Pants Parade

 

I made some pants for Son that actually fit.  I have trouble finding pants that actually fit my children; they are quite small for their age and Daughter has no butt to hold them up.  The applique is more for Husband.  Why you might ask?  So that he knows which is the front.  He gets very confused when putting pants on the children that I've made and since I've not gotten any tags to sew on them, I've taken to putting on appliques and pockets whenever possible.  It's just easier than hearing "Which way is the front again?".  

The pattern is New Look #6880 in the size 1 and they fit him perfectly.  I actually love this pants pattern because the butt isn't too big, the legs are roomy but not awkwardly wide (the kind of wide where they don't really mean to be wide), and they're easy to put together.  I think these took me all of 30 minutes including cutting.  The owl was just cut out from some leftover fabric I had.  

I am thankful for easy to sew clothes.

Winter Hat for Me

I was standing in the cold waiting for Daughter's bus one day when I realized I really needed a hat.  I used to have a hat but I gave it away after I cut my hair short.  When I say I cut my hair short, I mean really short, like I looked bald with a hat on short.  I switched to earmuffs and hooded scarves after that.  My hair is still short, but I have enough hair that some of it sticks out and I feel more comfortable wearing it.  

The hat was made from an old sweater using the pattern in Handmade Home.  I made the felt bird applique all on my own; I just wanted something to spruce it up a bit.  I tried to get a good picture of it on so you could see how it fits, but the above photo is the best I got.  How do all those teens get good photos in poorly lit bathrooms?  I need to know their secret, but perhaps it's just because I don't do it often.  I have better things to do like sew hats.  I am thankful that I can just sew a hat when I need to.    

Saturday Thanks

I am thankful that my children get along so well.

Snap it Up

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, please leave a link in the comments to your moment.  

SouleMama

 

Thanksgiving

 

I am thankful that I get to spend the Holiday with my family.  Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it!  Also, in full disclosure, this pie was made for pi day not Thanksgiving, but it was a good photo for today.

WIP* Wednesday

The mittens that I promised Daughter for wearing that sweater.  They're not just mittens though; they also double as puppets.  How cool is that?  She's already said she's going to give puppet shows to her friends on the bus.  I think this is the most excited I've seen her be about something I'm knitting. I showed her the pattern weeks ago and typically her enthusiasm wanes, but not with these. Apparently they knew something about kids back in 1952 which is when this pattern is from (my great-grandma's knitting pattern has once again come through for us).

The pattern is from an Accessories pattern book put out by J. & P. Coats, Clark's ONT, and Chadwick's Red Heart Yarns (they're still around).  I did not choose the Red Heart yarn however, and instead went with Quince & Co Tern.  The yarn has a really nice vintage tone to it, but I was a little disappointed that there was no good red.  About two weeks after I ordered the yarn Quince & Co came out with Fern, which has the red.  Anyway, that's why even though I'm working on the clown, there is no stripes in the shirt.  I'll use red embroidery floss to duplicate stitch the face pattern.

I am thankful that my great grandma passed these patterns on instead of throwing them all away.


*Work in Progress

Sweater #15

The Little Dots Sweater is complete.  This was a really simple and quick knit, maybe because of the worsted weight yarn, the short sleeves, or perhaps it was the fact that I forgot to increase stitches for the first seven inches.  I guess we'll never know for sure what made it so quick (or perhaps one day we will because Daughter has already asked for another one in purple).  

At first she didn't want to wear the sweater.  There was some complaint of it being itchy (it's not) and not the color she wanted (even though she picked out the color), but I managed to bribe her by telling her that I wouldn't be making her any mittens (don't worry, she already has a pair from last year that still fit - I won't let Daughter's hands freeze) until she wore the sweater.  The vintage button was chosen by Daughter for it's resemblance to a flower and it's sparkle.  

The yarn chosen was Lark by Quince and Co.  It's so incredibly soft and nice to work with (and affordable).  I really can't say enough nice things about their yarn.  

The mittens have been started, but that's for another post.  Today I am thankful for modern medicine that makes cold season a little more bearable; also Cold Season tea by Yogi.

The Handkerchief (and some talk of snot)

My dad has carried a handkerchief around for as long as I can remember.  I have thought they were disgusting for that same amount of time.  They're thin, scratchy, you can feel your snot when you blow your nose, and then you carry it around with you all day.  No thanks.  Until I had children.  I now see the sense of the handkerchief, they're economically and environmentally friendly, you don't have to run to the store when you're out of them (kind of like cloth diapers), and they're never wasted.  But the best reason for us to use a handkerchief, the children can't shred them into pieces and throw them on the ground.

