The first thing that I finally finished was the baby sling. I didn't have a baby sling with my first child and I was remembering my tired arms from carrying him when he was really little, so I thought a sling might be a good investment. I found this free pattern online, which incidentally was pretty much identical to one of the slings that I found in a boutique for close to $70. The pattern was easy to make, I ran into a few snags because I made it reversible and I tried to make a few short cuts. Take my advice, no short cuts when sewing!!! But other than that it was easy. I will say that it was difficult to find the size that fit me the best. I made a few practice slings out of some extra cheap fabric that I had, to get the perfect size before I used my good fabric. It was also hard to judge the size because I don't have an infant that I can take for a test run and I also have a large belly in my way :-) I made the final sling with Amy Butler fabric and so far I really like how it turned out. I will find out in a few short months how it works and I will let you know.
The next thing that I worked on was another baby blanket. I knitted one for my first child by using 2 different colors simultaneously to create a variegated effect and I knitted it in a seed stitch. I wanted this blanket to be similar but different and I stumbled on this pattern ... so I made it. It was VERY easy to make; it was simple crochet using 3 different colors at the same time with a size 35 crochet hook (or what they call a speed hook). The only adjustment I made was the size; the pattern called for 6 skeins and I used 9 in order to get a similar size to the one I made for my fist child. I really like how thick the blanket is... this will be a winter baby and I think a heavier blanket is going to come in handy.
I have a cousin that was due last week with her first child that is supposed to be a girl. So, I wanted to make her a blanket as well. Luckily I had a pink and white baby blanket that was almost done just laying around the house. A few years ago I had a friend that told me she was pregnant and I immediately thought that she was having a girl, so I started crocheting her a blanket. Right after I finished crocheting it she had her sonogram that proved me wrong and the blanket has been laying around here ever since. I decided to tuck in all the ends and get it ready to send to my cousin. It was lucky that I had that left over, otherwise I don't think I would have had the time to make her one.
I would also like to knit my cousin a small stuffed toy to send with her blanket. I made the reversible dolls for her brother's twins earlier this year, and I think it would be nice to send her something little too. The dolls take me way too much time (which I don't have right now) sooo I found this pattern for a small knitted bear. I haven't even started on this yet, but it looks like it will go pretty fast and I have plenty of yarn at the house so I won't have to go buy any. I haven't heard if she had her baby yet or not... so I still might have a little time to get it done. 
Another project that I would like to get done in the next week or so is an organizer for all of my knitting needles and crochet hooks. I usually keep them in my Grandma's old knitting bag, but it is hard to locate specific sizes. So last night I drew out a plan for an organizer that will hang from the wall or can be folded and rolled like most knitting needle organizers. It is going to be pretty large but very easy to sew. Hopefully I can get this done in the next week or 2 and post a picture of the final result.
Since I have been looking for projects to complete around the house, I finally got my granny square afghan done!!!! I am glad to finally have it done, but I was a little disappointed by the size. It is much smaller then I thought, but I figure someday when I am really bored I can get some more yarn to make more squares and super-size it.
What else? Oh, so last week I got sucked into the "Twilight" book series by Stephanie Meyer. Each book has a bout 500-600 pages and I read all 4 in 5 days!!!! Since I am not a teenage girl and I have a firm grasp on reality, I felt a bit strange reading this series..... but Meyer seems to have a way to keep you reading right up till the end. The series was getting a lot of good reviews and all 4 books are on most Bestseller lists, so I figure it was definitely worth checking out. After having this intense need to read for 5 days, when I was done reading I felt extremely bored. I decided that I needed a new project to keep me busy so I didn't pick up another book that consumed my ever free minute. I then found this pattern for a shrug. I have been wanting to knit a shrug for a while and I thought that this was the perfect time to do it. All of my maternity clothes are for the summer... and since the shrug doesn't extend to the belly, I thought that I can get away with wearing this before and after the baby gets here. I am not quite done with it, but it is getting there. The pattern is fairly easy and straightforward and I am definitely refining some of my knitting skills like picking up and knitting stitches. :-) I will show the finished result when I get that done.
I also made some thank you cards from my son's birthday. Elsie Flannigan had a few baby pics that she posted on her blog a while back that I used as inspiration. She took the pics of the baby on a large round hay bale and I got an idea. I hooked up with a friend of mine and we took the kids to her dad's farm, where low and behold... he had some round hay bales. Well, anyway here is how they turned out:
Front:
Inside:
I think that covers all of the things that I have been up to lately (as if that's not enough). Now my brain is going crazy thinking about the things that I need to get done before the baby comes like.... make my son's Halloween costume, make the birth announcements (as much as I possible can at this point), make my Christmas cards so that all I have to do is add the picture and sign them, get a few things made for my cousin that is due at the same time as I am, and that doesn't include getting ready for the baby. Hopefully I can get some of those things done really soon so that I have more time to rest before I don't have the luxury of resting :-)
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