Upcycled baby wipes (or whatevs) FO

I've been having fun playing with my new overlocker. And, since Zoe started the whole thing off with her comment about making washable wipes for her daughter with hers, I thought I would make some too. 

An easy first project :-)

Fortunately I had stashed the cut-off sheet edges after making the muslins a couple of weeks ago. I cut the remnants into pairs of squares (eyeballed rather than measured) and serged rounds those edges, using Winnie's tutorial on scarves to work out how to turn the corners (although I notice that I didn't actually follow her instructions at all really, but things turned out okay).

A few minutes later, I had a gratifying stack of 5 smaller, and 5 larger washable wipes to go with that pile of muslins.

The overlocker thing is going really well so far. I even managed to rethread one of the loopers when the thread broke. It was a bit fiddly, but really not too bad. I will just gloss over the small accident that befell one t-shirt that I was trying to repair.  Corners are tricky, it seems, and I managed to make a much bigger hole than the one I was trying to close up.  Oops!

Upcycled muslins (FO)

Howdy chaps. 

The other night I got a little bit of sewing time and decided to mop up one of the WIPs on the 'pile'. A wee while ago I found a threadbare sheet softened from many washes, but too narrow for any of our beds. I decided to upcycle into some muslins (or burp cloths for those of a North American disposition).

Easy peasy. Here's what I did:

1. Cut the sheet into squares about 22 inches square (I think).

2. Because the sheet was worn - and had a few thin patches, and because I wanted to end up with something that has a bit of life left in it and can withstand quite a lot more washing, I used two squares for each muslin. I lined two squares up, whizzed around the edges with the sewing machine, leaving 3 or 4 inches open for turning.

3. Turned the two layers, so that the raw seams are on the inside, and finished the muslin with some top stitching to close. 

4. Inspected for thin patches, and darned using a zigzag stitch on the machine. 

5. Tidied up loose threads and press. Folded and admired. [Take pictures for blog*]

6. Gift to expectant friends. 

* optional, obvs.

Clearly, these could have a number of uses, and small ones (about flannel/washcloth size) make good washable baby wipes, or window polishers, or dusters or whatevs. You know it. 

Another day, another blankie (FO)

Me again (don't faint with surprise)

After the raving success of the first stash-busting blanket I cobbled together another one, using up absolutely all of the weird textured yarn I used in the first one. 

It's not my finest creation evah, in that it's not very rectangular - something about the textured yarn made it difficult to keep my edges straight, but it's okay. I tarted it up a bit with some nice bold blue around the edge (4 ply held double) and gave it a wash. One end has stripes, and the other half is just plain because that's how the yarn worked out. 

Just like the last one, this will be donated to local charity: the Pregnancy & Parents Centre. They've got a nearly new sale coming up on Saturday (16th May!) Just in time. 

Stash and burn (FO): the story of a made-up blanket

Hey peeps. 

I'm not on a stash diet this year, I'm blitzing, I'm busting, I'm hoovering up that stash. It will be conquered. After this, everything will be different. 

Yeah. 

[Has Marie Kondo written a book about dealing with a stash yet?]

Anyways. I had a bit of a rummage in the yarn stash a couple of weeks ago, just before our bedroom was deconstructed. I pulled out some baby blue/green yarns that I cant find a project for, and got my crochet hook out.  

This is what I ended up with. 

The colours are a bit off here, the olive colour isn't quite so olive in real life - it's just pale green. But the other colours are fairly true (I will resist the temptation to tell you that it's really blue and black).

Not bad huh? It's fairly square, and should work as a baby blanket to keep someone small warm. It consumed a reasonable amount of yarn, with enough left for another blanket too. I dropped it off at the Pregnancy and Parents Centre, so they can sell it to raise money. 

I've no idea what any of the yarns are - but they are all highly synthetic and came from charity shops at one time or another. Two of the yarns are textured, so it's quite forgiving in terms of mistakes, but also slightly harder to work with because the stitch definition is, well, not very defined.  I didn't follow a pattern, I just started with a chain that was about the right length, and just took it from there. Also, don't ask what stitch I used, I have no idea!

