last of the baby knits

I finished the last of my baby cycle knits....the baby raglan.  Beth sent me this pattern from a Debbie Bliss collection.  It was easy to knit with plenty of stockinette. 

This sweater was knit in pieces and then seamed together.  I haven't done too many sweaters that required seaming, so this one gave me some much needed practice in seaming.  I used this video to help me with the raglan seams. If you're wanting to work on your seaming techniques, this is a great little sweater to give you some practice.  

 I love the feel of this yarn....so soft and silky. I used just over two skeins to knit the 3 month size.   Because the front and back are identical, I added a tag to the back so that it was obvious which side should be the front.  (I thought the raglans were a bit more precise looking on one side than on the other)  I also did a single crochet around the neckline to stablize it and clean it up just a bit. 

 That should do it for a while on the baby sweater front....although I do have enough yarn left over that I might be able to squeeze out a hat to go along with each sweater....we'll see! 

treasure found

I've been cleaning like a wild woman.  Purging cupboards and closets, organizing cubbies and crawlspaces.  We made a big trip to Goodwill this weekend and donated many boxes and bags of 'stuff'.  It feels so good to have some space in my spaces.  Last week, while I was going through boxes upon boxes of baby clothes that I'd saved, I found a treasure. 

This little quilt was my doll quilt when I was a little girl.  I haven't seen it in years.  My grandma made it for me and I remember having it in my room and playing on it as a little girl.  I obviously stored it away and had forgotten all about it.  What a wondeful surprise!  I gave it a good wash and hung it outside to dry. 

There are some quirky things about it....the edges are puckered because it was stitched with a wool yarn that has obviously felted.  The back, which looks like it was made from sheeting, has a couple of stains on it that I'm hoping the sun will bleach out.  

 The flowers are amazing.  I am guessing they were hand turned and sewn on piece by piece.  (No wonder under on this quilt!)  I can't imagine the work that went into this little quilt.  So much love.  I never remember having to be careful on it...I was just allowed to play with it and enjoy it. 

That seems huge to me now that I understand all the time and love that went into it.  My grandma made many quilts over the years.  She had a huge quilt frame in her back room for all the hand quilting.  I'm on a treasure hunt now to find all the beauties that she made.....I'll share them here as I find them. 

flying by faster than I can...

These summer days are flying by faster than I can frog a baby sleeve...

...which I had to do last night.  I totally skipped the direction that mentioned casting off three stitches for the next two rows on my second sleeve.  That made attaching the sleeve to the body quite tricky.  I'm knitting the Raglan Baby Sweater by Debbie Bliss.  It was going along great and I was seaming my sleeves to my fronts and backs.  When I went to seam the second sleeve, I realized I didn't have the angular little corner that I needed to make the seams join accurately.  Rip, Rip went my second sleeve...and I'm working on re-knitting it according to the directions. 

I did however, successfully finish a second Pretty Baby Sweater.  This one is knit in Universal Yarns Worsted.  The color is Primrose and it is my favorite baby yellow.  After purchasing a second skein of yarn, I've got enough to knit up a baby hat as well.  These baby sweaters are fun and fast, which fit these summer days perfectly. 

Hope your summer days are filled with great things and that your needles are always full of stitches....whatcha knitting now? 

like dandelion seeds

I can tell we're settling into summer because the days are just floating by so quickly. Like dandelion seeds...these summer days are so magical.   We've got some upcoming camps and basketball events that make the next three weeks a bit busy, but these past few days have been just what I love about summer....unhurried.  Here's a peek at what we've been doing to kick off the summer:

~I've been cleaning the house and summerizing it with shells....

~Finally have finished up the last of the report cards and sent them off to our umbrella group which keeps all of our paperwork for home schooling.  The kids all had great school years and we survived Chemistry and Physical Science...whoo hoo!

~Jammer finished up baseball in the midst of a heat wave....temps over 100 at the ball fields.  whew

~We've been enjoying meals outside on the deck.....I feel like I get an extra room added to my house each spring/summer as we spend so much time out on the deck.

~Taking time to just play and create and let our imaginations go free.

~Totally devouring our new read aloud....such suspense!

~Lunching and shopping with my mom and finding my new summer purse for a super crazy price! 

~Watering our plants....almost daily

{Marveling at how fast these plants are filling out...the above picture was taken on May 23, 2011, the one below was taken today (June 15th) Wow!}

~Keeping track of the gifts along the way! 

