Fancy-Pants Dress for Neva

Fancy-Pants Dress for Neva So I took Neva to the NAC last weekend to see the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. She was less than impressed with having to drive to Ottawa, but loved everything else about being there -- especially getting to dress up. I myself was prepared to make her a dress in more "festive" colours (I have a red velvet sparkly piece which is just awaiting use) but when she saw this pink sparkly organza, there were no other options. So I made her this "special" dress, which she will also get to wear to my cousin's wedding next May, and to any other special events in the meantime. There's room for her to grow in it, though it's not super-long; however, a frothy pink tulle crinoline peeking out from under the hem will be just the thing to make it even more danceable and wearable as she grows. She was delighted with it, as you can tell, and declared that the only people who had nicer dresses than she did at the ballet were the Sugarplum Fairies. Pattern: Butterick 3714 Fabric: Pink Organza with sparkle detail; Crepe-Backed Satin underlay

Hat for Hugh

Hugh is slightly more impressed with his hat than Rory was. I had made him long scarves on either side of the hat but he was not happy about those; we compromised, and I frogged about 16 inches off of each scarf and put a little button on and now he has a bit of a neckwarmer thing instead of a scarf. He has worn it, but apparently it "picks" him a little bit so I have no idea how much use it will get. It was a quick and fun knit, though, which makes up for a lot. (Added later: It turns out that he wears this hat all the time and seems to love it. Definitely worth it.)
Pattern: "Nomad Hat and Scarf" from Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky Tweeds

Useless Hat/Scarf Combo for Rory

Seriously -- I'm just not sure why I bother. I should have known that knitting a hat for a 15-month-old would be an exercise in futility. (This, in addition to the fact that we currently own 513 hats sized for children, what with the two older ones' hand-me-downs and various gifts/sale purchases/hand-me-downs from others.) I was seduced, however: seduced by the idea of ultra-soft alpaca/acrylic yarn; seduced by the small head of the child involved (rendering this a quick and easy knit); seduced by the pattern, which combines hat AND scarf in one, thus increasing the chances of the hat remaining on the head (due to the scarf being tied around the neck) and decreasing the chances of either hat or scarf being lost (since they're attached).
Although Rory looks like he's smiling here, I only managed to snap this picture because he was momentarily distracted by the novelty of the camera coming out. To see his real reaction to the hat, have a look at the News In Brief section on our main page. He will not keep this thing on. The cheap-o fleece thing from Old Navy with the velcro strap? No problem. Just fine. But the hand-knit, soft-as-anything work you see before you is clearly Un.Acceptable. (In his defense, I should point out that not everyone thinks this yarn is super-soft; I tried to pass this one on to Hugh and he rebelled as well, saying that the yarn was "scratchy." There's another one in the works for him, though, because he liked the style fine.)
I must stop knitting for Rory. We have too many sweaters already (only if we move to a colder clime will they all get used) and clearly hats/mitts/scarves are not an option. Someone remind me of this if the wool fumes get to me in the future, will you?
Pattern: "Nomad Hat and Scarf" from Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends in "Indigo"

Neva's Poncho

Neva's Poncho I'd thought for a while of making Neva a poncho, for these transition-y days when it's warm and cool all in the same day. Neva requested these colours, and was especially happy about the fuzzy-sparkly bits at the bottom. It's actually a pattern which can be made longer as needed (just pick out the bottom cast-off edge and keep knitting) which is why I chose it; however, the interminable number of stitches around the bottom of this slightly-too-short poncho were making me crazy, so I'm not confident about how much longer this thing will ever get. It was an easy knit, though, and she seems to love it, which is really all that matters. Pattern: Grow With Your Child Poncho Yarn: Three colours of chunky acrylic yarn; pink fluffy Bernat "Disco" yarn for the border

Baby Cling-On

Baby Cling-On You may remember that some time ago I was looking for a back carrier for baby. I thought that as Rory grew and became more independent, my need for a purpose-built back carrier would lessen, but it turns out that's not the case. Our little Newbie is quite clingy these days; whether that's due to teething, or a persistent cold, or separation anxiety, or just wanting attention, I'm not sure. But when I'm toute seule with the kids, having a sad Rory on my hands does not help anything or anyone. (The older two especially are very sensitive to his upsets, sometimes getting upset themselves due to the high levels of emotion coursing through our home.) Anyway, this past week I decided to get one of these carriers. I was frustrated and looking online and I was about to order one, but I just couldn't pay $100 plus taxes and shipping and handling and possibly duty for a collection of fabric I knew I could make, given the time and materials. Then it occurred to me: my sewing machine is still in our (cleared out) basement; Rory naps for about 4 hours per day; and I have fabric stashed away somewhere. Voilà: time and materials. All I needed was to borrow an iron (ours is stashed away somewhere in the bowels of our storage unit), and Catherine saved my sanity by coming through on that one. I found a pattern online, some appropriate stash fabric in the basement, and three hours of time, so for the grand total of $5 (which I paid for the fleece lining), I now have a mei-tai style carrier. When I tried it on, I realized that the super-wide (but very comfy) straps made me look a little like a Klingon, and the title for this post, and this craft, became clear. So far I've worn it three times in 24 hours, with Rory in both front and back positions, and I love it. It's comfy, Rory's happy, and I can get stuff done. Totally worth the $5! Pattern: Baby Mei-Tai Style Carrier Fabric: heavy cotton from my stash

Baby Jester Hat

Baby Jester Hat So here's what happened: I found out the Yarn Harlot is launching her new book in Toronto on April 1st. Miraculously, it looks like I might be able to go. I would, of course, bring Rory, both because of the feeding issue and because the YH loves babies (she used to be a doula). As you might imagine, it is kind of "The Thing" to bring some knitting (both completed and in progress) to a YH event, so I started thinking about what I might do. Then it hit me that the event will be happening on April Fool's Day, and everything fell in to place. I'm thrilled. Pattern: Woolly Wormhead + some other patterns and my own imagination Yarn: Mission Falls 1840 Wool