WIPAD

Work in Progress All Done. And no, it's not the ruts.

It's a little tunic for Rose to wear over pants and a turtleneck. Rose doesn't like stuff swishing on her legs very much. She loves to wear dresses, though, so she just puts on pants or leggings under them. I feel like every morning is a scramble to fine something that matches and that she will consent to wear.

My mom, having been asked NOT to get her any toys for Christmas, got her a delightful Peruvian sweater, alpaca, pullover, with little girls appliqued on the front, and little black yarn braids. Rose LOVES it, and strokes the little girls. However, I have never gotten it on her. She knows that the neckline will be tight, and the applique stitches will be "poke-y" on the inside. She knows it will itch. I have tried bribery and subterfuge. I think I'll just stuff it and let her have it for a pillow.

Oh- and socks? They can't be the athletic type with terry loops inside. Too poke-y. They have to be smooth, colorful and MISMATCHED. Yes. That's her fashion statement.

Anyway.

For this little tunic, I took a length of the fabric, cut it to fit across her shoulders and drape to a V, and cut an asymmetrical neckline. It is edged with knitted "reins" made out of that crawly kind of yarn. The reins just loop out where the side closures are. Then I cut out a rose and some leaves from the scraps, finished them and popped them on with a button. (I see from the detail shot that the blanket stitching is careless. Squirm, squirm!)

I hope she will wear it!

In other Rose-related news, she has a hellish cold, and keeps trying to wash her face because she thinks she has food on it. No, it's her poor, scaley skin, rubbed raw by the softest tissues we can find. She was a little squeaky on Thursday, and a little sniffly on Friday. On Friday afternoon, her school called and asked me to pick her up, because she wasn't "having a good day." Huh? I had visions of her smacking other children, running away... by the time I got there, everybody was sweetness and light. She HAD been horrible, but they figured out she was feeling rotten, and got her settled down.

I know they really love her there. I know she's learning. I know she can make it there. I just need THEM to acknowledge it. I'm already worrying about next year. (Although last year, I started visiting kindergartens in November, so I guess this is a little better.) She is delayed in her motor skills, seriously delayed in speech and language, and her willpower is titanic. But, she is a sweet, joyful child about 90% of the time, and fortunately she charms everyone before they see her dark side.

Sigh. We love her very much.