many crafts of may

This May has been filled with a little bit of everything for our family. David had a show to attend, the Janesville Renaissance Faire, and his preparation kept him busy in the weeks leading up to it. The rest of us? Well, we spent a lot of time in the garden, writing on the sidewalks, cutting shapes out of paper and fabric, sewing, knitting, gluing, painting...

My favorite project of the month goes to Esme. She made a very creative and lovely fish windcatcher. She colored two sides of a fish, cut them out and glued them together (back to back), and then glued orange, plastic newspaper bags to the tail. She also cut strings to attach to the fish's mouth and hung everything from a pencil.

And while Esme's fish started things off with a bang, this next project is perhaps a bit less exciting. Last month, a friend of mine birthed her second son, at home, as planned. She is an avid breastfeeder, so as a mama gift for her, I made a few pair of nursing pads with waterproof backing to help prevent leaks. I chose a soft, pretty tie-dye print cotton for the side against her skin, a couple of cotton layers inside for absorbency, and a layer of PUL on the outside to prevent any moisture from leaking onto her clothes.

With so many new babies on the way, I spent a few hours here and there knitting tiny, striped newborn hats to crown the little heads of all the new arrivals. This turned out to be a lovely stash-buster of a project, and is still continuing with a pink and gray hat that is halfway complete. As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised with some of the color combinations on these hats, including one for a happy Gryffindor supporter!

Summer is here, unofficially, perhaps. But with its arrival also comes free time and opportunity for family crafting. We all have a list of things to get done, and my own list is only getting longer. One things is absolutely for certain: getting dirty and clay covered together sure makes for a wonderful way to spend summer vacation!

knitting in progress

It is only the first week of May, and already eight brand new babies have arrived, born to friends and family. Eight! That means a whole lot of baby caps and sweaters. And busy knitting needles.

As of now, I have three wee projects in the works. The first one is the pattern Puerperium Cardigan by Kelly Brooker at knit.so.quaint, a simple sweater designed for new parents to easily dress their newborns in the weeks after birth. Done in stripes of green and white cotton, this little sweater will be a fresh layer for cool spring mornings.

I have been hem-hawing around in my stash, looking for some luscious yarn that would make a few  unique newborn hats. Requirements? Something ultra soft, sturdy, rich, and surprising. Modern. And textured. Move aside, rosy pink and powder blue! Make way for something more rowdy. Maybe that is not exactly the right word. But take a look at what I came up with:

Oh, I love the colors! Next? A pattern hunt! I narrowed it down, and decided to go with Jared Flood's Turn a Square. The pattern has been on my to-do list for ages, and with a few simple alterations to the pattern, will make a lovely little newborn hat.

Using a nice grey in Bamboo Ewe, I cast on 56 stitches to size 7 US needles. Here are my notes:

Knit 2x2 rib for six rows.
Continue in stockinette stitch, knitting until hat measures 4" from cast on edge.
Place stitch markers every 14 stitches.
Work decrease rows and continue pattern as written.

The first hat turned out perfectly. With the next one, I might consider knitting 3 3/4" before beginning the decreases, just to make a slightly smaller, more fitted hat.

Only two more wee gifts to go. For now!

sweet baby things

Knitting projects! It seems like I have a dozen going all at once. And sometimes I am very bad and do not take pictures of those that are finished. This weekend turned into a catch up of sorts -- time spent finishing the last few rows on this project, sewing in ends to that, attaching notions on yet another, and photographing the latest of many baby gifts. 

I wanted a little something sweet and sassy in my gift giving this time around, so this little sweater made it on to my needles. For a baby girl, I chose hot pink and hot orange in my color choice. The pattern is Kids Seamless Sweater by Soulful Hues. I used Lily Sugar'n Cream -- a solid cotton that will be great for springtime wear. The pattern was a breeze, though I made a few alterations in order for the sweater to fit a wee one (see my notes at the bottom of this post).

The sweater came together smoothly and quickly. I paired the sweater with a lovely ruffly skirt in the same hot pink. What a lucky find for this little baby girl! And now, we will shower her sweet mama in love and gifts as we wait none so patiently for this little baby girl to join us.

