A Catch All Post

I know there's ends that need tying up here, things I said I would post about and haven't yet...so here goes. Get ready to be overloaded!

I said I'd post about my Waldorf doll making experience and really all I can say is make one! It's a fun and easy project. That said be sure to have a thimble and bandages before you start...don't be scared! I just found that while forming the head I cut/pricked my fingers a few times (who said crafting was easy?) injuries aside it is NOT good to mark your work with a little smudge of blood, so just get some band aids in case.

I used this pattern for the body, it's a wonderful pattern. Read it through a couple times so you know exactly what you're doing. This seller also just came out with a 16" doll pattern which I grabbed up. I used this tutorial for the hair (the pattern I bought also has hair directions too, I just wanted a different style).

This is how the doll has sat recently, unclothed and one sock is missing. Truthfully Rowan rarely reaches for her, though I'm sure there's still time for her to become a favorite.
Another picture of Rowan painting which is almost a daily event here. She's painting with Q-tips here, but all painting experiences usually end up with finger painting which is fine with me. She was moving her tray of paint and it tipped into her face (and hair) she then thought it might be good to try and lather some paint in her hands and rub it through her hair. A bath followed that night.

I posted in my last Yarn along post about my girlie Milo vest. It worked out just as I'd hoped and it was fun to knit some scraps up. It did take much more yarn then I'd expected. I'm adding my notes here because I would like to repeat it.
I followed the directions for the bodice section of the Milo pattern, though I shortened the bodice a bit (I used 9 month size).

-switched from size 7 needles to size 10's and switched yarn colour.

-k 3, M1 around

-knit 3 rows

-k5, M1 around

-keep knitting until almost desired length, switch back to bodice colour (but keep larger needle size) K1 row, P1 rown until desired length. bind off

It's soooo soft and snuggly (& warm!)

Now the flannels, I mentioned I'd bought some new flannels and I finally found my pictures of them. I'll be adding a few pads to my shop later this week (or this weekend) and there's a couple from these prints. I'll be showing you a new pad design soon too :)

Yarn Along :: the monster ball

Joining Ginny again, all this book and yarn stuff is addicting. This week I'm keeping it simple with some leg warmers for the little one. I'm loving the practicality of legwarmers and I think I might just spend this summer knitting many legwarmers for Rowan and a few for me too. The yarn, it's a HUGE ball of an acrylic that my step son picked out for me as a Christmas gift a few years ago. The blue colour has grown on me and it's actually nice to knit up, which is good because that's a lot of yarn. I'm thinking up more projects to do with it, cable legwarmers for my niece, maybe a Mustard scarf for me, then I'll retire the ball until I need to knit a sweater or baby blanket to gift.

I just got my copy of Radical Homemakers after reading about it on so many blogs. So far I'm enjoying it, I'm not far enough into it to discuss it but it's speaking to me. It's a book that I'm sure I'll always keep near by to refer to. I'm also reading Sisters in the Wilderness to continue on with my Susanna Moodie & Catherine Parr Trail reading.

Phew, that all feels so quick! I'm looking forward to peeking into some blogs this afternoon while the littlest one sleeps.

In Colour

"All the grayness outside has me looking for little spots of color inside."

Ginny from Small Things

We had a stomach flu make a trip through our house last week, we're all well enough now. I loved Ginny's idea of looking for colour so I'm still joining in, just a little later. I think I'll see the sun tomorrow (and I can hopefully get out of our snowy driveway!).

Another Yarn Along

I'm so enjoying Ginny's Yarn Along. I missed last week because I didn't want to bore readers with the same project and book for three weeks! I'm moving on though, a new project and a new book. I'm working on my second Milo vest, I'm changing it up though. I'm going to try to girly it up by making the bodice section a bit shorter and then adding stitches to make it fuller on the bottom, similar to a play dress. I'm also using up several yarns to make it a scrappy project. It seems that no matter how many scrapy projects I do (longies, sweater), there's still more bits of yarn to use up!

My new book is again a book that's worth picking up again, The Backwoods of Canada. When I'm done this though I need to catch up reading the few magazines we get.

Another Fun Custom Order

I Just finished this order today. It includes a large hanging wetbag and 12.5" pads and 8.5" pads. This order was a bit different because the customer had her own flannel shipped to me to use for the tops (I love the prints she chose, so bright and a great quality flannel too). I used all my other usual core and microfleece fabrics to turn it into some pretty pads.

I don't generally do this type of order (where fabric is sent to me) but I'll definitely be open to it in the future. And if you're wondering the left over fabric will get sent back to the buyer with her order. It all worked out just right, and the customer has been just perfect to work with.

She picked the wetbag fabric from my collection, I'll be adding one just like it to my shop sometime very soon.

A very cold morning

Here's a picture from our morning, can you make out the figures standing at the end of the driveway? The tallest is my partner Bill, the other figures are two kids with a blanket over them waiting for the school bus. They also had on all their winter gear but this morning it was so cold Bill went up with a blanket and stood to wait with them. It was about as cold as gets here this morning -28*c (or 18*f). Brrrrr. You can also see the hood of my van is up due to a battery that was too weak to start. Ahhh, winter. I'm thankful the sun is shining brightly at least!

New Fabrics

I looked at my fabric gallery last week and realized that it's been very, very neglected. I went through and deleted a bunch of prints I no longer have and it's looking kind of bare (even though my drawers of fabric are over flowing-how does that happen?!) I blame my love of the remnant bin and my good intentions to make this or that for someone or another.

Anyway, I loved these two cotton prints and got some of each. They have a great vintage look to them, I wish I'd got more to make some curtains for my kitchen. I got two new great flannels too, I can't find the photos though so I'll add them next week. I'm so glad the local fabric shop is getting many more non-cutesy flannels.

This little set will go in the mail this week as a trade for some hand dyed yarn. Knitting is keeping me sane this winter so I just keep on going with it. This is an 8.5" pad topped with swirl dyed bamboo velour.