MOVING....

So Knitsburgh is moving! For many reasons I started a new blog and can now be found at http://reincraftnation.wordpress.com

I hope you will follow me there to continue the next chapters in my life. I know it's been some time since I've posted and not many people come here anymore, but if you somehow make it back I'd love to see you at Reincraftnation!

Please summer stay a little bit longer...

...so we can test out our new porch swing cushion...
...it's blue but of course it's green too...

....pieced together from my maternity jeans! I'm thinking some pillows should be on this swing too, not sure if I will get to it right away but I will aim for the spring. Unless summer decides to stay (sigh)...this time of year makes me a bit sad...

PS Any thoughts on colors for said pillows please send my way. Not really sure which way to go but thinking prints are a must.

The Ugly Period

Hello there all!

proof that not everything I make is ugly...tummy time...Wee One loves to help Wee Too

So between Tummy Time and Storey Time and Outside Time, there has been some crafting time. Not much and admittedly, it's not so pretty. I feel if a group were to look back at this segment in time at my crafting, it would be agreed this was The Ugly Period and deemed as such for all eternity. I also think it's reflective of my outside appearance most days too but am hopeful some additional sleep, makeup, and an undergarment with a very firm tummy panel would do the trick. Behold, Early Ugly:
boxy dishcloth, pattern can be found HERE
robot of my own creation for Wee One's second birthdayrobot innards...unbutton the flap and this is what you find

I made another albeit even uglier dishcloth but still need to upload those pics so it's not happening tonight. Today we worked on a Family Top Secret Paper Mache Project. Don't worry, I'll spill the deets as soon as I can. If I did so now, it could sabotage our chances of winning a grand race to come. And nobody wants that, right?

A quick show-n-tell session....

Sometimes I think the months of June and early July rival the Yuletyde season for our family. Lots of celebrations: birthdays, anniversaries, Father's Day and then the Fourth of July. Needless to say Ms. Knitsburgh has been quite busy with Old Girl (aka my sewing machine).

First, a little purse for a niece turning 16 sweet years...

Button closeup

Next, a Father's Day gift for Nature Boy. It's a laptop cover. I used the ideas for the measurements from this Prudent Baby project, but decided to not use bias tape. I did steal the picture from Gnome Enterprises (please check them out and maybe they won't sue me), made it into an iron on transfer and repurposed a grey t-shirt and an old striped dress shirt into the cover.

Button and quilting closeup

Open

See? Computer fits inside all nice and snugly. Phew! Now onto the next batch of homemade silliness...

So biased!

This post is for all of the millions of visitors this blog gets who have been waiting to see what I've been biased about these days. I'm so very sorry for my having kept you all up late wondering, tossing and turning about as your anxiety grows with the suspense. What could it all have been for, you asked?


For these!

Wee dresses for three wee lasses. I hope I have not ruined the surprise for anyone; the blue dresses were made for some sweet lasses who live in other parts of this grand world. They were made using a pattern from Prudent Baby, but modified to have bias tape ties for the straps as opposed to a ribbon threaded through a channel at the top to cinch it. I'm hoping the straps will help make it adjustable for some time, maybe even allowing them to be little shirts as the wee ones sprout upwards.

I also made Wee Too a blue dress but ran out of brown thread whilst sewing on the bias tape so until I acquire some more, it will sit on my sewing pile. No, you really don't want to see what my sewing pile looks like today! Damn, I was just in stupid Joanne Fabrics today too and neglected to pick up more thread!

Besides forgetting stuff, today we visited the Arts Festival downtown and had such a great day. A word of warning though; the food vendors aren't the greatest and Nature Boy shelled out $9 (yeah, that's not a typo) for ONE large French fry. It didn't even come in a plastic bucket like last year either. They were ok and we ate every one (of course we did, we spent 9 freakin' dollars on them!!!) but truth be told, would have been far better off to wait in line for some Primanti Brothers fries instead. Lesson learned!

We also had Ivan Stikman follow us home from the Kreepy Doll Factory booth as Wee Too's dolly. He is waiting to take a bath and once he is clean, will be hanging with Wee Too. If you go to the festival, check this booth out, we had a blast looking at all their names. Looks like we will be able to see him at some point in the sold dolls library!

Back to it!

