Winner!

Michelle is the lucky winner of the Waldorf doll pattern and tutorial by Adirondack Patterns! Congratulations! (:

The last 24 hours

This is what I do when my kids are making me crazy.



I tear sheets into "yarn" and ghetto-block capelets. The following pictures are terrible. Okay, no. My husband took the photos and they are fine. It's the subject - the person in said photographs. I have this thing.. I don't like her very much. I never have. But I'm trying to get over that and accept her for who she is - tattered pajamas and all.




(The hand on the belly is not a hint. I am not pregnant. I do, however, have many holes in my shirt. Pale, pale skin is very noticable in holey black shirts.)



Don't forget the giveaway! You can still enter through tonight!

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny at Small Things again this week.



Still working on that capelet. I'm nearly done - knitting the collar while crocheting it on (yes, I get tangled). I finished reading my Lauren Willig book and am now reading free novellas by Karen Chance (I adore her books).



Here's my finished bracelet. I love it. I bought the button last weekend - it was love at first sight.

Also! Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a copy of a spectacular Waldorf doll pattern and tutorial by the amazing Adirondack Patterns.

Lots of Crafting on and a giveaway!

Okay. I have several things to share today - one of which is a giveaway! Stay tuned!

First up is the Forest Nymph capelet that I've been working on for a friend's birthday (though it will be late. grrr).


(Ravelry notes here.)

I have the body done and am now working on the collar. This Friday I'll be blocking it with the help of the lovely Paula from Really Knit Stuff (that's where I go to knit on Friday nights).



This is the look I get from the Elf when I stand on chairs to photograph knitting projects. He was shocked that my head didn't touch the ceiling. Clearly the practical application of simple math in our house isn't working.




On the needles as well is a bracelet for myself. It's done in a slightly tweaked version of the collar pattern for the Nymph capelet. I'd wanted to make a headband but it's too narrow, so bracelet it is! Finally a use for my *huge* Malabrigo Rasta! I'm thinking a similarly textured coffee sleeve is next.

And now. The unveiling!



Here's my first Waldorf doll in all of it's glory. The pants are doll longies that I knit quite a while ago (I've been plugging away on that capelet and was looking for a shortcut). The top is crocheted using this pattern as a guide. The Elf tells me that it needs shoes, and therefore socks. We'll see.



Okay. So! The giveaway! Because I love you guys and because I honestly cannot say enough great things about the pattern I used for the doll.. I bought an extra copy of the pattern to share with you (it's digital, and yes I got permission for this)!

For your perusing and ogling pleasure, visit Adirondack Patterns and check out their great patterns! I seem to have bought the last copy (I'm sure another will be up soon), so you'll have to check the sold items. But the prize is the "Simple complete Waldorf doll pattern and tutorial." It includes an amazing tutorial with oodles of pictures and tips as well as pdf files for the actual pattern. I will email the pdfs, the link to the tutorial, and the password to access it to the winner.

How do you become the winner? Leave a comment here before midnight (eastern time, but I'm lenient) Friday the 24th. I'll use some form of random picking (number generator, names in a hat, who knows) and post the winner on Saturday (hopefully, along with pictures of the blocked capelet!). Good luck! But if you don't win, the pattern is so reasonably priced, hop on over and pick one up!

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny at Small Things again this week.



Still working on this. I just joined my third ball of yarn to it this evening. I haven't started reading the book yet - I just picked it up from the library. But if you know me, you know I'm anxious! It's the latest in the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig.

And this. A reaffirmation as to why we'll never really be a Waldorf family despite the things I try to incorporate:




That would be the Imp, B, and the Beast. All using Android phones to play games.

Crafting On!

What just happened? This morning I read Nicole's "crafting on" post. She has a picture of the beautiful Waldorf doll she's making for her son. Well, if you know me, you know that I've been desperately wanting Waldorf dolls for my boys. You'd also know that I'm not crazy about sewing.

Once upon a time I bought a lovely pattern from Adirondack Patterns for a Waldorf doll. Despite the amazing tutorial, I remained daunted. I've coveted dolls by so many talented people. I've tried to budget the necessary $70+ each for three dolls. I've looked into kits and premade bodies. I've dreamed of convoluted trades and swaps.

