It had to happen sometime...

Knitting!  sneaked up and caught me. Under the guise of finding a right-sized response to babies.  See below for the Last Baby quilt

So far:
2 cowl scarves (for me)
1 buttoned scarf (for dear Mother-in-Law)
1 pair of socks (for dear girlfriend)
...1 pair of booties for an actual baby

and an unspecified number of new balls of yarn and needles. That list is completed projects, mind you.

There is also the lure of Ravelry which I joined two years ago, suckered in by the chatter from my knitting mates. If there is anything as cool for quilters, I have not found it yet. So my stuff is there

Honestly, it's only on the bus, I wouldn't knit in actual quilting time. honest.

Could be the Last Baby Quilt

Max arrived recently. His big sister has one of my quilts, so he gets one too. I make them fairly quickly out of whatever is at hand, and take particular pleasure in giving them a complementary pieced backing made from my stash of flannel samples. Max's is a triumph of the scrap ethic, made completely from the left-overs from another quilter's project.

I've said it before: this is my last baby quilt.

Why? there are bound to be more babies, some with a family precedent of a quilt from Auntie Sarah, and all needing quilts. I have more than enough fabric, and get a lot of pleasure out of being able to bring a special gift.

I have to stop, because snuggling in behind that fuzzy feel-good factor they are thieves.

The baby quilts steal my most precious, scarce resources: time, willpower, focus. I do good work on them, but not my best work. I offer that work up to the least critical audience imaginable. I romanticise the beauty of the motherhood I don't participate in. I choose to make a pretty baby quilt rather than struggle with the challenge of creating the weird wonderful unique images that rarely get past the sketchbook.

I make the baby quilts as cuddle rugs to comfort my own fear of inadequacy, of failure, of success. Knowing this, how can I make another?

....and again!

There's a new baby - Finn McCoy Jordan, born last night. A quilt is needed!

Just when I'm getting on with a bunch of serious art quilts large & small. Still, there's always time for a baby.

Thank heaven for little people...

Even though I keep saying "No more baby quilts", they are my great saving and keep me going through periods of thin inspiration and scarce time.

Every baby needs a quilt... they're my favourite way to celebrate others going where I dare not follow. A baby quilt is an opportunity to make something smallish, light-hearted, useful and still original.

So... here's my latest, for Ryan. His dad is an astronomy buff.

It even has back art! fuzzy flannel, so it won't slip off the cot