proof of knitting.

really, it does happen on occasion. and sometimes i even finish a project. like this little number.

the baby shrug knit up in sock weight midnight from shibui knits. this was my first time knitting with shibui. the name alone would make me buy it. i love saying that word! i enjoyed working with it and if i were a sock knitter that actually finished a PAIR of socks, i would definitely use this yarn for a pair. i also chose this yarn for the color. i knew i would love how it looks on bea with her blonde locks (even though at the time of purchase it was barely more than blonde fluff). i was not disappointed.



the pattern was well written, easy to follow. the main pattern is a four row repeat, which after a few rounds was easy to memorize.
it also hides errors pretty well. i'm sure i made a few. i opted not to do the buttonholes, because i didn't foresee using them.
still looks great without them i think. they seemed unnecessary, unless you just want some extra embellishment. the pattern says that each size (0 to 3 yrs) will fit a wide range of ages. i didn't do gauge (because i'm lazy) and i'd say this is true. i knit the medium (1 to 2 yrs) and it fits both bea and henry (though it's a little snug on him). and yes, he was a willing model.




the day i shot these photos, bea was not so willing to put it on. i had to wait hours for her to agree. i thought it was yet another knit to be denied by her. but, i feel redeemed. when we were on vacation last week she was cold so i put it on her. later in the day when it had warmed up again i thought she might be getting hot and asked if she wanted to take it off and she said NO!
i was so relieved. my knitting queue for her is long. it would be no fun to have a girl who doesn't want to wear knits!



so now i am drifting in project limbo. i have some sewing projects on the table, but no knitting ones as of now. randomly working on dishcloths to keep my hands busy during movies. i am on the search for a sweater pattern for henry. so far i haven't found anything i loved. any suggestions out there?

long overdue.

way back in february there was this thing called valentine's day. maybe you've heard of it.
i'm not too into it, but it is fun for the littles. i got around to making them each something (though bea's didn't quite turn out - i'll share that later).

i walked into my lys knit night some time ago and was immediately drawn to this book. i wanted to make just about everything in it! when i brought it home it was a big hit too and the requests came flying in. first on the list was this guy



he's made by knitting up a few rectangles in garter stitch. super simple. i used ella rae classic except for the feet and bowtie which are leftover berrocco. the stitching up part was a little awkward for me but i did the best i could. he's a bit wonky, but so are we, so he fits in just fine.

i'd never knit a toy before and i really do want to tackle that book. so many cute things (ravelry link) to make!

my goal is to at least have a toy in the works always. right now its felted super bouncy balls. (that's really hard to type with a straight face).


i'm also chugging away on bea's shrug. it is slow going. i made a mistake somewhere and hopefully ripped back to the right place. now if i can figure what row i'm on it should be a breeze from here on out. hopefully it will still fit here when i'm finished.


and for those of you reading this. thank you. it means a lot to me that you are taking time out of your day to stop by here. i've been here sporadically and i'm hoping that will change, but i just haven't had much to say. so, thanks for sticking around : )

continuation of things i love.

and things i want to make.

my creative mind is in overdrive. all i want to do is make make make. all i need is time time time.

i do this thing where i squirrel away all these creative inspirations i find on the internet, books, magazines. before i can touch most of them i discover even more wondrous things to imagine making. then on occasion i go threw these reserves and edit them a bit. i try to be realistic about what i am capable of doing, experience-financially-and time-wise. and there are things that just never budge from this crafty wish list.

i have an insane desire to sew lately. it's almost all i want to do, though i do have a few knitting projects on the needles or about to be. but for some reason it has hit me that my sewing skills are getting better and it's time to tackle some new projects, lest the skills start to recede. so, the other day i went through my fabric and yarn stash which is relatively small and decided on the next few projects i plan on taking up.

and here is my list in no specific order:

several of these, because i fell in love with them the instant i saw them. i want a row of these hanging in bea's room and a couple for henry. and possible one to hang downstairs to gather up the bits and pieces from the day that will eventually need to be placed back upstairs.

the super quick + easy baby quilt seen in this post. i've got some vintage sheets and linen just calling to me for this project.

a long awaited scarf for henry. i've saved up some of his 'baby' clothes, ironed and cut the pieces and now i just need to layout the patchwork and sew that puppy up! he's been asking for a scarf and it's not quite what he asked for. i'm going to make it oversized so it will (hopefully) fit for years and years. this is what he has specifically asked for after seeing this one. but with a beard.

