the naptime knitter

Cutest thing I ever made

2009-08-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

I think I have done it - made the cutest thing in the history of my crafting madness......a Peter Pan costume for Zora's boy doll. She already had a good "Wendy" doll, from my sister...then was gifted this boy over the summer. She insisted we turn him into Peter Pan, and I deliver:

complete with shoes made out of scrap leather, a little pouch to carry tinkerbell in, and a little garland. Entire project made from stash yarn and my imagination - in just a few hours. I have had this yarn since I first learned to knit, and am so pleased I never got rid of it in one of my stash cleanses. It is 2 strands held together - one with that crazy yarn with bits, the other some variegated greens wool/cotton blend. I had EXACTLY enough to finish it and the garland, and no more.
Can you tell I am proud of this one?
So proud I had to have a little photo shoot fun.

ps...her favorite Peter Pan (besides books) is currently the live action film made several years ago. It is really good. There is a big kiss in it (not just a thimble), and Zora has been imitating that kiss on me and those she loves, regularly. It lasts approximately 15 seconds, and I have told her that she is not allowed to kiss the kids (or her teachers) at school in this way! Scandalized!

(also posted on my personal blog)

Shrinky Dink Madness

2009-08-13T15:57:00.001-07:00

E and I have been home these 2 weeks before she starts school. What have we been doing with our precious time? Making Shrinky Dink necklaces and bracelets, of course.

We have been obsessed with book characters and themes:

Especially Elephant and Piggy book characters:

She even made a matching Twilight set (necklace and bracelet) for her best friend (who is into Twilight, obviously)- then a bookmark (same as necklace) for her mom (a more closeted Twilight fan - not inclined to wear it in public otherwise!):

And I made a Peter Pan necklace for my Peter Pan obsessed daughter:

We made many others - such as Frog and Toad, Green Eggs and Ham, etc. etc. I think we are done now!
We also went to Zora's school and did them with the preschoolers one morning.

Mrs. Beetons for a friend

2009-02-14T21:31:00.001-07:00

I made these last year, but didn't remember to take a picture until this year.
I love these.
From Knitty (Brenda Dayne)

Sweater like Grandma used to make

2009-02-14T21:29:00.002-07:00

When I was little, my grandma used to make us sweaters with pictures on them like this. Well, not like this - ours had hearts and squirrels and snowflakes on them. If I find an old picture, I will add it here.
My favorite sweater was one she made for herself...it had dancing people on it, much like this. I used that sweater as a jumping off point to create one for Zora.
I have to say, this is the best thing I have ever knit, hands down. It has given me the most pride, satisfaction and joy - plus it gets tons of use! I sized it up, so it will get used next year too. Though I do have plans to make her one per year, to reflect her changing tastes.
Her favorite colors right now are pink red and blue. And dancing is her favorite activity.

and the back:

one more front - love the pose:

And the dress underneath? A nightgown inspired by Wendy (Peter Pan), only shorter (not enough fabric):

Yarn: OWool Balance (Cotton/Wool Blend) - generously given to me by my sister (I have tons left in all sorts of colors).

Pattern: Ann Norling Raglan Cardigan pattern, purchased from a yarn store. Size 4, but made longer.

Little Red

2008-11-18T21:18:00.002-07:00

* I posted this on my family blog, but figured I would just paste it into here as well, since it is actually about a knitting project:

I just finished this hooded cape for Zora - not as a costume, just something for our mild winter. I can picture her wearing it to the park or the library.
She was thrilled with it, and played out the whole story with Daddy as the big bad wolf.

There was one big twist to the story though - she didn't need the woodsman (played by me) to chase the wolf away....she can do it herself, because - as she says - "I'm brave!"

(this is her, telling the wolf off. I didn't get any shots of her chasing him around and beating the heck out of him. Beware any big bad wolves that meet Z!)

If you didn't notice, I found a clasp with wolf heads for the closure on the cape (my favorite detail):

pattern: Little Red found here: http://www.fortheloveofyarn.com/Issues/08Winter/patterns/littlered.shtml

yarn: knitpicks swish superwash worsted - reddest of the bunch (a little over 3 balls)

needles: 8

Even when I make it for myself...

2008-10-04T11:02:00.002-07:00

it becomes hers!

Introducing, Zora's very expensive and time consuming felted Pomatamus ballet slippers!

Yes, that is right....felted Pomatamus slippers. Not intentional, but quite the hit.

I guess I used a yarn that was not washable - even though I thought it was! These were so new, I hadn't even photographed them yet. Sadly, my favorite socks quickly became Zora's favorite ballet slippers. And they won't fit for long.

It is a consolation that these were not totally lost!

new doll, new crafting opportunities

2008-07-10T14:56:00.002-07:00

My sister gave Zora a new doll when we were in TX a few weeks ago. Such a great doll - Kathe Kruse Lolle..she is big and soft and has really nice hair. Oh, and rainboots!
So, I have been enjoying making clothing for her.

First, there were the matching strawberry dresses:

Next came the sleeping bag - made out of Zora's old crib edge padding thing I made that was never used:

And finally, a pair of jeans (Zora had said "she needs pants, she doesn't have any pants!):

And here is Zora's doll having a tea party with Becky's new doll:

(yes, she even has fairy wings!)

Now I need to work on some clothes for Becky's doll. She wants a soccer outfit and a knight's costume.

Mosaic

2008-06-21T08:01:00.007-07:00

My First Meme - Sticking to the Point

Here’s how you play:

type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search.
using only the first page, choose an image.
copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker over at FD’s image maker.
The questions:

What is your first name?
What is your favorite food?
What high school did you attend?
What is your favorite color?
Who is your celebrity crush?
Favorite drink?
Dream vacation?
Favorite dessert?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
What do you love most in life?
One word to describe you.
Your Flickr name.