***

I altered the Kids Seamless Sweater by Soulful Hues in order to fit an infant and it worked out perfectly, ending up at a 3-6 month size. My notes for a striped sweater, using a main color (MC) and a contrasting color (CC), are as follows:

CO 52 stitches on in MC using size US 7 needles.
Work 10 rows of K1P1 ribbing in MC.
Change to CC. K one round, complete one round of increases as described in pattern (K2 M1). K three rounds, complete second increase round (K2 M1) [approx 116 stitches]. K three more rounds.
Change to MC, K three rounds.
Next round:  K14, put 29 sts on waste yarn, K29, put 29 sts on waste yarn, K15. K six rounds in MC.
Change to CC, K 10 rounds.
Change back to MC and finish bottom of sweater as per pattern instructions, with K1P1 rib for 10 rounds.
Arms:  Place 29 stitches back on needles. With MC, K2tog right under the arm (where you will have to sew up the tiny hole later) then complete seven rows of K1P1 rib in MC. Do the same for the second arm.

another baby gift

One of my beloved friends from college just had her baby yesterday (congratulations, Beth!). Last month, her sister threw her a baby shower. I unfortunately could not make it to the shower, but I made it in spirit. I knit up a little something for her baby girl and sent it to get there in time for the party. She loved it! Take a look!

I searched through my library and found a pattern for Small Things Bonnet by Carina Spencer and decided that the pixie hood would be perfect for a little girl. I raided my stash for some soft yarn and came up with a skein of Vermont Organic Fiber Company's O-Wool Balance, a lovely cotton blend. The pattern worked up quickly without a hitch, but I did braided ties instead because I was afraid I would not finish in time otherwise. The hat is the second largest size, so it should fit next winter and hopefully beyond!

For the wrapping, I purchased a cutesy wet bag from BABYbydanish on Etsy.

I wrapped the hat in pink tissue paper and set it right inside the wet bag, which doubled its purpose, making it a green alternative to gift wrap! Plus, there's no denying, it's extra cute. I also included two natural infant prefold diapers, which can be used as diapers if they choose to cloth diaper, which they have been contemplating, or as absorbent burp cloths.

I love the yarn, and I have a couple more skeins in a more natural color. Cotton blends tend to have a nice, clean sheen when knit up. It is a major bummer that the yarn has been discontinued. If I come across any in the future, I have to remember to pick it up for future baby projects.

another batch for baby

Like I have said before, apparently everyone in my life is having a baby. And I have been busy knitting little baby things for these teeny arrivals. One of my projects has been sitting in my knitting basket since April, and with all the crazy things happening around here in the last week, I have had the opportunity to do some mindless knitting and get it done. Take a look:

The pattern is Organic Heirloom Blanket, which can be found in Hadley Fierlinger's book Vintage Knits for Modern Babies. I used some miscellaneous nylon blend yarn from Plymouth Yarn. It is very soft and nice and fine. Please note that there is an errata in the pattern as published. Cast on 124 sts (instead of 125, as published).

babies everywhere!

It seems like 2010 is the year of pregnancies! Babies are popping up everywhere this year and they are keeping my knitting needles very busy these days as I hurry to keep up with all the baby showers and new arrivals. I started my baby knitting escapade back in January with the little Aviatrix hat, which I sent to my friends James and Beth for their little boy.

Last month I knit up another hat. I modified the Djevellue baby cap for larger needles and bulkier yarn. I used Malabrigo Worsted (one of my favorites). All in all, it turned out to be a very fast knit. To adjust for a bulkier yarn, I cast on 73 st on size US 8 needles and I knit 10 between the inc/decreases. It should fit a 9-12 month old. Have a look (project 39/52):

Next, I knit an itty-bitty pair of sockees for little toes. I just downsized a basic simple sock pattern to fit tiny feet in a green sock yarn. Cute cute cute! Project 38/52:

Next up, I made a matching bib-burp cloth set using Lily Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn and Baby Bib'O Love pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting. Their patterns are so completely versatile! I added a girly ruffle from one of Nicky Epstein's books for the bottom to add a little pizazz. Esme chose red as the color choice (no surprise there!). Project 37/52:

Next, I knit a little Bunny Lovey. I used Lion Brand's Bunny Blanket Buddy as a basis for the pattern, but I changed a few aspects to that hopefully make it altogether more cutesy. I used Lily Sugar'n Cream cotton and shrunk the needle size down significantly. The pattern is very unclear in a few spots, especially about the head. As you knit, the instructions to purl one, slip one for every row actually shapes a pocket on the straight needles. You will essentially be knitting both sides of the pocket at the same time and will be able to stuff the head after you knit the approximate 3-and-something inches.