***note to self: put this on the list now!***

and i did add to my collection of fat quarters some pretty plaids. i really want a quilt. something simple that will get used and abused loved like crazy. something for sitting in the yard, for outdoor concerts in the park, for taking to the beach, for indoor picnics. i was inspired by this lovely one and have the layout done up just so.

so these are things i can't wait to begin working on. maybe by the end of spring i'll have one or two done : )

in the meantime i have the cutest little shrug on the needles (two sets of needles to be exact). i was about finished with the first cuff when i decided i didn't like how my cast on edge looked. so i cast on again, but kept the first one on the needles in case the second start didn't look any better. it did. so, here i go again!

this is the yarn i'm using.

and that is my crafting wish list. how about you? what's in your queue?

a cap for me.

so, now that some of those ducks are lining up (or the laundry pile is temporarily diminishing, a few emails have been replied to), i can steal a few moments to share a finished object. yes! of the knitting variety (sometimes i think i need to remove the word knits from my blog title).

way way back in october i started this little ditty. come november amidst all the stockings i had knit, i finished it. come february, i finally photographed it! lets just say i knew it would snow and was awaiting the right conditions.

she was a quick and easy knit done up in berroco vintage sloe berry. i was grateful because i thought maybe i was losing my mind trying to knit something up for myself with the holidays approaching. turns out this was the perfect thing. i mean i was in need of a hat. and respite from the stockings i had going (not that the stockings themselves were bad, but the repetition could get to me).

i'm not really a hat person, but i have sensitive little ears. when they get cold they burn! so this was the perfect year to have a decent head cover since it has been so much colder and windier than normal. like i said, possibly i just knew the right conditions were coming. or maybe it was just the years of wishful thinking!

***my cute little niece, amaya, was the most willing model. and she was just perfect!***

favorite friday

the crafting community. because you people seriously rock and know how to open your hearts.


if you are like me and a little slow to the game then maybe you haven't heard about craft hope's etsy store - craft hope for haiti. if you haven't (i just learned about it over the weekend) you really should check it out. so many lovely and unique hand crafted items for sale with all proceeds going to doctors without borders. as of this morning they have had over 1000 sales and have raised over $20,000!!!

my donation at craft hope for haiti was posted early this evening and has already sold! ***thank you***

if you haven't made a donation they are taking a break from accepting donations for a couple weeks. they still have hundreds more to post! keep checking in with them though because the store IS still open and they may be accepting more donations at a later time. and don't forget that craft hope always has a donation project going. project 6 is still underway and there is plenty of time to knit that up by they february 14 deadline.

the bag

as in the manly indiana jones carrier of found treasures bag.

this was henry's gift. i had originally intended to make it for his birthday back in august, but the cape, the cake, the planning, well . . .

i moved it to the christmas to do list and let it go. ahhhh.

so, of course i waited until christmas eve to sew this baby up. at least i had already cut the fabric. i'm getting smarter that way. i'm learning to cut and iron or iron and cut my next couple of projects or so at one time in the chance that i may find a moment to actually sew. that is if i take a break from knitting.

i knew i wanted to make henry a bag. he's a gatherer. he needed something for carrying his finds (and maybe a few of mine). it had to be durable and it had to be boyish. and i really had trouble finding a pattern i liked. then one day i happened upon this great pattern at mmmcrafts. i'm not quite sure how i ended up there but i am so happy i did. it was perfect! i only had to make a few modifications because henry is three and therefore short. so i shortened the strap (not enough) and made the bag itself a little bit shorter (i used one of his notebooks as guide). since i shortened the height of the bag i also made the exterior pocket a little smaller.

i have to admit i impressed myself with this project. the pattern was perfectly written and really couldn't have made it any easier, but i did things i had never done before in sewing. i made a bag with a liner! i added pockets!! i squared the corners!!!

i did have some troubles in the beginning and i am so glad they didn't deter me. when it comes to sewing it's too easy for me to let that happen. tension was a big problem. maybe because i was using a heavy fabric? i also tried using a heavier gauge needle and thread and then decided against it because the tension problem was getting worse. but, in the end i made it work.
and now the boy can tote his treasures. light saber, pez dispensers (aka action figures in our house), the infamous frog, and i can only imagine what else that bag will end up carrying.

i can't wait to see the treasures it carries home though!

the owl {complete}

as promised there are more gifts to share. this is one i am so proud of. it turned out so closely to how i had pictured it in my head before i began making it. basically, i made my own version of these.