Today, with all of my kids awake and moving, I started a doll. Why didn't I do this while the Beast was sleeping? I'll never know. However! Look at the progress I've made:





The face isn't great. The nose needs work. The body looks blocky. The arms seem really long. I assure you that these are user error. But look at what I did! I made a doll! It wasn't a complete disaster! And the Beast seems smitten - even with it bald and freaky looking.

I'm working on hair for it now. Not sure what style, but at least it won't be bald any more. The Imp has already requested that I buy more wool stuffing so that he can have a doll, too.

Squee!

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny at Small Things again this week.



Still knitting this capelet. The chart is fairly easy to remember for the row (you repeat the charted row x number of times, if that makes sense) but I seem to zone out to whatever we're watching and later find that I've totally forgotten one increase in all but the first repeat. Oops. So I've learned a lot about un-knitting. Er. Fixing my mistakes - however you want to term it. What it comes down to is that there are imperfections, but also much love knitted into this fabric.

The book is The Thorn and The Blossom by Theodora Goss. I received it through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I must say that as an ex-bookbinder, it tickled me to have an accordion bound novel. It made one-handed reading a bit dangerous, but the story was worth it (I finished it in several interrupted hours). Next up is The Green Man by Michael Bedard. There's no picture because it came in the mail after I'd already taken this photograph. It's also from the LT's ER program and I'm excited to start it (uncorrected proof though it may be).

Weekending.

This video pretty much sums up our weekend.


(There's no sound and it's only 10 seconds long)

Also. I've started this. The chart isn't as hard to follow as I feared. Of course, I still managed to make a mistake in the first ten rows. I think I've fixed it now, though. Whee!

Late Yarn Along

Joining Ginny at Small Things again this week.


(Ravelry notes here)

I'm back to reading this book. I can't say that I get a lot of reading done now that I'm no longer nursing the Imp. There's just so much else to do with three little ones running wild. My current project is an effort to use up dishrag cotton without making any more dishrags (we have so very many). So I'm making this bag. All these double-crochets are making me crazy.


(Ravelry notes here)

After making a Pikachu for the youngest, my oldest requested Espeon. Here it is, already much played with despite the fact that I still haven't added eyes or other details. I think I'm over my need to make toys for another month or two. Not that my kids will allow me to actually stop. But I'm over it all the same.

Weekending!

I had a spectacular long birthday weekend. B took off Thursday afternoon so I could go to my massage appointment and then he stayed home Friday as well for my actual birthday. My loveliest of lovely friends, M. Bloom, sent me a birthday package. Inside was a beautiful handmade birthday banner, ivy leaf necklace, lusa organics lavender lotion bar, lusa organics lip balm, and two beautiful peg dolls (which have been confiscated by my littles).



On my birthday I woke to happy children - it was amazing. We went out for breakfast, went grocery shopping. I went knitting at a local yarn store with my step-mother (as I do most Fridays). There were sweet treats and many birthday wishes. I'm sure we did other things. But the weekend has made things a bit of a blur. The kids resumed their cranky ways (can we be done with the teething now, please?) and much sleep was lost by all. It was still a great weekend, though.

Saturday night I started a crochet Pikachu for the Beast. He's.. well.. he deeply loves all things Pikachu. He wore a giant Pikachu backpack around a store over the weekend. We didn't buy it and he was a bit sad. So I thought I'd make it up to him.


(Ravelry details here).

Now, of course, the Imp wants one as well. During my search for inspiration I put together and Etsy treasury for all things Pikachu. You can see it here.

Birthday!

Today is my birthday! To celebrate I'm offering 20% off everything in my Etsy shop. Just use the coupon code "Bday31" between now and Sunday night. I'll deactivate it before I go to bed - this will likely be between 11pm and 1am (Eastern time).

Pictures of my lovely day will be forthcoming - B killed the camera battery and it must charge!

The Surprise Revealed!

Okay. I only got two guesses (and both hats - which I sort of meant for you to think). So I suppose it wasn't all that fascinating to anyone but myself. I am, however, so wickedly pleased with the end result that I am positively giddy.

Here's a hint:


And here, my ferocious Imp:

(Ravelry notes here)

Yes. Tiger stripe longies, indeed! The tail was made using a modified version of Emily's C is for Cat pattern. Well, the cat's tail, at any rate. It is removable thanks to two buttons sewn into the back of the longies. Now, my oldest is asking for a knit tail to put on his jeans.

Yes. Today I win.

