Eventually in our lives, be it in a job interview or some sort of personality test or icebreaker, we'll probably all be asked - "if you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?"

I often struggle for a response on this... do I pull something random like Ghandi, so I look deep and spiritual?  Or do I tell the truth?  That if I could have dinner with anyone, I'd choose Rosey Grier.

I find it endlessly amusing, and endearing, that this 6'5" former member of one of the most storied D-lines in football, and former bodyguard for RFK could be totally into such hobbies as needlepoint, and yes, knitting.

When I started knitting, I often heard things like "knitting?  that's something my grandma did." Then one day, a male friend commented that I was knitting, just like Rosey Grier.  Given my love of sports, and not being likened to female octaganarians, I really appreciated the comment.

I was reminded of this today as I watched a You Tube clip of one of my fav blog authors giving a speech, and in it he referenced Rosey Grier.  The blog is 1000 Awesome Things and really a great way to keep yourself in check when the world seems to be crumbling all around you - a feeling I know all too well!  It helps you appreciate the little, simple joys in life - like one of my recent favorites, #396 - when the hold music is actually good.  Check out the site if you have a free minute, or his speech if you've got an extra 20.

I love knitting for babies.  Everything is so teeny-tiny and cute and fairly quick to knit.  And baby yarns are so soft and in pretty pastels that no grown person can get away with wearing.

When one of my best friends learned last spring that she was expecting a baby girl, I couldn't wait to knit up something super cute and pink for baby.  I hadn't tackled booties yet and decided to attempt making a pair of booties with a matching hat.

I was drawn to this Cable Baby Booties pattern from Knitting on the Net because I love cable knitting.  I'd been knitting about a year and a half when I decided to try cable knitting for the first time.  I'd always been really intimidated by it because to me it looked really complicated - but it turned out to be surprisingly simple!  It's such an easy way to add impact to something.

I used Bernat's Softee Baby yarn in Pink (I love the look and feel of the softee yarn) and had to drop down a few needle sizes to achieve the right gauge.  I readily admit that I am not one to knit a swatch and check the gauge, I usually just grab yarn and needles and have at it - as a result my first bootie came out just a little large and looking sloppy. The stitches didn't seem to be that snug nor lay right - I could see through some stitches meaning that little spots of teeny tiny baby foot would be exposed, and that's not something you want when you're knitting something to keep teeny tiny baby feet warm.

Ultimately, once I got the gauge situation resolved, the booties were a very quick knit.  I was able to finish two while watching daytime TV.  Started one when Days of Our Lives came on at 1pm, and was finished with both by the time Oprah was on at 4pm.  I'll be glad to return to work full-time, but really will miss having all this free time to knit!

Once the booties were completed, I went on the hunt for a cable knit baby hat.  I loved this pattern from Sweater Babe because of the design it makes at the crown of the hat.  I wanted it to have a ribbon trim to match the booties, so I altered the pattern slightly to add a row of eyelets, then threaded ribbon through and tied the bow. 

I liked the hat so much that I'm going to try to alter the pattern to fit my own head!