gorgeous tossed over the crib I think, and think about using that shade on the walls somehow--paint or paintings or something. We'll see how the timing works out on that project, but for now, at least this little baby has her own crib to come home to.