A Cool Spell, An Almost Three Year Old, And A Doll

Miserable, unbearable, and stifling are generally words that I associate with this time of the year, but lately it's been downright tolerable and cool. The temps for the next ten days aren't expected to rise above 89! August, I don't know what's happened to you, but I like it!

This time three years ago, I was hugely pregnant with Sophia and thinking that I would never in a million years be able to cool off. I drove Stephan crazy by keeping the ac on 24/7 and waking him up at all hours of the night to trudge across the house and turn it even lower. I can't really believe that was three years ago. It seems so far away yet so close all at once.
We'll be celebrating this sweet girl's third birthday very soon, and of course, I'm getting sentimental. She is just as much of a delight now as she was as a baby.....just as vibrant, tenacious, and funny too.

There have been a few changes, though. She is quite a bit taller and maybe a tad more opinionated, and she's begun to dress herself...hence the boots on the wrong feet!

One of my aunts made this doll for Sophia when she was itsy bitsy. She's really only just now getting into dolls, and she's been really into this one in particular. Today she named it Lisa...aka "Wisa".

Our Epiphany Party

We had a little party today to celebrate Epiphany (which was yesterday). I use the term 'party' pretty loosely and frequently in our house. It never fails to elicit clapping and shouts of joy, so why not have lots of (very tiny) parties?

There was cake, of course, and it was topped with a paper crown in honor of the three wise men who are often referred to as the three kings.

Nanno and BawBaw came because who can resist a party?

Especially when cute, silly grandchildren are involved!

There was even a gift at this little party...a winter scene to replace Henry C. Mouse, who had to get on with his travels but has promised to return next Advent. I stitched the scene and the trees, and the figurines came from here.

"After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."
~Matthew 2:9-12

Hello Advent

This evening I suddenly decided that we absolutely without a doubt needed an empty manger to go under our tree. As I type I can hear my husband making it. Gotta love a man who's game for crazy, last minute schemes! Soon I'll be working on a swaddled doll (inspired by these) to go in it on Christmas day. You might call him Baby Jesus, but around here he's "Baby Je"....a little Sophiaism for you.

Earlier this week I put Stephan up to making us an Advent Wreath....not exactly a traditional one, but I love it. Tomorrow we will light the first candle.

The kids began opening their Advent calendars today, and we pulled out our Advent and Christmas books. Advent Storybookhas become our traditional evening read. I believe this is our third year of it. Each story is short, and they all lead up to the birth of Jesus. This year we're also doing Truth in the Tinsel. For those who are familiar with Jesse Trees this is similar, but it's geared toward a younger crowd. It has a daily scripture and devotional along with instructions for simple ornaments and ideas for other activities to do with your kids. We are not doing every craft/activity that goes along with it. There is enough to do this time of the year without sending myself into a panic because I forgot to buy pipe cleaners!

If you're still looking for something to do for Advent:
 Here's an Advent reading plan for our favorite children's Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible
A Holy Experience offers a free devotional and printable Jesse Tree ornaments.

And, here are a few of our favorite Christmas books:

Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story

A Christmas Goodnight

Who Is Coming to Our House? (Board Book)

Christmas Is Here

What is your family's favorite Advent tradition (newly begun or well established)?

And More Knitting

So that sweater is nowhere near finished. The second I decided to speed demon it through some knitting Lillian also decided that she was cutting back on sleep, and the two bigs....well, they are their normal jump all over mama 24/7 selves. The needles just didn't get the workout I thought they would.

It's okay, though, because Levi had no idea what my plan was, so he'll be thrilled whenever I give it to him.

In the meantime, here's Sophia's sweater and matching hat* in action...

And, here's a little peek at a hat I made for Lillian. Pattern found here.**

And, since she's so darn cute, here are a couple more pics of her sporting more mama mades.***

Well, I'll be getting back to knitting now. Happy evening. :)

*The yellow hat is the Pomme. I wish I'd gone a bit bigger with it. It was a quick knit, so maybe I'll do another one.

**The pattern for the first (pale pink) hat on Lillian only comes in newborn size. It was easy to adjust, though, by going up a needle size and extending the length a bit.

***The vest is a Milo, and the last hat is a crocheted bobble hat.

At Last!

