In A Nutshell

the year of the dress

 

Santa gave me a new sewing machine for Christmas. I have been wanting/needing one with more bells and whistles for a few years now. I cried when I opened the wrapping paper. The good kind of cry. The capabilities of this new machine far surpass those of "Old Bessie". She has been a work horse for the last 20 years or so - a gift from my step-mom & my very first sewing machine. Old Bessie will be put into retirement, only to be brought out as a back up if necessary. 

 

 

I will admit that I get a little bit obsessive over things (wink, wink). Right now, it's vintage dress patterns. I am determined to make a few for myself this year. Here is a photo of the one I'm working on right now. My goal is to have it done by Valentine's day so that I can wear it out on a hot date with my man. I'll be making view B.

 

 

I have copied the pattern onto pattern tracing fabric, which I can't say enough good things about. I made the muslin, adjusted it to fit, made the necessary adjustments to the pattern, and re-sewed it. It fits well, and will probably fit even better after the holiday bloat subsides. I will be using this fabric which is a rayon/silk blend and is pretty much on par for what might have been used for a dress made in 1962. I'm really excited about it, but in the back of my head I'm worried that I'm going to totally mess it up... at least I will be able to say that I tried. 

 

for my little ham

 

It's hard to keep the things I make for my boys a secret unless it's a toy. If it's something they're going to wear, well, I've got to make sure it fits! This one is now safely tucked away in my closet. Come Christmas, I am certain that Griffin will have forgotten all about it. 

 

 

Unfortunately, I can't pull this one over on my older boys anymore. I make them promise to keep their eyes closed while they're trying things on... and I'm pretty sure that they sneak peeks.

 

 

Ravelry notes here.

 

busy bee hat

 

Who doesn't love to get something out of nothing? I get a gleam in my eye when I am able to transform leftover yarn or scraps of fabric into something new. In this case, I had a beautiful grey cloud of yarn leftover from a hat I made for my dad a couple of years ago. 

 

 

I plucked this super soft yarn from its cozy cardboard box in the closet and decided to use it for a very special little man. As I had hoped, I was gifted with a large toothy smile which was topped off with lots of hugs. I love that sweet boy.
 

Ravelry notes here.

 

a little cardigan

 

Here's a little cardigan that I made with some of my birthday yarn. I'll admit that I feel a little guilty for making mostly girl things to give away when I have three boys at home. Girly things are cuter. 

That reminds me. I didn't show you the overalls I made for Griffin. I'll post about that soon.

Ravelry notes here.

two little tops

My cousin and his wife are having a baby girl in July. This will be their second girl and I'm very happy for them (of course!) and as you can imagine, very excited that I get to make something girly. That opportunity doesn't present itself around here very often. 

Upon hearing the gender news, I hopped on Ravelry to check out all of the cute girly stuff. No shortage there! I wanted to make something for big sister too, so for starters, I opted for this top. As a beginning knitter, it seemed within reach.

The purple one above was made according to the small (3-5 years) specifications. When it was finished, I tried it on my youngest who will be 2 at the end of the month and it was way too small on him. I would say that this size would best fit a 12-18 month old. My gauge was spot on, so I was a little disappointed by this. 

 

 

Round two. I worked this one up according to the medium (6-7 years) specifications with a couple of mods. Again, my gauge was spot on. This one fit my (almost) two year old well with a little room for growth. By the time I send this off, big sister will be about two and a half, so it should fit her perfectly.

Cap sleeved top pattern (knit)

Flower applique (crochet)

My Ravelry notes

the hat

I finally tackled the yarn and made a hat. It's my first knitted thing ever. It is not without its little mistakes, but it's done (and I learned a lot from the process). Yeay me! 

There are a couple of other knitting projects I'm working on right now, but so far, they're beating me. If I have a success story to share I'll be sure to post it here.

 

 

 

Pattern by Flora Cheung: Slouchy Beehive hat

about this yarn

 

 

 

I started out with having grand plans for this yarn but it's intimidating me. It's just too pretty to make mistakes with. I'll get into it a few rounds and then pull it apart... this has been going on for a few days. What to do? Maybe I'll save it for knitting. I don't know. As Winnie the Pooh would say, "Think, think, think".

Madeline Tosh chunky merino in amber trinket from Happy Knits, Portland OR

hooping, knitting, and other things

One of my New Year's resolutions was to start hoop dancing; learning tricks and such, which I have begun to do. I'm no expert, but it's a Lot (with a capitol L) of fun. You should try it! I've been very mindful about the food I put in my body, but in the last 8 weeks or so I've lost nearly 10 pounds. Talk about incentive. I'm back to my pre-baby weight, minus a few pounds and that makes me very, very happy. My post-baby jeans have been donated and my pre-baby jeans are feeling a little loose. Time to go shopping! 

My other resolution was to learn how to knit, which I have not done. I'm working on it. Really, I am. I was just informed via e-mail that my first set of needles has been shipped. Joy! I've got the yarn and an easy pattern lined up to make my first knitted hat. For those of you who knit, what do you think of this one? I know color changes aren't beginner skillz per se, but I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to tackle and it will be something that I will definitely wear. And I hate to admit it, but yes, I am still a bit infatuated with all that is Twilight.

I ventured into Portland today to visit Happy Knits for the first time & picked up some absolutely incredible yarn. More on that later. The yarn deserves it's own post. That, and my newfound obsession with Japanese cuisine. Oh, and it's freaking cold outside people! Weather.com is telling me that it's 28 degrees outside, but it "feels" like 14. Fourteen!? I've never been so cold for so long in my entire life. This California girl is a wuss.

little acorn cap

I found a hat on Ravelry a while back and fell in love with it... unfortunately, it was both knit (which I don't know how to do) and in some obscure Japanese book (which I can't read or find)... so I tried to take a look at it and recreate the cuteness as best as I could in crochet.

I took the time to write out the pattern as I went along and thought you might like to make one too. 

The cap is in the beret style and the pattern is written for one general adult size, but it can be easily modified to accommodate both smaller and larger heads. Have fun & let me know what you think!

Update: The pattern for the little acorn cap can now be found in my Etsy shop, The Cookie Jar.

he needs a name

   

Phoenix's birthday isn't until June, but I've been trying to get a head start on the toy making. Last year I was able to make everything for him by hand, but I practically gave myself carpal tunnel in the process. I usually do everything at the last minute, so my crochet hook was like an extra appendage for a couple of days there. I'm all for not doing that again.

I've been wanting to try my hand at making a Waldorf / Steiner doll for quite some time. I'm so glad I gave it a shot. It was a very fulfilling experience and it was a lot of fun to see how the doll's personality unfolded through the whole process. From what I read, you're not really supposed to make the doll look like the child they are intended for, but uh, I sort of ignored that part... except for the blue hair maybe.

Any how, I need a name for this little guy because I am stumped. Well, not completely stumped. I have an idea but I want to see if you have any better ones. All of Phoenix's toys are named for what they are. For example the monkey is named "Monkey." I want this doll to be much more than a monkey. I want him to have a personal connection with my sweet boy, so a good name is in order. I'd like to go with something short and easily spelled. Thoughts?

Also, I'll be making some accessories for him too. A backpack is a must, and I'm thinking a beanie and a baby sling to carry him around in too.

Update: Thanks to all of you for your wonderful suggestions! I've decided to name him Kip. Short, sweet, and easy to spell.