I decided to go all black and white after selecting the first image, which made it a bit easier to choose the images (since I didn't have nearly as many options for each).

1. Kate in the lake, 2. homemade pierogi, 3. 070630-prescott-38-Edit, 4. Rocks, Bay at Twilight, 5. Curiosità....., 6. Succede che ti si squaglia il cuore, 7. Running away from the rain - Prague, 8. I Had a Thousand Voices, 9. Untitled, 10. Are we alone?, 11. Freedom, 12. 154/365- I am right, I swear im right

Angelina's Outfit

2008-04-19T17:27:00.002-07:00

Here they are, all matchy-matchy!

Zora felt hers and then Angelina's - both soft tutus

Plie'

And straighten

And why not show you all of them:

Is it still commercialism ...

2008-04-14T12:50:00.004-07:00

if you make it yourself?

I finally sat down and designed/made Zora an enormous and cuddly Angelina Ballerina doll.

It was remarkably easy to do, which was a shocker. And I think she just turned out perfect. I still need to make the tutu and shoes. The first thing Zora asked after hugging her was, "where are her pointe shoes?"
She is sleeping with her at night. Angelina seems to be quite the bed-hog some nights.

Here are a slew of photos:

The details -
I used some leftover organic cotton fleece from Z's old diapers I used to make. Then I stuffed her with organic wool that I had from some samples I got awhile back. Fabric covered buttons for eyes, and fabric paint for details.

I think that making her enormous was the best decision - it really makes a difference....
Plus, she is so lightweight being only stuffed with wool, it was possible.

Now, Zora wants an Alice (Angelina's best friend) doll!

Rockport Socklets

2008-03-22T09:50:00.003-07:00

I made these socks from some ArtYarns I bought in Corpus Christi, while visiting there and Rockport with my sister and nieces. This colorway reminds me of the water we played in at Rockport beach. I used the baby cable stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks.

I ran out of yarn at the toe on the second one, and so had to use a tiny bit from the other skein of artyarns I bought there, to finish it off.

self striping sock obsession

2008-03-22T08:05:00.004-07:00

I have been obsessed with self striping socks lately - not really for me, just for Z. They make really cute kid socks! I think I had an aversion to this yarn until recently - like they looked too store-bought or something?
Anyway...
here are the first couple of pairs - more to come in near future.

(see, there is that bruise I mentioned in the legwarmer post, along with a bandage covered scrape on the other side).

These looked really cute with the outfit she was wearing the other day, as well - so here they are in action:

and why not include these?

Unfortunately, this simple stripe sock yarn from KnitPicks is discontinued.

finally, a picture of the legwarmers!

2008-03-22T08:01:00.002-07:00

or two!

Both pics have such character, with her little feet expressions. Oh, and check out those bruises. You should see the one the legging is covering up.

my knitter prowess revealed

2008-02-27T08:25:00.002-07:00

or maybe it is just luck.

Do you see that little tiny 8 inch piece of yarn dangling at the bottom of these legwarmers I recently made for Z? Well, that is the amount of yarn I had left, when I made these exactly the same length.

I felt I wouldn't have enough of just one skein of Noro Silk Garden, so I used a little bit of cream for some stripes. Luckily, I did as many cream stripes as I did, because any fewer would have left me in an uneven mess.

You don't see a picture of them ON Zora, no. She won't put them on, of course!

Birthday Crafts

2008-01-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Trying to catch up on this blog! Here are the wands and crowns I made for Zora's fairy birthday party:

My mom helped me finish them late into the night before the party. That was nice.

And here is a glimpse of the party (Isabell is in the princess hat I made awhile back - I gave it to her, since she loved it so much and Z said it was ok):

Tyrolean Stockings

2008-01-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Fun to knit. I shouldn't have used such cheap yarn. I think I may have to make some 100% wool ones at some point.

Wow!

2008-01-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

I bet no-one even checks this blog anymore!
Ever since I got onto Ravelry (online knitting community if you didn't know), I have let my blog slip. Yeah, and I am doing all my work and schoolwork online too, so it isn't as much fun to be online any more.
I did want to share this cute ballet sweater I recently made for Z:

It was an easy knit, but I had to totally steek it to get it to fit her right. Otherwise, it would have been in the closet until she turned 8 or so. Really, it almost fit me! I got gauge, so I don't know what happened. I lost gauge at some point, going from 18 st per 4" to 15 st! Makes a difference. This pattern already runs big, so I definitely didn't need that to happen. Faced with the dilemma of what to do, I decided that I would risk it and try to steek it to fit. I always wanted to steek something, but never had the guts. I took a sweatshirt that fits Zora now, and matched it up with that as best I could. It did look a little weird in the front (because it was just so wrong in size, I couldn't quite fix that...so, I put 2 buttons there, and I do think it is cute, cute, cute. Perhaps cuter!
I love the big cuffs.
Oh, it is Molly - from Junior Knits (D Bliss).

Halloween Costume

2007-11-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

She wanted to be a Mouse Fairy Clown, so I was busy!

She won a costume contest for Most Clever Costume. Or should I say, I won a costume contest? Well, she conceived of it anyway! And I wouldn't have looked nearly as cute in the costume.

More Mother Daughter Socks

2007-10-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

These are the second pair of Tropicana Mother Daughter Socks that I made. This time in turquoise. I really like how they turned out.

First Barbie Sweater

2007-10-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

For Zora's first Barbie

more sewing

2007-08-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

I found the perfect pattern for dresses, and before my sewing room was finished I went to the fabric store during a huge sale and got a lot of discounted fabric to make quite a few of them in different colors.
Here is the first. I think the fabric was $1-$2 for this one!
We both love it.

Simplicity 5695

A Clown

2007-08-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Clown Costume
McCalls 3306
Size 4 (so she can have plenty of use, size 2 would fit better now).
Now for the wig and clown nose.

Dream Come True

2007-08-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

These pics don't do it justice, but I had to put something up.

