Monkeymade

Christmas 2011 - Knitting

2012-01-31T14:45:00.000-05:00

I didn't knit very many gifts this year, but enjoyed the things I did make.

My first project was actually a birthday gift for my brother. It's the Dwarven Battle Bonnet. I had found this pattern a few years ago and was just waiting for the perfect reason to make it.

I used Patons classic wool and modified the pattern just a bit based on the other Ravelry projects. It was very fun and quick to make. I was worried about felting it the proper amount in my front loading washing machine. In the end, the hat seemed a little loose, but I didn't want to over felt the yarn. (Ravelry link: Viking helmet hat)

This Darkside Cowl was a free pattern and I knit it in superwash for my daughter's teacher. I liked all the colors that pop out of this colorway (Rainier, Cascade Superwash 220). If I were to wear it I'd probably use it as a headband/ear warmer, but it did fit snugly around my neck too.

I made two pairs of slippers for gifts this year. A pair of the NOLA slippers for my father in law (which I finished on Christmas Eve, so I didn't get a chance to take a photo before wrapping them!) and these French Press Slippers for my sister-in-law.

I enjoy the squishy feel of the NOLA slippers and the pattern changes enough to keep things interesting.

The French Press Slippers were my Thanksgiving weekend project. I knit most of them in the car going to and from Minnesota. The yarn is colorway Dragon Dance in Patons classic. (Ravelry: Dragon Dance)

Christmas ornaments 2011

2012-01-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

image from familyfun.go.com

For several years the kids have been making Christmas ornaments as their gift to Grandparents and other special adults. My oldest daughter and I picked out kits from the craft store in previous years and last year her brother was old enough to help too.

Nothing was looking right to me this year until I came across this tutorial for paper stars.

We all had fun creating these and the kids could help all along the way. All three tore up the construction paper and put it in the blender. I added the hot water and operated the blender.

They took turns helping me press the water out of the paper pulp, through the sieve. Then they took turns scooping the pulp into the cookie cutter and pressing it into place. (I was quality control and made sure the cookie cutter was filled completely.)

I pressed out as much water as I could before they took turns with the glitter.

We made three batches - all red, all yellow, and a couple sheets of yellow combined one sheet of red to make orange.

The stars took much longer to dry than expected. At least 3 hours and I flipped them over at one point. I probably could have pressed more water out before transferring them to the pan. We glued loops of silver ribbon for hanging.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T14:16:00.001-05:00

Prosperity and happiness to you in the coming year!

One of my favorite starts for gift and card making is to have the kids cover plain paper with paint. In the past we've used water color, dot paint, or finger paint. We've used this paper to cut flowers for mothers' day cards, wrap packages, and as elements of thank you cards. I matted one of R's water color paintings with a page that J finger painted so that I have a little artwork from each on the wall.

I especially like adding this step when we're trying to incorporate work from a toddler or if we all want to be a part of a gift that is technically challenging for the kids. We sent a flock of origami cranes to a loved one as a part of a birthday gift. I cut the dry painted paper into squares and the kids helped me pick which squares we used and decided which side was the neck and which was the tail.

They all started with finger paint and white paper, but the finished product was so different for each. Big blobs of color on white space for the youngest, fairly homogeneous mixed up color for the middle kid, and a little more variation how the colors worked together for the oldest. A few birds even had little tiny finger prints captured on their wings.

I used the video found here (Origami) to teach myself how to fold the cranes.

Christmas sewing projects

2011-12-20T23:10:00.001-05:00

I tried to cut back on the Christmas gift projects this year, but couldn't resist a little bit of homemade for each of my kids. Both of these projects were created from fabric I had just sitting around. I love shopping in my bin of leftovers.

For our 18 month old I sewed this portable doll bed. I took the general idea from One-Yard Wonders "Baby-doll Carrier," but I modified it a bit and added a blanket. The interior was cut from a soft and cozy changing pad cover we hadn't used in years. She's been playing with dolls a lot lately and this will be a nice size for her.

The older kids had colds over Thanksgiving weekend and my mom gave them each a travel pack of tissues to carry around. They were really excited about having their own Kleenex. I thought a reusable tissue carrier would be something they'd both be happy to see.

I found an online tutorial for boogie monsters and had to make them! These little monsters use very little fabric and are very quick to sew. I used a bow tutorial on the same website to make a little bow for the girly monster. I think I'll add a key ring to one of the ear loops on each monster, so that the pouches can be attached to a bag, but it looked too much like they each had one earring. So we'll wait for them to be unwrapped for that final touch.

Banquette

2011-12-17T00:33:00.002-05:00

Our most recent home project was building a banquette for our kitchen table. We don't have much extra room in the dining space of our kitchen and our new table was just a little wide for the area. With small kids, I really felt a bench would give a lot of seating versatility and without chairs to slide out we could put the table that much closer to the wall. I also wanted something sturdy that would not be sliding around or tipping over.

To build the banquette we purchased 3 finished hickory cabinets. Two 30" x 15" for the long side and one 36" x 15" for the short side.

We used a glued pine board (16" wide) for the bench. After cutting the two pieces we glued them together and added a block under the seam to give it some extra support. We rounded the edges a bit when sanding and then gave it a couple coats of stain and three coats of polyurethane.

To bring up the seating height we made a riser out of 1"x2" pine and finished it to match the rest of the banquette.

The cabinets are attached the the wall and at this point the bench is just sitting on the top. We might attach it if it wobbles too much.

Our goal was to have the bench in place for J's birthday party last weekend. We were able to comfortably seat 3 adults and 2 kids in the space where only 3 chairs would have fit. Plus the table was close enough to the wall that the chairs on the other side could be fully pulled back from the table.

Normally we don't have a leaf in the table and its length matches the banquette. But for parties we can put in both leaves, use all the chairs, and seat quite a few people!

December!

2011-12-04T22:35:00.001-05:00

Calendar of the Month Club

Here we are at the final paper calendar of 2011! Where did that year go! We're in big holiday prep mode with two birthdays and Christmas around the corner.

I was working at my desk on Friday and wished I could just tilt back in my chair and snooze like this nutcracker.

November!

2011-11-06T15:15:00.001-05:00

Calendar of the Month Club

It's so refreshing to see this vibrant November calendar on my desk. At times, early November seems like the dreary weeks between the crisp colors of Fall and the excitement of the holiday season. It's as if the little bird were shouting, "November!"

I've started brainstorming holiday gift ideas. Hopefully I can keep it in check. Yesterday I came home from the yarn store with a big bag of treasures and I can't wait to dive in.

Handmade handed down

2011-10-31T01:01:00.002-04:00

Last week I organized my youngest daughter's dresser. I pulled out all the 12 month clothes and replaced them with the 18 month hand me downs. In the bin was the first Baby Surprise Jacket that I knit. That was my big transition from knowing how to knit to being a person who knit things. That yarn worked so well with the pattern and now C's been wearing it a few times a week.

I also found space in storage for the clothes my older kids outgrew over the summer. My son was helping me sort and was very excited to find the doll carrier I had originally made for R. He doesn't often play with dolls, but occasionally he'll stroll one around or want to have one to play with if that is what the girls are doing.

It's great to see both of these handmade treasures getting a little more use.

October!

2011-10-05T23:53:00.001-04:00

Fall is here!

Calendar of the Month!

Quick baby shower knit

2011-09-27T01:33:00.001-04:00

I was recently invited to a baby shower and decided at the last minute to make a little hand knit as a part of my gift to the new mom.

I found this free pattern (Sweetie Pie Kit) on the Pickles website. I'm drawn to so many of their patterns and I am sure the very cute babies in their photos helps.

This little dress and hat use the fisherman's rib. It took me quite a while to feel comfortable with this stitch pattern, but it produces a squishy final product with lots of stretch.

I found a new yarn for this project. Plymouth Yarn Baby Boutique is microfiber and nylon. It has a very soft texture, a little stretch, and is machine washable. I think the new baby will be cozy this winter with this dress over a long sleeve shirt and leggings.

Dance bag!

2011-09-09T00:13:00.000-04:00

My daughter just started dance classes on Tuesday at a studio in our town. I was thinking about how our week would go, what we'd need to have ready each day, and made a note that we'd have to find a bag to bring her tap and ballet shoes to class.

I was going to throw them in a tote bag we have, but then started thinking about how it would be nice if there were room for her street clothes to fit while she was in class. And parents don't stick around during class, so I wanted something she'd notice as her own so that she'd find her stuff. Of course, as I thought about how she's a first grader now, doing stuff on her own, I wanted it to be cute and have room to grow. It didn't take long for me to pull down my Sew What! Bags book!

I used the City Satchel pattern and the measurements listed in the book. The whole bag was made from fabric scraps. The dark blue fabric is heavy and cut from a curtain we had used in an apartment a few years ago. The dragonfly material was scavenged from an apron I'd been meaning to finish for about 4 years. The pocket on the flap was really the apron pocket! The lining of the bag was cut from a twin sheet my mom gave me for sewing projects. I did purchase a zipper and some fusible interfacing.

I like having this bag book as a reference on my shelf and have used in in quite a few projects now. It gives me just enough guidance to quickly create the bag I need, but it also gives a lot of room for creative touches.

I spent a really long time figuring out this water bottle pocket with elastic. Too long, probably, but I did not want to let it go.

I created the bag with an adult length shoulder strap, but then tacked it down to size. I hope she enjoys the bag enough that in a few years I can lengthen and re-tack as needed.

The bag pattern suggested pockets on the back of the bag and on the bag front under the flap. I put a row of 3 pockets on the inside instead. I also added a zipper pocket inside for any really important things. Making little interior zipper pockets is a small bit of sewing magic. (I used two links for guidance, zipper1 and zipper2.)

I am always excited to use this dot fabric. The dots are spaced in rows that are an inch apart. Cutting and sewing is a breeze when you can just pick a row of dots to follow!

September!

2011-09-06T14:49:00.002-04:00

Calendar of the Month Club!

It's September!

The weather was beautiful this weekend, a little cooler, with just a bit of Fall in the air.

We are shifting gears from the go,go,go of summer to the fresh start of cooler weather and a new school year.

I have thrown away my summer RV and now have this shadow box that reminds me of scrap-booking, crafts, and the fun of projects!

Rainbow dress

2011-08-31T14:53:00.002-04:00

I had purchased some dark blue DK yarn when I was pregnant and thought I'd make something for the baby once I knew if we were having a boy or girl. For months and months I did not get to it, but always had a cute diaper cover/skirt in mind once we she was born. I also was planning to knit a lacy dress for the baby's first birthday.

Eventually I started looking though patterns, but the skirts just weren't clicking. I was going to put the blue yarn toward the birthday dress, but its style was not very practical for a toddler on the go. Eventually, I found this adorable dress pattern and it met all of my criteria! I didn't want a solid dark blue dress, so I picked out some rainbow yarn and a lighter blue shade as well.

I cast on back in April or May, but life got in the way and I just had a light blue collar for the longest time. Baby's birthday came and went and so this dress fell farther down my priority list. It became my car knitting project and it is a good thing we had lots of road trips planned this summer. I knit all the way to the East Coat and back. Then I knit to the Grandparents' houses and to Colorado too.

