will work for mama cloth!

This knitting needle roll is for Jess, a 'pin mama. We're doing a swap. I made her a roll for her double pointed needles and she's making me a couple of pads. Fun, huh? I love, love, love these fabrics, and I hope Jess does too!

taking the plunge...

After many suggestions from friends and much waffling on my part, I've decided to take the plunge and put my craftiness to work for me. Mostly I'll be doing soakers, longies, and such for cloth diapering moms--very similar to the work I've done for my niece. I'll also do hats (my favorite!) and crochet hook/knitting needle cases. Who knows what options I may add over time, but that's what I'm starting with. If you're interested, here's my new site.

Elegant Lace Stole

I finished Grandma Wallace's shawl! David's Grandma is turning 95 years old this weekend. We all head to Kansas on Thursday for her birthday celebration. For her birthday, I crocheted her this shawl. I really enjoyed this pattern--super easy, but looks complicated. My favorite kind!

This is me, modeling. I hope to get a picture of it on Grandma this weekend!

















Here it is on sweet Grandma!

handspun yarn!

For the past 6 weeks, I've been taking a spinning class at the Fort Bend Museum. We started on drop spindle, then progressed to the great wheel, then to the treadle wheels. We could only spin on the wheels in class, but I got to bring a drop spindle home to practice. It was so much fun! I was so sad to give it back yesterday, and am looking into getting my own. They're fairly inexpensive, so I think I can swing it. Wheels, on the other hand, are not! Maybe some day...

I'm very much a beginner, but here's my first handspun yarn, spun on a drop spindle, dyed pink with Kool-Aid. Our class has a luncheon next Wednesday for our final gathering, and I'm going to try to crochet something with my yarn to take to show. I'm not sure what, yet, since I haven't counted to see how many yards I have. It will certainly be something small! And don't worry--I'll update this post with a completed picture.

Update: I had approximately 30 yards of yarn on my spindle when I unwound it. It was enough to crochet two flowers (plus a smidgen left over). I decided to felt one of them, which was only marginally successful--mostly the hot water just faded my Kool-Aid dye job! I have no clue what I'm going to do with these little flowers, but it's so satisfying to know that I spun the yarn myself and actually made something. Very satisfying indeed.

Vintage yarn, UGLY soaker!

a little background on this one...

Grandma Wallace gave me a (partial) skein of yarn that was found in Barnard while cleaning out closets before Christmas that has to be 30+ years old. It's Red Heart brand wool yarn in avocado green, orange and gold--soooo 70's! Well, of course I had to make *something* with it so I whipped up this soaker. All I can say is UGLY! But I love it anyway! Check out the wrapper that came off the skein, with the price tag from some store called "Duckwall's". It cost $1.27.

This soaker also confirms my decision that I really don't like variegated yarns crocheted. I hate that "built with Legos" look. Variegateds should be saved for knits, in my opinion. People should crochet in solid colors. Oh, and the trim is just green Wool-ease (something I had that didn't clash too badly).

a couple more hook/needle rolls...

I did these two for 'pin mamas.

a travel sized one for Freckle...



and a BIG one for Mollie...


Both of these were done on my friend Cynthia's machine (thanks Cynthie!) since mine decided to have a huge attitude problem and BREAK on the first seam of Freckle's. It's still in the shop. Boo. Hope it feels better soon!

for Marin...

I am so excited for my sweet college roommate Jane and her husband who are expecting their first little one in just a few weeks. This hat's in the mail on the way to baby Marin.

Can't wait to meet you, sweetie!

have hook, will travel!

I liked my crochet hook and accessories roll that I made last week so much I decided to make a travel sized one. This one is just big enough for a couple of hooks, scissors, tape measure and row counter, plus a ribbon for stitch markers. I always take projects with me on road trips to work on in the car. This will be the perfect travel companion!

busy bee!

My little niece Lucy is a busy bee! She's learning to sit up, scoot around the floor, and reach for her toys. I'm so proud of her accomplishments that I made her a "busy bee" hat.

It's a bit longer than it looks in the picture. I turned to bottom up to make it sit neatly over a cereal bowl for its picture. David says it'd be cuter if I ran wire through the antennae to make them stand up. I don' t have any wire, though, so I mentioned that idea to Stephanie. She's welcome to do that if she wants.

Have fun, busy baby!

that's SO girly!

That was David's comment about my new crochet hook and accessories roll. Of course it's girly--it's for ME! I'm so very excited about this project. Making a pretty case for my crochet hooks has been on "to do someday" project list since I first got my sewing machine. I love it! I hit the 60-70% off fabric sale at Joanns yesterday and came home with some girly, busy fabrics. I used this web tutorial and set to work. Here it is...

all folded up and buckled closed


back view unfolded


front view unfolded, flap down


front view unfolded, flap up, so you can see everything!


