Hung with care. Hanged with care?

I think I've just discovered that "Twas the Night Before Christmas" is grammatically inaccurate.

Well, crafting apocalypse or no, I had to finish A's stocking. It is nearly as large as he. Which, by the way, is huge. I was looking at his growth charts and he's almost seven inches longer than when he was born five months ago. SEVEN. INCHES.

Boom. Once again, I have a project that proves I might benefit from a little planning in my life. There's ... a lot going on. But I like the size and shape and I'd use the pattern again.

The largest of our stockings, A* will probably come to believe that means he should get more stuff in it. Sorry, dude.

I was going to put a red felt "A" on it, because they all have some sort of graphic element, but a baby just doesn't need a scarlet letter on his stocking. I probably should have gone without the big white stripe then, but by the time I decided to forgo the "A" it was already done. So the tree (conveniently shaped much like an "A") was made of felt and ribbon.



*Referring to August as "A" is going to get confusing, isn't it?

Crafting apocolypse?!

Not yet. But I fear the end is nigh.

Ok, that's probably not true. It's just the knitting thing isn't working out right now. I think - I'm not really sure.

See, my hands are in real rough shape right now due to allergies. In fact, my allergies and I just celebrated our one-year anniversary of getting to know each other. It's a roller coaster relationship. Every time they come back - swearing they'll be nicer and won't drink as much - I'm all "here we go again," and I try kicking them to the curb with tubes of hydrocortizone and other such topicals. But they just keep reappearing. I work with them, and they follow me to shopping malls, restaurants, friends' houses ... and they hide out in my own house, too. I need a restraining order.

Anyways: yarn. I know all the ingredients of my Seventh Generation products because it is a good company that isn't all wrapped up in crazy legal hoo-ha like claiming a list of ingredients is "proprietary." Well, Tide, your precious property was keeping me up at night itching the backs of my knees.

ANYWAYS ... yarn. I do not know the exact ingredients of any of the yarns I use. How do you even go about finding such information? Obviously the label says "wool" or "cotton" or "acrylic" and so forth, but what kinds of substances might be added in the processing and shipping of the yarn? I don't know, and the internet (I can't believe I'm saying this) has failed me. If the internet cannot solve this for me, my life and entire college education is meaningless.

Is the yarn of A's stocking irritating my digits? I can't just stop making it, so tonight I did something totally nerdy and very annoying - I knit with rubber gloves on.

It could probably hold an apple and a few candy canes.

The stocking is officially underway.

My sister and I always got an apple or an orange in the bottom of our stockings. A new toothbrush, too. And candy. Little foil-wrapped Santas and gold coins, a candy-cane tube of red and green M&Ms if we were really lucky. And then some kind of small wrapped gift on top - a CD or movie tickets.

In my family we would always open gifts on Christmas Eve, but the stockings were reserved for Christmas morning and it was probably the one day of the year we were allowed to eat candy at/for breakfast. I hope August has the same good memories I do. But not the cavities ...

I'm knitting, I swear!

Sometimes while I'm feeding the baby. Wrong? Maybe. Efficient? Yes. Other things I do while feeding the baby: watch TV, blog, play games on my phone, feed myself.

I knit a security blankie for a friend's baby but forgot to take any pictures, and I'm still working on August's stocking. Stay tuned.

Happy Christmas?

It wouldn't be if I hadn't remembered that I need to make my baby a stocking. It would've been real sad to hang my stocking, hubs's stocking, and Penny's stocking and then fill them with candies only to realize I missed the opportunity to add one more vessel of sweet holiday excuses. This - not the pressure to get out greeting cards or the idea of potentially having to drive through a blizzard because we've run out of butter after just one batch of spritz - would ruin Christmas. That or my arrest after I *lose it* at work because I've heard Vince Guaraldi's (Charlie Brown's) "Christmas Time is Here" one too many times.


This is the classic pattern I'm using from Patons. We'll see how different mine looks...

Is it that time of year already?

August (the month) is more than half over and the stores have fully merchandised their back-to-school supplies. August (the baby) is six weeks old and has changed a lot since he was born. I shant go into a litany of his isn't-my-baby-amazing developmental feats, but I will remark simply that it's fascinating to think of how much he'll change in yet another month. Kids will be making use of their newly sharpened number twos and my baby will be smiling and probably potty trained and I'm sure I'll be dusting off my long underwear as the temperature begins to dip below 60 degrees.


I'm reflecting on this because the coming cooler seasons conjure the image of knitting and watching the latest television programming and snuggling under a blanket. Whether or not this vision of coziness is attainable with a small being under foot, I'm feeling like making plans for all the knits I'd like to make.