But, now it is finished and looks twirly cute on her. I followed the pattern for the 1-2T size, except for a few modifications. I used ribbing at the waist instead of the drawstring. I shortened the sleeves and used the ruffle edge instead of ribbing there. I used a simple texture stitch on the front of the top. (K3,P1 for one row, then 3 rows of stockinette, then a row of K1, *P1, K3*, then 3 more rows of stockinette... repeat...)

(summer dress on Ravelry)

However, once I got going, the dark blue yarn just didn't fit in.... maybe a little hat for when the weather gets cold?

Little Pink Pig!

2011-08-19T16:29:00.000-04:00

I put the finishing touches on this little pink pig this week and mailed him off as a birthday present for one of our favorite 3 year olds. This pig is quite cute and is knit around a bouncy ball! We just had to try him out a few times before popping him into his box and we were squealing with laughter as he jumped around the kitchen. (Couldn't help that pun...)

A year or two ago we got a book called Ping Pong Pig. It's all about a little pig who wants to fly and gets into trouble jumping all over the place. His friends get him a trampoline to keep him busy, he uses it to fix all the stuff he broke, and everyone is happy. We sent the pig and book together - a bouncy Ping Pong to go with the book!

The pattern I used for this pig was posted for free on the Spud and Chloe blog. (Oink) There are a lot of fun, free patterns on that blog.

I had a difficult time sending this little guy off. He's a perfect handful and has a nice weight due to the bouncy ball. Adorable!

(Ravelry: Bouncy Pig!)

August

2011-08-02T00:34:00.000-04:00

I wasn't ready to give up my July RV (and I wasn't a big fan of August's robot surfer) so I just added a surf board to my camper.

Curiosity Calendar of the Month

July!

2011-07-06T23:40:00.001-04:00

I really like July's addition to the Calendar of the Month Club! I smile each time I look at it. (June's calendar was a blue whale that I put together so poorly that I don't think I even took a photo!) Our June was busy with travels and we're looking forward to finding more adventure to fill the rest of the summer.

I haven't spent much time crafting this summer, but here are the projects that I did finish in the last few months.

Little Blue Birds from Itty-Bitty Toys

I had intended these little birdies as Easter gifts and was just a few weeks late. They each fold into an egg! The kids were very excited (the pattern was one that my daughter had pointed out when she looked through the book.) It is a little difficult to get the birds folded in to the eggs and I wonder how many times they can be folded without damage. (Ravelry: Blue birds)

I used another Susan B Anderson pattern to make a birdie for the baby. I think she has such great patterns and this one is free! (Duck-to-bunny pattern) He is quite well loved! (You can see the bunny side at my Ravelry link: Duck/Bunny)

Mini-totes from sew what! bags

I created these mini-tote bags for gift bags to fill with little treasures. Both were made from fabric scraps and measure about 10" x 10". The sew what! book is always inspiring because it outlines the pattern, but leaves a lot of room for creativity. Every time I make one I think of so many other bag ideas I'd love to try.

Nola's Knitted Slippers

These are super soft and squishy slippers. I modified the pattern to fit a larger size and outlined those changes on my Ravelry page. (Nola slippers) My brother was severely injured by a drunk driver a few months ago and I spent an anxious weekend knitting these and waiting for updates. My husband was out of town for work and so I wandered around after the kids with my yarn under my arm and knit like each garter stitch held all of my hopes and prayers for his recovery. Knitting is nice like that. (My brother is recovering very well, considering, but has a long road still.)

Right now I'm working on a dress for the baby who is no longer really a baby...

Blossom dress

May!

2011-05-04T23:48:00.000-04:00

Hmmm.... we haven't been very crafty lately. It's the last month of school and we're all looking forward to summer break!

Curiosity calender of the month

April!

2011-04-02T01:02:00.002-04:00

Download your own calendar of the month!

Aravis

2011-03-23T00:42:00.000-04:00

Several months ago I won a new pattern from French Press Knits. I've tried a couple of Melynda's patterns before and really liked the results. The Aravis is an infinity cowl with a built in hood that used 1 skein of Malabrigo worsted. I've been wanting to try Malabrigo for ages!

I really liked the feel of the yarn and its slight color variation. I had not tried short rows before and enjoyed figuring that out while making the hood. The whole project was quick and easy on size 10.5 needles. (Ravelry link: Burgundy Aravis)

This was my end result and it took me a while to figure out how to even put it on!

But it is soft and warm! I'm not sure if I am a cowl person - I don't wear scarves often and am not sure I'd like it close to my neck like that. Plus, my plan was to make this as a gift - I just need to figure out who I'm giving it to!

The hood is a cute touch! And I think it would add just a bit of extra warmth on a cool day.

Artisan Bread in Five

2011-03-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

image from http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

I've been meaning to write up a post about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for months. But, really, using the methods in this book it is quicker to make fresh bread for supper than it is to find 10 minutes to type my thoughts.

Some friends of mine raved about this book for months before I tried it. I assumed there was some catch and I know how to make traditional homemade bread. If I wanted fresh bread couldn't I just make it?

I ended up buying the book and some start-up supplies for my husband for his birthday. I quickly caught on - of course I know how to make fresh bread - but with a busy schedule I never got around to doing it.

The concept is simple - mix up a big batch of dough and then use it to make 4 (or more if you multiply the recipe) loaves of bread over the next two weeks. On baking day just pull out the appropriate amount of dough, let it rise (40 minutes for the basic loaf) and bake (30 minutes for a small loaf.)

Ready to bake!

I love that I can use literally a minute here and a minute there to have fresh bread at supper and that beautiful fresh baked bread smell all afternoon.

Yum!

We also appreciate the huge variety of dough recipes and baking techniques. We started with just the basic white bread and a free form loaf. Our favorite now is called European Peasant Bread and has some whole wheat and rye flours. We've also tried the Broa (Portuguese corn bread) and while it is good, it wasn't "corny" enough to have a huge taste difference.

Pita Bread

We have tried several baking techniques, all with the same dough. The kids gobble up homemade pita bread and we also like the stove-top cooked Naan. Neither of these methods require rising time and they are very fast cooking - great for last minute baking! The dough makes a great homemade pizza or cheesy bread and the book has a delicious sausage Stromboli recipe. We tried a modification of the pork bun recipe in the book and found it a great way to use up leftover roast.

image from http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

The authors have a 2nd book filled with whole grain recipes, doughs with veggies added, and gluten free dough. I'm planning to order it soon. I did try the whole wheat main recipe from that book and we do like the flavor. I attempted to make sandwich bread using that dough. While it was the best homemade sandwich bread I've made, we didn't eat it fast enough.

There are a lot more varieties and recipes that I'd like to try from both books. It's great to make a big batch of dough on Sunday and then just go to it during the week for a quick pita for lunch or for a guaranteed favorite with supper.

I purchased our bins, dough scraper, and pizza peel from Amazon. We don't use a baking stone. You can learn a whole lot more about this on the authors' website: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. (I wasn't compensated for this post, I just think this is an awesome idea for busy people who enjoy things that taste good!)

March!

2011-03-03T14:56:00.002-05:00

calendarofthemonth

Only slightly better than a ruined hat...

2011-03-01T15:18:00.003-05:00

I finished R's new hat and she was very happy. But then I had this half-ruined hat sitting around. I was kind of frustrated with myself still so I threw it in the wash again to see if it would felt more. Then I kind of shaped it like a bowl and left it until I could figure out a plan.

Liz suggested in previous comments that someday the baby could wear the first hat and my husband found my half-felted bowl and wondered if I was trying to make a top hat.

And really, doesn't every single baby need a top hat? It looks more like a bowler on her...

Redo!

2011-02-16T17:22:00.000-05:00

I threw R's birthday hat in the washer with a full load of clothes. I had forgotten that it was mostly wool and that I should hand wash it. It partially felted in the wash - the diameter stretched out a bit and it got quite a bit shorter - more than an inch and a half.

The old hat is on the bottom in the photo. The new hat is on top and is already taller than the ruined hat! R was disappointed, but luckily I still had quite a bit of the yarn left and I'm happy that I can make it right with just a few nights work. I was tempted to change the pattern, colors, or style a bit, but in the end am just trying to make the same hat again.

Handmade gifts - part 2

2011-02-11T15:46:00.000-05:00

My list of gifts I wanted to knit just kept growing and growing this year. I was trimming it continually, yet adding new things at the same time.

I will include the Ravelry link for each of my projects. If you are curious about yarn type, needle sizes, and other details you can find that information there.

I had such a great time knitting this flap hat for J. (Free Ravelry pattern: Cozy Canuck Chullo) I had not tried Fair Isle before and now I can't wait to try it again. The first hat I made was too small, so I made another in a larger size and we gave the smaller hat to a baby friend. (Ravelry: flap hat)

R really likes the yarn I used to make her Wallaby and had requested matching mittens. I held the yarn double and put a little heart on each. I thought they might not keep her hands warm enough, but she has worn them outside a few times and they passed the test. (Ravelry: mitts)

I also knit these cute butterflies (free pattern) and attached them to ponytail holders for R. I used the same yarn as in her Kina sweater (shown in the photo above.) (Ravelry: butterflies)

I wanted to make C a little baby sweater. This pattern is called Little Boy Blue. It's cozy and warm, but I don't like how much the collar and bottom edge roll. I had intended to put I-cord along the bottom, but at this point probably won't. I also knit her that squishy ball toy. I had planned for a whole group of them, but ran out of time. I am almost finished with a second, slightly larger ball. (Ravelry: sweater, ball)

I decided to make R's teacher and student teacher each a scarf. The goal was to make both over our Thanksgiving vacation and I was successful. I really like both of these patterns for quick gifts.

For the student teacher I knit a Breckenridge cowl. This yarn was in my stash and worked well with the pattern - the cables show up much better in person. The dragonfly buttons were a last minute find and really went well with the yarn. (Ravelry: cowl)

And here is the Super-Fast, Ultra-Cozy scarf for R's teacher. This is another free pattern and I know it is a popular pattern for gifts because it is so quick to knit. I used Lion's Brand Homespun for this one and it turned out to be such a soft, squishy, warm scarf. The pattern worked well with the unique texture of the yarn. (Ravelry: SFUC scarf)

I found some gorgeous, soft alpaca yarn and wanted to make a scarf and hat for my mom. I think that this yarn was one of my favorites to knit with. Each stitch was a new color and it felt very luxurious and dense. The Diagonal Rib pattern (free) gave it a little texture. I carefully immersed it in water before blocking it and it became much more open and limp. I would have made it longer if I had known and I'm disappointed by how the pattern is no longer as striking. It was still a cozy scarf, even with the negative surprises. (Ravelry: alpaca scarf)

I went with the free Snappy Hat pattern for a matching hat and it was off to a nice start. Sadly, I ran out of yarn with 7 rows to go! I need to find a new plan for this yarn, but I just adored the hat it was becoming. These photos also show how bulky the scarf would have looked before washing. I have no idea what this yarn will become, but I need to find a good use for it! (Ravelry: sad hat)

My latest project was for a new baby friend of ours who was born in early January. It is the same free pattern I used for C's Welcome Home hat and booties. I used the same supersoft yarn, but this time I knit it to the pattern specified size. Baby gifts are so fun to knit! (Ravelry: booties, baby hat)

February!

