Stephanie's crafting obsession |
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Knitting, sewing, cross stitching, my life in general.
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Thursday, July 20, 2006
(8) comments Monday, July 17, 2006
(3) comments Thursday, May 25, 2006
(3) comments Monday, May 22, 2006
(3) comments Sunday, May 21, 2006
(0) comments Tuesday, May 02, 2006
  I've been sewing and knitting--really. Here are the latest pjs for Henry. They are a bit big and well, he is a bit skinny. That's ok--finally some jammies that will still fit with bulky cloth diapers! ;) This is a knit fabric that I got super-cheap a year or so ago at JoAnns. There is a 14" zipper down the front and snaps along the legs (woohoo, used my snap press--much more fun than trying to put that stupid snap tape on). (6) comments Sunday, April 23, 2006
     I'm not sure why, but I just haven't felt like blogging lately. Here are some pics of what we've been up to. (Little H turned 11 months old yesterday. I can't believe it. He's almost a toddler!!) (1) comments Wednesday, April 19, 2006
  I recently decided to do a little kool-aid dyeing because it was Karen's birthday. Since she likes green and pink, I used lemon-lime and pink lemonade. The colors might be a little bright for her taste, but I think it's still pretty fun. I'm curious to see how it will knit up. (I used dye-your-own merino sock yarn from knitpicks). (4) comments Tuesday, April 18, 2006
 Baby (Regia) tip & top socks to match the ones I made for me. I did 48 sts on US 1 needles, 2x2 rib which I carried down the foot. They are actually a bit big so I think I will do 44 sts on the next pair.  Fleece diaper cover, using the knickers pattern found here. The fleece is a cheap-o remnant from Walmart or JoAnns (I forget).  Pj pants. I love this monster/space alien knit from JoAnns.  And finally, here's a little Waldorf doll that I hand-sewed during class. It's cotton flannel stuffed with wool. (1) comments Sunday, April 16, 2006
(3) comments Friday, April 14, 2006
 Henry isn't sick and his teeth aren't bothering him anymore (his first 2 have poked through on the bottom) so he has actually let me do a little bit of sewing! First, some jammies. I haven't had much luck finding cute jammies in the stores in 12mo size so I decided to make some. I love this fabric--it's a very soft cotton knit (from Joanns) with bulldozers and dump trucks on it. I used McCall's 3665 and made the largest size. I even put 3 red snaps on the top with my snap press--wheee! Next, a pull-on diaper cover. I used an old gerber vinyl cover as a pattern. This is white PUL (polyurethane laminate, waterproof) which was embroidered by someone else for me. There is foldover elastic at the waist and leg openings. I think this is really cute and it's much better quality than that Gerber one. I haven't tried it on Henry though, so I'm not sure how it will fit.  Right now I'm working on another pair of pj pants and a pull-on fleece diaper cover. (3) comments Tuesday, April 11, 2006
  I finished my Regia tip & top socks (color 4083). I just did my basic sock pattern--top down, 64 stitches, US1 needle. Actually I used 1.5 needles for the leg. Obviously, I didn't try to match up the stripes. Now I'm going to cast on a matching pair for Henry! And of course Henry needs an Easter bib. I bought the cute egg-y fabric at Walmart and the back is cotton terry velour. It's just turned and topstitched and then I got to use my fancy press to put on a snap! (3) comments Monday, April 10, 2006
 Can you guess what H is for? Was there ever any doubt? H is for Henry! I took this picture this morning at the AP playgroup. We were at a teeny little park next to a library and it was really packed! (don't you love the sun hat? I made it about a year ago). (2) comments Sunday, April 09, 2006
  Just in time for Easter, I finished four wee bunnies using this pattern and flannel scraps. One has blue plaid on the back and will go in Henry's Easter basket. The other 3 are gifts that will go in the mail on Monday. I used leetle white pom poms for tails, except on Henry's (I know he would immediately pull it off and try to eat it, so I sewed on a circle of white fleece instead). I drew the faces on with permanent marker because I know from experience that when I try to embroider faces the results are usually not good! (2) comments Thursday, April 06, 2006