I hope your days are magical ones...enjoy the special blessings of this season!  They go by faster than dandelion seeds on a breeze! 

batches of baby love

I've noticed that I tend to work in batches.   One month I'm knocking myself out with dishcloths, the next I'm whipping out owls and right now I'm smack dab in the middle of a baby sweater phase.  Who knows what July will bring?  But, the sudden urge for baby sweaters is practical in nature because there are several babies who will soon be making appearances and I thought it would be fun to knit some sweaters to welcome them.

 The very originally named Pretty Baby Sweater has been in my knitting binder for several years.  I am not sure why I waited so long to knit it, but it is a gem.  It knits up quickly and the seaming is painless and easy as the pattern calls for a crochet slip stitch. 

There is no need to cut the yarn, you simply seam the sleeve and keep on knitting.  Genius!  It is knit from the yoke down and when you're done you only have two tails to weave in. (your cast on tail and your cast off tail)  I knit this green one from some Ella Rae Classic.  I was able to get an entire sweater out of one skein. 

This heather green one has already been given to my friend Michele who just recently had her fifth baby....a precious little girl.  She loved it and I'm sure it will keep Elizabeth warm when those Kansas winds start whipping. 

Because I was able to knit an entire sweater from one skein of Ella Rae Classic with some left over, I wrongly assumed that one skein of Universal Classic Worsted would suffice for my second baby sweater.  Wrong!  I'm stalled on this precious yellow one until I pick up another skein to finish it.  Good thing this baby is not due until September. 

Oh well, that was just excuse enough for me to cast on for a third baby sweater...this one for a precious little boy.  I'm knitting my friend Beth's favorite raglan sweater. 

She sent me this pattern (and several others a while ago - thanks again Beth) and I found the perfect denim blue yarn.  The yarn is Plymouth jeannee and it is so soft and perfect for a baby knit.  I'll work on this until I get back to my lys to pick up my additional skein of yellow yarn.

In the meantime, I'll be plugging away with my newest fascination....how about you?  Do you work in batches or are you solely passionate for one project at a time?  No matter what your M.O. might be, I hope you find joy in the process.  Have a great day friends!

embrace life

Summer is here!  I've been wanting to make a summer list; you know things that need to get done, things we want to do for fun and just some extra special things.  Thinking through what should go on that list can be overwhelming to me, but while I was reading and doing my quiet time this morning, I found the perfect summer (really all year) list already composed. 

"Whoever wants to embrace life

and see the day fill up with good,

Here's what you do.

Say nothing evil or hurtful;

Snub evil and cultivate good;

Run after peace for all you're worth.

God looks on all this with approval..."  1 Peter 3:10-12 (The Message)

That was just what I needed to get my mind wrapped around what I really want for our summer.  So friends, I hope that you'll join me this summer embracing life and filling up your days with good.  Happy Summer!

wrapping it up and kicking it off!

Lots of pots have been on our stove lately....many of them threatening to boil over.  This weekend, we pulled a couple of pots off the burners and I'm thinking that space is a good thing.  Maggie performed in the drama, 12 Angry Jurors this past week.  The cast of 14 had been working on the production all year long.  They performed to a sold out crowd and received much deserved praise.  Maggie did a fabulous job and we're so proud of her in so many ways. 

Our school days are just wrapping up...only a Chemistry final left to seal the deal.  I'm looking so forward to some relaxing days of just being.  We've had a great but very busy school year (just like everyone else) and summer couldn't come at a better time. 

I've finished up a couple of projects over the last month of sitting at baseball games and with all of the busy-ness, I just haven't had time to post them....

First up, a shoe bag - turned into a brush bag.  I realized that when we travel, I take along a crazy amount of hair brushes.  One for straightening, one for curling and one for just brushing.  They don't fit in my toiletry bag and usually I just shove them in my suitcase.  But now, I've got a home for them.  This size of this shoe bag is perfect for all my brushes and combs....and any other stuff like gel and spray. 

Next up is another pair of pleated ballet flats.  These are knit from Brooks Farm Yarn, Riata which is very yummy and soft.  I love how the variegated colors show up so nicely.  I think I have enough yarn left to knit another pair....these flats are so nice as they really don't use a lot of yarn.  You can splurge on some extra soft yarn and get several pairs from the skein. 

