Wearing Baby Albert

Many moons ago, in fact exactly 2 months before Karalyn was born, I knit the Baby Albert Jacket for her. Almost 2 years later, Karalyn is still wearing the jacket. How did that happen? It was sized for a 12-month old. If you click on the link, you'll see the yarn particulars for this sweater - SWTC Bamboo. The yarn has grown. In fact, it has grown with Karalyn.

In the normal knitty scheme of things, a sweater that stretches out like this is baaaad, very baaaad. Serendipitously, though, for a toddler who needs to go shopping every 6 months for new clothes, this sweater is perfect! She's been able to wear it for 2 fall/winter seasons now and it just keeps on stretching.

I wonder if there's any way SWTC could market this wonderful feature. Superwash and super stretch! Grows with your child! A knitter's dream.

5 Things I Want Karalyn To Know Before She Grows Up

Got tagged by Tabitha on the Got Poo Poos? blog, so here's my take:

Five Things I Want Karalyn to Know Before She Grows Up

1. Being short is OK, better than being too tall.
2. It never hurts to ask. Nicely.
3. You will want to eat vegetables eventually.
4. There will be more than one love in your life, but trust that you will know which one is the best one.
5. Be a kid for as long as you can. Believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Great Pumpkin.

I am supposed to tag 5 people but...um, does anyone still read my blog and want to participate? You don't have to have kids to do this. If you want to do the meme, leave me your blog URL so I can check it out!

Travel Woes Stymie Would-be Safarians

Can't a girl plan a trip these days?

Here's the story. I was supposed to go on one of those trips of a lifetime: an African safari. The plan was to leave January 15th for 9 days of dancing with the "Big 5". Heck. Wouldn't you know, people started killing each other after a suspicious presidential election in Kenya at the end of December. Both parties say the election was rigged and neither side can agree on how to negotiate. Their constituents decided that pillaging, raping and beating people up with machetes was the next logical step to peace and harmony. Sheesh!

Since the beginning of the year, my friends and I have been on pins and needles trying to figure out what to do. Because my trip was supposed to start and end in Nairobi, all this violence has wreaked havoc on my sense of security. My first trip to Africa and there's political unrest?? The nerve of these people.

Like the traveller newbies that we are, we decided to eschew the trip insurance. What for, we asked. Oh, in case we cancel the trip or something, said the travel agent. (Never mind that Africa as a whole is rife with civil and political turmoil). Imagine our relief when the tour operators decided to change the trip itinerary. We would've had to pay additional moola to change our flights and accomodations and therefore they had to offer us the option to cancel for a refund.

We pounced on that refund! I called up the travel agents and gave them a pitiful sad sack story, because, in truth, I am a pitiful sad sack for having gotten myself into this situation in the first place. But now we have a new problem: we can't get a refund on our airfare. Our options are to eat the cost (which would be a huge mouthful and cause an awful stomachache) or use the flights, somehow, by the end of February.

My friends and I are not exactly what you'd call decisive. We don't want to lose our money but we don't really want to go to Kenya. So we're trying our best to do neither one. Our latest plan is to stop in Amsterdam, since that's a stopover. Amsterdam has a lot going for it except, well, the weather sucks this time of year. It's rainy and cold which is the worst combination of conditions. We are currently looking into making Amsterdam simply our European gateway and travel onward to Paris or somewhere in Italy.

Oh, woe is me. Can't a girl just go somewhere on vacation without worrying about machine guns or being hacked via machetes? [sarcasm!]

To Knit, Or to Knit Not, That Is The Question

To knit is to obsess, but to write is to be compelled.

This sums it up for me at the moment. You would not know it by reading this blog since I've gone weeks between posts, but I need to write. More. And often. About anything and everything, not just knitting. This blog has to evolve beyond just my yarn habit and knitting projects.

I've been mulling over my blog malaise for a little while. It isn't that I don't want to blog, but I just don't have much to say about knitting lately. Lack of knitting doesn't define my life although how would you know since I haven't blogged about it?

I'm considering changing my blog altogether, maybe even moving off of Blogger. What's holding me back is selecting a new name. All the witty, pithy ones have been taken. But I feel a little ridiculous that, as a person supposedly creative with words, I can't come up with something meaningful. The irony. Bloggers' block.

Did you make any new year resolutions? I did not. Personally I do not like resolutions, they don't motivate me in the least. In fact they accomplish quite the opposite! Most resolutions seem to focus on the negative - lose weight (because you're fat), stop procastinating (since you're lazy), get fit (because you're a serious couch potato). See what I mean?

Resolutions should be something enjoyable so that we want to actually do them. Let me see...I know I said I didn't make any resolutions but here are some examples of some that appeal to me:

I will read more books, and not just about knitting. I will not feel guilty about reading a trashy summer romance novel.

I will take a bath, using good bubble bath or salts, on Sunday nights before going to bed. Preferably with a book.

I will bake cookies and cakes more often for fun and share with friends.

I will spend more time in the backyard with my daughter and husband - whether we're swimming, barbecuing or pulling weeds. It will feel good just to be outside with my favorite people.

Hmm. That wasn't so hard. Maybe I *will* make a few happy resolutions after all.