Craft Basket Wednesday

Well, I've still been working on Rachel's baby sweater, but seeing as that is a longer, more-extensive project, I don't really have any updates.  But, I have been making some wool diaper covers for the new baby!  In the midst of such a long project like a sweater, I wanted something that I could work up quickly, like in a day, so I could feel at least a little gratification at completing something.  So, I found this chunky diaper cover pattern at Ravelry, and I've actually made three of them already.  They fit the bill perfectly, as they finished in a day, plus, they are so cute!  All they are missing is the button.  The pattern is for a newborn baby, but I actually shortened the length from the designated 14.5" to more like 11.25" before finishing off.  The first one I made looked too long for a newborn, so I may have to go back and fix it.  I normally use Fuzzibunz cloth diapers, but the size small is too small for my new babies.  They outgrow the newborn size so quickly, and I didn't want to spend a ton of money on smaller cloth diapers.  So, I'm going to try these out to use with my inserts.  I've never used wool covers before, but they are supposedly ideal for diapering, for a variety of reasons (I won't get into that here, but I'm sure a quick Google search can help you if you're curious).  You only need a few covers if you are using wool, which is another perk, and I was able to get three, so far, from one hank of wool...I have a small ball left, so I'll see if I can get one more cover out of it.

The front (minus the button):

The Back:

**sorry these first two pictures are so dark...

One of the button holes on the side flap:

OH!  This is a new discovery I've made in the knitting world.  I'm very excited about this!  (does that make me too weird??).  Anyway, I've started keeping my current knitting project in a gallon sized zip lock bag.  The beauty of this is that your work all stays together, I don't have to worry about the kids dropping food on my extra ball of yarn - so, it stays clean while I'm knitting - , it travels well, AND I can keep all my notions in there with the project - a copy of the pattern, tapestry needle, crochet hook for fixing mistakes, tape measure, scissors...  It's so awesome!  I'm glad I discovered this.

Here is the other hank of wool that I plan on using for a few more covers (but, if the baby isn't a girl, I'll have to save them or gift them).  You can see how the yarn comes in a big, messy bundle...It was kind of difficult to work with like that, so I just rolled it up into a ball, like the one behind it, before starting :

And, just in case you were wondering, that chunky yarn is really fun to work with!  The knitting just comes together SO quickly, so it's really gratifying.  Anyway, that's all I have for now!  Stay tuned for more progress on Rachel's Triangle Top Sweater!  It's coming along, slowly, but surely =)

Now, you can go see what other fun crafts people have in their craft baskets at Knit Together (except she doesn't have it up there yet...I'll come back and link later).

Craft Basket Wednesday

I've been plugging along on the baby sweater I'm making for Rachel.  Now that summer is here, and we are done with school, I should have a little (note: very little) extra time to work on it.  We are going on a week long beach vacation, leaving this Saturday, so I will at least have the 4 hour car ride (there and back) to make some real progress.  The yarn isn't as soft as I'd expected, but I'm still hopeful that it will come out nicely.  Maybe once it has been through the wash...

These are pictures of the back of the sweater:

As you can see, I also discovered how to use stitch markers...greatest invention ever!  Thanks to the Knit Together blog for hosting Craft Basket Wednesday!

Craft Basket Wednesday

 Sometime during the last year or so, I discovered the lost art of knitting.  Wow is it addicting!  And really fun, too =)  You can make so many cute things.  This past weekend, I finished my first project - a yellow, boucle baby blanket.

you have to be careful with knitted objects around here, so they don't get pirated:

she likes it:

Peek-a-boo!:

I still have to weave in the ends, but other than that, it's finished!  Natalie even used it to nurse her baby doll this morning =)  Unfortunately, that was before the pot of coffee was made, so I didn't think to get a picture of it.  Now that I'm confident I can actually finish a knitted item, I'm moving on to a baby sweater!  I received my yarn and needles in the mail last week, so I'm ready to get started!

