Here's the back with an instant gratification Cottage Creations gingerbread (took less than a day & I didn't knit all day) that I made last week using discontinued Brunswick Germantown yarn from the stash...it's a bit mis-shapen, don'tcha think? The kids love it, that's what counts!:

I still need to knit the sleeves for the Shapely Smooch top & I'm trying to decide how I want to do them. They'll probably be knit separately & sewn in rather than knit onto the top...I've also been swatching other yarns to try to decide what to work on next. I've been swatching my Gedifra Wellness (from Elann) & Luna Silk yarn (from artfibers)... I'm finding that I like the look of the swatch on tighter than recommended gauges..but this is before washing/blocking, so I'm not sure what to do...should I go with the recommended gauge for the yarn or go with the gauge that I like? No photo updates of the Cabin Fever tank top, but I've been working on it during swimming lessons...it's 100% cotton & it's all I can stand working with in the hot weather... it's about 5" along now. Evan & Micah have been working on their knitting a fair bit this weekend. Micah is doing a sweater & it's supposed to be "oversized"...we did a "try on" when we switched from the smaller needle to the fatter one & it is HUGE for an 8 year old size...it's supposed to be about 37 inches or so... he's knitting in the round & changing colors when HE feels like it! He's doing a pretty good job. The pattern in Kids Knitting calls for drop shoulder sleeves, but I may have him do set in sleeves instead, we'll see! At the rate he's going, he may be able to wear the sweater this winter. He's using Paton's Shetland Chunky yarn, which is 75% acrylic and 25% wool. He initially said that he wanted to make Reuven a sweater & not knowing that he would knit and knit and knit, I figured "let's make it in a middle-aged-kid size so he can grow into it" and he's got about 5 or 6 inches done on it so far...

Evan is making a teddy bear tunic from the book "Sweaters for Teddy Bears: book I" by Betty Lampen... he's doing really good considering he's only been knitting a couple of weeks! He's using red heart rainbow yarn & has only been working on this since Thursday or Friday:

We had to do a lot of fiddling with Paint Shop Pro to get the colors to come close to reality...I think the tunic could have come out better, but y'all get the idea! If this keeps up, we're going to have to set up a family knitting blog! I do have some worries about the boys terrorizing my yarn stash, but right now they're mostly interested in mostly acrylic yarns (machine washable)... Harrison is learning to knit also... when he wants to knit, he sits on my lap & then we do the rhyme "under the fence, catch the sheep, back we come, off we leap"..he can do some of the knitting process himself, but has not been able to do a whole stitch alone...someday! Reuven also likes to sit in my lap while I knit, and will hold one needle while I knit...for him, it's mostly for cuddling & watching...