Archive for the 'baby' Category
I’m officially on Maternity Leave!
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Well, as much on leave as one can be while working from home, any way! I’ve just finished teaching two online classes to two wonderful groups of people. The Shawl Designers are finishing up their projects and getting patterns written and edited, and the “Fit your Knits” students are transforming any pattern you can think of into custom-fit knits! It was a really great month, thank you to all of my awesome students!
I’ll be posting the new spring schedule of classes in a couple of weeks. I want to make sure that we all settle back into daily life smoothly once Olive comes home from the hospital before setting all of the class dates. In the meantime, I’ve got two ongoing self-guided classes (UPcycled Tshirt Yarn Class and Fitted Raglan Shawl Class) that you can sign up for at any time.
Our new baby (who we have named Olive Beatrice) will be delivered on the 15th! SO we have exactly a week to nest and get everything all ready for her.
Here’s a little peek at some of what I’ve been working on:
I finished the Black and White quilt top:
…and I”ve been making a few “Sisters” projects, too. Here are two little sweaters. I made the tiny one a few weeks ago, and recently finished a Big Sister one for Mazie. I love that the sweaters are similar but not identical…they share some traits but not all. And neither is overly saccharine / girly. I’d wear eitherone of these if it was in my size. (I contemplated making a Mom version, but would that be too much?)
Both are Lorna’s Laces Swirl, one is Chunky and one is DK. Both are from Jimmy Beans .
I also made the girls matching tees:
And even Daddy is doing a little last-minute nesting:
…there are still some rooms that we’d meant to paint when we moved in, and that we KNOW we won’t get to for several months if we wait to do it. SO…he’s painting realllyquick this week.
Posted in just chit chat, baby, Online classes | 5 Comments »
Finding a little nesting time.
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
(note: I wrote this post at least a week ago and didn’t ever hit “publish.”)
Well. The baby’s coming February 15.
I’ve been finding a little nesting time in recent days, and have been focusing on getting Mazie’s room ready to welcome her sister home.
I hung up the quilt that Yahaira made:
I did a little more to the curtains:
Initially, they were just a blackout liner and simple, fold-top-and-seam one-layer curtains. Yesterday I added another strip of fabric to the hem of the blackouts to give a layered look and added tiebacks. The ties are sewn onto the blackout curtains, so that they stay put.
I’ve also got plans for a black and white quilt, with pops of color:
My general plan is to cut out a few squares and rectangles of the colored fabrics, border them in strips of alternating black / white with thin colored strips at random.
Then stitch them onto a largely white background that has some bright pop circles already appliqued. Then applique some circles on top, too.
Inspired by one of Mazie’s black and white baby books.
Other than that, I’ve been acquiring baby things and trying to streamline my own workspace. The easier it is to just come in and work, the more likely it is that I WILL come in and work. It was very repulsive for a while…
But, I got it to the point that I can walk all the way in, use my very clean desk and even find things!
SO, in between working really hard to finish up all of my work commitments before the 15th, I’ve been able to do a LITTLE nesting. Not as much as I WANT to do, but some.
Posted in baby | 1 Comment »
Soakers and a Tutorial (how to knit your own)
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
Two of the (Damask Rose) Malabrigo soakers:
I think I’m posting about this as a way to hold myself accountable, and also because my pregnant brain is telling me to focus hard on baby prep, even though realistically I’m pretty ready. My brain really wants to do serious baby prep crafting. Regardless of other work / deadlines. SO…maybe once my brain sees this post with pictures of my little knits it’ll calm down some.
I’ve finished 2 knit soakers, have yarn for a million more, and have one on the needles. I also have lots of eentsy fleece yoga pants, and ordered 3 of these wraps in NB and 4 small. So…I think we will be ok for the first 4 - 6 months soakerwise. I also have a few knits left over from Mazie. (Got it, Brain?? We’re prepped!)
A few people have asked me which is my favorite soaker pattern to knit. I knit a few pair of Picky Pants for Mazie, and they are the bomb, 
but I’m actually not that great about following patterns, I glance at the pattern occasionally but just knit them like I think they “should” be knit…so I developed my own, taking our climate into consideration.
We live where it’s HOT. It’ll be too hot for wool pants by March, so I like smaller soakers that just cover the diaper with some ribbing to keep messes inside. Here’s a couple that I did for Mazie:
A few people have asked me about these. Here’s the process:
Start out with one stitch, and, working in stockinette, increase one stitch each end of every other row until the top of the triangle measures a little bit bigger than your baby’s waist.
Change to 2×2 ribbing for about 1.5 - 2 inches. Bind off loosely.