I gathered the top and bottom of the head to make it round rather than flat. And like a lot of others who knit this bunny, I wasn’t crazy about the ears. Instead, I used the tutorial for the ears from this site as a basis, though, to make the ears more floppy, I decreased on one end every four rows.

I still need to embroider a face on the bunny, but I completely shrunk this pattern down for an infant to be able to manage as a lovey/teether combo. I am very happy with the way this turned out even though I altered the pattern so much. Project 36/52:

I loved the Bunny Lovey so much that I decided to do a second one to give my cousin for her baby shower. This time, though, I followed the directions on the second site for the ears. Project 35/52:

And I loved how Eva packed it all up with a blue ribbon around his neck, and blue and brown tissue paper in a blue Chinese take-out box:

I just finished another bib, the Petal Bib from One Skein. I have to remember that it is a very quick project for a super last minute baby gift. I wasn’t expecting that it would go so quickly. It really only took me about two hours from start to finish to make the one bib. I will be giving this bib with a small breastfeeding care package--lanolin, two pairs of nursing pads and a copy of So That’s What They’re For! Project 34/52:

These baby projects have been so much fun and really pretty fast knits. Next up, I am working on a pair of baby booties to use up some of my left-over sock yarn. I think I will also try my hand at writing my own bib pattern--I have a few ideas that I would love to share with others!

whose blanket?

I discovered one of the most wonderful children's books, titled Sophie's Masterpiece: A Spider's Tale , written by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Jane Dyer. Sophie's Masterpiece is a beautiful tale of a spider named Sophie who spins extraordinarily lovely webs of very fine lace which awe everyone who comes across them. Sophie moves into an old boarding house where she meets a young pregnant woman who is in the process of knitting a layette for her unborn baby. The woman cannot afford to buy any more yarn for a blanket for the baby, so Sophie, now old and frail, weaves a very special blanket for the new arrival. A heartfelt and sentimental story (aka, a tear-jerker), Sophie's Masterpiece is also openly homebirth friendly, as, and the culmination of the story, and without any further description, Sophie describes finally hearing the newborn:

She was down to the farthest corner of the blanket when she heard the cry of the young woman's newborn baby.

Sophie's Masterpiece is now one of my all time favorite picture books, up there with Welcome With Love, written by  Jenni Overend and illustrated by Julie Vivas, The Napping House, written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Sophie's Masterpiece has beautiful artwork, and the (undeclared) homebirth and the knitting/weaving references made my week!

The book also reminded me of all the blankets I have knit with love as gifts for others. I have made a number of baby blankets and one or two full sized throw blankets. Some of the blankets were very simple, some rather complex, but all were fun to make! Blankets are one thing I have a passion for knitting, that's for sure.

The very first blanket I knit was from JoAnne Turcotte's pattern Building Blocks Blanket, which I call Blocks of Love. I knit this blanket for Evelyn when she was two years old. Now, I'm not so crazy about the color or the yarn, but you live and learn, right? This was a very easy beginner pattern to follow.

The second baby blanket I knit is Feather and Fan Baby Blanket, also by JoAnne Turcotte, and was one of the more complex patterns I had followed up to that point! This one was also for Evelyn at two or three years old. I was very pleased with myself, and I call this one Light as a Feather!

 

With Lion Brand's pattern Diagonal Comfort Blanket, I knit two or three blankets as baby shower gifts, one out of a cotton blend in tan, brown, and green stripes, one out of a lovely yellow and green variegated wool-blend, and one out of Lion Brand Homespun. The Homespun was my favorite yarn to use, as it draped perfectly, plus I love bulky yarns; here is a picture (the only picture of any of them that I can find right now!):

 

 

One of my very favorite blankets is featured in the book Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick, and the pattern is Fluffy Afghan or Lap Blanket by Nicky Epstein. I picked up Lion Brand Homespun for this project because I wanted something bulky and fluffy, but I was somewhat doubtful about the texture. I need not have worried, though, because now that the blanket is done, I am very happy with it. It is extremely soft and relatively thick, good for cold winter nights curled up by the fire and is super soft and fluffy!

 

As a holiday gift for Esme, I knit a Bunny Blanket Buddy from another Lion Brand pattern. This Snuggle Bunny is knit out of light blue cotton and is destined to have a set of eyes, a little nose and whiskers. I still have a couple months to add the finishing touches!