2011-02-02T13:31:00.003-05:00

Well, January sure went by in a flash. I was kept busy with a variety of things, but I now feel like I'm getting my 2011 footing.

I had made a goal to keep track of where my time went for a week or two. I was too busy to even get that started! However I have been trying to use my time consciously, focusing more, multi-tasking less.

On the right you will see a list of crafting and food blogs that I read regularly. The blog title moves to the top of the list if it has an update.

I've mentioned How About Orange several times, including how it led me to the Calendar of the Month club. I have a little groundhog keeping me company this month. The RealSimple blog has a lot of random posts that are simliar to things found in the magazine.

I have found recipes that are now in permanent rotation on Orangette, Smitten Kitchen, and Moderate Oven. Moderate Oven is written by a friend of mine. I always wished I could sit in her kitchen and figure out how she put such good food together. Now I can! The Artisan Bread blog is connected with the awesome Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day book. I plan to post more about that soon.

There are quite a few knitting sites in my blog reader. Yarn Harlot, Mason-Dixon knitting, and Spud & Chloe are written by published knitting-book authors. Of course they often mention knitting related things, but I find Yarn Harlot really funny, Mason-Dixon knitting often mentions all sorts of non-crafty/interesting topics, and Spud & Chloe hosts knit-a-longs and gives lots of technique advice.

French Press Knits is written by a self-published pattern designer. I really like her designs and have knit some myself. TECHknitting has awesome tips and tricks if you are someone who knits.

Nissa Nicole is my talented photographer sister-in-law. I do not personally know the ladies who write Our Yellow House and SpiderWoman Knits, but they live in upstate NY and have great craft/household/gardening ideas. Ana White designs free furniture patterns. We found the plan for our picnic table on her site and I wish we had the tools and time to build more!

As always, I have a few posts in my head that I hope to get up here soon... but until then I hope you check out some of my favorites! If you are still checking in here, what are some blogs you read for inspiration?

Handmade Christmas gifts - part 1

2011-01-10T22:28:00.005-05:00

I enjoy making lots of gifts for the holidays. My to-do list seems to grow and grow and I always run out of time in the end. I'm still working on one of the baby's gifts. At least she's too young to know!

In my first handmade gift post I'll talk about the items I sewed. There is something so satisfying about sitting down and sewing together a gift in a night or two!

Here is the robe I made for my son's 3rd birthday. I used the same pattern to make a robe for my daughter when she turned 3. (Burda 9690) The outside is fleece and the lining is lizard print flannel. I really enjoy this pattern - it is very simple and quick.

I made our baby girl a ribbon blanket. The puppy fabric is very soft flannel. The pink square is one of the scarves I dyed. I sandwiched ribbon loops of 4 different types and heights between the front and back. This projected turned out just as I had hoped and I'm so happy with it!

Here she is enjoying it!

Last year I came across a make-your-own fort kit tutorial. I was excited to put it together this year for some friends of ours with 3 (now 4) kids.

These pictures are really dark. That is what happens when you finish the project and want to box it up right away so that it arrives on time.
I purchased two sets of twin sheets on Black Friday and attached 6 ties to each sheet. (One in each corner and one on the middle of each long side.) I found by-the-yard twill tape for the ties and used 2 yards for each sheet. The exception was one of the fitted sheets. I tried sewing a pocket into each corner and left off the ties on the long edges. The sheets are on the bottom of the pile on the right side of the picture above.

I used the pillowcases to make two bags. A large bag with big pockets on the front and back to hold the whole kit and a smaller draw string bag for the white clips. I included 4 of the scarves I dyed, the clothespin-like clips, and 3 flashlights.
This was another project that was so fun to put together. I plan to make more of these for gifts in the future!

Time waits for no Yeti.

2011-01-06T17:53:00.004-05:00

We had a very busy December that ran into January and I feel like we are just getting the new year started now.

I printed and constructed this cute little Yeti this afternoon. (http://curiositygroup.com/calendarofthemonth) It makes me smile and takes the place of a very outdated photo on my desk. I'm looking forward to a super quick art project each month.

Many of my goals for 2011 can be grouped under better time management - more exercise, more effort in meal planning, more time to work and blog, more time spent focusing on one task instead of flitting here and there, time to do some organizing and decorating around the house, and so on.

My first baby goal of the year will be to take a hard look at my schedule next week. I'm going to print some blank daily calendars and fill in how I want to spend my time and where it actually goes.

I have lots of handmade gifts to post about in the next week too!

Happy New Year!

Advent 2010, Weeks 3 and 4

2010-12-20T16:32:00.003-05:00

We are closing in on Christmas here and looking forward to celebrating with family soon.

Our Advent celebrations hit some snags last week, but we're picking up some steam now.

3rd Sunday in Advent: We had guests in town for J's birthday and didn't plan an activity for Sunday. We did have our weekly candle lighting at supper.

Monday: The task was to finish the little ornaments the kids were working on, but we got caught up doing other things and didn't get around to it.

Tuesday: Same task as Monday, since we didn't do it, but the kids decided they were not interested.

Wednesday: We were going to make homemade playdough and use it to build snowmen, but ended up doing some Christmas shopping instead. The kids were ok with that and had fun getting the gift for their dad.

Thursday: Turning the week around and getting back on track! We had a lot of fun making our own playdough. It's just flour, salt, and water! The kids played for a long time. R made snowmen and then used cookie cutters to make other shapes. J pretty much just made piles of dough. We let everything harden and now it is all sitting on our table as decoration. Definitely going to do this again!
Friday: We watched White Christmas with a picnic snack in the living room. Always a favorite!

Saturday: Rice pudding for dessert by the light of the Christmas tree. Then we read a few Christmas books out loud. I'd like this to become a tradition each year.

4th Sunday in Advent: The kids and I spent much of the afternoon baking and frosting sugar cookies. They were both excited to help! That evening we lit the 4th candle during our short supper ceremony.
Monday: Today's task was to help me wrap a few gifts. R got home early from school because of the snow and now is playing outside. We'll see if we end up doing our project today.

Tuesday: We plan to drive the kids around town after supper and look at all the house decorations.

After Tuesday I don't have any plans made. We'll be traveling at the end of the week and so maybe we'll have an activity here or there, but we'll just have to see.

I have lots of photos of various gifts I've made for Christmas this year, but we'll see if I get around to posting them before we take off!

Advent 2010, Week 2

2010-12-10T00:02:00.006-05:00

We're enjoying our second week of advent here. Saturday we did pick out a Christmas tree. Unfortunately there is not a tree farm near us and we had to get a pre-cut tree in town here. It's already really dropping needles!

Here are our week 2 activities:
2nd Sunday in Advent: We decorated the tree together and enjoyed talking about all the ornament history. At supper time we had another quick little advent ceremony and lit our 2nd candle.

Monday: St. Nick visited in the night and left treats for the big kids. He left hot chocolate for each and that has been a big hit with breakfast this week. Also, the kids helped me bake candy cane cookies after school.

Tuesday: R made cards for her teachers. She put a lot of thought into each card, so this project took a while! J played around with the craft supplies making his own picture.

Wednesday: The kids used stamps, dot paint, and markers to make some wrapping paper. This did not go over as well this year as last year and I think it was because I was rushing them a bit. We had a lot to get done on Wed. so I left them crafting while trying to do other things. They fizzled pretty fast, so I might bring this stuff out next week and give them some help with it.

Thursday: The kids "helped" make thumbprint cookies. Or, they each rolled one cookie into a ball before R said, "This doesn't really seem like fun." They did make their way back into the kitchen as I was frosting the first batch.

Friday: Tomorrow is J's 3rd birthday, so I won't have a tree activity for the kids and we'll focus on his birthday instead.

Saturday: We're having a small birthday party for J.

Kool-aid dyed play scarves

2010-12-08T00:02:00.005-05:00

The kids still enjoy playing with the scarves I dyed for them a few years ago. They make great costume accessories and show up in a lot of imaginary play situations.

I am including scarves in a couple gifts this year. Using Kool-aid to color inexpensive silk scarves is an easy and fun project. I've written about coloring scarves before and I followed the same instructions this time. There is quite a lot of information out on the web if you are interested in learning more about using kool-aid to dye things.

I purchase 8mm white Habotai scarves from the Dharma trading company. This year I ordered my scarves the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving and they were waiting in my mailbox when we returned home on Sunday!

1) Soak the scarf in a bowl of hot water with a little vinegar for about 30 minutes.

2) Combine 2 cups cold water, 1/2 cup vinegar, and kool-aid powder. I find two packets to be plenty for good color. Use a fork to submerge the scarf and loosen any areas that are bunched up.
3) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
4) After microwaving, let the bowl rest for 3 minutes.
5) Stir with the fork (being very careful when removing the plastic), cover again, and follow the heating and resting cycle twice more.

6) After 3 cycles of heating and cooling let the bowl rest until cool enough to touch. Drain the water and hang the scarf to dry.
7) Wash the scarf in cold water (I add a tiny amount of detergent), hang to dry again, and iron on low.
This isn't a very good project for the kids to help with, since the bowls do get very hot, but they enjoy watching the plastic wrap balloon up in the microwave and it is like magic to see how the water starts off a bright color and ends up clear.

Advent 2010, Week 1

2010-12-03T10:47:00.004-05:00

There are quite a few fun ideas for family Advent traditions and for a few years I've been meaning to have some organization to our December plans. I like the looks of the fancy wooden advent calendars with a box for each day and there is also the idea of putting family activities on 24 strips of paper to make an Advent chain. Several friends have fun with an Elf on a Shelf and plan activities for the whole month.

I'm combining a few of those ideas this year and so far it has been going well! I didn't want to spend a lot of money or time on the set-up. I also wanted some flexibility in case our plans would need to change.

I put my ideas for the month onto a calendar, trying to get a good mix of projects, doing things for others, and family activities each week. Each morning the kids find the day's activity written on a slip of paper in a glass Christmas tree we already had. I also set out any supplies we'll need.

So far we've had a great time. I like the accountability and anticipation. Late afternoon is never a good time for me to think of fun group activities, but having the plan already made gives us a chance to enjoy that after school time together. In creating a rough plan for the month I can be prepared and not be searching for a recipe or glue sticks when the kids are excited to get started.

Here are our activities for this week:
1st Sunday of Advent: We arrived home from our Thanksgiving road trip right at supper time. We lit the first candle of our new Advent wreath and read the very short ceremony I had pulled together with a reading and prayer.

Monday: After school we dug into the boxes of Christmas decorations, books, and CDs and spruced up the house.

Tuesday: Snowflake window clings!
To prepare I printed a few snowflake clip-art in black and white. We put the templates under glass baking dishes and traced them using 3d fabric paint, being sure to connect everything fully. (We used Scribbles Glittering in crystal, night star, and sapphire.) We let them dry overnight and then I pulled them off the glass and stuck them on the window.

I have mixed feelings on this project. The kids were too young to control the paint and we used up a lot more paint than I expected. They both lost interest after a few attempts.

