The Boring Post

The neighbors to the northwest of Knitsburgh had a baby in October, which we were so excited about as that means a friend close in age for Wee One. I haven't seen them much since the fall, as we are stuck inside when it is cold and windy. The last conversation we really had struck me as she mentioned how bored she was all day being home with the baby when the baby was sleeping.
Bored? I've never been so far from bored in my life. And I owe it all to the crafts.

From designing a project or just looking up a pattern someone else far more clever than yourself has already written; from gathering supplies and envisioning color schemes; from the actual crafting of something with your own two hands and getting to that moment when you finish it and look at it, critically. You can laugh at it or cry at it. Either way, you made it and no part of it was boring.

I'm so glad I like to make things and have those stolen moments to keep crafting. It may not always be the prettiest, coolest stuff but it was made with thought and care and not on an assembly line. I'm happy I'm not bored with my life. I'm happy I get to stay home with my Wee One.

So here are a few projects I've been working on over the last few weeks. I hate when I've been absent from the blog for so long, but at least I have some things to show you to distract you (and me) from thinking about why:

First, the Wee One Red Sweater was finished!

If you want details, check out the info on Ravelry. I'm Knitsburgher there.

Next, some sewn flip flop slippers for my sisters' birthday (yeah, they are twins):



The flip flops were from a tutorial found HERE; they called for vinyl soles but I used some denim from some old jeans instead. I also used 100% cotton batting (2 layers) inside instead of poly batting. This is a great project for little scraps of fabrics you have laying around. They live in the south and really don't need warm knitted slippers.

I made some curtains for the kitchen:
I started some prep work for curtains for the dining room. I cut the linen and basted a rough seam on my sewing machine:


hand washed it in warm water with detergent to remove any crazy fabric additive stuff, rinsed it with cold water, then dyed it in some tea water (used 6 bags with the hottest tap water):
I just used regular old black tea but may try this with other teas in my cupboard too--I think green and reddish maroonish pink would be two other colors I could try using varieties I posess. I didn't leave it in the tea too long, just wanted to make it not-white. Purely white things just don't hold up well here at Knitsburgh. I rinsed it in cold, wrang it out, and pressed it semi-dry with the iron since it is linen and after wringing was mad-wrinkled.
I'm letting the panels air dry so it will be somewhat stiff for the Hardanger embroidery I will be working on it. You can read about and see some examples of Hardanger HERE. I've made some gifts in the past with Hardanger (a pillow, some wall hangings, a needlecase) but don't really have any for myself around here. Before we purchased the estate I bought the linen and threads for some curtains, then told myself I should wait 'til we bought a place before making fitted curtains with lots of embroidery on them, only to move and have them not fit the next place. So now I am finally getting around to making them. I think we've been here 4 years now and I hope it was worth the wait in the end. We shall see...

So on the knitting needles? Forest Floor Sock #2. On the embroidery frame? Hardanger Dining Curtains. On the craft scene? A project involving glue, old paper and some photo albums. On the night table? A biography of Catherine the Great. On the TV tonight? Psychic Kids and Paranormal State. I am so not bored.

A Quickie...

...while the baby is napping.

Get your mind out of the gutter--I'm talking a quick blog post here!

Wanted to show some of the wonderful gifts that made their way to me, some by post, some in person.


This one came via post from one of my sweet sisters--a pewter bracelet in my birth month flower, the narcissus. Yeah, I got older again in December, hard to believe right? You can see a better pic here if you like.

Another gift from yet another sweet sis--recycled glass earrings! I love these but have to wait to wear until the Wee One is past his pulling/chewing of all things attached to mommy stage. This includes hair and noses, in case you were wondering.


Another gift via post from Hawaii! A very handsome handmade photo album from natural materials; can't wait to fill it with some Wee One at the Beach shots this summer!


My favorite gift of them all came from Nature Boy.

A beautiful deer and fawn necklace from Figs & Ginger. He told me the artist informed if needed, another fawn could be added at a later date; was that some sort of hint? My photos don't do this necklace justice, you can see a much better pic of it here. You can also read about how recylced silver is used, making this a green-friendly gift as well.

Ok, and then the Knitting Update. Here is the Red Sweater for Wee One:

Note front and back are completed and the sleeves are on the needles. Which I hope to mean a finished pic will soon grace this blog.

Status: Baby still napping. Which means time for....KNITTING! What did you think I meant?

Learning Curve...

Here is a Wee One Yuletyde Present which I have been working on. The fabric before (hello ROY G. BIV....or at least ROY G. BI...couldn't find a violet fabric that was just right at the fabric shop):

And after:




Some notes:
1. You can't make a circular ring by sewing the wrong sides together at both the inner and outer ring seams. After some false starts, I finally sewed the outer seams on the wrong side, then turned and sewed the inner seams from the right side, reinforcing with two rounds of stitches around the circle. I used pinking shears to cut the fabric and hope the inner side doesn't fray too much.
2. You can't have too much fill. I had some bamboo fill left from the Wee Rattle and thought there would be enough, but the last ring, as you can see from the pics, is only half-way filled.
3. This toy appears to be so huge, it could be part of the Festivus Feats of Strength competitions. I hope the Wee One is strong enough to heft them! I made the inner circle 6" and increased each circle by one inch, so the last one is a whopping dinner plate sized 11" (I know because I used a dinner plate to trace out the circle). Oh my! If I were to make another, I would start with a much smalled inner circle. Maybe 3" (though my ability to sew a circle this small is definitely questionable).
4. I still need to craft up a base and holder for the rings, although they seem to stack well enough without one; I'll let you know what I do indeed come up with.
5. Nature Boy helped with the fabric selection and apparently, we like the octopi. I didn't even notice until I was cutting that the two blue prints are heavily octopi-influenced.

So I need to run out for more fill and finish this project up! The Wee One Red Sweater is still on the needles...still working on the front...not much else to say about it now. Better get going and craft some more 'cause it is December already and I have space under the tree that needs to be filled up.

So what do I do with all the leftover flannel fabric? I found a pattern for a ball, could make a blanket...any other ideas out there? I've got at least a 1/2 yard left of each if not more.

Who's a Rude-A-Potamus??!?!?!??

It is done! Behold, the Wee One's Yuletide Stocking:

I like it better now that it's finished and hanging by our fireplace, ready for the holidays to get started. I mean, why pack it away now, we'll be putting up the holiday decor in a couple of weeks? Still needs a washing and blocking though.

Now I'm back to working on the Red Sweater for the Wee. It's honestly a boring knit for me after all that stranded colorwork. I can't say I even worked a stitch on it in two days' time now. Could mean trouble...

Ok now for a pop quiz. You are shopping in a small-aisled grocery store called Complete Edibles. You come upon an aisle where a stunning woman is making her canned pumpkin selection and her cart, with the most beautiful wee one in all the land, is in your way. What do you do?

A. Wait a moment patiently behind her as she finishes. Hey, you're retired and have all day...

B. Say, "Excuse me" and allow her to move her cart out of your way. Hey, you're retired and need to make up for lost years...

C. Push her cart with her baby in it aside, scraping your cart into it in doing so and say absolutely nothing. Hey, you're retired and a big, mean, rude-a-potamous and eat cute babies for dinner.

Yeah, that's right. I went to the store for some foodstuffs and came out again appalled at the minds of people. Who moves your cart with your baby in it and says not a word? You can bet I said a few things. I really need to do the whole on-line food ordering. It could also help me avoid the H1N1...