Skemommle

not every project is a win

2012-01-27T15:45:00.002-05:00

Have you ever knit anything that just didn't work?

I have. My first pair of toe-up socks took me over ~~a year~~ two years to finish. Sure, they were a back-up & take-along project, something I picked up when other things were too big or too involving. Still, two years for a pair of socks reveals a bit of the pain these socks caused me! ;)

Toe? Fine.
Foot? Good fit.
After-thought heel? Intriguing, but. . . I wasn't sure where to put it so it would fit best. And once it was done, it stretched and left ugly holes. It doesn't have any slipped stitches and seems weak. And it defeated the purpose of a toe-up sock, since I had to guess at how much yarn to set aside for the heels, and ended up with two tiny balls of leftover yarn.
Leg? Could have been better. I decreased here for a snugger fit, but didn't work any sort of pattern, so the socks are saggy.
Cuff? The worst! The ribbing is loose and doesn't hold its shape, but the bind-off is so tight that the yarn is likely to snap.

These socks are not keepers. Are any toe-up socks?

Even though this project stank like the dirty little socks it resulted in, I have great hopes that toe-up socks might work for me.

I am not ready to give up on the idea of having just the right amount of yarn for my socks. (At least I have babies, so I can use up odd ends on their wee feetsies.)

To that end I've cast on a (hopefully pretty) pair of Bettie's Lace Stockings.

Then I spent a little time digging through my Ravelry favorites and found two other toe-up projects, promising for their thoughtful and new-to-me construction.

The first is the super cute Chevrolace socks. I'm excited to try these because the toe looks a little easier to knit than the invisible provisional CO I'm practicing for toe-up pair #2.

And this tutorial by Andrea Mules looks both simple and sturdy. I'm hoping for few holes and lots of speedy knitting with this versatile tute.

Serendipitously, yesterday I saw that Interweave Press' Sockupied eMags are all just under $5 each. I've been ogling them for ages, and snatched up the original and the most recent issues. They've already explained to me some of the mysteries of toe-up sock construction, such as cast-ons. While watching the videos, the magic loop method finally clicked for me. I'm really excited for great resources like these, and I hope to painlessly figure out toe-up socks.

What are your favorite toe-up sock techniques and resources?

What types of projects are your pain?

drawing a person for the first time

2012-01-19T09:25:00.001-05:00

I remember the first time I drew a person. I was about three years old. I'd tried to draw people before, but they had only ever looked like scribbles. Then, success! This person had a circle head with two large circle eyes, and perhaps a line mouth. Two long stork legs came directly from the head, toddling on large disk-like feet. I was so excited and proud of my drawing because, for the first time, it actually looked like a person.

This is Kidoodle's first person, as far as I know. It is his friend Aaron.

Kidoodle likes to build with blocks, color, playdough sculpt, and draw, though I'm not sure he is as excited by it as I am. I have loved seeing his creative processes and abilities change as he grew from a two year old to a three year old.

P.S. Don't you just love that he isn't yet inhibited by staying in the coloring book lines?

blue

2012-01-18T22:53:00.000-05:00

My aunt knit this sweet sweater for Kidoodle when he was a baby, and Kitten has had a fun time snuggling in it this winter. The warm cotton is perfect for our 30 to 65 degree January.

not in the polar plunge club yet

2012-01-04T17:06:00.000-05:00

More pictures of Kitten baby during today's foray to our poolhouse. This time the pictures are for showing off the sweater rather than the baby, although I do love that crying baby face.

My Jasper Diamond Hoodie by Kristen Rengren

Okay. That's too many pictures of Kitten baby in his sweater. Really, I have no self control.

I used 2.5 fewer balls of yarn than I'd purchased, so now I can knit a little vest or socks and a hat for one of the boys. Kidoodle is asking for some animal socks, and this yarn might make a darling lion pair. (Anyone have a darling lion sock pattern handy? *wink*) I think he most wants red dragon socks, though. Can do!

I'm not quite ready to begin a new knitting project. I'm working on Kidoodle's Tomten jacket--the jacket that last year grew from a small 2T into a gigantic 5T beast--as quickly as I can. Happily Kidoodle has grown fast and tall. And so it goes that I've rescued his Tometen from my knitting basket for good, even though I had to guess at what size knitting needles I'd been using, and even though I guessed wrong the first time and had to rip out five inches. (I'm using big US 10s now, not the US 9s I'd supposed I'd been using. Big needles. Big yarn. No wonder the jacket turned out to drown Kidoodle last year!)

This afternoon I packed up this Tomten and all the boys for some sunshine-y play. I got a knit a row or two. Kidoodle and Skedaddle pulled boats along the cold pool waters. They even had fun, once Kidoodle got his tantrum out of the way. Seems someone has parents who don't let him swim when it's 35 degrees outside. Meanies.

wiggling and settling

2012-01-04T16:01:00.002-05:00

Life bumps. It wiggles. It settles.

It's bewildering to compare the Kitten baby and me of now to the Kitten baby and me when he was first born. Five months ago found me fully enveloped in each moment. We survived. We met one another. Life was fully engaging, magical, and draining.

I was getting to know my precious newborn.

Now my darling baby is getting to know the world.

Kitten baby jumps and bounces in his toys. He collects things with ever stronger fingers. He giggles with his big-brother-playmate. His demands on me are much less urgent and frequent. Now I am throwing myself more and more into other parts of living, like creating and playing. I am trying to stay connected with the things that matter most, to give myself fully to my children in several scattered moments. (I'm incapable of constant complete attention. I think all of us are.)

For many of my friends and loved ones, life is rather bumpy. I send them love and send God prayers. But for us, at this moment, life has settled.

I think I like where we are.

what babies need

2011-12-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

I am not the only parent who cherishes little ones and the magic they bring to a home. However, Kitten is perhaps the sweetest, happiest cherub I've known. He shares with all babies the simplest of pleasures: a smile, a cuddle, a song, a warm meal, a nap, and lots of happy attention.

I love nursing him, despite and because of the long hours of cuddling and holding this demands. At the times his appetite seems insatiable, I tell myself not to begrudge him frequent thirsty spells. I feel blessed to be able to stay home with him and quench his thirsts and fill his belly. Besides, he's adorable. Last night I kept him up much, much too late. He giggled and squealed through Papa's tickling and Kidoodle's rough-handling. Finally I broke up the game and trotted Kitten off to bed. Nursing time. As soon as I laid him on the bed, he began smiling and rolling onto his side. I love to see his wiggly, half-effective scooting all the more because he uses it to get closer to me.

I learn much from Kidoodle about how to live life fully. "Be happy with me," is one of his favorite refrains. (He likes to say this after he has broken a rule.) "What is on your face?" he asks when he sees a frown of concentration or displeasure. He reminds me to smile, relax, and forgive.

Our three year old has passed many "big boy" landmarks recently. A birthday. Saying goodbye to bottles. Gaining nearly free access to his mama's and papa's board game stash. (Eek!) On Christmas day we discovered many new family toys. Marble tracks with balls large enough to pose no danger for Kitten. A ring toss game. A slinky. Duplo blocks and train tracks. Since Christmas we've been living off of cheese sandwiches, fudge, and day-long play. No time for cooking. No time for cleaning.

Yesterday we walked to our local Lowes and picked up some pipe and pipe insulation. This morning the boys made some soft swords.

I for one am treasuring this moment of vacation and family togetherness. I'm so grateful to my boys for the gift of play.

what mamas need

2011-12-30T12:12:00.000-05:00

Hello. You still there? ;) I'm back again, after a long, unplanned blogging hiatus through which I played with my boys, visited family and friends for the holidays, and knitted up some Christmas things.

germies germies

2011-11-11T18:06:00.000-05:00

The germs have come. As a matter of fact, they aren't leaving soon enough.

We're warding them off with long, long naps,

doses of vitamin C,

experiments with light,

baby games,

and toddler games.

All this play is rather unsuccessful for illness-protection, but it's quite productive for happy-making.

farewell to eggplant

2011-10-23T21:19:00.000-04:00

Last December we joined a local CSA. Although our minds were made up before we arrived at the meeting--we were theirs if they would take us--participants encouraged us to join with stories of healthier lifestyles, tastier vegetables, busier schedules, and an overabundance of eggplant. In fact, they warned us, there was too much eggplant.

We joined anyway. After all, we love eggplant, and we love CSAs. The farmers did, true to their word, plant less eggplant. Still, we ate bushels of eggplant this summer. Sometimes it was too much. Sometimes we threw it out. Sometimes we roasted it and froze it. Sometimes we gave it away. Sometimes we cooked favorite dishes: moussaka, eggplant parmigiana, ratatouille, baba ganoush. Sometimes we scoured vegetarian cookbooks for tasty mashups, like squash and eggplant pasta.

This week we got our *cry* last share of eggplant for the year. We didn't have a lot of time, as has been our story since Kitten baby was born, and before. Happily serendipity was on my side, and what I came up with was simple and surprisingly tasty.

Roasted Eggplant Salad
6 small-medium eggplants
6 medium bell peppers
1 cup shitake mushrooms (optional)
1 large head lettuce
3 chicken breasts
olive oil (use generously)
salt (use generously)
red pepper flakes
ground black pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash "Chicken"
vinegar (apple cider)

Thinly slice eggplants. Slice bell peppers in 1/2" thick strips. Toss vegetables in 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 Tb. red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp. salt. Lay vegetables in a single layer on two large greased cookie sheets; leave up to half of one cookie sheet empty.
Slice three chicken breasts into strips about 1/2" to 1" thick. Lightly coat with 2 Tb. olive oil, 1/2 Tb. red pepper flakes, and Mrs. Dash "Chicken." Lay in empty space on cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. (If adding mushrooms, add them for the final 5 minutes of baking only.)
Meanwhile, prepare 6-8 cups of lightly packed lettuce pieces. Toss with 1 Tb. olive oil, 1 Tb. vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide lettuce among four plates. Top with roasted meat and vegetables.

We've got one more share--minus the eggplants--coming in this week, and then the long, NC growing season will be over. Here's to CSA 2012!

wool shorties

2011-10-19T12:48:00.000-04:00

A friend made me this gorgeous wool diaper cover for Kitten baby. I <3 it!

(She sells these, BTW, if anyone is interested.)

zoo zoo zoo

2011-10-18T17:22:00.001-04:00

Every university should free its students for a fall break. And its faculty. I've long thought this, and now I live in blessed NC, the state that does everything just right.

We met up this morning with some friends--a high school chum from my hubby's youth and his family have become university folk at a nearby city--at the zoo.

We admired a man-made geyser and all of the exotic animals, of course. We basked in the hot October sun. (Record highs here this week. 83 degrees today. Wowza!) Thank goodness for sunglasses, slings, lots of cool water, and scores of gorgeous trees offering luxuriant shade. The good NC folks also know how to plan a good zoo.

I'll have to forgive them for scolding me over my "dangerous baby carrier." (Ahem. This is a safe ring sling, Ma'am. The dangerous ones are elasticized, commercialized, baggy, icky superstore items. I am a good mommy.) Besides, the trees, really, make up for anything.

We all enjoyed the ride.

shluuurrrrmmpsh, or Skemommle complains about diversity

2011-10-03T15:02:00.006-04:00

Heavenly weather has been ~~drawing~~ pulling us (shluuurrrrmmpsh) to the park these past several days.

I have seven or eight fewer tantrums a day when we visit the park. Kidoodle has thirteen or fourteen fewer tantrums. We stay at the park for four hours at a time.

Nothing is better than wearing him out and watching him fall asleep as soon as I give him some milk and lay him on the futon. Nothing, although this comes close: we've all made new friends.

I'm joining a local babywearing group!

I'll tell you all about it after I attend their our next meeting in a couple of weeks. I am soooo excited to learn the tricks of comfy wearing and breastfeeding while babywearing (BFWBW) and to test ALL--hahaha!--the different styles of ring slings, structured carriers, wraps, etc. And to make IRL like-minded friends.

Because sometimes I just get tired of being the "crunchy" one. I co-sleep, use cloth diapers, feed my baby in public, make my hub ride his bike to work ;) , plan to home school, often eat locally grown and organic foods, repurpose junk T shirts, etc. etc. etc.

Wait. Lots of my friends do these things. Basically I am just like thirty-seven other people I know IRL. Exactly.

But that still leaves 4,289 others of my friends and acquaintances that I am painfully unlike. I don't need to be like them, too. Except that these figures make me seem like the adventurous, rebellious one. When I pull out a Fuzzibunz, they are surprised how cool it is. When I use my ring sling, they wonder if it is comfortable, a poor substitute for a stroller, or expensive. I love to share the things I like. . . but sometimes so much explaining can feel like defending. (More on this later.) I am not adventurous. I am too old to be rebellious.

I want more IRL friends here who walk my way. I want to be a groupie!
(but still be me)

So I'm so excited to meet these other baby wearing, cloth diaper using mamas. I'm gonna learn so much--cuddly, snuggly, crunchy stuff--from them!

*

Now, just to prove that I'm not super crunchy, see how I wear my baby?

Okay. So I did take him out of his seat after his nap. And then I tucked him into my sling and nursed him. Which is hard to snap a picture of. ;)

P.S. I love all my IRL friends, and I love all of my blogging friends, too. Thanks for all the good vibes!

hair bye byes

2011-10-02T23:17:00.000-04:00

I've been getting things done. Things that I have to make appointments for, like going to the dentist. (All three of us with teeth now have appointments!) Not all of these "things" are unpleasant. (Kidoodle at the dentist is going to be soooooo classic. *grimace*) I just got a swishy new summer do, and it doesn't matter that it's too late for summer, because it's perfect for a new baby. (My hair won't tickle his face while we're nursing or lay hot and heavy on my neck.)

before: perpetual ponytail

after: ponytail possible, but so unnecessary!

I love this cut! The front is totally me. It frames my face and is shoulder length. The back is new to me, but it's funky, and that's actually really fun! I usually get a layered A cut in back. This is layered, but leaves some long hair back there, too. Not my usual style. But I love doing something different for me! Mostly I love this hair cut because it's so easy to work: wash, brush, and shake it up. Rub in a little product. Let air dry. Score! (I''m super hair-lazy.)

today at the grocery store. . .

2011-09-24T19:29:00.000-04:00

I was feeling friendly. Usually I hide behind my husband or hope a shy smile will satisfy oohing baby-watchers. But today I introduced myself to some neighbors we see all the time and gabbed to any stranger who murmured a quiet "cute" or turned with an "awww" as they shuffled by.

One woman oohed over Kitten baby, asking how old he was and telling me about her sister and daughter and their babies. She said her sister had big babies and that since her sister was larger than her, she expected her to have big babies. Like mine.

Ouch.

But, yeah, okay.

I thought about pointing out that a mom's size doesn't predicate her baby's size, but I didn't. I let it go.

She asked if this was my first--a question I often get because I go shopping with the hubs and he takes care of the kid as he runs around the store. I pointed out Kidoodle and Skedaddle over by the bananas, and mentioned that Kidoodle and I are having fun during our days with Kitten baby, even though sometimes the two year old needs more attention and I'm impatient.

This woman offered a final word of advice about our situation. She had it right on. "Bite your tongue and pick your battles." Yup!

breastfeeding while babywearing

2011-09-24T16:50:00.002-04:00

I've nursed Kitten baby in my sling at church, at restaurants, and at the park. Park benches and restaurant booths are my havens, since I feel like I have more privacy and space in a booth than in a chair. And while I'm all for feeding my baby in public, a church pew will never be as comfortable as the trim little easy chairs in the mother's lounge.

I feel like I've had a lot of success breastfeeding while babywearing, considering that Kitten baby is only seven weeks old. My ring sling frees up a hand so I can eat and cuddle the little guy up close. It supports his weight so that I can hold him for longer when we go for walks, and lets me grab onto an escaping Kidoodle, too!

I like my sling. But I haven't figured it all out yet. After thirty minutes or so of nursing or holding, for instance, the arm supporting Kitten's head starts to ache, as does the shoulder carrying his weight in the sling.

Worse, sometimes the sling presses uncomfortably into my breast. Am I using the sling wrong? Positioning Kitten baby in the sling so that his nose is at my nipple is tricky, since his head forces the sling away from my body instead of keeping him close, like the sling is designed to do. And maybe this is my problem: I'm trying to keep his head in the sling, so the sling can hold him and cover me a little. He is little enough that I can't rely on his trunk and neck to support his head.

I have tried using the other, open side of the sling near my nursing breast. But only twice. Again, I think Kitten baby is pretty little for this, since it necessitates letting his legs hang out, and since it doesn't cover my breast at all. (Maybe that's a good thing.)

