Decorating for Christmas

Slowly but surely it is starting to look like Christmas around here!

Hubby hung the Christmas lights on the house last week & I hung up the wreath on our door.

I had hopes to get three stockings knit up by now but it hasn't yet.  Maybe next week?  Last night I got around to making this crochet star garland, though, and that is a decoration crossed off the list!




We're planning to pick out a real Christmas tree this year so EJ has the full holiday experience.  It should be up by this weekend and I'll update with a photo when we do.

What decorations have you put up?

E is for Elephant

Every third Saturday of the month is our monthly Sit n' Stitch at Michael's and my fellow crochet instructor brought an adorable elephant pattern that she has been using and made a copy for me!

Our workspace at the Sit n' Knit.  Can you see our elephant heads?

Elephants have unofficially become the "animal" of the nursery (I think) after the baby shower had so many elephants on the gift bags, cards, and little linens - too cute!  So when I saw she was making a stuffed elephant, I just had to try my hand at one for our nursery.  And to my utmost surprise (because I normally loath crocheting little pieces to be sewn together) it whipped up quickly & sewed up quickly - just 5 or 6 hours!  And as an added bonus I was able to use up hole-y socks to stuff it :)


Didn't he turn out just adorable?? :)

A Basic "Longies" Pattern

Courtesy of Mother, Erin

As I've written it down and worked it out.  Obviously I don't have a baby or child of my own to measure these on (only those I babysit, as modeling below) nor to test their wear-and-tear*.  So by all means, measure as you go: try them on your little one once you've finished the top & bum before you stitch up the crotch, and again before you cast off the legs for your inseam.


I rolled down the waistband (the white ribbing) as these are for a much taller 1-year-old.  I tried adding a few extra rows in the bum and legs, as well as a few extra stitches when casting on the waist, in order to allow room for growth.  The drawstring will keep these pants snug while they are growing into them.


With Circular needles (size 2) CO 78 or 82 for a 9-12mo.  *I tried to make the crotch a little longer so these could last a bit longer, maybe even making them a 12-18mo range as the waist band could be rolled down for a 12-month-old and tied a little snugger with the drawstring.

K2 P2 for desired waistband length (I did 16 or 17 rows for this one, but now I realize this may have been too many.  Next time I think I'd go with only 12 rows).  Swap to main color (with US size 3 needles) and continue to knit around, adding a short row every 5th round, being sure not to end (or start crotch) on one of these rows.  *Short Row: Knit half way around, turn, slip first stitch then purl back to start of row.  Turn, slip first stitch and continue in K pattern.*

Crotch: Once desired length is reached to crotch (I think 6 sets of short rows would be a nice normal rise; or 48 total rows before crotch), knit around the first half of the row (half the number of total stiches).   Kitchener-stitch closed 3-6 stitches, being sure that there are equal number of stitches on either side (to make up the legs).  Leave the circular needles on one leg and pick up the other leg's stitches with double point needles (dpn).

Leg: After stitching the crotch, pick up 8 stitches along the crotch area and increase twice (=4 stitches in 2) half way around the leg.  Continue knitting around the leg until you reach your desired length.

Admiring the stitched crotch as it starts to take shape.

Measuring leg width

Change to accent color (in my case, white) and K2 P2 for a ribbed cuff for about 14-15 rows.  If you have an uneven number of stitches (must be divisible by 4 for this rib pattern), Knit 2 together (k2tog) until first number divisible by 4 is reached.  I had 54? stitches.  Once desired length is reached, cast off.

Ribbing makes the cuff shrink a little for better fit.

Second leg:  Slip stitches onto dpns.  Pick up 8 stitches along crotch area and don't forget to increase twice half way around the leg (making 2 stitches in one, twice, along the outside of the leg).  Continue knitting until it is the same length as the first leg.  Change to accent color and K2 P2 for cuff for the same number of rows as the first.  Cast off.

*Great news!  Here is the feedback I received from this recipient's mother who lanolized them at home:
     "Let me just say I LOVE the longies!  I am obsessed!  They fit her amazingly.  There is so much room in the bum for her bulky diaper!  I have never had a pair that fit so well on her!  And I LOVE the cuffed ankle and slim fit on the legs.  I'm happy to report they lasted over 12 hours over night with not one hint of wetness in the morning!"

Now you have something to try over the weekend :)  Does anyone have Monday off from work?

Finished Mittens

luvinthemommyhood 

Yay!  Finished on time :]

It is definitely a small surprise for me, as I kept having to rip out half my work every couple of days, I wasn't sure if I would have *one* mitten done by the 8th.

And now I have *both* mittens done & ready to be worn a day early!


