• May 11, 2010

    Sewing and doing…


    Yesterday was the start of the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. Having no time to sew, I spent some time cutting last night, and then a couple of hours sewing this morning. I made B some slippers, finished up some bibs I had already cut up, and a t-shirt for B. It was mildly disastrous, I have lost a lot of my sewing ability, and especially my pattern making ability. And the stupid machine kept un-threading (mostly my own fault). Even though my work is a little wonky, B likes it, and I guess that is what matters. He is wearing his slippers right now (based on this pattern – I made cutouts on the bottom and put a piece of fake leather I had around between the two sole pieces for grip). The bibs are pretty straightforward. The pattern is from Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing for Baby, but really, it’s not the sort of thing you need a pattern for. The t-shirt I made the pattern for using one of B’s t-shirts. The sleeves are a little off because I did them all wrong. When the Apple Store opened here, they were giving out free shirts, and I had meant to make mine B sized, because it’s not the sort of shirt I would wear, so I am glad I finally got around to doing that. B LOVES the Apple Store. I think it’s because they clapped a lot when it opened and he got really excited. And they have computers for him to play on. And he likes the mall in general.



    I finished the body of one of my Squirrelly Swedish Mittens yesterday, I just need to add the thumb. I really like the colours and they are so soft. I know they will probably pill a lot, being alpaca, but I don’t care, they are that soft. I want to finish all my on-the-go projects in the next week so I can start new ones! For Mother’s Day I got a gift certificate to Darn Good Yarn (and a really colourful necklace from Aldo that B picked out and likes a lot, he sits there naming the shapes). I ordered some Banana Fiber in Rocky Mountain, and a skein of slightly unrefined Sari Silk. I hear the Sari Silk is a bit tricky to work with, but the colour payout is worth it. And the banana fiber sounds fun! I am excited. I love getting packages in the mail. I finished the Little Seedling Soaker, but not in time. It looks pretty cute on O though, so it’s all good. It will be perfect with a t-shirt in the summer. I love the yarn, I wish I had more!


    We gave B a mohawk the other day, it’s pretty darn cute. He also got these new sunglasses that make him look extra cool. B and I spent a lot of time last week working on Mother’s Day presents. They look really simple, but the amount of energy that it takes to get a 2 year old to focus on such a task for long enough is a lot. I helped him colour two mugs and paint a tote bag. If I had a nickel for every time I told him to keep his hands in the air while they were covered in fabric paint, I’d be rich! And it worked! No mess! This week so far, we are just taking it easy, no grand plans.

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  • May 7, 2010

    Lots on the go…



    So I finished the Chronicles of Narnia baby sweater. I was really worried while knitting it that it looked too large, but upon finishing, I tried it on little O, and it fit him pretty well. Since he is a large 3 month old, and it is for a 3-6 month old girl, I’d say it’s pretty true to size. And I love the puffy sleeves. The colour work in the flowers could be a little neater, but that’s my fault for doing it on such a loose knit. Next time I need to remember loose knit=stitch it on after. But I finished it and am overall happy with it (and the choice to make it short sleeved!) Now I am just on a quick diaper cover to go with a friend’s son’s birthday present (I love the yarn! It has a nice texture and is really spring-y.), and then I HAVE to finish the Squirrel Mittens and the hoodie for O. I am not going to let myself start the next project until I do, even though I have bought all the yarn and needles. After that I have a really good idea for a mitten design I want to try to make work.


    We’ve been busy crafting for Mother’s Day this week. B survived both permanent markers and t-shirt paint without any major incidents! I am not going to post any pictures until after the day, just in case. Yesterday I was sick, so we might have had a bit of a Yo Gabba Gabba day. We watched an episode about Superheroes, and B spent some time running around “flying.” When Ryan was done working, I quickly sewed him up a cape and he loved it.


    Next week is the Kids Clothing Week Challenge, and I am trying to plan out what to sew. I for sure am going to finish the cowboy bibs I have cut out and ready to sew, but other than that, I am a little lost. I’ve been looking at Crewcuts by J Crew for inspiration. I love their kids clothes. I might try to make a summer cardigan and some pants for B. O does nor really need anything clothes-wise, so I think I will focus on B, who has outgrown most of his 2T clothing.I like this pant pattern a lot. And he really wants some slippers, for which I have the most perfect heavy wool felt leftover from his Halloween costume (I thought it was pretty smart of me to make the pirate jacket out of real heavy jacket material in this climate). Something easy to slip on like this (I know they are for babies, but they will still work well for B). I think I will spend some time tomorrow planning and cutting. Today I have to finish the diaper cover, make a grocery list/meal plan, and shop.

  • April 26, 2010

    Things I have learned from Wife Swap



    So today, while doing some knitting (I finished the main body of the sweater!) I watched a recent episode of Wife Swap. While watching, I realized that I should probably take a few lessons from these ladies such as

    • take more 5-6 hour naps 
    • run the washing machine so Ryan thinks I am cleaning (so I can take more naps)
    • spend more time internet shopping
    • make the kids do pushups when they forget to say “Yes ma’am”
    Anyways, it has been a busy few days around here. Friday was a long shopping trip with my mom and sister. B got some new sandals, so now when we tell him to get his shoes on he goes “NO! Sandals!” And I found him some good summer clothes. I picked up some soft purple yarn to make these slipper/boots out of when I finish the sweater I am working on. I need to figure out how to use two circular needles at once. And I also found an excuse to go to Michaels that day. We needed to get Mother’s Day and general crafting supplies. We have a lot of fun things to do this week with paints and markers (and sidewalk chalk!). And B picked out some super fun sparkle paint that we are going to use to make a birthday card tomorrow. I am excited to make things. I love the drawings and makings of children.

    Saturday was library day, and B had fun as usual. O was just amused at everything going on. B really likes going to the library, he picked out a few new books to read, and loves trying out all of the couches. We walked around in the sky walks for a bit after and he really liked that. Mostly the being on top of roads part. Then it was grocery shopping. I am proud that the fresh half of my list was way longer than the not-so-fresh stuff. I’ve been making more effort to plan things out, and that is going really well. After shopping we all went for a drive to Lockport for dinner, which was really pretty and relaxing.
    Today we just had to exchange something and go to the Bulk Barn. I picked up various dried fruits in hopes of getting B to eat them. We’ll see how that goes. And then we barbecued. B loves BBQ-ing because he runs outside while Ryan is manning the grill and plays with his sand table. Or dirt rally table as it seems to be.

    I think that I am going to try the Kids Clothes Week challenge next month. I have enough time to prepare, and I love sewing little clothes. Finding patterns that don’t look completely dated for little boys is hard though, so I might have to come up with my own. I need to hit up Fabricland (and use what I still have around) to prepare! If nothing else, I can make a week’s worth of shorts, but hopefully I will find or come up with something better. I still have a couple of weeks to figure it all out.