depantsified

From crafts

I know it's hard to tell from a photo, so I will tell you. These are supposed to fit a 12-18 month old. Instead I will be letting my 4 year old (granted she's tall and lean, but typically she wears a size 4) wear them as capris. Then when summer's over I will save them until my almost 1 year old is able to wear them. They are adorable though. What with the bugs on them and all. And if he ever wears them in the winter around Christmas he'll match his stocking. I believe in using every square inch of fabric possible.

I'm currently working on a new pair that I found in this book Making Children's Clothes by Emma Hardy. I used the baby bloomers pattern and improvised a whole lot. When I first sewed them and turned them right side out he had a tail. They look like tail-less pants now. I'm just adding some embellishments.


Also, you should go check out Donna's blog. She's a former classmate of mine who all too recently lost her son to pediatric cancer. She's now looking at ways to help raise money for research. It's amazing, but be prepared to cry (especially if you have children).

sew easy it is not

It is by no means perfect, but it is done. And I'm sure the second one will go much easier.

From crafts

Things I learned while making this (in bullet form):

• knit fabrics suck to sew without a stabilizer, but if you stretch the fabric slightly it goes a little easier
• when a pattern says easy, you may still need to rip back at least three times
• I do not know how to use single fold bias tape
• I still don't know how to use single fold bias tape
• Son will not care about any of these things

From crafts

This was one of the first things I've sewn using an actual pattern instead of just a book and I did have to do much more than straight seams, so I'm going to let myself slide a little.

Oh and I saw this smiley face in my eggs when I was making Huevos Rancheros the other day. At first I thought it was really cool, but after the last two days I had I think it was just mocking me.

From random

in which I talk about the weather

The snow melted the next day thankfully. Yesterday was so beautiful we went on a walk and met a new neighbor. There were lots of neighbors getting ready for a walk, but this one was chatty and friendly. It's times like that that make me love our neighborhood. And I can not say enough good things about the sit and stand stroller. I don't know what walks would be like without it, but I imagine not as pleasant.

From crafts

This apple is a Lion Brand pattern. It turned out very nicely except that next time I would go to a smaller hook when starting the decreases. The larger hook created some larger holes with the sc2tog and you can see the stuffing through them. Not a deal breaker, just something I would fix next time. It only took a couple hours to do which is always a plus when it's so nice outside. Soon it will be picnic weather.

From crafts

spring colds

I'm currently making cough drops. Yep that's right. I am too cheap right now to buy cough drops. Plus Husband and I both hate the menthol ones. Right now I'm just using a green tea and will be adding peppermint to the end result. Hopefully that will help out the stuffy nose I have.

Things I learned from the first batch:

• it takes no time to get to 220°F, but it takes a while to get past that
• once you get to 250°F do not leave the stove
• if you leave the stove for even a minute expect it to get to 310°F
• if it gets to 310°F consider it burnt and start over

The Plague

It's been through our house. Okay I'm being melodramatic, but both my kids were sick last weekend; Daughter with a cold and Son with a stomach issue. Tuesday I had the start of a sore throat. Wednesday it was worse and I had trouble with the nose which always makes me think I will never take breathing for granted again. I was also so crabby I couldn't even stand myself. Thursday I was hit with the stomach bug while I had the cold. Oh how it sucked. I still have the cold but my stomach is once again tolerating food. Always a plus in my book.

From crafts

Remember this? I'm totally going to rip it out and it will become a nice summer scarf. The yarn is perfect for it and I'm not quite sure why I didn't think of doing it before. It'll be just a very simple lace pattern. Probably like the Liz Lemon hat. I'm just so tired of it and it seems to never get longer. This is why I like crocheting baby blankets instead.

argh

From crafts

It's so much like Spring outside it's making me crazy. Well, almost crazy. But seriously, the weather is perfect for a walk, my irises have popped up and the strawberries are spreading and turning green. I haven't checked my chives yet, but I bet they're on their way. Oh, and the best part, my windows are open! As in letting in the sun and air. Maybe it will push these cold germs out.

From crafts

He's all tagged and ready to be sent out. I tend to go to the post office on Mondays so he'll hang around for the weekend while I finish some more things. Bunny hat next! And I have another baby blanket on the hook (or stitch holder).

the end of the season

The last two pairs of wrist warmers of this season were sent of to White Rabbit Gallery.

