Felt Obcession

We are coming close to the holidays so I am working on gifts for the kids in my life. I loved making the little donut I made a few months back, so I have made more some with different frosting and some with different sprinkles. I also made peanut butter cookies with chocolate and butterscotch kisses on top, as well as a big sandwich cookie. I am currently using the Lilly Bean Market patterns, but I am working on figuring out some patterns of my own. I thought I wouldn't have time, but if I plan out what I am going to do in stages, I am having good luck finishing projects.

I figure that homemade goods will be mostly what I'm giving this year. We really have to save as much as we can this year, especially since we now have 2 kids. But that being said, I have become a bit obcessed with making this felt food. I scour the internet looking for patterns and tutorials. I have gone to JoAnn fabrics to buy more felt even though have haven't finished the projects I am currently doing. Plus they had the cutest box of thread in so may colors on sale, that I had to buy that too. So, my idea to save money this year is slowly slipping away. Ooops!

Wool Shorts

So I have finally finished knitting a pair of wool shorts for my son. And not too soon! He is fighting a cold and drinking lots of liquids, which means he is having accients at night and during nap-time.

The last pair of soakers I knit for him were shrunk by my mother when I was giving birth to my daughter. He was wearing them the night I went into labor, and my mother being the helpful person she is, did laundry and tossed them in. Needless to say, when I got home I was so happy to be greeted to a clean and laundered house, but the poor soakers that I had made will now fit my baby.

These soaker shorts I made out of wool I found really cheap. They didn't have 2 of the same color, so I decided to make them 2 toned. I knit them in the round (a first for me) and grafted the legs together (also a first). There were a lot of firsts on this pattern. I also added in short rows in the tush for added room. When working in the round it seems that my right side of the short rows came out great, but the left side is a little wonky. I'm sure it will not be noticeable when they are washed several times. I'll have to visit my local knit shop to see what I did wrong for the next time. I can't wait to start on some new longies for my daughter, but I think I might try and make little ruffled soakers first - as a smaller project.

Wool Longies

I have finally knit some wool longies. I wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It took me about 3 days (only knitting at night in front of the TV), because there is no way I can knit during the day when the kids are up.

I think they turned out super cute, and I am ready to knit some shorts for my son and another pair of longies (with a different pattern). These were knit with the Tiny Birds Organics Longies pattern. It was really easy and she has everything written out for you.

Right now, I am looking at knitting in the round (no seams to sew) but I am a little intimidated. They use words like grafting legs, short rows, double pointed needles, and magic loop! I have no idea how to do any of that, so I'm going to head over to my favorite knitting store ( The Stitch Cafe in Valley Village www.stitchcafe.com) and ask for some help. I'll have to figure out when I can do that, since it's probably not good to bring a baby and a 3 year old into a shop full of yarn balls. The baby I'm sure would not be the problem, but the other one... It would be like a play day for a giant cat!

When I finish, I'll have to post pictures. I'm also trying to get ready for the holidays, so I'll be making a lot of felt foods and toys, along with soaps and knitted washcloths. I even have a cute neck scarf to knit for someone special. Well here's to happy crafting!

Wool Knit Soakers

So I made my first pair of wool soakers. It took me about 2 days. I worked on them primarily when I put my son to bed at night or naps. I'm happy with how they look and fit. I did mess up on the waistband in the back. I forgot that I used size 9 needles to make the band, and when I got to the back just used the size 5 needles I was knitting the body with. Since knitted wool stretches, I am not concerned. I might try and make a newborn size, which should take me less time than these did. It would be a good cover for some of my non-waterproof diapers.

All in all I'm excited to try them out tonight. I should be able to let them air out in the mornings and use them again at night. I hear that they shouldn't need to be washed for about 2 weeks since wool is naturally anti-microbial and wicking.

I might try knitting a square next, felting it, and cutting a soaker pattern out to sew. We'll see how much time I have.

Night-Time Trainers

My son is finally sleeping for 10 hour stretches at night at 2 1/2 years old. I am so happy, but the issue now is that he is peeing through his pull ups. I tried waking him up in the middle of the night, which worked a couple of times, but ultimately made him want to get back into bed with me! I was happy to have my bed back, especially since I'm pregnant again, and I was unwilling to give in. This made for a lot of crying and me trying to get him back to sleep in his bed for hours in the middle of the night!