 I made one of those shopping cart seat covers and I'm pretty pleased with it. Especially since I used stuff I already had instead of going out and buying a ready-made one for around $30. I used pattern Simplicity 4636 with just one modification--I put 2 slits in the back, like giant buttonholes, so I can slip the cart seatbealt through and around the baby. Henry's still too small to sit up properly in one of those seats without the seatbelt buckled. For the seat I used some yellow prequilted fabric and the rest is red Charlie Brown baseball fabric (love both of these--they were purchased cheapcheapcheap from JoAnns quite some time ago. as a matter of fact, I think the Charlie Brown fabric was like $.50/yd or something ridiculous). The picture is Henry taste testing the cover the other day at the Mitsuwa marketplace (all I bought was Pocky, tofu, and Hello Kitty stickers. heh). I used it today at Walmart and I had one woman come up and ask me where I got it because she has been looking for one. These are the kind of things that make me happy these days, people. (3) comments Monday, April 03, 2006
 Look at all the great goodies that were packed into my final secret pal package from Elizabeth! A stuffed chick for Henry, a yarn cutter pendant, a cutie sheep tape measure, the magic loop booklet, _Cool Crochet_, Wildfoote sock yarn, Sockotta sock yarn, and Artyarns Supermerino. Ahhh. Thanks, secret pal! I've decided to sit out round 8, but you can sign up here. (1) comments Thursday, March 30, 2006
Now that I sort of have my crafting mojo back, I have a million things that I want to do. I'd like to finish Henry's cross stitch birth sampler. I think the last time I worked on that was the day my water broke (hmmm, I wonder if I would have finished it if he hadn't come so early)? I also want to do some (a lot) of sewing. At the top of the list
of course I have a few problems--nowhere to set up my sewing machine at the moment and no time to sew (I think the machine would wake up mr. light sleeper even when he's napping in the other room). sigh. Maybe this weekend I can figure something out... (4) comments Wednesday, March 29, 2006
 G is for Grandma! This photo was taken a few weeks ago when I went to my knitting retreat and Anthony's mom came to help out with Henry. Her name is Ljubica (which means "Violet") and she was born in Croatia (the island of Vis). She currently lives in the L.A. area with my BIL and my doggie Jackson. Henry is her first grandchild and she loooves being a grandma. (5) comments Tuesday, March 28, 2006
 Here's my progress so far on the New England sock from Knitting on the Road (Cherry Tree Hill supersock in spring frost and US0 needles). I like it, but you do have to pay attention to the chart all the time. Soo, I also cast on a plain Regia tip&top sock for mindless sock knitting. (3) comments Sunday, March 26, 2006
Yesterday was a busy day for me--DH watched Henry so I got to run around like an idiot trying to get things done. Dishes, laundry, post office, long walk. I went to the farmers market and then the produce stand (because the farmer's market sucked). I made organic zucchini babyfood and ABC nutloaf (yum, btw. we had it with chicken-flavored vegetarian gravy, mashed potatoes, and salad). Knitting. I couldn't decide what socks I wanted to work on. I knit a few rounds on some ufo socks and then put them away again. Ripped a different ufo sock because I had to face the fact that it was really too small for my foot. Thought about starting a sweater for Henry using sock yarn. Finally, I decided to start the New England socks from Knitting on the Road. I'm using Cherry Tree Hill supersock in spring frost (note that this is a superwash yarn, but the dye tends to fade a lot if you actually put it in the washer and dryer. I'm using this because I had it in my stash, but I won't be buying it again). I had a pic to post but blogger won't let me. pppffftt. (2) comments Saturday, March 25, 2006
 Here's a small blanket that I just finished up for the preemie project. It's about 20 inches square and I used a basic diagonal garter stitch dishcloth pattern. The yarn is Valeria di Roma Topacio that I bought quite some time ago from elann. It's 60% cotton/40% acrylic and I used 3 skeins. I actually have a sweater's worth of this in orange to make something for me! (1) comments Friday, March 24, 2006
(2) comments Thursday, March 23, 2006
 pattern: Simply Lovely Lace Socks by Karen Baumer. Interweave Knits Spring 2006. yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino modifications: I used US1 needles instead of US0. (3) comments Wednesday, March 22, 2006
