Gifts, revealed: Lucy's sling

Lucy's been very interested in dolls lately, and having been a sling-worn baby herself, she of course asks me to tie those dolls up in a scarf so she can wear them, too. So a child-sized sling was an obvious Christmas gift.

For some reason, I struggled with the construction of this one. Can't tell you how many times I stitch-ripped and re-sewed this thing! But in the end, I'm happy with it (though I think I should have made it a bit bigger, or at least a bit stretchy).

It's reversible--one side is this blue silk-y former curtain, and the other is a blue floral vintage sheet, last seen here.

Lucy is not about to slow down long enough for a photo, so we have to settle for these in-action ones. And check out her sweater--that's the Tiny Tea Leaves cardigan Andi made for her (we were lucky enough to get an early version of the toddler pattern). It is so gorgeous!

Finished!

I finished the sweater I was working on last week. I didn't post it right away, because I thought I'd take a good on-Lucy action shot of it first, but I forgot:
a) she's a toddler and doesn't slow down long enough to be photographed,
b) there's barely any decent sun these days, and
c) she has nothing that matches this sweater.

Oops.

So, here it is in the boring laid-on-the-table pose. (And yes, that is an end I forgot to weave in dangling out of the sleeve. Lucy has decided that's there so she has a built-in cat toy.)

The sweater ended up quite a bit different from the original. This is how I made my "design decisions":

I used the red yarn until it ran out. Then I used the blue yarn until it, too, nearly ran out.
Thinking I had just enough left for a bird, I started one (from this book). With just an inch or two of yarn left, I decided that bird would have to have a smaller head than planned. That made the bird look better in an upright pose.
I searched for buttons to match, and found one blue and two red. The neck placement on the original didn't work (because the sweater's a bit snug on Lucy; I should have added some stitches), so I moved them down. I took a three-year-old's advice when I was trying to choose blue or red buttons; she said "or, you could use all three."

I'm happy with all those aspects. Less happy with the single crochet stitch around the edging, which I used to try to stop the curling edges (suggested by this pattern). It didn't work, and I'm terrible at evenly spacing stitches along row ends. (Please, don't look too closely.)

Overall, I think it's pretty cute, and Lucy agrees. (Ravelry notes here.)

Now I just have to make her something to wear with it.

Yarn Along 8

Back to Ginny's Yarn Along. (Check it out. I'm loving the inspiration it's giving me to keep making progress.)

This week, I'm working on a sweater for Lucy. I'm loving the pattern, which is easy to follow and is coming out so cute. I'm making a wild guess at how to re-size it (it's a 12-month pattern and I'm not that accomplished yet to really know what I'm doing), so we'll see if it works!

Meanwhile, I've been getting lots of inspiration from my heap of new crafty books I got for Christmas. As I work on this sweater, I keep thinking "maybe on the next one I could try one of those fancy edges..." and "maybe at the color change I could switch to one of those interesting stitches..." I haven't had time for actual reading lately, but peeking into one of these here and there is filling the gap.

(And yes, we do barricade our Christmas tree with the coffee table during the day when the house is full of toddlers.)

A knitting book even a non-knitter could love

Is it ridiculous to be super-excited about a knitting book, when I can't knit? I don't think so, not when it's this gorgeous! I want just about every sweater in there! Now, admittedly, the author is a friend. But I would love this book even if I didn't know her. It helps that I've seen Lucy in many of her amazing creations:

a gorgeous reddish pink 3/4 sleeve sweater Lucy wore nearly every day for her first year, when she wasn't wearing...

this beautiful green and blue sweater. And more recently, this lovely combo:


Unfortunately, it was way too hot last night to dress Lucy in a Melissa special when we went to her book signing at Webs. Melissa and Cecily had all their sweaters on display, and they are absolutely gorgeous. (I got to try one on, and wanted to walk away with it! Gorgeous green, 3/4 sleeves, leaf detailing at the waist...ooh, ah...). Lucy got her very own copy of the book, signed by her favorite author, of course.