My handkerchiefs are a bit different than my dad's though.  Using a different fabric on each side makes them nice and thick; one side is a little thinner and softer for your nose (on many of them I used old t-shirts), the other side is a little thicker so you'll never feel your snot.  If I'm wiping little noses than they are used more than once (but only on one side so that you can fold the snot into the handkerchief); if an adult is blowing their nose it gets thrown in the diaper pail and washed that night.  

I made this bag so that the handkerchiefs could be easily accessed.  It came from The Rhythm of Family by Amanda Blake Soule and Stephen Soule (oh, how I love her projects!).  The bag was quick to put together and the instructions were very well written.  I did make a mistake with the handle (which is a little sad considering how many bags/totes/purses I've put together).  When sewing the handle onto the front of the bag, the handle should be on top of the fabric with the raw edges lined up with the raw edge of the fabric.  When the bag is put together the handle will be sandwiched between the front and back pieces.  I did not do that and ended up using my seam ripper.  

The handkerchiefs are easy to take out because of the opening in the bag on the front.  I used a blanket stitch to add some decorative detail and some pink because I did not have a pink zipper and Daughter really wanted me to use a pink zipper.  She ended up liking the blanket stitch better because it was on the front and I didn't have to spend money on a new zipper.  That is a win/win situation.

The zipper on the back makes putting the handkerchiefs in a breeze.  This was the first zipper I've put in that I was really happy with.  Which is why there's a close up of it.  I'm so proud of that zipper.

We chose to hang the handkerchief bag in the bathroom so it's easily accessible for all.  I think in total there are about 20 (give or take a couple) handkerchiefs in it.  If that's not a good amount I can easily make more although I might also need to make another bag then (maybe Daughter will get that pink zipper after all). I'm thankful I had the energy to do this before cold season hit. On a side note, I had to stand in the bathtub to take that photo, the green is the shower curtain.

Sunday thanks

I am thankful for patient pets.

Saturday Thanks

I am thankful for moments that remind me that I'm more than just a Mom.

Saturday thanks

I am thankful for the reminder that I am more than just a Mom.

Thomas

 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, please leave a link in the comments to your moment.  

SouleMama

 

 

Breaking the wordless for November thanks.  I am thankful for well made toys.

Craft Swap #3

I sometimes tell people I have friends in Canada and they seem to not believe me.  I know it sounds an awful lot like a 15 year old who hasn't quite grown into himself saying I have a girlfriend...in Canada, but it's not like that.  I'd like to think I could just convince you, but instead I'll continue to do craft swaps with them.  (Also, they all seem to live in or near Edmonton and I'm a little convinced that it's a hippy utopia - don't ever ruin that for me.)

 

This one comes from Sarah (who not only shares my name, but our Daughters share a birthday) and she had me at the envelope.  I didn't even have to open to know that I would love it.  (For those that don't know, I've used chasingthenuns as my internet handle since the internet was invented - yes, I am old.)

Inside were some recipes (two slow cooker ones! I'm always looking for good slow cooker recipes) and as an added bonus, they all fit perfectly in the recipe box that I keep on the shelf above the sink (along with my dim sum flashcards and some small books that fit up there).

Also in the package, an apron.  Not just any apron, my very first apron!  And it's so awesome.  A little kitsch, a little vintage, and all the perfect colors.  So, it's pretty much everything I love.  I've used it quite often since receiving it and I'm so glad I had never bought an apron before.  It's better to just wait for the perfect one that someone has made.  

I am thankful for all my friends both near and far and I am thankful that Sarah did this amazing craft swap with me!  I'm not sure if she'll blog about what she got in return, but keep an eye on her blog just in case.

If you're interested in doing a craft swap with me, you can email or leave a comment.

WIP* Wednesday

It is Wednesday right?  This week seems to be going by so slowly and tomorrow starts my 3 days of solo parenting (and yes, I know that single parents always solo parent and I have loads and loads of respect for them).

 

 

It is Wednesday right?  This week seems to be going by so slowly and tomorrow starts my 3 days of solo parenting (and yes, I know that single parents always solo parent and I have loads and loads of respect for them).  First is a new sweater I cast on for Daughter called Little Dots Sweater and so far it's been awesome (even if I did misread the instructions and knit the yoke a little short - I'm sure it will stretch).  The neckline will not be as large as it seems in the photo as at the end of the sweater you do pleats.  This will be a first for me.  Daughter has also requested short sleeves which will make my life easier.

 

 

This is the Tiny Tea Leaves Sweater and I'm quite frustrated with it, through no fault of anyone's but my own.  I really thought I had enough yarn in my stash of one dye lot that I could finish the body of the sweater by alternating the old and new dye lot.  I was so very wrong.  But the even more frustrating thing?  I will not have enough yarn to finish the sleeves, so I will be adding yet another dye lot.  The good things are that the colors might even out a little after washing, Daughter will not care, and Daughter's school will not care.  That is what I keep telling myself in order to keep from ripping it all out.  (On a side note - I've done the ordering of different dye lots before and have always lucked out and they've been a perfect match color wise; this is the first time it's been different).  