Seeing as there was a goodly amount of yarn left over, I almost immediately cast on (do you cast on in crochet?) for another blanket. The stripes will be a bit different, because I used up most of the smooth yarns in the last one. 

In other news, I have been watching the great british sewing bee, and fantasising about having 4 hours, or 6 hours, or even 90 minutes to sew something without having to look after children or make meals or rush out to pick someone up from a party/play date/school. I don't think I've touched my sewing machine since Christmas *sigh*. I am really looking forward to the end of (my) term, and the Easter holidays, and maybe having a wee bit more time to do something apart from work. Grrrr.

Sorry. Did that last bit come out out loud? It's been a bit of a rollercoaster recently, mostly plunging towards an abyss, and hoping that at some point things might get slightly less bad. 

Still, there is always crochet. 

And knitting.

And chocolate.

And urchins like this

to keep me going.

In the mood

Despite resolving to sew down my stash, so far I have failed miserably.

Last night I took advantage of a quiet evening and a sleeping baby to make a start on the mountain of projects and mending. The result: 6 baby wipes upcycled from an old top, and a third pair of pyjamas shorts for the bean.

The wipes were ready to stitch, and the shorts just needed a bit of finishing - neatening a seam or two, stitching and elasticating the waistband.

The two projects had been waiting neatly for some weeks, and it is good to move them from the WIP pile to the FO pile. But, I still feel rather gloomy about getting to grips with the rest of it.

A big issue for me at the moment is the constant internal dialogue about what to do with the time available. Naps are still a rather moveable feast (little bean is 11 weeks), so there isnt much certainty about when or how much nap time there is to: do housework, play with the bean and the jelly bean, make supper/lunch, read, work (grrr) or craft.

Of course crafting tends to come lower down the list than most of the other things - after all, you can't feed small children with fabric or yarn. And hungry children are - in my experience - pretty bad company. Although they are not quite as bad as (my) children when they are hungry And tired. Oh man.
Still, we are where we are, and there is a fourth birthday to plan and sew for, so. Watch. This. Space. I have a plan... 

This moment

Inspired by Soule mama..

Craft In Action

Here's little bean wearing his mama-knitted Charles. And here he is snuggling under the endless blanket in its current form.

The blanket is coming on fine - in line with my little and often philosophy I'm trying to manage a row or two every day. Unlike knitting, I can just about manage to crochet while I am feeding the baby. Who knew crochet was amenable like that?

And look at all that wool at midsummer! What on earth? For the sake of balance and accuracy I should point out that yesterday we were all in short sleeves and sandals. It's not always grim up north...

Little and often

One thing I have learned over the years is that action little and often is no bad thing. Most of my knitting is done this way - a round or two on the bus or waiting for a doctor's appointment.

Now that the little bean is here, this is more true than ever. However, there are lots of things to do, not least of which is to stop fantasising about new projects and finish some of the WIPs piled up here and there.

I managed to grab some time today for more sewing. The third pair of pyjama shorts got some attention, and I quickly rustled up a couple of washable baby wipes.

These wipes are modelled on some fab Imse Vimse wipes a friend passed on to us. I made use of a top I deconstructed the other day because the stitching and fabric were tearing. Two layers of this fine cotton were sewn together to make a thin cloth perfect for washing/wiping a baby's creases.

First Knits

All is well here - we are enjoying getting to know our littlest bean, and adjusting to life as a family of five.

We are lucky enough to have a few knitters in the family, so here is the little bean in his first handknit....

Arrival

At last, a baby arrived at our house this morning.
He weighs a healthy 9lb 12.5 oz, and was born just over 2 weeks late!
Another WIP.....

Waiting Game

The waiting game continues, with little sign of the impending arrival, despite various encouragements.

Whatever my own feelings, at least my midwives and husband seem to be fairly relaxed about things. We'll review our options at the end of the week if nothing has happened by then....

Keep your fingers crossed.

Knitting Gods

The knitting gods smiled on me yesterday and I found an extra ball of the blue yarn I needed.

The most miraculous part of this is that it is the same dye lot as the other balls I have. Yippeeee!