You need a copy, too. Seriously. This is not an ad--I promise! Just a rave review from someone who's super impressed by the work of her friend. If you can trust a review from a non-knitter, you should run right out and get your hands on this book!

Now, I just have to learn to knit so I can get to work on these sweaters!

1st sweater--finished!

What's that ham modeling there? Could it be an actual sweater, crocheted by me? Yes ! I did it!

When I finished it up yesterday afternoon, Lucy watched me test out various buttons on the sweater. She joined the game, laying out buttons one after another:

Then, of course, we had to change her clothes and head out into the fading light to take photos (oh, the hard life of a blogger's baby; all those clothing changes and modeling sessions!)

(Under the dress is the diaper cover that matches the sweater.)
The sweater, all by itself:

The cute vintage buttons:

I love this sweater. It was easy enough for me to accomplish as my 4th-ever crochet project, but doesn't look too simple. In wool but with short sleeves, it should be perfect for spring, cool summer mornings at the beach, and into fall. Details are here on Ravelry.
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And the outdoor challenge? We've been out there every day, of course, though I've missed a day or two blogging it. I was super honored yesterday to find my posts on getting outdoors have inspired other bloggers (what a thrill to be reading your way through blogs and find your name in a post!), so I'm working on some more get-out-there tips for future posts.

Here we are yesterday, scrubbing some of the plastic that accumulates when well-meaning neighbors and and acquaintances realize you've got a lot of kids in your life. We'd weeded it all out of our outdoor-toys collection (more on what I'd rather have out there soon) and were readying it for its next owner, a la Freecycle.

And here's Lucy, today, rolling in the dirt. A part of my job in being with children outdoors is helping them learn to cope with the inevitable difficulties: cold, heat, bugs, boo-boos. Lucy'd fallen, and I was joking with her: "are you taking a nap in the dirt?" In the case of a minor tumble like this, it's sometimes possible to tease it into something funny (don't worry, I give plenty of love and snuggles and comfort, when really needed).


Play along with us during the month of April for Children and Nature Awareness Month by posting a picture of your child(ren) each day enjoying the outdoors! Get outdoors and climb a tree! Visit the other Great Outdoor Challenge players- lisa, sanders, angelina, phyllis, sarah, christie, jennifer, debbie, dong dong, denise, luisa, joy, stephanie, cori, alex, dawn, kristen, catherine, tricia, becky, christy, ruth, kari, courtney, branflakes, jessica, renee, haiku, brynn, amy, clemencia, sherry, leslie, lise, renee, anet, jenn, marina, amy, ella, marcia, karen, beth, julie, kyndale, kelly, lizzie, eileen, ag, mari-ann, cindy, robin, nicole, debbie, julia, renee, anita, lisa, jenn, montessori, marita, jeannie, hallie, mandy, kangaroo, andrea, joey, carmen, teena, stephinie, gidget, elizabeth, emma, rosina, saminda, melissa, katie, becca, atouria, barbara, ariella, missy

Crochet progress and outdoor chores

Whoa! The last soaker took me a whole month to make; this one only took me a week! And it is so much better.

I was talking with my friend Julie last night about preferred methods of learning. I do not want to "practice." I never have. I want to do, make, create. Forget showing me a stitch and having me do row after row of it to learn how to get it right. I'm more likely to be motivated by a project I want to do: the pattern says double crochet? Ok, what's that? And then I need to do something on the front post? What does that mean? That's why my first attempt was such a wreck: I was trying to keep too many new things in my head at one time. But it's also why I was so satisfied at the end: I had a product I could really use. And then I was happy to make another one, trying now to get it right. Julie, on the other hand, would much rather learn one stitch perfectly before trying to use it in a project (and her projects look infinitely better than mine, no surprise!). How do you like to learn?

