Hibernation

Well it seems to be February already. I believe this happened last year too. Perhaps for me January is a time to regroup before heading into the new year for real? I've been trying to finish up overdue Christmas presents (not with great success I might add) and trying to figure out how I want to prioritise this new year. Not sure I've come to any great conclusions yet, but I'm getting there.

In the meantime there has been snow play with my daughter. She has discovered snow angels, and decided that snow is not barrier to making "sandcastles"!

Indoors we've also been crafting. While at a holiday crafting event at our local library before Christmas my daughter discovered rubber-stamping and was fixated. So I have dug out my own collection of stamps (from when my own obsession began in high school), got some supposedly washable stamp-pads and there have been some fun times stamping and experimenting with mixed media (painting then stamping, stamping and drawing with crayons etc).

I've done some knitting. This photo is of a pair of fingerless mitts that go up to my elbows using leftover yarn from my Gathered Cardi. I love the cardi, and I was glad to have the sleeves not too long for when working but I do find my forearms getting cold when out and about so this fills in the gap. I tried several patterns before spotting the simpler and gratifyingly quick one I used. I should to a proper finished object post when I've got some good finished object photos.

I also managed my first sewing project of the new year -- an addition to my cloth pad stash made with the off cuts from making pyjama trousers. Love these! I notice there's a new free pattern for cloth pads up at the BurdaStyle site, but I know there are lots of others around and about if you search. I made my own pattern based on pads I already had.

Of course all important at this time of year is the comfort of food and drinks. Tea and toast is one of my favourites. I'm loving these mugs bought at the farmers market (unfortunately this one got broken already, I'm seeing it as an opportunity to support a local business!).

In the cold weather soup and bread is a must. This is some soup made from leftover potato and cheese bake with an onion, turkey broth and some corn added in!

One of my goals, that I've really been working toward for a while as you might guess from previous posts, is to make our bread products with occasional supplementation from local bakeries (the toast with the tea is bought I must admit -- multigrain wholewheat sourdough, yum). It's going pretty well (although I did buy some crumpets at the supermarket last week... I have to try making those again and see whether I can master it).

The bread with the soup is made using the naan bread method found in the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book -- it's a great way to make a flat bread quickly on the stove. Cut off a small piece of dough, roll it out and put in a warmed buttered frying pan and cook with a lid on flipping part way through. So good.

...and Making

Two posts in such quick succession after so long. Am I setting myself up to fail I wonder?! Since posting in August I was away for a while (singing in AL & GA over Labor Day weekend and then a trip to England - visiting family and friends plus some more singing - for the bulk of September) and then not feeling creative or productive and being so much out of the habit didn't get back to the blogging.

More recently I've been starting to get back into the swing of things again. Lots going on in the kitchen (examples in my previous post). As for crafts, I haven't been sewing much of anything but there's been quite a bit of knitting lately. Perhaps I can do some something old something new posts!

Here's a picture of one of my current works in progress. This is the Gathered Cardi (ravelry pattern page) from Knit.1 Magazine (Spring/Summer 2008 edition). I went out and bought the magazine after seeing this photo, not sure I would have bought it from the pic in the magazine (especially as I'd not even noticed the existence of that particular publication before). Here's a link to my project page on ravelry.

Also please note that my almost cardigan is being modelled for me by a dress form. It is my somewhat belated excellent birthday present from my husband. Now that I have passed the baby swing chair that was residing in my sewing room (not that my daughter sat in it more than a handful of times) on to some expectant friends there was a space for me to set it up. Now I just need to sort out the rest of the room and perhaps I can manage some sewing in the run up to Christmas. I have The Omnivore's Dilemma on CD from the library to listen to while I work. Wish me luck!

I almost forgot!

I edited the photos and then forgot to upload and blog about this dress I made for my daughter back in June (which, incidentally seems to have disappeared of the face of the earth since so perhaps that's why I forgot). I was reminded when I caught sight of this dress made using the same tutorial.
It's made from an old shirt of my husbands using this tutorial.

I made another from a blue checked shirt found at the thriftstore as a gift for a friend of ours who is very into The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy dress!). Forgot to take a photo of that one though.

This was a satisfyingly quick and effective project (since a lot of the fiddly stuff is already done in the shirt, case in point being buttons and button holes).

Another time I will attach the shoulder straps/sleeves closer together (at least in the back) because they slip down a lot as they are in this dress. I think this one runs a bit big on my daughter but that just means space to grow, and/or means she can wear it over warmer clothes in cooler weather, (well, assuming I can find it again anyway).

January Socks Begun

January sock (wip)
Originally uploaded by commonplaceiris.