I finally finished Levi's Gramps Cardigan. I blocked it a couple of days ago, and put the buttons on today. This is the first knitting project that I've been really proud of. To say it was a challenge is an understatement. There were so many times when I sat there scratching my head and thinking I'm never going to get past this point. It was my first go at cables which were actually surprisingly easy. The hard parts came in trying to figure out the construction with vague instructions, decreasing through the cables, short rows in ribbing, and some math errors in the pattern itself. Yikes. The only really noticeable flaw is in the collar. I made it way too wide. I think in my short row confusion I ended up adding too many rows. Oh, yeah, and I put the buttons on the wrong side...oops. I still love the way it turned out, and more importantly Levi is thrilled. He was involved in the decision making process from the beginning and has been diligently checking my progress for the past 5 months. He had final say over the pattern, the yarn color, and the buttons. The boy's got taste...if I do say so myself.

For the knitterly types: I used 3 skeins of Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Paints. I knit the sweater in a size 6, so he would have room to grow. My Ravelry notes are here. Happy knitting!

Some Knitting

During my first trimester just the thought of knitting made me feel queasy. I'm glad that's over with. Needles and yarn are quickly regaining their appeal. I knit these balls for Sophia, and, of course, now Levi wants some. They knit up quickly, so I should be able to manage.

I still haven't finished Levi's sweater. I'm a tad aggravated by knitting the sleeves on double points. They turn out fine, but I just don't enjoy extended dpn knitting. It's tiring on my hands....am I alone in that? The sleeves are knit from the bottom up, and I'm almost certain they get large enough (fairly quickly) for an itty bitty pair of circulars which means a trip to the knitting store is in order. Also, it's a little daunting to do cables with two children crawling all over me, so I need an easy project for when the kids are awake...one more reason to head to the store. :)

Now to decide what I want that easy project to be. Obviously, it needs to be something for the new baby. Stephan was traumatized by having to pull clothes over Sophia's head, so he has requested (more than once) that all of the new baby's clothes open in the front. That does narrow the choices down a bit. Here are a few of the list-toppers...

                                                    Source: ravelry.com via Madeline on Pinterest

                                                     Source: ravelry.com via Madeline on Pinterest

                                                Source: ravelry.com via Madeline on Pinterest

I'm leaning toward the top cardigan. Although, the other two are tugging hard. It'll likely be a last minute decision as I'm standing in front of all the lovely rows of yarn. Which one would you pick? Have you run across any adorable baby knitting (or crocheting or sewing) patterns lately?

Ruffles And Baby Bums Were Made For Each Other

 

Since getting pregnant with Sophia I've knitted loads of soakers....some that I liked and maybe one or two that I really liked but soaker love was elusive. Until now (8 1/2 months into her life)! This one meets all the criteria for a great soaker...snug yet roomy, easy thus fast to make yet not so boring that I want to gouge my eyes out, and of course, cute!

For you knitters out there: I used the Frantic Mama pattern. I wanted a snug waistband, so I cast on for a small then increased after the waist to make a medium sized bum. The ruffles are crocheted.
For you knitters and non-knitters alike: Here's a cute bum shot...

Sorry for the excessive phone pics. My camera is still broken...and will be until I get it to the shop. I'm a procrastinator. What can I say? It's still "useable" but kind of a pill, so I like my phone better right now. If you're an instagram junkie, like me, then you should totally friend me. I'm @barefootgal. I'm also barefootgal on Ravelry if you happen to be that sort.

Happy Thursday, y'all!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

The mantel is decked.
Stockings are being filled...

Presents are being wrapped...

Just finished mama-mades are stashed in tippy top spots to keep them from prying eyes...

A playmat (that this mama swore she wasn't going to make for Christmas) is currently in the works...

And, a certain little boy has gotten into the spirit and made a gift of his own.  This one is especially for me.  :)

I hope your Christmas is wonderful and blessed.  As for me, I've got quite a bit of elving to do...not to mention cleaning, so I'll see you back here next week.

A Scrappy Garland

My weekend was spent trying to figure out decorations for a 7 ft tall tree with the not a whole lot of stuff that I have from previous years of decorating much teenier trees.  The garland had me stumped, and to be honest I was having a hard time committing to one enough to actually make it or (Gasp!) buy it.  We were on the verge of having a paper chain or some such other disposableness when it dawned on me that I have a huge bucket-o-scraps and some less than loved yarn to work with.  So, off to the scrap bucket with me...

It should now be obvious to y'all that I am a pack rat of the worst sort.  I mean do you see the tiny bits of fabric that I just can't part with?  Because, you know, I really might need them some day...like yesterday!  So, I dove in and chopped up anything that wasn't already small enough.  If your kids are hanging around they would have fun with this part too...