All this explaining is dizzying. This drawing by Hathor the Cowgoddess perfectly illustrates this position--and how I feel about being discreet! (Seems great for a stronger, older baby, eh?)

I know that babywearing is supposed to be a breastfeeding panacea. But it isn't quite that.

As this picture illustrates, I am most comfortable sitting or reclining to breastfeed (via). But we all know that chores do need attending to and that playful two year olds do, in fact, need playmates. Playmates who can get down on the floor to drive trucks and trains. Playmates who can change your costume from growling lion to train engineer. Playmates who can rattle around tiny pots and pans to whip up some pretend goodies. Even playmates with agendas, who can change diapers and bang around real pots and pans to serve real snacks.

I'd love to figure out how to nurse while walking around--by means of my handy-dandy sling.

Does anyone have any personal babywearing experiences? Tips? I know that information is out there. Aah. Here's a link to how-to breastfeed in a sling videos. Looks great. I'm off for a mini-movie marathon!

two of them to love

2011-09-08T23:23:00.000-04:00

The mama bear in me can, at times, be aggressive. It wants to protect sweet Kitten baby from having a rambunctious two year old sit on his head. It wants to protect sweet Kitten baby from being hit or bit, swatted or patted, beaned or screamed at, mauled or bawled at.

"Touch gently, sweet Kidoodle," I remind.

(And please don't misbehave simply because I've told you to do differently, I inwardly beg.)

The reminiscing part of me recalls that Kidoodle is a small child, a sweet little dear who I loved and cuddled and protected not that long ago. In fact, last month he was my everything. He needs not scoldings, but loves and hugs and gentleness.

voile swaddlers

2011-08-31T16:40:00.002-04:00

Did I ever show you the gorgeous Anna Maria Horner voile I got to make swaddling blankets and a maternity dress?

I never got around to making either during my pregnancy. However, I now have gorgeous fabric for a nursing dress or several summery blouses for next summer, and my mom made the swaddling blankets for me while she was here helping and waiting for our second little boy to be born.

(By the way, I really need to think of a great nickname for Baby #2. Baby #1 is Kidoodle, of course. We've been thinking of Kitt'n, but it really only works when Baby #3 comes along and we add Kaboodle to the list.)

This AMH voile comes in a wide 54 inches. I bought a yard of each of two prints, but if I'd gotten a yard and a half of each, I'd have had perfect squares. Oops! (Don't worry. This all works out in the end.) My mom sewed a rolled hem around the edges of the blankets, and they turned out lovely.

The voile doesn't stretch at all, which is tricky for a swaddling blanket, and it is smooth and rather slippery. However, this means I can slip the blanket out from under my baby without disturbing him, as when I am moving him from the nursing place to the napping place. This is where the rectangular shape saves the day. It turns out that the voile is working nicely for swaddling if I simply place Lamboodle in the middle of the rectangle (instead of folding the blanket into a triangle) and wrap each side tightly.

(Whaddaya think of Lamboodle? It's a minor modification of a friend's suggestion. It does go with Kidoodle nicely, eh?)

I love the light weight, the breathability, and the mama appeal of the blankets. They coordinate with my wardrobe, not Bamboozle's. (Bamboozle? Nah.) When all this baby wrapping is done, I'll certainly be reclaiming these as scarves for moi.

vegifying beef meals

2011-08-20T18:40:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been relying on easy meals, if I've been cooking at all. Chopping and preparing vegetables is high on my list of "tedious tasks." Nevertheless, every Wednesday we bring home four to six gallons of vegetables from our local CSA. These require the dreaded--preparation. Thank goodness that I have had either my mom or my mom-in-law around to do these tedious veggie jobs. This leaves me free to do much less tedious things, like feeding and snuggling this little guy.

But back to the food goods. One of my favorite veggies, eggplant, has been a high volume producer every week for the past two months. We love staple eggplant recipes, like ratatouille, moussaka, and baba ganoush, but we also like new ways to use our eggplant. Enter Eggplant Tacos, a la me and my mother-in-law.

Eggplant Tacos
1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium to large eggplant, diced
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tb. olive oil
1/2 cup water
3 to 4 Tb. Penzey's Bold Taco Seasoning

Brown the ground beef. Then add the onion and eggplant. Add olive oil as needed. Saute till onion is tender. Add the garlic, the taco seasoning, and enough water to prevent the garlic from burning. Simmer until the liquid thickens.

Serve with your favorite taco toppings. We enjoy the following:
tortillas
sauteed zuccini or summer squash (seasoned with salt and pepper)
sour cream
pinto beans or refried beans
queso fresco
tomatoes
salsa
olives
lettuce or spinach

silly hats, or mean tricks parents play on kids

2011-08-11T16:07:00.000-04:00

baby

2011-08-07T22:38:00.000-04:00

Our little boy has arrived!

He is just over nine pounds of lovable, sweetest-soft, beautiful babe to cherish.

baby knits

2011-08-03T23:08:00.000-04:00

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little boy around here. He's taking his time coming. I think I'm the one most comfortable with the wait; everyone else is too excited!

Here's the progress on my Jasper Diamond Hoodie. I've also begun the sleeves. . . twice! They should be the right size now. ;)

This sweater has been a longer knitting project, especially since I have been relaxing and taking it easy during my pregnancy, and since I don't intend for the baby to wear this sweater for several months still. I was in need of some quick baby projects, and pulled out some lovely bamboo silk yarn to make these two hats. The first hat is simple and snug. I made it up as I went along.

The second hat is ornate and stretchy. This way I have options. I used the maple seed hat pattern, but made it quite a bit smaller for a newborn.

repurposed waterproof nursing pillow cover

2011-07-21T17:26:00.130-04:00

My nursing pillow is fantastic. (I know, because I borrowed a friend's My Brest Friend pillow when I was nursing Kidoodle.) However, it would benefit from a waterproof cover. The My Brest Friend pillow is at its core only a foam pillow form. It comes with cute and useful fabric covers, but they don't protect the foam from spit-up and milk. I didn't want to buy the waterproof cover, since I feared it might make us hot and sweaty this summer. Instead, I repurposed an old shower curtain into a couple of covers for my nursing pillow.

Here's how I did it:

STEP 1
Lay out your shower curtain or waterproof fabric. I folded mine in half and worked on two layers at once, since I wanted two covers.)
Lay your pillow or your fabric pillow cover on top of your shower curtain. Tuck in the edges of the pillow cover so that you are looking at just the top piece of it, and so you don't accidentally write on your cover.
Using a permanent, waterproof marker or a washable sewing pen, trace about 1/2 an inch around your fabric pillow cover. This way you'll have enough fabric for a seam allowance.

1: Trace

Don't trace all the way around the side and back part of the pillow cover. You only need to cover the front top, where the baby will be.

STEP 2
Use a ruler to draw a 4" by 16" rectangle. This will cover the inside part of the pillow where the pillow touches your tummy. (Spills are likely to gather here, after all.)


2: Draw a 4"x16" rectangle

This piece doesn't have to match up perfectly with each "edge" of your pillow, so don't worry that I haven't told you exactly where to stop tracing for the front top piece. Also let your toddler scribble on the shower curtain if you so desire.

STEP 3
Cut out these two pieces, cutting just inside the marked line.

3: Cut inside the lines.

STEP 4
Pin the rectangular piece to the front top piece, marked sides facing.

4: Pin. . .

4: . . . all along the rectangle and the inner edge of the front top piece.

(I skipped this step on my second pillow because pin marks can damage your waterproof fabric. Since this pillow cover doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't really matter if you pin it.)

STEP 5
Set your machine to its largest basting stitch so that your cover has fewer needle holes. (This will make a less sturdy cover, but a more waterproof one, too.) Stitch along the edge, using about a 3/8" seam allowance.

5: Sew along pinned edge, about 3/8" from edge.

Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of this edge. Don't worry if your stitching isn't perfect. Cut your threads, leaving a few inches for securing a knot at each end.

5: I'm about to stitch and backstitch!

STEP 6
Pull on the top thread at one end of the cover, just enough to bring up the bottom thread.

6: Pull top thread.

Pull the bottom thread through to the top.

6: Pull bottom thread through to top.

Tie a double knot with these two threads. Trim. Repeat at the other end.

6: Tie a double knot.

VOILA!

Finished!

Your repurposed waterproof nursing pillow cover is now ready to be used. I plan on tucking one of these between the foam pillow and the fabric cover. This will help hold this basic cover in place.

It can be wiped or rinsed off (or thrown in the washing machine) when it gets dirty. If my baby is a real spitter-upper, I might try laying one of these on top of the cover, although I think that would feel hot and sweaty for the two of us.

See--it's a very simple project. In fact, it couldn't be made much simpler, unless one simply cut out a scrap of waterproof fabric and draped it over the pillow. That would work, too. ;)

breastfeeding preparations

2011-07-20T15:14:00.000-04:00

I have invested a pretty penny in breastfeeding items.

When Kidoodle was an infant, he had issues with suck, latch, tongue tie, etc., that kept us from establishing a good breastfeeding relationship. After two months of pumping, breastfeeding, and using a supplemental nursing system, I was done. Something needed to go for me to be a good mom. So I switched to pumping for the first year of his life. I was grateful I could give him the gift of breastmilk, or "milky milk," and I was grateful as well for each moment I reclaimed from the breastpump in order to be more present with him. It's an odd experience, relying on a machine to help you soothe and nourish your hungry baby.

My situation is different now. I have an active toddler, and I will have a helpless infant, too. I won't be able to spend hours a day attached to a machine. I am committed to breastfeeding without extra gadgets and devices for as long as it's healthy for me and my newborn. I may reach a point where I need to supplement, but if I do, I doubt I'll be able to choose exclusive pumping. And I don't want to choose exclusive formula feeding.

Thus the pretty pennies I've used to acquire a My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow, an adjustable nursing stool, and some plush cloth nursing pads. This is the easy part! Today I made two very simple waterproof covers for my nursing pillow. (I'll post a tutorial soon.) I'm doing everything I can now to make breastfeeding easier with this baby. Who knows? Maybe we will have few breastfeeding issues this time!

in a short time now

2011-07-19T17:14:00.000-04:00

Last time I was pregnant, I relished in this special time of life. I really loved pregnancy and the happy anticipation of having a "real family." In fact, I liked pregnancy so much that, with only two weeks of pregnancy to go, I was more than willing to let my baby remain settled, cozy, and growing inside me. The moment of becoming a parent was overwhelming to me, and I think I was happy to linger over those final few days of independence.

Two and a half years later, I am again enjoying pregnancy. Yet I am also willing to pass into the mesmerizing, exhausting, and tender next stage of life.

I am content with my role, my identity, and my opportunities that parenthood has brought me--most importantly the chances to thrill over my toddler and to love my soon to be born child. After all, a lot has changed since my son was born.

I am only occasionally anxious about what changes having this baby will mean to my life, despite understanding so much more clearly how difficult the early weeks with a newborn can be. I also know how wonderful it feels to snuggle a precious newborn, how joyful it is to grow to love your child. In fact, I'm already loving this little baby, especially when he greets me with tickly little wiggles.

Soon, little one. Soon we will greet you.

tsk tsk ;)

2011-07-16T18:39:00.002-04:00

Hmm. It looks like I've been neglecting a little something called my blog.

Here's what we've been up to:

Swimming, of course.

Harvesting potatoes at our local CSA.

Scrapbooking Kidoodle's first year. (I'm almost done!)

Admiring my spiffy crafty supplies, but napping instead of using them.

Knitting a few newborn hats of various sizes and styles (to be revealed when my babe is born) and knitting this new baby's Jasper Diamond Hoodie.

With only a few more weeks of pregnancy left, I'm trying to slow down, settle in, and prepare for a new phase of life. Most of this is mental preparation, such as becoming okay with giving up my own desires (sewing or knitting, for example) for a few months. Some of this has been physical, such as cleaning the house and preparing my stash of freezer meals. All in all, I'm feeling nearly ready and very excited for this baby to arrive!

the great boob tube debate

2011-06-22T12:36:00.001-04:00

A few months ago we got a Netflix subscription. It has been a life saver during all of those pregnant-and-ill or pregnant-and-exhausted moments. I know that television media is poor as teachers go, so don't misunderstand me when I say that I am tickled to see all of the good things Kidoodle has learned from, say, Blues Clues. He loves to dress up, play astronaut, talk about feelings, count to 13, and come up with all sorts of imaginative play, like wearing "roller skates" (he walks for 15 minutes with marbles held in his toes), being a puppy (Blue) or a turtle (Turquoise), and talking to "baby Steve" in my tummy. He seriously wants to name this child Steve after the Blues Clues star. Ha!

Of course, nearly constant online-television watching has its pitfalls. One of the most innocuous of these is that, as a toddler, Kidoodle tends to fixate on one show at a time. Bob the Builder, then Caillou, and finally Blues Clues. Watching the same episodes over and over again can be a nerve-grating experience. Last week, though, Kidoodle entered a new phase of multi-program entertainment. He now alternates these shows with a few new-for-him programs: The Backyardigans (meh), Be the Creature, and Shaun the Sheep (yay!).

What do you consider the online/telly video pitfalls to be?

Around here, we dislike strong marketing tactics aimed at children. . . and impressionable adults! ;) That's why we're letting Netflix overtake our Hulu watching.
We got rid of our bulky and ugly TV last year. I like not making the telly into the focal point of our living space. We have to be careful not to fall into this same trap with our computers.
As I mentioned before, I don't buy into educational entertainment hype. I enjoy informative and positive programs, like the Kratt brothers' Be the Creature, documentaries, Nova episodes, etc. I certainly believe that adults and children alike can learn something worthwhile (and always learn something) from television shows. But I also think that human-to-human interactions and child-to-parent interactions especially result in the most effective learning. I don't watch programs with the expectation that they will teach my kid something or be good for him. I think that's why I'm tickled when something good does result from too much television watching!

What are the advantages of watching online/telly videos, and are they worth it?

I do use telly programs to babysit my child, and a lot of involved and thoughtful parents don't go there. Obviously for now I am letting the benefits of this form of childcare outweigh the costs.
We love to be entertained!
I like to prop up my feet and eat a snack--several times a day--while watching a short mystery.
Watching a show is a great way to fit in some knitting or diaper washing and folding.

What do you use television watching for? What do you not use it for?

***

Right now Kidoodle is saying to the iPod, "Hi. Hi! Hi, Shaun the Sheep. I love you, can I hold you?"

mama crafts

2011-06-20T09:55:00.003-04:00

I have been making progress on my boy's baby album.

I scanned some layouts documenting his first six months. Psst. I left out of this post most of my documentations, though. Little details like his full name aren't really blog-able. ;)

I didn't have room in a single 8x8 album for all of the photos I'd developed from his first year. I bought an inexpensive second album (the SEI preservation series 8x8 album) for the second six months of his life.

I'm digging into that second album, too. After it's done, I'll organize the remaining pictures in photo sleeves with little notes, so I can tackle those later.

That serious expression is classic Kidoodle! Here he's as curious as can be about the parade, the costumes, the juggling, the colors, the loud music. Love it!

Need I say that this project is really fun? Yeah. It is.

Going through these pictures of my child as a baby and reading my thoughts and feelings about that time has helped me feel happy anticipation for baby #2. Soon I'll have more chubby little legs to squeeze. Soon I'll have a sweet, cuddly infant. Soon I'll get to smell and kiss a baby all I want. Soon I'll have no time for looking back at pictures of an infancy; I'll be living it instead. :)

kid crafts

2011-06-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

I'm in heaven.

Kidoodle scrapbooks.

With me.

He likes to put the stickers directly over our faces. At first the balloon hammock in the page above covered all of our faces except a bit of mine. And in the first page, he wanted to put the drumming ducky over his face. I'm giving him a little direction. He chose to put the drumming ducky in the house, but not on his own face. Aside from minor direction and my general selection of supplies, these pages are all his.

What more could a scrappy mama want?

doings and doings

2011-06-16T12:36:00.000-04:00

I don't feel like we have many comings and goings here. I am certainly happy to chat all day with my new BFF, my air conditioner. We scrapbook, clean house, play with a certain lovable toddler, and even nap together.

Skedaddle makes sure that a certain toddler gets enough outside time. Here they are on their way home from the pool. After an hour of running around with some neighbor kids, they finally made it home. :) Every Tuesday morning they go to "our" CSA farm to harvest and wash vegetables. This Saturday they are making an early morning 30K bike ride with our local Boy Scouts.

Other indoor activities that let me keep doing and doing include playing with legos, marbles, rubber-band powered disc shooters, scrapbooking (see my next post!), and the brain-numbing fall-back of watching TV programs (more on that later, too). Now this hot and pregnant lady can really cherish her BFF. ;)

grainy film effect

2011-06-09T11:56:00.002-04:00

Our camera has arrived! Contrary to what I feared, this camera is plenty easy to use, especially on its automatic and pre-programmed artsy modes.

