Knitting Max to Sleep

This Christmas is different from every Christmas that has come before. This year I have Max. Max has filled me with such love and imagination I have found myself diving into projects and enjoying them more than I ever could have imagined.

One thing that I love more than anything is Knitting Max to Sleep. Max and I spend all day together and we have found a wondeful rhythm to life. Every three hours or so Max wants to Nap. Well, he gets fussy and I decide it's naptime. I wrap him in his nap blanketI a lovely gift from our friend KJ), give him a pacifier, and we sit down to knit in the nursery. After a few minutes Max settles down and watches my needles work, then before I finish a row he has usually fallen alseep. Sometimes I put him down, sometimes I am content to sit and knit while we rock for an hour. I find this my favorite time of the day. I love nap time and thanks to naptime I have finished all of my Christmas Knitting, and thrown in a few extra projects for fun.

Thank you Max.

While I'm at it, I can share this!

Shortly after I found out we were having a little boy I started this blanket. It ended up on hold during the last few months of the pregnancy, due to my need to comlpete the nursery. I even took it to the hospital with me to work on while I was being Induced... Nada. I was lucky enough to stay with my Mother-In-Law for 2 weeks over Thanksgiving. I was able to finish 3 projects! I am pretty proud of this one; it's not meant to be perfect. However it is the perfect size for traveling, which we are doing plenty of so far this Winter.

Max's Blanket
Yarn: Stich Nation by Debbie Stoller
Colors: One Skein each of the Following:
2605 Honeycomb
2260 Clementine
2205 Little Lamb
2640 Thyme
2510 Auquamarine
Two Skeins of the Following:
2529 Mediteranian
Needles: Size 9 knitting
Finished Size: 30"x30"
Gauge:16st x 20=4"

Make 5 Squares Stockinette Stich each color: Honeycomb, Clementine, Thyme, Little Lamb, AuquaMarine

CO 16sts
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
repeat till 20 rows complete or 4" x 4" squares
BO

Whip Stitch Seams together
Color Pattern: Little Lamb, Thyme, Honeycomb, Aquamarine, Clementine.
repeat patter shifting 2 colors each row

Pick up 100 Sts on the sides of blanket with Mediteranian:
Seed Stitch (alternating rows K1,P1/P1,K1) repeat till 20 rows or until you have reached 4"
BO

Pick up 120 Sts on top and bottom of blanket with Mediteranian:
Seed Stitch (alternating rows K1,P1/P1,K1) repeat till 20 rows or until you have reached 4"
BO

This is my first pattern, please let me know if you notic anything wonkie. Thank you!

I just can't resist any longer!

I'm in the middle of finishing my projects for Christmas. Somehow this week my list doubled. I'm just full of ideas this year, it is very refreshing. Well, I've now finished 6 out of 9 presents and the rest are in different states of completeness. But I can't share any of them; because someone who is getting a present might be kind enough to actually read this silly blog. But now I can share this: I have made bags this year, only using one roll of wrapping paper
for Specific Gifts. My grandmother has used bags for presents for as long as I can remember. I think it's a great way to reduce, reuse and recycle. Hooray!

Little loves for Little Hands

I have come to the realization that Max likes to hold things... This is a good thing, he is working on his motor skills. He will grab hold of something and shake it... usually ending when he shakes the thing into his head. Currently his item of choice has been this rattle. He has found he can hold it and shake it to make lots of noise. I like this; it means I can leave him in his pack n play and go about my business cleaning, doing laundry, whatever needs done. However when I'm in the middle of a task inevitably I hear the vicious rattling then an abrupt stop followed by crying... Max has hit himself in the head again...


So I made these: Soft little rattles that he can shake all he wants. Today I was working on a project, I could hear the shaking, followed by nothing. When I went to check on Max he was smashing the soft moster into his cheek, happy as can be.

I had another idea for fingure puppets... so far they are pretty cute!

I'm in Love with this Woman!!!!

My Mother in Law just introduced me to this wonderful book written by theis wonderful woman.
http://www.susanbanderson.blogspot.com/

I have started obsesing about knitting homemade toys for Max... Thanks to Miss Liz, who is also a wonderful woman made Max Dino!










On to new Adventures... I am currently working on a few items for Christmas then look out Max, your getting a Giraffe! It will probably be as big as you are now, but your getting one... good thing you can't read yet otherwise there would be no surprise!
Happy Knitting!

THE BABY BREAK IS OVER!

As the rush of energy returns so do the ideas. I have been so busy making things already and I have so much more to share with the world. I have decided that I am going to start a home business making the wonderful items I have been complemented on since the birth of my son Max. I want to fill Max's world with color and imagination a Wonderland of sense; so far we are off to a running start.

His room aka the Nursery is a smashing success! I have recieved so many compliments that it gives me hope. I have also discovered now that my son is 2 months old that he has interest in the items hanging on the walls of his room. We sing the alphabet song to the alphabet, so they know who they are. We discuss that Fox is spelt F.O.X. and that Foxes are orange, etc. We have tummy time on his bright rug and someday I can see us racing cars along the shapes.