Z and I went off to Prescott for 1.5 weeks while Lee stayed home and worked on the house. He changed our dining room/playroom into 2 separate rooms - the dining room is still there, but now there is a sewing room/computer room on the other side.

He even put that wood flooring in that I have been wanting. It is so perfect! I don't want to hang out anywhere else! When we were talking on the phone, once he had mostly finished with it, he said, "I think I just made your dreams come true," and he was right. I am so excited to sew again!

I actually already made Zora something in there. A clown costume:

This change also created a new room for Zora, because he moved all of the computer stuff out of that room, and it is all for Z now. Pics of that to come.

Thank you Lee!

Lots - o - socks

2007-06-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

I have been busy on a few pair of socks lately.
First I made these, with KnitPicks Essential. They are the Uptown Boot Socks from the book Favorite Socks. I had to use the yarn for this pattern once I saw Knitting Iris' turquoise Uptown's....I already had the yarn, and couldn't see it as anything else. These are a gift for someone.

Then I knit these. I bought this yarn at my favorite yarn store when I visited my sister in Austin. Hill Country Weavers was practically the first yarn store I ever set foot in, and it has - unfortunately - been my yardstick as far as knitting stores goes -I am always disappointed because none others have added up. This particular visit did not go as planned. We drove with the three toddlers all the way there, and Zora fell asleep in the car (as planned). I went in to do a quick breeze through while she slept, but about 2 minutes later she woke up. I had to quickly grab the yarn I saw and leave. This is Lorna's Laces in Devon. I love it, and I think it looks great with the wave-like pattern of the Tropicana socks from Magknits. I am almost finished with Zora's matching pair (just enough yarn for that!!!)

And here we have my work in progress - the Snicket socks - designed by the same person who wrote the Tropicana sock pattern (Sabine), and also in MagKnits. I think this yarn really suits the pattern. It is Fleece Artist Merino Sock yarn in Saffron. I think I may need to make some fingerless gloves for a beekeeper friend someday, using this same pattern. And Lee thinks it would be a great hat pattern too.

Dancing Top

2007-06-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

When this pattern came up on knitty, it was an obvious choice for Zora. I can actually picture making many of these for her. I really wanted to do black and cream, but this is the yarn I found in the moment, and it is really cute.

I have seen a lot of people leaving the back ruffle off, but I love the back ruffle.
I am thinking about pulling out the knitting machine I never use, and just whipping some out in a knitpicks yarn. It would be an ideal knitting machine project - it is just squares and rectangles with the final row decreases being the shaping. I am getting bored with that much stockinette. I actually fell asleep while knitting this, so...
But, oh so perfect!

Monica from Knitty Spring 07
Cascade Sierra - an ecru and a blush - 1 ball each
Size 6 Knitpicks needles. I had to relearn how to knit a bit, to use these without getting huge holes in my fingertips. This was my first project with them.

Birthday Bag

2007-05-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

I made this bag for a friend's birthday. It is Amy Butler fabric I have had in my stash for a long time, and the pattern is Simplicity 4668

And the Inside:

Newborn Shoes

2007-05-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Our friends Jordanna and Tyson had a baby boy almost 2 weeks ago, and I have been making him a few little things. I forgot to take a pic of the socks I made and gave away promptly, but how could I forget to take a pic of the Paramecium shoes? They are both scientists, and while I don't have any idea how they feel about the paramecium, it is the one thing I always think of when I think of biology.

My biology teacher in high school surprised us one day by arriving dressed as a paramecium and then dancing on the top of an upturned trashcan while singing a little paramecium song.

I think he would be proud.
As an aside, I cannot believe how freaking small these are! Did I really make these same shoes for Zora, once a long time ago? Yes - I did!

see?

black slippers

2007-04-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Some new slippers for the ballerina.
This time I made the soles one solid piece (I had enough leather), and she wears them out as shoes.

Birthday Gifts

2007-04-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

We went to two birthday parties this weekend. My parents went to two funerals this weekend. Strange.
I decided last week that I should knit each of these children their birthday gifts - just feeling a bit inspired at the time, I suppose.
For 5 year old Quinn, whose birthday was "A Party Under the Sea":

And for Seamus, who loves Owls - for reasons that are completely unknown by his parents:

Why is it that I can never take/post just one picture of an item? I love all of the photos, and the character they seem to show.

The scoop on these:
I made both of these without any patterns - hurray for me - I feel I am finally branching out and taking some risks. I am usually such a pattern person, never confident in my own creative/design abilities.
The mermaid was made with the Knitted Babes design in mind, obviously. Though, I knit her in the round, and made her much smaller than the other Babes. Plus, I added the tail. I am excited to make a larger mermaid from the Dream Toys book at some point, but don't have the book for the time being.

I designed the owl after looking at a lot of different knit, crocheted, and sewn owls. I combined a few ideas and made up a few ideas. I might post the pattern I wrote for this someday, as a freebie. Remember those sock alteration patterns I promised? Yeah, we'll see!
I was really happy with the way the owl turned out, and I don't even crochet....but it really needed some crochet for the eyes and the base, so....I learned a new trick!
I am in the process of making an identical mermaid for Zora, as she screamed and begged and cried for me to give her Quinn's mermaid, and to make Quinn a different one. When Quinn's mermaid was a mere empty, headless torso, still on the needles, Zora begged "can my hold her and hug her?" How can I resist? Zora's is almost finished - she just needs a face - and I swear, she looks exactly like Quinn's!

ballet slippers and skirt

2007-03-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

I don't yet have a photo of us in these at the same time, but recently came across a couple of photos that I should post. These were made with the Fiber Trends pattern:

I also made the skirt.

old socks new shoes

2007-03-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

Just wearing my old (favorite of all time) trekking xxl 100 socks the other day with my new favorite shoes, and had to snap a shot.

more swimsuits

2007-02-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

Here are our new matching suits - I like these even better than the first.