i drew the pattern free hand and attempted several versions of legs and feet. i still don't feel i got that part quite right, but i'm still happy with the outcome. the best part was putting the fabrics together in different combinations, which is not my strong suit. the legs were originally going to be a dark red fabric with a black pattern, but those did not turn out so well. it was a good mistake because i love the stripey legs on the owl just as i like it when bea has stripey legs!

the fabrics are a mix of new, hand me down, and repurposed. years and years ago matt's grandma gave me bunches of fabric. two of those are what make up the wings. the corduroy is an old jacket of mine that i wasn't wearing anymore. the back is a fabric i've had for some time and have used little bits here and there. and the yellow and green striped fabric are relatively new and were meant for other projects but they just worked so well i had to use them. (i love that yellow!)

bea snuggled onto the owl right after she (with henry's help of course) opened it on christmas morning. it's a laugh to see her carrying this big bird around! it's great for breaking her falls. i think in the next few weeks a wee version of this owl may make its way to the sewing machine. something a little easier to tote around.

one more handmade coming tomorrow - if i can get some decent pictures.

the knitty gifts

well, now its time to start sharing all the good crafty things that were going on here over the past few months.
admittedly, most of the crafty time was spent on stockings. but once those were done i started on the projects that were intended for others and for warming. and then ended up with a pair myself because, well i had time and it was malabrigo. hard to resist that temptation.



i used this pattern which was so easily memorized and travelled well (and is also on ravelry). i was reluctant to knit them flat which is what the pattern calls for but i was afraid i would mess them up somehow if i knit in the round. which, by the way, i am sure a better knitter could do with no problems. oh they would knit so quickly in the round. i had these timed at about 2 netflix movies per pair. give or take a few breaks. and they are great by themselves or over your favorite gloves for added warmth.



**i did slip a stitch at the beginning of every row which i think made seaming them up a bit tidier**

and the malabrigo. oh my. i love this stuff. i went on a mini malabrigo binge i admit. but it was crazy economical in that i could get two. TWO. pairs of gloves from one skein. it really was a great gift to knit up. so soft. so warm. and choosing the colors was so difficult. i opted not to buy this buttery yellow and a grass green. they are still at the yarn shop and i swear to you i fondle them every time i go there. i presume they will make it home with me sometime soon.



those blue ones? yeah. those are mine.

just one more peek

almost done with bea's owl. i just need to close her up. i think i may need to remove some of the stuffing. i'm afraid the seams might be or get a little stressed. my feeling is that this owl may have a rough, but well-loved life. it's hard to tell from the picture this bird is quite large. almost as big as beazy herself. my mom had a good suggestion to make a little baby owl for bea to tote around or snuggle. i think i just might have to do that. after the holidays of course!

still a couple of projects left. one may not make it. i can't get the tension right on my sewing machine. if you have any suggestions i'd love to hear them. the tension is off on the bottom and i am using a heavy fabric (canvas). i thought i had it, but not quite. hello, seam ripper!


i may not be popping in the rest of the week, so if i don't -

merry christmas! i hope you are surrounded by those you love and that your days are filled with love, laughter, and light (and magic)!

peek

just a small one. started bea's owl last night. had to learn blanket stitch - (grateful for the internet. again.)
it seems to be coming together really well, but i am stuck on what or how to do the feet. those tricky owl tootsies!

this weekend and the few days i have next week will be all about mad dashes to the sewing machine when i can find a moment.

how is your holiday crafting coming along? anyone completely finished yet?

the last stocking (for this year)

i took up knitting sometime in late 2003. my gramma had knit everyone's christmas stockings in our family. starting with her seven children, their spouses or significant others, then their children, and even some of their children. i wanted this tradition to continue. so i bought a book thinking that the written/illustrated directions would be all i needed to get started, except for the basket of yarn and needles gramma gave me. well . . .

learning to knit from text + drawings was not enough. while i would have loved for gramma to have taught me how to knit it was not geographically possible. so, i signed on for a knitting class at a big box craft store. the classes were cheap and i could just pay as i went. i think i went to 4 classes. as many classes as it took me to learn to cast on, knit, and purl. from there i just practiced on scarves. (everyone got a scarf that year).

since then i have been a knitter on and off. i'm pretty sure i took a couple years off of knitting. not sure why that happened. maybe it was fear of moving beyond knitting long rectangles, i don't know. anyway, i vowed that would never, never happen again. i did take a summer break from knitting, but i was trying to become better at sewing. and i think i did. now i haven't touched the sewing machine (except for when i moved it to it's new home in my bedroom) for all the knitting i have been doing. there may be a seasonal cycle here. this winter i have chosen small, simple projects and have been very pleased with the amount of knitting i have accomplished. of course it helps that wee bea is growing and entertaining herself for longer stretches of time and i can squeeze in a few rows here and there with children underfoot. i surprised myself by getting 3 stockings done well before the holidays set in! many late nights and all 3 seasons of 30 rock on netflix were involved in that outcome though.



