(Finally) Some Knitting (and Sewing)

Knitting! Gifts! Exclamation points! Parentheses!

I’ve been working on a few hand-made gifts for a while, but have held back their pictures so as not to spoil the surprise for the giftees.  Now I can finally share.  

Specimen 1: Parents’ Little Helper Bucket (from the Toy Gathering Bucket Sewing Tutorial at Sew, Mama, Sew!)

Recalling life with a newborn, I can remember countless times settling down to nurse the baby, getting us both comfortable, and then realizing that I couldn’t reach my water.  Or my chapstick.  Or the phone.  You get the idea.  Once I got the hang of nursing (and that pesky cesarean scar healed), I could hop up and grab what I needed without disturbing the baby.  But until that time, a basket, bag, or bucket to hold a few comfort items was a lifesaver for me.  This fabric bucket can hold whatever might comfort mom or dad when it comes time to feed the baby.  Stash the aforementioned water, chapstick, and phone.  Toss in a snack, pen and paper, a burp cloth, a tube of nipple cream.  Then scoop up the bag in one hand and know that you can relax with the baby and have whatever you need within reach.  This one uses fusible fleece to help it stand up tall.  Toss the bucket into the washing machine when the baby barfs on it or you spill/spray milk on it (parenting babies is so glamorous).  This was made with bits of two fat quarters of quilting fabric (the exterior) and part of an old flowery sheet (the interior).  The bucket makes a great delivery device for other gifts as well (this one held baby sweater, hat, and socks).  Later you can use for a toy bag, an Easter basket, or a really wacky hat. 

Homemade fabric bucket, light orange with dark orange outside pockets, a peek of flowery lining visible

An overly bright view of the inside of the orange fabric bucket

Specimen 2: Orange- and green-striped baby sweater (from EZ’s Surplice Baby Jacket knitting pattern by Elizabeth Zimmerman, with commentary by Meg Swansen, Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2007)

This is a very easy garter-stitch sweater, knit in one piece beginning at the bottom.  Decreases along each side create the inner edge; strategic increases create the sleeve-shaping.  The only seaming is at the top of each sleeve.  I used three-needle bind-off for this, but kitchener stitch would do just as well.  Zimmerman and Swansen have given us more of a recipe than an exact pattern, with many possibilities for personalization and variation.  Button plackets, ribbed cuffs, a foldover collar, longer or shorter sleeves are all possibilities.  The  yarn here is KnitPicks Shine Sport in Grass (the green) and Marmalade (the orange), a very soft washable cotton yarn.  This one has buttonholes all around the bottom to make it widely adjustable to the size of the baby, but in the end, worried about the baby choking, I left off the buttons.  Ties might have been nice, but the overlapping points of the sweater will suffice for most purposes down here in the South Texas sunshine.  

Orange- and green-striped, hand-knit, baby surplice jacket

Specimen 3: Orange- and green-striped baby hat (from the patterns of my fevered brain)

This matching baby hat is made with the same yarn as the sweater, with a soft ribbed edge and stockinette top. 

Green- and orange-striped, hand-knit baby hat

Specimens 4a, 4b, and 4c: Infant and toddler socks (from the patterns of my fevered brain)

The grey/black pair of infant socks on the left of this picture are 24-stitch socks that are quick and fun to make. I can make one infant sock during a World Cup soccer match, provided I knit steadily, stopping only occasionally to blow a pretend vuvuzela.  I have a theory that baby socks knit during World Cup matches impart special kicking power to their wearers.  The greenish sock at the center is another infant sock, which has acquired a mate and been gifted to a neighbor for her new grandbaby.  The toddler sock on the right has a mate-in-progress and is destined to be launched to Canada to celebrate glorious Exceptions.  The yarn here is KnitPicks Essential in Lily Pad Multi (the greeny) and Carbon Twist (the grey/black). 

Hand-knit baby socks: one pair of grey/black infant socks, one greenish infant sock, one greenish toddler sock

Fancy-schmancy Presentation Idea A: Using the yarn wrapper

Some smart person on the internet suggested giving away the yarn wrapper with hand-knit gifts to share both fiber content and laundry care with the recipient.  Some people even include a bit of the yarn in case of future repairs.  I rolled up the baby sweater and hat and tucked them inside the skein band from their yarn to make this tidy little package.

Striped baby sweater and hat, rolled up and tucked into the yarn wrapper

Fancy-schmancy Presentation Idea B: ribbon and tag 

Baby socks are too small to tuck inside yarn wrappers, so I often tie them up with a ribbon and a card.  I write the fiber content and care instructions on the card along with a message.  In the case of socks I always point out that baby socks make great Christmas ornaments.  I bet many of the baby socks I give spend more time on Christmas trees than on feet.  Babies grow fast.  

Grey/black hand-knit infant socks, tied together with a blue ribbon and a card that reads: “When these wee socks are outgrown they make sweet ornaments. 75% wool/25% nylon. Machine wash/tumble dry low.”

Specimen 5: G’s Treasure Bag (from Traci’s Trinket Keepers Sewing Tutorial at Amazing Mae)

This was a fun, quick, and easy little gift for a five year old’s birthday.  The bag is reversible and the tutorial gives instructions for varying the size.  The carabiner can be clipped onto a belt loop, bike handlebar, or some other place in order to stash the treasures of the new big-sibling away from the pokey fingers of the baby. This one held a small notebook and pencils.  I printed out large, fancy upper- and lower-case G’s as templates for the felt applique.

Homemade fabric treasure bag with red carabiner, blue side with red, felt applique, lower-case g

Inside-out view of the treasure bag, red side with blue, felt applique, upper-case G

T-shirt pants

I made a few pairs of these t-shirt pants a while back, following 24 Blackbird’s very cool tutorial.  We didn’t have the right size shirts to get some pants on Sonar X6 though.  This week, we have been gifted with some freshly handed down t-shirts in just the right size.  On the back (not pictured) there’s a tennis camp logo.  

