Bokkie en Bulle

Oh my goodness!  We're having baby fever in the Houston South African community!  As a knitter, of course, it is my duty to knit something for every new baby.  This past summer, our first friends to be blessed with a little bundle of joy were no exception.  The husband is both a huge John Deere tractor fan and, as most South African men are, a huge Springbok rugby fan.  I found the CUTEST pattern for a tractor sweater from Roo Designs.  Designer Gail Pfeifle designs just about the most adorable baby and toddler sweaters you've ever seen.  Seriously, go click that link and look at those sweaters.  If your ovaries didn't start hurting by the time you got to the owl sweater, you're a stronger woman than I am (or you just don't have ovaries).

I knit mine in Berroco Vintage, which is a super soft, washable acrylic/wool/nylon blend, and which has a great range of colors, including the perfect John Deere green and yellow:

Sorry about the shadows.

Halfway through this sweater, I realized that the "perfect John Deere green and yellow" were also the perfect Springbok green and gold.  So, of course, I had to knit a Springbok sweater.  I charted the Springbok myself, used the same Roo Designs Tractor Pullover pattern for the body, and then used a chart from the Roo Designs Number Pullover for the number on the back, which I set higher up instead of centered, and I changed up the sleeve striping to have just 2 stripes to make it more like a real little rugby jersey:

I know the Springbok is a little wonky, but I still think it's cute.  And so did the daddy-to-be.

Now we have two more South African friends who are pregnant, and both want Springbok sweaters for their upcoming babies! Luckily these things are quick to knit and lots of fun, too.  One of our friends is a big Blue Bulls fan, so he's going to be getting a Blue Bulls jersey, too!  Little does he know... =)  I made the chart today, and will probably knit it up over Christmas break.

I thought I would post the charts here in case anyone wanted them.  Note that these are NOT the patterns for the sweaters themselves, just the charts I made for the Springbok and Blue Bulls logos.  If you want to make these sweaters, hit up Roo Designs for their pattern, or design your own!  Or use them on a hat or socks or whatever you want!  Just click to embiggen, then save and enjoy.

Click to embiggen.

Ditto.

Simplicity

There's not much in my life outside of law school I can handle right now.  Basically, I can handle knitting stockinette in the round, watching Food Network, napping, and occasionally cooking.  Not a very long list!  My brain is so spongy and bruised at the end of a long day of class and reading that I just honestly cannot handle anything more complicated than staring and drooling.

Staring and drooling.

There has been knitting.  Oh yes, there has been knitting.  Again, all I can really handle is stockinette in the round right now.  I've discovered I can knit and read, but ONLY knit.   No purling, no lace, no cables, no shaping (OK, minimal shaping).  As long as I keep it simple, I can function.  And as long as I have that little "click click click" going on in my hands, I can read and study and just manage to keep myself from thinking about stabbing someone with a highlighter.

Keeping me functioning (and from committing a felony).

Comfort food is good, too.  Case in point: the Kentucky Hot Brown.  Long, long ago (1995-2001) in a land far, far away (Kentucky), I would eat the crap out of a Hot Brown for about 5-6 nights in a row once a year.  During the Lexington Junior League Horse Show, we'd stay at The Campbell House (which has now apparently been bought out) and eat Hot Browns at the restaurant almost every night all week.  A Hot Brown is a heart attack in a casserole dish.  Basically an open-faced turkey sandwich with tomato, smothered in cream sauce, topped with cheese and bacon and then broiled.

Possibly fatal in large doses.

Comfort food and stockinette.  Possibly the most perfect combination of stress relief known to man.  

Life has been complicated the past few months.  There was a family crisis, the house practically collapsing in around us, law school drama, car break-ins and theft, insurance drama, car repair drama, more law school drama...  It's getting to be a bit much. 

So here's my new plan: keep things simple.  Keep EVERYTHING simple.  How simple?

This simple.