Knitting on a Thursday

Well, this seems weird, posting a knitting update on a Thursday instead of the Wednesday Yarn Along that I've participated in for quite a few years.  I have to confess to being anal retentive and a creature of habit; it's going to take me a while to adjust to not having the Yarn Along anymore.

I have Toad's sweater finished (including the blocking) with the exception of the buttonbands and the sewing on of the buttons themselves.  This pattern (Little Shore cardigan) calls for blocking once the body and sleeves are finished, and only after that do you knit the neckband and the buttonbands on the front.

I plan to knit the two buttonbands tonight; I think I can get them both done in one evening.  I have to confess that I don't have the buttons for this yet.  There might be enough of the right size and whimsy in my button stash all ready, or I might have to do a little shopping; I'm not sure at this point.  No big rush on getting those buttons on as I plan to knit K3 a sweater too before giving this to Toad.

Originally my plan was to knit each of them a sweater for Easter, but then (after discussing the idea with DH), I decided that I didn't want to give the sweaters as gifts.  Mainly because most of the things we have bought/made for those kids are never seen again once they get to DS1 and K2's house.  A total lack of organization on the part of the parents and a ton of gifts from the other grandmother are the main reasons things seem to get lost in that house.  Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I believe that having a place for everything and everything in it's place makes daily life much easier, plus you can 'inventory' the kids' clothes at a glance and know what fits and what has been outgrown (and make sure things get worn before they get outgrown. . .)

Instead of gifting the sweaters, I've decided that, like the aprons I made the kids earlier this month, the sweaters shall stay here at my house, to be used when the kids are here.  Because the more often we have them over, the more obvious it is that lack of extra clothing or weather appropriate clothing isn't an oversight in the hectic moments of getting two children out the door to go anywhere, it's just the way it is in that home.  *sigh*  So DH and I have come to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to have a stash of 'extra' clothes, hats, mittens, etc here for the kids.  That way, no matter what their parents send with them for their weekly overnight visit, the kids will have weather appropriate attire to wear outside to play.  A sweater makes a nice substitute for a jacket in the spring and fall, and on cooler summer nights.