to my dissappointed blog readers...

Yes, I know it has been TWO MONTHS since I updated my blog. The reason is very simple--baby man is in the house. Just a few days after my last post, we got our first foster placement--a darling 3.5 week old baby boy. We love him to pieces and are thoroughly enjoying him, but he seriously limits my craft time. I have managed to do a few things anyway, which follow...

another pouch sling (baby inside!)


It's reversible--red on one side and the same black and white print that I used on Courtney's MT on the other. I have long-term plans to add a pocket to the red side in the black and white fabric. Wouldn't that be cute? Oh, and I also have long-term plans to give it to my friend Iris when God gives them a sweet baby. She tried it on with baby man when she came over last week and it fits her far better than it fits me.

and two baby sweaters...

I love this pattern! I've had it on my to-do list for a while now, but got around to it over Labor Day weekend when David was home to help with baby man. I did the 6 month size at first, hoping it would fit baby man when it got cooler outside, but it was too small. I don't know if my gauge was off or it the pattern runs small, but I had try again! I had some trouble with the 2nd one, as you can tell if you look at the pattern pictures closely, but I improvised, and am pleased nonetheless. Oh, and the 12 month size is perfect for baby man (who is nearly 3 months old--ha!) to wear this winter.

first try...


made from some self-striping yarn I bought at my local yarn shop last winter with a hat in mind (that never got done). I did do buttons for this one in the same purple as the trim, but I took the pictures first.

second try...


worked in Paton's Shetland Chunky Tweeds, which is a mostly acrylic with a little bit of wool blend, with brown acrylic trim.

and from here on, be warned that my craft posts may be few and far between. Or I might decide to broaden the purpose of my blog and just share more about life in general.

We'll see...

What can you make with $3 worth of fabric?

a water-worthy mei tai! I bought 3 yards of 60" wide quick-dry athletic type fabric from Wal-Mart for $1 a yard, and am getting TWO water mei tais out of it! It's not UV protective like those cool solarwearve or solarveil MTs and slings, but hey--it'll do for $3. And the fabric was not difficult to work with like I thought it would be. It actually has inspired me to buy some solarweave to do a "real" one for next year!

Here's one of them (the other is cut, but not yet sewn)...



and if you promise not to make fun of me for trying on my slings/carriers with my doll, here's an "action" shot. tee hee! I finished it last as my husband was tapping his foot impatiently waiting to go to a cook-out at a friend's house for the 4th. So this pic was taken this morning, still in pjs, a ponytail, and glasses (hence the close cropping!)...



I'm keeping one, and giving the other to Katy, since she has a pool loving toddler and a new baby on the way.

TWIN babies!

My sweet friend Kara from the Pecos House is the proud new mommy of twins! She and her husband Peter have a nearly three year old, and have been planning to add to their family a sibling pair through fostering-to-adopt. Imagine our joy and delight to hear that God had chosen to give their family a sweet sibling pair of newborn twins--a boy and a girl. The evening before I found out that Kara and Peter would be welcoming twins, I had begun work on this mei tai for no apparant reason. It's reversible--with a boy side and a girl side, and the fabrics were purchased WEEKS before these babies were even born. So let's just say that the reason I was making it became apparant pretty quickly!

boy side



girl side



and a toy sized mei tai for big sister to carry her baby dolls in, too

Spirograph, anyone?

Here is Miss Sydney McNeil's super cool Spirograph MT, complete with (blurry) pictorial instructions for her mother of how to wear it. Enjoy!



Instructions...

First, tie the waist straps (the short ones) around your waist and let the body of the MT fall down in front of you as if it were an apron.


Second, pick up "Syd" and froggy her legs since she's too young to straddle your waist. When she grows, you won't need to do this. (note: the part of Sydney McNeil is being played today by Stella the doll.)


Next, pull the body of the MT up behind Syd's back and throw the straps back over your shoulders. Keep at least one hand on Sydney the whole time!



Then reach behind you with one hand and pull a strap across your back and to the front on the opposite side. Keep holding Sydney with the other hand



Hold both the now-in-front strap and Sydney with one hand, while you reach behind and pull the other strap to the front.



Give both straps a good tug and tie them in front, behind Sydney's back. When she's older, you may prefer to tie them under her rear.



Back view:


It'll be in the mail to Lubbock tomorrow! And again, my sincere apologies for the blurriness. I was too lazy to re-take them. Let me know how it goes!