30

Today is my big birthday. 30!

gifts from nature via my girl

embroidery by Elisabeth -- a very tiny tulip, because they're my favorite

dusk on the eve of my birthday

THIRTY roses from my husband

My big day, and my husband and I both feel pretty yucky. He's much sicker; he came home from work this morning after about 40 minutes. We've been lying low. Birthday plans for tonight have been postponed until tomorrow, in hopes that we'll both be feeling better.

But, I had to post at least a little something today. And do I ever have a little something to show! I'm left a little speechless by this, but I received a collaborative gift in the mail today from Alicia, Emily, Erin, and Sarah. These women are talented and generous and simply awe-inspiring. I am stunned by what they sent.

It's a book. A book that Sarah made, and hinted about here. (I can't believe that was for me!)

photograph and quote shared by Emily

Each of them shared a little something with me. I am touched and amazed and ... well, I can't think what to say. A little teary. This is what I was talking about with regard to blog friends!

watercolor and ink by Alicia (isn't her handwriting beautiful?)

photograph and watercolor & ink by Alicia

30 things that Erin loves about me?!

"thirty plus one to grow on" by emily

photographs by Sarah

I wanted to share more photos of the pages of the book, but my photos of their photos weren't turning out as well as I'd like.

Anyway, despite feeling somewhat yucky, this has been such a sweet, sweet day. Such a way to welcome my thirties! Thank you all!

52 weeks ~ 3

I forgot to do it last week, I know. But here we are this week, with two.

I really do need a tripod. That would help a lot with this project. My arms are only so long. ;)

We're now officially entering my birthday weekend. Celebrating will begin tonight and continue all the way through Monday. Yay!

And thank you all so much for your many sweet comments on my last post. It has me thinking about so many things. I hope to talk more about those thoughts late next week.

on blogging

This post is going to run the risk of getting all sentimental (and there is a glass of wine at my right hand as I type this), but I am just so touched and honored and excited about the very real connections I've made over the last year and a bit with some of you amazing bloggers.

When I was a girl, I had a lot of pen pals. In France, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, and several US states. Most of them were with other children (and later teens) that I never met in person. But we learned and shared so much through those letters. It was such a meaningful experience for me -- so much so, that I still have all the letters in a box at my parents'.

Fast forward 15 years, to blogging. Today was a super hard day for me. The house hunting is not going well. It seems that everything we can afford is just ... well, not really appropriate for a family. When it says "perfect for students" in the ad, that's a bad sign. Or when you step into a house and you're pretty sure there's dried vomit on the wall. We looked at five houses today, and not one of them was anywhere I'd feel comfortable with my children running around in. Indoors or out. But my day was sweetened so, so very much by a silly (in the best of ways) back-and-forth exchange with Kirsten about Pride and Prejudice. It was nice, after looking for hours at the same house listed over and over again on all the different websites, to pop into my email and have something to laugh about. So, thank you, Kirsten.

And then there was the sweet package, in more than one way, sent by Emily last week for Valentine's Day. My children were over the moon about the little packets of goodies just for them. And she sent the marshmallows (above), which were so light and fluffy and pillowy and sweet and just everything a marshmallow should be. And then, she sent these beautiful goccoed cards. I tucked one into my husband's bag before he left town on Friday, and he was not only glad to have a note from me while he was away (I admit that I do this every time he goes out of town, though), but he was also amazed by the card. He knows what's good. And I was blown away by Emily's generosity and sweetness and just the amazing goodness of having met her.

There is the criticism about blogging -- saying that when we spend time building relationships with "computer friends" and living in "virtual worlds", we're not building relationships with people in our real lives, or living in our own real worlds. I understand this point. I really do. But I have to say that blogging, for me, has been a way to motivate myself in my actual life (would I have anything great to share here if I weren't really doing it?), and honestly, we are living in a world that is becoming more and more technolically-driven. Whether we like it or not, "community" is coming to be defined in different ways. So, no, I don't know Emily and Kirsten "in the flesh." But these were real connections, that I really needed in that exact moment, I'll add. Blogging friends are real friends.

