Preemie hats revisited or finished?

Well here is the update to what began as a stash busting exposition. I have found that I really like making these tiny little hats.

Where I started

Close Ups

Finished products (well almost- I still had to tuck in the ends)

I used both double pointed needles
 and  an extra small loom

The back hat is from a friend completed on a loom
Green and White is a heart pattern
The front blue reminds me of Hershey Kisses

With this project I decided to try
knitting socks two at a time toe up. 

More Close ups of some of my favorites

Completed set

This post is brought to you by our first year of preschool

   Way back in August I remember sitting in orientation for my son's first year of preschool. I know at that moment most first time parents were thinking of how quickly their son/daughter had grown up or that they would be sad that said child would be at school. This was not the case for my husband and I we were the exact   opposite, excited to say the least that our son would be going to school. This was a new outlet for him! A chance to allow other people outside of our friends and family to enjoy his never ending energy, opinions and boundless excitement to face the day. We have now almost completed a full year of school and even had our first parent teacher conference (Time to brag he is doing wonderfully... except when he needs to sit still its that never ending energy).  We have gone on field trips, holiday concerts, exchanged Christmas presents and Valentines.

   My favorite were the valentines. We went to the store and looked at all the boxed options, but I could tell none of these were the right ones. So I asked a simple question "What would you want to get for valentines?" To which he replied with blues, greens, pandas, no hearts, yellows, balls (to clarify soccer balls), and a toy all at once. So after I got an exact list of what he wanted the next question was "Do you just want to make your own?"  The following is what we came up with.

Green...Yellow...Blue paper

The Toy:  Miniature Slinky with smiley faces

                 

Panda stickers (the stickers did include soccer balls)

Finished Product

He is using his silly smile he only uses when really Happy!

Knitting for Charity

I have always tried to find a way to give back to those who are in need. A handful of change, some canned goods for the food drive, a simple smile and listening to those who just need to talk. In the last week I recieved an email from The Studio one of our area yarn shops in it was an article about their first quarter first service project Booties and Bonnets for babies benefiting the NICU at Truman Medical Center. This instantly caught my attention what a wonderful group to knit for baby stuff is so much fun to create, and in the group of babies preemies truly need all the warmth and love they can get. 

With this knowledge I headed first to the internet for preemie patterns. Something simple that could be modified latter and as usual I found a pattern on Knitting Pattern Central ( I am useing the Preemie Eyelet Hat). Then I headed to my yarn stash to look for all those little balls of yarns that are just not enough for anything but the smallest of hats. This is what I found:

Yarn in only two places (I "believe" that I can find a way to put everything away). I already had a pretty good idea of what was where but decided to organize the yarn into categories (I "dream" of an organized craft space that any ocd person would be proud of).

Divided into categories and placed back on shelves. All this to reveal just what I was looking for the bits and pieces of left over yarn:

I knew I had a few bits and pieces but this should keep me busy for a while (at least until March 31st) Please check in to see my progress...

First four completed.

Believe Dream

I am the type of person who sets many resolutions all through out the year and inevitably either modifies the resolution or just quits trying to accomplish it. So this time I think I will try the pick a word approach I have been seeing around Facebook and on various blogs. Basically choosing a word or words or even sentences that have personal meaning. Then seeing how the word has influenced the person through out the year. I know this just another way of making a resolution or a goal but it sounds different less intimidating I guess.
   So the two words  I think I will use are dream and believe. I have noticed in my life that when I am struggling if I can believe in myself or others believe in me I can accomplish anything. I enjoy taking on large tasks that I can break down into smaller ones that when finished I realize I have completed the whole. I am also a firm believer in dreaming (and not just when I am asleep or daydreaming although I do enjoy both).  What I mean  is having dreams- being able to visualize the idea and then finding a way to accomplish it.

    If you the reader had to choose a word what would it be?

Believe     — vb   1. to accept (a statement,supposition, or opinion) as true 3. to be convinced of the truth or existence  6. ( tr; foll by  of; used with can, could, would, etc ) to thinkthat someone is able to do Dream
— n
1.	a. mental activity, usually in the form of an imagined series of events, occurring during certain phases of sleep
2.	a. a sequence of imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake; daydream; fantasy
4.	a cherished hope; ambition; aspiration
6.	a person or thing that is as pleasant
— vb
9.	to indulge in daydreams
12.	to consider the possibility (of)
— adj
13.	too good to be true; ideal

Adventures in metal and ribbon

After participating in my first Bead Soup Blog Party I have been inspired to reach out of my comfort zone and try new beading methods. Two mediums I had wanted to try were using ribbon and/or metal.

   I decided to try out these mediums on a necklace for my mother in laws birthday, I needed a piece to match a knitted long vest. After talking to her I found out that she liked the color purple. The yarn I used was a self striping off white, blue and purple (I forgot to take pictures). I needed to find a way to bring out the purple in the yarn and first found the small purple beads. Then I introduced in the black ribbon and metal beads, focal and clasp.

 

I was so excited to get started I laid out the design at work then realized I should take pictures so as not to forget the design.


   After I returned home I realized that the black would not work for the piece as it was to dark. So I dug threw my sewing stash to find a light cream/off white colored ribbon. Then I realized that no matter what the ribbon was not going to fit threw any of the beads. So back to my jewelry stash where I found a length of chain. Below are pictures of the finished piece.

Monday Wish List

Today is the first Monday after my 33rd birthday and I am very thankful for the wonderful gifts I have received. I do however believe it is never to early to start dropping hints for Christmas, Mothers day and my 34th  birthday!

                                        
Chevron Beads from http://www.firemountaingems.com


                   

New Murano Glass from http://www.pugster.com

Reuse, reduce and recycle

I firmly believe that I am not a hoarder, I just keep allot of things that should be thrown in to the recycling. I do not go shopping often (I do love a good thrift store and there are three close to my house) and rarely do I take things out of other peoples trash (I had to have a table once it is perfect in my sons room).  That said as a baby my son was a formula baby from about 3 months - 1year. I instantly took a liking to the formula cans (we used both round and square) believing that they would eventually be made into lights. Instead I now use them to hold girly personal items and toilet paper in my bathroom.

The before stacked formula cans, and a wooden shelf. The formula cans were stripped of all labels then decoupaged with scrapbook paper. To blend them with the shelf/room color they were then dry brushed with the wall color.  The shelf I had bought to be a coat holder in our old house but never used. So I primed/painted and antiqued it. ( I used a coffee and varnish combo to slightly darken the shelf)

Here are the finished products for you viewing pleasures: