Loafers and Loss

With some scrap brown linen on hand (salvaged from a $1 thrift store dress), I decided to whip up another pair of tiny TOMS, using Leisha's marvelous pattern. I actually purchased the pattern to get all of the sizes, because they're just too cute to make in one size!

The constructions process was smoother, since I worked out my desired alterations last time. I do get frustrated working with such small pieces (they're so fiddly!), but the result is worth the effort.

I must say that I think the sizing might be a bit off? And my children have tiny feet! I'd definitely measure to be sure you make the right size (compare to a store sizing chart if you're making a pair for someone else). In any case, these will be ready for the wee feet that are currently occupied with creating strange bulges in my midsection.

I have a habit of pulling my elastic pretty tight -- I'm always so afraid that little shoes will slip off! I guess I'll have
to wait to find out whether or not that was a good decision...

Sewing helps pass the time until our little one joins us. The waiting seems endless, and I think that's partly because my last pregnancy ended so abruptly. It just kind of feels like I've been pregnant forever, and I should already be there. Today marks a year since our miscarriage -- it's strange to think that so much time has passed, when in some ways it feels like yesterday. There are so many emotions to feel.

The sheer pain of loss.
Longing for the baby girl that would be six months old by now.
Gratitude for the new life growing within me.
Joy at the prospect of his coming arrival (Lord willing).

It's an unreconcilable set of emotions; this baby boy that we love so much would not exist if we had not lost our sweet daughter, but it doesn't make her loss easier. Thanks be to God that I do not have to reconcile those emotions; grief and joy are somehow mixed in this muddled up world of ours, and by His grace (and grace alone) I need only trust in His plans.

And so, a new year is upon us -- with a baby and a move on the horizon (probably both before the end of March), it's looking to be an adventurous one! I pray that God will give you peace as this worn out year draws to a close, and joy as the new year begins.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are My ways your ways, 

declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are My ways higher than your ways, 

and My thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)

Jingle All the Way

My husband and I are dedicated to having a live tree at Christmas -- The fragrance, the texture, the not-having-to-assemble-a-box-of-smooshed-branches-on-a-metal-pole. What's not to love? Oh, I guess that would be the needles all over the floor and the fact that we have to shell out cash for a new tree every. single. year. But it's our one Christmas splurge (and a 6-7 ft. tree doesn't put that much of a dent in ye olde bank account!). 

Plus, I feel like we get a bit extra for our money. Each time we buy a tree, I raid the bin of free trimmings like a bandit. Free trimmings = free live wreath! A live wreath always seems like a luxury to me, because it's the kind of thing I'd never buy.

The first few times I wired my trimmings to a grapevine wreath, but the process of un-wiring the wreath after Christmas was both tedious and painful! So now my super-secret, super-professional method is to shove trimmings into the grapevine wreath, and pin down any straggling branches with old-fashioned v-shaped bobby pins. Turns out they're good for more than just stray tresses!

As for the rest -- the pinecones-on-sticks came from a floral arrangement we received when Little Man was born, the berry clusters were pillaged from a strand of fake garland that we were trashing, and the jingle bells are part of my stash (via Dollar Tree -- they come nine in a box, and are delightfully vintage looking). I did pay for red burlap ribbon this year, but I also used that for part of our tree topper. 

It's quite festive to get a whiff of evergreen and a cheerful jingle every time we open our front door!

I'm still not done assembling Christmas gifts, but I'm getting close -- the handcrafted part of Rosa's gift is done, and I can't wait to show you! For now it's waiting under the tree (probably collecting some of the aforementioned needles).

May you all have a peaceful time of worship and reflection as the Christmas bustle comes to a close!

Ready for a Wee Noggin

One more project to slash off my list of "nesting" projects -- the Dayton Cabled Baby Aviator Helmet! It's such fun knitting for a baby; the small size means less time between me and that gratifying sense of accomplishment. Surely I'm not the only one who likes that?

I knit this pretty much as-is, using Knit Picks City Tweed DK in Chipmunk. It's a lovely merino and alpaca blend, with a super soft hand (even softer after blocking!). About half-way through I felt a growing terror that one skein would not be enough -- at one point I even weighed my remaining yarn on my kitchen scale to get an idea of how much I'd already used! In the end I had leftover yarn, so apparently my yardage estimation skills are scandalously bad. 

This poor hat sat for quite a while on my needles once I reached the cable section, primarily because I had to change needle sizes at that point. That meant that this project didn't qualify as "grab and go," which is all I really had time for just then. Besides, I had some pressing birthday and Christmas projects to attend to! At any rate, I finally tackled the rest. Why are cables so satisfying? Before trying them, I thought they would be incredibly difficult. They look difficult, don't they? I still love to pore over any knitted item with cables; unlike many things that lose their "magic" when you know how they're done, I think I'm even more fascinated by how the cables twist and weave now than I was before.

I'd love to make this again, as it would be a perfect baby shower present. Though next time I will certainly knit it in the round -- it would require a few modifications to the pattern, but nothing drastic. I might rewrite the cable bit anyway, as I found the organization of that bit slightly confusing (too much "repepat rows 1 and 2" -- it makes perfect sense, but is not the easiest thing to read when in the middle of a project).

At any rate, our little lad should have a warm noggin when he finally makes his appearance in a few months -- assuming his little "helmet" fits (as I think it will). He's been celebrating the start of the third trimester by making sure that I *know* he's there. I certainly welcome his (admittedly pugilistic) reminders!