Here is some proof that we like our new toy. My favorite pre-programmed camera setting is the "grainy film effect." It works especially well indoors when colors and lighting are less than perfect.

As you can see, Kidoodle has been "fishing" with whatever dangly little thing he can get his hands on.

All in all, life is good.

I've realized that my life does come with a "grainy film effect" that takes all of the average activities of our days and highlights their special moments. Kidoodle's play--fishing, dressing up, singing songs--becomes the penultimate in charm. Skedaddle's leisurely summer--with a little play here and a little work there--feels like a grand vacation. My own preparations for this baby--scrapbooking 31 pages, so far this week, in Kidoodle's baby album--are coalescing into excitement for the new little one's arrival.

hot and cool

2011-06-04T17:11:00.001-04:00

Kidoodle, oh what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

Do you swim in a pool, to keep yourself cool?

Yes! At least twice a day. ;)

First with Mommy in the morning, and then with Daddy when he comes home from work.
And always with my "wobbles" for convenient floating and "fishing."

making for kid-1 now & kid-2 later

2011-06-03T17:06:00.000-04:00

With only two months of pregnancy left, there are so many wonderful crafty things I could be doing. And with my pregnancy count-down ticking away past the seven month mark, I'm finally motivated to create something other than this precious little person growing and wiggling inside of me.

Like knitting a wool diaper cover like this darling design (Ravelry link) for a newborn photo shoot.

Or sewing some cotton swaddling blankets out of some lovely Anna Maria Horner voile I bought for just such a project.

Or sewing some baby gowns.

Or getting a head start on this year's Halloween costumes. (I'm thinking that we should delve into one of Kidoodle's favorite stories, like The Three Little Pigs, or go with a parental sci-fi love and be astronauts, alien, and moon baby.)

Any of these projects would be rewarding, but I've decided that for now I'd like to tackle Kidoodle's baby albums.

Yesterday during Kidoodle's naptime I managed to pull out my scrapbooking supplies. Phew! It's hard to believe that it takes over an hour to set up my stuff, and then takes about an hour of brainstorming and sorting through supplies to decide what I want to do for each pair of layouts.

But, you know, I really love the slow process of putting together paper and photos and ribbons and bits of metal into something that captures a memory of my child then as well as a snapshot of my creative processes now.

I like cutting little pieces of paper, arranging and rearranging stamps and embellishments, and trying to be as frugal as I can with the supplies I have.

This is why I haven't switched to digital scrapbooking yet, even though I think it can yield amazing results. I love the hands on experience of making memory albums.

I did manage to pull together two simple pages last night, pages with photos of Kidoodle as a two month old! LOL & lucky me. I've got much creative fodder for the next month or two!

the great digital camera search

2011-06-01T11:31:00.003-04:00

Between summer vacations in spring and pregnancy hips/back, it seems I've been avoiding my sitting at computer as much as possible!

Despite a two-day online shopping extravaganza for a digital camera, you won't wonder that blogging has tempted me to spend some cozy one-on-one time with my electronic buddy. After all, it's been nearly three and a half weeks since I last posted here. Besides, it's time to pull out my comfy yoga ball to sit and play on for the last few months of pregnancy!

Thankfully blogging is much more pleasant than comparison shopping. Nevertheless, I shopped, and I even learned a lot about cameras and photography. I need to practice composing photographs, adjusting lighting, and finding attractive colors and structures in my compositions. I also need a better digital camera to snap shots of our photogenic newborn on the way!

I don't love our simple and inexpensive point and shoot that we bought for $70 to replace our old (but very easy for novices to use) $130 Canon Powershot A520 that Kidoodle broke last year. My maximum price was $700, the list cost of an entry level DSLR. Eventually I narrowed our search down to four cameras that I am certain will deliver results that are fabulous by our standards: the Olympus PEN-EPL2, the Canon Powershot G12, the Canon Powershot S95, and the Olympus XZ-1.

I was leaning towards one of the Canons, but after showing the specs of each to Skedaddle, he fell in love with the Olympus PEN E-PL2 four-thirds digital camera. Does anyone else find shopping tedious? ;) If I weren't an impatient shopper, I would have asked your opinions about digital cameras before we chose one. However, give me your opinions anyway! See, I'm a little uneasy about the Oly PEN E-PL2 because it is more complex and expensive than the other cameras we considered. I'm willing to try it out for a few days and exchange it for another model if I find I can't use it. (The good news is that I hear that its iAuto features are great!)

We chose the Olympus PEN E-PL2 because

it has superior image quality amongst the cameras we considered,
its iAuto features provide nearly fool-proof results,
it provides good bokeh--or a shallow depth-of-field that lets you focus on an object while blurring the background,
it has great HD video that allows in-video focusing,
and its gadget-y-ness and similarities to a DSLR wooed my husband--just in time for Father's Day!

It's a four-thirds system, so its smaller than a DSLR but with many of the customization options of DSLRs.

What do you value in a digital camera?

For example, do you value customization over ease of use, or visa versa?

I think a good camera is one that can be customized to suit your needs (I depend on good white balance adjustability) and one that you can use (clarity of menus and portability matter here). Of course it needs to be in your price range. I added to this list of must-haves these features:

Obviously I demand great image quality (good even in low light) and the ability to crop and print 5x7s and even 8x10s (for scrapbooking and displaying in our home).
I'm not a confident photographer, especially since I constantly shake. I need a camera with effective image stabilization.
I want HD video capabilities, since I'm a mom-photographer who wants to primarily document my children.
I want something that isn't huge and complicated, like a DSLR would be. I want to have the camera with me, or I won't use it. Likewise, if it's too tricky, I won't use it.
Skedaddle wants it to be compatible with Linux, and if it isn't, I need it to work with our Mac. (The Olympus may fail in both of these regards. But then again, we're already looking for and finding software to use with it.)

The Oly PEN-EPL2 is a class above the three enthusiast level cameras that made our final cut, and therefore it meets almost all of my requirements. I was very drawn to the Canon Powershot G12 and Canon Powershot S95, both of which appealed to me for their ease of use, good image quality, and fine HD video.

I also liked the Olympus XZ-1 for its image quality, slave flash compatibilities, and super-bright lens (that collects more light, leading to improved image quality and also allows for a depth-of-field that's good for portraits).

Finally our decision came down to trying to balance the customization options we wanted with ease of use.

Do you value customization over ease of use, or visa versa?

Both of the Canon cameras are very easy to use, but less customizable than either of the Olympus cameras (and any DSLR) that we considered. I value ease of use, and am pretty familiar with Canon menus and buttons. Skedaddle values customization, and I imagine my future self appreciating that, too.

The Oly PEN E-PL2 has all of the strong features of these other cameras, except that it doesn't (need to?) offer ISO options lower than 200 ISO and it is a more complicated camera, which, as I have mentioned, is really a plus for Skedaddle. I am really looking forward to trying it out, but am willing to return it if it's too awkward for this novice photographer.

Have any of you used any of these cameras? Any thoughts about what makes a good camera (for me, for you. . .)?

sewing spoilers

2011-05-09T08:55:00.002-04:00

(Hey, Mom. I'm posting pics of the purse I made you for Mother's Day. You may not want to peek!)

Do you sometimes find yourself compulsively sewing, for an entire week, unable to stop for anything short of a day picking (and a weekend of eating) juicy strawberries?

That is, of course, precisely where my inner compulsion has taken me this past week. I've found myself sewing zippered pleated pouches, a la Skip to My Lou. Cindylou makes installing a zipper (a much dreaded task for me) so simple with her fabric-zipper sandwiching technique.

I also enjoyed sewing a few Buttercup Bags, a la Made By Rae. The Buttercup Bag tutorial is great: it's clear and easy to follow, and the pattern calls for only one fat quarter of fabric (plus lining fabric). What fun! I pulled out a few coordinating FQs, cut up all the pieces, and mixed them all up to make a few purses. I especially loved how Rae has you line up the magnetic snaps before sewing the edges of the lining together. I've made bags without closing the snaps first, and they can be skewampus. Hooray for Rae!

I got better at making these as I went along. I used quilt weight fabric, but it needed interfacing. See how the pink bag sags? I used a lightweight interfacing on it. I prefer the orange bag's sturdiness, achieved with a heavy interfacing, especially in the strap and the top strip of fabric. Good thing I'm saving the pink bag for myself, and that I can fix it any time I want to. The orange bag is for my mom for Mother's Day. I think its colors will look so pretty on her.

I also like the small and flirty size of these Buttercup Bags. Small purses help me be a out-and-about packing minimalist. ;)

I had fun turning this very bright fabric into a vibrant purse for my friend's Autism Speaks charity. (And in case that lime flower pin is too much, I also included a pink felt rosette pin.)

Oh, how much fun sewing can be! By the week's end I was able to calm myself to take a few knitting breaks and visit a baseball game with my boys. It's a good thing that knitting needles so happily commute to ball games and such, and that my sewing machine doesn't. ;)

it's about being, not doing

2011-04-28T17:43:00.000-04:00

My friends have been sharing some great thoughts with me.

Like not to be too hard on yourself if you don't DO everything you hope to do.

After all, it's about BEing, and we are the wonderful, beautiful, compassionate, thoughtful, fun, charming, honest, and giving people we are trying to BE, no matter what we DO or DON'T do today.

(Somehow this thought makes me smile and BE happy.)

Amazingly, another friend has given me an opportunity to DO and BE all at once. She asked me to make some things for an Autism Speaks auction/sale she's having for her daughter. Her timing is impeccable, since I had just finished the finger puppets pictured in this post for her kids. I'm in the process of sewing together some pleated pouches and purses. I love to DO what I love and BEcome what I love, too.

Making the pleated pouches is a slow, slow process this week, and I am grateful for the permission to disentangle my self-worth from what I accomplish. Instead, I'm enjoying the sunshine, the rain, time spent with my boys, and succumbing to the additional sleepiness that the close of my second trimester of pregnancy is granting me.

tee to bib upcycle

2011-04-23T14:22:00.000-04:00

Our local thrift store sells bags of tee-shirts for fifty cents on Mondays. The bags are clear, which is great, since we can't open them ahead of time to thoroughly scope out the shirts. I love to choose a bag based solely on the colorful fabrics inside.

Most of these tees are graphic tees or sports tees. I like to save the big blank pieces for making baby shorts and tops. But what am I to do with those parts fairly well covered in ugly graphics?

Make tee-shirt yarn, of course! I made several of those twisted fabric flowers from old tee-shirt yarn earlier this week, but I wanted to make something that was both upcycled and very functional for Earth Day. Then I remembered this tee-shirt to bib upcycle project from Petite Purls. I'm so happy I tried it!

I didn't look up the tutorial again, but just began cutting shirts and winged it, with pretty good success. On attempt number two, I'd pretty much stumbled upon this process (that Gedane so prettily photographs), except that I was lazy and didn't curl the yarn ahead of time. (I curled it up to hide the graphics as I was knitting.)

I also cut my strips rather wide, at 3/4", and ended up with a thick and absorbent bib. I think the bib would be more comfortable for the baby to wear if I'd cut my strips at a much thinner 1/4". Still, I am happy with the results. And although I ended up with tiny "confetti" bits of fabric all over my lap, cutting the yarn felt relaxing and seeing junk turn into something useful was therapeutic.

I used two green tee shirts (small adult sized) for the bib, and had a chunk left over. So I knitted up a little coaster for my favorite mug, and am starting a black and green bib to use up the last of my green yarn. I also have a tee stash of purple and two different lovely shades of orange that I'd love to knit into a vertical striping bib, or even a little vest!

Eco-Craft Roundup

2011-04-22T23:05:00.000-04:00

Aah, Earth Day brings out the best in crafters!

Do you remember this retro-chic repurposed cuff wallet, featured on Sew, Mama, Sew last year? It is one of my favorites, especially since I need to make myself a custom wallet with a pocket for each of the credit/loyalty cards I have.

I also am digging this equally rough and charming jeans cuff wallet from Instructables user littleberry. So many pockets in this denim version!!

These lovely repurposed hanging notepads by Eleanor of SCRAP were featured today on the Storque (I discovered them via Craftzine) and are, to me, a true repurposed craft. They feature found and scrap objects, such as produce rubber bands, old spools or bobbins, and paper, string, and wood scraps. SCRAP emphasizes creating with old things you have on hand rather than throwing them out in favor of new, purchased materials.

This project goes beyond simply dressing up one trash item. Almost each independent piece of the project is salvaged, and, even better, can be repurposed into a different craft once the hanging notepad is no longer needed. This is something I have tried to achieve with my change-it-up wreath, and I love the beauty and simplicity with which these notepads succeed.

Today I did manage to upcycle a couple of old T-shirts into something very practical for this pregnant mama--T-shirt yarn bibs. I'll share pics of them tomorrow afternoon, when the sunshine shows itself again, and after we return from planting or cleaning or weeding or whatever we get to do to help beautify our local park tomorrow morning. Until then, happy Earth Day!

naps, cookies, and strings

2011-04-21T15:33:00.000-04:00

If there are two things I've learned about myself and pregnancy, they are that pregnancy makes me feel hungry and that pregnancy makes me feel sleepy.

I've been giving into my cravings, and letting myself nap for as long as I want to and eat almost as many cookies as I want to. In fact, it's nap time now. . . Thankfully I don't always want to sleep.

In addition to lots of napping and cookie eating, I've been working with an assortment of string things this week. Our camera batteries all died, and I couldn't find our recharger. Happily, Skedaddle brought his at-work bike-battery-charger home last night. Today our camera is operational!

Making ribbon and twisted fabric flowers is so fun! All of the twisted fabric ones are from old T-shirts, cut into strips. This makes me happy for Earth Day. I don't know that I'll get to my "serious" Earth Day crafts this year, overshadowed as it is by beautiful Easter and pregnancy sleepiness that helps me keep things in check.

(Hmm. For some reason these photos look really grainy. I made them smaller for easier uploading, but they look worse than usual. Yes?)

Remember that all-year-round wreath I made? Here it is covered in my (very stringy) ruffle garland with some spring flowers pinned to it. After taking this pic, I swapped one of the purple flowers for another satiny pink one, and I think it suits the season better now.

I also decorated this reversible bag with a ribbon and felt flower (on the green-striped side of the bag) and a satin ribbon and button flower (on the crazy diamond side of the bag). I sort of followed the reversible bag pattern from Martha Stewart and the reversible bag tutorial from Very Purple Person. We happened to run out of printer ink this week, too, so I free-handed their patterns on the inside of an old cereal box. It was fun, but my bag is a little too wide, I think. It's also much, much larger than the Martha Stewart version, and my small handle, for cinching the bag shut, needs to be wrapped around the other handle twice to work. Still, I really like it, and I loved pinning my new flowers on it! This reversible bag was an easy project, too, and I think it will make a fantastic knitting project tote.

Finally, I'm still knitting. I have been taking a sort of knitting break so that I could attack some faster sewing projects for the boys and, at last, for me! But this little Jasper Diamond Hoodie is amicably waiting in the background, happy for restful TV moments when I work a few rows.

P.S. This denim tote is a lovely one that I won from Holly at Stich/Craft back during the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway week. I won't take credit for making it, or the felt flower Holly sent with it. ;) It does make a lovely knitting tote, though.

Earth Day Crafts

2011-04-19T10:50:00.002-04:00

This year Earth Day crafters have not disappointed! I've seen some lovely Earth Day ideas, such as

this coffee filter flower necklace (via Dollar Store Crafts). . .

this most awesome eco fuel car from Martha. . .

and this recycled cardboard play fire station via Family Fun.

(These last two were found via this lovely roundup on One Pretty Thing.)

I've been saving cereal and shipping boxes for just this sort of thing--play kitchens, cars, castles, puppets, and so on.

I have several crafty ideas floating around in my head, including some very practical repurposing, some silky embroidery, some sewing, some planting, and some mixed media hodge-podges. But the real fun for me on Earth Day is going to be working at a local park to make it prettier and celebrate Earth Day with my community. Yay!

What are you doing for Earth Day this year?

my creative process, x8

2011-04-08T17:40:00.000-04:00

This morning Kidoodle and I have been brainstorming, drawing, and drafting patterns. Oh, and poking eyes with pencils. *sigh*

Kidoodle poked himself in the eye with a pencil while he was climbing on the couch to draw beside me. My brain was twittering, "No, don't climb with a pencil in your hand!" just as he poked himself. Too slow. While I held him and checked his eye for injury, blood, or blindness, I decided to give up on motherhood right then. Obviously I can barely keep my child alive.