True, I have not picked up any knitting in the last two months. But I do want to get moving on August's giraffe and maybe I'll make him a little pilot hat. At the very least I'd like to spend hours and hours on Ravelry searching for and saving patterns for sweaters and toys and socks and all kinds of assorted goodies that I'll never get to - but, like knitting in front of our gas fireplace with the TV on and a mug of cocoa beside me, it's nice to think about.

Also nice to think about: greenness. Trees and grass and all the lovely green things of summer are still here and I love it. Strange to think about: if you live in the southern hemisphere Christmas is in the summer.

Craft! Craft while you still can!

This is what the voices tell me. There are just 12 weeks left.

Which reminds me - I went shopping for clothes and found A LOT of deals so I ended up in the dressing room for like an hour and somewhere in there I noticed that I'm really pregnant. Our little $15 dorm room mirror at home has not done me justice, but the store had huge mirrors unblemished with areas of distortion and cripes am I big. Not as big as I will be, but I still had to take a moment. Will I ever look like this again? Will I remember this when I'm old and have no idea what day it is? Do I fully appreciate the quiet calm of having an inside-baby?

Um, anyways. As expected, most of what I've been doing is in the drawing book because it indulges the crafty side and the lazy side. But I need to make curtains, I've started a stuffed giraffe, I'd like to start knitting a skirt for Laura's birthday, and I have made several thank-you notes to be used later on. They kind of follow the theme and colors of the baby room.


I love paper crafts. I love the smell of paper. So cards are some of my favorite things to make - especially because they are uber expensive to buy and I've already amassed a stockpile of supplies.

On the other hand, designing these things can take a lot of tries and it can still get expensive depending on embellishments. This is why I don't plan on making scrapbooks for this child or possibly for anything other than to add to books I've already started. Instead I plan on ordering custom digital books, which might not take any less time but will be less expensive. And they'll have that delicious paper and ink smell.

The sweater I actually made and have worn.

Cascade 220 makes a toasty garment, which I've needed up until a few days ago when we had an incredibly warm spell of 50 degrees. Of course now it's getting cold again, because that was just a horrible - and yet glorious - fluke. It is not in February's true nature to stay above freezing for more than 24 hours. February is Minnesota's one great flaw. Unless you count March.

Anyways, I'm happy to say that the flaws in my knitting are known only to me and to the few people I've confessed them to, and I know where all of them live, so whatever.


It took a year to complete this project and that does not bode well for someone with several dozen sweater patterns in her faves and a baby brewing. Given the choice, I'd rather be knitting than doing laundry or wiping butts, but sacrifices will have to be made. The dangers of falling asleep with sharp objects in my hands aside, maybe I can knit while the baby naps.


Silly as it may be, I nixed my original plan to use toggle buttons on this sweater because they can sometimes be sort of pokey. Pokey things on clothing are uncomfortable for babies, therefore toggle buttons are out. It's a classic A=B and B=C so A=C situation. It's ironic, really, because I'm starting to maybe notice that this baby is a bit pokey itself. We're still in the was-that-the-baby-or-just-gas? phase. But it's exciting to speculate.

Also exciting is that our anatomy ultrasound is in two days. TWO DAYS! BOY OR GIRL? We shall see. In 35 hours, to be precise.

I'm on a button hunt.

I actually finished the sweater I've been making for the last year. WOO HOO! And it totally fits. But it needs eight good-sized buttons (maybe 1.5") and I need advice. I don't want to post a picture because I need totally organic suggestions.

So imagine a long winter-white sweater vest with large cables and a ribbed collar/hem/front opening. What color are the buttons? What sort of texture? What shape? Pretend that there are no limitations, just imagine the ideal buttons. And then tell me where I might be able to get them.

This is the most amount of clothes I've worn in possibly ever.

Last night our furnace stopped taking in air to heat so the house was holding steady at 55 degrees, the temperature at which I stop denying the dog the benefit of sleeping under the covers with us, resulting in me being wedged between her and hubs in a tomb-like position all night except when I had to get up to pee at 5 am, which thoroughly woke me up because you can imagine how cold the toilet seat was. I'm still wearing no less than five layers of clothes, even though an HVAC guy came out like six hours ago and fixed the problem. I hate being cold.

On the plus side, I got some knitting done today and helped my star* student fix a couple of problems in her own projects. We had the fireplace going, the tree lit, and Ghostbusters 2 on TV. Turned out to be a pretty nice snowy day. Maybe after the holidays I won't be working full time and I'll be able to finish that sweater that's been in the works for months!


*my only student

A little gnome told me...

to make a gnome hat. And then put a beard on it. So I did, and I'm hoping it will fit an infant and that said infant will tolerate it just long enough for a photo op.


Here it is next to a mug for scale:



Adult-sized version coming soon, possibly even with a pattern attached!