 My sweet baby is ten months old today! He isn't crawling yet, but he does cruise along the floor on his tummy with amazing speed. He can get wherever he wants to go. He also figured out how to open the lower kitchen cabinets so we need to get safetly latches installed asap. He is still having stomach problems, but his mood is better. Hopefully he will be back to 100% very soon. So far I am eating much better today. I won't bore you with a food log, although I am thinking about setting up a separate food blog. You know how sometimes you eat better if you have to actually write it down. And probably even more so if other people might be looking. I just put this together while H was napping so tonight I can pop it in the oven (for 30-45 minutes, I would guess). (1) comments Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Remember how I said I was going to start eating better? Um, yeah. I say that pretty often and it rarely ever happens. Today started off ok--a juice spritzer (you know, instead of a diet Coke), a bowl of almond-flax granola with plain soymilk, and a little bit of coffee. Later I had the diet Coke anyway with a small organic date-almond-coconut bar from the co-op. It was very much downholl from there--Arby's drivethru AND an entire box of Andes mints for lunch. Ahem. Now I have a tummy ache--imagine that? I don't think peppermint tea can help me this time. Poor Henry is still having stomach problems. We are going through about eleventy million (disposable) diapers a day. His doctor said that it could last for a week. Oy. (0) comments Monday, March 20, 2006
F is for Feather and Fan! Here is Henry's blanket, blocking on my bed.  Uh, it's a small blanket, if you can even call it that. It's about 25" square. But I don't care. I mean, he's almost a year old so he's probably not going to be using a lace blanket all that much anyway. It looks pretty draped over his crib  Pattern: from Vogue Knitting on the Go Baby Blankets Yarn: Joslyn's fiber farm laceweight (5) comments Sunday, March 19, 2006
It's been a decent day so far, although poor Henry is getting over a stomach bug. This morning I went to Starbucks, had a decaf mocha frappucino, and decided to work on Henry's feather and fan baby blanket. I worked on it at the retreat and of course I made a mistake because I can't knit lace and talk at the same time. I am really sick of this blanket so I just bound it off! It's amazing that I had over 500 stitches on the needle (in the round) and it's still quite small. I know, it was laceweight yarn and size 4 needles (I think) but it seems like I was knitting this thing for about 100 years. My plan is to wash it and see how big it will block out and then I will decide what to do with it. Then I went to the food co-op and naturally I forgot to bring my shopping list. And the food co-op is way across town. Oy. I got lots of fun things like wheat germ and soy ham (I am trying to eat healthier).  On the way home I stopped at the vegetarian restaurant to pick up lunch. While I was waiting, I popped in to the thrift shop next store (which benefits an animal welfare group--I forget which one). I didn't spend a lot of time there but I did manage to score these 4 cute pink cloth napkins and 2 balls of GGH Esprit for a grand total of $1.08! (1) comments Thursday, March 16, 2006
(1) comments Wednesday, March 15, 2006
I'm back home again and I've been a lazy blogger. Henry hasn't been feeling well so I'm using him as an excuse. I'm not really sure what's wrong since he seems to be over his cold--ear infection? teething? constipated? missing his grandma? One minute he's fine and the next minute he's crying like the world is coming to an end. I was getting ready to start weaning him but I guess that will have to wait. The retreat was wonderful. I didn't take my camera so I don't have any pictures to share. I got to relax, knit, drink wine and coffee, eat great food, sleep, chat with the greatest gals ever, sleep, eat, knit.....I made some progress on Henry's baby blanket, but it's slow going since I now have over 500 stitches on the needle. Oy. I also started a pair of socks (and when I came home I joined the knitalong)--Karen's Simply Lovely Lace
Karen, thankyouthankyouthankyou for the wonderful retreat!!! (2) comments Thursday, March 09, 2006
Hurrah! It looks like I will be going to my knitting retreat tomorrow. Henry is starting to feel better and so far I haven't caught his cold. My MIL is coming to help DH for the weekend (DH has a presentation to give next week so he will be working on it from home). Now I am just thinking about what to pack--mainly what knitting to pack. My main project will be Henry's baby blanket--you know, since I want to finish it *ahem* before he becomes a toddler. Of course I'm also bringing some socks for truly mindless knitting. I'm really looking forward to this, although I will miss Henry terribly. But I'll only be gone from Friday afternoon until 1pm on Sunday. edited to add: I just finished my second cotton market bag. woo! Sorry, no pics because we moved the computer and I don't know where the usb cable for the camera is. This bag is very similar to the yellow one I posted recently, but it's terra cotta colored and I made 2 short handles instead of 1 long one. There's something very satisfying about making something so practical and good for the environment (I've been using the yellow one a lot when Henry and I walk to the grocery store with the stroller). (1) comments Monday, March 06, 2006