I am currently working on a bunch of small projects that I am thinking of selling on ETSY.com. I would love feedback on which items fulfill my goals of being: educational, imaginative, whimsical, and origional.

Everyonce in a while there will just be an image of a new item, I would love to hear your opinions and suggestions; of course I will take orders as well. If you have a loved one in need of anything I am taking custom orders as well.

Here's to Happy Hands at Home! Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

Costume Parade

THE GREAT PUMPKIN! Having a son has been amazing. This year I had a partner in crime celebrating andd setting up for Halloween this year. I got busy making Max's First Costume! I found the pumpkin hat for $1 at Joann's a few weeks back and decided that I could make a costume to match. I think it took about 4 hours. He wore it for about 1 hour, but it was worth it! He's only 2 months old but already growing out of 3month sizes. I made it a bit big so hopefully future kids will be able to wear it. I must say that it turned out Amazing and it gives me hope for my future Costume Making Abilities.

About a week ago my cousin's son Charles decided he wanted to be a donut... He's 12 and I couldn't dissapoint him.

Lizzie's First Projects

I am a proud AUNT! I meant to put these pictures up Months ago, but then I found myself pregnant and lost all train of thought.

So I started out when I found some really bright fabric and mixed them all together to create a small quilt. It fits her crib and is backed in a soft flannel. I made all of this back in the spring, and gave them to her when she was born in May.

Using bits of fabric I trimmed out the edges of a few Burp Cloths (cloth diapers).

Rattle Mobile
Each of these little animals are little rattles. I have been told that Lizzie just loves looking at them over her changing table. I picked them to match the mural in her room (I painted last Christmas before she was born.) So combining the colors from her room with the colors her parents picked I out all of these things together and I hear they have all turned out to be a hit. A great starting point for more projects.

The Nursery!

The Nursery is all but finished; I just need a baby and a name. We have gone thru a couple of revisions and I still plan to paint large 3D letters spelling his name, once we figure it out! We had a lot of fun with this room. I decided I would be spending a lot of time here and that I should make a room I was happy in. I made almost everything: bedding set, diaper storage bag, laundry bag, alphabet art by chair, lantern mobile by chair, and paintings over changing table. I can't believe in about a week this room will be occupied!





































Mary Jane Smith made us this piece, she saw all of the monster fabric and UglyDolls and was inspired. I really love this piece; check out some of Mary Jane's artwork at: http://outofthewoodsdesigns.blogspot.com Then While out and about we found this wondeful drawing of Monsters! I guess you can tell we are planning for our own little monster.

More Nursery Fun!

Today was a great day! We had an Ikea date! We went to look at some of the rugs and chairs to see if they have for the nursery. We ended up with some really nice items that are making the room wonderful. We found two amazing paintings/prints, they are perfect colors and exactly right. We actually went to Ikea to get the hanging toy bag, lamp shade, and a rug; we decided the rug wasn't quite right. I think we have done fairly well for working on the nursey for about a week. From paint to toys we have a great start. Charlie was great and put in a closet storage system to help, since the room is fairly small. It might seem like I'm going a little crazy at this point with the nursery, but work is going to get nuts in the next few weeks and I won't be able to play agian until July. At which point I will be 8-9 months pregnant and it will be hot out. More to come!

Nursery Update!

I started this quilt a few months ago, before I knew we were having a boy, so I put it on hold. Well today I finished it! I finally just put it all together and finshed the back in a very soft flannel. I am very proud of this quilt. This is my very first quilt ever, and I think it turned out perfectly. So this afternoon I was on the phone with my mom and doing laundry and I had some leftover pieces so while I was on the phone I put together this bedskirt to match. I just have to make the curtains and I'll be all set!

















I also got really great news today! The dresser came in to the store and was ready for pick up. Charlie was wonderful and picked up the 150lb dresser in the rain and brought it home. We put the dresser in the nursery and spent some time re-arranging. I'm sure we will move things round a few more times once we get everything together.


















We did decide that we will be using the plane lamp as the nightlight in out little boys room. I think it is perfect!


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Monsters!

This weekend I took a trip to the craft store with my girlfriends and I found MONSTER FABRIC! It is a really light and soft fleece covered with MONSTERS! I plan to make a sleeper and a carseat blanket for the little one. I got enought fabric I might make Charlie a pair of pajamas to match!






















The next day we were out runnng some errands and we found Uglydolls. Charlie and I discussed which ones we liked best and ended up with all three. Once for the carseat, one for the pack n play, and one for the crib... and growing in size with our little boy. They will also go with the MONSTER blanket and sleeper. We are dorks!

The Nest

I have been looking into Nursery themes now that we know we are going to have a little boy. I like this idea from the Nest and I just thought I'd try to link it to my blog. This is a really cute idea dn I have already started a baby blanket with birds on it. Maybe I'll try something like this? I have a couple of girlfriends coming to visit this weekend and maybe we'll take on the nursery?

HAPPY ZOMBIE JESUS DAY!