But, they both were excited to see the finished product on the window and asked if we could make more. This might be more fun in a few years.

Wednesday: We purchased gifts to donate for kids in need.

Thursday: We had a downtown adventure. The kids helped me pick out holiday stamps at the post office and we dropped off one of the toys we had purchased on Wednesday. Then we met up with a friend to play at the museum.

Santa was visiting the museum and the kids were excited to see him. R was brave enough to sit with Santa and the kids came home with treat bags.

After supper the whole family went downtown again for the Parade of Lights!

Friday: Tonight we are having a picnic supper of apples, popcorn, cheese, and other treats in the living room while watching the movie Elf together.

Saturday: The plan is to pick out our Christmas tree!

What's for dinner?

2010-11-08T10:28:00.003-05:00

Each week we plan our meals and make a shopping list. I try to mix some family favorites with a new dish or two, keeping in mind the time we have available for food prep. and cooking. Thinking of healthy, enjoyable meals can get frustrating when you have two kids who can be particular. (Hamburger on a bun, mashed potatoes - yum!, hamburger and potatoes baked in pie crust - how could I suggest such a thing?!)

We are taking a break from meal planning around here and trying Real Simple's Four-Week Dinner Plan.

The magazine gives recipes and shopping lists for 5 meals a week. I've seen similar plans before and either the meals don't seem like they'd fly around here or bizarre ingredients and preparation techniques make me roll my eyes.

But, the majority of the meals in this plan look delicious and like something we can adapt for our kids. The prep and cooking times are reasonable.

I'm looking forward to trying some new things and having it all preselected adds some fun to a tricky time of day. If the kids grumble it isn't my fault, I'm just cooking the meal of the day. We do plan to serve bread and a kid friendly veggie most nights and will make modifications here and there as it suits us. (Romain salad on the side instead of the Romain slaw on the turkey burgers, skip the dijon sauce on the steak...)

The preplanned meals give the week an element of adventure. Last night we had Tilapia baked with roasted potatoes, lemon, and olives. (bread and broccoli on the side) The kids both tried each element of the meal, were excited about it, and seemed to have an open mind.

I think we'll spend a little more on groceries, but hopefully we'll find a few new family favorites and have a vacation from meal planning for a few weeks.

- photos from Realsimple.com

It's November?

2010-11-04T09:29:00.002-04:00

I blinked and September and October were over!

My "gifts to make" list wants to keep growing, but several things have happened to give me less free time, so I'm thinking I'll have to just pick my favorite item or two to make this year. Or I'll not make any gifts and just try getting a Christmas stocking for the baby knit.

I have sleeves and a few finishing touches left on the baby sweater I'm working on. It's one of her Christmas gifts, but I wanted to make sure it would fit.

Baking with Sunbutter

2010-11-01T00:31:00.005-04:00

J is allergic to peanuts. We haven't had trouble avoiding foods that could cause him trouble, but I do sometimes feel bad that he won't get to have a classic PB&J or a delicious Monster cookie (peanut butter, oats, M&Ms, and more...)

We purchased a jar of Sunbutter hoping it would give us more lunch options. Neither he nor I really liked it. It isn't bad, but it does taste very strongly like sunflower seeds.

I had been meaning to try baking with it. Maybe we'd be able to keep a few of those family favorite cookie recipes alive for him.

A friend of mine from my college days posts every year on her blog about one of her family cookie traditions - owl cookies!

You can find her post with the recipe on her blog: Owl Cookies by Saroy

Her cookies always look so cute and I did have that sunbutter waiting in the fridge, so I gave it a try. I replaced the cup of peanut butter with a cup of sunbutter. I cut the baking powder in half so that my cookies wouldn't turn green. I also replaced the yummy cashew nose with melted butterscotch chips to avoid any nut cross contamination.

The end result wasn't a failure. My husband really likes PB cookies and said that these were a good substitute. Fresh out of the oven I found the sunflower taste overpowering, but I had another today and it had better balance. The kids both ate their cookie yesterday, but haven't asked for seconds. This might be partially because the Halloween candy influx has already started.

The texture of the baked cookies is a little dry and rough. I wonder if the dough needs some other modifications due to the Sunbutter.

I'm definitely going to try this substitution in a few more recipes and I can see owl cookies becoming a tradition here too. They were easy, the kids helped out, and the cookies are so cute!

*Additional notes*
I stored our owl cookies in an air tight container and it has improved them! They are not as dry or crumbly now and the flavors have really mellowed nicely. Instead chalking it up to an interesting experiment, I now totally would make them again.

I'm very excited to try monster cookies with sunbutter now. I think the oatmeal and sunflower taste will go well together.

It's the process, not the product.

2010-10-12T14:25:00.003-04:00

The kids and I were home on our own for a couple days at the end of last week. I tried to think of several fun things to keep us busy on Saturday. I wanted to make a Halloween craft with them and purchased some pom poms and craft felt.

We had a great time making ghosts, monsters, and pumpkins. The kids were really in to it and putting some effort into their creations. But early on we realized we had a problem. Our school glue wasn't holding anything to the felt! I was disappointed that I hadn't purchased some appropriate glue, that now we wouldn't be able to make Halloween decorations, and that I had put a damper on our fun day.

The kids didn't care in the least. My daughter said, "We can still make great pictures, they just will be for now." My son gathered all of the pom poms from his ghost and played with them for a long time.

We decided to take a photo of our great decorations and I'll print a copy for my daughter to hang up in her room. Now I'm thinking about cutting shapes from the rest of the felt and treating it as a reusable toy for creating temporary pictures.

Finished: Kina cardigan

2010-10-06T10:22:00.002-04:00

Pattern: Cardigan Kina, size 6
Yarn: Patons Grace, in rose

I love the shiny look to this cotton yarn. The design is classic and simple. It is knit from the top down and in the end only the underarms need to closed. This was knit on size 4 needles and I like the look of this gauge, but nearly gave up in the middle because it seemed to be taking forever!

Small traditions

2010-09-30T14:15:00.002-04:00

I recently saw a recipe for crock-pot chicken that is so simple you can't really even call it a recipe. Place a whole chicken, rinsed with the giblets removed, in the crock-pot. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Set it on low for 8 or 9 hours. The result is surprisingly delicious.

I've been trying to make at least one crock-pot meal a week. Usually it's enough for 2 or 3 suppers and takes some of the pressure off the early evening when the kids all seem to need attention. I can put an effort toward supper as I find time in the morning and some days it seems like that is the only thing I accomplished in the day.

But on the rare occasion, getting into the kitchen right away in the morning inspires me to stick around a while - maybe bake something or think more creatively about the rest of the day's food or even just tackle the pile of mail that seems to grow on the counter.

Today's easy crock-pot chicken, combined with the fall leaves drifting outside, led me to pumpkin. I was thinking pumpkin muffins or bread, but J was very excited about a pumpkin pie. The baby was sleeping, so we mixed up the dough for the pie crust and put it into the fridge. I really do enjoy baking with my kids, especially when they get to the age where they can independently stir.

The pie crust needed to chill, J needed a snack, and then the baby woke. After a short break, we cleaned the last bowl of tomatillos and made a sauce to be used with the chicken leftovers. Then he helped me make the pie filling, roll the crust, and get it all into the oven.

Fall has so many traditional foods. Foods that bring back memory after memory. J and I used the last bit of crust to make a handful of pie crust cookies. Another simple recipe - roll out the excess crust, spread on a little butter, top with cinnamon and sugar, cut and bake. The timing is tricky - they never finish if you are watching them and they always burn if you take your eyes away. We used the toaster oven this morning, just to be sure not to ruin them.

My mom makes pie crust cookies with her extra crust. On Sunday mornings or holidays the smell of all the good food cooking would keep me near the kitchen. Pie crust cookies were that little treat to whet your appetite and tide you over until the main event. Today J and I sat in the kitchen watching the leaves fall, talking about our upcoming visit to MN, and speculating on what Papa and R would think of the pie.

We used a deep dish pie pan today, I took one my mom was discarding, but typically there is too much pumpkin pie filling for a standard pie plate. It was always good to be near the kitchen when the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie came out of the oven because there was always a little custard cup of filling to share.

Our little family has had one Thanksgiving without relatives around. R was almost 4 and J was almost 1 and we were living in New York. We still planned the big feast. Papa went to run in that city's traditional Thanksgiving 5k and right after he left the power went out with the turkey cooking and the parade on TV. The outage was short, 15-20 minutes, and our dinner survived, but I recall that morning every time I open a can of pumpkin. R colored turkeys that I drew for her while we waited for the power. Eventually we made the pie and I shared the extra filling with her, smiling as she pretended to be a Rockette.

Garden: Year 1

2010-09-28T13:35:00.002-04:00

One of the things we looked forward to, with the purchase of our first house, was the ability to start a garden. The current state of our landscaping doesn't give us much space for one, so we rented a plot in the community gardens. We had a busy and unusual summer on tap, with the birth of our baby, and decided to go into this with the mindset that it was a learning year and any veggies at all would be a good start. It has been my husband's project completely this summer. I hope that in future years we can all start to chip in.

He planted quite a variety of things so that we can get an idea of what we'd like more of in future years. (red and yellow potatoes, snap peas, Swiss chard, turnips, beets, summer squash, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes (4 types), green beans, romaine lettuce, lettuce mix, butternut squash, and a tomatillo plant.)

Photos from mid-May:

(our plot is 15x20 feet)

Photos from mid-July:

We have some tomatoes on the deck and some in the garden.
My husband raised them all from seeds, along with some of the other plants, and they are looking beautiful!

My father-in-law brought us some raspberry plants from his garden. They bore just tiny handful of fruit this summer, but they are thriving.

Mid August:

That was roughly our whole big tomato harvest.
The cherry tomatoes just keep going and going.

September:
We have had a lot of rain recently and it put an end to the few crops that were still producing. Here at the end of the season we can look back at how things went:

The Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and carrots all had some early problems and didn't produce. We have some ideas about what to try next year!

We had a few meals of turnips, beets, lettuce, and tomatoes, but less then we had expected. We were disappointed that the beets didn't grow very big and that our tomato plants in the garden were blighted. We had tomato plants in the garden, in pots on the deck, and growing upside down in buckets. The plants in pots did the best and so we'll focus on those next year.

Greg harvested a good number of potatoes and winter squash. We tried our first of the butternut squash and it was amazingly good. It makes me happy that we have a whole shelf of them to eat this winter.

We were overwhelmed with summer squash and zucchini, even with just one hill of each.

Our biggest producers were the Swiss chard, green beans, cherry tomatoes on the deck, and tomatillos. We've been impressed that the chard just keeps growing and growing and have had homegrown beans at least a few times a week all summer. We have another big bowl of tomatillos and need to decide how to save them. Going out to the deck to grab a handful of cherry tomatoes is such a luxury, especially when my daughter can eats them like candy!

We ended up with a good amount of produce this summer. We have a lot of ideas for next year and hope to finish some landscaping so that the garden can be in our yard and get more attention.

Finished projects in action!

