Any Day Now

Over here, while we pack and sort and such, we're also waiting for news of the arrival of another baby girl. My dear friend will have her first baby any day now.

And not too long ago we were invited to her baby shower.

My older daughter really wanted to come, and luckily there was a life-long friend in attendance, since the "oohing" and "ahhing" over teeny tiny baby things lost it's charm for this seven-year-old pretty quickly. (The cupcakes, on the other hand, were fascinating to the last bite.)

I wanted to make a gift but strangely, despite being invited at least a month in advance, the party snuck up on me. So I needed something great and fast. No knitted booties. No baby quilts. And sadly, no sweaters.

I had about one afternoon and plenty of fabric in my stash to spare. One obvious solution was my modified version of the Messy Kid Bib by Oliver + S: awesome in every way, super quick to make, and utterly useful.

I made a bunch (four or five?) and a handy little gift bag (which could very easily end up being even more useful than the bibs—I use mine to stow diapers and wipes, snacks, knitting projects, you know, whatever needs to be collected).

Hopefully they'll see lots of mess—for years to come!

Happy sewing!

A Make-Again Pattern

I love new patterns. So much so that I usually can't resist starting something new (or many, many somethings) even with other unfinished projects clambering for my attention.

But I also have a few patterns that I come back to again and again because they just work so brilliantly.

Manda Ruth by Jane Richmond is one of those.

Here's the yellow version I made for the baby last year:

Of course she's completely outgrown it (funny how that happens) so I really want to start on a new one for her.

And right now I'm leaning toward some non-baby colors, such as:

Koigu :: Painter's Palette

Alchemy :: Temple

Madeline Tosh :: Tosh Merino

Most likely I won't be able to choose and she'll end up with three Manda Ruths this year! At least I know it's a great pattern...

Happy knitting!

Feeling Inspired

Right now we're still in the labor-intense, not-so-much-fun, man-we-have-a-lot-of-stuff phase of this moving thing but in my mind I've already moved on to the far more enjoyable, crafting aspect.

So these days, when I'm not sorting things into "pack," "goodwill," and "garbage" piles, I search out fun home-related projects to look forward to.

from The Purl Bee

A crocheted rug: this could be the biggest crochet project I ever tackle! I love the look of it — I have no idea how difficult it would be to make something this large, but I'll bet it stitches up fast!

from French Knot

Oh, isn't that just lovely? And it would be so simple to dress up plain white linens like that...

from Knitsofacto

I am so glad you can't see me drooling over this blanket. I suspect if I did make something as gorgeous as this I wouldn't let anyone touch it, and that might kinda miss the point.

from OhFransson!

We definitely need a new quilt for our bed and I really, really like this one. 

(Hmm, I wonder if I'm tired because there seems to be a lot of bed-related crafts here...)

from Rosy Little Things

And finally this gorgeous little alphabet. Wouldn't that just be so fun to make? By the fire? While it's snowing outside?

Ok, back to the boxes!

Happy crafting!

Wow. We're moving.

Sometimes, no matter how long you plan for something, it still takes you by surprise. Don't you think?

From Scandinavian Retreat

In my case it's that we're moving. Ack! I've known it was coming for ever and ever, but now it's really here and boy does it seem like a lot of work. A lot.

From The Boo and the Boy

We're only moving across town, and we're very excited, but wow, did I mention that it's a lot of work?

Found on Pinterest

The shop will stay open while we migrate, which is great, but the new site is going to be a little delayed, which is a bummer. 

From Design is mine

And with all this packing and such that needs to be done, you know what I'm thinking about, right? Oh, the new quilts, pillows, and curtains we'll need.

From IndieRocket

Because that's the best part. Of course.

Happy crafting!

A Little Luxe

My mom lives in Houston, where I hear it's hot and humid most of the year. But that doesn't stop her from knitting—a lot. True, my kids are the lucky recipients of a good number of her handmade sweaters, but she does knit for herself too.

For a while after she moved to Texas (from the Midwest) she seemed to adjust her knitting style to the climate, focusing mostly on lightweight fibers and straying towards wool jackets only occasionally.

But I think sometimes she just can't resist a pattern—even if it means that she'll only be able to wear the finished sweater when she's visiting me or one of my brothers.

Which is pretty much how she came to make this Chambord Truffle by Army of Knitters. And let me tell you, it's seriously gorgeous.

She says it's a really easy knit, and even though the yarn used by the designer (and suggested in the pattern) costs a mint, my mom swears it's worth every penny (some yarn is like that, isn't it?).

I think it's so great that she made such a lovely sweater for herself—something we should all do more often I imagine.

Happy knitting!

Feeling Inspired!

Alright. So this week, it's all about pretending I have enough time to make something as adorable as this. {As usual} there is a ton of activity around here, and I feel almost super human just getting dinner on the table these days.

However, if things were different, I would sit quietly and make a little community of these pixies (the pdf pattern can be found here, just in case your days are different):

I understand the pattern comes with two different methods for making the hair — the yarn version you see here and needle felting, which may look something like this (I'm not certain, just guessing):

Jeanne from Moulin Roty

Which would be awfully stinkin' cute too.

And oh my, have you seen these little things?

Unfortunately they aren't patterns, but you can buy them completely finished (with a wardrobe!) from Manomine in the UK. 

Isn't a little whimsy just the thing to balance all that work we do all the time?

Happy sewing!