However, despite walking round Edinburgh for several hours, the baby has not yet taken the hint about moving towards the exit. So, today's list of things to do includes a quick hike up nearby Blackford hill...

Baby blanket (FO)

Tis done: one vintage blanket rescued and repaired.

I decided in the end to be honest about my contribution, and didn't try to replicate the original stitch pattern. I did emulate the thrifty feel by using up some odds and ends from the depths of the stash.

I think it works quite well, and once it has been washed, it'll be straight into the basket of baby things.

Make do and mend

When we visited my parents at Christmas, before we left, my mother pulled this blanket out of a drawer and said: 

"Your great nana made this for you when you were small. Now you can crochet, I thought you might be able to do something with it..."

I've washed it and put it in my knitting basket. It's a mixture of wool and other fibres; it flares a bit at one end, and it makes use of a nice crochet stitch which I don't recognise (my great nana was a great stitcher - she crocheted lace in vast quantities and I have a few tray cloths and things which she made). Repairing the blue edge at the one end seems straight forward enough, but I'm not sure about the other, bigger hole. 

I'm wondering about taking the non-woolly beige/pink stripes off and adding a new border around the remaining, mostly woolly stripes. But I'm not sure... any suggestions? 

S I M P L I F Y

We've started the New Year with a bit of sorting out and shifting a few excess things. My motto for 2013 is S I M P L I F Y.  Yesterday, I spent a little bit of time clearing out my knitting basket - putting things back into the stash, and lining up the few projects I want to concentrate on in the next weeks. 

One of my big tasks for 2013 is to rationalise and simplify my stash of fabrics. My yarn stash now fits fairly neatly into 4 clear boxes, which I can easily access. And, having it to hand has meant that I have a much better of idea of what is there and can use it! My fabric stash is a different story. It is currently hiding in 3 - or maybe 4 - different places: mostly in not very accessible under-bed boxes and a vintage trunk that belonged to my mother - and I am always surprised when I look through it, at all the things I had forgotten about. 

I want to clear out the trunk for the children to use as their dressing up box, so some serious sewing and crafting is required to get the stash down to size. So, I have plans to whip up quilt tops and mats and bits and bobs. With baby no. 3 due to appear in a few months, there is also the need to build up some piles of washable wipes, dribble bibs, muslins and changing mats. 

Part of my simplifying routine will thus be about making time for sewing. I'm good at fitting in knitting here and there - on the bus; in the evenings; watching TV. But sewing is harder to pick up in between times because of all the getting out, setting up and organising that needs to happen (in my house at least). So, I'm going to have a sewing night each week, and see if I can't whip up a few more of these.... 

Rainbows and broad smiles

Last night I had a text message. It was from an old friend; it was a birth announcement - a new baby girl has joined their family. I didn't know that they were expecting another baby, and I cried with joy for them, and smiled a big, big smile. 

This new baby has a bouncing big sister (now nearly 4!) and a baby brother too: dear wee Elias, who passed away after only 4 short weeks on this earth.  Welcome to you little one: a rainbow for your mama and papa. I wish you all much peace and happiness as you get to know each other.

Milestones

I am celebrating quietly as the darkness draws in and we look forward to the turning of another year.

We have reached a certain sort of milestone in our house, not just where there is little trace of any baby-ness (moses basket, cot, baby toys, baby clothes all gone), but where the toddler days are almost at an end too. Our little jelly bean has stopped wearing nappies. I won't go so far as to say she is completly potty/toilet-trained, but we are well on our way.

The cloth nappies I made a few months back are all packed up ready to hand on to a new baby. I'm happy, but a bit sad too. It's nice to move on and grow up, but I do love scrunchy little newborns, and a happy baby that coos and rolls and gurgles and only drinks milk! I'll have to see if I can get by just borrowing cuddles from other people's babies from now on....

Concentrating...

As the time left before Christmas is getting short (only 10 days left - how did that happen? eek!) I'm trying to concentrate on things/gifts which I really have a chance of finishing quickly. The recent snow kept us indoors rather more than is usual, so I grabbed small gobbets of time here and there to get a few things finished off.