There are 16 skinny slots at the top for hooks. Most have room to share with 2-3 friends, so I'm not limited in purchasing new hooks. Whew! In the slanty pocket below are 8 slots for accessories that are twice as wide as the hook slots. I have things like my row counter, tape measures, scissors, and plastic tapestry needles in there. I also put a row of snap tape along the left hand side to hold things like stitch markers. Isn't it nice? Now everything's all tidy.

Cynthia--I have enough fabric for another. Want one for your knitting needles? :D

recycled wipes!

Lucy had way too many girly flannel receiving blankets, so Stephanie sent some to me to be recycled into wipes. I decided to "improve" about half of them with a side of soft pink cotton velour. Here's the mother load...

9 animal flannel with pink velour
3 purple flannel
9 pink stripes all flannel
4 pink flannel
3 purple flannel with pink velour (one with kitty embroidery--my favorite!)
5 pink polka dot flannel
9 flowers flannel with pink velour

yes, that's right--42 wipes! 3.5 dozen! Wow!

In the same package, I'm mailing a little crocheted surprise for Lucy. But Stephanie will have to wait on the mail to see that one! I'll post a picture after she receives it for the rest of you...

an elfish little hat

We're taking dinner to a couple at church with a new baby next week, so I made a little hat to take with us. You'll recognize the yarn from my previous two projects, making this hat an excellent use of my leftover yarn stash.

It think it's really cute, although with the green and white, it is a bit elfish. Hope Courtlyn likes it!

it's mine, all MINE!

I never make anything for myself (as I'm sure some of you may have noticed) but Texas's recent cold snap inspired me to make a scarf. I saw this pattern in the December/January issue of Crochet Today magazine and was interested since I had never seen crocheted cables before. I enjoyed this project, although the pattern was tricky. I frogged more rows than I kept for the first 1/4 or so. I did finally get the pattern repeats down and it came out pretty well, I think.

pattern prototype

I liked the pattern that I found for this ribbed soaker so much that I decided to try to make a pair of ribbed longies. I actually did these in December--finished on the way to Mom's for Christmas. I just hadn't posted about them. I love the concept, but these still need some work. When I try them on doll, Stella, they gape in the crotch area--the worst place! I have some ideas to fix that on future models and I'll definitely try again...

you ain't nothin' but a horned frog... updated for the last time!

Here are the horned frog longies on Katie!

Cute, cute, cute! (if I do say so myself)

my new cousin!

My cousin Dusty and his wife Jessica welcomed their third baby boy yesterday. I made this hat for baby Jace. It's my typical top knot pattern crocheted in a soft acrylic yarn that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas. Welcome to the world, Jace!

trying out a new soaker pattern

I bought the Dandelion Dreamers crocheted soaker pattern so that I could try something other than the Ladybugz longies that are my norm. Here's my first attempt. I had a lot of leftover yarn from Rosie's longies, so I used it here, too. This pattern is worked differently and I think it's fascinating to see how the color repeats change when you work in the round and use a different stitch.

Roses for Rosie

I made this pair of longies and matching hat for everyone's favorite 'pin baby, Rosa-Mae. I'm so pleased with how they came out. They're crocheted in the Ladybugz pattern using Paton's Classic Merino in the "rosewood" colorway. The trim is "dark rose heather" Wool-ease. These are a surprise (shhh!), so I can't wait for them to arrive and see how they fit!

Oh, and I find it wonderfully ironic that I finished them while watching the Rose Bowl today!

trying to stay awake on New Year's Eve

long enough to attend a party at Phil and Cynthia's found me in the mood to do some sewing. I decided to make some mama pad liners for Cynthia since I would be seeing her shortly and she's my one Sugar Land friend to embrace using mama cloth (haha Cynthia--aren't you glad I outed you? Now I'm not the only weird one!). I know these don't appeal to many of you, my loyal blog readers, but I'm proud of my craftsmanship just the same, and for those of you who may be curious but unsure about cloth pads, I recommend this article on Wikipedia. It's really pretty good reading. And, of course, I welcome any questions on the subject, as well!

another first

Wow, you can tell it's my first time to attempt this, but I'm pleased with the results nonetheless. My friend Elizabeth is a brand new mommy and mentioned wanting some nursing pads. I told her I'd try to whip up a pair. Imagine getting breast pads from a lady who has never nursed a child! Ha! I had good fabric and Google and the 'pin for advice, though, so here's what I came up with...



They are made of 2 layers of hemp fleece for absorbency and one layer of windpro fleece for water resistant-ness. I tried to make them contoured for a better fit and succeeded more on one than on the other. I learned a lot though, and I'm grateful that Liz is the kind of friend that I can send my first attempts to!

A Roman Lady

I threw a Roman party for my Latin classes yesterday afternoon. We ate reclining like the Ancient Romans and snacked on bread, grapes, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs. And drank wine (er, grape juice) of course.

I had so much fun making my costume. It's really simple, but it's my first official "garment". Purple tunic, gold rope around an empire waist, gold rope headband, and big gold earrings. Those of you who know me well know that I never wear earrings that hang off my ears, so that was a big stretch!