So, thank you wonderful blogging friends. For your lovely comments that make me smile or pick me up when I'm having a down day. For all of your inspiring blogs, and the commitment that it takes to keep them up. I would just love to share a cup of hot chocolate with one of Emily's marshmallows in it with you right now. Except they're all eaten up. ;)

from the weekend

Just a few photos from the weekend to share on this Monday.

Special treat: a trip to a 50's diner in the middle of a very long weekend without Daddy.

My girl. In my favorite dress on her. Wishing her face were more in focus, but it was pretty dark out when I took it. Wondering how I got so lucky to be the mama of this amazing child.

Other bits from my thoughts tonight:

~We've been doing some packing and lots and lots of looking at houses, so that's been occupying much of our time and energies. Looking for a rental can be kind of depressing, especially when you want to live here, which is of course not an option as it's some thousands of miles from here.

~In seven days I will be 30 years old! My husband, who turned 40 in December, thinks it's the teeniest bit amusing that I'm getting all excited about this. But I am. :)

~We had a pretty fantastic sunset tonight. I'll leave you with some photos of that.

Sweet

Did you have a sweet Valentine's Day? We did. In a literal and figurative sense.

The wee ones awoke to valentines and gifts at their places at the table. I got the idea for the valentines from The Purl Bee. (And can I just add how much I love The Purl Bee? They're brilliant, I tell you.) I love the way these look, and I love the fabrics here. Perfect for these, if I do say so myself.

Then we spent most of the day with my mom, having lunch and super-fancy pastries at a little old-fashioned Swiss restaurant, then off to an indoor play area (I don't love those, but my little ones seem to...) for the kids to run and jump and play. (We did end up with several inches of snow yesterday and a high in the low 20's.)

We headed home, and I had cello lessons to teach right away. Then some dinner (Mexican food and margaritas) when Daddy got home, and off to bed.

Very sweet indeed. 

A little taste of spring

Today (and yes, it's still today ... it's "only" 11pm as I type this!) we enjoyed a lovely little respite from the cold days of winter. It was 65 and sunny (tomorrow we're expecting a high of 25 and several inches of snow, though).

My children spent hours playing outdoors, while I finished piecing Jennifer's block for the Bee.

Ah, spring. I could get used to you.

Beginnings

I've been in a bit of a blogging funk lately (could you tell?). Just feeling like ideas are a bit thin, not much to say. I thought about taking a break for a little while, but I think I'll try to stick it out and get over the hump. There will be things to post soon. (Did I mention that my 30th birthday is in less than two weeks now -- 13 days, to be precise?)

So what has been going on around here? A lot of beginnings. Birthday ideas (my children's birthdays follow along right after mine) are in the beginning stages. The Tilted Duster has been cast on and is slowly, slowly coming. We're looking for a house ... we rent here, and we're looking for another rental, so it won't be our dream house, but I'm hoping we'll find something with more space indoors and out.

Work on my first foundation-pieced quilt block, for the Virtual Quilting Bee. Our items Mini-swap 3 are being planned with glee. Four dolls are in various states. Another little knitting project needs to be cast off and finished. A little boy, 23 months old today, is needing a bit more mama time (especially at night) lately. Enjoying the little taste of spring that comes around Valentine's Day most years in our part of the world.

So, in all, it's a very productive time, even though I feel that my blogging voice is a bit hoarse. I am making a little posting goal to myself to share a little something, even if it's a random photo, these next few weeks as I focus on all of the things we've begun here.

{The photos in this post are from my west-facing studio window, where I've been spending a bit more time in these days of quiet productivity.}

52 weeks ~ 2

::for 52 weeks, my kids and me::

We have had a weird, long week. It hasn't been bad, but just somehow out of balance. Baby sleep troubles, thinking about moving (to a bigger house, not a different locale ... sorry dear friends!), a couple of headaches for the mama (I so rarely get them that it's been pretty odd), and very few ideas about posting here. And a lot of projects begun, but none completed. So.

