Baby Judge
My husband Rob has a new job starting this fall. He is going to be teaching art at a small school nearby, and when I say “small,” I do mean small. 160 kids K-12. (The 4th grade has 6 kids.) He is also, because everyone does double duty at these small schools, the librarian. And because he is the librarian, he has an extended contract and has been at the school working all this week even though school doesn’t officially start until next week.
So, Monday or Tuesday, he was asked by the school secretary if he wanted to judge babies at the town fair on Friday night. “People in town want to meet the new teachers,” she said. Also, apparently, the new teachers’ spouses, because I am going to be judging babies tonight as well.
How in the world does one judge other peoples’ babies? Are they going to give me some criteria to follow? A rubric? Do I take off points if the baby cries? It’s great that the community wants to meet the new teachers; I give them full marks for that. But this particular activity seems just as likely to make enemies of the townsfolk as friends. What if we place the mayor’s baby dead last, for example? Or worse, the president of the school board’s? The pitfalls are numerous and hidden.Â
Oh, Lordy. Good thing we both have natural charm and good looks.Â
I finished the first sleeve of the Nicola cardigan the other night.
                                                   As you can see, I did decide to make these 3/4 length. (My sister-in-law Pam agreed that this would be a good idea. Thanks, Pam!)
The other emergent sleeve:
                                          Not yet very emergent.
Here’s the I-cord edging on the sleeve.
Did I ever mention that I really dislike knitting sleeves? I don’t fall prey to second sock syndrome so much, but I definitely have second sleeve syndrome. In fact, I believe I have first sleeve syndrome. It’s unclear to me why I feel this way; no doubt it’s some deep seated moral or psychological deficiency, but there it is. Yet I am pressing on with these sleeves.
The back:
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I’m hoping to finish this weekend. I’ll need to lay in some Honey Brown for that I-cord, though.
(OK, Rob just told me that apparently “babies” means children age birth to six years. This is not reassuring. Six-year-olds could actually be his students in Kindergarten. Oy.)
August 18th, 2006 at 9:51 am
I share your sleeve angst, and I’ve never been sure why either. I like Wendy’s notion of “sleeve island.” Somehow I do feel adrift, if not completely castaway, whilst knitting sleeves. Which I’m doing right now, oddly enough. I knit the “Ljace Kofta” from A Gathering of Lace, and it’s been done all except the sleeves for months now. Since Joan Schrouder will be teaching on my knitting cruise, it seems like it would be nice to have the sweater done and be able to show her.
I wish I were knitting my sleeves as fast as you seem to be knitting Nicola’s sleeves!
I just love this blog. You and Ellen are both way too much fun!
August 18th, 2006 at 11:13 am
Maybe it\’s genetic. I also have \”first sleeve syndrome.\” Every time I get to that point in a sweater, I quit knitting it and take up socks or lace or some other thing and spend a couple of days trying to recall if I know anyone who doesn\’t have any arms to whom I might give the sweater as is.
Ugh.
Your sweater is really beautiful though, and you have such a good start on the sleeves.
About the baby judging, well, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. The older kids actually make it worse. And as much as I hate to say it, most littler babies look approximately alike to me (small, fat, cute)—except for the ones who are decidedly ugly. Not good, not good.
August 18th, 2006 at 11:17 am
I don’t know why the site is adding those slashes in my comment. They are there unbidden, I’ll have you know.
August 18th, 2006 at 11:30 am
When ‘the good child’ was in cub scouts (20 years ago) everytime they had any kind of contest, every cub got a prize. Some of the prizes were very original (and required great originality from the judges)…like the Tooth-Pick bridge contest where the judges awarded a prize for the sturdiest bridge (read wood-bridge-made-from-2×4-scraps). So maybe you can award prizes for ‘The Best Pig Tails’ (the child obviously ‘styled’ her own hair) or ‘The Most Played In Tee Shirt’ (child played in the mud before coming to the event)…
And, sleeves. Maybe try knitting the sleeves first? Then, when you have the back and front(s) finished, viola! the sleeves are already done. I continue to LOVE this blog.
August 18th, 2006 at 11:36 am
Sure, sure, blame the site! Might as well blame the site admin, eh? 😉
(I know why it is adding them, but I’m not sure how to remove them.)
In any case, judging babies? What? Do they get ranked? Are you going to be able to say to the face of a 5-year-old that they’re a grade-D baby? Will each baby get a little sticker, “Inspected by 17,” or something like that? “Sir, I think you might want to have this one sent back while it is still under warranty.”
Being the dork that I am I couldn’t help but think of the “Fitter Family” contests of the 1910s-1920s.
August 18th, 2006 at 10:07 pm
Thanks for all the comments, guys! Shelda, I’m so glad you like the blog–that is high praise indeed because I know what a great knitter and all-around great person you are!
Ida, I thought of that approach myself, but it was all already set up for us with one boy winner and one girl winner. But it would have been nice if they’d all gotten a title.
I’ll tell you all about the fair and the judging next week. Stay tuned…