Ten minutes later he had stopped crying, told me his eye was okay (bless you, sweet boy, for knowing what I needed to hear), and could identify and grab the things (watches, helicopters, etc.) I dangled in front of his sore eye. (I covered his "good eye" to be sure he wasn't cheating.) He really is okay. Hmm. I may have overreacted some.

But back to the pattern making.

1. Remember that tentacle-y thingy I was envisioning? Let me help you picture it. Start with pale linen-like fabric with tiny flowers. Shape that into a 3D oval, just a tad elongated. Place large, wide-set eyes near the bottom of the body-face, and then add eight pretty tentacles that curve up a bit and then point down again. Each tentacle is lined on its underbelly with a strip of rich purple or wine colored wool felt, embellished with matching embroidered felt circle "suckers." It's an octopus!

After a morning of doodling and planning, I think I have a pattern that will work, at least for a first draft. I suspect that the body/face will turn out too narrow at this point, but that's what a draft is for. I'll get right on it.

In the meantime, check out futuregirl-Alice's fabulous Sigmund octopus pattern. This is almost what I had in mind, except smaller, curlier, and more easily lent to chicness. Aren't those sequin suckers gorgeous?

futuregirl.com's Octophrost

Since I want to make a large version for my boys to play with, I will certainly stick with embroidered felt suckers, but my pincushion is vying for sequins!

2. Giraffes. Some of my favorite giraffe patterns are Fiona's lovely Gerald Giraffe, Lotta's rattle from Simple Sewing for Baby (check out pages 62-65), and this giraffe from More Softies Only a Mother Could Love. I have two of these patterns, and am only waiting to get Gerald Giraffe because I might want Poppy Doll instead. Still, I'm working on my own four-legged version, made all babyish with swooping lines and chubby legs.

3. Horses, dinos, and cows. I think my giraffe pattern can easily be adopted to suit dinos, cows, and horses. Oh, and have you seen this awesome Bullseye tutorial? I bet you have. Do you love it as much as I do?

4. Robots. Cuz I have boys, and cuz I love geekery.

5. Monsters. These are the easiest of softies to make. You can't go wrong! I think I'll just dig through my wool stash and wing it.

6. Speaking of stash busting, I want to gather an odd collection of craft supplies and make whatever I can. Some balance is needed amidst all of this patterning and planning.

7. Pointy nosed bunny/kitty/mouse doll. I've got the head drafted.

8. Boxy person shape, embroidered or painted to the max.

That's it! My creative process for the day. Lastly, a tip: Don't include potential toddler injuries in your creative processes.

it's all about parties

2011-04-08T11:11:00.000-04:00

Kidoodle has been sick with the flu this week. This has led to lots of cuddling time and quiet play between us, including helping me work through my WIPs. The elephants are his favorites among my WIPs.

Last night the boy gave me several useful tips.

"Him have a nose on him."
"Him no have eyes. Him need eyes."
"Two elephants! They are having a party!"

Alright then. These elephants are getting embroidered eyes. Toddlers can be immensely helpful.

Kidoodle also helped me pull the needle and thread through the elephant's back, and he even helped me trim the thread when I was done. And so were we. At least until Kidoodle decided to try to cut my elbow (with his safety scissors) and I took them away and he cried. I think that today we'll look for several moments to celebrate.

P.S. I'm brainstorming an idea for a pincushion/plushie. It's something tentacle-y and is one of Kidoodle's current animal favorites. I hope to have a pattern drafted (and tested and shared) in a couple of days.

foxy & boxy

2011-04-06T21:10:00.002-04:00

This trailer for mummysam's new book is so cute. I love how the simple shapes of the characters is overlaid with lovely stitched details and personalities.

Her stitching inspires me with whimsy.

P.S. mummysam is hosting a giveaway for a craft book that I've been ogling for ages: Big Little Felt Universe.

not so matchy pants

2011-04-05T17:20:00.000-04:00

Now that I know this babe is a boy, I've been able to break into my designer fabric scrap stash.

Some of the pieces were too small for things for Kidoodle, but are working well for little baby pants and shorts.

Here's what I've come up with.

newborn elephant shorts/waders

toddler giraffe shorts

toddler midnight owl shorts & newborn daytime owl pants

I used Made by Rae's Basic Newborn Pant pattern for the baby pants, and did my own thing for the toddler pants. Rae's pimp those pants tips allowed me to use my scraps, despite their scarce yardage. Sweet!

clues

2011-03-27T19:53:00.001-04:00

We had our ultrasound last week. Our little peanut revealed much.

My craft table is now stacked with patterns, fabric and yarn for more projects much like these.

Toddler Pants, but smaller for babies

Knit Bibs and Doggy Stamps

Bib Kerchief

Bunny Rattle (Kidoodle won't give his up for the baby.)

Something Knit, Something Blue

Jasper Diamond Hoodie from Vintage Baby Knits

Can you guess what we are having?

bran muffins

2011-03-25T17:33:00.002-04:00

In my newborn meal preparations, I can't leave out this fiber-rich muffin recipe. It's a family favorite! You can store the batter in the fridge for up to six weeks, or bake and freeze these muffins. (I prefer them freshly baked from the fridge batter, and with a six week fridge shelf-life, I think even this mama can handle that!)

Refrigerator Bran Muffins
(I've reduced the amount of oil here and added applesauce, because these can be greasy. Experiment to see what you like.)

First, in a large bowl, combine the following:
4 cups All-bran cereal
2 cups (40% bran) bran flakes
1/4 cups oil
1 cup raisins (optional)
2 cups boiling water

Let this sit (for about 30 minutes) and then add the following:
1/2 cups applesauce
1-1/4 to 2-1/2 cups sugar
1 Tb. salt
4 cups buttermilk
4 beaten eggs
5 cups flour (use a bunch of whole wheat flour if you like--I do!)
5 tsp. baking soda

Mix well. Cover. This batter keeps well in the fridge for six weeks, and is best if it has been in the fridge for at least a day.

Bake muffins in lined or greased tins at 375 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes.

nappy pants

2011-03-23T13:04:00.000-04:00

Kidoodle is in desperate need of summer pants and shorts. Finding ones at the store that fit over his fluffy cloth diapered bottom, without being four inches too long, is becoming harder. (Yet more motivation--for me--to stay on that potty train!) For some reason I imagine that now that he's past the intense growth spurts of babyhood, I shouldn't have to buy him new clothes. Like ever.

But he does need pants. Yesterday I made him these stripey pants and--from the most fabulous fabric-- guitar shorts.

Kidoodle loves them. He wanted to wear both pairs today. I am so proud!

Both pairs of pants start out at a regular bottom depth from front waist, but are deeper in the back. The stripey pants are an inch or so taller in the back. The guitar shorts are about three inches higher in the back than they are in the front, and they cover his diaper no problem. I think I'll write up and post a pattern, as much for my own record as for the joys of sharing.

They fit fabulously, and I'm happy to report that I didn't make him try them on at all.

snuggler baby swaddle @ CRAFT

2011-03-23T12:32:00.000-04:00

I love my copy of Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby. My favorite patterns are for the tunic dress, the bandana bib, and all of the fun fabric printing ideas.

CRAFT magazine reminds us today that they have a pattern for the Snuggler Baby Swaddle from the book available as a free download. I thought you might be interested!

Sloppy Joes

2011-03-21T16:08:00.030-04:00

This week's frozen recipe is a simple one that requires buns and vegetable side dishes. In my case, I'll be buying whole wheat buns and freezing them about a month before my baby is due. We'll also be picking up a weekly load of vegetables from our local CSA this summer, and we'll have plenty of fresh vegetables to eat along with this hearty dish.

Sloppy Joes by Skemommle

1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup cabbage, diced (optional)
1 cup ketchup
1 can tomato soup
1 can tomatoes, blended
1/2 to 1 cup water
2 Tb. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tb. Worcestershire sauce

Brown ground beef & drain. Saute onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots and cabbage. Then mix with the remaining ingredients. Serve on buns now, or cool and freeze (in Ziploc freezer bags!) for up to 3 months.

pouty little model

2011-03-20T14:00:00.000-04:00

I got my wish! Today is a breezy 55 degrees--perfect vest weather, especially since Skedaddle and Kidoodle are riding their bike to church.

However, my child does not want to model this vest. He does not even want to wear it.

On the bright side, I think he'll learn how to take his own clothes off. He's tried to pull the vest off four times in the first fifteen minutes he had it on.

In the future, I think I'll make him clothing and wing it. No more trying things on!

How do you think that will work out? ;)

P.S. In case you missed it yesterday, you can download the pattern for this vest at this post.

vernal verde

2011-03-19T12:14:00.003-04:00

{Edited to add LOTS of links to the vest pattern, since some of you are having a hard time finding it. Save yourself some trouble and visit the Vernal Verde Vest pattern in Google Docs now.}

I finished the vest I knitted for Kidoodle! The pattern is posted here in Google Docs and here on Ravelry (which will ultimately take you back to Google Docs).

After running out of yarn for the ginormous Tomten jacket I was knitting him, this vest has been a relief. I've never knit a sweater or a vest before. Let me just tell you that designing my own pattern for a garment I've never knitted before was quite a process!

I knew I wanted a diagonal rib pattern for the vest, a pattern I find masculine and slick. I wanted a toddler sized vest that would fit him now and next year. I also knew I wanted to use worsted weight yarn for a quicker knit. So I pulled out three skeins of Bamboo Ewe from my stash and set to work.

I used a 1989 edition of The Ultimate Knitting Book by Vogue Knitting, a knitting instruction book I scored for $1 or $2 at a library book sale, to figure out how to calculate gauge, neck and armhole design, number of stitches to pick up, etc. Usually the calculations took me about twice as long as the actual knitting, but I really enjoyed scribbling on sheets of paper and relearning simple algebra. :)

Vernal Verde fits Kidoodle wonderfully. I'll dress him in it for church tomorrow--assuming it isn't a sweltering 75 degrees again!--and take plenty of pics then. Pics today will have to wait, because Kidoodle has outgrown his joy over trying on the things I am knitting. Perhaps the overload of constantly fitting a vest of my own design is the cause of his new attitude. For now, I'll contentedly ~~assault~~ beguile you with pictures of the vest on its own.

Two Shepherd's Pies

2011-03-14T15:53:00.009-04:00

Today I'm sharing more from my list of easy freezer meals. We like the variation that we get on the same recipe simply by using a different type of soup. I especially like the combination of green beans and tomato soup.

White & Red Shepherd’s Pies by Skemommle

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef, browned & drained
1 medium onion, chopped & sauteed
4 cups vegetables, such as frozen or canned peas, corn, &/or green beans
salt and pepper to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
4 cups mashed potatoes
1 pound shredded or sliced cheddar cheese

Directions
Mix ground beef, onion, and vegetables. Place half in one 9x9 baking dish and half in another. Spoon cream of mushroom soup over one dish; stir. Spoon tomato soup over other dish; stir. Top each dish with a layer of mashed potatoes and a layer of cheddar cheese.

*To freeze, cool completely, wrap dish well (with a lid, in foil, etc.), and freeze.

Bake at 350 to 400 degrees F for 20 minutes if thawed or 1-2 hours if frozen. (Never place a frozen glass baking dish in a hot oven.)

Rosy Chicken Pot Pie

2011-03-12T12:25:00.003-05:00

Rosy Chicken Pot Pie by Skemommle
(makes 2 pies)

*4 pie crusts (we like to use butter and whole wheat flour in ours)
3 medium sized potatoes, chopped
3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 turnips, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 beets
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. chicken
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups milk
1 Tb. vegetable or chicken Better than Bouillon
salt and pepper to taste

Place the beets in a medium sized pot. Cover with water. Boil till tender, about 30-40 minutes. When done, cool, peel, and chop beets. (You could cook chopped raw beets with your other vegetables, but they will turn everything pink/purple.)

Meanwhile, place all of the other root vegetables in a large pot. Add the onion, chicken, bay leaves, and 1 Tb. salt. Cover with water and boil till chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender but not falling apart. Drain well, reserving some of the liquid for the gravy if desired. Shred or cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.

In a separate pot, prepare a roux. On medium heat, whisk the olive oil and flour, letting it cook for a moment. Gradually add the milk, in small amounts at first, whisking it so there are no lumps. Add 1 the bouillon. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring frequently. Add some of the cooked vegetable and chicken water if you need to thin the gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roll out two of the pie crusts and place in pie pans. Roll out two more pie crusts for the pie tops. Fill the pie crusts in pans with the root vegetables (including the beets) and the chicken. Spoon on gravy till it's within 1/4" from the top of the crust. Place a pie crust atop each pie. Trim and flute edges. Cut an X at the top of each pie. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or till crust is golden.

Eat one pie now, and save the other for freezing. Let it cool completely (on a rack and then in the fridge) before wrapping it for the freezer and freezing it.

*Sometimes the crusts of gravy pies can get soggy. Consider filling a casserole dish with the veggies, chicken, and gravy, and then topping it with a layer of thick pie crust (instead of top and bottom pie crusts) or buttermilk biscuits. Biscuits can be frozen separately, too, if baked till before golden brown. Simply place atop the casserole before baking.

freezer meals

2011-03-12T11:59:00.003-05:00

Last time I had a baby, the world of the newborn was a shocking, marvelous, stormy thing. Both my husband and I were emotionally and physically depleted. I was expecting exhaustion for myself, but neither of us expected my husband to be nearly as tired as I was. This was mostly because, for the first two weeks, he helped with every nursing session, holding the supplemental nursing system in place and rubbing our infant with cold washcloths to keep him awake during breastfeeding. Eventually I gave up on breastfeeding and began exclusive pumping, and things got much, much more manageable. But that's a story for another day.

All of this is to say that last time we had a baby, we were not prepared. Many wonderful friends came to our rescue, preparing us meals and helping us out around the house. We were and are so grateful.

This time around, we know some things that we can do to help ourselves. One of these things is advanced meal preparation. We now have a small chest freezer. This week we bought at least 50 reuseable baking and freezer storage dishes. We are going to be as ready as we can be for this newborn.

What We've Done

washed 50 freezable containers
collected recipes for yummy, healthy, and freezer-friendly main dishes, sides, and desserts
collected recipes for easy fridge and pantry snacks, like yogurt parfaits, turkey wraps, smoothies, and salads
joined a CSA, so that we can enjoy tons of fresh veggies this summer
baked a few freezer meals, like Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd's Pie
prepared frozen cookie dough rolls

What's Next?

eat what's in the freezer now
throw out what we won't eat
clipboard on wall by freezer, for listing what's in the freezer
organize freezer by group: ingredient or finished meal
cook!

I'm excited to share our favorite freezer recipes over the next several weeks. (In fact, I'm posting one now!)

two minutes

2011-03-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

This week I've been thinking about how to be a happier, healthier me now and into old age. I know neuroplasticity is a somewhat debated concept, but I find it very encouraging to believe that I can strengthen some neural pathways, and let others fade into the background, and that I can do this now.

Last month we planted these offshoots. This month they're healthier and stronger. Just like us, eh?

A couple of minutes of daily mediation are supposed to relieve stress and strengthen the optimistic or enthusiastic (I forget which) centers of our brains. I'm not interested in adopting many of the features of new age metaphysics or spirituality, so mostly I want to practice my own faith in positive ways.

For at least two minutes every day I'm going to do some of these things.

I can meditate on compassion, kindness, and love.
I can say grateful prayers.
I can remember the connections I've felt with God.
I can practice gentle exercise, like yoga and walking, to be kind to my pregnant body and sou.

I also want to exercise the mental acrobatics I care most about. First, I want to retain what abilities I already have, and, second, I want to learn new things--this is so important to keep old dogs mentally healthy.

I can read a small chunk of pages (today was 25) from a literary theory textbook, a work of literature, or some other serious book.
I can create with abandon, drawing from any artistic skill or medium, and without concern for how my finished project might appear to other people.
I can practice one of the dead languages I used to study (Latin, Old English or Hebrew), or pick up a "new" language.

That's right. For two minutes, and as long beyond that as feels good. I'm keeping my demands on myself low. (You know, 'cause I don't see how shame fits in here.)

What would you most like to do for your current self, for your future self, for two minutes, every day?

swishing

2011-03-10T09:33:00.003-05:00

One of the joys of parenthood is watching a small child learn to speak. I can see Kidoodle's thoughts being slowly put into words, especially when he has to search to find an appropriate one.