So, I have tried to make some night-time covers. The first pair ended up being too small. I'll just use it for a cover for the new baby. The second, was a little tight. It worked, but was hard for my son to get on and off by himself. Then I decided to use some wool fabric that I had for the third. Well, it wicks wonderfully - but because it is woven fabric, the pee just rolled off and on to his clothes. I'll have to use it for the day maybe. Now the forth is PUL fabric, 4 layers of fleece, and micro-fleece lining. He should be able to wear these alone as waterproof pull-ups.

Most everything I use is re-purposed fabric. All the flannel comes from old receiving blankets. The fleece comes from a variety of places. The PUL is new.

Next, I'm going to try my had at knitting some wool ones. We'll see what happens.

New Diaper Fabric

I just got some new fabric today. It is a PUL so the diaper that I made will be waterproof. I like to have a variety of diapers. I know that wool, bamboo, and cotton is better for the environment, but there are times that I want the convenience of something waterproof. Plus, wool does require a bit more care. You don't want to dry wool in the dryer. You should hand wash it and lay it flat to dry. No wringing for wool! And it does have to lanolized now and again. That takes more time than I think I will have with a toddler and a baby.

So here it is! My new diaper with cool new PUL fabric. I'm pretty excited. I would love to put snaps on them to make the one size a bit easier to deal with, but I do not have a snap press. The money it would cost to get a snap press is probably not worth it, since I'm only making diapers for me. Oh well.

Obsessed with Diapers

Now that I am pregnant once again, I find that I am becoming obsessed with finding things for the new baby. Right now it's diapers. I cloth diapered with my first, but had so many problems with my Bum Genius elastic failing that I wanted to search for something new. Bum Genius replaced 2 of my diapers, but the other 2 that failed (after a year) they would not. I primarily hand wash and line dry and use Allen's Naturally as a soap.

But now, because of the economy, I am looking for something cheap and that works. I have ordered a bunch of different types, but they have not arrived- and either has the baby. I have about 18 more weeks to go.

I have decided to use scrap flannel to make my own diapers to supplement my stash. It's cheap. I've made them out of receiving blankets that I never used on my first. I have so many blankets that I could not possibly use them all. So I am proud to say that it wasn't too hard (it took me 20 minutes from start to finish) and I spent no money. If it works, then it was worth it.

Felt Sweets

So, I attempted to make a felt donut today. It came out pretty good for my first one, but it was definitely more difficult than the fortune cookies. I think I will try and make some potato chips next- to add some color to the plate, and maybe a cherry pie. The chips in a bag seem pretty easy. My son is enjoying all the food, and wants to be a part of the process. He's become a good circle tracer, and I just do the sewing when he's asleep.

My plan is to try and figure out which items come out best (who am I kidding- I mean the easiest and least time consuming), so I can start preparing for the holidays since I won't have any time when the baby comes. Since the economy is so bad, I'm going back to homemade gifts. Now that the sewing machine is out more, my son has requests! He says he wants a cake and some shoes for his doll Joe. I'm almost done with the shoes, but don't think I'll be attempting a cake anytime soon. As for my requirements...a cake seems pretty time consuming. At least longer than nap-time.

Play Food

I've gotten into making play food. I found a great website that sells it, but I can't afford it right now. My son loves his kitchen, and makes us dinner most nights. I've started making food from felt, because I think it's really cute and it's not plastic. We try and stay away from buying plastic toys in our household, but sometimes that can get expensive. I've found making it is really fun and lets me decompress for a while. I started with something really easy. Fortune Cookies! I found the tutorial on http://lillybeanmarket.blogspot.com/. Next I'm going to try felt donuts with icing - or maybe a pie or cupcake. Yum!

Potty Training

My son is 2 and is doing a great job with potty training. I have to give some of the credit to cloth diapers. We used them for about a year and a half and then he showed interest in going on the potty. He pees really well, but #2 gives us some problems. Some days he just gets on the potty and goes. Other times he hides in his room or the bathroom. He always lets us know as soon as he goes, but I just wish he would let us know BEFORE. Right now we are using regular cloth training pants with some fleece soakers that I made. They work great even when we go out. I just carry a wet bag with extra underwear and a soaker, along with an extra pair of pants just in case. I might try making some wool ones, but I know washing them is a bit more tricky.