Random Monday
(2) comments Saturday, March 04, 2006
  Here's my first diaper made with the embroidered fabric I showed you the other day. This was also my first time using the Cuddlebuns one-size-diaper pattern. The inner is light blue suedecloth and the closures are light blue snaps. The hidden soaker is 2 microfiber towels folded into thirds. So this is one heavy-duty (all-in-one) diaper! I need to wash it and try it on H before I decide whether I like this pattern or not. Then I can figure out if I want to use the rest of my embroidered PUL this way. And yay--I'm finally getting better at sewing on the foldover elastic! (1) comments Friday, March 03, 2006
 I'm always thinking about little things that I can make for the preemie project. Like yesterday I was at Walmart and of course I had to check the fabric remnants. I got 7/8yd of yellow fleece (60" wide) for under $2. So I cut it in half, used pinking shears around the edges, and sewed on some baby appliques that I had picked up a while ago on clearance. Voila, 2 large blankets for the preemie project. The one on top is a small blanket (about 20" square) that I knit from some Sirdar snowflake that was in my stash. I'm also sending the 2 leftover skeins so someone else can use them. (2) comments Thursday, March 02, 2006
 E is for embroidery. Look what I received in the mail today from WCC. Cuts of PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabric with fabulous embroidery! I picked which designs I wanted and mailed the fabric to her (the service was great btw...and fast). These will be made into diapers (or diaper covers), with the design on the butt of course. I totally cannot decide which one is my favorite. Now to find the time to cut and sew! (3) comments Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Adventures in tie dye. I bought some blanks (mostly baby t-shirts) and the teeny tie dye kit from dharma trading company. I also did a baby onesie, bib, and hat, and 2 t-shirts for me. But what I'm most excited about is--I dyed a yard of white flannel fabric that I will use to make diapers (of course)! It was fun and I love the finished items. I don't think I will do it again soon though cuz it was just too messy (duh). And for some reason I was thinking that the kit came with yellow, red, and blue. But it actually came with yellow, fuschia, and turquoise. Adventures in homemade baby food. I now have cute little squares of the following in my freezer
next up
I should probably do something green too. For the past few days he's been eating avocado with his lunch, so at least that's green! (1) comments Tuesday, February 28, 2006
(2) comments Sunday, February 26, 2006
  D is for diapers, of course! Here's the diaper I made last week for a swap. The outside (brown) is a layer of waterprool PUL and the inside is printed flannel (cute coffe theme). There is a snap-in soaker and doubler (also in flannel) and some matching cloth wipes with flannel on one side and cotton terry velour on the other side (I really like these--I made a few for myself as well and they are my new faorite wipes). The closure is white snaps and the binding (white) is foldover elastic. (2) comments Friday, February 24, 2006
 Yesterday Henry had his 9-month well-baby appointment. He is doing great. 28 inches and 16 pounds 10 oz (keep in mind that his adjusted age is about 7 1/2 months, so he is small). The one thing I talked about with the doctor is the fact that he is constantly hungry! So, we are moving from 2 meals a day to 3 meals a day and adding in some new foods, especially protein sources like tofu and beans. Here's H trying tofu for the first time. He's still not to keen on anything that isn't super-pureed, but he had fun playing with it anyway. So, I started looking at some of my books on healthy food for babies, etc. I even got out this kit, which I got super-cheap on clearance while I was pregnant (I think I have the older version because it looks slightly different and I paid like $7 for it). Now I'm thinking I might actually try making my own baby food. That way I can make it all (or mostly) organic and it will be much less expensive. This kit makes it seem really easy--just buy organic fruits or veggies, clean, cook, and puree. Then you stick them in the freezer in the little ice cube tray thingies and you have nice little 1-oz portions that will keep in the freezer for 2 months. Cool. I will have to get to the co-op and pick up some more organic produce. Right now I'm soaking some organic black beans so I might actually make those first. I'm going to cook them in the slow cooker overnight and then use some for black bean soup tomorrow and the rest for babyfood. This morning I pureed the rest of the (silken) tofu with some sweet potato and apple babyfood (H's favorite) to make a pudding. He ate it for breakfast and loved it. I have one tray full in the freezer right now! (2) comments Tuesday, February 21, 2006