 

The blanket I am working on now is Evelyn's holiday gift. The pattern is Joseph's Blankie of Many Colors from Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne's book Mason-Dixon Knitting.

When I was knitting the third block on the blanket, Eva came in and asked what I was making. I told her it was a present for her. She kept guessing various odds and ends that it could be… a scarf… a hat… a pocket… a bonnet (she said, “I don’t really want a bonnet, but if you make a bonnet, I would try to like it, so it would be ok, I think”)… a flag… I was laughing my head off! Then Esme came in, took one look at my knitting and said, “Is that a blanket, Mama?” Hahahaha!

I am making headway on the Blanket of Many Colors, but here is the project as of about two weeks ago (I have another complete row of various colors around done now):

I have a queue of projects to keep me busy for a year from now, and three of those projects are blankets for various destinations. It seems like I never knit anything for myself, although hopefully after the holiday season, I will get something done!

Oh yeah, sign up for Ravelry, a free knitting and crochet community, if you are not a member yet, and check out my page to see my latest projects!

breastfeeding gift basket

My cousin's wife is pregnant and due in the fall, which means the time has come to start collecting things for yet another breastfeeding basket!
Here is some background on my famous breastfeeding gift baskets: if I know that a pregnant friend is going to breastfeed (or at least considering it), I always gift a couple of her registry items with items that she will find useful in the first few weeks of breastfeeding her new arrival. I arrange everything up in a receiving blanket and compile it all into a beautiful, reusable basket.

In the basket (which can be placed in her "Nursing Nest" for an easy to reach stash of items) is:

• A copy of "The Baby Book," "The Breastfeeding Book" or "The Attachment Parenting Book," all of which are written by William & Martha Sears
• A copy of Janet Tamaro's lighthearted "So That's What They're For!: Breastfeeding Basics"
• Two pair of washable cotton nursing pads (if we're lucky, they are made by my talented DH)
  
• One tube of Lanolin, used to relieve nipple pain, which is common in the first couple weeks of breastfeeding.
  
• Samples bags of Yogi Tea's Nursing Mom and Traditional Medicinal Mother's Milk Tea
  
• One oatmeal raisin Luna Bar (oatmeal is known to increase milk supply in breastfeeding mothers)
  
• One reusable water bottle (made of safe plastic) for mama's beverage of choice, to always be within easy reach during nursing sessions
• A nursing necklace for baby to tug on rather than mama's hair, made by yours truly
  
• A hat, pair of booties, or blanket for the babe, knit by yours truly
  

I also include a lovely bookmark (made by me) with LLL leaders local numbers, the number of a lactation consultant, and my number, as well as a few good online resources, including kellymom and mothering. I also put in my postpartum doula business card (vs. my drum-maker business card).
Sometimes I also include a copy of the current issue of Mothering Magazine, which makes nice light nursing reading--and is my favorite.

And, depending how close I am to the mama, I might include a ring sling, wrap, pouch, or other babywearing device that either David or another friend made, or one that I find at a reasonable price on eBay, craigslist or Etsy.

I also sometimes include a herbal sitz bath mixture for mama's healing, or goldenseal for the umbilical cord--depending how receptive/dedicated to alternative parenting the mama is.
I suppose I am lucky that I work in a bookstore--I always buy up any nifty intro-to-breastfeeding/instinctual parenting books as soon as they come in. I let a few slide through, though, to share the love with whoever is lucky enough to find them on the shelf after my "purge." I also keep a back stock of other nifty handmade items that David or I make, or lucky finds (in excellent condition, of course) that I come across at thrift shops or garage sales, including baby blankets, sweaters, etc, giving whatever I have on hand at the time.
I totally welcome any other suggestions for what to include in my standard baby shower/breastfeeding gift basket. What did you all find helpful in the first few weeks of breastfeeding? If you received a basket, what do you want in it??

The picture of the basket at the top of this post is crochet out of an old t-shirt, believe it or not, and used for the breastfeeding basket I made for a coworker about six months ago. Below are a few other previous gifts:

My first booties-knitting project, hat and matching booties.


Homemade nursing pads...or "Hooter Pads!"


A knit baby blanket that I made for my dear nephew, Max, who will be three on Mother's Day!

My very favorite nursing necklace ever! I absolutely love the colors!


The cutest knit teddy bear ever, I must say!