Today seems a bit better. Elisabeth and I started reading Little Town on the Prairie today. We'd read all the Little House books through The Long Winter last year, and then took a little pause (mostly because we didn't have the others). We haven't been able to put it down! This has to be my favorite of the books. I love the evocative way that she describes the simple pleasures in keeping a home so well, and the satisfaction of taking comfort in home and family after a day of real work. It has nearly brought me to tears a few times today. (Well, it's been that kind of week.) More than once, I wanted to jump up and rush in here to exclaim to you all, "You have to read this now, friends!" And my real-life friends will chuckle when they read that it has me thinking about a housecleaning kick. ;)

Anyway, I want to leave you (and me) to look forward to the weekend (and the upcoming spring, which is not really so far away afterall) with some words from the book:

"Beyond the open door and window the prairie was dusky but the sky was still pale, with the first stars beginning to quiver in it. The wind went by, and in the house the air stirred, pleasantly warmed by the cookstove and scented with prairie freshness and food and tea and a cleanness of soap and a faint lingering smell of the new boards that made up the new bedrooms.

"In all that satisfaction, perhaps the best part was knowing that tomorrow would be like today, the same and yet a little different from all the other days, as this one had been."

Tracks in the Snow

I meant to post yesterday. But after awakening from a night filled with bad dreams (unusual for me) with a screaming headache (even more unusual), I ended up with a "nothing is going to happen today" sort of day.

We did get out of the house to make tracks in the falling snow for a while in the afternoon, though, and that really helped to turn the day around. I love James's little tracks, especially.

A fire in the fireplace, some hot chocolate, an early bedtime for Mama, and things were good again.

Just Us

I accepted an invitation several weeks ago to join the Flickr group 52 weeks, my kid(s) and me, and have never posted to it. (I have a gnawing feeling that there are a lot of things that I said that I would do or joined -- or something -- that I haven't done. Only I can't think of what they are.)

Anyway, I finally decided that I would start it this week, especially with today being February 1, and the time for me to decompress after the holidays has probably passed. So new projects it is. 52 weeks of self-portraits of me and my wee ones (I think Fridays sound pretty good), and the Virtual Quilting Bee begins this month, too. (And I'd just like to say that I am so flattered to have been asked to join this group. The other ladies in this group are so very talented. It's going to be fantastic.) And "birthday season" at our house is now rolling into gear (mine at the end of this month, James's in March, and Elisabeth's in April), so there will be work on projects for those, and Easter falls into that mix, as well. And, I have another very special something in the works, so stay tuned...

Anyway, Hello, February! Hello New Projects! Goodbye Christmas of 2007! (You were great, and I learned a lot from you, and now you are passed. Thank goodness.)

Some Etsy love

{First, I wanted to thank all of your for your amazing and thoughtful responses to my request on Tuesday. This community just blows me away all the time! I will certainly give you all an update about how my talk goes -- it's actually in May, but I'm trying to get a head start on preparing for it.}

I am quite remiss in sharing some Etsy goodies that have made their way into our house over the past several months.

A lot of them have come our way from Erin's lovely shop. Erin and I have become such good friends over the last 6 months or so, and I find that she has the exact same taste as me in so many things (except the color pink, which I love and she doesn't). Her style is so simple, classic, and, well, exactly what I love, too. So, I've been buying pants from her for my wee ones at every turn.

These two great pairs of cords were for James, with adorable pockets.

I don't find photographing pants on moving toddlers to be all that easy.

And then, Elisabeth requested a pair of jeans with matching pockets, and Erin obliged with beautiful results.

Both children also have some Christmas tree appliqued turtlenecks from Erin, but they are constantly in some state of laundry, so I wasn't able to get photos for this post. :(

This fantastic "Super Organized Wallet" came my way from Dogwood Lane about 6 months ago, and I rotate it with the lovely one from Erin. They are both perfect for different circumstances, so I love having both. Sally was so sweet to do business with, and I was her 100th customer, so she sent me an adorable "extra", as well. So sweet.