2010-09-23T11:21:00.002-04:00

The weather has turned cooler here and the baby is growing so she can finally use the Milk top I knit her. (Here is the post on the details of the sweater and baby hat.) It is so soft and cuddly!
She seems too old for the hand mitts, but I wanted to see how they worked.

Her hat is still really too big, but I think she can use it rolled up.

R wore her Wallaby to school yesterday. It fits great right now. I've washed it in cold water in the washing machine several times since I made it and it has held up really well.

J's birthday gift hat is about half finished and another night or two of work will finish up the summer shrug I was working on for R. Hopefully she can wear it a few times with a long sleeve shirt still this fall.

Tomatillos!

2010-09-15T10:57:00.004-04:00

My husband rented a garden plot this summer (I'll have a post about that at some point!) and we've been enjoying the fresh produce.

Our local greenhouse is only open from mid-April to mid-June and they had a huge sale during the final week of business for the season. G checked it out and found a few bargains, including a tomatillo plant for a quarter! It was really overgrown and spindly, so we didn't expect much, but we've had a huge harvest.

We were introduced to tomatillos when we had a CSA share a few years ago. Until this summer, I'd only cooked with them a couple times and have always made the chicken enchilada recipe I posted about on my other blog.

This year we tried canning our own salsa verde. It was our first attempt at canning and we wanted our salsa to be safe, so we used a recipe published by a university extension service.
Our jars all sealed! We haven't opened one up yet to try, but we did enjoy the sample of salsa leftover on canning night. It was excellent with a little sour cream mixed in.

Today my son and I prepared another group of tomatillos for freezing. We took off the husks, washed them, trimmed any bad spots, boiled them for 10 minutes and then put them into freezer bags.

We had a lot of fun and it was an easy project for him to help with.

Knitting update!

2010-09-08T00:06:00.003-04:00

I've been working on a shrug for my daughter all summer and it is slow going. I took a break over the weekend to finish up a winter hat that I started back in May while waiting for the yarn for the shrug to arrive.

This is the Slouchy Copy Cat Hat. It was knit with Plymouth Encore left over from the first Wallaby I made. It was a nice easy pattern and the mock cable was fun. I'm looking forward to cooler Fall weather and trying it out!
A friend recently shared links to a few projects from Susan B. Anderson's itty-bitty toys book. I checked it out from the library and my gifts to knit list just grew in huge amounts. If you are on Ravelry I suggest you check out the book's link there to see some of the many cute projects. The author also has a blog that I found today and will be following.

I'm planning on making the Sisters reversible toy for sure. The author suggested trying one of the basic projects first to try out the various skills. I tried a little squishy ball and am hooked!
I'll be updating my gift ideas list on the side bar and blogging about finished projects as we get closer to the holiday season. I hope to make an item of clothing and a toy for each of my kids, plus I always find ideas for others on my gift list as well.

Fun with material science!

2010-08-10T00:34:00.004-04:00

Cornstarch and water combine to form a non-Newtonian fluid. In this case, instead of having a constant viscosity, it moves like a liquid under a small amount of force and acts like a solid if a large force is applied.

It's a good excuse to make a mess and is a lot of fun to play with!
At first the kids enjoyed just getting gooey. They really noticed the response of the mixture when they dripped a bit on the counter and saw that they could smear it if they were gentle, but if they used a lot of force it held its shape. That led to a lot of goop on the counter!
Eventually the water started to evaporate from our mixture. At that point they had fun scooping the powder into the bowl again and adding water to it. They spent quite a while pouring it into different cups and smooshing it around.The kitchen was a big mess after their experimenting, but it was very easy to clean everything up. The cornstarch dissolved right off of them when it came time to wash up and the goop on the counter and floor dried very quickly and could be swept away.

We used a ratio of 1 cup cornstarch to half a cup of water.

The video I link below shows people running across a pool filled with cornstarch and water - how fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2XQ97XHjVw

Food finds...

2010-08-05T23:08:00.005-04:00

The town where I went to college had a small shop that sold Cornish pasties. It was just far enough from campus, with hours that catered to the state employees, that it was a treat to eat there. The shop had many choices for fillings, all wrapped in a flaky crust, but I always went with the same one - burger and potatoes. The pasties were absolutely huge and the leftovers were a big treat to a busy college student.

In a recent issue of Real Simple magazine I found a recipe for meat and potato pasties! I've already tried them a few times and they are very close to what I remember about pasties in college. They are easier to prepare than they look and very filling. Yum!
_________________________

Last week my husband offered to make any dessert I wanted for my birthday. I am a big fan of tiramisu, but after trying the decadent version that Buca serves I wanted to be sure we could create something as delicious.

We found a great recipe for tiramisu at Cooking for Engineers. Many recipes we found had raw eggs, which I wanted to avoid, or used substitutes for mascarpone. We wanted to be sure our tiramisu had the rich flavor we expected and were willing to splurge on the ingredients.

The recipe went together fairly quickly and tasted (and looked) amazing. Next time we might experiment with the cake element a little. The lady fingers were in the frozen section at the store and were a little too squishy.

Homemade layette items

2010-05-26T14:53:00.002-04:00

I'm pregnant and due any day now, but it wasn't until about a month ago that I thought about knitting anything for this little one. I guess I figured it would be warm outside and I didn't know the size or gender yet.

But, then I started browsing around Ravelry and looking at all the cute baby girl dresses. Soon I was hooked on the idea of making a little homecoming outfit for this sweet pea.

I decided on the Milk top and this hat and booties set designed by Pickles. I thought the top would take me much longer than it did, but I put all of these items together in just about 2 weeks!

I wanted to find a yarn that was easy to wash and super soft. I used Reynolds Wash Day wool for the top and Plymouth Dreambaby DK for the hat and booties. I've worked with worsted weight and bulkier yarns, but have never used DK or fingering weight yarn before. It was so soft and squishy and fun to knit with.

I knit the 3 month sized sweater on larger size 3 needles, which worked out to be the 6 month size. I accidentally used 4.0 mm (size 6) needles instead of size 4 (3.5 mm) for the hat and booties. It explains why they worked out to be so much bigger than what I'd expect for "newborn" size. But, I tend to have large babies, so I'm happy for this mistake.

I tried double point needles for the first time on the sleeves of the top and had to pick up stitches all around for the border, which was daunting. But, I really like the challenge of trying new techniques! The top is knit in one piece and has just one hidden button near the top of the front flap to allow for some adjustments in fit. I also love the cute little hand cover flaps!

I can't wait for the opportunity to try these on the new baby!

Big kids picnic table!

2010-05-21T11:40:00.003-04:00

A few months ago I came across the Knock-Off Wood website. It was really fun to browse her patterns for furniture that could be built at home yet still have the look of designer furniture. I had my eye on patterns for bookshelves, a coat cubby system for our entryway, or an entertainment system. All things we could use, yet I was intimidated.

Then Ana posted the plans for her bigger kid picnic table and it was the perfect mix of a good first project and something I was really motivated to have. I could picture how much fun the kids and I would have this summer on the deck with a table like that.

My husband did most of the work, but I helped out here and there. We ended up spending $34 for non-treated lumber and screws. The stain we purchased was the most expensive part, but we used very little for the table and will put most of it on the deck when we refinish it. The whole table was cut with a hand saw in less than an hour and then it was put together and stained over several nights.

It's amazingly strong and is not uncomfortable for an adult, although it is sized for kids. Yesterday I drank my coffee there, in the sunshine, while my daughter colored and my son drove his trucks around us.
We have plans to build a little plant stand with some odds and ends of lumber that we have in the garage. It's very tempting to get some nicer tools and start building other projects as well!

Needle roll

2010-05-19T13:55:00.002-04:00

I put together two knitting needle rolls this spring. The fun thing about making two was that I could make some extra modifications to the 2nd so that it was even closer to what I had intended.

The fabric from this project is from the Crafty Planet. I love their selection and browsing for a while always puts me in a creative mood.

I used these tutorials from Multicrafty and Alexandra's Knits as a jumping off point and then modified things a little as I went.

I found a really helpful guide to welt pockets at Fashion Incubator and it was fun to try getting that to work.

With some fabric scraps I had sitting around I also put together this small, travel case for just a few pairs of circular needles.

Sushi! - attempt number 1

2010-04-14T15:30:00.003-04:00

I've been craving sushi lately, but being 34 weeks pregnant, raw fish isn't really something I want to eat right now. Plus, my small town in SD doesn't have a wealth of exotic foods.

After wanting to try making some sushi rolls at home for years, I finally pulled all the ingredients together.
I mixed up some sushi rice by adding apple cider vinegar and sugar to plain white rice while it was still hot. My rolls just have carrot, cucumber, and avocado in them. I purchased the nori (seaweed wrappers) and green wasabi paste at a local grocery store and my parents were nice enough to import the pickled ginger from MN because I couldn't find it in my local store.

They aren't very pretty, but they tasted good and were pretty close to the unique sushi roll flavor I was missing. Next time I'd add a little more vinegar (maybe I'll switch to rice vinegar too) and sugar to the rice and I need practice getting pretty rolls. Later I tried making a couple rolls with just one of the vegetable choices and those smaller rolls looked much nicer.

But making sushi rolls is kind of a time-intensive process and it's difficult to have too much variety in the fillings when I'm the only one interested in eating them. I don't want my wasabi or ginger to go bad, so I'm sure I'll try it again though!

Finished - R's Wallaby!

2010-04-07T10:47:00.004-04:00

I've been rushing to finish R's sweater now that the weather has warmed up. I'm hoping it is a good top layer for cool spring days.

Yarn: Plymouth's Jelli Beenz yarn in pink, purple and white. (75% acrylic, 25% wool, Aran)
Needles: Size 6 and 8 circulars
Pattern: Wonderful Wallaby, by Carol Anderson
Pattern size: 6 for the number of stitches per round, 8 for the lengths

I tried adding a few decreases to the back top of the hood to make it less pointy. I also kept the pink going around the front of the hood, instead of following the stripe pattern, so that the border would stand out. Now we just need to decide what to make with all the leftover yarn. I estimated we'd need about 8 skeins and we used less than 5.5!

Scones, glorious scones!

2010-03-24T10:24:00.002-04:00

I've become a big fan of baking scones in the last year or so. I think it is because you can use frozen or cold butter and don't have to think far enough ahead to soften it. But, I like the texture and process of working with scone dough. And what could go better with a cup of coffee?

Today I have Whole Wheat Apricot Scones in the oven. I tried them over the weekend while my parents were visiting and we gobbled them up. I noticed today that I had quite a bit of half and half left and it just wouldn't do for it to spoil! They are made with whole wheat pastry flour, which gives them a hearty, yet light flavor. The dried, diced apricots get warm and soft in the oven.

If you check out that link, stay a while and read Orangette's blog. A friend passed it along to me months ago and it's so well written and fun to read. She has a great caramel corn recipe that I made a few times around Christmas. And her post on polenta reminded us that we had been meaning to figure out what the fuss is all about with polenta. Based on her suggestions and some of the links she posted we tried it both as a breakfast dish and leftover and fried for supper. It was so buttery and lovely. It has definitely found a place in our rotation now.