These pants are so clever.

A Poppet for a Friend

Hunting around for a birthday gift for a Sonar-friend, I found reference to something called a Poppet, on the Craftster forums.  I am a Craftster novice, and had never heard of such a thing as a Poppet.  Apparently I’ve been missing out because the Ghilie’s Poppet pattern has been something of a Craftster phenomenon since 2007.  At any rate, it’s a great pattern, for a doll with cat-ears and tail, as well as movable arms and legs.  The pattern reminded me of the book Cat Kid: I’m No Fraidy Cat by Brian James and illustrated by Ned Woodman and I decided I had to make one.  

The Cat Kid of book fame is a bit more grey and pinkish, but Sonar X6 decided we should make a red one. The body is made from a fabric store remnant of nubby bathrobe fabric.  Her hair is wefted from bits of the yarn I used to make the Partner sweater last summer, with some white angora for highlights. Her eyes are chibi-style and made with layers of craft felt and bits of embroidery.  All of her clothing is made from scraps of other projects.  The patterns for the clothing were all inspired by Craftewoman’s awesome Poppet clothing patterns, modified to fit this particular poppet. 

I haven’t made very many dolls, and this was by far the most complicated, but it was also a lot of fun.  I hope the birthday kid likes it. And many thanks to Ghilie and Craftewoman for sharing their patterns.  

 

  

Evidence of Craft

Two grocery bags, one Zipper Organizer from My Spare Time, one Buttercup Bag designed by Made by Rae.  Love that little bag pattern.  These are all end-of-year teacher gifts for the kindergartener’s teacher and her daughter. The fabric came from a neighbor’s stash-clearing and has also provided for a wrap skirt.  The furry animal prints came from Goodwill.  

The inside of the growly Buttercup Bag. Tame on the inside.  I actually made two of these, so that the teacher and her daughter could share. 

A light-weight denim Buttercup Bag for me, and a plain vanilla grey sock for Sonar X8. Denim from the stash. Patons Kroy 4-ply from a Christmas gift.

Some dollar-a-yard fabric that will be perhaps a bag or book cover, and the in-progress Checkerboard Lace Scarf from The Purl Bee in KnitPicks Gloss lace in Celery. Love these colors.  

Mother’s Day plaster of Paris handprints of the family, with two for Dad so he can send one to his mom.

 Lego Love for Mother’s Day, courtesy of Sonar X8.

I have wanted a rolling desk chair for a while.  Here is what we came up with.  I saved the green metal desk chair from a neighbor’s trash. The wood for the platform was scrap from the garage. Partner purchased only the casters from the local hardware store. Now I can roll from the desk to the sewing machine and back again.  When we have extra dinner company, the chair lifts off the platform to visit the table. The platform can also be used to roll down the hallway pushed rapidly by siblings.  

More grocery bags from neighbor’s de-stashed fabric (the pale green).  A pair of them take less than an hour to make and make great hostess or teacher or thank you gifts.  The hint of orange is an old pillowcase that I use for my sewing machine cover.  The red is the couch with a woven wool Mexican blanket draped over the back. 

Coming soon: Wrap skirt, more zipper bags, and an idea for a book cover/travel log kit.

Shake it up, Shake it down

I’ve missed sharing several things the past few weeks for general chaos and too-many-directioning.  Some of these items may get their own posts in the coming days and weeks, but I’m going to splash out a bulleted updated here.

—There was a cool Spring Pageant in which one of the Sonars was the star, as well as a science fair.  And coming up we have a Bike Rodeo, two egg hunts, and Easter mayhem.  

—I’ve done some sewing (a cool tote bag and apron for school auction baskets, and a ridiculous quantity of backlogged mending and hemming and finishing).  I’m in the early planning stages for some full-sized quilts for the Sonars.  They’ve gone and outgrown their baby quilts.  

—In knitting there has been some teaching (third graders, including Sonar X8.  Yay!!), frogging (mystery stole), steaming and winding (the wool/silk from the MS), finishing (flame socks), casting on (checkerboard lace scarf), laughing (did you see the merkins at TheAnticraft??), and dreaming (socks? sweater? frisbees?).

—In other craft, I’ve worked up a prototype crocheted frisbee made from reclaimed medical tubing, electrical tape, and some neon-bright nylon twine I found in the garage.  Flies well and is really flexible.  Just not sure how well the innards will hold up to heavy play.  

—April is Script Frenzy month over at the Office of Letters and Light.  I finished my first script ever back in 2007 during the first Script Frenzy.  Last year I tried, but was derailed by the flu.  This year, I’m trying again, but threatening to be derailed by my own lack of focus.  I have 14 pages written, and three weeks to go.  If I can get my head into it, I can get there.  I’ll try to put a counter widget over there in the sidebar.  Anyone want to join?  

—In other writing news, I have been reading more about the publishing industry, following agent and publishing blogs and tweets and generally trying to get a feel for how the industry works and how I need to plan and prepare to throw myself in there (someday).  My first step involves working my way toward a coherent platform, or as we are calling it around here jokingly, my IMI (integrated media identity).  I’ve selected Squarespace as my playground, and soon will lay down a personal domain onto this baby.  

I hope all of my old friends and visitors will hang with me through the transition.  It could be bumpy, but eventually I’ll get it all smoothed out.  I imagine a space that includes the same blogging style I’ve had over at Alert the Pizza on Blogger (in fact, all of that content is already here), but with new features and content thrown in as well.  

Leave some words behind when you visit and help me build!!