 I've been a bad blogger lately. I guess I just haven't been feeling very crafty and so it doesn't seem like I have anything interesting to write about. I worked all day Saturday and Monday (DH watched H). Sunday was grocery shopping and working on H's room (here's a pic of him in his new crib). Knitting--almost nothing. Still working on cotton market bag #2 and yellow preemie baby blanket. Sewing--I finished my first skirt for sew i knit. I kind of like it but I kind of don't. The clearance fabric was a little wonky and I wasn't very careful and it shows in the finished product. I'll post a pic when I can get DH to take a model shot. I'm working on drafting my own cloth diaper pattern and I made a flannel one the other day with my first attempt. I think I know what changes I want to make for next time. I'm also working on a AIO for a diaper swap. I think it's going to be pretty cute. Maybe some matching cloth wipes too. (2) comments Thursday, February 16, 2006
 Look what the UPS man brought yesterday--my first secret pal package! Two great knitting books from my wishlist and a toy for Henry (such a nice suprise)! Thank you so much, secret pal. Henry loves the cars and he especially loves when I drive them around the carpet and make funny noises. The books are great and I think they may be just the thing to get me out of my knitting blahs. I'm not sure what I will make first, but I do have a baby shower coming up.... My secret pal is really very sweet. I got an email from her telling me that she had a family emergency and she had to leave town so she wasn't able to get my package in the mail. She was still thoughtful enough to place an order with amazon and have it shipped directly to me. Thank you! (3) comments Wednesday, February 15, 2006
 Finally, I finished these pjs for Henry. They were a PITA to make (and took me forever), but now I'm happy with the way they turned out. The fabric is that non-flammable sleepwear stuff (100% poly) from JoAnns and the pattern is New Look 6525. They look like they will be a bit big on him right now, but that was the plan. He is growing like a weed, especially in length! For valentines day, DH got me some chocolates and a JoAnns gift card. Does he know me or what? I might even go to JoAnns today. I'm thinking I should buy some fabric for ME instead of flannel for Henry's diapers! Yesterday I cut out my first skirt for sew? I knit! using some stash fabric, but I'd like to make several more (I'm using New Look 6565). I'm thinking I would like something in a pretty batik. (2) comments Tuesday, February 14, 2006
(3) comments Sunday, February 12, 2006
 Yay, we had a pretty fun weekend. Luckily DH is feeling quite a bit better (thank you for the well wishes)! Saturday morning I went to a parent meeting at the Waldorf school. So. fun. I learned how to play the lyre! Then on Saturday afternoon we loaded up the stroller and the diaper bag and took Henry to Friar Fan Fest 2006 at Petco Park. The weather was beautiful and we had fun (note Henry on first base...he got to "run" the bases).  Today I did some cleaning and then went and got some groceries at the co-op. I got to use my new yellow cotton market bag, which I love. I used some sugar n cream cotton from my stash and this pattern. I already have another one on the needles using some terra cotta colored lion brand kitchen cotton. This afternoon the three of us went to Barnes and Noble where I picked up a cookbook for me and a book of Nursery rhymes for Henry. (1) comments Friday, February 10, 2006
 I don't think I've mentioned that Henry has started school already (heh, my MIL laughs for 15 minutes every time we tell her that Henry is going to school). Every Friday afternoon for 2 hours we attend parent-tot classes at the Waldorf school of San Diego. It is sooooo much fun. It gets us out of the house and we spend time with other parents and babies. We sing songs and play and eat healthy organic snacks. The parents even get to do craft projects (right now we are hand-sewing little flannel dolls)!!! Today Henry wore his new acrylic longies (over a handmade sheep fitted diaper) and he got tons of compliments. Everyone was so impressed with my sewing and knitting. One mama is getting ready to switch over to cloth once she gets a washer and dryer so she was asking for tips on fabrics and patterns. Oh, the knit baby gnome was a big hit as well. (2) comments |
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Socks in artyarns ultramerino (IK Spring 2006). 