The weather has been lovely here, so we've been doing all of our driving with the windows rolled way down. (Our car has also been overheating lately, so this joy riding--windows down, heat up--is a mandatory part of all riding.) After a delicious trip to the farmer's market, Kidoodle was riding in the back, smacking on some peach monkey bread. I gave him a napkin to wipe his sticky fingers on. Soon he was giggling, and telling us, with quite careful wording, "Wind swishing my tissue." Indeed, swishing is a fun word for what wind, and life, do to us.

sunny with a chance of smiles

2011-03-04T11:49:00.000-05:00

Currently. . .

Enjoying our free trial month of Netflix
Stitching a mermaid finger puppet--methinks she needs arms!
Sewing up elephants
Letting in all the sunshine (but none of the cold)
Knitting a toddler vest of my own design for Kidoodle--I'll post the pattern after I've knit up this first version.
Ignoring a toddler tantrum induced by having removed the stinky, dirty shirt he's been allowed to wear for a day and a half already
Loving every minute of it!

freezer bread tips & recipes

2011-03-01T20:07:00.000-05:00

While I was looking for recipes that freeze well, I came across Helen Peagram's recipe (it's all over the internet) for freezer zucchini bread batter. She shares some fantastic tips.

First, prepare your quick bread as per its directions, except omit the baking soda and baking powder. Then line your loaf pan(s) with plastic and fill the loaf pan 2/3 full. Freeze (for an hour?). Remove the batter from the pans, wrap in plastic, and place in a freezer bag. (I might try placing a freezer bag in a loaf pan, filling it 2/3 full, freezing it, and omitting all the plastic wrapping.) Label the bag with the amount of baking soda and baking powder needed for each loaf as well as the baking time.

When you're ready to bake this bread (I see myself up at midnight with my newborn and ravenous!), remove the plastic and thaw the batter (Oh, snake! This might require some planning!), stir in the baking soda and baking powder. Grease your loaf pan. Pour in batter. Bake as per recipe directions. Voila! Thanks, Helen!

I can't wait to stock up on frozen quick breads. (And eat them all before the baby comes, I'm sure. After all, food is good for the baby now, too!) I'm besotted by several new (to me) recipes. Pumpkin bread (better with chocolate chips, of course). Cinnamon coffee cake (here or here). Cranberry coffee cake. Walnut date bread. Cheesy bread. Peachy peach bread.

Of course I'm gonna try this with two of my favorite stand-by freezer breads:

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
*a moist, rich dessert bread

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder (remember to omit these & add later for freezer batter)
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup eggs
1 (16 oz) can whole cranberry sauce
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1/3 cup oil
1 Tb. orange zest
2 Tb. chopped walnuts
chocolate chips
pumpkin seeds

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry mixture. Stir till just moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Sprinkle with nuts & seeds. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes.

Cranberry Orange Bread
*a sweet bread, and one I try to make heartier by using whole wheat flour and less sugar.

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted flour
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda (remember to omit these & add later for freezer batter)
1 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
1 tsp. orange zest
3/4 cup orange juice
2 Tb oil or butter (or applesauce?)
1/2 cup nuts
1 cup chopped cranberries

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients. Add egg, oil, juice, & zest. Stir and fold in cranberries and nuts. (Freeze & label at this point.) Bake in greased pans at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes for bread and 25 minutes for muffins.

(So sorry, recipe makers. I've had these recipes for ages, and didn't write down a source. If you know who created these, let me know!)

What recipe would you use this freezing method for?

and I thought my house was messy. . .

2011-02-27T10:26:00.001-05:00

No, no, don't read that the way it sounds.

Cuz I really did think my house was a heaving, frothy mess. Skedaddle was at work all day yesterday, and I guess I thought I'd spent my day sitting on my duff. But it's not a frothy mess, and I didn't laze around! Let me show you my cleanliness.

Sure, we have a few collections of dirty laundry, like a stash of dirty hand-towels that I dumped on Kidoodle's potty after I spilled handfuls of water onto it and him in a half-dash attempt to wash his friend's slobber from his hair, a pile of Kidoodle's yesterday clothes, and a dumping ground for spilled water and new napkins.

But these hardly add up to one load of dirty laundry, and, as you can see, all of our other laundry is clean. (If you look closely, you might find Kidoodle's foot and hand. He was still sleeping in bed at 10:00 this morning.)

The table is clear of dirty dishes.

The diapers are clean, folded, and put away.

I have reclaimed our craft room, and made it ready for making. While this may appear to be mess-making, it is actually much more usable than it is when everything is tucked away in its place. ;)

And our living room is passable, with only five balloons and a small assortment of bags, toys, dishes, and papers cluttering the rug and futon.

I am an excellent housekeeper!

little ventures in making

2011-02-24T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today I made a leprechaun hat for Kidoodle.

He loves helping me make such things. (He cut out paper and scratched up our dear, antique crafting desk with his safety scissors.) We took tons of blurry pics of his laughing face peering through the hat before I glued the tip-top of the hat on.

I thought about using a cereal box for the base of the hat, but I don't have bright green paint, and I do have some stiff, icky felt sheets that I bought before Kidoodle was born. I added some soft black felt, a little hot glue, and an old buckle from my stash. I knew I had saved those old buckles for some reason!

The hat was a fun prototype for a nicer fabric covered version I might make. I made a paper pattern mock-up of sorts, and though it fit him great, the felt version doesn't sit as far down on his head. This is because I decided to snip, fold under, and glue the tall part of the hat to the brim, and this added bulk on the inside of the hat. I think that widening the hat is pretty easy to do!

***

In other crafty news, Kidoodle's Tomten jacket is on hold because I am going to run out of yarn. Absolutely. Have I mentioned before that this 2T jacket has grown into a unwieldy 5T sort of thing? Yeah, I guess I have. :) The good news is that it is looking smart, and that it will fit him great in a few years. Oh, and I'll be certain to have it finished by the time it fits him! I'm going to head back to the farmer's market to pick up another skein of natural colored Corriedale yarn. Then I'm gonna frog a few ridges on the sleeve I've started so that I can work the color pattern I'd really like to do rather than the one I was using to make-do with what yarn I had. All in all, I'm confident that this will turn into a lovely sweater. I'm also confident that, at between $60 to $90 in yarn, I never would have begun this jacket knowing how much I would spend on it. I guess this is the perfect opportunity for me to knit something luxurious!

My mother-in-law bought me some gorgeous, soft, supple Anna Maria Horner voile that I am going to use to sew a maternity dress and a few swaddling blankets (a la those popular muslin wraps). Squee!

happy valentine's day + wreath tutorial

2011-02-15T13:29:00.001-05:00

I had hoped to post this yesterday, but the photo uploading didn't happen. I hope you all had a lovely love day!

Skedaddle hopes, despite our mutual love of having projects and supplies on hand, to keep our home free of the accumulation of boxes of holiday decorations. I try to accommodate him by being selective about what holiday crafts I make. My requirements for a craft aren't necessarily about its beauty or timelessness.

My criteria instead focus on these things:

Storage space requirement (Is it small? Does it fold up, deflate, or otherwise fit in a small package?)
Reuseability (Can I use it for more than one holiday? Can it be used as a general toy after the holiday? Can it easily be repurposed into something else?)
Kid friendliness (Can kids make this?)
Can it be made from something in my stash? (Recyclable items fit here, too.)

For Valentine's Day I scored an all around A+, at least as these criteria go.

This wreath is fairly small, at a 10" diameter. One wreath takes the place of several, minimizing financial and spacial costs.
It can be reused all year round by simply swapping one seasonal felt "brooch" for another. Also, for a new look, the surface of the wreath can be temporarily wrapped in garland, like the gathered garland I made last year.

This seasonal wreath is a kid friendly craft! My two year old helped me wrap yarn around the wreath, and cut up scraps of felt. At this point his help wasn't exactly helpful, but it was fun!
I had each of these items in my stash. The yarn is some icky acrylic yarn I bought when I first learned to knit and was extremely cheap about it. The felt is also an inexpensive stash staple. The large, round campaign-type pins are recycled from my high school and middle school days. (I knew I kept these for some reason.)

The brooches are addictive. I am whipping up brooches for bags, shirts, headbands, and everything! I've decorated some with buttons and others, like the heart shown on the wreath, with small Sculpey pendants. I would like to make another brooch for the wreath. I am thinking of felt sandals, buckets, waves, and starfish. What do you think?

Want to make your own multi-seasonal wreath? It's easy-peasy. Here are some quick instructions in four easy steps.

Seasonal Wreaths

Wrap a neutral colored yarn around a florists wreath or any wreath you have on hand. (I'm going to try this with a "donut" or two cut out of cardboard.) Hot glue the yarn to the wreath as you go. This is the time-consuming part of this project.
Cut out several festive shapes from colored felt. Glue them one on top of another. Add buttons, beads, Sculpey pendants, and other embellishments as desired.
Glue the back felt piece onto an old campaign-type pin. You can also buy basic bar pins at your local craft store. The bar pins can actually be sewn to the felt, making for a more durable brooch. My pins stick better into the wreath if they are glued with the pin pointing down. However, I wanted to be able to pin these brooches to bags, too, so I glued my pins on pointing to a side.
Glue a hook or ribbon to the back of the wreath for hanging it. If you use ribbon, I'd staple or thumbtack it in on both ends. (Psst. I didn't attach any sort of hook to my wreath. I just pushed the end of my wreath hanger into the soft florists wreath, because otherwise my wreath would have hung funny on my front door.) Pin on the brooch of your choice. Tada! Now you have a seasonal wreath plus three more taking up very little space in your closet.

This is obviously a very simple and quick (and glamorous--haha!) project that also meets my crafting criteria. What are your holiday craft requirements?

baby things to knit

2011-02-09T14:03:00.000-05:00

Knitting Kidoodle's Tomten jacket is making me crave knitting other, smaller baby things. Somehow his 2T+ jacket has become a 4T+ jacket! I'm going to finish it--I'm at least two-thirds done--before I begin something new, but next on my list is something small and quick that will fit him now!

Here are the projects that are calling to me.

Plain Vest by Anna & Heidi Pickles
So many of the Pickles patterns crowd my knitter's wishlist. The variations on this vest are endless. One of my favorite knitter-bloggers, Alicia Paulson, shows this in her two lovely versions, curry and snow dream. Her curry version makes me consider adding more ribbing at intervals throughout the long version, too, or just making a longer lower ribbed border.

Plain Vest by Anna & Heidi Pickles


Alicia Paulson's Curry

Alicia Paulson's Snow Dreams

This vest is also a quick knit, and can be done in bulky or fine yarns. I also love its gender neutrality, and will probably make one in a bold and neutral color for Kidoodle now and Baby #2 later.

Presto Chango by Valerie Wallis
This is one of my favorite newborn sweaters, since it looks equally nice on girls and boys, and since the front panel can be swapped for a clean one as needed. I'd love to try this one!

Valerie Wallis's Presto Chango

Soaker Pantie #3173
I'd also love to try these vintage knit soakers (wool diaper covers) for my coming wee one. I love the shape of the flat panties, and am intrigued that such a design fits a baby so well. (And they do. Check out RedStitch's cute Ravelry photo. Aren't these embellishments darling!)

Bernhard Ulman's Soaker Pantie

Flo the Elephant by Franklin Habit
Franklin Habit is famous for his artful writing and clear revisions of vintage patterns. This one is beautiful.


Franklin Habit's Flo the Elephant

Well, there are about thirty other free patterns that I'd love to knit, but I'd better keep this list short and sweet. I'll mention that I adore so many of the patterns in Kristen Rengren's Vintage Baby Knits book, Alicia Paulson's version of JCasa *handmade's free Neighborly pattern, and one of many pretty lacy cardigans for a baby girl. These last I promise myself not to begin until I know whether this baby is a boy or a girl. Then, even if it's a boy, I can proceed knowing how my time will be most happily used.

thinking happy thoughts

2011-02-01T17:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I felt so happy. I knitted, and I thought happy thoughts.* I popped banana bread into the oven and cuddled with Kidoodle before his nap. He fell asleep two minutes before the banana bread was done. Phew! I didn't have to let it burn. :)

I washed dirty diapers. Then I knitted again. I missed Skedaddle, especially as the hours wore on with him running between class and lab and office without a chance to call me. But I knit and thought loving thoughts. When I discovered that I was nearly 40 ridges into my Tomten jacket, almost up to the sleeve beginnings, my happiness morphed into full-blown excitement! I spent the rest of the evening happily working those front pieces, binding off the underarms, and pushing the jacket onto my willing little model.

Kidoodle's Tomten is huge on him, at least as far as I can tell this early in the game. It looks like it will hang down well past his hips. :) On the bright side, this means Kidoodle will be able to dress as a warm little elf for a couple more falls and springs and winters, even if it warms up here this spring before I finish the jacket.

And today is a good day, too. My knitting pace has slowed, to make way for cleaning and cooking and even some leisurely reading. But the jacket is calling to me, in an excited little high-pitched squeak. Don't worry little Tomten. I'm coming!

*I'm training my neural pathways to focus on the happy memories, so that when I'm old and demented, I can relive the good times and not the bad. Yesterday was a happy day, so this came naturally. I remembered, in flashes as quick as each knit stitch, playing dolls with my sister; baking miserable brownies with a friend when I was twelve; baking cookies with another friend a year or two later, and accidentally spraying flour out of the Kitchenaid and all around the kitchen; how beautiful my baby brother Brad was, and how very much I loved him with all of my seven year old heart; playing with old tin cans in the sagebrush and cactuses outside of our yard; my happy high school friends; the nightgowns my mom used to sew for my sister and I at Christmas. . . And so on. What are your happy memories?

little elf

2011-01-28T09:37:00.000-05:00

I suspect that I am one of the few North Carolinians who is grateful that our January hasn't yet broken into the 50s. I'm pleading for winter to hang on just a tad longer, so that Kidoodle can have a chance to sport the Tomten jacket that I'm knitting for him.

It's a very fun jacket to knit, and I enjoy reading Elizabeth Zimmerman's books as if they were novels and not just pattern collections.

I did make an itsy bitsy teeny non-repairable mistake and cast on an extra 16 stitches. I didn't notice this for a week. Haha! I suppose it was a fortuitous mistake, because it gave me the chance to reassess how much yarn I had for the project (too little) and modify my striping to better suit my tastes. This is what I ripped out.

As you can see below, I added in a pretty blue silk/wool/cashmere blend and lengthened the green stripe at the bottom. I want the hood to be solid brown, and think I can manage that now that I have sixteen fewer stitches per row. I plan on using the blue and green in the sleeves and knitting any remaining brown yarn in the cuffs and to finish up the sleeves if I run out of green and blue.

I'm a third as far along as I was before I realized my error. Are you willing to let this year's winter last an extra month or two to give this slow knitter time to finish her jacket? Hmm. Perhaps not. ;)

school day treasures

2011-01-27T17:25:00.001-05:00

When I last visited my mother and father, I dug through boxes of my old treasures. In them I found these darling little finger puppets and sculptures made by my good friend Erica when we were in high school. Please excuse the poof picture. Our toddler replacement camera is cheap, but it will have to do the job for a while yet.

I think I made two of these--the grey and hot pink bunny and maybe one of the pigs. Erica made all the Disney characters and the likenesses of her favorite white tiger and my Dudley the Duck toy (in the green spotted hat). I am in love with them!

The only trick now is deciding how to display them so that we all can enjoy them but Kidoodle cannot touch them. Any ideas?

on the pregnant body

2011-01-26T16:48:00.000-05:00

Those of you, those very few of you, who frequent my private blog as well as this blog have already seen this post. But I have many good friends here with whom I want to share this excellent news. We are expecting Baby #2 near the beginning of August!

Happily, I'm nearing the end of the first trimester. I tell myself every day that I have more energy and more motivation than I had the day before. And today I learned that that's probably true--I probably am shifting out of the morning sickness phase. We weren't sure when the due date was until today when I had a spectacularly clear ultrasound. I felt giddy to see my tiny little baby wiggle, stretch, turn, and kick. It was at least as awesome as feeling darling baby wiggles.

On the Pregnant Body
THE BEGINNING

At first when a woman discovers she is pregnant, she may be delighted, excited, and in some cases shocked. (We laughed at the absurdity of becoming pregnant not during the months we tried, but during the month that we abstained. Yes, that's right. This was as close to an immaculate birth as one can get without actually being, well, immaculate.) We felt each of these things.

These emotions are the secret joy of the newly pregnant couple, two individuals smitten by excitement that they are bursting to share, but also restrained by a sense of future's uncertainty. This is where toddlers become most useful, allowing the delerious couple to talk recklessly of their happy condition, secure that their young toddler has neither inclination nor capacity to share their secret news. Much tension is relieved, for instance, when an almost two year old confesses (after much parental prodding) that he would like a little sister. Whether or not he knows the difference between a brother and a sister, or even possesses a modicum of understanding about the chaos a new sibling will mean to his life and patterns, this declaration heightens the parents' glee to levels that are the envy of preteen slumber parties everywhere. Such is the joy of the newly pregnant.