This is the beginning of my January project for the 2008 Sock knit a long group at ravelry. It's my first new knitting project of 2008 - I cast on on 6th January for something to do in the car on the way to my in laws for family Christmas..
I'm making Diagonal Rib Socks by Ann Budd (link to project info at ravelry) from Interweave Knits, Winter 2004 (pdf download here).
I love this yarn (I have to go find the info on what it is as the label got separated from the yarn). I'm not sure how well the pattern reads but don't care too much to be honest as I just love looking at the yarn. It actually seems to look better to me the further on I get which is nice, long may it continue. I have been having a slight problem with forgetting which round I'm on half way through and finding I'm off but I'm fudging it and getting back on track!

Christmas Outfit

Christmas Outfit
Originally uploaded by commonplaceiris.

I hope all who observe it had a wonderful Christmas Day yesterday (well I hope everybody had a wonderful Day regardless too).

I finally got an outfit made for my daughter for a special occasion again, yay! I missed for last Christmas, her birthday (and the Easter dresses were supposed to be for earlier in the year...). I'm especially pleased because at the moment she didn't have another new dress to wear as she has all the other times.

The pattern is Simplicity 4304. I used some green fabric that's been sitting in my stash for years (used some of it for a Christmas dress for our niece about 3 years back!) and a thrifted pillowcase for the pinafore. Since I did all the sewing Christmas Eve and morning it's not the best job ever but I think it looks good once the pinafore's on. (I actually still have to add buttonholes and buttons to the pinafore, it's done up with safety pins here...).

Now off to have a fun time on Boxing Day with the dancing and the mumming and the caroling and the socializing.

Warm Finished Objects!

Pink Mittens
Originally uploaded by commonplaceiris.

With the weather getting colder and owning nothing to keep my daughter's hands warm I decided to grab some bulky yarn and knit up some mittens. (Not that she is really willing to keep anything on her hands you understand but it's time for that battle to commence, especially as she seems to be being won over to hats at last.)

I took a look at some mitten patterns and using suggested number of stitches and such from Kate Gilbert's Gifted pattern (which happened to be the right gauge for the yarn and needles I was using) I got going.

I decided I wanted to knit in the round (actually I used my Denise interchangeable circulars -- think that's magic loop method, right?) and fiddled around with where the increases and decrease went, and kitchenered at the end. Also I added a row of holes so that I can thread ribbon or i-cord or something through to tie them on (although her jacket coat does a pretty good job it turns out).

The first one was a little small so I sized up for the second and then knit a third (perhaps I'll get around to knitting another to match the first and gift it). Of course the bigger pair are a little too big but they stay on quite well and will do for now (and then get grown into).

I've also managed to make my daughter a new hat/bonnet that covers her ears and because it ties on (hadn't added the ties yet when I took the picture)cannot be pulled off easily when she tires of it. (Although today we went out of the house and I asked her if she needed a hat and she said yes and wore it the entire time we were out, even while we were in the store which is pretty impressive based on her track record.)

The hat is from helloyarn's top down bonnet pattern which I like a lot and will use again, am tempted to make one for myself but not sure whether I'd actually wear it... Perhaps next time I make one for my daughter I will actually add ears (and maybe even embroidered face) as per the original pattern.

For my own head covering purposes I finally had a go at calorimetry. I wasn't sure when I first saw the pattern that it was really my kind of thing. But then I saw so many versions of it appearing on the Internet I got interested, and I realised that it'd be a useful thing for those days when I want to go outside with my hair up (especially when it's up because I've washed my hair). It's a nice quick and easy knit and I've been wearing it a lot. I'm not sure whether I'll wear at as much when it gets really wintery, or perhaps I'll wear it under my actual hats to ensure ear coverage!! We'll see. I think I will probably make this again, if not for me then as gifts for friends (and possibly family).

I ordered pattern cards from weewonderfuls before going to bed on Monday night and they arrived in the mail today. (What service, I don't know how she does it with two small children and all.) They're so cute! I wasn't sure whether to get them or not, after all I can't keep up with all the things I want to/need to do these days as it is. However, one of the things I have been doing recently is knitting and that's partly because it's something I can put in my handbag and pull out when I'm in the car, or we're out and the girl is otherwise engaged. These pattern cards are for little soft toys that are hand stitched so I can hopefully do the same with them. Also, as I mentioned, they're cute so how could I resist?

Links for 2007-07-19 [del.icio.us]

• No-Knead Bread - OregonLive.com
  I made some of the no-knead bread after it was in the NYTimes a while back and the second batch came out really nicely and I've been meaning to make more. It's a great way to make bread for someone like me who doesn't have much time to bake, but plenty of time to let things hang around to mature for a day! And I'm entering a bread baking phase at the moment.
• BBC NEWS | UK | Education | The dead parrot curriculum
• Guardian Unlimited | A precious provision
  "We were unlucky in the tragic hand dealt to our son, but blessed to have had British healthcare "
  This article resonated with me. It made me remember after my first daughter died at birth (I had a 40% placental abruption at 23 weeks) getting the hospital bill for the delivery and the autopsy and everything: Obviously those people who took care of us and our baby and were doing there jobs so well deserve to be paid, but (especially as someone who grew up in the UK and still hasn't got used to the way it works in the USA) it seems unthinkable that I should have to look at a bill for that when my baby just died. And thankfully we have good health insurance, but what if we didn't? In the midst of that experience or some other unexpected turn your life upside-down event I think people should be able to focus on the very real things happening in their lives and not have to worry about what their insurance will cover, and how to afford the rest. The money wasn't really a headache for us in our situation, but it could have been, and it certainly made me think.
  
