Because I have been doing a lot of lazy-boy sitting lately, I have been craving a knitting project. I headed out to a local shop called Athena Fibers on Saturday afternoon with a few ideas in mind. I picked up a couple beautiful balls of baby yarn, a needle gauge so I can actually tell what size some of the old needles I inherited are, and a row counter so I don’t have to use pencil and paper anymore to make hatch marks. The pattern I picked is called “Pixie Hat” by Debbie Bliss. I am proud to say I completed the gauge, a rather tedious first step to a pattern to make sure your sizing is going to come out like the pattern, and only had a few false starts. Let me just say I enjoy knitting, but I don’t think it is the easiest hobby–working with 4 needles at once!!! Here’s to hoping this little hat is well used and loved by the coming little one! 
This weekend has been most relaxing. I have been indoors much of the last two days due to bone chilling temperatures and snow. My husband is a TV weatherman, and I asked him earlier in the week if we could do something on Sunday afternoon, he looked at me as if I’d lost my mind and said in exasperation, “Ingrid, I have a blizzard this weekend.” Well, silly me–I should have known.
My project for these snowy days has been a knitted teddy bear. I’m not a huge knitter, but I do get the urge every once in a while. I added some little bean bags to give the guy some weight. You can see in the picture I made little sacks out of muslin and filled it will these little plastic balls.
I then stuffed the bear with these and fluffy stuffing.
I can’t say this project went off without a hitch…The body came out the same size as the head, the first time around. I was going to be ok with it, and just call it a unique bear, but Tony said it was hideous. I then risked my life in the inclement weather to drive down to the knitting shop to pick up more yarn. 
He came out pretty cute. Into the hope chest he will go for a little person to drag around someday.
This pattern is out of Debbie Bliss’s book Simply Baby.