I love scarves, but...

they do have a tendency to dangle in unwanted places. The dog's face, the kitchen sink, my cereal bowl; that kind of thing. But now....BEHOLD!


Cowls. I don't know what their fates will be. Clearly I shouldn't have tried to sell them at an outdoor sale on a 90 degree summer day. But the internets have no weather patterns outside of the occasional blip in speed. Remember when all there was was dial-up and you had to wait like 20 seconds for every page to load? Now, if it's not instant, I have a very precise reaction: swear while pounding my fist on the desk, then roll my eyes while still managing to use my peripheral vision to keep tabs on the screen in case it changes, then full-on look at the screen for a moment before swearing and pounding my fist on the desk.


The point is, the cowls will probably end up in the shop someday.

I try to stay away from gender-specific stuff, but...

My cousin Sara is having a girl and I previously had bought a metric ton of pink baby yarn at the Needlework Unlimited outlet, so there you have it.


Also, sometimes frilly, ruffly things are just cute. There, I said it. Grandpa Ryan will make sure she plays with trucks.

Clearly the sweater is unfinished, but I'm giving it short sleeves with eyelets and a tiny ruffle at the cuff. Sara was one of the cutest kids ever, so I'm betting the baby is going to be super snuggly in this sweater.

Wooly June

After several years of serious knitting, I think I finally understand something very important. You can't start mittens in January just because your hands are cold. Nor can you start a hat on, oh, December 22nd to give someone at Christmas, as if it won't take more than the two hours you might spend running to the store for a last-minute gift.


You have to have the foresight to start these projects early enough to allow for the relaxed, careful, and loving mindset with which they were meant to be made. So it's June, and it seems ever so wrong, but I've gotten out my wool blends and finished a couple of things with more time to spare than a half-day kindergartener.*


The mittens are for myself, to match my other winter warmies. The hat is for my dad. I was inspired on Father's Day to make it for him, which is just another indication that I tend to be a bit late to the party when it comes to having revelations.


Dad's been wearing the same stocking hat since sometime last century, but the real motivation was that he's so encouraging of my crafts. And not in a required-because-we're-family way. Sure, he's biased, but he's still sincere. So I made him a hat of mostly red, a color he looks smashing in, for the shoveling and car scraping and snowman making with the grandkids.


*I was going to go with a simile comparing my spare time with my grandmother sitting in a nursing home, but then thought that might be in poor taste.

Baby goods of a delicious color

Tiny sweater....


and tiny hat/mittens set....

Owl update

You may or may not remember Asma Owl, but now there's a new owl in town and he's for sale!


He has already gone national in his short life. I started him right before we went to Omaha for a surprise birthday party (why can't I quit you, Omaha?) and finished him on the ride down.


He is the quintessential "me" item. Made him up as I went. I did redo the eyes a couple times to get the colors right, though.


Don't have a name for him yet. If he doesn't sell at the craft show this weekend, I'll have to think of one before he pops up on Etsy.

Sheldon the turtle

Gah! Naked!


I just remembered that I never posted about this guy because it was a gift and, you know, I didn't want to spoil anything. But now baby Parker is here and Sheldon actually went on his slow-but-merry way a while ago.


I messed with the pattern so it doesn't look like the original, as usual. I just love that the shell comes off. I think this was the last project I did pre-craft show madness time. Speaking of which, back to it!

TIIIIINY sweaters for sale; 12 days left until the Spring Market!

These new creations are just a reminder that small things are cute. I would stick one on the wall, but they may very well fit a doll or could go on the holiday tree. They aren't available on Etsy, but they will be at the show!


The "MN" sweater, the "two is better than one" sweater, the "two-toned tunic" sweater, and the "heart of bricks" sweater.

Hey, I cleaned the bathroom floors yesterday.

And on the crafting front, I haven't been doing nothing, it only seems like it because the blog is gathering dust. Mostly I'm trying to get ready for the Spring Market, which means making stuff that probably won't go up on Etsy because I'm sure it will all sell at the show, plus redoing business cards and updating "the books" and laying out how I'll display things, and so on. Lots to do. Also, Becky and I made a special birthday package for our Aunt Colleen that included this:


and this:


Apparently I didn't take pictures of the other stuff - an apple, three strawberries, a lemon, a lime, an orange, and a pear. Becky's pear is my fave. She's got excellent pictures here. Seb's toy food was the inspiration, but we stuck to fruits for a theme. No ice cream cones. The grapes were a by-the-seat-of-my-pants creation, and I'm pleased at how the purple rounded out the colors in the collection.

It took me long enough

I said I was going to post my as-of-yet favorite original design on Etsy like eight weeks ago and I finally did. Well, I said it last week. But here she is:


I'm particularly pleased with the loopy tail.



Onward!