I'm Still Alive

 

Just not crafting at all. There isn't a lot of time with everything else going on, but mostly when there is time, I'm just too tired to do it. Instead I sprawl out on the couch and stare at the tv with my mouth  open.



My quilt blocks are all done, the sashing is cut and I have the border material (the turquoise swirl) and binding (the black polka dot print) all picked out and ready to go.

I was actually gung ho about getting my quilt finished and was on a pretty great trajectory until my sewing machine broke (the bobbin winder's busted). So, that needs to go to the shop and get fixed. Meanwhile, my quilt sits untouched.

There's been no progress on my Aidez cardigan---way too hard for my mushy brain right now. I stare at the cable charts and it all starts to blur together.

About the only thing I touch every now and then is my ripple blanket. And it's mostly "then" than "now."

So, even though it's been a pretty long craft hiatus for me, I do have hope that this is a temporary situation. The baby will eventually sleep through the night (right? RIGHT?!), the kids will get less clingy, and I'll get some time back. I'm sure I'll get into crafting again--just not sure when that will be yet.

Stalled

It's been a long time since I posted anything here and there are tons of excuses why like the crazy-busy holiday season, the usual much-loved post holiday sicknesses, teething insanity, terrible three tantrums...you know, lots of fun excuses like that.

 

But the biggest reason for no posts is that I have done next to no crochet, knitting, or sewing in such a looong time.

I'm totally stalled creatively b/c of the aforementioned excuses. Before this dry spell hit though I did make these cute little crochet hats for my nieces. My older niece picked the pattern out herself. And they were a big hit at Christmas.

And finally here is the hat and mitten set I made for Little C. in the fall.

He wears these all the time and they're incredibly practical.

I have to rummage around and find the pattern though, b/c I can't remember what I used.

I also have to find the little baby hat I made for Baby H. and take a picture to post. I'm sure I'll find it...one day.

So even though there's little sleep happening over here, I do want to get crafty again. I've made zero progress on my Aidez cardigan, but I do want to finish it for next fall. I also have my zig zag blanket which is great mindless work, and I want to finish up my quilt. It should be completed by now, but I'm two blocks behind. Then there's all the sashing and finishing which is scary. I'm totally committed though and I just ordered my fabric to complete the quilt top. There's no turning back!

Quilt Block of the Month: Sept./ Oct.

Oh, dear me. This is how life is nowadays. Here we are at the end of November and I'm just posting the quilt blocks for September and October.

Other things that have been late recently:

•  the baby's 4 month doctor's appointment
•  my car inspection
•  my/ my husband's flu shot

I'm also off my routine when it comes to laundry, showering, and exercising. However, I DO have almost all my Christmas shopping done and have my Xmas cards ready to send out this week, which makes me feel like I have it all together. And feeling like you have it all together is way more important than having it all together!

I've been on a small knitting/ crochet hiatus but before that hit I made each of the boys a winter hat, started some crochet animal hats for my nieces, and began a pair of mittens for Little C. I'm hoping to post some pictures of them in a more timely manner next time.

Felted Acorns

So about a month ago (sheesh!) I hosted Girls Night and we did wind up making felted acorns.

I bought felt roving from the craft store--A.C. Moore. The packs were a few dollars each.

There was a good range of color. They even had premade felt balls for sale, but that's no fun, is it?

So, to make the felt balls rip off some roving (practice the amount to get the size you want), wrap it around itself in a ball shape. Then using hot water and a small amount of soap, roll it around between your palms. The key here is not to apply too much pressure at first. As you roll it around it will get tighter and harder. Once that happens you can apply more pressure. This was a fun activity for Little C. He got to play "car wash" with his matchbox cars in the soapy water while I rolled.

 

Truthfully, my felt balls looked pretty bad at first until I got the hang of it.

I followed this tutorial to figure out how to do it.

 

These are cute just scattered around in a bowl; they can be used as gift toppers; they can be glued on place cards; or you can glue some fishing line or string to the top and use them as ornaments.

 

 

P. emailed me this picture of hers. She used fishing line and attached them to a window that hangs on her wall. Very cute.