THE LATER BEGINNING

But when one starts to really feel pregnant, the focus of pregnancy changes, hopefully imperceptibly, possibly suddenly, from constant euphoria to an awareness that something. . . well, something is not quite pleasant. Food loses its appeal. (This is the woe of being newly pregnant during the CHRISTMAS SEASON!) Yet one has to eat it anyway, all the time, lest one spends all her time allowing tummy unrest to cause her to lose ten pounds. Sudden, inexplicable weight loss sounds good, but trust me: Any weight loss method that involves sickness rather than exercise is an unpleasant, vile thing.

THE MIDDLE

Thankfully, by the middle of pregnancy, things are beginning to feel better without actually being better. This deception is good enough. One forgets that perpetual nausea is unusual, that it is not simply the way of life. Perhaps the nausea really does go away. Blessed day! Soon it will be replaced with back aches, heartburn, and an inability to breath. No worries, though. The pregnant woman by this point does not remember what a healthy body feels like. This forgetful "ignorance" truly is bliss. One knits, one sews, one cooks and freezes 200 meals in preparation for the end. (I think I actually did feel good during the middle of my pregnancy with Gideon. A repeat performance is what I'm hoping for!)

THE ENDING

By the end of pregnancy one knows that all is not normal with one's body. For now, one enjoys the happy, and sometimes frightening, anticipation of baby. For now, one enjoys the miracle of a wiggling child inside and the wonder and beauty of this miracle.

All is well. Soon one will feel the joys of a healthy body. Especially after the baby is born, and after a few weeks of recovery of course. Then. . . then! . . . one feels one's body again. One bends over. Straight forward. Astonishment! The aches and back pains are gone. Miracle! And the nausea? Wow! I could eat everything, thinks the ravenous nursing mother. And, of course, she does.

I do look forward to those days, because what is the point of pregnancy if it is not to prepare us to appreciate the fabulous, strong, functioning bodies (200 stretch marks and saggy belly and all) that God has given us?

The baby. Well, that, too.

the spoils

2011-01-21T10:02:00.001-05:00

Praeda: "spoils" or "booty." Praeda is one of the first Latin words I learned, perhaps as a portent of good things to come my way! (Or probably because there aren't that many ancient themes that translate into easy Latin for beginners. But I'll take it as a portent if you will.) And, boy, have many good things come my way. I want to say a special thank you to the generous bloggers who shared their fabrics and fares with me.

First, thanks to the very cute Quilted Cupcake lady, Jean, for this darling little quilt. It is super soft on the back and super cute, and you packaged it up with the sweetest paper cupcake! Whether I bundle my own little girl in this or let Kidoodle wrap ~~his dollies~~ himself in it, it is bound to be loved. (Oh, and your robot gadget case is adorable.)

Thanks to the charming Riel for this lovely fabric. I am certainly saving this for something special. This Heather Ross line has been calling my name, and I'm tickled to have a few precious little pieces. The other fabrics (also by Ross and Denyse Schmidt) are just as charming. Riel, I love the quilting creations you share on your blog!

This wee play charm pack is perfect for a mini quilt for this very novice quilter. I am, in fact, not actually a quilter--yet! How did you know that this is just the thing to get me started? Thanks, Wendy! (Super cute blog. I'm especially loving this pillow.)

:D Thanks to Teresa and David for a reusable shopping bag and matching Amy Butler fabric for me to sew (and pass on) another one. I already have a special shopper in mind.

Thanks, Emily, for this striking fabric bundle. I'm envisioning crochet cases and purses, but I might have to reserve a few scraps for little kiddo name books, where unusual fabrics are a necessity. I have nothing else like these in my stash, and I love them. Yay! (If you want a sense of Emily's smashing style, check out her blog. It's loaded with lots of little boy crafts, which I, of course, dig. I don't crochet, but this dino hat makes me want to start, and Emily's downsizing resolutions are hilarious.)

Thanks to Holly for this lovely denim bag. I really should have unfolded it for the picture, but it was so cute wrapped in pretty silver star garland. It's darling hanging as its meant to, too. This tote is all mine! I love the fabulous felt flower pin you added, too, Holly! Thanks! And I will never tire of browsing your darling blog. I'm still loving this post (a Wee Wonderfuls project) and these awesome book-lovers' mini notebooks.

my little architect

2011-01-19T20:42:00.001-05:00

Kidoodle builds fun towers every day. This is one he constructed all by himself. Squarely in the middle of our only patch of sunshine, too. Very clever, boy.

(Isn't it marvelous how the simplest things tickle a mother's heart? I love my boy.)

snow and sledding

2011-01-17T18:10:00.001-05:00

I have been away from my blog for, oh, "a little while."

While we were vacationing at our parents' houses during the holidays, I couldn't tear myself away from all the sledding and good conversation and restful napping to write many blog posts. :) But, boy, did I have fun!

One of the most unforgettable of my childhood winter rituals is sledding. My parents live in the midst of Idaho mountains, three miles from their closest neighbor, and another handful of miles from the closest little town, a valley hamlet of roughly 1,000 souls. My parents boast a three mile private road, one my dad made and maintains. The county is very rural, and the county must choose carefully where to spend its resources. Maintaining my parents' road, or putting out any fires at their house, as we've been informed, are not in the budget.

This is okay, though, because it made our lives infinitely more free and fun, especially when I was a kid. Step with me back in time for some examples. No need to wait for the county to call a snow day. If at six AM my dad plowed to the bottom of his "driveway," only to find that the road had drifted over behind him, he plowed his way home and declared the road impassable. Snow Day! If my mom was too sick or busy to drive us to the place the school bus picked us up, a place at the bottom of our so-called driveway, we got a Snow Day!

Even better than the snow days, though, were the sledding days. My dad always took care (and still does) to leave a layer of packed snow on the road. (This didn't make the road harder to drive on, since it has plenty of small rocks and lots of dirt under the snow to give a car traction.) This hard, packed snow is perfect for high-speed sledding. We never raced two people at once, because that would be dangerous. Instead, we raced to see how far we could go. With a good push at the top and plenty of snow along the way, we can easily sail for a quarter of a mile. My personal best is half a mile, but I used my arms to paddle myself for at least a quarter of a mile. I was about fourteen then. :)

Back to the present day, please. This winter was the first year my husband has been at my parents' house when there has been enough snow to go sledding. I was initiating Skedaddle and Kidoodle! *Squeal*

I was delighted to show them the ropes. So I loaded myself and Kidoodle into a tobaggon sled to break the ice, so to speak. We started slow, because I am very rusty. But going down a hill, even the part covered by sagebrush and cactii (and two feet of snow on top), we soon picked up more speed than a certain little person liked. Then began the crying. Then began the swerving and the breaking and the steering into snowbanks and anything that might slow us. In short, we crashed. Kidoodle hated sledding!

LOL.

We did not give up. I tried out the old runner sled. You know, the Rosebud type of sled. It is old and hard to steer and not nearly as fast as it was fifteen years ago. I crashed into a 20 foot snowbank. Not on purpose. At least I got off that crazy thing. And at least I only had to walk an eighth a mile up the hill. (I've been living at sea level for quite some time, and my lungs were burning after about ten steps at 5,000 feet elevation.)

Still, we did not give up. We tortured our child at least ten more times with what were no doubt "crazy fast rides" down the hill. Towards the end, he was crying less. He liked the slow rides up the hill, and the fast ones behind the four wheeler, too. He even seemed to like it when Skedaddle took him out for a ride the next day. And Skedaddle loved it. Success!

All Wrapped Up

2010-12-24T17:36:00.002-05:00

Although it's Christmas Eve, I'm speaking not of presents here, but of the Fall Into Reading 2010 Challenge.

It's done, whether or not I read all of the books on my reading list. Which I didn't.

What I didn't like about this challenge:

This isn't so much something I didn't like as it is something about myself that doesn't seem to really fit in with reading goals. I'm not a very structured, goal-oriented person. I feel like I accomplish quite enough without committing to specific tasks and agendas. In fact, I probably finish more things when I'm having fun, because then I don't feel paralyzed by my plans.

I tried to set up this reading challenge in a loose, flexible way, but somehow still feel a little naughty bending the rules. But I'm going to give that up. I'm not naughty. I'm flexible! And I read seven good books this fall!

What I liked about this challenge:

I love to read! I read some great books that I had been wanting to read for some time, and others by fabulous female authors that I substituted for the books that lost my interest as the reading challenge progressed. I started out hoping to read six particular books. Three of these I did not finish. However, I did read another four books, for a Fall Into Reading 2010 Challenge completed total of seven spectacular tomes.

Pete and the Dog: (in progress)
We left town before the reading challenge was up, and this was the last book on my reading list. Since I'm visiting my bro-in-law, and since my bro-in-law is the author of Pete and the Dog, I assumed I'd be able to pick up a copy here. (We packed all of our Christmas gifts and clothes and diaper bag items in a total of four carry-ons. We had to keep things light. No books.) However, I haven't had time to pick up a copy here. Even though I'm not yet finished with this book, I can promise that these stories are loaded with happenings, magic, and excitement. I'd recommend this to young adults and adults who want an immediate escape from reality.

The Accidental God: (*****)
Sweet, gangly Bradley is about to become a god. Not that he knows it. And with this power is unleashed a slew of villains. Chasing him unawares. My favorite piece of how Bradley's story starts out is this. "Bradley was on his way to work, earbuds playing the most recent episode of a podcast that described any number of strange things that a person might find in the world, and Bradley was willing to admit that there were a lot of strange things around. . . . Then there was Bradley's life, but the podcast wasn't describing his life. It was something about the effects of prolonged exposure to microwaves, and how it compared to being roommates with a demon. Bradley was pretty sure that was all bogus, at least the part about the demons. If living with a demon actually caused cancer, people would know about it." Ah, Bradley. I can hardly wait to discover what happens to you and your inadvertent godliness!

I recommend this book to sci-fi/fantasy fans, film noir buffs, and detective fiction afficionados like myself. (Haha! Am I an afficionado?) I also recommend this to aspiring writers or people interested in peeking at another writer's creative process, since this blog-book is published in segments. Click here for the entire story of The Accidental God so far.

The Collected Stories of Amanda Cross: (*****)
This is fabulous literary detective fiction. I especially recommend this to other members of academia and to those looking for cozy detective stories free of guts and gore. See my full review here.

Cokie Roberts' Founding Mothers: (**1/2)
Nope. I'm still not much of a nonfiction fan. (Except essays. I love essays.) I couldn't make myself finish reading this huge history of the significant women of my country's founding days. I was charmed by the beginning of the novel, moved towards even greater ambivalence towards the cad and genius Benjamin Franklin, and awed by the strength and disagreement between very early feminists. But towards the middle of the book, I began to get bored and dizzy. I felt bogged down by the cyclical focus on a handful of prominent women during a long, long discussion of the Revolutionary War. In short, I stopped caring.

Skipping ahead in books is not my thing, but I did glance at the last hundred pages (about Martha Washington after the Revolutionary War) and decided that I could love them as much as I loved the first hundred pages of this book. I may pick this up again later. No promises. ;)

Sue Hubbell's a book of bees: (?????)
I didn't get to this book. I've no doubt I'll like it, but I opted to read a YA series by Suzanne Collins instead.

Suzanne Collins' Underland Chronicles: (*****)
For some reason I had a hard time getting into the first two or three pages of Gregor the Overlander. (My mood, perhaps?) I waited a week and picked it up again, and suddenly I was hooked! (I read each of the remaining three books of the series as quickly as I could, often once my toddler was in bed and then through the night.)

This series revolves around a delightfully fantastic world: giant rats, bats, roaches, spiders, etc., and pale skinned people. The Underland is a delightful new world. The characters are charmingly diverse, complex, and well-developed, each character both flawed and strong.

The stories explore social and familial themes appropriate to children but still provoking to adults. (SPOILER ALERT!!) For instance, family life in Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane is not made perfect upon the return of Gregor's father, but the father is still a valuable, interesting character. Other adults, like Vikus and Mrs. Cormaci are also strong adult roll models and helps. (We wait with bated breath for Gregor to discover this trust.) Also, I think Collins handles the toddling Boots quite well: she is neither precocious or adult-like nor absent or uninvolved. Bueno! The maturity of theme continues through book three, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, which explores the ethics of biological warfare. Moving new characters, such as Hazard and his father, elevate this story from light and carefree to serious and weighty. In addition to being an enjoyable, entrancing tale, this book also offers much age-appropriate social commentary to consider.

This series got better and better! Book four, Gregor and the Marks of Secret, is no disappointment. (SPOILER ALERT!!) I am still tickled that Mrs. Cormaci was invited into the family secret, and DELIGHTED that Lizzie was brought into the Underland! Of course we knew she was the code cracker, but it was utterly charming to see it happen. I also loved Ripred's confession about his use of the prophecies, and Luxa's indulgent awareness of Ripred's deceit. The characters became rich and full in this book, and the moral tension (to fight or to refuse, to help one's family or to help one's friends) resolved itself perfectly.

I recommend this series to all adult and young adult fantasy fans.

Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence: (*****)
Who is a more provocative social critic than Edith Wharton? Wharton's tragic exploration of the tensions that trap and condemn individuals always move me. Her condemnations of wealth, family dictates, and the demands of living in high-society always resonate with me. Read my full review here.

The Scarlet Pimpernel: (****)
This was an extra novel that I listened to during the reading challenge. (So, you see, I did read at least as many books as I had hoped, many of them even written by women.) This was a delightfully adventurous romp to read. I'd recommend this escapist fiction for anyone loving romance, high-adventure, and a smidgen of the ridiculously super-hero. Read my full review here.

As a final note, I had hoped to read a book a day to and for Kidoodle. This did not happen. Don't worry! I am not disappointed. Instead of reading to my toddler myself, I watched my husband read at least two books to Kidoodle every night. I occasionally cuddled him and read to him during the daytime, too, perhaps about twice a week. I think the only thing as tender as reading my own favorites to my son is hearing my husband read him Babar or The Three Billy Goats Gruff (with all the horrifying voices and gore). Thanks, hubby, for fulfilling my hopes here! XOXO.

Thanks, Katrina, for the excellent reading challenge!

Click here to read what other challengers thought and read about this fall. And Merry, Merry Christmas. I hope Santa brings each of you some good reads.

feetsies

2010-12-22T09:14:00.021-05:00

These babies are almost safely tucked onto the newly married feet of my good friend. Well, the feet of her husband, actually, since her pair is not yet finished. I suppose that since they are blissfully honeymooning far away from blogland, I can share photos of these cotton slippers' progress.

Oh, and this is the best sock picture I could get. . . in someone else's home. . . in December. . . in their basement. :)

Oops. Somehow when I published this earlier, I left out the sock picture. I blame it on the holiday hustle and bustle, although, truth be told, my days have been filled with lots of family and little shopping. Perfect!

Knitting Case Winner

2010-12-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

Wow! I am amazed that nearly 200 of you entered my giveaway. Thank you! I feel so tickled that you liked my knitting case. I wish everyone could have won one. :)

We do have a winner. Random Number Generator chose #120, who is Anne, who said, "I try to always be loving God more."

Me, too, Anne! What a great way to live life more significantly. I think that when we love God more, we better do what He wants us to do, and we also love other people more. It seems that every time I pray about how to deal with something that is troubling me in my life, my relationships, or the world, God answers me with his two great commandments, to love God and to love my neighbor.

Thank you everyone for your fabulous answers to my question about how you live your lives significantly. I loved the range of answers from recycling to being a present parent, from listening to people to doing your best at every job. I try to do these things, too, and loved reading your thoughtful responses.

Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day

2010-12-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hello and welcome to my blog! If this is your first time here, feel free to look around. You'll find thoughts about my knitting and sewing projects as well as long discussions about books and how they relate to societies and individuals (me).

Whether you're new or have been here before, I hope you'll enter my giveaway today!

I'm giving away this knitting needle case, hand sewn by me for one lucky reader.

It is made of designer fabric and linen from repurposed thrift store pants. I've also added ribbon to help keep those skinny, slippery needles in place. (The knitting needles are not included in the giveaway. I just wanted to show you how the ribbons help hold them in place.)

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling me how you live life significantly. (As for me, I aspire to blog about the things that allow me to make my life meaningful, like making and sharing and thinking.) Also, be sure to leave your email address in your comment or your blogger profile so that I can contact you if you win. If I can't reach you, I'll have to choose a new winner. :(

This giveaway closes December 17th at midnight, and I'll post the winner by the following Monday. Check back then to see who won. (I will email the winner, too, of course.)