Magic Leftover Socks

2007-02-28T23:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the second pair of "sleepytime socks" I have made for Zora with some leftover kool-aid dyed merino. When I finished the first one, I tried it on her and she wanted the other one immediately. I told her I only had one, and she said, "make another!" She was really happy when I gave these to her, and they helped a lot in another way. Earlier in the day, she had scraped her leg pretty badly, and was having quite a fit about it in the bath just before bed. She hadn't even noticed until then. Well, these socks covered the "booby" just perfectly, and made her feel better immediately.

Goldilocks and the 3 Bears

2007-02-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

Zora has been so absolutely obsessed with Goldilocks and the Three Bears for the last 6 months or so. It is her favorite story to hear, and she has about 5 different versions in books, all of which she loves, so it came as no surprise to her when I presented her with:

and

And here they are together:

She was so excited!
For those of you who don't have access to our family blog, here is the most recent video of Z:

Goldilocks and the 3 Bears on Vimeo

bear hat and some SNOW!

2007-01-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Zora likes her kitty hat so much, I decided to make a bear one as well. This girl is seriously into Goldilocks and the 3 bears, so anything "bear" is fine by her! I had this yarn left over from making a moebius basket.

On a side note, this is the first time that this desert creature has set foot in snow! I did go into labor with her during a snow, but that was when we lived in northern AZ. Once she was born, the sun came out and the snow started to melt. And then we moved south!

Introducing Tullah

2007-01-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

Here she is:

a close-up of her new slippers:

When Zora saw her yesterday, she said "(gasp), she's booful!"

And then she danced with her:

And then she showed her to Lee, and hugged and kissed her:

She loves her.

Then, we went to Target, and bought her a barrette. Now, she is perfect:

Knitted Babes

2007-01-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

I borrowed the Knitted Babes book from my friend Linda a little over a week ago, and have already finished my (well, Zora's) first knitted babe.
Here she is, only halfway done:

I took a picture at this point, because it was this moment in the project process that I fell in love with the doll. I think there is always a point in the creative process that I decide I will henceforth devote my life's pursuits to making this particular craft or object:
"I will make one for Becky and Julie and Claudia and Eris and Isabell and Cassidy, oh and for me and I will make a few more for Zora, and I will make them bigger, and I will make some smaller, and..."

In reality, I will probably make 2 more and then get tired of it and move on. But I love that moment.

I sat with her, like this, while I knit her legs - she just seemed so precious.
And you should see her now!
I will save that for next time though.

For your Holiday Enjoyment

2006-12-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

Dance of the Sugar Plum Mermaid on Vimeo

So that you can see the dancing dolls in action. I posted this on our other blog, but had to share it here too.
Our blogging friend Shelby sent this mermaid to us last year, but we didn't give it to Zora until her 2nd birthday, a couple of weeks ago. She decided that she is Small's friend.

gifts

2006-12-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

finally, I can put up pics of some of the things I have been knitting. I had a big gift giveaway at our Solstice Party last night.

The best, I think, were Lee's fingerless gloves. These are based on the Knucks pattern from Knitty. I knew Lee wouldn't want the embroidered knuckles (he likes his clothes fairly plain), but I needed to add a little something special. I did an xoxo cable pattern up the front and back wrist cuffs, and I love it, because it seems like a little secret (though, I ruined that idea by posting about it here I suppose).

It took me quite a while to work out the exact details of this cable cuff - to get it all to work out, and stay stretchy, etc. They fit him perfectly, which I am happy about. They looked absolutely huge, and I almost ripped them to try again.

Birthday Hats

2006-12-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

I forgot to put this up a few weeks ago - birthday hats for Rachael and Isabell.

"I make-a-suns Mom!"

2006-12-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

Lee, Rav and I have been working on making felt sun ornaments for our "Solstice Branch." LOTS of sun ornaments. As I was working on them one morning, Zora got up next to me at the table and said, "I like suns Much!" "Make-a-suns, Mommy?"
Then she grabbed some floss out of the box and started bunching up bits of it and placing it onto the already embroidered faces.

After awhile, she held one up, saying, "I did it! I make-a-sun, Mom! Make more!" Then she moved on to the next.

(see that one with her tongue out? that is a daddy inheritance)
After awhile, I cut her out a sun, and embroidered a Z and some designs on it - asking her which colors to use. Then I cut the back out, and had her place a color on. Once she was satisfied, I would quickly stitch it in place with a few stitches, and we would move on to the next. When it was finished, she was thrilled. "My's Sun!" Everytime she sees it she says, "My's Sun" again. It is beyond cute.

Once they were all finished, we piled them up to see what we had done. Zora gave us another, "I like suns, Much!"

And then we hung them on the solstice branch!

(I like the suns a lot too!)

Small's new outfit

2006-11-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

The first doll I ever made for Zora is named Small. Here she is, right after I made her.
I was really proud of her at the time, but since then, have always been bothered by her proportions. Her arms are just way (way!) too long, for example. Or, her legs are too short. Or, her head is too small. So, of course, she is Zora's favorite doll, and as of late, her absolutely favorite toy. With her new ballet craze, Small has come in particularly handy. She dances Small all over the house, swinging her by her too-long arms (which are actually perfect for her now that this is her primary function). So, the problem was, Zora didn't feel that Small's outfit was right for a ballerina. She has been a naked ballerina for weeks. But Zora wanted her to have a diaper - so the other morning, I made her a diaper.

It was so great, because it was the first time that I made something for Zora, in front of Zora, that she had asked for (well, besides socks). She was so excited as I put the snaps on. Then, I decided, why stop there, so I whipped her up a little ballerina outfit out of the hem of one of my old skirts and the cut-off long sleeve of one of Zora's old shirts.