Leaving about .5 inch at either end, pick up stitches along each side of the triangle and work in 2×2 ribbing for about the same distance you used for the waistband. (see above)
Fold in the points and seam.
For the ruffles, you just pick up stitches in a straight line across the back and knit for an inch or so. Do this 2 or 3 times to make a little row of them.
Posted in Patterns, baby | 5 Comments »
Newborn Knits!
Monday, January 4th, 2010
I’m working on a few little layette sets for New Baby! For Mazie, I knit a lot of 6-month things, but didn’t have anything for her to wear right away. So THIS time, I want to have at least a few things for her to wear when she gets home. It’ll be summery again in a few weeks, so our “Knits Window” is pretty small and closing.
Each set has a sweater, hat, and socks (or will when I’m finished, at least!)
Thanks to my knitting friend Stephanie for the heads up, I got in on a bunch of Lorna’s Laces Swirl DK at Jimmy Bean’s Wool for 50% off! I decided to use it to knit a few teeny baby sweater sets for my new little girl. (They still have lots of Lorna’s on sale, if you’re interested. I also recommend the Shepherd Sock, also on sale!)
I think I’ll order some more Swirl to make something for Big Sister, too.
The yarn is wonderfully soft and feels great in the hand. The knits are definitely next-to-the-skin (even baby skin) soft. I love that these colors aren’t typically “Baby Girl.”
I had a couple of emails in my inbox from concerned readers…I tweeted / facebooked (by phone) at one point last week about being stuck in a snowstorm with no internet. We survived! We were actually all holed up at Nathan’s parents’ house in IA. We were comfortable, but without internet and going really mad from cabin fever. They had 20.8 inches of snow over like 3 days. Everything was shut down.
Posted in Patterns, baby, gift knitting | 6 Comments »
My baby is a big girl now!
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
I took Mazie to the park today. The last time we went, I had to go down the slide with her, and hold her hand while she walked around the jungle gym.
But THIS time…my brave girl did it all by herself!!
I am a proud Mommy! 
Mazie is growing up so fast that I was *also* encouraged to finish up the pattern for my Vestvember vest, Violet: a vest that grows with your child
Statistics:
Yarn:
2(2, 3) hanks Berocco Vintage: (50% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 10% Nylon; 3.5 oz / 100 g; 217 yds / 198 m; Machine wash. Lay flat to dry) Color: Lilacs # 5183
Gauge:
4.5 sts = 1″; 18 sts & 24 rows = 4″ (10cm)
Needle:
7 (US) / 4.5 mm (or size to obtain gauge) 16” circular needle, and either DPN, long needle for magic loop, or 2 circs for working neckline in the round.
Sizes: 12 mo.(2,4) / 16-20(20-24, 24-28)” chest measurement
Notes
This sweater is worked in the round from the top down with no seaming. Front and back are worked separately for a few inches after the sleeve caps are bound off.
The sweater is designed to grow with your child. As she grows, remove one or more of the under arm button bands to create a deeper armhole. Unhem l purl ridge at a time as you need more length at the bottom of the sweater.
The longer you knit the sweater, the more hem you have to play with, and the more your child can grow and still wear this garment. Be sure to cast on loosely so that the neckline will be stretchy enough to accommodate a growing head circumference, too! (Sizes 12 mo.(2, 4) will accommodate up to 21(23,23)” head circumference.)
The pattern can be purchased for $5 from my Ravelry shop.
Posted in Patterns, baby, gift knitting | No Comments »
We are just THRILLED that it is VESTVEMBER!
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
So…after talking several times with both Yahaira and Karen in recent days, I decided to cast on for a Vestvember project! (There are both Ravelry and Flickr groups for Vestvember…be sure to check them out!)
I was at Unravel the other day, because I heard a rumor that they had ordered some Lorna’s Laces yarn and wanted to see that for myself. They didn’t have any Lorna’s, but they did have this interesting yarn from Berroco. I used to shy away from yarns with high acrylic content, but after successfully using Berroco’s Comfort for a big project for myself a few years ago:
(it has held up GREAT!) I decided to give the Vintage a try.
It feels so nice in the hand, it’s soft, lofty, but still has that Cascade 220 (another fave of mine) feel of like, “ok, this is just plain, simple, old-fashioned YARN.” I *like* fluffy fancy high-end wools, but sometimes my knitting history calls from deep down inside and I just want YARN. BUT…this is more than “just yarn” … it’s MACHINE WASHABLE. And it feels GOOD! And the colors are FABULOUS! And…And…I knit my Vestvember project in TWO DAYS.