Then I cut a length of yarn.  (Keep the length manageable.  You can always make multiples.)  I plopped down my first scrap and started stitching.  If you're interested in the more exacts...the widest zig-zag setting was used to ensure that I caught my yarn.  I placed the scraps at random along the yarn leaving gaps in between and made sure to keep my yarn heading towards the center of my sewing foot.  I also back stitched a few times on the first and last scrap to secure.

This was seriously easy peasy lemon squeezy kind of stuff.

And I love the results.

As I was stitching these I played with overlapping scraps which produces a fun layered look.  And, if you've got metallic thread lying around, that would make a pretty addition.  However, I just used white thread and was super pleased.

If all goes as planned today, we'll be sipping hot chocolate, listening to Christmas carols, and decorating the tree!  Can't wait! 

Does your family have any favorite Christmas tunes? 

On The Sticks

I have some pretty nutty lofty Christmas crafting goals this year.  Some day I'll figure out how many days are actually in December and ratchet down my want to do list accordingly.  Until then, let the crafting mayhem begin.

. . .

In my defense I started this sweater for Sophia in November.  It's my first attempt at a sweater.  I picked it out of the Vintage Baby Knits book because it said it was easy.  If I wasn't so knitting deficient it probably would be, but I've managed to start it completely over 3 times.  I'm not even going to count up the number of rows I've had to rip out and redo.  Apparently, I cannot read instructions...even the basic, easy ones.  But, I'm persevering because there's a much more difficult sweater that I'm dying to make for her.  It's got a lovely (albeit slightly intricate) pattern...not just the very basic diamond design that this one has (you might just be able to make it out in the photograph).

Anyway, the knitting store is on my to do list today.  I know I'm not anywhere near finished with the sweater, but I have a few other more pressing gifts to make.  You know, for people who'll actually notice if nothing makes it under the tree for them.

Off The Sticks

It was just me and Sophia this weekend, so I spent Saturday morning knitting this hat (sans pompoms and ear flaps).  Well, at least, I tried to knit that hat.  Apparently, when I knit while nursing I get distracted...a lot.  So, I missed whole rows and just might have switched around the garter and stockinette rows.  It still turned out pretty cute.

Saturday afternoon we ventured out to The Knit Studio.  Oh. My. Stars.  Can I go live there?  Really.  The yarn...the shop owner...the whole place...so beautiful...and soft.

Weekend Loves

: : First, read this.  Smacksy posted it to her Sunday links this morning, and it's so worth reading.

: :  If you're into holiday crafting or even if you just like to look at pretty things click here and explore.  Seriously.  You will not regret it.  Promise.

: :  I want, want, want this pattern.  And speaking of wants, did you know they make chalk cloth?  I have a million uses for this stuff running through my head.

: :  Yes, please.

: :  These snowflakes are on my December list.  I guarantee that I will be more excited about these than Levi.

: : Since we haven't yet made it to December, you might be interested in a few Thanksgivingish things.  Like this super cute take on the classic handprint turkey.  Or this shirt.  I'm making Levi one...except in boy colors.  He's already expressing wardrobe opinions, so this may be my last chance ever to get him into a mama made turkey shirt.  Why that seems important, I have no idea.  But, it does.

: : Looking for a ridiculously over the top holiday dessert?  Here you go.  Kinda makes you go "ewww", huh?

: : I've realized that I never knit anything for myself anymore...unless dishcloths count.  Unbelievably, I almost never even bookmark patterns for myself.  I'm making steps to correct this...especially since happening across this pretty hat and this beautiful cardigan.  Now if I could just find a little more time...and some better knitting skills.

: :  Of course, what I'm more likely to do in my spare time is make munchkin things...like this and these.

What's on your holiday crafting/buying/wish list?

When A Mess Just Seems Like Too Much

Sometimes messes are fun, but that's usually when you have the time and energy to clean them up.  This wasn't one of those days.  Don't get me wrong.  It was a wonderful day full of goodness...very full.  So, when Levi wanted to make something, we opted to go for a walk instead of pulling out the usual paints, glue, or play dough.

We collected lots of leaves.

And, I pulled out a stash of contact paper that I keep on hand for just such occasions.  Talk about a mess free way to make a collage.

Then we stuck his creations on the back door window, so they double as pretty, fall decorations.

While we're on the topic of kid's art/decor, have you seen these and these?

P.S. I got this idea from First Art.  It's a very cool book full of fun art experiences for wee ones.  And, of course, I didn't get paid to say that. :)