Good luck with my giveaway and all of the others at Sew, Mama, Sew!

EDIT TO ADD: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering! I am astonished and delighted by how many of you are interested in my knitting needle case. Thanks for sharing your fantastic endeavors to live life significantly. I am either already trying to or would like to incorporate into my own life your fantastic means to meaningful living. This was by far the best giveaway I have ever hosted, thanks to your thoughtful and kind responses.

dishes

2010-12-16T10:49:00.001-05:00

Holidays call for breaking out the good stuff. In our case, it's a handmade casserole dish, one that I made in college. (This either speaks of my amazing artistic abilities or my incredible thrift, right?)

We filled it with salty brussels sprouts in bacon at Thanksgiving. I wonder what it will hold this Christmas.

coming up. . .

2010-12-10T23:18:00.000-05:00

In my life as a mom who has the luxury of staying at home, playing with my baby, and doing the crafty things that I love, I feel blessed. I've been given what seems to me a unique gift of time and sufficient means to be and do what I want.

Sometimes this sort of life can lead to a lot of ME ME ME thinking. I spend a lot of time at home, doing things for my family. As a consequence, I am constantly looking for ways to ground myself, to tie myself to other people. I'm kind of looking for a way to make my blessings meaningful. You know. To other people, too, including the members of the blogging community that share great ideas and support with each other.

This is why I love giveaways. Next Monday is one of my favorites: the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day.

I'll be giving something for the knitters among us. If entering giveaways is your sort of thing, this is the hand-made giveaway hey-day. Be sure to check out all of the other giveaways at Sew, Mama, Sew on Monday!

dump

2010-12-08T11:43:00.001-05:00

I'm still playing blog catch up, after having lost use of our digital camera. I'm almost there!

But this project is worth waiting for. Look what Skedaddle finished! He took advantage of his Thanksgiving Day vacation to finish a dump truck he has been working on for most of this year for Kidoodle's birthday.

Skedaddle even let Kidoodle help hammer, saw (*gasp*), "fix" (this is what Kidoodle calls using a screwdriver), and draw on the truck. They had so much fun. It makes my heart melt.

I really love my boys.

something for me

2010-12-07T15:20:00.002-05:00

Amidst all of my sewing for others, I realized that I needed to sew a gadget case for my birthday present--you know, to keep such a nice thing NICE! I bought it a cover, but it needed something more, something pretty and soft to protect its screen in my nasty bag of hazards. :)

This is it, my new Kindle and gadget case, not quite finished, but usable as it is. It's a little too snug, so this may become a knitting bag after I sew version 2.0. (I don't know about you, but I can ALWAYS use more knitting project bags!) I made it out of some of my gorgeous new Hawthorne Threads fabric. It has pockets for cords and for other gadgets. I'll stitch on a flower at the gathered pocket edge and a velcro tab to close it up at the top. Yay!

P.S. Speaking of the fabric, did I tell you I bought three Hawthorne Threads scrap packs? Each of these three fabrics is from a grab bag. I love them! I love the variety of these little designer scraps. I'll definitely buying more scrap packs, because the small pieces and big variety are precisely what my crafting--bags and softies--calls for.)

thuja

2010-12-05T10:14:00.001-05:00

A little something I'm working on, something with a sort of surprise in store:

Enough said about that, I think.

Ooh, and isn't that December sunlight something to smile over?

Giddyup!

2010-12-04T19:35:00.003-05:00

I'm a (sea)horse makin' cowgirl!

I wanted to show you this last week:

It's the beginnings of my seahorse assembly line. Somehow I managed to make the same mistakes I always make, like sewing the fins on the inside of the seahorse, instead of sandwiching them between right sides like I was supposed to. Teehee! I'm so glad I sewed one horse nearly completely before I began the others!

Some of these fabrics are repurposed, like the orange from a 20 cent thrift store T-shirt and the dark corduroy from a pair of worn pants. The psychedelic orange batik is from my scrap pile. The purple and green patterned fabric is one Skedaddle and I fight over. (There is still plenty left--he can make himself a shirt. Don't worry!)

And they're ready! I've got them right-side-outed and stuffed in the skinny places. They'll fit nicely into one of our carry-ons (we're packing light), and I can finish stuffing and sewing them at my mom-in-law's house. Hooray! I got this project done with two weeks to spare!

One of the best things about going home for the holidays is the chance to make gifts for my dear nieces and nephews. I find Lia's seahorses irresistible, because they are so unique and versatile: the curly little tails are perfect for babies to hold and tug and my toddler loves making his seahorse "neigh" (*giggle*). I hope my six and eight year old sweeties will like them, too.

Dear Santa, will you make my Christmas cards please?

2010-12-03T20:02:00.003-05:00

Seriously. What is going on with me?

I LOVE making cards. I LOVE cutting out tiny pieces of paper, stamping and stickering and painting them, and gluing them all together. I LOVE using up each precious scrap of patterned, glittered, or embossed paper. I WELCOME reckless abandon and making every card different.

But not this year. This year I want something FAST. And EASY. And CHEAP. This is totally not me.

I searched my card stash. Nothing. I tried making some with Kidoodle. Meh.

I am craving a family night of making and coloring cards, but it ain't gonna happen. At least Kidoodle and I colored these two gems.

Of course we should make more. But we won't.

I'm settling for someone else--someone named SNAPFISH--doing the job this year.

Reading Quiz

2010-12-03T08:40:00.001-05:00

I've been reading lately. Have you? How is it that you read?

I'd love to know. That's why I'm giving you a little READING QUIZ. I'll score these at the end of the day. If you pass, I'll mail you a gold star and a pat on the back. Don't feel like your answers have to as long as mine. If they are, that's great. If they're not, that's great, too!

1.) Do you make lists of books you plan to read, or do you read whatever fits your fancy whenever?

I have been making lists lately, but, honestly, I am not a list sort of person. Even when I am busy with several undesirable tasks, I only write lists occassionally. The list writing itself is fun! Following through with my committments. . . well, not so much!

Despite my recent forays into reading challenges, I am a read as you go kind of person. I am finding my list making frustrating, because I no longer want to read all of the books on my reading list. Even though I've changed it once. Sheesh!

Instead of reading the last two books on my list, books I know I'll like, I've been reading a book I got from LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, The Battle, book 3 of The Adventures of Jecosan Tarres trilogy by Laura Lond. And I've read all of Suzanne Collins' The Underland Chronicles. Shu-zah! They're not on my list, but tough!

2) Do you like books that are message driven, plot driven, or character driven?

As I mentioned, I've been reading The Battle by Laura Lond. This book seems to be message motivated. It's a Christian fantasy novel, and the story seems to first revolve around the points that a) everyone needs religion/faith and b) there is a right way to be Christian. Since I don't necessarily agree with the author's descriptions of faith and good-Christianness (Yikes! Please forgive me the horrible construction!), I am finding getting into this book quite challenging. The plot and the characters lag behind the message, and I had to get over a quarter of the way through the book before the plot picked up and the characters felt worthwhile. To be fair, this is book three in a series, and I've not read the first two books. I suspect this is why the characters didn't feel developed to me for quite some time. It wasn't until they came to life that I cared about the plot. Now that I'm three-quarters of the way through the book, both the characters and the plot have me tethered. I even am excited to discover more about what Lond's Christian message is!

I think plot driven books are my favorite. I am a sucker for something exciting, something that draws me in and holds me there by my throat. Because my attention span is rather piddling on its own. This is why I read so many detective novels.

Andrew Cannon (my brother-in-law) writes stories that are plot driven. (Check out Fat Tony [section 2, cuz I can't find section 1], for instance, or Pete and the Dog.) Even though the characters feel complex and full, what keeps me reading is the wonder of what is going to happen next! The exception, for Andrew, is The City of Dreams. This story is all characters, characters, characters. It's the story he wrote when he tried to write nothing happening. :)

My favorite mysteries, the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout, are all character driven, too. These are not mysteries in the whodunit sense. Who cares who did it? No one. Who cares how often Archie Goodwin heckled Nero Wolfe? Me! Me! Who cares how lazy and selfish and brilliant Nero managed to be? Me! Who laughs when the coppers gripe to Wolfe, or loves Fritz's unerring loyalty? Me, of course. I never tire of reading these books, or even of rereading them. Maybe the plots do matter. Maybe they keep the books exciting and fresh. But I know it's these fun-poking, proud friends that make me want to keep reading.

3) What book(s) that you've read this fall would you recommend?

I've said enough today, but can't wait to hear your recommendations.

a seasonal makeover

2010-12-03T07:27:00.001-05:00

We'll be traveling this Christmas, and wanted to keep our decorations here sweet and simple.

Kidoodle and I gave our gathered garland a face lift by adding glittery balls. We also lovingly placed a couple of nativities on our bookshelves and mantle and strung lights around our windows and glass balcony doors. I'm so glad we did, because our home now feels of Christmas charm.

What am I doing awake at 7:15 in the morning? I am never awake this early. (Bless my child who sleeps in till 10:00AM.) I woke myself with a dream comparing Medela and Ameda breast pumps. Weird. Ameda won, FYI, even though I've never actually used one. I am obviously subconsciously disenchanted with the wet, milky tubing on my Medela pump, enough so that even though I haven't used it in almost a year, I dream of CHUCKING THE THING!

perfect for the season

2010-12-02T21:05:00.001-05:00

Oh, oh, oh! Check out Meet Me At Mike's and the photos of Pip's shop window--loaded with scores of beautiful, loving Softies for Mirabel.

This post makes my heart GRIN! At first I was excited to spot my tiny little Harry Elephonte--in the second photo, hiding in the bike wheel under the taggie. But very, very soon I was overwhelmed with the beauty and care and goodness. I see so many talented contributors. I see so many blessed children. And those two women who together made and donated 250 softies?? Wow! Are you feeling the love?

The Case of the Camera Crusher

2010-12-02T19:35:00.001-05:00

Wow! I am so glad to be back and blogging!

I barely gave myself time to bake pies and veggie stuffs during the week of thanksgiving, because I was utterly consumed with delightful crafting projects.

Early last week, I opened a beautiful package of fabrics from Hawthorne Threads. These are just a few of the gorgeous fabrics I snagged. Yay! (I so adore Anna Maria Horner's cathedral prints, am digging this new Zen Garden collection, and can't wait to make Kidoodle something from this guitar print to match a GEN-Y diaper cover he already has.)

While I was in the process of snapping photos of my fabulous fabric treasures, Kidoodle broke our camera!

Here are some pictures of our little culprit in action, taken by the villain himself. He was pressing the lens with his finger--undoubtedly because I was telling him not to touch it and get it dirty--while simultaneously retracting and extending the zooming lens. Until the camera got stuck--forever powered off but with its lens cover opened. Oops! We love our little Mr. Mischief!

Being without a camera has completely thrown off my blogging routine, since I had planned several photo montages, mostly of my recent sewing projects.

Thankfully we were able to get in on some pre-Black Friday sales to find an inexpensive replacement point and shoot as soon as possible. I'm figuring out my little Kodak Easy Share c142, a nice basic little digicam. I'm a rather miserable photographer, and this simple little thing will certainly do just fine for me for the next few years! Especially if I learn how to say no to my sweetest little guy ever.

Thanks for being patient with my on my long hiatus. I'll show you my projects as soon as I can!

grateful

2010-11-25T09:06:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving.

This year I'm thankful for

my parents, my siblings, and the beautiful raw country where we grew and worked and played
my mother's hard work in cooking a delicious meal year after year after Thanksgiving year
new friends in our new town who've opened their home and hearts to us today
many pies made last night, and fewer things to cook today
an inexpensive replacement for our digital camera that is on its way
a husband who is experimenting with fixing our old digital camera as part of his Thanksgiving Day celebrations
a chance to make handmade presents for my loved ones this Christmas
my husband's new job that he loves
good books, great tools, and lots of hobbies
my Savior and His mercy
my husband and son

bye bye softie

2010-11-14T21:42:00.001-05:00

On Friday I mailed off Harry Elephonte to Softies for Mirabel. I had a hard time deciding which softie to send, and ultimately decided that Harry was the sturdiest, softest, most kid friendly and easy to clean plush toy I've made. So off he went. Bon voyage!

bunnies, a free pattern

2010-11-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

Yay! Our new scanner is working. It turns out it always was working, but I wasn't. ;)

I've put together my Chubby and Skinny Bunnies Tutorial & Pattern. Click here to download the PDF.

*The elephant in this photo collage is not my design. It's Michelle Engel Bencsko's Harry Elephonte pattern.

wherein I reveal how hard I am to please

2010-11-10T16:11:00.003-05:00

Should the books we read for fun remain aloof from politics, or is it okay for authors to explore opinions on political and social issues?

I'm thinking of detective fiction here (most notably, to me, by Amanda Cross or--my favorite--Rex Stout), but this question applies equally to vampire fiction, sci-fi, young adult fiction, or anything that we read for fun.

I really want to hear what you think first, but here's what I think.

Traditionally, great authors have intentionally infused their novels with social commentary. In fact, social commentary at some small level is inescapable, because social or political messages are inherent in stories.

Detective fiction, to use my pet example again, is often based on the benign assumption that crimes ought to be punished. Sometimes, though, the social point is that crimes ought to be avenged. Or that murder is justifiable. Or suicide. (Suicide is often presented as a viable alternative--for the criminal--to incarceration. Maybe this means that suicide is a person's choice. Maybe this means that suicide is just a faster version of capital punishment.) So we seem to be oscillating all over the place on the conservative-to-liberal political spectrum.

I see this oscillation happen all throughout detective fiction. Is the story about a police detective, or a private eye, constantly working in secrecy and even against the incompetent or villainous police force? Do we support our society's policing apparatus, or are we suggesting that independent individuals can do a better job of things? Championing a private eye seems very liberal to me. It also seems to be the most common move in detective fiction, since it obviously makes for more interesting Holmes-esque genius characters.

Other values are less genre-bound, such as whether or not the characters show any concern for the environment, whether or not they respect and care for the elderly, whether or not they portray young women as sex objects, etc. And even if the character is a reprehensibly Hummer driving womanizer who ignores all of his aging father's phone calls, is this an intentional choice? Is he the flawed hero we love to hate? I would say that I could really like this kind of book.

Today I read a comment complaining that Amanda Cross's stories are too politically heavy handed, and that is really what is provoking me to writing this discussion.

Yes, Cross overtly champions political liberalism and feminism. But she also detours from the typical politically charged arenas of detective fiction into much safer and more conservative (to me) bases. She very pointedly writes about non-aggressive crimes, such as lost doggies, missing paintings, and disappearing old ladies. Her (liberal?) point is to explore and legitimize the hum-drum activities and abilities of a mature woman and amateur sleuth. I guess I find Cross's crimes and her detective liberal, but the subject matter of the stories rather homey and conservative. Cross seems to say, "Here's a strong woman to help you resume, recover, or recreate your normal family life." So again I think we are seeing a mix of liberal and conservative values. We are seeing the kind of book that might irk a person of any social stance or political persuasion.

What annoys me more than an in-your-face sort of author like Amanda Cross (or my cherished Rex Stout) is the author who seemingly unconsciously mocks the socially inferior or makes every heroine gorgeous, who spurs the plot forward with shallow sexiness, who places her young, orphaned hero (a la Harry Potter in Book 5) in a boarding school, so that no healthy adult-child relationships can help him develop.

By the way, I love Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling developed complex characters with often beautiful adult-child relationships. She wrote about a child hero alone in the world, as do many in her genre, but she did it well. And I think that noting the limitations, for a writer trying to drive a plot forward, of genre is important in a discussion of what social commentary makes it into a story and what doesn't. Certain types of actions are prevalent in detective fiction, for example, because they move the story forward and allow for the sort of character freedom necessary for a detective. It's really hard to write a detective who is an attached parent. How can she get far enough away from her spouse and her baby to solve the dangerous crime? If she brings the baby with her, she's highly irresponsible and reprehensible. If she has plenty of free time for frolicking after criminals, she's not the kind of mother I want to emulate. This sort of thing happens, for me, in every kind of novel. Sometimes I just want to read a story about a NORMAL person. Doing normal things. Like trapping murderers unawares. Phooey! I don't like books about normal life!

I guess that leaves me in a pretty hard position. All books are going to reflect some sort of ideology. Since I don't like reading books like--I don't even know what you call these books--those emotional homey books where people love and cry and learn to be good families. Since I don't like those, and I love absurdly unrealistic genres like fantasy, sci-fi, and detective fiction, I am stuck demanding that my books have another sort of realism. Give me a book that promotes healthy familial and marital relationships, or at least one that makes me laugh or shake my head when that fails. Give me a book that declaims misogyny and consumerism. Give me a book that subtly demonstrates ways to live a greener life. And then slather it in crime, suspense, veiled clues, and a fair dose of banter.