 

This was one of those seemingly pointless crafts that my husband teased me about. He kept saying, "Wait, soooo you're taking real acorns, breaking off the top, then making a fake acorn out of felt and gluing the real acorn top back on?" Yes, dear. Because real acorns don't come in these awesome colors--Duh!

Where Did Summer Go?

 

I found myself asking this question as I attempted to make my August quilt block in September.

The July quilt block is at the top and this bow tie block is August's. Yes, it's the end of Sept. and no, I don't even have the fabric picked or cut for September's block. I am officially behind.

Sadly, I've done little to no knitting on my Aidez cardigan either. The baby likes to be held at night when I usually knit, and I'm kind of enjoying just doing that and nothing else. It's hard to compete with a fat, cuddly, smiley baby.

I have Girls Night this week, so that will prompt me out of this craft slump. I'm thinking of trying something fall-like: Felted Acorns. (I'm using the non-tool version).

Life Today

I'm still adjusting to life with two kids. (I have a feeling I'll still be saying that when they're in college.) Basically life can be summed up with this little vignette from the other day:

I had just finished feeding my older son and he was happily playing, so I started nursing the baby. As I stared off into space thinking mom thoughts I smelled the tell-tale odor of my older son's stinky diaper (this fragrance could rival the emissions of a burly lumberjack who just spent the last 24 hours drinking beer and eating bean stew.) Anyway, I tried to breathe through my mouth while my cherubic baby ate. Of course he was  blissfully unaware of the stench filling the house and seemed to take longer than usual to gorge himself. When he was mercifully finished, I laid him down gently. With little baby coos still resounding in my ear, I scooped up my older son and brought him upstairs to change the "man dump" diaper. After finally finishing that pleasant chore we went downstairs again and opened the windows to air out the place. Just as I sat down, I heard an explosion take place in the baby's diaper and the smell of sulfur began to permeate the place. And so up I went with a sigh to change the next diaper...

So to recap:  life today involves a neverending cycle of poo, a lot of running up and down stairs, and no sitting for me. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

In between poop and stair running though, I did knit this sweater for the little one.

 

 

This is my second try at this pattern. The first time I made it a couple years ago I messed up the cable pattern somehow, but didn't understand what I did.

This time I started making the same mistake...

I finally figured it out. I was reading the cable chart only from the right side. The chart is written for the right and wrong side, going left to right. Ugh. So I had to rip back.

Much better.

This is such a cute pattern. I'm not in love w/ the yarn I used (Ornaghi Filati Punto Su Punto Corallina in a discontinued color), but it's good enough and it was on sale from www.yarn.com

I'm just proud that I was able to finish something. Life today is smelly, tiring, busy.

As things get a little more routinized I hope I have more time to work on the Aidez cardigan; I'm currently working on the back and I love the pattern. I also have to finish (ok, start) the August quilt block before the month is over.

I'm So Crafty I Make People

Well, I went into labor right after my last post, so there was no lounging around on the couch and resting up before the big event. This little boy wanted to come early, and there was no stopping him.

Life with a newborn is wonderful, exciting, and often exhausting. I'm still trying to adjust to life with two kiddos. Despite me-time being even more limited, I have managed to sew up this month's quilt block and finish a knitted sweater that I've been working on for the new baby. I'm going to try to post them soon.

In between feedings, and diaper changes, and Blues Clues-watching with my older son, I've been thinking about some projects I'd like to work on in the coming months, namely the uber popular Aidez cardigan. I even ordered the yarn to make it from my LYS. Hopefully it will fit by the time I'm done knitting it (It's definitely not going to be fun to take off the pregnancy lbs. again).

It's also almost August and you know what that means...blanket time! I always have a ridiculous urge to crochet blankets in the sweltering heat of summer. This year is no exception; I started crocheting another ripple blanket out of scrap yarn. It's completely mindless, which is perfect for this tired and sleep-deprived momma. Hopefully it will be finished by winter, and I'll be able to snuggle under it with my two little men while watching tv at night.