• Knitty: Spring 2007 - Clessidra Stockings
  I think my mum would love these, she likes nice long socks. The question is should I just send her the link to the pattern or should I attempt to make her some for Christmas?
• Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less - New York Times
• Warming Report Warns of Increased Flooding - New York Times
• Dewey? At This Library With a Very Different Outlook, They Don’t - New York Times
• V-Neck Hippie Dress w/ 6 Strips - theElektron
  found via :Craft
• Top 7 Tutorials for Making Your Own Shopping Tote
  found via :Craft
• Tickle Turdle Wool Wrap Pattern
  I've been knitting wool soakers for my daughter since before she was actually here to wear them but I've never tried to crochet one. I'm definitely much more of a knitter, but I do crochet sometimes and I hear the crochet soakers make up faster and may be a bit denser too. (Of course I should also work on my ripple blanket again one of these days.)

Links for 2007-07-17 [del.icio.us]

• The authors every teenager should read - Independent
  I'm not sure I agree with how they've classified some of the authors. Still, lots of people I haven't read (or even heard of) so lots of ideas for my overflowing booklist!


• Instructables The Book Apron
  "Keeps your cookbooks or other how-tos clean! Clear plastic, polyester ribbon and rickrack can be wiped clean of batter with a damp sponge."
  I definitely need one of these for cooking (also a good book stand) since I'm plenty messy in the kitchen.


• Instructables : Green" Re-usable Grocery Bags
  "These re-usable grocery bags will help you answer the question "Paper or plastic?" from your grocer, and help save waste and those landfill stuffers you're accumulating. The bags have handles to allow them to be placed on a grocer's plastic bag holder, i
  I like the idea of being able to slip them onto the bag holders in the grocery store (although I don't think that the place I shop at most often has bag holders... maybe I just never used them because I always have my own bags there).


• morsbags sociable guerilla bagging
  I love the idea of guerrilla bagging as a means to reduce the use of plastic bags, not sure I have the right personality for it though. I'm loving all these tutorials and patterns for making bags I've been coming across though because more bags are always useful in my opinion!


• Instructables Sewing Organizer
  "This is a great organizer for any tailor/seamstress and also it's kind of an art on the wall."
  I've seen something like this on a blog somewhere before (blanking on where right now), a wall mounted spool holder. This one's extra fancy with places to store other bits and bobs. too.
  

Links for 2007-07-15 &14 [del.icio.us]

• camera case interior on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
  A sewn padded digital camera case with zippered interior pocket for batteries! I need one of these (been using my old 35mm film camera case with batteries loose in the bottom for oh two and a half years now, ho hum...)
• Sew,Mama,Sew! Blog » Tutorial ~ Bag Straps
• Sew,Mama,Sew! Blog » Tutorial ~ Bag Straps, A Variation
• ColorBlender.com Your free online color matching toolbox

Links for 2007-07-12 [del.icio.us]

• Dominic Lawson: From Pentecost island to modern Britain, the futility of trying to measure happiness - Independent
  "Nobody has yet come up with an entirely satisfactory definition of what constitutes happiness - although I think that Sydney Smith's "To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence" will do to be getting along with. A state of unhappiness could be described as the opposite of that, but we might also define it as a life whose reality falls far short of its owner's expectations.

  That is perhaps at the heart of the modern malaise, which has resulted in an unprecedented growth in clinical depression in countries such as the USA and the UK. We have increasingly allowed ourselves to think that happiness is ours by right - it's written into the American constitution - whereas in fact we can't find it: it finds us."

• Knitting Pattern Central - Free Pattern - Amy Doll
  Cute pattern I saw in a post on knitting dolls at V's blog, (you have to go look at the knees!).
  
• Dismay and anger as Pope declares Protestants cannot have churches | Guardian
  "Protestant churches yesterday reacted with dismay to a new declaration approved by Pope Benedict XVI insisting they were mere "ecclesial communities" and their ministers effectively phonies with no right to give communion.
  "Coming just four days after the reinstatement of the Latin mass, yesterday's document left no doubt about the Pope's eagerness to back traditional Roman Catholic practices and attitudes, even at the expense of causing offence."
• Mom Puts Family on Her Meal Plan - New York Times
  "The pitfalls of the modern family meal are well chronicled: the varying schedules, the demanding diets (low carb, no wheat, no meat) and the fact that all too often the dinner so proudly displayed is greeted by a cheerful “Oh, that looks disgusting.” For most working parents, even a 30-minute meal seems like a June Cleaver-era indulgence. By the time I walk in the door at 7:30 my children are off-the-wall hungry, even having had snacks. Ideally, dinner will take 15 minutes or less to put on the table.
  
