the things we do for love *edited*

I have a confession to make.

We are not a Disney princess household.

We are not a Dora household.

We are not a Barney household.

We are most definitely NOT a Teletubbies household.

Daughter does not even know who the Wiggles are (and frankly, neither do I).

We have not sworn our allegiance to any commercial characters...with one notable exception. We have allowed Daughter to pretty much totally immerse herself in Sesame Street. This is for various reasons, chief among them the fact that I actually believe she learns something from Sesame Street, and also, it doesn't irritate the heck out of me and make me want to stick things in my ears like those other shows do.

I'm not interested in having tutus and pretend high heels and fake makeup around the house - yet. Maybe when she is a bit older, but for now, Big Bird, Snuffy, Telly, Grover (my favorite), Bert, Ernie, and yes, even Elmo, are our preferred addiction around here. When we go to the library she heads straight for the "vee-os" to pick out "Bert & Ernie's Word Play," or "The Street We Live On," or, heaven help me, "What's the Name of that Song?" (which she has nicknamed "Da-Dee-Da-Dee-Dump").

She doesn't have much in the way of character clothing, either. No Barbie or Dora pajamas, no shirts with Elmo or Zoe or whoever. This is largely because of me...I dress almost exclusively in solid colors and I tend to dress her that way also (I was maybe Amish in a former life, who knows).

BUT!

Last week, in a rare moment of free time all to myself, I was browsing the aisles at - where else? - Joann Fabrics. More specifically, I was looking for pajama fabric for Daughter's winter PJs. They used to have a small rack of flame-resistant or flame-retardant fabrics, but I couldn't find it. According to the employees, they don't sell it anymore due to liability (something about it being flame-resistant when you buy it but as soon as it is washed the chemical that makes it resistant washes out). We discussed it and agreed that probably once flames are that close to your child, the material in their sleepwear isn't going to make a heck of a lot of difference anyway. (Yikes!)

So I moseyed on over to the flannels. And the licensed character prints sucked me in. There was one with Elmo and Cookie Monster playing soccer...nah. Baby Elmo and Baby Zoe crawling around in wee diapers...nah. Pooh Bear, Strawberry Shortcake, Cars, blah blah blah, no, no...and then? My brain exploded.


I just had to buy this fabric. I had a coupon, people! I couldn't help myself. Daughter would go totally bananaramas over this, I just knew it. So why not? One and three-quarters yards later, these PJs were born.

I finished the top yesterday and tried it on Daughter. She lost her mind. "LOOK! MOMMY! IT'S SESAME STREET FRIENDS!" She touched them all and named them, and just kept marveling at the awesomeness. "Oh Mommy! I love this shirt! You make it for me? I LOVE IT!"

Mother of the Year, people. Mother of the Year.

The details:
Butterick pattern #3109 (technically for boys but who cares?)
size 2
1.75 yards of 44" flannel

Very simple, very fast, and I will be making another pair out of some much more subdued flannel. I made one change:


The pattern calls for 4 buttons, but I thought I might like to try snaps instead. Daughter rolls around a lot in her sleep, and I'd hate to see the buttons pull open or worse, pop off. Snaps seem like they'd be a lot more secure and safer, too. So we ran out to the store for a Dritz snap fastener kit (the kind you pound in with a hammer). Click the photo for a closeup view.

These snaps are awesome and pretty easy to use, but I must recommend you take them outside and do it on some concrete or asphalt, or perhaps the basement floor if you have one (we do not). You need the resistance of a really, really hard surface to make the prongs 'grip' when they are hammered.

Also, if you don't do it that way, you will do bad, bad things to the antique trunk you use for a coffee table. The one your in-laws gave you as a graduation gift when you finished your master's degree. Yeah.


Hello, I am an idiot.

Next up: pullover hoodie for Daughter in Cascade Sierra that Karen gave me waaaaaaaaay back when. I have been waiting for the 'perfect' pattern to present itself, and I finally decided to just enjoy the yarn and make something simple. And it's working. The yarn is heavenly, and I could knit this pattern in my sleep (uh, and sometimes I do, late at night).


Besides, after ripping multiple projects, I need a nice, simple knit that I know will be a success!

I'm all about positive reinforcement.

**Edit: Oops, I just realized that what I said about kid shows could be misinterpreted as me being condescending or something...I'm not saying there's anything wrong with letting your kids watch those shows! We just prefer Sesame, is all.**