Sunday, July 13, 2008
My heavens, he's six.
We spent the birthday at Petroglyph National Monument counting millipedes, chasing jackrabbits and attempting to keep our eyes and mouths shut for 5 whole minutes while paying careful attention to the sounds around us. The suggestion of five minutes of silence was offered in the Junior Ranger Guide Book given to us at the park Information Center. Our silence lasted exactly 6 seconds. The guide book was evidently not written by a person who has ever spent time in nature with any real junior rangers.
At the end of the adventure, both my boys were awarded a very official Junior Ranger Badge and a Certificate. It was thrilling. A fabulous way to spend a day that I cherish with two of the people I cherish most.
Last weekend we drove up to Castlerock and Denver for family celebrations and to deliver a knitted hound to our new 5 month old cousin, Orion.
Pattern: The Handsome Hound
By: Lucinda Guy from Handknits for Kids
Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool Chunky, pea green 109,
Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Azul Profundo
needles: size 7
We spent the birthday at Petroglyph National Monument counting millipedes, chasing jackrabbits and attempting to keep our eyes and mouths shut for 5 whole minutes while paying careful attention to the sounds around us. The suggestion of five minutes of silence was offered in the Junior Ranger Guide Book given to us at the park Information Center. Our silence lasted exactly 6 seconds. The guide book was evidently not written by a person who has ever spent time in nature with any real junior rangers.
At the end of the adventure, both my boys were awarded a very official Junior Ranger Badge and a Certificate. It was thrilling. A fabulous way to spend a day that I cherish with two of the people I cherish most.
Last weekend we drove up to Castlerock and Denver for family celebrations and to deliver a knitted hound to our new 5 month old cousin, Orion.
If you've never driven between Albuquerque and Denver during spectacular thunderstorms, you really must. In particular, the stunning area between Las Vegas and Raton, where we saw rain streaming down across hundreds of miles and drove through rain so loud that we could no longer hear the kids asking us how much longer till we get there.
Pattern: The Handsome HoundBy: Lucinda Guy from Handknits for Kids
Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool Chunky, pea green 109,
Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Azul Profundo
needles: size 7
Aside from the ridiculous amount of time I spent finishing this baby up at the absolute last minute (in the car on the way to the shower, 45 minutes late), it was adorable and I was happy to see that it strongly resembles the baby's real live dog. The baby's parents naturally assumed that I had very thoughtfully and intentionally made the handsome hound in the likeness of their adorable little dog. I said nothing to dissuade them.
As for baby Orion, he immediately began sucking on the hound's protruding nose. Approval indeed.
As for baby Orion, he immediately began sucking on the hound's protruding nose. Approval indeed.
Labels: life in general, Toys
¶ 11:16 PM 4 comments
Sunday, January 06, 2008
some cute
As I mentioned in my last post, this Christmas season was filled with gift-making at my house. I cannot really express how much I enjoyed this. It was satisfying in a way that shopping just isn't.
I liked doing it so much that I fear I'm losing sight of the fact that the people in my life might not actually want handmade gifts. Perhaps there are people who secretly roll their eyes and think, "Oh lord, Molly is making things again, what is it this time? A hand-felted oven mitt?. Perfect. Just what I was hoping for."
I myself, would love to get a hand-felted oven mitt, but for some people handmade gifts of this nature have too much in common with macramé plant hangers or Christmas wreaths made entirely of wine corks.
In any case, I figure nobody is ever going to tell me that they hate getting handcrafted gifts (unless they get really drunk before opening gifts), so I'm free to please myself and continue making them.
This post is devoted to three crazy-adorable things I made this year.
Beware, the cute is strong.
These slippers were a Christmas surprise for my little boy, who refuses to wear socks and is always complaining that his feet are cold. I made them with gorgeous, super-thick handmade wool felt that I bought from A Child's Dream Come True.
They are lined with charcoal gray cashmere that I felted from an old sweater. I figured the shape out, and created the pattern. The ears and eyes were a last-minute inspiration and were sewn in place at 4:30 am on Christmas morning. Ouch.
Now that they are done, I wish I had just googled felt slippers and found a pattern online. Had I done that, I might have some slippers that were cute AND actually stayed on the boy's feet.
Aw well, at least they are cute.
I plan to improve their functionality by sewing the wrists from the same gray sweater into them, thus turning them into little boots. I hope it works.
I made this little bunny for my sweet friend Skyler. It was outfitted with a little loop at the top and meant to hang from her Christmas tree, as this was Skyler's first Christmas. I also sewed alphabet beads in Skyler's name on the bunny's rear.
Skyler's bunny was inspired by a pattern of a little bear by Lynn at Molly Chicken (You want to talk about cute. Holy freaking cow. You will find so much cute on her blog, your heart swell many times its size inside your chest. seriously.)
She is incidentally, also the genius behind the mousies and their beds which we made a few months back and have been enjoyed so much around here.
And finally, meet Gillian Bear. She is also a Christmas tree ornament and (surprise) was made for little Gillian. I used the wonderful book The Knitted Teddy Bear by Sandra Polley and the pattern for Molly, Toby, and Jake. Parts of this little bear were a bit tedious to make, especially because she is so little (about 3.5" sitting), but the results were adorable and I love that the arms and legs are movable and the sweater can be taken off.
Had it been a bear for me, I would have chosen different colors, but this particular 4 year old girl is very fond of pink and purple. My big boy chose the buttons. I think they are perfect.
Too much cute can overwhelm a person, so I'll stop there. Until next time.
¶ 7:49 PM 3 comments
As I mentioned in my last post, this Christmas season was filled with gift-making at my house. I cannot really express how much I enjoyed this. It was satisfying in a way that shopping just isn't.
