Happy Halloween

mushroom pins for the garden gnome etc.

I did some hand-sewing last night and made three felt mushroom pins last night as accessories to Little M's Halloween costume. I put a little stuffing in them. I think they fit into the garden gnome theme perfectly. I am also thinking maybe small plants and/or some flowers and some twigs on the stroller for the parade in town as well. Too bad I can't cover it in moss or something. The trickiest part of the costume is getting him to keep the hat and beard on. We have been talking up the beard here at home saying how cool it is but, he seems pretty against it so I'll need a wee bit of luck that day.

I've been knitting a lot lately and made some new things for the store.
Here is a one of them - a pair of gray merino wool newborn boots.

Pumpkin Spice Mini Cakes

With Halloween around the corner I was inspired to bake something pumpkin-y and I found this recipe over here
and they are so yummy. Sure, the cream cheese frosting is a little sparse but, that's okay with me because I don't need a ton of frosting.
I modified using walnuts rather than pecans and I went with the dark raisins rather then golden since I had those on hand. I also did one cup of sugar and one cup of brown sugar instead of 2 cups of sugar.
The texture is very cake-like and so it's like having tiny bits of cake. Who doesn't like miniature cakes, right?
Hope everyone's weekend is shaping up nicely. So far, we had a date night on Friday (I started a babysitting swap with my friend Malin and I got to go first) and went to see The Darjeeling Limited which was very enjoyable. The setting is great and I liked the story and characters. Saturday, was just Whole Foods, knitting, and splashing in puddles at the park. It ended with making spinach and cheese empanadas, arugula salad (which is one of my favorite foods) and these here pumpkin bars. Today, we are headed to the local Harvest Festival geared for family fun.

bobby boo boo

Did you know you can stab yourself with a bobby pin?



About a week and a half ago, I was making a batch of button bobbies for Mackey Blue when I managed to stab myself while pushing the button shank over the pin. It was a tight squeeze and the bobby went right into my finger causing blood to spurt. It is still sore. I think it's just bruised but, oh boy watch out for those innocent bobby pins.
Speaking of Mackey Blue, I wanted to let you know that sometimes things disappear off my Etsy shop to the store but, if someone is interested in an item that disappears they can email me and I can get it for them if it's still there or possibly make another. I am contemplating removing more off Etsy and moving it into the shop because I've only sold 4 items on Etsy and I am selling much better at the store. Thoughts? I think it makes sense to move it to the store. Do sales go crazy before the holidays over on Etsy? Any tips for improved sales?
Also, Mackey Blue was in the blog news recently and they did a little blurb on me too.

Hope everyone enjoys their weekends.

pink capelet

I handknit this in the car on the way up to the Sheep and Wool festival with Rowan Big Wool. It took under 2 hours and it's knit on size 35 needles. This size needle is really big and awkward the first time you use them but, easy to get used to after a while.
I really love the brightness of the pink which I wasn't sure about originally. It's so sweet and child-like and makes me want to eat lollies and peppermints and play with paper dolls.

Little M's Fall Sweater

Little M's sweater was finished up this weekend. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. The yarn I used is Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria and it so incredibly soft. The color is called Bark. I used a pattern called Lillie's Little Sweater by Cottage Creations. This is knit in size 24 months. It fits well plus there is room to grow and wear layers underneath.

Perfect timing for a new handknit sweater. The leaves are beginning to change and the weather just right. I am definitely feeling the fall knitting crazies even more so after this weekend. I actually had trouble falling asleep the night I came home from the festival thinking about all the things I want to knit.

sheep and wool

Yesterday, we attended the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY. It was a gorgeous day. This was my second year going and I absolutely love this festival. There are so many vendors and animals, activities and demonstrations. It can be quite overwhelming so I went with a list. Of course, I couldn't find some of the items I was looking for like hand painted, handspun yarn going from thick to thin in a bulky weight but, I did find and buy some really interesting wools, mostly merinos and alpaca/wool blends. Some of these are really nice natural dyed yarns. I still have to use the 2 skeins of alpaca yarn I bought last year (they are so nice that it has been difficult for me to decide on a worthy enough project) so I wasn't going to blow the bank on more. I also still have the plant dyed wool roving and other roving from last year so I didn't buy any more. The wools from the Icelandic sheep were also really lovely especially in gray but, I decided to wait on it.

I would have liked to have seen some demonstrations and talked to someone about adopting a sheep/alpaca to get the wool directly and see what kind of cost was involved in that but, that will have to wait for now. Some day I'd also like to try out some natural dyeing techniques.

It is a 2 day festival and one could easily go both days and still not see everything. It was also fun to see all the animals especially the alpacas, sheep & goats. I meant to photograph some alpacas because I love them so but, didn't take out the camera to the end of the day and missed my shot.

Here is a shot of the goodies I brought home.

what shall i wear - a fashion game and story

No, this is not a bump story per say but, a pregnant girl has got to be creative when her wardrobe goes poof and disappears for several months. I'm not one to get excited about pregnant fashions so what's a gal to do. Well for one, she still has her


socks
and
shoes



let's put some together shall we...