Oh my, does she love this outfit! She immediately took her up and started doing lifts and turns and swinging her about.

Her feet have barely touched the ground since.
Speaking of feet, I made her some shoes (by Z's request) the next afternoon before we took Small to the library with us. SO cool. I have so been looking forward to making doll clothes for and with Zora - it is the beginning of an era, I can feel it!
After their dance session, Zora showered Small with gifts (all of her halloween booty!), and then read her a book.

nighttime slippers

2006-11-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

I made these slippers for Zora to wear at night, while she sleeps. They are wool felt. I used to make her shoes like this when she was a newborn (these, for example)
These toddler sized slippers seem so much bigger!

Kitty Hat for Halloween

2006-11-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

We wanted Zora to be a hybrid of her two favorite things this year - a kitty and a ballerina. Of course, that meant that I had to sit down right away and knit her a kitty hat to match! Darn. :) Lee was so great, getting her psyched about it - he would show her the picture of the kitty hat in stitch and bitch (I used this pattern and altered it in size and knitted the ears differently), and tell her "Zora's going to have a kitty hat!" over and over. I was grateful. The other cool part about this project was that I used a skein of Cascade 220 that I had hated and was surprised I hadn't gotten rid of it! I ordered it online for a different project about two years ago, thinking it would be a much different pink. As it turns out, it was the perfect pink for this hat!
Here is the whole ensemble (a blurry, but perfect, picture):

Hello Tiger!

2006-10-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here are our new tiger socks. I made these with the RPM pattern on Knitty! They are comfortable. I especially liked making the baby sized ones - they seem like the perfect pattern for a toddler sock. I altered the adult pattern, as usual, to make the smaller size. I think I used 45 stitches - with a pattern of purl 1 knit 4 - going around in a spiral. Cute!

THE TYGER (from Songs Of Experience)
By William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
1794

More baby puppets!

2006-10-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

I made these as a trade with a friend. They are great together!
I think these puppets make great little gifts for the kids in my life, and will be making more (though, not to sell).

Zebra Jaywalkers

2006-09-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Finally! Here are the pictures of my Jaywalkers. As usual, Lee took way too many good photos for me to choose from. I like this one with the dog behind me. Maybe she wants some zebra socks too? And some more of Zora's too:
I am thinking about frogging Zora's and knitting them a bit larger in the leg. They fit good once they are on, but they are pretty hard to get on. Luckily, they are tiny and shouldn't take long to re-knit.

knitty contest

2006-09-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

I entered these pictures of Zora's pinafore into the Knitty Calendar Contest. It was a good thing too, otherwise I don't know if I would have ever gotten around to photographing her in it now (I posted pics last year of her as a wee thing in it. It is really cute over this dress. I made both things while I was pregnant, and this was the first time she wore the dress.

It is the Anouk Pinafore from Knitty.

Jay-Toddlers

2006-08-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Here is my first post of the finished toddler jaywalkers (I will type the pattern up soon). I am finished with my socks too, but am waiting for pictures to be taken this weekend.
This is the Opal Zebra striped yarn, but because the socks are so small, the stripes didn't really work out to look much like Zebras. Mine did. Hers are cute anyway. Especially in these shoes!

Fancy Kitty

2006-08-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

I made this kitty (Jess Hutch's free Knitty pattern, Kate), for my friend's daughter. I changed the coloring - since she loves pink and purple, and then couldn't stop there - I had to make her a removable tutu and a little tiara. I better get her in the mail now before she ends up becoming part of our family.

she loves her dolls

2006-08-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

I had to put this one more up - just because she loves Go-Go Baby so much, doesn't mean that she is neglecting her first love Small.

Out with Go-Go

2006-08-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Zora loves to take Go-Go Baby out to the park with us. She buckles her in: And off they GO:
To the "Wee's":
It makes me happy.

long lost bunny post

2006-08-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

Remember this bunny I made for Julie months ago?
Here is Zora's version. I tried a skirt this time, and striped pants. I think if I make another one, it will be more like the first - I think that one turned out better.
this one is cute though. I finished this one months ago too. Forgot to post it. Now I just need to find the pictures of Cricket I took - they are burned on a disc somewhere.

finished log-cabins

2006-08-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

oh, about 3 or 4 months ago...
I forgot to take pictures of these - I just wrapped them up and gave them to my husband on his birthday in late April. He hasn't worn them yet - being summer. Plus, I want to add leather bottoms to them.

I loved making these socks, and think I will make myself some as well. I used the Cascade Pastaza (which they called for), but I used size 7 needles - Lee has big feet. They fit perfectly. I think you could use any heavy worsted superwash wool to make a washable version - just so long as you get the gauge by changing needles if necessary. The Pastaza is 4 st per inch with size 9 needles -it is considered heavy worsted to bulky in size. I think I will try to find myself some superwash - I like my socks machine washable! But as slippers, like these will be, it might not be such a big deal - and the Pastaza is super soft and cushie - I love it.

Thanks to Siri for bringing these socks back to my attention - she just commented on my initial post, and made me realize that I never put an update. I find it is pretty difficult to stay up to date on this blog, to read other blogs, to still create, and to take care of Zora! When given the choice between blogging and knitting while she is napping, I most often choose knitting. Definitely never cleaning!

Tropicana Socks -Baby Version

2006-07-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here are the matching baby Tropicana socks I finished a while back - I made a baby version of the adult sock pattern - I will put it up on the site soon.

Here they are with shoes!
Here is a close up of the pattern (adult size)

Baby's baby sling

2006-07-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

When I asked Jenny what I should make for Becky this time, she thought that she'd really enjoy a sling for Cricket. I decided to make one for Zora too, and she loves it! She immediately knew what it was, and carried that baby all over the place.