I liked doing it so much that I fear I'm losing sight of the fact that the people in my life might not actually want handmade gifts. Perhaps there are people who secretly roll their eyes and think, "Oh lord, Molly is making things again, what is it this time? A hand-felted oven mitt?. Perfect. Just what I was hoping for."
I myself, would love to get a hand-felted oven mitt, but for some people handmade gifts of this nature have too much in common with macramé plant hangers or Christmas wreaths made entirely of wine corks.
In any case, I figure nobody is ever going to tell me that they hate getting handcrafted gifts (unless they get really drunk before opening gifts), so I'm free to please myself and continue making them.
This post is devoted to three crazy-adorable things I made this year.
Beware, the cute is strong.
These slippers were a Christmas surprise for my little boy, who refuses to wear socks and is always complaining that his feet are cold. I made them with gorgeous, super-thick handmade wool felt that I bought from A Child's Dream Come True.
They are lined with charcoal gray cashmere that I felted from an old sweater. I figured the shape out, and created the pattern. The ears and eyes were a last-minute inspiration and were sewn in place at 4:30 am on Christmas morning. Ouch.
Now that they are done, I wish I had just googled felt slippers and found a pattern online. Had I done that, I might have some slippers that were cute AND actually stayed on the boy's feet.
Aw well, at least they are cute.
I plan to improve their functionality by sewing the wrists from the same gray sweater into them, thus turning them into little boots. I hope it works.
I made this little bunny for my sweet friend Skyler. It was outfitted with a little loop at the top and meant to hang from her Christmas tree, as this was Skyler's first Christmas. I also sewed alphabet beads in Skyler's name on the bunny's rear.
Skyler's bunny was inspired by a pattern of a little bear by Lynn at Molly Chicken (You want to talk about cute. Holy freaking cow. You will find so much cute on her blog, your heart swell many times its size inside your chest. seriously.)
She is incidentally, also the genius behind the mousies and their beds which we made a few months back and have been enjoyed so much around here.
And finally, meet Gillian Bear. She is also a Christmas tree ornament and (surprise) was made for little Gillian. I used the wonderful book The Knitted Teddy Bear by Sandra Polley and the pattern for Molly, Toby, and Jake. Parts of this little bear were a bit tedious to make, especially because she is so little (about 3.5" sitting), but the results were adorable and I love that the arms and legs are movable and the sweater can be taken off.
Had it been a bear for me, I would have chosen different colors, but this particular 4 year old girl is very fond of pink and purple. My big boy chose the buttons. I think they are perfect.
Too much cute can overwhelm a person, so I'll stop there. Until next time.
¶ 7:49 PM 3 comments
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Mousies at our House
My big boy was looking over my shoulder yesterday as I drank my coffee and gazed at the computer. He spotted the adorable mice over at Pink Chalk Studio and an expression of wonderment filled his face.
"Can we make one of those for me and one for my brother?"
Well, in this house, you don't have to ask twice to make irresistible projects with the sewing machine. I had laundry to fold (A LOT of laundry), dishes to put away and litter boxes to clean, but I went immediately instead and pulled out the sewing machine.
There may be a day not too far in the future when they would both rather ride their bikes or play hockey than sit with mom and sew diminutive mousies.
The mousies were created using the original pattern and tutorial by Lynn over at Molly Chicken. I had admired them there before, but the Pink Chalk Studio version really put us over the edge.
The tiny pillow pictured above was the big boy's idea and was sewn entirely by him.
As I write this, both kids are playing elaborate, make-believe games with their mousies. These are definately on the list of great gifts for other kiddos too.
I've been in a toy-making mood ever since I came across this wonderful knitted toys blog.
Some toys I love:
The Sleepy Snake and Mischevious Mouse over at Mochimochi Land. Another great toy that inspires imaginative play. It's also an adorable little introduction to the harsh realities of wild animal behavior. It's like a soft, cuddly version of a Nature Channel special.
I've also been drawn to sweet, traditional toys. I recently bought The Knitted Teddy Bear and I would love to find time to knit my little boy an alpaca or cashmere bear for christmastime.
The list grows...
¶ 10:37 AM 5 comments
My big boy was looking over my shoulder yesterday as I drank my coffee and gazed at the computer. He spotted the adorable mice over at Pink Chalk Studio and an expression of wonderment filled his face.
"Can we make one of those for me and one for my brother?"
Well, in this house, you don't have to ask twice to make irresistible projects with the sewing machine. I had laundry to fold (A LOT of laundry), dishes to put away and litter boxes to clean, but I went immediately instead and pulled out the sewing machine.
There may be a day not too far in the future when they would both rather ride their bikes or play hockey than sit with mom and sew diminutive mousies.
The mousies were created using the original pattern and tutorial by Lynn over at Molly Chicken. I had admired them there before, but the Pink Chalk Studio version really put us over the edge.
The tiny pillow pictured above was the big boy's idea and was sewn entirely by him.
As I write this, both kids are playing elaborate, make-believe games with their mousies. These are definately on the list of great gifts for other kiddos too.
I've been in a toy-making mood ever since I came across this wonderful knitted toys blog.
Some toys I love:
The Sleepy Snake and Mischevious Mouse over at Mochimochi Land. Another great toy that inspires imaginative play. It's also an adorable little introduction to the harsh realities of wild animal behavior. It's like a soft, cuddly version of a Nature Channel special.
I've also been drawn to sweet, traditional toys. I recently bought The Knitted Teddy Bear and I would love to find time to knit my little boy an alpaca or cashmere bear for christmastime.
The list grows...
¶ 10:37 AM 5 comments