  "But despite the challenges, I tell you it can be done. I committed to cooking a family meal when my first son was born, in 1997, not because of any psychology study about the well-being of children, but because it gave me comfort.
  
  "Every working mother has to draw the line somewhere. Maybe my children would take their first steps with a babysitter, or perform in school plays with only their grandparents in attendance. But mom would cook their dinners."
  I stay home with one child and still have trouble getting dinner "on the table" (dining room table is currently inaccessible) at a reasonable hour, so glad a I don't have to work full time outside the home, commute and then make dinner.
• Sarah Churchwell: Why can't British students write like Americans? - Independent
  "An impoverished understanding of their own language combined with an inflated sense of their own talents doesn't merely result in smug graduates with a beggared ability to express ideas. Sophisticated ideas cannot flourish in a linguistic vacuum. Expression and thought are inextricably linked: crude language permits only crude thinking. It's bad enough that these university students can't communicate their thoughts intelligibly; but those thoughts are themselves constrained by embryonic language skills."
  This is a great article. I still feel as though I really need to go back to school and take English Language classes. We did have some grammar "lessons" at middle school (we had a text book there was time set aside to work through). I would say my vocabulary is not too shabby, but my grasp of how the language works is not so good. And I have a degree in Women's Studies and English Literature! When I spent a year at college in the US one of my professors took me aside and asked if I thought I might be dyslexic because of my bad use of punctuation, I said no I just never really learned how a semi colon is supposed to work (and I am queen of the run-on sentence). I am better than I used to be, but have a long way to go and (besides blogging) not much space for working on my writing skills. I really wish we had been taught more at school. At least my primary schools taught handwriting, I think it's so sad that that doesn't happen so much any more.
• The Knitting Circle Shows Its Chic - New York Times
  "Formerly neglected domestic arts like knitting, quilting, sewing and embroidery are being eagerly embraced, especially by the young. Their passion kindled by the abundance of handcrafted looks on the runways, they are blowing the dust off these folksy skills and lending them the bright sheen of style.
  "“It wasn’t that long ago that people would cringe at the word ‘craft,’ ” said Melanie Falick, who developed a crafts imprint at Stewart, Tabori & Chang. “Ten or 20 years ago, there were far fewer crafters and knitters, certainly fewer who ‘outed’ themselves. Now it has become a badge of honor.”
  "And an insignia of chic. The new generation of needle hobbyists, nimble-fingered women in their 20s and 30s, is growing ever more sophisticated, seeking out novel yarns imbued with bamboo or fur, working confidently with elaborate patterns, swapping tips online and emulating styles by fashion designers like Marc Jacobs, Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga and Michael Kors."
• The World’s Best Candy Bars? English, of Course - New York Times
  "it would be easy to take a long, clichéd side trip into a discussion of the relative inferiority of British food. But for the rarefied palate that can appreciate the soft, immediate pleasure of an inexpensive candy bar, it's not difficult to give the edge to sweets from the realm of the queen."
  I'm totally biased on this subject of course, growing up with the sweets in England and then moving to the USA where I can be very dissatisfied with the candy on offer over here and wallow in nostalgia thinking about my favourite sweet things that I can't get here. Of course I can find good dark chocolate here (organic and fair trade and mighty tasty) so that keeps me happy mostly. When we visit England I come back with Cadbury's milk chocolate and licorice allsorts for me, and sherbert lemons and kendal mint cake for my husband. My husband is very distressed at the change to natural flavourings and no longer hoards fruit pastilles. The thing I miss most even when I'm back in the UK is the sweet shops with shelves of sweets in jars that were weighed and put into paper bags (cinder toffee, rhubarb&custard, cough candy, bon bons), and the case of penny sweets where I spent my pocket money as a small child (shrimps, bananas, flying saucers, the cigarette and pipe sweets that I loved but which never made me remotely interested in smoking). Sigh.
• Digital Cameras: The Top 10 Things You Need to Know - Unbiased reviews, prices, and advice from DigitalCamera-HQ
  Seen in a list of links at Not Martha, looks like a useful list to hold onto. Also love the link to the discussion how many is a few? as my husband holds very strong opinions on this subject.
  
• Organic Farming Can Feed The World, Says Study | Scientific Blogging
  "Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming on the same amount of land---according to new findings which refute the long-standing assumption that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population."