Also known as Easter! Today was lovely, and mostly about food. We woke up this morning and I made us pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. We then took out dog Asher out for a hike since it was so nice out today. After our walk I made some snacks: 3 kinds of cheese with 3 kinds of spread, hard boiled eggs, hard egg parts with pickles and crackers, watermelon, and shrimp with cocktail sauce. We had nice little picnick and then started working. I've been drafting for the past 9 hours. Since I was busy drafting Charlie made dinner: grilled salmon, potatos, green beans, and rolls. What a wonderful feast to celebrate. Then to top everything else Charlie made cake with jelly in the middle. Happy zombie Jesus day to one and all! I hope you day was as great as this. Even the drafting wasn't so bad, I just wish I was done.

Finding Time

Whenever I feel as if my life is finally slowing down and becoming manageable I find that I loose control of everything. After finding out we were pregnant I decided to take things a little slower and enjoy the experience. I had decided I would work; I am currently designing three productions at a couple of local schools from now till June. Then maybe I would work a few weeks during June at a scaled back position at my last summer job. Then out of the blue I got a promotion. Now I will be designing 3 shows and working full/part time at my summer job thru July 23. That only gives me one month to get my systems in order and the nursery set up before the baby arrives on August 27. I'm sure I can handle everything and that it will be good for me to be active thru the entirety of my pregnancy. I just have to tell myself that I won't be working for awhile and that I should enjoy every minute of it before the baby is born.
So sadly thru the last month my crafting has slowed down and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get everything I wanted to get down for the baby accomplished. I have made my lists and I will stick to them. I have found that I have developed Pregnant Brain and I tend to forget of find difficulty in staying motivated or awake. But so far I am still able to work on little things here and there. My husband and I took a road trip to Florida last week to see family and I am pleased to say that I finally started my first baby sweater. Right now it looks like a bib or a cover to a turkey, but hopefully It will get finished before the baby arrives. However I won't need it until November, I pretty sure once the baby comes I won't have anytime to knit or enjoy it if I do. But here is my progress so far.

Back on Track!

So I've been a little distracted recently. I am now 15 weeks pregnant and starting to feel like my old self again. I felt somewhat proud of myself a few weeks ago when I went to pick out fabric for the baby blanket I'm making. That's right, I failed to mention it was a blanket for my own baby! Charlie and I are expecting our first born of August 27th, 2010. I'm not sure if it will be a boy or a girl... YET! I get to find out in 5 weeks.
Needless to say I spent most of January staring into space. I had all the time in the world to knit and make things and I just couldn't lift a finger. I was in shock that I could be pregnant already. I had just gone off the pill; then suddenly I am a mom in training. I needed a small adjustment time. Now I'm finally feeling better and ready to take on this pregnancy with optimism and excitement! I'm starting to feel little flutters and strange new sensations. I have also decided I am going to make my very first sweater! For my very first Baby!


















At least I'm going to start it, it sounds like the next 5 1/2 months wont be as low key as I had imagined, but work is work and I gotta take it! This is the Yarn I'm going to use! Since I don't know if it will be a boy or a girl I figure this would work for both! And then when we have more kids It will work again!





















Here's the Picture from the pattern. I think it is very cute and will be an excellent for my very first sweater attempt! I think I might modify it a little bit though, who knows how it will turn out! I Also have a bunch of buttons left over from a couple of Christmas presents that will be super cute on the shoulders. And since I will be having the baby in August I will totally need size 3-6month sweaters for the winter months! Rock out! Now I just have to get started and find the time to get it done! I hope to make some booties and hats too, more to come!

Many Many Projects

I have a lot of projects in progress right now! However I can't seem to get any of them finished. I am proud to day that I have several buckets of brand new yarn!
However, I don't really know what I will be making with all of this yarn! I have lots of great ideas, I'm just not quite sure where to start. Probably socks and baby gifts! I have started making lots of super cute baby items, maybe I will be a little bit more adventurous and make something super new and exciting.
Then I have decided that I am going to start making quilts! I have been inspired recently and I have decided to try my hand at making something special. There are several little ones in my life and I have decided that I would like to make one of them a quilt. I started this last weekend. Charlie went with me to help(carry) all of the fabric and to make sure I picked out pretty ones. I am very lucky to have a husband who likes my crafts! I was also lucky that I found this Bird patterned fabric as I was waiting at the cut table. I think it is perfect! I am going to cut out little pictures from the fabric and place them in a larger square of a brighter colored fabric.
I started with the back panel of the quilt, I think it has turned out beautifully! I found this bright floral paisley and I have to admit it changed the entire blanket! I had to change some of the fabric I had already picked out. I think I will add a blocked print name of the child, once I figure out who I will give it to.

Craft Room Update!

This week I finally got my craft room re-organized and set up for use! I got facy new bins to hold all of my new yarn. I have almost used up all the buckets from the wedding, they hold all of my paints, scissors, etc. I feel like I can actually spend some quality time down there. Next month I plan to move a futon chair down to knit in. I can't wait! Even Asher likes it down here. I still have some work to do but I plan to spend a lot of time down here!




Everything finally has a place to live... now I actually have to have time to use everything!