I took quite a few liberties with the Lithuanian mitten pattern I found in the Ultimate Mittens book I borrowed from the library.  For whatever reason (and most-likely because I was using needles 2 sizes too big) the mittens kept coming out way too large for my hands so I started tweaking with the numbers.

I thought I would include my notes for any others interested in trying this revised pattern.  Please note I DO NOT own this pattern & reserve all rights to the owners of the book.

Lithuanian Mittens, Revised
With size 3, double point needles, CO 39, splitting them 15, 12, 12.

*K2 P1, repeat, for 19 rows.

P around one row.

Begin new pattern: *K2, P1 for 2 rows; P around for 1 row.  Repeat from *

For every row that starts with K2, increase one stitch.  For example: Row 1 - K1 make 1 K1 P1, *K2 P1, repeat from *.
Row 2 - K1 make 1 K2 P1, *K2 P1, repeat from *
Row 3 - P all
Row 4 - 10 repeats Rows 1-3 until there are 8 knit stitches between the P stitches.

Row 11 - 22 *K2 P1 for 2 rows, P one row; repeat from *.  Ending Row 22 with a P row.
There should be 8 Purl rows or the length needed to reach your lowest thumb knuckle.

Slip these 10 stitches (1 P, 8 K, 1 P) onto a stitch holder.

CO 4 stitches on to finished-stitches needle.  Continue working, P1 *K2 P1 & continue in pattern [Row 1 & 2: K2 P1; Row 3: P] until it reaches 7 P rows above the thumb hole or your second finger knuckle.

Decrease every first K row.  SSK, P1 *K2 P1 for 15 stitches.  K2tog P1.  SSK. P1 *K2 P1 for 15 stitches.  K2tog P1.
Continue regular pattern for rows 2 & 3 until there are 16 stitches remaining.  Kitchener stitch the top closed.

Thumb
Slip the holding 10 stitches onto one double point needle.  Pick up 9 stitches around top of thumb hole.

K around for 2 rows, P third row.  Repeat for 6 rows or until length splits knuckle distance.

*Row 7: SSK, K around to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1.
Row 8: K row
Row 9: P row
Repeat from * until 11 stitches remain.  Kitchener stitch closed.

Weave in ends & model :]

Complete!
And displayed with thumbs in the center, per a Lithuanian quirk.

*My favorite part of the whole process is discovering this new pattern.  Try making a swatch and feeling the little nubby pattern yourself.  Amazingly fun!

More Fun Finds

Since I haven't had a whole lot to blog about (at least, not a lot with pictures) here are some more fun finds from yesterday.

I need to find a simple pattern to make this sweater.  What a classic!

Isn't it terrible that I'm already looking at children's clothes?  Or rather, patterns.

Thanks to LieslMade, I've finally decided to get on Pinterest.  A few people have recommended it to me but until last week, I hadn't really wanted to join *another* website.  But I love the idea of being able to save one's favorites to a wall in a pretty collage of pictures :)  So I guess I'll have to give it a try.

While waiting for my "invite" to join, I've bookmarked a few pictures I'll be "pinning" first.

Like this embroidery how-to and this embroidered shirt.  I think this would be fun to do to some of my current shirts to update them.
Also this granny square afghan goes along with the other one I bookmarked.
And this is an interesting off-shoulder knitted sweater.  I couldn't seem to find a good link to its original (if there was a pattern), but maybe it'll find me down the road.

Finally! A Little Crafty Corner


It's so cute!  And it didn't cost anything!  I thought I would never find the place to set up my own little craft corner of the world, even if I did find the right desk & layout.  I'm on a little cloud just happily sitting here on this CLEAN, quaint desktop gazing out the (rain-filled, grey, blustery) window.


The sewing machine was a 14 or 16th birthday present; the books are borrowed from the library (I'm back to the addiction), my laptop, my mother's bulletin board from when she was a child, a hand-me-down desk chair from my childhood and curtains that came with the house (though I hope to either switch them out or maybe use them to practice embroidery before doing the living room?).


I'm so excited to have a place dedicated to sewing and crafting.  Though, I don't need a place to work when I'm knitting or crocheting (because I do most of it on the couch watching TV, in the car on road-trips, or in waiting rooms), I definitely need one for sewing.
My mending pile has gotten quite high due to my lack of motivation to set up the sewing machine for only one patch that needs sewing or a broken hem line.  Now I have no excuse!  Plus, I can now start diving into my next goal - sew my own wardrobe!  Obviously that'll take some time, I know, but I've gotten some books out from the library to help me along.  :)

And when I'm not sewing, I'll have to try out some of these free vintage patterns.  I love seeing all the hairstyles & clothing.