Mini soda breads

2010-03-17T15:01:00.003-04:00

R wanted to make a special treat for St. Patrick's day today. Several of my friends make Irish Soda bread in March, and I like it, but have never tried to bake it myself - I've heard it is difficult to avoid making it dry and heavy.

We did a little web searching and found a great recipe for soda bread scones at Smitten Kitten. Apparently it is "American-style" Irish soda bread, but having little soda bread experience, I wouldn't know the difference.They are delicious - crunch on the outside, fluffy and soft inside. I liked the shorter cooking time compared to one large loaf and the mini-loaves make it easier to eat. She recommends splitting each between two people and we agreed with that. We left out the raisins and caraway that she recommends. I could see these being great with jam at breakfast or with some fresh strawberries for a treat.

Once the scones were in the oven, J continued to cook with the crumbs and flour left behind. He's a cowboy chef in training!

More on the birthday hat...

2010-03-02T15:41:00.002-05:00

Here is R playing on the playground at school. Her teachers email a short update with photos about once a week. I think she might be in a blue coat gang. She's been playing with the boys more often this semester.

But, you can see her birthday hat in this photo. The pompom fell off the first time she wore it, but she likes it better without. Even though she said it was itchy at first, she wears it all the time now and often tells me how much she likes it.

I read an article on TECHknitting about hand knit items:

Often, however, hand-knitted objects add another dimension, a process dimension. See your kid standing near the door in hand-made socks, ready to pull on shoes and head out? Those socks are loving that child--the kid is wearing a hug on each foot, and the knitter and the kid both know it. This is process and product combined: knitted object as connection between people.

It's so true. I fondly remember making that hat - using yarn she picked out, learning new techniques, wondering how she could be turning 5 - and I feel like whatever happens on the playground on a given day she'll have a semi-itchy reminder that her Mama loves her.

Need a paper elephant with wings?

2010-02-20T23:28:00.004-05:00

I recently came across a fun blog called How About Orange. The blogger is professional graphic designer and her blog is full of fun craft and decorating ideas, downloads, and resources.

She posted a link to an elephant papercraft that can be downloaded for free. The elephant is a promotional tool for a marketing agency.

I accidentally printed an extra copy when printing one to send in a card. R and I sat down yesterday to try putting it together. I was surprised at how well we did!

It was challenging enough that I did all the cutting and much of the assembly. R handled the glue, some folding, and reading the directions. But, it's fun to make something just for the sake of trying it, especially when you aren't sure if can do the last step without crushing your pachyderm's head!

In the works...

2010-02-19T13:50:00.004-05:00

I have several projects in various stages these days.

Here is R's Wallaby - I'm just about ready for the first stripe of the white yarn.

Over the weekend we visited our families in MN and I checked out Crafty Planet in Minneapolis. It's an independent shop with some beautiful fabric and yarn. The fabric designs are unique and I just want to start sewing all sorts of things. The material I bought seems softer and thicker than I would expect. I wonder where it would have been shelved in one of the big box fabric stores. This is intended for a quick little knitting needle storage project.
And I do want to sew my perfect diaper bag before baby #3 arrives. I like messenger bag styles with lots of pockets and I'm thinking about a removable smaller bag for just a diaper, wipes, and J's Epi-pens - for those times I don't want the big bag. So, this is in the pondering stage right now.

Valentines

2010-02-10T15:35:00.002-05:00

This year R used lots of stickers and some fancy paper that Grandma had given her. I printed out some trucks full of hearts for J and he scribbled on them and added some stickers. His favorite part was gluing each truck to some red paper.

J's Wallaby - Finished!

2010-02-03T14:47:00.004-05:00

Over the weekend I finished J's Wonderful Wallaby sweater!

I used almost exactly 3 skeins of Plymouth Encore worsted. I mentioned in my previous Wallaby post that I liked how this project was broken into sections. It didn't seem overwhelming to make a whole size 4 sweater when I was just focusing on each technique.
This photos shows the garter stitch edging on the pocket and placket, as well as the raglan sleeves - fun little details.

Design studio

2010-02-01T14:33:00.004-05:00

My daughter has been asking me to make her something using Plymouth's Jelli Beenz yarn since she first saw it months ago. She loves the bright rainbow colors, especially the pink.

I had been trying to think of the perfect project for her yarn, but she now really wants a Wallaby after seeing her brother's develop.

We went in on Saturday to buy the yarn (purple, pink, and white background)... and today she and I sat down to talk about stripes. I'm nervous about having the right ratio and distribution of stripes without guidance from a pattern of some sort. We each drew a page of ideas and we're now thinking about it for the rest of day before deciding.

On the needles - J's Wallaby

2010-01-25T09:29:00.002-05:00

I started a sweater for my son as soon as I finished up my holiday gift knitting. I had purchased the pattern and supplies several months ago, but then my to-do list filled up with scarves and other quicker projects. I am glad I saved this one because it has been fun to try it on him as it progressed.

I'm using the Wonderful Wallaby pattern, published by Cottage Creations. The pattern booklet has information for making this same sweater in a toddler size 2 all the way to an adult x-large! One thing I liked about this pattern is that, similar to the Baby Surprise Jacket, you just keep knitting and then have only a small amount of seaming at the end. (Under the armpits in this case.)

I'm making J the size 4 using Plymouth Encore worsted.

I'm surprised at how quickly this is knitting up. It helps that I started while we were on Christmas vacation and then got a huge amount of it done last week while staying up too late watching Conan's last week. It has been fun because although it is mostly knit stitch, it is broken into little easy projects - a sleeve, the waistband, the pouch, and so on.

The sweater is supposed to mimic a hooded sweatshirt with a kangaroo pocket. I get a kick out of how the pocket is fused right to the front of the sweater. You knit the first 6 -8 inches of the sweater and then go back and pick up stitches just above the waistband with a new ball of yarn. Later you knit a row of sweater together with the top of the pouch and they join very smoothly.

I tried to take a photo here of the join between the bottom of the pouch and the sweater...

After knitting the sleeves and torso individually, they are joined into one big loop, with the underarms left open until the end...

J trying out the pouch...

After a week of the Tonight Show and a disappointing Vikings game we have...
I've been working on it for just under a month and just have the hood left! J really loved trying it on this morning and didn't want to take it off. At first the needles and extra yarn bothered him, but very quickly he saw how much fun it would be to have a ball of yarn attached! It's roomy, but I was hoping he'd be able to use it for more than just this winter.

Pasta!

2010-01-20T14:33:00.002-05:00

R and I had some extra time in the kitchen this weekend while my parents were here and we broke out my pasta maker. I haven't used it in probably 10 years! We used Grandpa M's noodle recipe and they were delicious. It is a tradition to have them every year around Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa M's house - freshly made and mixed with lots of butter.

I have a hand crank pasta machine and R did the majority of the cranking while I guided the pasta. It really goes smoothly with two people. The pasta machine takes care of the rolling and cutting - so it is a speedy process. I can see R and I trying out a few other types of fresh pasta this winter.

Grandpa M's noodles

2 c. flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 c. water

Measure flour into bowl, add eggs and salt, mix. Add water 1 Tbsp. at a time. Mix to a stiff dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal parts and roll 1 part at a time into a paper thin rectangle. Roll rectangle around rolling pin. Slip out rolling pin and cut dough crosswise into 1/8th inch strips. Cook in boiling salted water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Striped hat and scarf

2010-01-14T14:41:00.002-05:00

R was really excited when she opened the striped hat and scarf that I made her for her birthday. "You knit this?" she exclaimed. She had forgotten that months ago she picked out the yarn at the shop with me. I was just happy that the hat fit and that the scarf wasn't too super long.

This is her "pose with your hat and scarf" pose.

Unfortunately, the hat gets a little itchy if she wears it too long and she "hates scarves because they make her neck too warm." But she wore them a lot those first few days and I think she'll go back to them again at some point.

Felted ballet flats

2010-01-07T14:03:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite knitting projects so far has been these felted ballet flats that I knit for my mom's Christmas present.

I found the pattern, French Press Slippers, one night when I was browsing Ravelry and instantly wanted to try it. A neat feature of Ravelry is that you can download patterns - some are free and some you buy. It has become a very popular pattern and I can see why - it is fast and so cute!

I knit the majority of the slipper pieces during the car ride home from Minnesota after Thanksgiving. They are created on size 15 needles with a double strand of yarn (tripple for the soles), so they go fast. I used Pattons Classic wool in cognac heather.

I laid out all the pieces and began sewing them together when we got home. Greg and I laughed at them the rest of the night. Sure, mom would love these giant, foot shaped yarn boats. I'm always a little nervous about throwing things in the washing machine to felt, but this time it really seemed that there was no where to go but up.

Could I have possible followed the directions correctly if they looked like this?
Sasquatch slippers!

But, after only about 15 minutes in the hot water of the washing machine...
To shape the slippers you put them on your feet after every 5 to 10 minutes of felting. My mom's feet are about a half size smaller than mine, so I figured if they were a sung fit barefoot for me then she'd be good to wear them with thin socks if she wanted. One thing I really like about this pattern is that the heel is gathered a bit before felting, so in the finished slipper it cups the foot.

After sewing on the tabs and buttons they were finished! I also followed the suggestion to use puff paint on the bottoms to make them non-slip.
I plan to knit some for myself too!

Preschool cookbooks

2010-01-06T00:27:00.006-05:00

We bought two cookbooks for R this Christmas and we've been having fun testing them out.

Pretend Soup, by Mollie Katzen

Mollie Katzen wrote the Moosewood cookbooks. We thought this would be a fun set of healthy recipes for foods R could help cook for us all to enjoy at dinner.

Yesterday we tried making pink fruit dip with frozen raspberries, cream cheese, and yogurt. It was a good dip, but the yogurt flavor was a little overpowering. She ate some of it and I think we could modify it to be more to our tastes.

Tonight we were counting the minutes until Papa would come home and R found the salad bar recipe in the book. We found some good salad toppings in the kitchen (carrot, mushroom, olives, cheese, croutons) and spent the rest of our time prepping them. I cut everything and she put it into small cups. Both kids were excited about making things a little fancier and I think she ate more veggies tonight because they were "hers." Also, it was a good reminder that spending a little time doing something like cutting up olives for salad can be an afternoon saver.

Cooking It in a Cup!
We picked out this book because we thought R would enjoy the novelty of the cups. Also, it has a wide variety of basic foods that will be good for snacks and lunch.

We plan to make some baked rice cups later this week and the roasted broccoli I think, but this morning both kids suddenly wanted scrambled eggs so we tried the "easy eggs."

It doesn't get much easier - scramble an egg with a fork, pour into one of the cups, microwave for 30 seconds, let cool for 2 minutes. The kids really enjoyed watching the eggs grow and almost overflow in the microwave. R and I thought they were a little plain (we'll add cheese next time), but J ate all of his egg and then stole the majority of mine. He's been eating up a storm since his 2nd birthday, so this will be a great easy snack for him.

Both of these cookbooks were recommended for kids age 4 - 8. There are a lot of cookbooks for older kids who have more skill around the stove, but I was glad to find these with the abilities of a 5 year old in mind.

Pumpkin treats!