Go-Go Baby's cousin

2006-07-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a doll I made for Julie - we are excited to be finally meeting her tomorrow when we fly to Austin. She is really cute - a little smaller than Go-Go baby, with loopy yarn hair. Hopefully Zora won't go nuts when she sees her (I have been keeping her carefully hidden so Zora won't fall in love).

hand puppets

2006-07-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

I made these cute hand puppets last week for Zora and I to take on the plane tomorrow. I used the pattern in Family Circle Easy Toys : 25 Delightful Creations to Knit and Crochet for the big one, and then modified it to be smaller for Zora's hand. It was pretty easy to alter. The eyes are felt and the eyelashes are black embroidery floss.

Meet "Go-Go Baby"

2006-06-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here is Zora's newest baby - we are calling him/her(not sure yet) "Go-Go Baby" after the main character in one of our current favorite books from the library. Zora pushes "Go-Go Baby" all around the house in her new baby stroller, just as the baby in the book gets pushed all over the place. She loves this one, probably most of all. So do I. She sleeps with him/her. It is her first lovie item - well, third if you count Lee and I as the first 2. She found "Go-Go Baby" wrapped up like this one morning, and was very excited.

Tropicana Socks

2006-06-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Here are my new Tropicana Socks, pattern from the latest MagKnits. I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Glenwood.
I just cast on for a baby sized pair to match - we'll see if it works out, as the pattern doesn't have baby-sizing on it. It is an 11 stitch repeat with a cast on of 55 stitches, so I started Zora's with 33.
I love them. They make me think of bird feathers.

It is fun modelling for sock photos - during this shoot, I thought a lot about foot models and their unacknowledged talent.

Unusual Knit Toys

2006-05-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

I have been a bit obsessed with Jess Hutch's patterns for making toys lately.

mommy and baby socks, round 2

2006-03-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Well, here they are - our new set of matching socks. I love these. They are different, but really complement each other, I think. Even though I used a totally different stitch pattern for them, they look pretty much the same. Mine have a simple lace rib pattern (round 1 = k2, p2; round 2 = k2, YO, p2 together; round 3 = k2, p2; round 4 = k2, p2 tog, YO) and Zora's have a seed stitch rib pattern (round 1 = k3, p1 repeat; round 2 = knit all).

I made these both a bit bigger than our last matching set - I made my cuffs about an inch longer than the last, and Zora's are a little bigger so that they will fit her longer. Of course, about midway through my first adult sock, I realized that by making both pairs bigger, I might run out of yarn! So, I made started the second adult sock with some distress. Then a friend ordered the same color for some socks she wants to make, and said if I needed a little, it was mine. As it turns out, I was left with about 4 yards of yarn when I tied off the toe of my second sock! I am tempted to photograph this miniscule puddle of yarn to post here, just so you can see how close it really came, but I am lazy. You just have to take my word for it!

I am really happy with these.

OMG, Cables are so easy!

2006-03-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning of my first Log Cabin Sock - from Handknit Holidays. These are for Lee, and we are going to put some leather soles on them to make slippers. I am further along than this picture now, getting ready to turn the heel soon.
But here is the beginning:

sock

2006-02-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

Zora took one look at this the other day and signed "sock." Well, actually she did the sign for "shoe" because she calls both socks and shoes "shoe." I was so proud, she could already tell it was going to be a sock!
I got some more Trekking XXL to make more mommy/baby socks. Zora's are finished, but mine got a slow start. I must have knit to about this point and then frogged the whole thing 6 times, because I couldn't decide on a stitch pattern. Zora's are a simple seed stitch rib pattern - but when I tried that on the larger pair, it didn't do much for the yarn. I have finally (I think) settled on a simple lace rib pattern, with the lace in the purl part of the ribbing. It looks nice.
The colorway is 107, and it is the perfect combo for me - pink and green. When I was little, my room was painted pink and green (at my request).

presents for my nieces

2006-02-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

It was Becky's birthday last week, and so I made her a few things for her doll Cricket. I don't think I ever posted a picture of Cricket - now I can't find one. She is a waldorf doll I made. Anyway - Becky has been imitating Jenny caring for the new baby - so diapers were in order. Here is a diaper, a box of wipes (in a sanded down altoids tin) and a jacket.
Then I made a diaper bag with matching changing pad to put it all in. Very cute, and it was a hit at the birthday party. And here is something I made for Julie. Jenny wanted something organic that Julie could chew on while being worn in the ergo carrier - back carry position (without losing within the first 5 minutes). I came up with the idea to make this. I used the mother bear pattern as a sort of guide, but used smaller needles (3 I think) and thinner yarn. It is about 6" tall. I love this bunny! So does Zora. There is now one in progress for her.

Loving My Yoke Vest!

2006-02-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have some pictures of the yoke vest from Loop d Loop. I finished it well over a month ago. I adore it. A few problems at the end - one part of the instructions wasn't clear, but Teva cleared it up for me within hours through email - then added it to the errata.
I used the yarn that was called for - the Filtes King Van Dyck. I am so pleased with this yarn! I read a lot of mixed comments and worries about it in blogland, and seriously considered finding a replacement because of it. I am so glad I didn't. It is like wearing a cloud - it is so light, soft, and not at all stuffy or too hot. I wore it out in 75 degree weather, and felt perfectly comfortable. When Zora saw me in it for the first time, she reached out to give me a big hug!
Here it is:

Mother Bear - Maybe

2006-01-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

I made this bear for the Mother Bear Project. I was very careful to keep him out of Zora's view, so that she wouldn't fall in love with him. Then, once he was made, I realized how much I hated the color combo that I chose - his yellow shirt and sea green pants. I thought he was pretty ugly. So, I made him a skirt! Now he is just lovely! It is amazing what a plum colored skirt will do to a bear! It brought the other colors together perfectly. Unfortunately, Zora saw him as I was knitting the skirt onto him, and it was love at first sight. Now I am not sure if she will be able to let him go all the way to Africa.
I might just have to make another bear to send off. And be more careful next time! I still haven't decided.