I can't believe it's been over a month since she came to Knitsburgh. Time really goes too fast sometimes.
Life with two wee is double everything. Love, fun, diapers. All of it. The good and the not so good. So any type of time I find in the day to make something is the biggest triumph in the whole of Knitsburgh. At first it seemed impossible. But then every once in a while I find an hour where there is simultaneous sleeping occurring. Both wee napping at the same time. This is crafting magic. Crafting goldmine. This is the stuff of crafting legend and lore. The elusive crafting Loch Ness Craftster.

Now this doesn't happen every day so one has to plan out things a bit better so when this serendipitous event occurs, one can actually craft. I have taken the advice of the wise Affectionit, who manages to knit sweaters, socks and other lovely things as well as sew quilts (yes, plural, quilts as in more than one a year), veganize French cooking on her other blog as well as fix things about her estate in very creative ways. She has talked about how she crafts in 15 minute increments. Thinking this way has greatly helped get me back to making things again. I don't say, oh I want to sit down and sew an entire something tonight. I break it down and plan to first choose the fabric, iron it and cut it out. Then it's ready to sew when I have more time.

Here are some of the little things I've made of late...



Wee socks for Wee Too...

Elvin hat for Wee Too...from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Earrings for Kay for Mother's Day...

Wallet or makeup pouch for Kay for Mother's Day--tutorial here by Noodlehead.

They may not be the most elaborate crafts, but the fact that I could finish them has thrilled me.

Besides crafting during odd free moments, we've just been busy spending as much time outside between the raindrops, savoring the sunny moments.


Here is a sneak peak of my newest crafting in progress. A big ole bunch of homemade bias tape. What will Ms. Knitsburgh do with all of this bias tape, you might ask?
A few more of those Simultaneous Sleeps and you shall see!

New Addition Arrives at Knitsburgh!

Knitsburgh proudly issues a proclamation throughout the land...

WEE TOO HAS ARRIVED! Welcome sweet little lass!

Coinciding with her arrival was the Great Computer Strike. Our 10 year old desktop is pretty wrecked and currently cannot be used. So this explains in part my absence from this blog. The other reason is far better, just being busy caring for the Wee Ones, bonding, adjusting to this new happy crazy life. Really, there just isn't much else to say except life is pretty good. Hope it's good for you out there too and...

...Happy Earth Day!

New Hatchiling?

I know what you are thinking...but no, not Wee Too yet... Wee One's Nest Egg...

...turns into a bluebird! I departed a bit from the original pattern to add the orange to make it a little more like a true Eastern Bluebird. Bill and Kay have had a nesting pair of them on their property for a couple years now. When I was a wee one myself and we lived on what we call The Ridge (aka in the mountains of Western PA) there was a bit more acreage and there was always a nesting pair in the box during the spring and early summer, sometimes two nests per summer! I also made my own nest for the egg/bird, essentially making a little "hat" that is used upside down. The original pattern has a nest but the yarn I had on hand would not have been as stiff and I wanted a tighter fitting nest that could stand up with the egg well. Wee One loves to say the word "nest" of late!

Wee Too also has a new springtime friend waiting here...

...waiting is truly what we are all just doing right now....

For once, this procrastinator has the next holiday under wraps. The basket is ready, the little surprises have been knit. Only one thing left to do...

We are trying to go for walks in between the raindrops (and snow...don't ask) here. Hope you find time between rain drops too!

Upcycled Easter (Ostara, Eostre) grass!!!

You know the stuff, right? The way-too-bright, crinkly-feeling, sticks-to-everything-including-your-jammies-and-hair plastic-y stuff the Easter bunny likes to line his baskets with? Plus if your cat eats it, the necessary emergency surgery to remove it from her intestines will be quite pricey. Well, that stuff has long been banished from Knitsburgh. This year, we are going with flannel. Scraps from Wee One's flannel receiving blanket collection. After making bibs from two of these blankets (squeezed three reversible bibs total from the two), there was some leftover fabric. Not enough for another bib. I had some other ideas of what I might make them into but this one won out. Maybe it was the colors in the blankets (green and white gingham; pastel colored polka dots) that sealed their fate... I grabbed the pinking shears and cut strips of fabric, just eyeballing it to the width I liked. How easy is that? Get your basket and throw it in there. It should last for years as the flannel won't fray either. It would be cute and rustic too with some leftover cotton fabric. The fun part is you can make it any color you like and use any scraps of fabric you have, from old t-shirts to sheets to sewing scraps!