Birthday Knits for the Boy

As soon as I saw this Minion beanie pattern on Ravelry (for free!), I knew exactly what Little Man would be getting for his fourth birthday! Despite having never seen the "Despicable Me" movies, my littles are excessively fond of minions (remember this project?). 

So with some Knit Picks' Comfy Worsted in "Planetarium" and "Creme Brulee" in hand, I got started. I did alter the pattern to be knit in the round -- a decision I'm very pleased with. Though I did make a mistake in joining, so my stitches are slightly off where they meet in the back. Wouldn't have been a problem if there were no color changes! Oh well, it's not obvious, and a little "cheating" when I wove in the ends disguises it a bit.

This was such a simple and satisfying knit, and also my first experience changing colors part way through a project. I did make a few other small changes to the pattern. I cast on the maximum number of stitches, but used the smallest size as a guide for the proper height. I also increased the goggle band to four rows instead of two, because i wanted it a bit thicker. But probably the biggest change was the crochet the eye  instead of knit it. I just did not like the look of the knitted eyes I saw -- I don't think knitting translates well to circles! Plus, making a grey i-cord and stitching it on seemed unnecessarily complicated. So I did the "less" complicated thing by teaching myself to crochet using the magic ring method (two rounds), with an extra round of single crochet for the goggle rim. Technically, I crocheted a baby hat about seven years ago, but haven't tried crochet since (and was so confused by it that I didn't count that project as much of a "success!"). Oh, and I crocheted a simple chain for the smile, since I wanted something a bit bolder. I don't anticipate taking up crochet any time soon, but it was gratifying to figure out enough for this project.

The cowl was a bit of an afterthought -- Little Man doesn't have a scarf, so I thought I'd use the leftover "Planetarium" to fix that. I used Bernat's free Handsome Scarf pattern as my basis, but obviously modified it for my own purposes. I added ribbing to the edge, and a buttonhole for a wooden toggle.

The stitch used to create the pattern was quite enjoyable (Purl 2 together without slipping stitches off needles, then Knit 2 together into the same stitches) -- not too complicated, and it creates a great texture. I'd like to play around with it a bit, as I think it would work well in a "seed stitch" type pattern. My only goof on this was that I somehow reversed the pattern half way through, which I of course discovered when the cowl was 90% complete! I must have added or omitted a row of regular knit stitches. It wasn't obvious enough to warrant ripping out so much, though. Little Man hasn't noticed it. *wink*

Little Man loves his hat and cowl (which fit him perfectly, thank goodness), and gets quite a kick out of putting them on and looking in the mirror.  Granted, he also likes to put them on other things, such as his longsuffering Winnie-the-Pooh bear...

This particular bear was mine when I was a child -- I don't think it's an official
Pooh bear, but it looks far more like E.H. Shepard's drawings than the more
modern versions. When he's not dressed as a Minion, that is.

Four years already? When did my tiny firstborn grow into this gangly, giggly, curious little boy? He knows so much (and think he knows even more), and talks enough for two. He told me a few weeks ago that "When I am four, I want to do homeschool." So that's what we'll do. At least he's ready, even if I'm not! 

Happy birthday, Little Man.

Raveled here.

All Abuzz

My parents recently found an older model Bugaboo Bee in a yard sale, which they very generously purchased as an early baby gift. It's easily the nicest stroller we've ever owned, and I never thought I could love a stroller so much! With a little TLC, it was ready to go. However, it came with a very, very pink canopy -- and while at the time there was still a possibility that our little one might be a girl, I knew I wanted something more neutral. The perfect excuse to indulge in a specific fabric I've been drooling over for ages: Birch Fabrics "Flight" Organic Canvas in Mineral.

 A rare sale popped up while I was hemming and hawing over the price of that fabric -- and a coupon code, to boot -- so I took advantage of that to buy some of the same fabric in knit. I have plans to make several coordinating accessories, including a new Baby K'tan (I love the one I made for Rosa, but was wanting a change from boring brown knit), a carseat canopy/nursing cover/blanket (still mulling over my options for that), and a pair of little baby pants and a hat. And a stroller organizer? Maybe, perhaps?

But first was the stroller canopy:

Would you look at the size of that canopy?! It really keeps the sun out , but it can be retracted for a better view. 

I absolutely love how it turned out! I traced the canopy pieces and did a trial run in some old decorator weight fabric, but in the end decided that I really just needed to disassemble the original canopy and use the pieces as a pattern. The results were much better.

I love the way it buttons on to the stroller in the back:

I ended up lining the canopy with grey linen -- the original canopy had serged seams inside, but I decided I wanted the extra weight and the nicer finish of a full lining. It made a few things more complicated, but was well worth it.

You can catch of glimpse of Rosa in her "stroller coma." As soon as you strap her into
a stroller, she totally zones out.

I couldn't resist attaching the original canopy tag:

I'm so thrilled -- and relieved -- that this worked, and can't wait to use the stroller for our newest addition in a few months, Lord willing (though Rosa has become quite attached to the "twoller," so I'm not sure how she'll feel about being supplanted!).

Stopping for a little chat on our walk

Now to get busy using up the rest of my fabric!

Simple Pleasures, Simple Joys

I'm relishing simple things.

The beauty of the changing season.

 Fall is the perfect time for impromptu scavenger hunts -- "Can you find a red leaf? Can you find a green acorn?" Stashing acorns in a jar kept the munchkins surprisingly busy while I sat on a blanket with my knitting.

The joy of watching our backyard "visitors" grow up.

This was a solo visit -- I have no idea where its mother was, but they showed up
together a few days later!

The delight of watching my own littles changing and maturing.

How did she get so big? She talks incessantly now.

Sweet and simple.