Corners of my home - weeks one and two

2006-01-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

Week 2:
I am participating in a flickr group started by soulemama called Corners of My Home. The idea is to honor the places in our homes that we are especially fond of. These are my contribution for this week - our newly established side yard. Zora's daddy just put up that little picket fence (soon to be gated) so that she'd have a safe, sticker free place to roam. There are big plans for this area - soon to be our one little area of grass (Arizonaans) and a little play house will be built there in the far corner, with a little sandbox next to it. And, we can eat lunch out there. Can you believe that we are able to have lunch outside in our t-shirts in January? Our extreme stay-inside- weather will come in the summertime. Now, we are livin it up!
The first week I posted these of the wall of plants in our bedroom:

jeans from jeans

2006-01-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Here we have some jeans I made for Zora out of some of my old pre-pregnancy jeans. I don't think they would have ever made it past my knees again, so they were turned into our favorite baby jeans. I used the bottoms - so I only had to sew up the crotch and waistband - they were already hemmed at the bottom and seamed at the sides. I don't like the store-bought jeans for babies, because they seem so cumbersome with all of their pockets and buttons and frills. Here they are serving their purpose - getting dirty:

finally!

2006-01-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a purse that I started to make on the day I went into labor. I made most of it, and then put it aside to finish the next day. The next day I had a baby! I found it the other day and finished it. This one is actually for me! Very pink. When I found it unfinished, I was a little startled by the colors - but now that it is finished, I love it. I think it will be yet another knitting bag.

mommy and baby socks!

2006-01-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

I just finished our matching socks, and we love them! These were made with the Trekking XXL 100, if you want to know. I saw Shelby's pair on her blog a year ago, and loved them so much, I had to have some. And through our correspondence about the socks, she became my very first internet friend! As it turns out, we had already met in person a couple of years before! Bizarre! Anyway, I finally got around to making mine, and when I finished, I realized that there was probably enough left for some little Zora socks too! And, it was a blast trying to take photos of our feet together today (there are A LOT more pictures than this).
Lee came home, and was able to take a few as well!

angel dolls

2005-12-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here are the angel dolls I made for Jenny to sell for me at her web store. They paid for the materials I need to make the yoke vest from loop-d-loop! Aren't they cute like this - a perfect snowflake or mandala.

cowl with drawstring

2005-12-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a "Cowl with drawstring" I made from the Loop-d-Loop pattern. I didn't check my gauge, and it turns out I was off. Mine is 12 st / 16 rows = 4inch, the correct gauge is 10/12. I am giving it to a skinny friend, but had to try it on miss Z first. It is not soft enough for her, but terribly cute. I am thinking about getting some softer yarn and making one for her.

birthday baby doll

2005-12-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

I made this doll for Zora's first birthday. She is to cuddle and sleep with. Here she is with hood down:I was very impressed with myself, because I crocheted her little cap of hair - and it turned out good. I am not much of a crocheter.

Zora fell in love with her right away - even when she had no body or hair. I left her like this for a day, and Zora played with her and hugged and kissed her. I considered just leaving her a head - but hoped that Zora would love her as much once she was finished. She still hugs her, but I think she might have liked her a little better in her original form.

I love how loving and kind Zora is. She is very good at expressing this with her huge hugs (with pats and sighs added). She hugs people, toys, animals, and even rocks sometimes.

side carry mei tai

2005-12-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

I made this awhile back - I took apart the mei tai carrier that I had originally made, and reworked it into this. I saw one like it called a mei hip carrier, and figured I could easily transform the mei tai carrier. We love it like this -and wear it all the time when we are out shopping. Zora gets excited when she sees m
e putting it on.

sleepy time shoes

2005-12-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some new shoes I made for Zora. I made these for her to sleep in, to keep her socks on. They aren't for daytime, because I am worried she will slip on the tile with them. Maybe if I got some puffy paint, and made traction?

first hat of the winter - Kate

2005-11-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the first hat for this winter - I feel like I may get a bit addicted to making hats this winter, they are so fast and easy, and you can use fancy expensive yarn.
I made up the pattern for this one. Not really a pattern, I just knit it in the round, then did a couple of quick decrease rows (K2tog, k2; k2tog, k2) - then once the top was the width I envisioned, I just knit around for about an inch and a half, then a couple of decreases with k2together, every stitch. I was going for an architectural Taj Mahal type look. I was mostly successful, but I might try again with some different yarn, because I think I can make it look closer like what I wanted next time. It would be a cute felted hat too. Like I said, I might be a bit addicted to hats for a while.
I used a ball of Noro (I think it was Kureyon, can't recall). I love it more than I thought I would when I purchased it 2 years ago! It was just waiting to be made into a little hat for my Z. It was so fun to discover the colors as it knit up - It was a big surprise every time the color shifted.

It looks like she likes it, but really she is getting ready to rip it off. Now though, as long as she is sufficiently distracted when we put it on, she will leave it alone most of the time.
I went a little crazy with the photos - I just love how the hat turned out, it is so cute on her!

Here we are, ready to go out into the chilly morning for our swim:

Oh, here is an aerial view:

new toys for Zora - made from scraps!

2005-09-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

I made Zora some diapers out of cotton velour(wearing), and we LOVE them! I had some leftovers, and so I made a few things out of diaper and quilt leftovers.
And now, introducing Lil' - Zora's new baby. She rattles - I cut the rattle out of a toy we didn't like.

She is this big:

She is also Small's baby:

And here is the first "Softie" I made for her from a tutorial I found on craftster.

Sadly, I haven't been going to craftster in the past few days or so, because it keeps putting spyware on my computer!

pinafore

2005-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the Anouk pinafore that I made at the end of my pregnancy.

I love it! I am making one change though - I don't like the side tabs - my buttonholes are too big, and it comes open. I am making side ties instead.