bea's stocking was knit a little out of pattern because i knit hers last. i ran out of red and my lys had run out too (and you know i wasn't going to wait until it came back in stock!). i decided to use some of that berroco that i have so much of. i was a little hesitant about using the mustard yellow even though it complimented the green so nicely. with matt's encouragement i kept going and i am very happy with the result. it gives the stocking a nice vintage look i think and i also like the earthy tones.

one of the things i love most about knitting these stockings is that except for one pattern all the patterns were the ones my gramma used. everyone's names are charted out right there on the pattern. i know who has what stocking. i like being able to add names to the charts. many of them are taped together because they have become so worn and i now keep them in plastic sleeves.

now all the stockings are hung by the fire and i don't have to take out of focus pictures of the mantle like last year so bea won't know she didn't have a handknit stocking. now her stocking is there, right where it should be. and i must say it looks perfect hanging there!

there has been knitting

i promise. and i have proof!



three christmas stockings to knit this year. well, truth be told, one should have been done last year, but don't tell bea.

my cousin dan and his wife lauren welcomed whit to their family earlier this year. his was done first. i always have issues with knitting the names and this stocking was no exception. i think i had to frog and restart the name 3 times before i was satisfied.
my problem not the patterns (as usual). and i am not too good at colorwork, but these stockings are good practice.



next came my cousin nicole's little boy braylon's stocking. i used the same pattern my gramma used for mine which was fun. i should have taken a picture of them next to each other. little braylon is just four months old and almost as big as bea! another technique i need to practice and i definitely got to do on these projects was seaming. not perfect, but getting better!



and beazy's stocking. sweet girl should have had hers last year but it just never got started. and i did hers last this year, since it didn't require shipping i figured i had up until the last minute to get it finished. i can happily say that other projects can be worked on into the wee hours of the next couple weeks. bea's stocking is finished (except for a few loose ends) and is hanging on the mantle. i'll share that next week.

the rest of the projects i have planned are fairly simple and should be stress free. many are already started and are workable while children are present! a few require sewing and may be trickier because, well, i am not a seamstress and because i am
experimenting with making my own patterns, except for this one - but i will still have to modify it a bit.

how is your holiday crafting going?

the birthday gifts

the birthdays in this house start at the end of august and run till the middle of october. it's often a mad rush of crafting and making. this year, not so much though. ideas were made enough in advance to get them going and completed in time. (well, that and a sane mama deciding to forego one thing and save it for christmas.)

for henry, three seemed like the perfect age for a cape. i found a pattern for a cape, but it wasn't quite what i had in mind.
so, i threw caution to the wind and made my own pattern! i was really pleased with the result, though the craftsmanship needs
some improving. henry chose all the fabrics. believe me the green sparkly was not my idea and i was actually a little hesitant about it. then i figured why not? what's a super hero if not a little flashy? in the end, i LOVED henry's choices.



next came matt's birthday and i while i didn't do the crafting, his gifts were crafty. i framed one of henry's watercolors from last year and also framed bea's first painting. i can't wait to hang them together!




and then, little bea's gift. bea got her very own weasley sweater. or as it is now called the beasley weasley sweater. the body of the sweater is knit from the yarn that would have been ursa and the "B" is knit from leftovers of henry's weasley sweater. i loved the combination of the three colors and that she had remnants of her brothers sweater in hers. i really adore this pattern but i wished i had remembered to lengthen the body of it. after i was done i recalled that henry's was a little short too. i think i could lengthen it by picking up and knitting a ribbed edge on the bottom, but right now it fits her just fine. if she has a growth spurt this winter i will need to make it longer. good thing she is a wee little thing!


overall the birthdays were complete and total successes! now onto christmas crafting . . .

knitting update

the knitting is going on full force here.
one item is ready to be blocked (i always procrastinate here). i probably won't get around to that until the weekend.
i hope to finishing one stocking and start the next one over the weekend.
and somewhere between all that i have plans to start this little number. i have to admit i am a sucker for berroco. patterns and yarn.
i don't know about you but i have the most difficult time picking out the yarn for a pattern. the pattern is the easy part. the yarn and color, i agonize over sometimes. and in this case it was no different. i am not much of a hat wearer. the climate here doesn't call for it too often. last year the boys got their hats, so this year is the year for the girls. i finally decided on berroco's new vintage wool in sloe berry for my little hat. this yarn is a steal. i bet there will even be enough left over for the bea.