And finally, I've gotten into making my own laundry soap.  I'd seen it awhile ago and was intrigued by the simplicity of the ingredients.  It is so easy to make and because you purchase the ingredients in such big quantities I always have soap on hand.  I was forever running out of my store bought laundry soap and there would be a pile of dirty laundry growing by the day.  This stuff works great...and it is so cheap to make.  My son is very sensitive to heavy soaps and this has been perfect for his laundry needs as well.

   I grate my soap with my Pampered Chef grater.  It has a small grating blade that allows the soap to be grated very finely.  My regular grater was way to big and I found bits of soap not dissolving in the wash.  So, make sure you grate your soap very small.  You can also use a food processor to get it chopped up really little.  Here's the recipe that I use:

Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load).

•1 bar of shaved bar soap (Ivory, ZOTE, Fels-Naptha)

•1 cup of borax

•1 cup of washing soda

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a air tight jar.  I used 2 Tablespoons per load.....super easy. 

This website helped me a lot when I was determining what ingredients I needed and how much to use.

So, that's what's been happening around here.  I hope that whatever is wrapping up or kicking off at your house is filling your days with joy and gratitude. 

little corners of my world

When I haven't been running kids to basketball, play practice or baseball games, I've gotten some time to work in the yard...gardening and pruning and planting.  One of my favorite sounds is the sound of the shovel scraping through dirt.  There is something really rich in the way it sounds to my ears.   I don't even mind pulling weeds.

 It just feels good to be out in the sunshine and see an area transformed by some elbow grease.   Last year we did a lot of work in our yard and put in some new beds.  This year, I just want to enjoy what we've got. 

I love to stroll the yard, poking around and watching the changes in the plantings.  It's fun to see empty spaces filled in and blooms where there was nothing.   

I put out a lot of planters and pots around our deck...they make me smile.  They're little vignettes of beauty.  They start off looking rather tame and by the end of summer they are out of control.  Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to over do it with the potted plants but then I get to the nursery and can't help myself. 

John built us a raised bed for some veggies. This year we're keeping it easy with cherry tomatoes and herbs.  Since our yard is mostly in the woods, we just don't get enough sunlight to produce anything bigger than a cherry tomato.  I think I got one cucumber last year.   (That's our bed in the background with the marigolds sitting in pots.)   

So, you'll find me outside whenever I can be, digging in the dirt...transplanting plants and trying to make this little corner of my world just a bit prettier.   And now that school is just about done, you might even find me sitting on the deck with some knitting....aaaah summer! 

Just come on around back and join me!

setting aside smallness

This morning, I was praying for a friend and wondering how to handle a situation that might not even be a situation.... Usually when something like this happens I revert into protection mode. Assuming that there's something wrong, I start thinking through my options to keep my heart from being wounded.  I've noticed that self protection is never 'other people' minded.  So, as I was sifting through these thoughts, I came upon this quote in my morning reading:

"Whenever we treat another out of Christ's greatness and not our smallness; we free them."  Goebel

I realized that my self protective stance was small and petty and binding.  I desire to pour blessings on those in my life.  Obviously in order to do that, I need the greatness of Christ, because my human tendency is to be small and shielded.  When I treat others out of my smallness, I keep them (and myself) bound by whatever it is that stirred up that self protection instinct.  But, when I trust in the greatness of the Lord and allow his grace and mercy and unfailing love to pour through me, freedom is the result.  So, I'm determining to set aside my smallness and to settle into His greatness....I know there is more than enough to go around. 

"And they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  And He will be their peace."  Micah 5:4

lola x 3

Only two weeks late ...but, I finished the kids' Easter owls this week.  For Easter morning, I laid the cut out fabric pieces under their baskets, so they knew there were owls waiting in the 'wings' for them.  They were thrilled when they saw the fabrics I had chosen for each of them.  I have to say they stayed vigilant in asking me about the progress I was making on their stuffed friends.   I made each of them to suit their personalities and bedrooms....

for Maggie ~ my dramatic, fun loving, vibrant first born

for Mckenzie ~ my pink loving, friendly, happy go lucky girl

for John Samuel ~ my steady, hard playing, still loves to cuddle boy

Each of the owls has a pocket on the back for secret love notes and hidden treasures. 

These were so fun to make and give....Virginia did an exceptional job writing up the pattern and it's a fun way to try out some great fabric combos.  All the owls have found new nests on each of the kids' beds and as I went in to kiss John Samuel last night, I found him fast asleep, holding his owl under his arm....perfect!