Zora likes it too:

It was a free pattern from Knitty.com: http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring04/PATTanouk.html

Small's wardrobe

2005-06-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

A summer outfit:

A dress:

A dress with pants:

All together now:

Introducing Small, Zora's new friend

2005-06-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here is her very simple face. Zora likes to look into her eyes:

This was taken when Zora first met Small.
She grabs for her constantly, and chews on her hands.

doll innards

2005-06-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here we have the beginnings of Zora's new doll.
I used the pattern for the small traditional style waldorf doll from the book Kinder Dolls. I love this book.

The doll is 9" tall. I made her a little felt heart, and put lots of love into it before adding it to her stuffing.

She is 100% organic (well, 99% excluding thread and embroidery floss). Mostly organic cotton, with organic wool hair.

beautiful, lovely, amazing sock! - Kate

2005-03-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

This is my very first adult sock, and I love it. Can't wait to have 2 of them. I used Koigu Kersti yarn (my favorite), and the universal sock pattern. It was super easy, and I love this pattern, because you can make socks with any yarn weight/needle size. And it turned out perfect! Now I have a good way to be able to use the Kersti yarn without totally going broke.

Isn't it cute with my shoes?

I feel so accomplished.

My first sock - Kate

2005-02-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here is my very first sock. I had to frog the heel about 5 times, and then same with the heel turning - but once I got it all figured out, it was easy. I think the second sock will be a breeze, and will take 1/8th of the time.
Gotta go - Zora is yelling for me.

frog close up

2005-02-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

fly close-up

2005-02-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

froggy shoes - Kate

2005-02-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Here are the froggy shoes. Lee helped me out with these. I love them!

Red wool pants

2005-02-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some more cute pants made by Jenny. We got these in the mail yesterday - just after I finished the monkey shoes. They match - both dyed with strawberry koolaid.

I am working on some frog shoes now - Lee helped to design them and now I am dyeing the wool.

Kate

Monkey shoes - Kate

2005-02-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

These are the monkeys - I love the monkeys. I dyed the wool first on these - before sewing them together. The shoe is dark pink from strawberry koolaid. The monkey's face is the natural wool color, and the monkey's ears were dyed brown with some black tea. I should admit here that I copied the monkey face from a pair of Robeez shoes that I saw and loved.

Little piggy shoes - Kate

2005-02-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

So, here are the finished shoes, with little pig faces that face Zora, so that she can look at them on her feet - once she starts doing that. I am addicted - I can see her having her own little shoe rack, with tons of these.

This picture doesn't do them justice, somehow. They are a lot cuter in person.

I'll post a picture of her with them on soon. They are still a little damp, so I haven't put them on her yet.

These were dyed blue first - with Berry Blue koolaid. I would recommend dyeing the wool first. I just did it this way because I wanted to test out the shoes before investing any dyeing time and energy. Then I made the piggy faces with some wool dyed with the Pink koolaid - can't remember what that flavor is called, and then sewed them on the top.

Again - the pattern is at:
http://www.poopockets.com/free/footies/footies.htm

Size small diaper

2005-02-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the size small diaper on Zora - an almost 14lb wonder. The other picture with the socks shows her in the size medium - on the tightest settings. The rise is way too high for her right now - no soakers would cover it. But otherwise, the medium fits.

Thank you auntie Jenny!

2005-02-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the socks we just got in the mail from Jenny. They are super cute. I can't wait to learn how to make socks. It will be a good thing to learn, because socks don't take a lot of yarn!

New Shoes for Zora - Kate

2005-02-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

This is my second pair of shoes made with the pattern I got here: http://www.poopockets.com/free/footies/footies.htm

These turned out much better than the first pair. They fit Zora really well. I made them with wool felt. I am going to dye them with koolaid. Either blue or pink - not sure yet. I am sure that there are many more shoes to come! I love these!

Becky in Natural Striped Hat

2004-12-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is my little beauty - not a baby any more! She's wearing a striped hat made with natural colored Treliske organic wool (cream and dark brown sheep colors).

Jen and Kate Knitting

2004-11-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of us knitting together in Arizona during the week of Kate's baby shower.

baby blankets - Kate

2004-11-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the folded up, finished quilt. The hot pink backing fabric is so soft. It is called Minkee dot fabric

I created a new blog - one for Zora updates and photos. There is a link to it on the left margin - check it out. I think this will be a good way for Lee and I to keep everyone posted on current events, and a place for us to post the thousands of photos we will undoubtedly be taking once she arrives.

Becky wearing rainbow skirt (by Jenny)

2004-11-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Koolaid green longies for Zora (by Jenny)

2004-11-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

These are some newborn organic merino wool soaker pants (dyed with Koolaid) for Zora. I'm getting so excited that Zora will be here soon. She's really already here but we just can't see her yet! I got to feel her kicking when Kate was here for a visit a couple months ago. How exciting!

Rainbow Skirt for Becky (by Jenny)

2004-11-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover rainbow yarn (organic merino wool dyed with Koolaid and Wilton icing color) so I decided to make Becky a skirt with it. I used size 13 circular needles. Cast on 89 stitches, rib 3 rows P2,K1 ribbing, then 38 rows in stockinette. I'll take a picture of her in it soon. I left the top basically unfinished, with the waist-tie just running through the open loops at the top, in case I ever want to convert it into a full dress with the top added. I didn't have enough yarn dyed for that, and am waiting for a new shipment of the Treliske yarn before I can dye more yarn. Unfortunately their mill was flooded recently. The family is so nice so I felt bad hearing about that. I should have the new yarn soon though!

Anouk - pinafore - Kate

2004-10-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a really cute pinafore I made for Zora. The pattern is free on www.knitty.com - and was designed by Kate Gilbert (www.kategilbert.com). I think I might make another in a different color, I like it so much! For this one, I used the exact yarn that the pattern calls for, and just love the colors.