2009-12-23T01:23:00.003-05:00

During the fall and winter I really like pumpkin baked goods. Today Joe, my 2 year old, helped me make pumpkin muffins while his sister watched TV. He hasn't really gotten a chance to help like that before, and I forgot what an exercise in patience it is to have that kind of help. But it is fun too and he was so excited to dump in measured ingredients, stir, and try the finished muffins.

Here are my top two favorite pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin Scones (from www.joyofbaking.com) - I typically leave out the raisins and pecans. I also use plain milk instead of buttermilk and only use the egg wash about half the time. I do use the double pan method that the recipe suggests and the scones have a nice texture.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins (24 muffins) - a favorite at an on-line forum that I read

2 C. white flour
1 C. whole wheat flour
1 ½ C. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. allspice
½ tsp. salt
4 eggs
15 oz. can pumpkin
1 c. butter, melted
1 ½ c. chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs, stir in pumpkin, butter, and chocolate chips. Slowly add dry ingredients. Spoon into greased muffin tins.
Bake 20 – 25 minutes at 350 degrees

These muffins are delicious with any ratio of white to whole wheat flour. The more whole wheat flour used, the more hearty their flavor. I've had success using apple sauce for all or a portion of the butter, and I also have decreased the sugar at times. They are great for breakfast, but also snacks or dessert.

Christmas scarves

2009-12-21T14:45:00.004-05:00

I finished 3 Christmas gifts this week!

1) The Colorwave scarf from Simple 1-2-3 Knitting for my Grandma. It was knit on size 8 straight needles and using fingering weight yarn (Crystal Palace Mini Mochi, 80% merino/20% nylon, Neptune colorway). I blocked this scarf, which I tend to avoid if I can, but I'm glad I did. It really opened up the holes in the pattern. It's deliciously soft and snuggly.

2) A Big Wool Ribbed scarf for my Grandpa. This was knit so quickly on huge size 17 needles. I used Lion Brand Wool-ease Thick and Quick in charcoal for this scarf and I just used 1 skein, although the pattern called for it to be longer. In November I used the same yarn, in Barley, to make the same pattern for my brother's birthday.

3) The Breckenridge Cowl is another Christmas gift. Another fast gift idea, as it is knit on size 15 needles and is only about 32" when it is finished. My mom was kind enough to grab this yarn for me from her local knitting shop (mine is an hour away from me!) and so it was chance that I seem to have used the same yarn as shown in the pattern's example! This was knit using almost exactly 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky Naturals (50% alpaca/ 50% wool) in porcupine. This yarn really sheds and the finished product looks kind of fuzzy to me. I like it, but I'm not sure it reflects the cost of the yarn that went into it.

Small sewing projects

2009-12-10T22:35:00.002-05:00

I made two little projects for my son's birthday.

A simple apron - with Velcro at the neck and a pocket for his important tools. I made my own pattern after browsing around the internet for a while.

A car pillow with some of his favorite things on it. It's a simple envelope style pillow casing, again easy to figure out after some internet reading.

Countdown to Christmas??

2009-11-02T15:06:00.005-05:00

In the past, on my other blog, I've talked about the Christmas Countdown website.

The website offers free printable sheets you can use to keep all of your Christmas tasks organized. They also have a timeline so that you can get as much done in advance as possible and then sit back and enjoy the festivities.

I like having all of my to-do lists, gift lists, and project ideas in one spot. Last year and the year before I tweaked the suggested time-line, used what I needed, and added a few other things.

I checked out the website today and found out I'm already a week behind! I don't think I'm going to print out any of the organizational pages this year - with moving this month I think that it will be less stressful to start thinking about all of that after we are in the new house.

I should start thinking about gift ideas however. I'll have to do more driving to shop and will do more internet shopping this year and my son's birthday is Dec. 10th!

first hat, first pom pom

2009-10-22T10:35:00.003-04:00

Last night I put the finishing touches on this hat that I made to match my daughter's scarf. This was my first attempt to knit in the round and this hat was an easy and quick project. I used a pattern I downloaded for free from Ravelry called rib-a-roni. (You need to be logged in to see the pattern.) I used size 7 circular needles and the magic loop method, since my cable was longer than the circumference of the hat.

The pom pom was easier than I expected. All the on-line directions I found said that it would be easy, but I really thought I'd end up with a big pile of yarn clippings. I followed the directions at this link.

I can't wait to see if it fits her!

Floorplanner

2009-10-15T15:17:00.002-04:00

Too much time on your hands?

You can create your own 2D and 3D floor plans at this website: floorplanner.com

I'm working on building our new house and it is a lot more fun then doing actual important things that would prepare us to move!

Still more ideas!

2009-09-19T23:17:00.007-04:00

I have two websites to share tonight, both are great for browsing. If only I had more time for following through with all of the great ideas.

Last year I was sewing well into the night before we opened family Christmas gifts and still had to finish a gift for each child after the fact.

This year I'm promising to take less on. We'll be moving to our first home in November and I know that will have me busy.

But it's going to be tough with all of this inspiration out there!

Check out:
www.readymade.com for a huge number of project ideas - gifts, home projects, and more!

www.ravelry.com is a great resource for knit and crochet fans. You need to sign up for an account, but it is free and so much fun to browse through finished projects, patterns, and types of yarn - most with comments and photos!

Finished - Rebecca's scarf

2009-09-03T11:37:00.004-04:00

Last night I finished a cute striped scarf that is intended as a Christmas gift for my daughter. She picked out the yarn colors and I think it will suit her.

I used the pattern for the Striped Scarf from the Simple 1-2-3 Knitting book. Browsing through this book has given me many ideas for gifts, we will see how many I can complete before the holidays roll around.

The scarf pattern was written to create a 88" scarf. I modified it slightly to create a more child friendly 53". Instead of 20 rows for each big block, I used 14. I also took out 2 of the pattern repeats and made the fringe a little shorter. I hope that it is comfortable for her and not too bulky.

I used Lamb's Pride Worsted (85% wool/15% mohair) in RPM pink, raspberry, and brite blue. This was actually the yarn suggested in the pattern, and reasonably priced, so I gave it a shot. I hope it isn't too itchy for her.

I think I have enough yarn leftover to create a matching hat!

As the weather gets cooler, I start to think about gift ideas and my project list starts to grow and grow. I've found that I like that I can make progress on knitting by doing just a few minutes a day. (This scarf was my 10:35 - 10:50 Conan O'brien monologue project.) On the other hand, sewing projects are great because you can sit down and accomplish a whole project in a couple nights if you have a few open hours. It's overwhelming to think of how many nights it will take me to knit a sweater!

On tap...

2009-08-12T22:55:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, unpacking and setting up our new apartment has left little crafting time.

Today I did use my hand-knit dish cloth for the first time and I really like how scrubby it is. It will be a good fall back project to make some more.

As soon as we are settled in here, I have a few projects I'd like to work on:

* I'm half way through a play dress for my daughter - it's kind of a cowgirl inspired thing I am throwing together from scraps.

* While packing I found an apron that I am nearly finished with that I started several years ago. It was misplaced when we moved from Iowa to NY and now I'd like to get that finished.

* I purchased yarn for several knitting projects before we moved - a scarf for my daughter, a sweater for my son, and yarn for two more BSJs - just because they are fun and easy. I also still hope to knit some play spaghetti.

Bags!

2009-07-26T23:04:00.004-04:00

I've been procrastinating a bit in packing for my upcoming move by finishing up little sewing projects I have sitting around. I've also found excuses to create a few new projects as well.

I created these bags in recent weeks. All three were created using guidelines from the SewWhat! Bags book. The thing I really enjoy about this book is that it outlines directions for 18 bags which form a starting point for any number of projects.

The first bag is a small clutch that I will use as a purse, although right now it is working well as a bag for my sewing tools. I made this as a demonstration piece for some friends who had planned to get together for a sewing night.

That fell through, but I had already cut out my fabric for a 2nd bag that I would have made during sewing night. It's bigger - close to 14 inches square I think. I plan for to be a shopping bag or to hold odds and ends when I travel. It's canvas on the outside and polka-dot cotton on the inside.

Finally, I attended a baby shower last night and we were all asked to bring a frozen meal for the mom. I brought muffins and bread and wanted to put a personal spin on the gift. I was able to quickly put together this sling bag. The book mentions that it was originally designed to hold your clothes pins while you are hanging out clothes and it is also featured on the book cover. I had a hard time giving it away. It has a drawstring and 3 pockets in the denim fabric along the bottom. I can see myself making a few more of these down the line!
All of these bags were made from fabrics I had just sitting around. I just purchased the two zippers. They were all one-night projects that were very easy to put together.

Ball Band dishcloth

2009-07-21T20:12:00.004-04:00

A few months ago I saw the Ball Band dishcloth on a few different knitting websites. The pattern is published in a Mason-Dixon Knitting book and is also found on the band for a specific type of yarn.

Here the pattern is published at CanadaLiving.It looked fun and fairly easy and I can report that it was both. Plus the finished dish cloth has a bumpy texture that will work well for cleaning dishes. I used size 7 needles and some cotton yarn I had around. I hope to knit up a few more for our soon-to-be new apartment!

Zucchini Bread

2009-07-12T12:58:00.003-04:00

I found a delicious zucchini bread recipe for book club last week. A friend of mine tipped me off to the allrecipes.com site. She has found that she has a lot of success with recipes that have many, many reviews combined with 4 or 5 stars.

I made a few substitutions to the recipe. I used half whole wheat flour and half white flour. I also replaced half of the oil with applesauce and cut 1/4 cup of the sugar. I didn't add in any walnuts and only used 2 tsp. of vanilla instead of 3 tsp. because that is what we had left in the bottle.

The bread was light and not too wet. The crust tasted more like a cookie than a traditional bread. Yum!

BSJ #2

2009-07-05T12:10:00.005-04:00

Today I sewed the buttons on my second Baby Surprise Jacket.

I was surprised at how much faster this sweater went, I finished it in about half the knitting time. I enjoy making this pattern- I don't mind the counting as much as I thought I would and don't get tired of just doing knit stitches because I don't have to think very hard about what my fingers are supposed to be doing. I do wish the sleeves were longer, but it is nice that they stay out of the baby's way.

(Blogger thinks my photo looks better this way and I can't figure out how to rotate it...)

I had finished knitting several weeks ago, but wanted to wait until my knitting instructor friend could give me some tips on how to correctly seam up the shoulder. It does look neater than my first BSJ.
This sweater was made for a friend of my sister-in-law. I am already tempted to start another and am trying to think of who we might know that would fit this size!

I knit this with size 8 needles and again used Encore yarn (75% acrylic, 25% wool).

Toddler Card Making

2009-06-23T13:29:00.003-04:00

My daughter really enjoys making cards for her family and friends. My mother got her started with a cute box of supplies - stamps, die cuts, stickers, and ribbon. We also keep a 3 drawer storage container with construction paper, white paper, glue, scissors, blank cards, and things like markers and colored pencils. The drawers make it very easy to pull out what we need for a card or two.
In the past year or so, my mom and my mother-in-law have enjoyed giving her other stickers, shapes cut out of paper, blank cards, and other supplies.