Links for 2007-07-11 [del.icio.us]

• Easy Grocery Bag Shopping Tote From 2 Pillowcases - Instructables
  
  I wonder whether these would be sturdy enough in the long term for heavy groceries. Fun tutorial, and of course you could use the tote for lighter groceries, or other stuff!
• Easy as ABC: Asian-style Baby Carrier or Mei Tai - Instructables
  
  There are quite a few good online tutorials for making an ABC which I've read and taken direction from already. However, since I like to read as many as possible and then use all I learn to figure out how to make mine I'm adding this to my collection of bookmarks!
• The healthy heart guide - Independent
  
  " Heart attacks are our biggest killer – yet many are preventable. Julia Stuart on the simple changes that could save your life"
• Move to cut methane emissions by changing cows' diet | Climate change | Guardian
  
  "Experts at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research in Aberystwyth say the diet of farmed animals can be changed to make them produce less methane, a more potent global warming gas than carbon dioxide. Farmed ruminant animals are thought to
• UK needs a two-child limit, says population report | SocietyGuardian.co.uk
  
  "While most of Britain's annual population rise of nearly 300,000 people is from immigration, only 21.9% of new births were last year to non-UK born mothers, says Prof Guillebaud. Each woman in England and Wales, he says, can now be expected to have 1.87 children, the highest total fertility rate for 26 years."
  
  Not sure I entirely agree with the logic of this article. I'm not sure it's getting to the root of the problem it brings up of the level of consumption of the earth's resources (really we need to work on that as much as human population). (Not to mention addressing the need to care for the older generation that would presumably become more of a problem than the baby boomers.)
• Top 10 eccentric British days out | Guardian
  
  "Is the weather raining on your holiday parade? The Far from the Sodding Crowd team come to the rescue with their pick of humorous, curious and downright ludicrous British tourist attractions"
• The yuck factor: How scientific research into revulsion is shaping our supermarkets - Independent
  
  "Rozin's research says that if something we perceive to be dirty or disgusting (such as a cockroach) touches something harmless (such as orange juice), in our minds the latter becomes "contaminated", even if the rational side of our brain knows there is n
• The Health Benefits of Journaling - Psych Central
  
  "There is increasing evidence to support the notion that journaling has a positive impact on physical well-being. University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. Other research indicates that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Pennebaker believes that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of these stressors on your physical health."
  
• Wake up. Feminism is more than just capitalism with tits | Guardian
  
  "Enough of the numbers game. The issue is not how many women are in power, but how many fight for collective rights "

del.icio.us links of the day
Posted: 05 Jul 2007 12:00 AM CDT

Bubbly Ployes (Buckwheat Pancakes) on Flickr - Photo Sharing! - These look a little like pikelets crossed with pancakes, this makes me want to try the recipe sometime. Also need to try to make pikelets again sometime since I can't get them where I live.

CEREAL BOX GIFT BOX: Craft projects from recycled, reused and natural materials.

:10 Things is a place for gratitude.
Found this blog via a post at "happythings" blog: " 10 Things is a place for gratitude. To be thankful for all sorts of things... big, little and medium." "10 Things features writers and photographers, exploring life's little joys through their lens."

The Validity ( Or Not ) Of Cognitive Tests | Scientific Blogging
"Timothy Salthouse, PhD, a noted cognitive psychologist at the University of Virginia, has demonstrated that giving a test only once isn't enough to get a clear picture of someone's mental functioning. It appears that repeating tests over a short period may give a more accurate range of scores, improving diagnostic workups."

BBC NEWS | Health | Yawning may keep us 'on the ball'
"Yawning may appear the height of rudeness, but in fact your body is desperately trying to keep you awake, according to research from the US."

Mommy Is Truly Dearest - New York Times

Success (sort of)

Well I did some looking around on the internet and it seems the automatic posting thingy that del.icio.us offers just isn't compatible with blogger. However I did come across this blog post which includes a tutorial on a way to get a daily update posted almost automatically using FeedBurner. Yay!

No time to say much else at the moment. This is possibly our busiest week of our year, and this year it's more so because sadly we have a family funeral to go to. So figuring this out is timely -- as long as I have enough time to surf the net a little there should be something to post most every day! Anyway, here's the first of the new links of the day posts:

Links for 2007-07-03 [del.icio.us]

Posted: 04 Jul 2007 12:00 AM CDT

• stacking rings on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
  Fabric version of the rainbow coloured stacking rings that every baby I've ever known has (we certainly did), they're more usually plastic/wood. I think making them like this, fabric with different textures/smells/sounds, is such a great idea especially as I want as few chewable plastic toys. I've been wanting to get a wooden set for my daughter, but maybe I can have a go at making something like this, (or maybe I'll wait to see whether this lady will make them to sell - after all when am I going to find time to try?)
• Why we learn from our mistakes | Scientific Blogging
  "Psychologists from the University of Exeter have identified an 'early warning signal' in the brain that helps us avoid repeating previous mistakes."
• Chocolate Chewies for chocolate lovers on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
  These look so mouthwateringly good, I want some!
• BBC NEWS | In pictures: Cathal McNaughton's award-winning year
• Raspberry Chocolate Ice Pops Recipe at Epicurious.com
  Another ice-lolly idea to try out. Raspberry and chocolate, so must be good right?!