How fun! That's cheered me up a bit already.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.

embroidery floss tackled

Sometimes it's the little things that make you so happy. This is one of them. For years now my floss has been a mess in plastic bags shoved in an old army bag. A lot of the pieces were all in a tangle. I didn't get good sleep a few nights recently and this was the absolute perfect project for lack of brain cells. It's so hypnotic to just wind and wind around these bobbins. When I was done there was no way I was putting it back in the bags so off I went to find a home for all this lovely embroidery floss. I found an old tackle box that works perfectly.


I love all the little compartments and there is room below for extra floss, needles, more bobbins and some metal rings to bring the floss color palette with me when I travel with a stitching project on the road.

I'm a happy girl.



Here are some embroidered dollies I made last year from the stitchette patterns that will be perfect little friends for my girl next year. I received the Acorn Fairy stitchettes in the mail last week which I am itching to try out and I've also been holding onto these for a while. A dress or smock top with embroidered flowers for the baby would be so adorable.

woodsy wall hanging

I finished up this felted project over the weekend and am very happy with the way it turned out. It is from the Japanese craft book pictured a few posts ago and is called Small articles made of wool felt. I decided to go with all natural wool roving colors like shown in the book so the lovely turquoise and yellow were scraped for this project. The bird 'eggs' are wet felted and the birds I needle felted. I strung them on cotton and tied to a branch.

It makes me want to go for a walk in the woods and take photographs of cute forest creatures and mushrooms... if only the woods were right outside my door.

Happy Friday

It finally feels like Autumn today. The sun is out, the sky is blue, the weather is right and there is a breeze. What a perfect beginning of the weekend.



Some leaves cut from wool - fabric, felt and felted sweaters. A wool branch and pinecone made by Stephanie. All will be a part of the Autumn decorating.

The branch reminds me I need to go look for one this weekend to complete a project. Perhaps we will make time for a fun outdoor activity this weekend. It would certainly be nice to take a break for a few hours as we are completely overwhelmed with the house hunting/selling. It's very stressful and it seems we need a contract on our condo before we will be taken seriously by a seller. We have lost out on a few houses because of this reason. Our third open house is this Sunday. We are attempting to sell ourselves. Keep your fingers crossed for us as I really want to be moved in by December. It being October makes it seem less likely but there is a glimmer of hope.

patchwork towels & tissue holders

I'v been itching to use some of my fabric scraps from the swap I did recently and with gift giving season here in a few months I decided to sew up some simple gifts. Most of the fabrics are from my partner but, there are a few from my stash. My shoulder needed a little break from the knitting.
For the Mom's I made some patchwork tea towels with new towels I had on hand. I chose fabrics with them in mind. Please excuse the need for ironing.



For stocking stuffers, I used Kate's tutorial to sew up some simple tissue holders. These are so easy to do and a bit addictive. My favorite is the plaid and dots. I'd like to try some more variations and some embellished ones as well.

Little M's sweater - progress being made

I originally posted about this here and then I thought I would have it finished by the first day of Autumn. Well, let's just say over the past few months that it has been highly neglected but, I've been getting back into it lately and I see a finished sweater in the near future. It won't take much longer to finish the body and then it's just the sleeves. I don't feel too bad as the weather here has still been hot and humid and much more like Summer then Autumn much to my dismay. It does seem to be taking a turn though this week so I am pleased and inspired to finish it.

sprinkles

We tried out the Sprinkles cupcake mix from William Sonoma this weekend. I think they were pretty good but, they don't get my highest rating. The cake was a bit too dense for me but, overall good reviews from the taste testers. I'm guessing the ones in the bakery are better than the mix.



Working on a project from this book that I am super excited about. I can even follow the directions which I can't say is always the case with the Japanese craft books.



Finished and handed off these wool felt beads (so sweet they look like you can eat them) for a family member. Also, finished and gifted some other handmade projects this weekend.

seven bibs

I bet you saw this coming...baby projects. So, I decided to make more bibs after making this one and I got a bit carried away. All will be put to good use with the new little darling on her way this February.
I made seven for seven days of the week. I decided to "bend- the -rules" on two of the bibs and sewed a bottom border on to the main fabric before following through with the rest of the directions and then matched up the flannel before sewing. I don't know if that makes sense but you basically trace the outline on the flannel and place that on top of the right side of the fabric and sew it that way before turning it right side out. I used smaller snaps this time around. I'd like to try to make some with twill ties as well at some point.

mix and match napkins

Thanks for all the baby love. I really appreciate all the comments I received. Tomorrow is the big day- the 20 week ultrasound.

The past few days I've been on a bit of a sewing frenzy. Simple sewing is where I'm at right now and Amy's book where I've been hiding out.

So, without further ado I present you the first of the projects...Mixy- Matchy Napkins.




These were simple to sew up and I wanted bright floral prints. I didn't realize how much I was lacking in good small print florals otherwise I would have made more than four. I especially liked that Amy said to not 'burn yourself' in the instructions as I've been having that issue since becoming pregnant with #2. I think I've managed to burn myself 3 times in the past few months...twice on the stove and once with the iron.
Today, I used the orange one and sat down alone to lunch savoring a grilled cheese and apple sandwich on whole wheat, some organic grapes and raspberry tea with a ginger cookie for dessert. This was a special treat and one I should indulge in more often as I tend to find myself picking or eating too fast while I give Little M lunch.
These napkins were made with that intention to sit and relax over a meal or a snack and some tea. I also plan to make the dinner napkins with ric rac that were in the latest MSL.