Finally Finished!

Yay, it's been less than a month since my last post! I finally got the kids to go down for their nap, so I can update you on what I've gotten done around here.

I started this pair of socks at some point while I was pregnant with Sebastian to carry along to doctors' appointments. As each holiday approached, I thought "I can get these socks done and use them as a gift!" but no. I finished them up over the weekend and my husband snatched them up before I could tuck them away for Valentine's Day. That's okay, I have another gift up my sleeve (as long as I can get it sewn in time lol).

 Pattern: BirthiversarChristentine Socks (Ravelry link)

Yarn: Patons Kroy Sock Stripes - the Kroy yarn is now my husband's favorite sock yarn. Out of all the pairs of socks I've knit him, the yarn I can get for $5/ball is his favorite. Not the hand-dyed, not the Trekking, but the Patons. Oh, well, it takes all kinds. :)

When I go to Maryland Sheep & Wool this year, I'm keeping my eyes open for some new sock yarn to try out. Hopefully it'll take me less than six months to finish the next pair!

I also finished another nightgown for Caitlyn. We've been having a pretty mild winter here in PA, so I wanted to hurry up and finish her long-sleeve flannel nightgown before it gets too warm - although they'll probably fit her this upcoming fall.

My little monkey. :) I'm thankful that she loves nightgowns! Whenever I fold their wash while they're playing, she'll come over to see if there's a nightgown in the basket. If there is, she'll pull it out and put it on over whatever she's already wearing.
Pattern: M5965 from McCalls - this is my go-to pajama pattern for both Robert & Caitlyn. So far, I've only done it in flannel, but I'm looking forward to using cotton and knits as it gets warmer.

Fabric: Some clearance Debbie Mumm flannel that I got at JoAnns for 70% off! Score!

I did a couple things differently on this nightgown, and I'm happy with how they turned out. It's hard to see in this picture, but for the armhole seams and the ruffle seam, I actually topstitched the seam allowance down. I don't have a serger and for some reason neither of the sewing machines I was given can do zig-zags, so I thought this would help keep the edges from fraying. Also, the pattern calls for a staystitch around the neck before pinning in the ribbing. I didn't do this on her first nightgown but I did this time, and I can definitely tell a difference. It's got a relatively wide neck as it is, but doing the staystitch really helped prevent the fabric from stretching, so this neck is more narrow (which is good, seeing how big it is on her!)

Alright, I'm off to find something else to finish before the kids wake up!