And there's this Artist Tote from Alicia's shop. Alicia has also come to be a very dear friend, almost since the beginning of my blog. She was the first person to link to my site. :) I simply cannot say enough about the quality of Alicia's work. The tote is really amazing. And it's lined with a batting of some sort, so I've found it really handy to use for a simple camera carry when I don't need more than one lens. The notebook that she included (covered with matching fabric!?!) is never far away from me ... I'm constantly jotting something or other down. Thank you, sweet Alicia.

I've also been picking up vintage buttons on Etsy here and there when I see some that I just need -- here are a few I've found around (there are always different ones popping up in all sorts of different Etsy shops -- they're so much fun to look for!):

Finally, this print made its way to me (way back in September) all the way from France -- via the lovely Julia of lineanongrata. It's just waiting to be framed ... still ... and this photo does not do it justice in any way. It is simply exquisite.

I also have to mention that my dear friend Rebecca has started her own Etsy shop full of her original handmade cards. Her work is beautiful and full of care, if I do say so myself.

So, get yourself over to Etsy and have some fun perusing some of the just incredible things that artists and craftspeople are creating. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Today's lunch -- and a question for YOU

A favorite lunch around here -- avocadoes with grape tomatoes, some olive oil and cider vinegar, with a touch of fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper.

My parents and in-laws always express a teensy bit of surprise and admiration about how "well" my children eat. I'm not all that surprised ... children always seem to like what's familiar to them, and we've always fed them lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. They are both little veggie eaters now. (Especially Elisabeth -- James likes meat, a thing she'd never had at his age. How the standards have eased with that second child. Hee hee.) Oh, my little gourmands.

I also have a request of you all. It's pretty important, so pay attention and do leave a comment!

I have been asked to speak/lead a session/whatever it's called on creative outlets for mothers at an upcoming parenting conference. I'm going to talk about carving out time for creating, blogging, and different forms of creative expression. Clearly my strengths (if you call them that ... I struggle a bit with being too modest sometimes practically all the time) lie in the "fiber arts" (sewing, knitting, dollmaking, etc.), but I'd really like to talk about other creative outlets, too. From writing to photography, from dance to gardening, from music making to cooking ... what are some of the ways all of you mothers express your creativity in your daily life? What I'm looking for are just examples of things to do (not specifically how you fit them in, though that would also be lovely!) that I can weave into my talk, and I know you all are the perfect people to ask. So fire away! Think about it, and let me know!

An Impromtu Party

Ugh. We had a long and yucky weekend ... both kids ended up with stomach viruses, and my husband was out of town. So, yeah, it was a loooooong weekend.

The good news is that everyone seems back to normal today. Enough so that this morning, Elisabeth said that she'd like to have a party for a stuffed bear.

So, this afternoon, we made a cake (using the oatmeal cake recipe from this book, substituting coconut oil for the butter, whole wheat pastry flour for most of the flour, and soy creamer for the milk in the "icing" -- but even after reducing the sugar in the actual cake by almost a third, this stuff was like eating spoonfuls of pure sugar -- I'm not sure if I'd make it again for that reason!) and got down to the business of partying.

Some days I feel so scattered and overwhelmed by all the things that I "should" be doing that I forget to play with my children. But when I take the time to do it, I think we're all better off for it.

Dollmaking FAQ

I get a lot of questions about my dolls, and I thought I'd try to answer a few of them here. Please do email me with any questions that I haven't answered at uncommongrace(at)comcast(dot)net.

~Do you sell your dolls? I am not currently taking commissions for custom dolls. I'm sorry to disappoint, but the pressure of making custom doll orders was too much for me. Should I ever reconsider this, I will announce it here on the blog, but at this time, I don't intend to take any more custom orders.