I just love new, squishy yarn!!  The teal is for the body of the sweater, and the brown for the trim.  Hopefully it will look like this when it's done (only a different color):

*note:  these are the images from the Debbie Bliss pattern book, Booties, Blankets, and Bears, and they come from this link. 

I would have made the sweater in the same colors that the pattern suggests (because I'm OCD about stuff like that), but that yarn is sooo expensive!  So, I opted for something that was 1/3 of the cost, and they didn't have these colors.  I'm sure the teal will still look lovely on Rachel - even if she will probably be way too big by the time I finish.  About a year from now when I finish the sweater, I'll let you know how it turns out ;)  I'm not the quickest knitter on the block....

Now, you can go on over to the Knit Together blog to see what other fun projects are going on!  Enjoy =)

Craft Basket Wednesday

One of my favorite blogs to read is Knit Together.  Every Wednesday, she hosts 'Craft Basket Wednesday', and I've been itching to participate.  Today, I am finally getting around to it! 

When we purchased our home 3 months ago, just about all the windows were bare, except for blinds in the kitchen and kids' room.  So, I decided to be adventurous (and Susie home-maker-ish) and make my own window treatments.  With the help and consultation of a friend who has a better eye for design than yours truly, I picked out my material, and set to work on my first home project =)  Oh, and a word to the wise...taking three small children, 5 years old and younger, to the fabric store is NOT advisable!  Get thee a babysitter...I cannot emphasize this enough.  The kids were trying to hide in the fabric and I was trying to make decisions...it was not a pleasant trip (and I am not one of those parents whose kids are always clean and put together..I have outdoor kids who are, as a general rule, covered in dirt for the majority of their life - not a good mix with fabric).  Anyway, I ended up going with Roman shades for the living room...not a task for the faint of heart!  It was fun, don't get me wrong, but let's just say that I got VERY familiar on how to use a seam ripper...it was definitely a learning experience.  However, after much trial and error (and 4 or 5 Sunday afternoons with my husband watching the kids), I am proud to say that they are hanging on my living room windows, and they look just beautiful!  My husband even likes them, so I am a happy girl!

Here is the pattern I went with (it matches great with my current wall color, but leaves room for change if I want to ;):

I lined it with drapery fabric (to keep the sun/heat out), and I used a strip of fabric with plastic rings sewn on it for the shade cord to run through(as opposed to sewing each ring on individually O_o):

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!:

I used nylon string for the cord pull, and a nifty little cord cleat to keep the shade open:

Done! (trust me...this took way more work and thought than the pictures allow for):

The first time I pulled the shade open, it looked like this:

And I wanted to cry!  Because it looks ridiculous.  No problem, though...it just takes a little fluffing to get it just right...like this:

Ahhh...much better.

And, the other window (please ignore the pile of junk on my end table):

I haven't put the weight in the bottom of it, so it doesn't pleat properly yet:

This will have to suffice until Phil gets home from Lowe's today with the weight (what a great husband I have!)

If you've never made a Roman shade before, I used a tutorial from Jen Duncan's 'What's New' Blog.  I just realized that I didn't put a set of rings down the center for the bigger window like she suggested....oh well.  They still look nice!  I can always add some later if I so desire.  I really like these shades because we have such large, open windows, and these do a fantastic job of keeping the sun/heat out, and with summer right around the corner that will come in very handy!  And, on the flip side, they still open all the way to let lots of our current spring sunshine in =)  Finally, you can see that the windows already have nice looking window dressings on the outer trim, so this particular kind of shade doesn't hide that the way curtains or drapes would.  So, A+ from me for both functionality and fashion.  I think if I had more sewing experience, these would have come together quite quickly.  All in all, a fun project!  Now, I just have to finish the kitchen and bedroom...here's a sneak peek at my bedroom window treatments:

I opted for a traditional valence/curtain combo...here's the valence:

More to come when I am finished!  And, go on over to the Knit Together Blog to see what other moms are working on.