I bound off and finished - seamed, wove in ends, etc - the Whirligig Shrug I've been working on for the past couple of days. I used a soft 100% cotton yarn (Universal Cotton Supreme) in the prettiest shade of dusty rose for this project. Many of the baby projects I've knitted in the past have been in the non-"traditional" (cliched?) baby colors - think neutrals and greens rather than pink and baby blue (aka Columbia blue) - so I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this project in a thoroughly baby-girly color. The yarn itself is among the softest yarns I've ever worked with. The Universal Cotton Supreme is similar in softness to the Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton, but with a slightly heartier twist, which bodes well for better durability. I can already tell that there will be some pilling, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that it wears relatively well. As for public photos - none 'til after the gift lands in mama-to-be's hands - stay tuned :o)
The other FO is a pair of clamdigger-length pajama pants for me, which I made using the "Pajamas for Everyone" pattern from Heather Ross's book, Weekend Sewing. At Sister L's suggestion, I added a few special details to the basic pattern: I added grosgrain ribbon ties to the elastic waistband, with grommets at the front for the ribbon ties to pass through, as well as a bit of eyelet trim at the leg openings. The result is highly satisfactory, though not perfect. (Instead of hand-sewing the waistband opening that I'd used to thread the elastic-ribbon combo all the way 'round, I attempted to sew it shut using the machine, resulting in a rather curvy line of sewing right below the grommets :oP)
"Pajamas for Everyone," from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.
The conclusion: I think I'm feeling confident about my idea of sewing either pajama pants for the dudes or nightgowns for the ladies in the family for Christmas. Including the soon-to-be in-laws, that would be... 2 pairs of kids' pj pants, 4 pairs of adult pj pants, 2 nightgowns, and a pair of boxer shorts. Better get to tracing, cutting, and sewing! I think I'm going to need a sewing machine of my own!