If you really want a doll made just for your child, or buying a doll made by someone else is too expensive (which I understand -- that's how I became a dollmaker myself!), I strongly recommend making your own. There is nothing like the experience of giving a child a doll you have made with your own hands. I know this as a dollmaker and as a mama.

 Read on to find out more!

~I want to make my own doll. Can you help me get started? I can offer you a lot of tips and advice on dollmaking. First, I just want to say that no matter how the doll turns out, your child will be privileged to have a doll made especially for him or her with the love that can be embued into it only by having been made by a parent (or other significant adult, of course -- grandparents, aunties, uncles, teachers, friends, older siblings, and cousins are all amazing dollmakers, too!).

With that said, here is a list of skills, tips, and materials that will be invaluable in your dollmaking journey.

1. Dollmaking is not hard, but it does require a lot of time, patience, and at least somewhat proficient sewing skills. (Hand and machine.) I don't recommend it as a "first sewing project" -- at least not without a lot of frustration.

2. Use a thimble. Seriously. Very important.

3. Learn how to hand sew a blindstitch. You will use this stitch to attach the body & arms, and to turn up the feet in some styles of doll. This is so important, not just for aesthetic reasons, but because a hidden stitch is much less likely to snag, thereby causing the doll to come apart.

4. Sew every seam on the doll TWICE. This means machine sewing around the body twice, and handsewing the head seams and attaching seams twice as well. This way if a stitch did get snagged or pulled and an entire seam came out, the doll would still hold together.

5. Assemble your materials, patterns, and instructions yourself. There are lots of kits out there, and I admit that I have not tried all of them. I'm certainly not saying that any of the companies that assemble and sell kits are trying to set people up for failure or that their kits are "bad". But the universal complaints I hear about kits are, "there wasn't enough (insert supply here)" or "the instructions, especially for the hair, were too confusing." Which leads to ...

6. The only resource you really NEED is the book Making Waldorf Dolls by Maricristin Sealey (this book was formerly called "Kinder Dolls"). It has all the patterns right there for a lot of doll styles and sizes, ready to trace out of the book. It has detailed instructions for dozens of hairstyles. It even has stitch schematics on some of the handsewing stitches you'll need to know.

7. Use a ballpoint needle on your sewing machine when sewing the doll's body. It's devastating when you are stuffing a doll and discover some "laddering" or runs (like with stockings) in the fabric of the doll's body, which can be caused by using a standard sewing machine needle.

8. Stuff the doll as firmly as you can; this will help it to hold its shape better over time. (Especially important with regard to the head.)

9. Allow yourself plenty of time to make a doll. Several months for your first doll, especially if it's going to be a surprise and must be worked on in stolen moments.

~What kind of yarn do you use for hair? I prefer to use a worsted-weight wool yarn. I have noticed that the mohair, while really pretty at first, becomes "ratty" more quickly, and doesn't retain that initial softness. I like Lamb's Pride Worsted and Cascade 220 for doll hair. Both come in a lot of colors.

~I've got the book you recommended. What other supplies do I need, then, if I'm not using a kit?
-Paper to draft your patterns
-pencil
-marking pen or pencil
-5" doll needle (sold at JoAnn and Hobby Lobby, not just specialty websites)
-ballpoint sewing machine needles
-small handsewing needles (I like to use little sharps)
-embroidery needles (some with large eyes to accomodate yarn for some of the hairstyles)
-thimble
-thread in colors to match both the skin and hair
-1 skein of yarn for hair
-embroidery floss in eye and lip colors
-1/2 yard of 100% cotton interlock fabric in the skin color of your choice
-1/2 pound of 100% wool batting for stuffing the doll (polyester fiberfill really does not work for this -- it won't hold its shape nearly as well)
-about 18" of tubular gauze to make the inner head form
-a spool of strong, thick cotton string
-1/2 yard fabric for a dress, a little less for an apron or pants
-other sewing notions for sewing the clothing: matching thread, standard sewing machine needles, ribbon or trim, buttons, narrow elastic, etc.

