On the Needles (and other stuff...)

I hope that you haven't fainted - this is my second post this month!  My life is starting to slow down, with the result that I'm actually able to work on some things that I want to do, rather than things that I have to do.  Well, I did do a few things that I sort of had to do, but they were fun things, so they don't count!
But first - my "On the Needles" report.  Our neighbours just had their first baby a week ago - a little boy - and I am frantically trying to finish a sweater that I had started before Christmas.  The yarn and pattern are kind of gender-neutral, so I didn't need to find out what the baby's sex was, but it helps to know if I'm knitting for a Billy or a Susie...
I found this free pattern on-line, and had 3 balls of the called-for yarn (now discontinued), which is just enough to make the largest size - 22" if I recall correctly.  I have the front almost ready to divide for the neck, and the back is almost finished too; here's the pic:

 I'll probably do the sleeves next, and leave the hood for last, just in case the yarn isn't going to make it all the way - I can always alter the pattern then.

I also have 2 finishes for you - these were gifts, and I was hoping that they'd be in the hands of the recipients before I posted them - first is Pears the Elephant: 

She was meant to be a Christmas gift, but the knitting ended up being a little more of a project than I was expecting, so she was finished up Tues. morning, just in time to go to her new home.  Next up is the baby sweater that my new grandson was supposed to wear home from the hospital.  It was supposed to have a little hat too, but there wasn't enough yarn to complete it, and the yarn is discontinued...  Then I realized that the pattern was for a 6-month old - MUCH too large for a newborn!  It will be ready for wearing either this spring or in the fall.

And finally, I had mentioned in my last post that I had sent some quilt blocks to my friend Cathy, for a swap that we're doing.  She let me know that the blocks arrived safely, so I may share them here now: 

We're doing a Disappearing 4-patch quilt with large-scale florals, 4 per month for each of us, probably for 10 months.  I didn't have a really big floral stash, but I've found some fun ones since we started, and now I've spent part of the afternoon cutting florals for the next 2 or 3 months - do you think I'm getting excited about this swap?  I sure am!!