send in the clowns...

A few years ago, DH and I started the adoption process through public adoption. We've taken in a handful of foster kids via foster relief (essentially, taking care of foster kids while foster parents were on vacation, so we had kids for a few days to a couple weeks at a time) in the meantime. Thankfully, though, after about 4 years of waiting, we took in a little boy last October. He was about a year old when he came to us, still as a foster child. He did become a crown ward back in January, but the birth family is appealing the decision, so we're still waiting for all that to finish (still) before we can start signing the adoption papers - which we hope to start this month.

He's an absolute joy to be around, and we're so happy to have him! The waiting to sign the papers, though, is tedious, but it'll start soon enough, so there's hope. 

That being said, I of course have been doing a fair amount of knitting for him. I've knit him a toy for a gift for last xmas, and a cabled cotton vest for spring/summer wear. I've started, yesterday, to knit Mr Fortywinks - a Jean Greenhowe pattern that I've had in my collection for a little while. I just have the legs started:

 My MiL found a few booklets of Jean Greenhowe toy patterns, which I've been meaning to start ages ago, but I've now gt a good excuse to start one. It should be a fairly big snuggley clown - and it'll eat up a lot of this Bernat Satin yarn that I've got stored in a big bag.

stash busting - turtle style!

Ok, I know - lame Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference. Had to be done.

I just finished knitting knitty's sheldon - I wound up using almost half a skein's worth of Red Heart Super Soft yarn, between 2 colours. My cousin's having a birthday party for her one year old son on Saturday, where this guy will be gifted.

Not a huge fan of the pattern, although the end result is adorable. It's just in way too many peices, and I hate sewing. But, done nonetheless, and a relatively quick knit.

sock monkeys finished

How ironic is it to make sock monkeys not from socks? Weird, right? lol... But anyway. I knit a couple sock monkeys, as my Holiday-Headstart knitting begins. The dark grey one is for my nephew, and the light grey one will be for my neice.

I have a hard time sewing things evenly, which is why they look slightly different... but they are the same design. The pattern is from Patons, and each measure about 18" tall.

Lance the Squid

I finished knitting & felting this squid a couple days ago, although I haven't had the chance to photograph it until yesterday.

It's for DH ... an inside joke, really. He's got weird words that mean nothing, one of which is "squidulence"... I don't know why he says it, but he's been saying it for a while. So, I've decided to give the word some meaning, sorta, by making a Squid Named Lance (which sounds sort of similar...)

Yes, I know... I've got little else to do ;) Bear with me!

The pattern for it is here - the only thing I would make note of is, when joining the tentacles, to join them at the top of the purled section of the bottom part of the torso. I stitched them @ the bottom, not really paying attention to how the bottom of the squid'll close up. But no mind, I knit a little extra peice and joined it in to fill in the gap.