I invited my class to dress up, too, but only had one taker, pictured to the right. She also made her costume herself. Darling!

you ain't nothin' but a horned frog...

I'm posting occasional pictures of the progress being made on my 'pin friend Jenn's TCU horned frog longies. Well, technically, they're Jenn's daughter's longies. ;-)

1/8--finished!
front


back--my favorite! :D


side


1/7--practice swatch for TCU embroidery on the bum


1/6--just needs finishing touches!




12/29--legs complete, joined, and working up the hips


and a side view so you can see the heiny shaping


12/20--leg #1 complete at 13.5" long and a little more than 13" in circumference


12/17--the beginning of leg #1

look what DAVID made!

It's a yarn swift! I'm told that really nice yarn (the kind I'm always tempted to buy but still shy away from) rarely comes in tidy little skeins like the yarn at Michael's that pull neatly from the center. Therefore, in order to work with it, it must be wound into a center-pull ball with the help of a swift and ball winder. I have a ball winder (something like this) on my Christmas list, and I found plans on-line to make a simple swift. David had been itching for a wood-working project, so he whipped it up for me. It looks great and I'm so excited! Now I must need to buy some really nice yarn, huh?

it's an oven mitt,, it's a mitten, it's a

BATH MITT! I'm still using up the random bits of cotton yarn in my stash and this little pattern caught my eye. It's really soft and roomy! It does seem a little holey to me, so I think I'll do the next one in half-double crochet instead of double to tighten things up a bit. I've been enjoying washcloths in the shower more than my scubbie lately, so maybe I need a few more of these...

pretty as a flower garden

more longies for Lucy! Over Thanksgiving, Stephanie and I went out and chose yarn for Lucy's new longies. She chose Lion Wool in the flower garden colorway in hopes of matching a shirt that Lucy already has. Stephanie also requested a little top-knot hat to match. I think they came out super cute! I'm always hesitant to crochet in variegated yarn since I don't like the "built with Legos" effect that some variegated yarns can create (you can see it a little bit in this hat that I did). But the flower garden longies had *really* short color repeats, which looks like little flecks of color when crocheted. I tried them on Stella, my most cooperative model, and fortunately, they're way too big! But Stephanie, it'll give you an idea of how the ensemble looks all together. Now all I need is to see them on Lucy with her matching shirt!

cousins!

My dear friend Jessica and her sister Kristin are bringing new babies into their homes around the same time. Jessica is due with her 3rd child right after Christmas, and after much anticipation, Kristin and her husband get to go to Taiwan to bring home their adopted daughter Laney in early January. I asked Jessica if it would be dorky to make matching hats for the new cousins. She said no, so here they are...

The slightly larger one on the left is for Laney. I had some 'pin friends with 9-10 month old babies measure their heads so I'd know what size to make it for this sweet little girl. The one on the right is for Jessica's baby Rush (his/her in-utero nickname). It's a newborn+ size, since Jessica swears her kids have unusually large heads. I made these out of Paton's SWS in Natural Earth. They're not the most babyish colors, but I needed them to be gender-neutral since we don't know who Rush is. I used this yarn in a different color on David's cousin Lillian's hat. I still love it--soft, soft, soft.

And one more note for those of you who have excellent memories and may be wondering, "Didn't she already make something for Rush?" Yes, I made Rush a kitty lovey. To my great satisfaction, that kitty lovey has been adopted (stolen?) by Rush's 2 year old sister, Claire. I love that she loves it, and I'm happy to let it be hers and make something new for her baby brother or sister. ;)

I finally finished

the rest of baby Daniel's wipe stash! I gave the 1st dozen to my friend Lisa before Daniel was born, but I only got around to sewing the 2nd dozen today. They have the same flannels on one side, but red velour instead of orange flannel on the other. So soft! I know she uses and likes the flannel ones, so I can't wait to give her these!

a (hopefully) cute twist on a on old classic...

dishcloths! I made these out of leftover cotton yarn from the lion project and Ellie's hat. I think the color combinations came out super cute, even though David agreed that the yellow, orange and white one looks a bit like candy corn! The "candy corn" dishcloth is made in a fun basket weave stitch that took forever but looks really cute. It's about 7x7 inches square. It's pretty thick, so it actually might make a better trivet than dishcloth. Who knows. The pink and chocolate one is a 7x8 rectangle, and was a super easy pattern that is nice and soft--lots of give. Overall, these were fun, and I have plenty of random cotton yarn left. I should make more!

got drafts?

I made this door draft stopper snake today for my sister-in-law for Christmas. She had one on her list, and I (foolishly) thought, "Oh, I can do that! No problem." Wow, were there ever problems! Yes, it looks straightforward enough, and if you look at the pattern, you too will think, "Easy!" but I nearly chunked this thing out the window during the sewing process today. I am such a novice seamstress, and WAY too much of a perfectionist. This creates a problem when my skills are nominal and my expectations are high. Arg. I am pleased to say that I'm satisfied with the final result, and hopefully my husband will soon forget what a bear I was when he happened to come home today in the middle of the most frustrating part!