My daughter loves picking out her basic card and drawing tools, then she sorts through her box of decorative stuff in order to find the perfect thing for that card. She made a wild zoo to send to a Grandma for Mother's Day and a frog thinking about a heart for one of her Grandpas on Father's day.
At first she'd mostly use stickers and stamps, but it has also become a fun way for her to practice writing and drawing.

Word templates

2009-06-11T13:33:00.003-04:00

I am a list maker and calendar fan. I can spend a long time organizing my thoughts on paper - sometimes too long! If I am overwhelmed by plans or tasks, my first thought is often "I just need the right calendar!"

Both last summer and this summer we have a lot we want to get accomplished and I wanted to be able to see the whole summer at once. I searched around the internet for a free 3-month calendar template, but worried about downloading something from an unknown website. Then I checked out my Microsoft Word program.

When opening a new file, you can select blank or one of many templates. (I'm pretty sure the past few versions of Word have this option...)

I found a great calendar for my needs that I could modify a little as well.
In the past year I've also used the pre-made templates to make business-style cards to give to moms that I want to befriend (I've handed out about 2 of those...) and a few greeting cards.

Do-a-Dot Paint

2009-05-28T08:29:00.004-04:00

The weather warmed up just as I started this side blog! We haven't had the need for much crafting lately because we've been outside so much more.

But, I thought I'd pull over an older post from the other blog since it is still one of our favorite craft items.

Originally mentioned:
Great product for toddler art

Monkey girl now has two sets of the do-a-dot paint markers and has had a few of the do-a-dot books as well. She still enjoys painting with them and I love that I can get her set up and then do the dishes or take care of something else.

The paint books are scaled up so that it is easy to use them with the large tip on the marker.

Here is my all time favorite dot painting. She mixed green and pink to get just the right elephant color! I also love that she used shimmer pink and plain green so that he'd be "shiny, but not too shiny."You can purchase do-a-dot supplies on-line and we have also seen them in a few toy stores.

Bread pudding!

2009-05-24T22:35:00.004-04:00

I read a short article in Time that mentioned how Americans throw away a lot of old bread. Who are these people? We are big bread fans here, often picking up a loaf of Italian bread from our favorite bakery and on the rare occasion that it does start to get old we are at no loss for what to do with it - french toast, garlic toast, grilled cheese, bread pudding...

Over the weekend I saw this recipe for bread pudding with bananas. I glanced at it, but what were the odds that we'd have old bananas and old bread at the same time? Pretty good I guess, because today we did!

We mixed up half of a batch and loved this bread pudding! In this recipe, unlike our standard version, you toss the bread in butter instead of mixing the butter into the liquid. Each bite of bread was nice and buttery. Also, it has a good amount of vanilla extract and the white sugar gave it a lighter flavor than the brown sugar that we had used in the past. I sliced the bananas into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and they had a bizarre texture - squishy like tofu - but really nice flavor. In the future I might dice them or slice them thinner so that they aren't as noticeable. We used 1% milk - I imagine that this would be very good, but also very rich with the half and half.

It made a lovely dessert, but also reminded me of a baked french toast or other decadent breakfast food. Yum!

Too many ideas!

2009-05-16T20:55:00.002-04:00

I've recently been introduced to the many on-line sources of free sewing, knitting, and craft projects.

Here is a very quick and easy bunny pattern that a friend passed along to me. (You have to register to see the pattern.) Because it is super chunky yarn it was a fast, fun project.
I've noticed that many well known sewing and crafting brands offer free patterns on-line as well as the authors of some craft books. And that doesn't touch the many on-line tutorials and suggestions that have sparked my interest!

Boutique sale update

2009-05-06T11:30:00.001-04:00

I had mixed luck at the consignment and boutique sale last weekend. Most of the used toys and clothes I put into the consignment section sold, which is always nice, and I had fun seeing some of my friends on the first night of the sale, which was set aside for consignors only.

I sold 5 of the sets of eggs and one carrier, although a friend of mine bought the carrier and I totally would have made one at cost for her so I am feeling a little guilty about that. For future sales I'll probably make up some more eggs, but not the larger items.

However, it was a good experience because it proves the point that I can't earn even half the same income making toys as I do at my part time job. If I had kept the prices at what I originally intended perhaps things would have sold, but I would not have the time to open a web shop and continue to produce merchandise at that rate.

But this also means that I can make these things for people when I want to and I don't have to worry about making enough profit on them to be worth my time. I hate trying to put a price on things that I'm making for people I know!

Sarah Monkey Designs

2009-05-01T12:45:00.008-04:00

This weekend is the consignment and boutique sale that I think I mentioned earlier. It is run by a friend of mine and she encouraged me to make a few items to sell. It came down to the wire last night, but I finished the small number of things I hoped I could get done in a month. I'm curious to see if they will sell and if they will sell at the prices that my friend recommended.

I continued to mull over the choices for my "company" name and when it came time to register I planned to take another suggestion from my friend and just add the word Designs after my name, nice and simple. In the end I decided that a little anonymity wouldn't hurt until I decided if I'm going to pursue this any further.

After creating my items, I also had fun coming up with a general design scheme for some product tags. Sarah Monkey Designs looks a lot more put together now that everything is tagged and ready to go!

For this sale I put together a few aprons, fleece eggs, and doll carriers.

Two of the aprons were a smock style like this one I made as a gift for M.G. a couple years ago.
I sewed up one half apron, mostly to try an idea I came across elsewhere - putting a tab of Velcro on the side so that it would be easy for a child to fasten it after an adult helped them tie it the first time. I didn't have a chance to take a picture of that feature, but the Velcro fastener is right where the tie meets the front waistband in this picture.

I came up with the idea for these fleece eggs after being unable to find anything similar for a price I was willing to pay. They are each about 2 inches wide, 2.75 inches long and fit perfectly into a toy frying pan. I package them in Easter egg shells and M.G. plays with them all the time. I've given a few to friends who also find them popular.

Here is the doll carrier that I designed for M.G.'s birthday. I'm going to try to sell 3 of them this weekend. She always wanted her doll in a carrier when I carried her brother on my back and I got tired of tying blankets around her. It has Velcro at the waist and on the chest clip for adjustable sizing and can be worn in front or back. Padded straps and a pocket make it just like Mama's.

Here is a photo of M.G. using the carrier I made for her. She tells me that it is so much easier to help bake when your baby can be near you all the time!

Feel free to comment or email me if you have questions about any of these designs. I'd be happy to share the instructions or make a few more items to sell. I'd be happy to write a tutorial for the carrier or eggs at some point.

Baby Surprise Jacket - Finished!

2009-04-26T12:26:00.003-04:00

Here is my finished Baby Surprise Jacket. Blocking (getting it damp, correcting the shape, and letting it dry) made a big difference in the shape of the sweater and the final step was sewing the shoulder/arm seams. I purchased some wooden buttons that I'll sew on too.

I knit this with size 7 needles and used yarn that was 75% acrylic and 25% wool. I wasn't sure what the finished size of the sweater would be, but was happy to see that M2 will be able to wear it on cool evenings this summer.

Crayola coloring pages

2009-04-10T12:44:00.003-04:00

Today we were looking for an Easter project to decorate our table on Sunday.

The Crayola website has free coloring pages in many themes that can be printed and decorated.

We printed out our favorites and now M.G. is going to paint them. When she is done we'll glue the sheets to construction paper to make place mats for our big meal.

Knitting spaghetti

2009-04-08T12:22:00.006-04:00

One night I was browsing around, looking at some of the knitting websites my knitting-instructor friend recommended, and I found a link with instructions for a Flying Spaghetti Monster.

I learned about the FSM from my sister-in-law and just happened to be thinking about birthday present ideas for her so I gave it a shot.

It looked simple, casting on and then off again to make the noodles and then knitting two round meatballs. The videos at this site were a clear way to learn the skills I hadn't tried before. This monster also gave me a reason to try felting a project - throwing it into a washing machine until it got nice and fuzzy. I was a bit scared that he'd either fall apart or clump into a big fuzzy ball, but it turned out to be a very easy process. I sewed the meatballs into place at the end and added his eyes.

Pre-felting

Post-felting

I plan to make another set of pasta and meatballs, perhaps with smaller needles to create thinner spaghetti, for our play kitchen.

Baby Surprise Jacket

2009-03-24T22:30:00.000-04:00

A group of my friends and I started a knit-a-long using Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket pattern. (Available at School House Press) We are lucky to have a leader who used to teach knitting classes and do piece work for a fancy smancy knitting boutique.

I have tried to knit several times before and could finish small items, like a dish cloth, but didn't develop an attachment to the process. It made a huge difference to have someone there offering suggestions and ideas as I got started. She had several tips that seemed to make knitting so much easier for me.

Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) got its name because you just knit, knit, knit one big floppy shape. Once you are finished you fold it and sew the top of the arms and shoulders together. Surprise, it's a jacket!

This link shows what the project looks like right when it is finished.

And this is a picture I took today, with my sweater folded like it will be in the end. At this point I have about 20 rows left! I really can't believe I've gotten this far into the project and still really am enjoying what I'm doing!

Kool-aid dyed silk play scarves

2009-03-24T22:28:00.000-04:00

These play scarves are a fun and easy project and my children have found so many uses for the scarves.

This post was originally published on my family blog, but I copied it here because I think it will be useful.

Rainbow Play Scarves

The kids received Rainbow Play Scarves from Santa this year.

(Kool-aid dye flavors, left to right: blue ice lemonade, lemon-lime, grape, orange, cherry, pink lemonade, and a plain white)

I've always noticed them in toy catalogs, but at $10 each, the price was too steep.

Instead, I read about dying your own scarves at a much lower cost.

The directions I followed were found here. Our scarves were ordered from Dharma Trading Company (habotai 8mm scarves, in two different sizes, 30x30 and 35x35). Dharma gave me a free scarf with my first order as well! The price of these scarves was either $2.80 or $3.75, depending on size. Add a dollar per scarf for the kool-aid used to dye them and you are well under the cost of those you can buy from a toy store.

The kids and I really have been enjoying the scarves - they are so soft and bright. They flutter and are fun to dance with, as well as being useful for dress up or doll blankets. We covered the play tent with them in a previous blog post.

The only negative to this method was that the scarves came out with kind of a tie-dyed look with darker color in some places than others. But, if that doesn't bother you, its an affordable craft project!

What does this monkey make?

2009-03-24T22:18:00.001-04:00

I have always enjoyed crafts, cooking, and figuring little problems out in my own way. In the past year or two I've found that I have a lot of ideas for projects and want a good place to write up my results and share them.

Recently I've been sewing a lot. Often I will see a toy or clothing item that I'd like to buy for my daughter, but feel that I can do it better (or for a lot less money.) This has led me to branching out from the pattern sewing I had done in the past to creating my own designs. I'll be sharing more of these ideas as I work on them.

A few months ago a friend of mine started teaching me how to knit. It's a skill I've always wanted to have and am starting to feel comfortable with it.

The kids and I are always on the look-out for a good project too and I'll share some of our favorites as well.

Finally, I'll post about any exciting hobby related things that the Monkey Family discover.