Yarn Along - scrappy style!

Joining Ginny at Small Things again this week.


Reading The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig. It's the last of the Pink Carnation books that are out. Another (Garden Intrigue) should be out next month, though! Yay! Knitting.. well, I'm not going to tell you what it is. That will be for a later post. You're welcome to guess, though!



These are the scrappy longies I finally finished! Woohoo! Well, minus the drawstring. But I'll get to that. Amazingly I had some yarn left over (hence my current project). These were made with some lovely hand dyed yarn I bought from The Sitting Tree a very long time ago. It was my first "real" yarn purchase, I believe. And it was sitting on my shelf making me feel guilty for not knowing what to do with it. Once I rearranged my yarns I noticed that I had a bunch of scrap balls of other oranges and some brown. What could be more perfect than scrappy longies? Especially since my little boys just keep getting taller! So here they are - unwearable until the drawstring is made, but already much loved by everyone.

Monday in pictures.

10am popcorn - the cure for crankiness.


(Ravelry notes here)


This is my life. Never ending diaper laundry.

Weekending.

Or Sunday, at least.



Can I tell you how much I love that the Imp can entertain himself sometimes? The legos all over the floor, not so much. But the moments of quiet are pure bliss.



I'm waiting for the sunshine to hit my front window today. Shop update coming soon!



The Elf and I have been reviewing his history (Story of the World: Volume 1) by filling in a timeline. It is *slow* going. There's a lot he's forgotten. And yet he amazes me with how much he remembers (sometimes with a little prompting). We're somewhere near Cyrus the Great right now. The fall of Rome seems so very far away.

Oh! And how could I forget? I have a birthday massage on Thursday! Okay, pre-birthday. It was the closest I could get. Do you have any idea how much I'm looking forward to this? B bullied me into making the appointment, assuring me that he'd find me the money for it. Here's hoping I can enjoy it without feeling too guilty!

Late Yarn Along

Joining Ginny at Small Things again this week.



I haven't been knitting. Scroll down to see how I spend my free time these days. It's sad and pathetic the time I give to little peg people. Anyway. The longies look exactly as they did in my most recent post. I started (and finished) a test knit for Emily in the evening. I'm nearly done (re)reading Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig. It's another book in the Pink Carnation series.

24 hours

I've more or less weaned the Imp. It's been two nights since I last nursed him (we were only nursing to sleep, anyway). I suppose I should feel emotional about this, but I don't think that I do. We've had nearly three and a half years of breastfeeding (nearly two of which have been tandem). I think it was high time we were done. Given his ready acceptance of this, I suspect he feels the same way. I am very thankful that he does not resent the Beast for continuing to breastfeed (aside from the first month of the Beast's life, we've never had rivalry about it). Anyway. It seemed like I should document this.

Weekending

This weekend in pictures. Because, honestly, I don't seem to be in a very positive mental/emotional place these days. It's safer - and nicer - to stick to the pictures.

Yarn Along - FInally!

Joining Ginny at Small Things again this week.



I took this picture for last week's yarn along. The longies still look about the same. I just haven't really been knitting (I am excited about finally using some yarn I bought from The Sitting Tree at least a year ago). The book, however, has changed. I'm now reading The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine. It's.. interesting.




This is that purple shawl (here). I think it looks much better blocked and dyed.



These are just another pair of scrappy longies. Whee.

But now my eternally cranky children are being.. well, cranky. Thus ends my first blog post in almost two weeks.

A note.

I just wanted to pop in and let everyone know that I'm still around (there have been a few concerned emails). Within 36 hours of spending the day with a houseload of people at my father's for Christmas, my two littlest boys got sick. Things have just sort of spiraled downward from there. Thank all the gods (and really, my step-mother), I was given a copy of Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes book for christmas.

At the exact moment of the beginning of the new year, I was trying to get a coughing, snotty three year old back to sleep. I can only hope this isn't setting the tone for the coming year.

We're recooperating. Elderberry syrup and tea flow here like water. Oatmeal and soup are the foods of choice to soothe our raw throats.

Has any of this led me to amazing resolutions? Well, not exactly. My goal for 2012? To make more tissues (we use cloth). Our small supply just can't keep up with five dripping noses.

With luck, I'll be back in a few days. With pictures (of knitting, of course!) and memories. Until then, you'll find me snuggled with a little boy - tea in hand.