From crafts

I went with a lace pattern for spring. Thought it would be nice to feel the air.

From crafts

They could also be used on cold days with a pair of those stretchy gloves. Or if you're allergic to air.

From crafts

It's the same kind of yarn, but for some reason the black pair feels softer. They're both very nice though. And stretcy.

From crafts

I'm not sure why that's a little blurry, but I didn't realize it until after the post office. So there was no do over.

spring!

It smells like Spring outside, but I must not fall in love. We're supposed to get snow this weekend. I knew winter would make one more show of itself, but I was still a little hopeful. Cautiously optimistic. I have moved on to some Spring knitting though. Which means babies. Or perhaps in 9 months it will mean babies. Not for me though.

From crafts

A nice bold olive green color. I like to believe these are for any bold baby. Which means any baby because babies are naturally bold. They tell you when they want something and don't care what time it is. That is bold.

From crafts

Machine wash and dry for ease of cleaning.

From crafts

8 of the 12 bags I made for my mom. I didn't get pictures of the last 4, I think I was too busy and she needed them quick. She put fur around the top of the bag which I thought would ruin it, but apparently people love them. Good thing everybody has different tastes.

For the Wee Lass

From crafts

I sometimes need to scroll down in my own blog to make sure I haven't already talked about certain things. This baby blanket turned out gorgeous and a bit big. It will be perfect to pass a baby around in or play on the floor.

From crafts

The yarn is acrylic which means machine washable because (speaking as a Mom) that's the only way baby items should come. The ribbon is sewn down at all four corners to make washing even easier and so the baby doesn't accidentally (or purposely) pull it out of the blanket.

From crafts

I know some people have things against acrylic yarn, but I think acrylic definitely has its place. Baby items are one of those places. It holds up well, washes easily, and lasts. I still have a few things that my mom knit for me as a baby that Daughter wore. And now acryclic comes in tons of colors and is much softer than it used to be.

Craftjuice Tuesday

Found by doing a search for fox. I'm surprised by how little came up when I did the search, and also somewhat surprised by what came up. A few favorites:


Little Blue Haltar Dress

Terrier Bookmark

Bunny Pillow

knitty hat

From crafts

This is pretty fresh off the needles. It was finished yesterday, but the camera battery had to recharge. It always seems to need a recharge at the worst possible times.

From crafts

This is made out of a super soft yarn that won't make your head itch. I have a very sensitive forehead so I'm big on choosing yarn with as little itch potential as possible. That said, I look terrible in hats. I think it's the short hair.

From crafts

Notice the ear flaps and kitty ears. That seems to be all the rage on the young kids these days. Or you know, those 20 and 30 somethings that don't act like they're 90.

Wip it

From crafts

For the wee one in someone's life when it's finished. It seems to be taking forever, but I also finished like five million wrist warmers and two other baby blankets in between. The yarn is a cotton blend that is supposed to be worsted weight, but it's acting more like a sport weight. I need to finish it because it would be a perfect blanket for a summer baby. That baby blanket I finished is a post for another day.

It's been super busy around the house what with our gutted bathroom. We did have the plumber over today so I could take a bath now if I wanted and not just any bath but a whirlpool bath. However, there are still no walls.

Handy

From crafts

My new hand came! It was from Lucky Little Dot on Etsy and I have nothing but good things to say about them. I'm also in love with the hand and how much easier it makes taking photos of wrist warmers. It's difficult to take a photo of your own hand and to try to talk Husband into being a hand model. Those days are all over now.

From crafts

Both of these wrist warmers have been sent off to White Rabbit Gallery where someone will hopefully pick them up and give them a good home.

Craftjuice Tuesday

Today I picked out things I thought Daughter would like. That's the only explanation you'll get for my finds.

Pretty Pink Cuppycake Whipped Cream Brooch

MARINA Set of 2 Flower Loop Hair Bow by lilprincessbow

Brown Leaves

Blue Bunny Whipped Cream Brooch

Etsy shop announcement

For the month of March all proceeds (as in 100%) will go to March for Babies - Team Clara. You can read all about this great fundraiser for the March of Dimes here. So, if there's something you're wavering about buying now is the time. Not only will you get something great, but you'll help out a great cause!