I decided to make a little vest for my Mazie.
Yahaira is doing a turtle / cowl, so I totally copied that. Well, let it sink into my brain until my brain said, “Hey! How about a turtle / cowl?” And I said, “Well, that would be GREAT! I wonder if Yahaira would think that would be cute?” (wink) Here is the start of my turtleneck on top of the cabinets that Nathan is refacing. (little peek into life at the New House.)
THEN…I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could make this sweater for Mazie one year and have it still fit the NEXT year?” SO…I lengthened the armholes (in a decorative way) with the plan of adding little tabs at the side that I can move down as she gets bigger.
I also did a little deco thing at the hem, so that I could fold the hem at any of the purl ridges and hem it…then LET IT DOWN as she needs more length!! I didn’t hem this one, but I *could.*
Mazie likes it…I think.
Posted in yarn reviews, Patterns, baby, gift knitting | 2 Comments »
Aaw! Mazie in the pinky version of her sweater…
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Posted in Patterns, baby | 1 Comment »
Sprout
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
The last few days have been great! I’ve gotten so much checked off my To Do list, I can’t believe it!
One of the yarns I’ve been working with this week is Classic Elite Sprout.
This 100% organic yarn is so soft and lofty. It’s going to make a lovely sweater for Mazie!
Maybe you can tell from the “winder” picture, we’re getting more and more moved in. As we finish painting one room, we can fill it up and shuffle things around and eventually, everything will be unpacked. At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself.
Here’s a sneak peek of a shawl that I just finished, to be released as a pattern in a new Stitch CoOp Shawls / Scarves booklet that we’re working on. Knit in Cascade 220 Superwash Paints.
I’m in a blue phase. Blue is so calming.
Posted in yarn reviews, Patterns, baby | 2 Comments »
Toddler-Wearing?
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
When Mazie was little, I wore her first in a sling, then a “snuggli” then back to the sling, then to several kinds of wraps. I really liked carrying her that way, and for the first four months of her life, it was the only way I could get her to go to sleep.
Now, she’s a big girl. She walks, runs, and loves her independence. Until I’m trying to do something in the kitchen. Then it’s “up, Up! UP, MOM!!!” (she calls me “mom” now. She’s 18 months old, and going on 18 years!) So…I need a way to carry her around and still bake bread, do dishes, etc. I’ve been just letting her sit on the counter, but I’m nervous. I was thinking, too, about getting some sort of stool or something that she could stand on and help me stir, knead, wash, etc. BUT…then she’s still several feet off the floor and not really stable.
I’m thinking about making one of these It’s a generic pattern for one of these….but I am really intimidated for some reason. I’m not exactly sure what my hangup is…
Carrying Mazie in something *I* made doesn’t make me nervous. I make our food because I like what I put in better than takeout or store-bought…so why won’t the same be true for this? I can double-reinforce everything, make sure I use proper weight fabric, and make sure it’s comfy and cozy!
OK. You convinced me. I’m going to try it! I’m SURE I have some fabric that will work.
ETA: Found these two: One is an upholstery fabric and the other is a lightweight corduroy. Either would work great!
Mazie is in an owl phase, so maybe I’ll do that one first. I’ve also got a little owl quilt in progress, it’ll hang over her bed.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture, the FO pic will be better! Those little multi-colored eggs are going to look like owls when they get their eyes.
In other domestic news, I found a simple recipe from this book online, and whipped it up on Sunday. It was so easy, and the bread is incredible!
Posted in baby, sewing | No Comments »
A day in which I do not knit…
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
Mazie woke up at 7 am today! Usually she sleeps until at least 8, if not 9 or 9:30. But she doesn’t feel very well. She’s got a runny nose and a cough. We took her to Urgent Care today just to make sure it isn’t bronchitis or pneumonia. It isn’t. Just a cold. She’s asleep now, poor little thing.
Here she is yesterday doing the sign she made up for “guitar”…she holds one hand out and with the other one she strums her belly.
I’m not knitting today, after the hubub of the last few hours I’m not even looking at yarn. Well, I have to look at it because I’m basically surrounded by it…but I’m not looking at yarn longingly. I might even be shunning yarn.
Next weekend is two really good freinds’ baby shower. And I want to make something special. SO. Remember back when I was quilting? I’ve decided to finish one of the tops that I started and give it to the new baby.
Here are the life stages of this quilt so far:
Pile of partially-assembled strips and squares:
Top:
Cutting the batting:
I found a really cute automobile-themed flannel for the backing. It’s Mazie approved, so I think New Baby will like it, too.