I get the majority of my dollmaking supplies from A Child's Dream Come True, including the tubular gauze for the inner head form, the wool batting (though I'm sourcing a local supplier for this), and the cotton string. I have used skin fabric from both Magic Cabin and Dancing Rain Dolls, and have been satisfied with both.

Dollmaking is an incredibly satisfying journey. Nothing compares to creating a doll with your own hands and watching it come to life. Best wishes to you on your own dollmaking quest!

A Birthday Puppet

We celebrated the 5th birthday of a little friend over the weekend, and this was his gift.

I have had the idea of making hand puppets with Waldorf-doll-style heads for about 6 months. At the end of last summer, I even made several head prototypes and purchased some cotton velour for the bodies. But then, as is my wont, I let the project sit.

A few weeks ago, we had another little friend's birthday to attend, and I pulled out a puppet head and started trying to fashion a body and hat for it. That first hat just about did me in, and after throwing the puppet head and hat across the room on the night before the party, we settled for buying a gift on the way in the morning.

Not to be deterred, when this last birthday party came up, I pulled out the puppet and tried again. I was able to come up with a hat that worked pretty well, and the body is serviceable. The design will need some tweaking when I make another one, but I think that this weekend's birthday boy was pretty happy with it when all was said and done.

How to line a handknit hat

OK, I did lie a little bit when I said there would be no more knitted hats for a while. After yesterday's post about James's new hat, I had a couple of people ask how exactly I would go about lining it. So I thought I'd photograph the process today and post about it.

I started with a piece of cotton jersey knit, about twice as big as the hat. You could use cotton interlock or ribknit, too (it just needs to have the stretch). I happened to have that jersey. (If you're confused about the different knits out there, as I was, here's an explanation.)

Fold the fabric in half, right sides together. Be sure it's folded in a way that gives you the most stretch from side to side. Place the hat flat on the fabric, with the forehead up against the fold. The fold will be the most smooth and comfortable part, so it should be in the front. (Obviously this exact cutting layout really only matters if the hat actually has a "front", such as with an earflap hat.)

Trace around the hat with a marking pen.

Cut out, leaving some seam allowance. You're actually going to stitch just inside the marked line, so the seam allowance doesn't have to be perfect.

Using a ball-point needle and a stretchy machine stitch, sew around the top and back, staying just inside the marked lines.

Trim.

Place inside the hat, wrong sides together. This is, really, the trickiest part of the whole project. If you can get the actual wearer of the hat or someone with a similarly shaped head to be your model, it makes it easier.

You can slip the lining and the hat onto their head and oh-so-carefully pin them together from that position. This will help to have them really fitting together well. Take your time with this, because no one is going to enjoy wearing a hat with a wrinkly lining!

If it's an earflap hat, trim the corners (with diagonal snips) to make folding under easier.

Thread a sharp handsewing needle with a length of thread. You can really use any color, because it should theoretically not show. But choose a color of thread that you really could live with if it shows a little.

I don't like to knot my thread when handsewing from the right side like this, especially on stretchy fabric. I looked online today for about 20 minutes (pretty much my limit) to see if this technique actually has a name, and didn't come up with anything. It probably does. I just don't know it. ;)

Anyway, insert your needle into the seam that you sewed on your machine about an inch or two back from what will be the folded edge. Pull it through, leaving about a one-inch tail of thread. Take a few small backstitches right in the seam line, catching only the lining fabric and not the hat, just to secure the thread. You can actually travel all the way to the edge with these tiny stitches. Go back and cut the tail right up at the edge of the fabric. Stretch the fabric a bit, and any remaining bit of the tail will pull to the inside. This method is as secure as a knot, and is what I use when making dolls.

Fold the edge of the lining under (I just fold every few inches as I go without pinning), and slip stitch to the knitted hat.

To slip stitch (some people call this "ladder stitch"): Take a small horizontal stitch right in the fold of the lining. Take another small horizontal stitch through the yarn in the hat. Be careful not to pull it too taut -- it will cause the fabric to gather. This stitch is not very stretchy, so I like to stretch the fabric along the thread after I've sewn a few inches just to ensure that the finished hat will be able to stretch around the head of the wearer.