More craft stuff, and some thrifting

I haven't really been doing much new crafting since my last post (although the kitty is now attached at the neck) but I have some old news, and a bunch of links to things that have caught my eye. So here goes.

Another soft toy that has been languishing for a year just waiting for a face so it could go to it's intended recipient. This time a WeeBunny (also from a free pattern at the Wee Wonderfuls site). I'm sure I stuffed it full when I made it but it definitely could use more innards now. The question is do I risk doing something that will make it unpresentable for another year, or give it as is and feel unsatisfied with my finished product? I think probably I will add more stuffing -- and if I rip the seam in the right place I can take the opportunity to give the bunny a tail which I neglected to do previously. When these are done and delivered I'm going to finally open up my Big Footed Bunny book for my next soft toy -- maybe I can make one for my daughter's birthday (or mine...).

Yesterday I got my husband to take a picture of me wearing my daughter with the mei tai I made the other week. It's in the sunshine and in focus so all in all a much better shot!

Next thing is that today I tied my daughter on my back (with a different carrier that I also made but don't have a good picture of yet) and went into town without the stroller which meant I could more easily go into some of the stores in town. So I went into one of the used items stores in town and came out with a couple of tops (one to wear as is and one extra large silk shirt that may well get refashioned somehow).

Then after a treat at the bakery and a few errands I went to the less stroller friendly of the thrift stores in town and poked around swiftly (since they were about to close by the time I got there). I came away with two little plates, a package of twill tape, some green fabric, a small piece of floral print material (?summer dress for my girl?), a queen sized bed sheet (not sure what I'll do with this but I thought it was cute) and videos of a British mystery series that I think my husband will enjoy. That all came to just under eleven dollars (and the videos were five dollars). I was looking for thrifting stuff at flickr and discovered that there's actually a Thrift Thursday group. Coincidence? So here's my first Thrift Thursday post. Not sure that I'll manage to do this regularly, I don't make it to the thrift store every week after all, but hopefully that's ok.

And now for the list of links:

I saw and admired this wrap skirt in the NewVintageWardrobe Pool at Flickr. I was excited to see that there are two tutorials available at Sew, Mama, Sew showing how to draft and sew a skirt of one's very own. Yay! I have a wrap skirt that I thrifted a while back which I wore for the first time a few weeks back and love so I was thinking of trying to figure out how to make more so this should help save me some time and brain cells! I don't know whether I'll be able to make one, or any skirt, in time for skirt month though.

Loving this summer dress, lovely fabric that I'd probably never have the courage to make into a dress. I'm surprisingly bad at judging what fabric I'll like in a finished garment, I'm working on it though.

I'm interested in trying out the Sunshine's Creations tutorial for mock cathedral windows sometime. I think I'd do it with batting inside and make a quilt.

Also came across this cute "Disappearing 9 Patch" Doll Quilt at Flickr which links to another tutorial I want to try out sometime.

Oh, so much to do and so very little time! I'm already blogging when I should be sleeping again (last night I went to bed at a relatively reasonable hour for fear of blocked duct threatening mastitis, oh the joys of nursing motherhood!).

Picture post

I just wanted to share a few bits and pieces quickly.

My ripple-along blanket grows slowly. I stopped the other evening to take a picture (I'm afraid many of my pictures will be poorly lit due to bad timing and the fact that very little light gets into the first floor of our house once there are leaves on the trees).

Can you see the blur at the top of the first picture? That's my daughter swooping in to steal my crochet hook. Second picture is the best of the full amount of progress thus far (I've actually started another colour/row since that was taken) -- it's only taken me a month. But then I have so much help, when my daughter isn't taking my crochet hook (holding it aloft victoriously as if it's Excalibur or a magic wand, and then chewing on it), she's climbing all over the blanket, stealing my yarn or demanding my attention be directed to her needs (which is my main job at the moment after all).

This last weekend though I got to spend hours in the sewing room! We were going to a birthday party for a little friend who's turning 2. I started a present for her last year which I'm finally finishing up. It's a pointy kitty (a free pattern at the Wee Wonderfuls website), here it is Cheshire cat style (since the head isn't actually attached to the body -- last step still to be completed). I also made the birthday girl a dress from the same fabric as the body of the kitty. I don't have a good picture of it yet so I'll post it another time. (Also we didn't end up going to the party since the birthday girl is under the weather so I don't want to post the finished articles before they're delivered even though they're not likely to see them here.)