what is on your knit list this fall?

hey, i made something!

i spent saturday evening sewing. my plan was to make the boy some pants to take to colorado. it's very difficult to find pants that fit this kid. even ones with adjustable waists are too big. he was napping when i made them and when he woke i had him try them on and they were HUGEmongous. luckily, they were big enough i can take them apart and try again.

well, i felt the need to redeem myself with a quick project. we have a lot of babies coming into our lives soon. friends who are more like family are expecting (right after we leave from visiting them!). and we have a new cousin coming any day now, and a sweet niece making her debut in november. so i tried a baby bib using one of bea's for a pattern guide. somehow the neck hole was a wee bit too small. i was disappointed, so i tried again. the pattern looked great. then the machine decided it wanted to battle. i'll just say the machine won. i gave up and decided to try again in the day light.

i'm glad i did! maybe the machine and i just needed to get some sleep because in the morning the problems with the *ahem* machine were gone.

result: a super cute baby bib with yellow stripes in cotton flannel and a blue print in cotton.


i am so pleased with this little piece. most things i have sewn require a straight line only. i am mastering the curves. and it feels good! (and it looks pretty good, too!)

self portrait

busy as a bea

oops. i mean bee : )

i wanted to share with you a little of what i have been doing and what i will continue to be doing.



this is the summer of sewing. i've all but abandoned the yarn. who am i kidding? i have completely abandoned yarn for the summer. my knitting bag has been sitting in the same spot for over a month now. it has been all about shorts and pants and now dresses for the little ones (okay the dresses are just for bea). i'm a total novice, but i am getting better the more i sew. more dresses are on the to do list for bea, pillowcases for henry have been started, and a shirt for me is on the horizon, and i am dreaming of sewing up some simple curtains for the girl. my sewing supplies have over taken the kitchen where i sew at our dining table and the ironing board is blocking the front door (so it's out of the way of the kids playing.). the satisfaction i feel when henry chooses to wear what i have made him over his other clothes is indescribable (it doesn't hurt that he refuses to wear pants or shorts that have a zipper). it just makes me smile. and when i sew him something with a fabric of his choice, his excitement on seeing the completed piece makes my heart skip! i think i am a woman obsessed. for the time being.

dress pattern can be found at habitual. and i used blue yonders bandana pants tutorial for the shorts and pants.
thank you, ladies for sharing these great patterns!

the dress was so new to me. i definitely have room for improvement, but the pattern is really simple. i have a hard time with store bought patterns for some reason. they can really frustrate me. but this dress pattern tutorial was so easy and i had no frustration with it all. it took me maybe an hour and half to make. that sounds like a long time, but i had the sewing machine in one room and the iron in another. and i'm slow on measuring. that's what took me the longest. and i wanted to go slow so i got it right. i'm happy to say that i think i did, too! so, this is what i will be doing. especially on those blistering hot afternoons that are right around the corner (hello, 90 degrees tomorrow)!

hard to believe

but i actually MADE something today! while my kids were awake!!!

henry and i had a little outing about a week or so ago. he loves a certain craft store and i wanted some girly fabric to make bea some summer pants (inspired by these) so off we went. i let henry help choose the fabric and then he found some fabric he wanted. i couldn't say no. even though i wanted to choose something else for him. i also picked up a few pairs of bandanas to make the perfect summer shorts/jammies. mrs. blue yonder has the easiest tutorial for these here. i attempted these last year but they never quite fit henry right. (that was my doing not the patterns).



so i dug out the sewing machine from the mess of a room that will not be mentioned and brought to the kitchen table. bea sat in her high chair with some cold water and some toys and the boy buzzed around me in pirate mode. i made a test pair that will be used for jammies, then made a pair of bandana shorts (and for bandana pants, no hemming! henry is just the right height for bandana pants!). since henry is smaller than the sizes recommended in the tutorial, i used a pair of his pajama pants as a guide. i can honestly say that i whipped these out so fast! i have never been able to say that in regards to sewing anything. i amazed myself! seriously, i may have some kind of crafty/sewy buzz.


so while the boy is napping i make him his pants with the fabric of his choice. this time i do take my time and make sure i get everything just so. i have a feeling these will be worn often. can't wait to surprise him when he wakes up : )

**best part of the day, while i was sitting at the sewing machine working on the test run, henry came up to me and told me i was doing a good job.**