When you come to the corners on the earflaps, be sure to take your time to fold them so that they look nice and neat and don't create extra bulk.

Once you've sewn the lining to the hat all the way around, take several small stitches back up that seam line, and trim the tail right up against the fabric once again. And now you have a lined hat to keep your loved ones warm without the itch!

All hats, all the time

Last week, when my fingers were so itchy to knit a Thorpe hat, I took my wee ones with me to our local yarn store and we chose yarn to make a hat for each of them. The Thorpe was completed for Elisabeth by the next morning, and then this hat for James was cast on and completed on Friday.

This is one of the "Kim's Hats" (earflap variation) from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. I loved it for its simplicity and ease (the decreases were so very basic). It is a great canvas for all sorts of design ideas. I will make this hat again. (Not this week -- I promise, no more knitted hats around here for a little while!)

I do think I liked the earflaps better on the Thorpe, though. And I think I could've knit it a bit longer -- it doesn't cover as much of the neck as I'd like. But otherwise, I love this hat, the random stripes (my method: hmm, I think I'll add a stripe now), the yarn, and the garter brim. (I absolutely love the look of garter stitch. I don't much love the row after row sameness in knitting it -- I like a bit of diversity when working a pattern! -- but the look is so satisfying to me. I think it's just that I really like all things basic and simple.)

The yarn is more Manos del Uruguay (that's what my children chose), in Olive (#55, the green) and Stellar (#110, the variegated). I knit this one on size 9 bamboo needles.

Now, photographing this hat was another story altogether. James doesn't particularly like hats -- not this one, or any other. He screams every time we put one on him (hence the handiness of the ties), even when it is 10 degrees outside (like today). Once we had it on him today for the "photo shoot", and he was happy enough for me to start snapping away, he was running all over the place and hardly stood still long enough for me to get a decent close-up of the hat. So, you may not get a very good idea of how I did the striping. (I do think I will line it, like this one, to maybe cut down on the itch -- hopefully that will help him to like wearing it better.)

Anyway, halfway through January, my children finally each have a decent hand-knit hat from their mama. What could be better? (Other than coming inside for a bit of hot cocoa?)   

Swappy

Since I posted Elisabeth's new hat yesterday, I thought it might be nice if I shared a couple of other hats I knitted in the last year. One was for Alicia's sweet N, and I posted about it here. Alicia posted about it here. Here's one more photo of my wee one wearing it, which I'm posting just to remember the amazing greenness of only a few months ago. (The hat and other items were swapped for this amazing painting for Elisabeth.)

And Erin and I did a swap in November. She has posted about our swap here and here, and I've been feeling terrible about not sharing about it from my end yet.

She sent two adorable Market Totes for my children. A cherry-appliqued one for Elisabeth, and a tomato-appliqued one for James. They hang on hooks by our front door, always at the ready to come out with us on an adventure, or for some important "toting" around the house.

And she didn't leave the mama out, either! I have really loved the clutch that she designed especially for me.

It's really one of my favorite accessories, with all that pink and brown and Joel Dewberry fabric and the fairy flying the kite on the back. Wow. (You can see more of that in Erin's post.) Right now it's where I'm stashing my Tilted Duster money. (Ssssh!)

For Erin's sweet little one, I knitted this hat, which I must say is one of my favorite handknits to date. I always get a broad smile when I see it in one of Erin's photos.

Here it is on my little model, back in late November. I remember this day so well -- he was so unhappy, and such an unwilling model that afternoon. It was really tough to convince him to let me get just a few pictures. He managed to smile a few times for me, for which I was so grateful and I remember just thinking how blessed I am to have such a sweet wee one in my life; so willing to try something to help his mama, and so generally cheerful.

The hat is knitted using some handspun, hand-dyed yarn from cassiemarie. I was so happy with this yarn, and Cassie was so sweet to do business with. I will definitely buy yarn from her again!