Even though I stayed up way too late sewing Saturday night it was totally worth it. I feel so recharged by getting something I'm happy with sewn! And, I'm totally excited that I finally figured out how to do buttonholes on the sewing machine (which I inherited from my husband's grandmother who doesn't sew anymore). I've tried and failed in the past. Then on Saturday I tried again, thought I'd totally messed up the sewing machine as it was stuck in the middle of the button hole setting and called for help. My husband sat there reading the manual and using judicious pressure until the mechanism started moving again. And lo and behold I could sew buttonholes! (I really should get the machine serviced, oh and oil it more often.)

Today I've been more creative in the kitchen. A friend came over and played with the baby for a while and I baked some cookies (mashed banana + oatmeal + baking soda + cinnamon&ginger + a little molasses and oil, based on the Oats & 'Naner Drops here) and some squash for my daughter. Later I cut up some past their best strawberries to mix with rhubarb I stewed the other day (see picture) which I topped with some crumble and baked for pudding (aka dessert) for me and my husband. Yummy! (I almost made muffins after reading this post at Posie Gets Cosy, but then I remembered the rhubarb and strawberries.)

And to end, since I didn't do my mother's day post, here is the hanging basket that my husband bought as a mother's day gift when we were at the farmer's market (I got to pick the colour). I wasn't sure I really wanted that to be my gift (time in the sewing room is pretty high on my wishlist after all), but they're hanging right outside the kitchen door and make me happy every time I catch sight of them out of the corner of my eye. My daughter's pretty excited about them too.

Creativity links

Via a post at Craft: I got here:
"The KnitWiki is a community run knitting encyclopedia with patterns, techniques, historical information and a whole lot more!"
So far I've taken a look through some of the patterns and found a few for my to-do list -- I want to see what this evening top looks like knitted up, and I'm intrigued by this vest and panties combo.

Also via Craft: a link to a pattern for a paper craft toy owl which I want to try out. A friend of ours has her second birthday coming right up, and is an owl fan so I'm wondering whether I could make one the right size to put her present into...

At Crafty Daisies Heather is offering a "Learn to Crochet" 12 lesson course (online and free). Now obviously I know how to crochet at least somewhat but I mostly make it up as I go along. It'd be nice to be able to know what stitches are called and how to follow patterns. The question is can I manage to keep up? If she can post the lessons I ought to be able to really. So we'll see how that goes!

Another for the to-do list -- this cute baby/toddler hat helloyarn posted at flikr in the Crazy for Knitting pool.

Also catching my eye in the flikr knitting groups was a knit and felted toy ant

I enjoyed this week's "something for me" post at Parentdish by Jennifer Sharpen, she says:

The work I do all day tends to be invisible, and that's why I really like to take the time to knit a scarf, make ToothFairy pillows, or sew a skirt: it feels so nice to see, and even hold, the results of my work.

That's something I can totally relate to. Housework often seems to be only visible when it's not done, and when you finish it you have to start over right away anyway. Even the satisfaction from cooking something nice is fleeting because soon it'll be eaten, and you still have to do dishes. Making something tangible and (at least somewhat) lasting gives such a nice feeling! This week she's talking about loving photography, and I'm enjoying that more and more too. Sometimes I even take pictures of things other than my daughter or craft projects, and I aim to do that more. It's good to challenge myself to look around me more, and differently.

What I've been up to

I haven't given up on this blog project. There's just been a lot less computer time recently. I've got a few unfinished posts saved so maybe I'll come back and fill in some gaps later.

Last week my husband and I decided to try and shift our daughter's sleep schedule so we've been getting up earlier and therefore trying to get to bed earlier too. Though this may mean more sleep for all in the long run (fingers crossed) it's meant less over the last week, and certainly less "me time". (Also my husband had another business trip, and we had a concert with a chorus we sing with last weekend so extra rehearsals beforehand.)

My ripple blanket is still growing slowly, I don't have another picture just now, but soon.

I've also done some bits of sewing recently. I bought some onesies for my daughter a while ago that I really love but she was never wearing. We've been putting her on the potty in a very low-key attempt at "elimination communication" for a long time now and for that shirts are preferable. So I finally got around to chopping the onesies (straight across at the top of the leg shaping) and hemming them so the girl has some spring/summery shirts. It's such a quick and easy thing, and I can do it by hand rather than waiting for time in the sewing room and feel like I've accomplished something. And I'm so happy to see her wearing the shirts - I love the print and the slight puff at the shoulders... Perhaps I'll let her wear some of her other shirts again soon!

Then when I get time in the sewing room I can work on bigger things. I have managed a few blocks of time for sewing over the last few days (with some help from my husband).

I've been wanting to try and make a mei tai/asian baby carrier for a while now and had looked at several tutorials on the web (mostly via this wonderful site), found some fabric in my stash and just needed some blocks of time to cut and sew. I'd made a couple of pouch slings (easy but not the most secure) and a podaegi (which I like a lot but is a little trickier at times since you need to be able to sit or be spotted to tie the baby on).