I'm thankful that I'm able to have all these WIP Wednesdays and continually work on new stuff.

 

 

*Work In Progress

 

 

Less Stress Holiday?

Every year, I make the kids some Christmas gifts from Husband and I (Santa buys those new toys, but we want to instill the love of handmade).  Since Daughter was old enough to talk, the brand new toys always fare better than the handmade ones.  She's getting better and I know it will take time.  I also know that they don't get a lot of toys throughout the year which makes all those Santa toys quite popular.  So this year we're doing it differently.

As you can tell from the above sweater (#14) I'm still making the gifts; I will just no longer be competing with Santa.  We're going for a new tradition of giving the Mom and Dad gifts on the Solstice.  Of celebrating the whole season and not just the day.  This will leave the day to play with new toys and gather with extended family.  By doing so we're hoping that we can avoid some stress, sweaters getting thrown on the ground (Daughter) and smoke detectors getting beaten with a baseball bat (me - there's a story behind it).  

Also different this year will be the no gift exchange with adults (don't worry, we talked to all the adults about it and not one of them said they had a problem - doesn't mean there's not talk behind our backs though).  I used to do the handmade Christmas, and I admire all of you doing it this year, but it's heartbreaking when you put so much time into something only to see it never used.  Of course there are exceptions, so I started doing the half handmade holiday and then kids got older and I had a lot less time.  So we did the try to find the perfect gift on Etsy holiday, which is stressful for those who don't like handmade gifts.  So we switched to just find the perfect gift holiday and you know what?  There's no such thing as the perfect gift.  Then we thought we struck gold with the give donations instead of gifts.  People could even tell us where they wanted to donate to.  Really, helping out others in need, how perfect is that?  Not perfect enough.

So this year, with our extra money, we've given donations on our own to organizations we felt deserved it. We've donated formula to the food pantry so those coupons that I keep getting because a certain formula company thinks I'm pregnant (I'm not) don't go to waste. We've purchased items that Daughter's school has needed. And you know what?  This less stress thing feels pretty good.  

new hats for winter

 

It has been Crab City around here, but I managed to make the kids each a hat.  I only have photos of Son's because he doesn't care that I take photos of him; Daughter is a bit trickier.  Instead I'll just tell you that she liked her brother's so much that she wanted the exact same.  I talked her into a different color so that we'd be able to tell them apart; it was a very proud moment when she chose purple over pink (also because I absolutely love the color purple).  On a side note, I'm teaching him to say "roar" every time we put the hat on; I think I might die of the cute that happens when he says it.

The pattern was by Olesya Prolesik of Beezy Moms Creations on Etsy.  The pattern was easy to follow and the 1 and up size fits both Son and Daughter (Daughter will probably only be able to wear it this season).  I am thankful that other people write such nice patterns so that I am able to just focus on the crochet/knit part (that's the part I like best).

 

Sunday thanks

I am thankful for laughter (especially during stressful times).

Saturday Thanks

 

I am thankful for children who sit so I can have a moment of peace.  

Studious

 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, please leave a link in the comments to your moment.  

SouleMama

 

 

For the month of November, I'm breaking the wordless and giving thanks.  Today I am thankful for the past (almost) 12 years with this man.  

Cold front

It might be cold enough today to turn the rain into snow and make most people head indoors to a fireplace, but not for Son.  He decided that outside was the only place to be, so I let him go outside but made him wear the mittens I made.  He gets fiercely angry when his hands get cold, so I wasn't surprised when a half hour later he came in screaming and his mittens were still outside.  

The mittens were made from the vintage pattern book and Quince and Co Chicakadee yarn.  I could not be happier with how they turned out and how simple they were to make.  I am thankful that my mom kept those books for all these years.

All seasons

 

The inside of our house doesn't know what season it is.  We're ripening tomatoes in paper bags (still, we've gone from 6 bags down to 2).  I'm completely out of jars so I've taken to freezing the tomatoes whole.  It's easier and will still be good for cooking (like the chili I have planned for later in the week). Plus there are still the pumpkins to roast and puree.  Again, I need more jars, so for now they're being stored and helping store the masking tape.  

We're not only preserving, but also enjoying the preservation.  The days are getting shorter and it's getting chillier; we haven't seen the sun in two days.  This just makes me want to knit all day (even though it's impossible with Son around) so it's good the work of preserving is almost done.  

There's a food drive at Daughter's school for Thanksgiving and yesterday Daughter asked what it means to be poor.  I told her it was when someone had to choose between heating their house or putting food on the table.  It was the best way I could think of to help her 5 year old brain understand.  Today I am thankful I've never had to choose between heating the house or putting food on the table.