The pattern is The Little Flap Cap #109 by Cabin Fever, another super quick, easy, and fun pattern. I modified it slightly (to give it that elfin point) by only working the decreases at the crown until I had about eight stitches or so left, and then knit about five rows plain (I think -- don't quote me on that). I also omitted the colorwork that was in the original pattern since I was using that beautiful variegated/self-striping yarn.

Then I lined the hat using a buttery-hued, lightweight, soft cotton knit. (The fabric was actually a crib sheet that we'd had for 5 1/2 years and never used since our children don't know what cribs are.) You can see the lining in this picture of the hat on the head of the doll Sally, who had no body at that time. ;)

I love how this particular hat goes down so far on the neck -- I thought it looked a teensy bit odd as I knitted it, but once it was on an actual child, I realized how fantastic it would be to keep a little neck warm!

OK, I know it's been about a million photos (and links! the links!) in this post, so I'll just top with this last one:

But I won't end this post without first wishing a happy fifth and seventh birthday to the children of two sweet bloggy friends! Happy day, little ones! (And to you mamas, too.)

New handknits

I first saw this hat over at Leslie's (and she's knitted it a few more times!), and then at Erin's, and then I decided that I needed to knit it up right away.

It was fast and mostly easy. Casting on at the crown with one stitch on each of the four double-point needles was a bit fiddly. And I had never used a crochet hook for anything besides picking up a dropped stitch here or there, so the half-double crochet around the edge was my very first crochet attempt. I have no idea if I did it backwards or not.

But other than the slightly confusing crown and the crochet edging, it was really easy, and I knit it in probably about four hours after casting on yesterday afternoon.

The pattern is Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur, whose blog I had never seen before, but I am really loving it now! The yarn is Manos del Uruguay in Mulled Wine (#118) for the hat and Pink (#01) for the contrast edging. Elisabeth's favorite color, "prune pink", can best be described as the exact purple-pink color of this hat, so she was pretty excited about it. The needles were size 8 bamboo needles and a size I crochet hook.

Next, a new hat for James, and a sweater (and maybe a new hat, too) for Daddy, and a sweater for Mama ... Knitting never sounded so good!

The Culprit

I really meant to have pictures ready to post today about Elisabeth's final costume. (And thank you all so much for your kind words about the others! They're really just simple, but she's been so happy with them.) But it'll have to wait, once again, because we didn't manage to take any over the weekend.

Remember my finger crisis of Christmas 2007? It healed up so nicely. Until, at the end of last week, I bumped it into the headboard of my bed when I was waking up one morning. Then it suddenly started hurting really badly again, and started to swell. Unfortunately for me, the skin had already healed over, so soaking it in epsom salts isn't going to do the trick this time around. I have to go to the doctor today.

Anyway, I thought it would be fitting to share pictures today of the thing I was sewing when it happened. The culprit, if you will. I was just happily appliqueing this little t-shirt for my littlest niece.

I have a hard time with satin-stitch applique anyway, finger crisis or no. I think it's because I don't have a clear-sole foot for my machine, so I can't really see what I'm doing. Anyway, it's not perfect. I could use some more practice. But, that Superbuzzy Snow Play fabric is so fantastic (I've decided that "fantastic" is my new word for 2008, by the way), and it just demanded to be appliqued onto a t-shirt for a sweet little girlie.

I loved the idea of this little wrist detail, but it didn't turn out as well as I wanted because I did it after the finger injury and I was really jumpy the whole time.

I also made these little button bobbie pins for both nieces, having seen them around quite a bit. They are so cute, and made perfect package toppers. (We opted for The Daring Book for Girls for our older niece, not an applique t-shirt.)

A shot of my little niece in the shirt.

Oh, and incidentally, I was just looking in my Bernina accessories booklet for the clear-sole foot, and I noticed that they actually sell a zig-zag foot with a guard on it to prevent fingers from being sewn over. Sounds like just what I need! Except the sole isn't clear. Too bad. ;)