There have been some more socks. Two pairs of crazy socks, from the Schoppel Wolle Crazy Zauberball yarn I had for Christmas last year. The two balls I received has made 4 pairs of socks in all - three for me and one for a friend (seems like a fair balance!) The last pair are eked out of the remaining yarn using another ball of yarn from the stash. No idea what this solid green yarn is (Rowan maybe), but the colour fitted in perfectly with the crazy yarn, and I used the grumperina approach to striping. I was prepared for the crazy yarn to run out before I got to the toe, but the amount was perfect to stripe to the end, and gave me just enough to kitchener the toes closed.

There was a baby beanie (tutorial here) knitted in honour of a new baby, born to some friends we met at antenatal classes almost 4 years ago. Their first son was born the day after the bean - both early by about a week - and they get on famously whenever we see them. Anyway, congratulations to you Gilly and Jason and welcome to the world little Callum!

I also spent a pleasant 20 minutes or so refeshing one of the jelly bean's dribble bibs (tutorial here) which had got a bit - you know - grubby. I cut another piece of fabric for the top side, and stitched into place with some embroidery floss. Cute huh?

A pile of flannels (wash cloths) is growing too, ready for the wrapping elves to do their work. I have quite an extensive stash of cotton yarn in various colours, so this is being put to good use. I'm knitting some small for children, and then bigger ones for grown ups. Three small flannels (one white, one pink, and one bright blue) went  - along with some organic baby bubbles - to help a small friend celebrate her first birthday last weekend. Happy Birthday Megan. Hope you are feeling better soon. I dont mind knitting with cotton, but it does help that I can finish one of these in a few hours...

My elaborate plans for a mound of quilted/stitched gifts are definitely rather optimistic. I have made some quilted coasters (based on last-minute patchwork gifts book), using some of the fabric patches from the crazy patchwork duvet cover my grandmother made me when I was a teenager. I thought these would be a nice gift for my mum, to remind her of her mother. But, they are taking me a lot, lot longer than I imagined, and arent quite as square or perfect as I hoped!

FO: Freddie (Kim Hargreaves, Rowan Junior)

Freddie is done. All sewn up and ready to go off to little Elias. we can only hope that he gets well enough and big enough to wear it and grow out of it. Get well little man.

Pattern: Freddie from Rowan Junior (Kim Hargreaves)

Yarn: Patons Diploma Gold 4 ply

Mods: intarsia snowflake omitted; no other mods

Next on my list are two v small jackets for the twin girls that arrived a week or so ago. They are both well, now out of incubators but still in special baby care doing their best to grow big enough to go home! Grow little ones, grow.

Tutorial: Dribble Bib (aka Bibble)

It seems that the height of bib fashion (who knew there was such a thing as bib fashion?!) is currently a triangular neckerchief with a popper fastening, and which snuggles beneath the chin to catch the dribble that flows from teething babies/toddlers.


You can find oodles of these dribble catchers in the shops, including some very fancy ones with waterproof innards and velour layers, although they do cost anything up to £8 each! But they are a doddle to make from recycled/upcycled fabrics and here's a short tute to prove it.

You will need:

1. some thin card to make a template
2. some absorbent fabric for the backing (e.g. terry, towelling or fleece)
3. some fabric for the top (e.g. t-shirt material, dress fabric)
4. press stud or fastener
5. scissors/thread/needle

1. Using an old bib as a guide for neck length, make a template for the bib using the card. You will need to draw a right angle triangle with a long edge that corresponds to your old bib (in my case, measuring approx 40cm/15").

 2. Use the template to cut backing material. Here I am using a well used bamboo terry square.

3. Use the template to cut the fabric for the top of the bib. Here I am using a plain (but rather bright!) t-shirt...

4. Next stitch the two layers of fabric together. Because I am not a very accomplished sewer, I simply topstitch about 1/4" from the edge, leaving the edges raw. Alternatively you could zigzag or overlock the raw edges together OR sew together with right sides facing (leaving a short gap) and then turn right sides out and finish by top stitching. If you are making these as a gift, then you might also consider finishing with bias tape to make them really neat.

5. Add your fastener/popper at the appropriate places. Some of the commercial bibs have two poppers so that length can be adjusted.

6. Add bib to baby and smile.