The ABC is pretty straightforward to make, although I must admit I had to keep staring the diagram and thinking a long time to make sure I wasn't going to sew the shoulder straps inside! It seems to have come out pretty well and is comfy for wearing the baby (except that when she's tied on my back she likes to pull my hair, but that's not the carrier's fault!). I've tried a couple different ways to tie her on my back, and also worn her on my front. (The out of focus and poorly lit picture on the right she's in a high back carry, although i moved the waist ties down to the waist rather from around the chest after a while as that wasn't so comfy.) I think my husband's going to try this one out too.

I pretty much followed the basic mei tai instructions at sleepingbaby.net but I did use a modification I saw which I thought made a lot of sense where the waist strap (which was one long piece is only anchored in the middle so that you can scrunch the body of the carrier in at the sides so it's more comfy for baby's legs. (If that was all gobbledygook to you here's the link to the tutorial where I saw the idea, it has diagrams.)

I think I will want to sew another one once I've worn this one a bit. Maybe next time I will pad the shoulder straps (I'll have a better idea of how far along the strap to pad). I'm going to think about whether I want to try a different angle for the straps too. Plus next time maybe I'll find some more interesting fabric for the body panels and make it reversible.

The linky part

The Recycled Yarn Tutorial - How To Unravel A Sweater (via an email list)

Artificial food colouring warning - "Parents are being advised by experts not to give their children food containing certain additives until the results of a new study are published." (BBC) (Also in the Guardian)

Through fire and ice - "The Norwegians' architecture stands up to glaciers, snowstorms and dangerous drivers - and it still looks beautiful." (Guardian)

The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it (Guardian)

Aboriginal Romeo and Juliet survive 40 years in the bush (Independent). Glen Stasiuk has made a documentary about this couple , Warri and Yatungka , who ran away together into the desert because tribal law forbade their marriage. They lived in the desert in the old traditional way for many years. They finally were brought back to live with the tribe during a drought in the late 70s that nearly killed them, but they died a few years later. The documentary is called "Footprints in the Sand" and features the couple's son returning to places he lived with his parents. It will be shown on Australian TV in the summer, hopefully it'll make its way onto US and UK telly too, it sounds really interesting.

Just like that! Tommy Cooper's final days - "He was the comedians' comedian, whose unique combination of surreal humour and inept magic captivated the nation. Now the producer of 'The Queen' is to dramatise the last week of a life which ended so dramatically - in the middle of a show" (Independent)
I didn't read this article (yet) but I distinctly remember sitting with my family watching the TV and seeing Tommy Cooper collapsing live on stage, not quite knowing whether it was real or not, the curtain coming down. I must have been about 8 years old, it's just a quick memory and I don't think I really knew who he was at the time, but obviously it made an impression.

And another quilt to make my fingers itchy over at Flikr -- "Crazy"

And pictures like this make me want to get more sewing machine time in to make clothes for my baby, and children of friends (and me...).

What I've been looking at today...

My husband's been away on business the last several days. By today I was getting a little crazy as the baby has been restless so when she wouldn't nap this afternoon I grabbed my ripple blanket and other supplies and headed to the park. Didn't get much crocheting done but she did nap on the way and we had a little picnic. Also we saw flowers and birds and dogs and other babies and some friends, and stopped in at an art gallery on the way home --- so many things to point at and exclaim over (mostly her but sometimes me too). All in all it was a very good thing to be out walking in the sunshine, lifted my mood considerably.


Today I haven't been reading much (not enough time for sustained focus) so this is a more image heavy post.

At Flikr:

• This sonogram tapestry is such a great idea! I have pictures from one of my daughter's sonograms up on the kitchen wall where they'll probably fade but I like seeing them there. It'd be great to do something like this with them, and with the sonogram pictures we have from our first daughter. I don't really weave though, maybe I could do something with embroidery instead.
  


• I enjoyed the story of the magic beans of oer-erkenschwick
  


• I love this baby quilt; more inspiration to work on patchwork/quilting again. I always get carried away with the idea of doing fancy things, or using a lot of colour. Then when I look at quilts like this I realise how beautiful more simple patterns, and how I enjoy the cleaner look of white with colour. I want to make my daughter quilts, and there a few children of friends who are older than her that I had plans for too...



• And here's my own contribution -- we passed this tree on the way to the park. I love this time of the year when the trees are flowering, seeing them always gives me a lift.

I like to keep an eye on the In Pictures section at the BBC website and was interested in the set Your perspective on the world: 28 April-4 May which is all pictures taken with pinhole cameras.

A How-To to bookmark (which I've already forgotten how I got to) on achieving jogless stripes when knitting in the round.

And last but not least, I was intrigued by this post at ParentDish "When kids art collides with an adult's mind" and saw some really amazing transformations where a professional adult artist uses children's art and takes it a step further.