So now I've got a few other projects in the works. I've joined the rest of the class in making this:

There are only 2 more classes left; I'm really hoping I'll be able to finish it in that time. And I've already started a third soaker. And I'm working on some of these for Christmas presents (aren't you proud of me? I started earlier, as I'd hoped!) I started the first one today, and am trying to figure out the pattern on my own (so far, my teacher's been translating the patterns into regular English for me). I'm finding if I read it really slowly, I can do it! Yay!
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And outdoors...

We spent a few hours this afternoon at the park with friends, but naturally, I forgot the camera! I did remember to take it out when we hung one of the many loads of laundry I did today. Lucy likes helping with laundry: she takes each item out of the bag and hands it to me to hang. Later, she takes each item out of the bag again and hands it to me for folding.

(This made me think of one of my best tips for ensuring you get out every day: make sure you have some outdoor chores. I go outside several times a day, by necessity: I hang at least one load of laundry, take care of chickens at least twice a day, and get the stinky diapers and full-up compost out of the house daily. When you head out the door so many times a day, rain or shine, hot or cold, it stops seeming like a big ordeal. That got me thinking about a few other get-out-the-door-easily tips I've accumulated over 17 years of teaching and a year of mamahood. I'll share more as the month goes on.)

Play along with us during the month of April for Children and Nature Awareness Month by posting a picture of your child(ren) each day enjoying the outdoors! Get outdoors and climb a tree! Visit the other Great Outdoor Challenge players- lisa, sanders, angelina, phyllis, sarah, christie, jennifer, debbie, dong dong, denise, luisa, joy, stephanie, cori, alex, dawn, kristen, catherine, tricia, becky, christy, ruth, kari, courtney, branflakes, jessica, renee, haiku, brynn, amy, clemencia, sherry, leslie, lise, renee, anet, jenn, marina, amy, ella, marcia, karen, beth, julie, kyndale, kelly, lizzie, eileen, ag, mari-ann, cindy, robin, nicole, debbie, julia, renee, anita, lisa, jenn, montessori, marita, jeannie, hallie, mandy, kangaroo, andrea, joey, carmen, teena, stephinie, gidget, elizabeth, emma, rosina, saminda, melissa, katie, becca, atouria, barbara, ariella, missy

Lucy's handknits

I promised photos of some of Lucy's hand knit birthday gifts. The lighting was pretty poor and my day was hectic, so I did the best I could!

Here's Lucy modeling the hat and sweater from Melissa. The light's not much better than last night, but this is closer to the true color (which is fabulous with her eyes).


I didn't quite get a shot of it, but Melissa thought to include panels at the back that made it wider at the bottom (for her cloth-diapered bum).

(edited to add: Melissa got good pics of it. You can see more detail here if you're on Ravelry.)

This past weekend, we had a visit from Lucy's paternal grandparents. Grandma has made Lucy many wonderful sweaters and blankets and hats. This time, she brought her this dress:

(What a lot of work went into all that edging!)

And this whole outfit:

By request, she's been making Lucy some longies. She made this whole wool outfit to match this pair. How cozy and beautiful is that? (Wish it were my size...)


They're a bit big yet, but I'm sure they'll fit next winter. And that jumper should work as a vest for even longer.

I feel so blessed to have all these crafty women in my life. I love dressing Lucy in clothes someone's made just for her, and talking with her about where they came from. And I love that she wears clothing no one else has; it seems fitting that her unique self should have a unique look!

1st knitting lesson

Our friend Melissa came over tonight, and brought a gift for Lucy's birthday--the sweater Lucy's wearing here (better photos in the light tomorrow), and the hat they're working on:


Lucy thought Melissa's fancy new knitting needles made a lovely necklace, and kept looping them around her neck.



Melissa gave her her own ball of yarn to work with, and Lucy soon transformed it into this:



(Lucy got many lovely handknits this birthday; I'll try to remember to photograph them all tomorrow. She's so lucky to have so many generous crafty people in her life!)