Knitting

13 March 2013


I have been racking my brains for a while now trying to decide what to knit for a friend who is expecting a baby at the end of next month.  The reason for my dilemma is that the baby has three grandmothers who are all knitters, his older brother (the baby is a boy) received lots of jumpers when he was born, but what else to make?  The lovely Yarn Along provided me with inspiration, socks.  There were lots of posts about socks last week including socks made for little ones.  I knew that none of the grandmothers were sock knitters so my present was sorted.  I knit several pairs of socks for Christmas presents so I have a few ends of balls of sock yarn waiting for a small project.  I trawled Ravelry and decided on a pattern called Cozy Little Toes.  These socks knit up a lot quicker than large adult ones!  I have knit one sock, nearly completed another and have now cast on a third.

I have been reading a book that I was given for my birthday last year, it has been waiting in a pile on my bedside table, Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn.  I had read and heard so much about this book, I have already read and enjoyed Punished by Rewards by the same author.  I an a few chapters into the book and it has been a cathartic read so far.  My parenting was called into question recently and has led me to do some soul searching about the way I parent.  When I read....

When we make children obey by force, threats or punishments, we make them feel helpless.  They can't stand feeling helpless, so they provoke another confrontation to prove they still have power.  And where do they learn to use that power?  From us.

....I hold my head high and know that I am doing the right thing.

Joining in with Tami for this weeks work in progress and Ginny for this weeks sharing of knitting and reading.

17 comments:

  1. Little baby socks! What a pleasure to knit them, especially as they work up so quickly.
    I found Alfie Kohn hard going. In many ways I agreed entirely with his point of view but it's a harsh wake up call read for a parent, I think.

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  2. The socks are adorable! They make a fantastic gift. I had the same situation with a friend and they got lots of sweaters for their baby but mine were the only socks and they loved them:)

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  3. Baby socks are the perfect baby gift. :)

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  4. Socks are a great gift! Babies need so many pairs. If you make a few make them in different sizes too, so she can have more later too! I have only once been able to make a pair of adult socks (I lack patience) and they were hideous. But with my last baby I knit a ton of socks for him and even came up with my own pattern. Baby socks I could knit all day long, they are fun and a quick gratification!

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  5. knitting baby socks rocks! love those yarns.

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  6. Baby socks are fun! There's another pattern I could recommend - Better-than-Booties Baby Socks by Ann Bud. They're really cute and practical!

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  7. Knitted baby socks is a great present for babies!

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  8. Oh such a great quote...something to ruminate on for sure. The socks are lovely! Great colorways. I'm sure they will be very happily received!

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  9. I don't knit socks. I should really try that one day...
    Parenting can be tough and filled with doubt. As I read on Facebook the other day: "behind every great child there is a mom who's pretty sure she's screwing up". That's so true!

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  10. i think baby socks are the perfect idea, i love the little things!

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  11. I agree - baby socks are lovely and also such a good quick fix as a knitter :)

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  12. Never heard of this book before, but I just popped over to the link and I'm now popping over to Amazon to buy it!!
    Very cute socks.

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  13. I love knitting baby things, instant gratification!

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  14. Love the socks! And thanks for linking to the pattern as I am going to check them out! :)

    What a thought provoking quote. I have not looked into this book but it sounds like one I would definitely like to read. Thanks for sharing it as well.

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  15. I reckon boy babies are among the hardest to knit for ... teeny socks are the perfect solution :D

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