Did anyone else partake in Earth Hour this past weekend? We did and I managed to finish the Owlie Hat by candlelight. I enjoyed the time with the lights off; Nature Boy even got out a book and read, I couldn't believe my eyes! He did promptly turn on the television as soon as the hour was up but we did leave the lights off. Here is Owlie Hat for Wee Too, drying with the Owlie Sleep Sack.

****For more info on Ostara, click HERE.

Vernal Aspirations...

I finally finished the Owlie Sleep Sack for Wee Too. This involved ordering some additional yarn from Knit Picks as I was using up what I had left in my stash and of course, it was not enough. So two more skeins of the Organic Cotton Worsted Weight in Marshmallow arrived this week and I used about 1/2 a skein. Next up is the matching Owlie Hat (like the one I made for Compassionate Craft Week a while back). I wish you could feel how soft it is. I also wish I had enough time and knitting fortitude to fashion an adult sized sleep sack for myself...

These last few weeks have been trying at times. There was some concern due to dropping platelet count I might not be able to have Wee Too outside of the hospital but thankfully, a visit to a specialist remedied this concern and we should be fine to go forth with our current birth plan. Now I am trying to get Bill and Kay comfortable with driving to the Birth Center which means driving **gasp** in the city!!! Kay does not drive outside of a ten mile radius of her home. Bill has decided he will ignore my detailed, city dweller who knows how to get around the 'burgh directions and instead look at a map and arbitrarily choose random, out of the way possible routes through areas which:

1. Involve heavy construction, certain delays and a closed bridge he believes will be open as it is "right there on the map."
2. Sketchy neighborhoods it's best not to get lost in while you try to drive quite possibly in the middle of the night.
3. Are places he has never ever even been before.

Now this really isn't much of a surprise; Bill ALWAYS has a "shortcut" meaning a longer route that usually takes more time and gas but for some reason he finds more appealing. I just thought due to the urgency of the sitch, he might try a more direct route while I'm in labor and waiting on them to arrive to get to our house or for them to meet us at the Birth Center. I really don't know whether to laugh or cry; I've done both for the last day or so. Basically, they are coming to care for Wee One while Nature Boy and I bring Wee Too into this world and it would be so much easier on my mind if I knew they could make it to the Birth Center without a problem. They are coming tomorrow so I can drive them to and from and get them comfortable with it. Wish me luck!!!

I've been trying to keep busy meanwhile. Under the super moon last week, the seeds for this year's garden were blessed in a ritual outside, then Nature Boy and I sowed them inside. Today, the marigolds and lettuce were sprouting already.

I am trying a radical new approach to gardening this year. Equal parts from the biointensive techniques of Jeavons and the knowledge of the indigenous people of this land, the Native Americans. I planned out the garden on paper...
...then Nature Boy was kind enough to accompany me outside, till the land a bit and help me set out the walkways separating the garden into three smaller plots. These plots will be (hopefully) jam packed full of veggies and herbs. I'm most excited about companion planting methods/knowledge and the Three Sisters plot, which will have corn, beans and squash planted together, which are are mutually beneficial to the others when planted thusly.
Wow, I've said a lot today! Lastly, I brought some forsythia in a few days ago and today they are brightening up this place something fierce! It's cold again here but not for long!

What up?

Just a few things to share from Knitsburgh of late...

Walk in the woods this past weekend.

From the front I look like normal...

Egad! From the side, you can see Wee Too is still on board. Sadly, no trillium were spotted yet.

New larger bibs sewn for Wee One. I used two different prints on each side so they are reversible. I also used different colored thread in the bobbin so each side has a contrasting thread for top stitching detail. Made fourteen bibs total.

These three are my favorites, made from two of Wee One's flannel receiving blankets. Love to upcycle! Each bib has one side of polka dots, one side of green gingham. Used brown thread for top stitching.

Knit up a Mikey Hat for Wee One. Modified THIS PATTERN which is for an adult head. The fit was good but...

...it really needed a good blocking! I finished it the eve before the annual St. Pat's parade so I did not want to chance it still being wet. So it was worn with wonkiness, the stamp of handmade upon it! When it was worn that is, it came off several times. The plastic inside the brim is cut from an old plastic coffee can. We have a stockpile of these as Nature Boy's father cannot bear to throw them away or recycle them as they seem so useful so he saves them and gives them to us. We have also made a "drum kit" out of several of these in different sizes duct taped together; one is poised under the leaky sink in the bathroom; and several hold odds and ends like nails, screws, etc. If you need any coffee cans, you know who to call...