Is that too much to ask?

The Collected Stories of Amanda Cross--Review

2010-11-08T21:52:00.003-05:00

I am making slow progress with my Fall into Reading Challenge goals.

I am not enjoying Cokie Roberts' Founding Mothers as much as I thought I would. (I loved the first 40 pages, which made me despise Benjamin Franklin even more than his odious biography did, but then I fell into my familiar ennui when it comes to historical nonfiction. Too bad! I'd like to be more historically informed.)

I took a break, and read The Scarlet Pimpernel instead. (Although set in historical France, this book cannot be considered historical fiction. At least not of the dry sort. It's a hero story much more like Zorro than like history.) What a frolicking read!

I didn't have the heart to pick up Founding Mothers after that verbal party, and I can't seem to find it, anyway. So I continued with my fun and read The Collected Stories of Amanda Cross. I loved them! Here's a short review.

The Collected Stories of Amanda Cross by Amanda Cross

**** (4 of 5 stars)

These cozy mystery stories are a must read for lovers of literature, those familiar with academia, and those disillusioned with most media portrayals of women. Amanda Cross (aka the accomplished Carolyn Heilbrun) peppers her stories with humor and literary allusions, good-naturedly exposes tensions between successful women and men (as well as successful old women and young women), and subtly undercuts misogynistic, ageist stereotypes throughout her pleasant stories. Her stories are a fresh change from violent or aggressive murder mysteries. Instead they focus on the enigmatic quirks of life that an amateur detective might actually be called upon to (informally and without payment) investigate.

Many of the stories seek to resolve familial disruptions via fair-minded and calming methods, and for that reason seem the ultimate cozies. Nevertheless, at times the ideas are cold or provocative. For example, my favorite line is this one, describing why a clearly unlikeable misogynist might shoot the wrong old woman: "If women are all the same in the dark, older women are all the same in the light."

baa baa black sheep

2010-11-08T15:41:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to create a boyish wool hat for Kidoodle. Using yarn from my stash. The latter part seems to be the problem. The pattern I created must be worked in multiples of 24 stitches, and where 72 stitches was just too snug for a toddler, 96 makes an adult hat. Which is just as well, since Skedaddle needs a new winter hat, too. But I've run out of the turquoise yarn (from the 1980s or 90s, I suspect) that I was using, and have nothing else that looks remotely nice with it. Off to the yarn store, to pick up wool for both my boys! (Yes, yes, there are much worse fates.)

In the meantime, I've finished another newborn hat. I followed Angela Hahn's Beaufort Hat pattern, and mine is very stretchy and squishy.

kangaroodles for kidoodle

2010-11-05T19:36:00.030-04:00

Finished

one little kangaroodle, Hopper, version 1

In the works

one Slammy, a pouch kangaroodle (for v1)
another full sized kangaroodle, Itty, version 2
lastly, one Bitty, a pouch kangaroodle (for v2)

green crafter: Cathe Holden

2010-11-05T17:50:00.001-04:00

Thanks, Cathe, for a fabulous repurposing project!

This adorable shirt sleeve sack delights me! I have many, many shirts in my fabric stash. What I love about this particular project is

that it is darling!
how Cathe uses the entire sleeves, including the rounded shoulders and the thick, sturdy cuffs for this bag
the seamless merging of material and shape inspires me to be a cleverer designer

Yay!

unloading, and other horrible diaper puns

2010-11-05T17:44:00.002-04:00

I've blown at least half an hour on this comment on someone else's blog. (Natali is a CBSNews personality who, after doing a recent segment comparing cloth and disposable diapers, received a lot of positive and negative feedback. In a spirit of bonhomie, she decided to try cloth diapers for a month.) I'm not sure my comment was at all what she was looking for, but it was what I was feeling. Since I care so much about this topic today, I'll share my thoughts here, too.

My Comment to Natali

***

Yes, let's be nice.

I am so glad you are trying cloth diapers, and that you are publicizing your experiences. I am sure your blog will generate much more helpful advice than you can use!

For now I'll skip the advice and address your news segment and these posts/comments.

1) I admit I felt a little nervous watching your segment. I worry that cloth diaper users are already fighting against the familiar and convenient, and that all challenges to the status quo need as much positive PR as possible. Therefore, I really hope you have a good cloth diapering experience. I also will thank you in advance for your honest discussion of your experiences! What fun! For me cloth diapering has been at times stinky, messy, and ineffective and always adorable, emotionally rewarding, and worthwhile.

2) In reference to some of the other comments, personal and group attacks are often misinformed. For instance, I use cloth diapers, but I also believe scientific findings (in areas such as global warming, evolution, and the efficaciousness of immunizations), the support of which findings are not always associated with cloth diaper users. Maybe they should be. Also, many of my friends use disposables and care for the environment and their children.

3) Scientific findings about the environmental consequences of disposable diapers are unclear because the disposable diaper manufacturers are not made to disclose all of the resources and energy used in creating a diaper. Much more research has been done into the resources used for an old-fashioned cloth diaper. The results show that a reusable cloth diaper is at least as good for the environment as a disposable diaper if the diaper is reused for more than one child OR dried in the sun/on the line OR washed in typical U.S. household settings. Often all three of these factors are combined.

4) I think that cloth diapering is such an emotional issue because each parent's diapering choice has an impact on everyone else. Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed by the meagerness of my own efforts to be more environmentally friendly. When it seems that other people are also not doing enough, I can feel depressed. Caring for the environment is important for everyone.

Therefore I choose cloth diapering, almost all the time. ;)

5) Parenting is important, hard work. If the added stress of using cloth diapers is going to push you over the edge, don't do it! If you are my sister--a full-time student without regular (and cheap) access to laundry machines--don't do it! If you are my sister-in-law--a mommy to 1 yr old twins + 3 other kids who still doesn't have time for a daily shower, don't do it! (Unless you want to.)

Care for your baby. Care for yourself. Care for your earth. And care for other people while you're at it.

***

End of My Comment to Natali

I also wrote several other drafts that I didn't save. They were often broadly (un)related to cloth diapering, like the one where I talked about my beliefs in homeschooling and God, too. ;D

I finally decided that those things really didn't have much to do with cloth diapers.

But you may be wondering why I left in the stuff about immunizations and evolution. Some of the other commenters were criticizing cloth diaper users for not accepting evolution or immunizing their kids.

My objection is, first, that this is not me. Am I alone here? Let me know if you use cloth diapers AND get your kids immunized.

My objection is also that some commenters were accusing cloth diaper users of dismissing scientific findings that disagree with their own viewpoints. That's why I made a comment about me accepting findings about evolution, as well. (Or global warming, for that matter, which is something that some mommy bloggers disbelieve.) These are issues that some people reject because they don't fit their world views. I choose to accept well-documented and supported scientific findings as much as possible. I try to find ways science and my worldviews are compatible. Often they are compatible. If they're truly not, something has to go. Sometimes this is a gradual process, but I try to let those somethings be my fallacious interpretations of the things I consider sources of truth.

I think that the dismissal of scientific findings might be associated with cloth diaper users because people may embrace the very limited scientific findings that claim that disposables are more environmentally friendly than cloth diapers. (At least, this is the most generous reason I can think of that people might have for accusing cloth diaper users of stupidity or intentional ignorance.)

Let me be clear here, even though many of you already know this. What research really shows about diapers is that given 1) the known resources involved in cloth diaper manufacturing and 2) the known resources involved in disposable diaper manufacturing, disposable diapers have a smaller carbon footprint than cloth diapers under certain circumstances. Wash your diapers at less than 60 degrees C (about 150 degrees F), and their carbon footprint is about the same as disposable diapers. Reuse them on multiple children or dry them on a line and their carbon footprint shrinks dramatically. Other negative environmental consequences weren't addressed by the key Defra and big-diaper-company-funded studies used to promote disposable diapers.

But beyond this, the research is based on an incomplete picture of the diaper manufacturing processes, especially for disposable diapers. As the researchers admit, the disposable diaper manufacturers will not disclose all of the resources used in making their product. My husband, who is a bio-physical chemist, listed, off the top of his head, a few unmentioned resources that certainly are used in the production and cooling of just the plastic shell on disposable diapers. These include immense amounts of water for cooling the plastic alone. Since water use is one of the main targets of alleged wastefulness of cloth diaper laundering, I think it only fair that an analysis and comparison of diapering options include accurate information on the amount of water used to create the plastic shells, (not to mention the cotton and gel insides) used in disposable diapers.

I have read as much diaper-related research as I can get my hands on. (Boo! I can't locate the Defra articles now, but this pro-cloth news report is quite good, and this report reveals the initial media outcry against cloth diapers.) I can't find anything useful on the Defra website. I'll keep looking.

All of this was too much for my comment. It's possibly too much for my blog. :) (If it's not, I've said more about this subject before.)

But it's what I think, and my blog is nothing honest or useful if it doesn't reflect who I am.

P.S. I didn't actually sprinkle horrible diaper puns throughout this post. Just the title. Upon rereading this, I realize that a curious reader might identify unintended puns other than the title. I'm so, so sorry if I led your mind to the waste bin. :)

mellow, a free pattern

2010-11-04T17:55:00.002-04:00

just a little grey-blue hat for a little newborn boy
and a pattern for you
(and for me, so I can get a little practice publishing my first pattern)

keep on groovin' -n- spookin'

2010-10-30T10:39:00.000-04:00

Although I think our halloween celebrations are over for this year, I have lots of ideas for next year. Isn't that how it goes? :D

batty felt pillow
knit candy corn
beautiful embroidery patterns, including AN ANGRY BIRD!!!! YAY!
I particularly like these printables (via a one pretty thing round-up) for SPOOKY EMBROIDERY!!
create your own jack-o-lantern
halloween poems for kids
a printed bit of boo from the graphics fairy
a cute & easy plush pumpkin
trick or treat bags in the classic candy corn style from purlbee
some fantastic vampire boyfriend socks and frankensocks to knit for Octoberfest 2011

But before we say "until next year," I think we'll bake a farewell dinner, full of scary things like. . .

this great mummy meatloaf! (Skedaddle is sure to dig the eyes.)
tentacle pot pies (veggie or dessert pies)
a bowl full of eyeballs (olives) for Kidoodle
frozen grey matter (icecream) with blood & gore sauce (blended strawberries & hot fudge)

spooky groove

2010-10-29T22:38:00.001-04:00

I've been debating entirely forgoing trick-or-treating this year. (Boo on candy; I don't need its sugar, its packaging, and its commercialism. Hooray for parties: we all need fun food, friends, and festivities.)

No worries, though. We did get to show off our costumes and share our cookies at a spooky Halloween bash.

Intent on baking something, well, something, I threw together two brand new recipes. Teehee. This is always risky. Luckily, they worked. Now I can show off my culinary ~~cheating~~ GENIUS.

***

Skemommle's Jumbo Caramel Cupcakes

Mix up one boxed chocolate cake according to directions. Fill 15 jumbo cupcake liners. Place one unwrapped caramel square in each liner. Bake per package instructions plus five minutes.
Frost with homemade chocolate butter cream frosting.

Skemommle's Scary Cookies
*Use whatever you have in your kitchen, for a frighteningly unpredictable treat.
1-1/3 cups butter
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (or almond extract)
1/2 cup cream
7 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt (my butter was unsalted)
pinch cream of tartar

Cream butter and sugar. Mix in wet ingredients. Then add combined dry ingredients and mix well. Chill for at least one hour or overnight. Roll out on floured surface till 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 10 minutes.

***

My husband decorated them as mummies and skeletons a-la Skip to My Lou. Mine were tiny, since I could only find my itty-bitty gingerbread man cutter.

We cut out a few GINORMOUS pumpkin cookies. Kidoodle was so excited to shake sprinkles on his! (That's Skedaddle back there decorating all those tiny mummies and skeletons.)

I figure we better make the cookies big if we want them to displace Kidoodle's new favorite word of the week: "Candy!"

***

At the party we dressed up as our very own lion pride. (Shhh! Just like we did last year.)

***

And at home we each helped make this recycled haunted house.

This project was certainly my favorite. Kidoodle was in toddler heaven scribbling scary doodles on the house and CUTTING (with SCISSORS!!) the cardboard with me. I loved watching my husband decorate the roof with glue-string spider webs.

I decorated it with plush ghosties a-la a home in the heights and a plush spider all of my own. I used pipe cleaners in his legs to make them bendy, and the skinny legs were tricky to turn right side out. I ended up succeeding by using a glue stick and a pencil to push them around, and then shoved the pipe cleaner in after. :) Maybe I will post a tutorial on this. I'd need to make a cleaner version.

(Wouldn't a little classic zombie like the following also find a perfect home here?)

***

Finally, I made Kidoodle a toddler sized treat bag. It's barely big enough to hold a pair of adult sized socks, and I figure that's just perfect for a teeny little boy.

baby clothes

2010-10-29T16:29:00.000-04:00

I don't need to post about baby-related things to feel baby hungry, as my two sisters and a sister-in-law are pregnant. But I can dream of leisurely sewing these special little things for myself. Or getting some serious craft groove going if I want to make these for them. :D

baby Wrap Around Kimono tutorial

baby Sweet Pea Pilot Hat pattern and tutorial

Adorable! Plus, I want that baby.

sailing date

2010-10-29T16:26:00.000-04:00

(Why are photos always delaying my blog posts, hmm??)

Last week I made edible sail boats for a playgroup activity at the park.

bread triangle boat
cheese triangle sail
veggie straw/pea pod mast

Not pictured, but also gobbled up were sailboat shaped sugar cookies.

One day, perhaps in next summer's warmth, I'd like to sail a fleet of these irresistible felt sailboats (via Duo Fiberworks--I love their obscure craft book posts, too).

bunnies

2010-10-22T13:21:00.000-04:00

I'd love to try my hand at some adorable bunnies like these. Precious! If these aren't enough, you could always check out this oldie-but-goodie parade of bunnies.

{Thanks to one of my followers/followees for sharing these darling bunnies.

Original pattern for RevoluzZza's Easter Bunny can be found here.}

P.S. All that's preventing me from posting my own skinny and chubby bunny patterns is that I've yet to set up our printer/scanner/copier. Soon! Maybe this weekend.

on compassion

2010-10-21T23:46:00.000-04:00

Hello! I'm glad to be back! I took a little vacation down to Georgia to visit my hubby's family. It was delightful.

On the drive down, we thought something funny. A sign along a stretch of highway bordered by a deep tree-filled gorge warned us, "Do Not Enter Median." We wondered what sort of person needed a sign like this. Then we saw another sign: "Ernest Vandiver Parkway." Aah.
;) Skedaddle is a real punster. I'm learning.

On the drive home, we learned something important. Listening to the Broadway recording of The Secret Garden kept us awake and alert. This music speaks to us both.

About half way through the story, Mary worries, "But Dickon, what if we save the garden, and then Uncle Archie takes it back, or Colin wants it?"

Dicken replies, "Ay, what a miracle that would be, getting a poor crippled boy to see his mother's garden."

Yes. We decided that we would like to always think that way.

Beautiful thought, but sometimes tricky. My husband pointed out that not everyone is a poor crippled boy. Sometimes we don't want to show compassion because a person is frightening. . . much like the young, selfish, whining, depressed Colin must have seemed to his equally young (and selfish) cousin Mary. I realized that I really can be compassionate, even to people who seem powerful or hurtful. We are all vulnerable humans, struggling to find comfort, safety, and joy in this life. Doing it together is the key.

And loving.

more GREEN crafts, please!

2010-10-20T23:23:00.038-04:00

I love to craft, but don't need more clutter or waste.

Thankfully, a lot of you crafters share adorable ideas for little projects or sustainable (recycled, not disposable) crafting.

Here is my round up of tutorials for crafts that are begging to be made from recycled materials:

The are the perfect bottom pj pants for us. My husband always wants me to make pants for our babies that say "bum" on the bottom (because he hates the trend in young women's clothing to advertise cuteness, brands, or universities on their fannies). We have plenty of unbleached knit cotton left over from HIS days of sewing cloth diapers. Paired with old Tees and knit scraps, these jammies would be a dream!

SYTYC's great recycled craft submissions include a darling child's toy pram. Love it!

RevoluzZza posts copious patterns for darling softies that lend themselves particularly well to being sewn from repurposed fabrics, like old pants or felted sweaters. I <3 RevoluzZza!

This precious detachable collar via PinkLizzySews is a simple wardrobe item to seemingly double the number of tops. Plus, some of my friends can really pull off this sort of thing!

Finally, a truly green tuna can pin cushion made from a recycled can and paper/fabric scraps.

Thanks, ladies!