February 6, 2012

Happy New Year!

Posted in Finished Objects at 10:30 am by merknits

Ok, so I’m about a month late.  But things have been pretty busy around here!  How about a cute picture of G wearing a knitted hat to make up for my absence?

M1020003

I know you can’t see the hat very well, but it is the Small and Clever Hat.  I used Knit One Crochet Too Creme Brulee DK – it didn’t take much yarn.  This is a very clever hat, and it is one of the few that actually stays on her head!  She’s very squirmy and other regular hats always end up just working their way off or down over her eyes.

Not much other crafting going on around here – I have started on the Petite Facile Pullover from the winter 2011 Interweave Knits.  However, wrist pain from baby holding and computer use have made it slow going.  Even so, it is so small that I hope to be done before winter is over!

August 3, 2011

Cuteness!

Posted in Uncategorized at 2:01 pm by merknits

I thought that when I was on leave, I’d have some time to do a bit of knitting. Ha! I’ve barely had time to shower or eat lunch. But I did finish a hat right before Miss G was born, and I finally took a picture of her wearing it. It matches her outfit pretty well!

IMG_1737

Pattern: Cotton and Wool Hats from “Easy Baby Knits”
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport

Easy knit, though I’m not sure it will fit her in a few months when she actually needs it.  Oh well!  Hopefully I’ll have some time to whip up a few more baby items before I go back to work in September.

June 22, 2011

She’s Here!

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:38 pm by merknits

Miss G was born June 13, 2011 at 2:45 am. She weighs 6 lbs 14 oz and is 19.5 inches long. We’re all doing well and are very happy to have her here!

May 24, 2011

Almost Ready!

Posted in Finished Objects, Sewing at 3:42 pm by merknits

Now, a few things that I actually made!  I had bought quite a bit of fabric to make a ruffled crib skirt, and didn’t use much at all because the style of the crib we ended up getting wouldn’t have worked with ruffles.  Here’s the finished project:

crib skirt

I didn’t really use a pattern – I just cut up an old sheet for the center part that goes under the mattress and then cut rectangles for the front, back and sides. There is a pleat in the center of each panel, but you really can’t see it. The fabric is Herb from Jessica Jones, and I’ve got a lot more of it so let me know if you have any suggestions on what I can do with it!

I also finally hung up these birds, which are made from leftover MOMO It’s a Hoot fabric from my art project.

crib and birds

Here’s a look at the rest of the room so far:

nursery wall

dresser and rocking chair

wall art

Just a few more weeks to go – eek!

May 11, 2011

Even more gifts

Posted in Uncategorized at 7:33 pm by merknits

I went to visit my parents last weekend and received even more fabulous handmade baby gifts that I wanted to show off!

teddy bear

This little guy has a good story – I actually picked out the fabric for this teddy bear when I was 7 or 8 years old.  My mom cut out all of the pieces but then never finished putting it together.  She pulled it back out and finished it up for our little one – very sweet!

knit booties

baby sweater

My mom can not only sew, she can also knit!  She made us the cute knit booties and sweater.

fabric booties

I actually had these from the earlier shower but forgot to take a picture – my mother-in-law, the talented seamstress, made these cute booties too.

diaper cake

Finally, my co-workers had a shower for me and another co-worker who is due two weeks before me today.  They made this summer-themed diaper cake – I love it!

I do actually have some finished projects of my own, but haven’t gotten around to taking pictures.  The nursery needs some decluttering first, but I promise I’ll share soon!

May 5, 2011

Gifts!

Posted in Finished Objects, Sewing at 6:08 pm by merknits

Since I haven’t completed too many crafty projects lately, I thought I’d share some of the fabulous handmade gifts that I got at my shower.  I have some very talented relatives!

embroidered bibs

embroidered burp cloths

Embroidered bibs and burp cloths by my sister – aren’t they cute?  The embroidery on the yellow burpcloth, in case you can’t read it, says “BURP!”

woven rug

woven rug with Phoebe

Rug woven by my husband’s aunt.  It is made from a bathrobe so it is super-soft.  Phoebe tested it out for me and seemed to like it.

knit booties

My sister-in-law knit these adorable tiny booties.

blanket and sheets

baby sling

My mother-in-law sewed two sets of flannel sheets and a matching blanket, along with a sling!  Very impressive.

Of course I got lots of other wonderful gifts, but I thought I’d show off some of the handmade ones.  Now to find a place to put everything!  And just to show I haven’t been slacking too much, I’ll share what I ended up making with the owl fabric that I bought earlier:

owl pillow

April 6, 2011

Nursery Art

Posted in Uncategorized at 6:46 pm by merknits

Hi there!  Sorry for the long absence – things have been busy around here.  Although we haven’t gotten the baby’s room quite as ready as I’d like at this point, I did make some cute artwork!

fabric photos

owl close up

I bought a set of fat quarters in MOMO It’s a Hoot fabric on etsy and put them in a set of frames we had sitting around unused.  Cute, huh?  And so easy!  I had enough fabric left to make quite a few of these birds, which I still need to do something with as well.  But we’re getting there!

February 27, 2011

Hanging Laundry Bag

Posted in Uncategorized at 8:34 pm by merknits

Yay for quick projects!
laundry bag

Pattern: Hanging Laundry Bag from One-Yard Wonders
Fabric: Sprig by Jessica Jones (1 yard)
Notes: This turned out quite a bit larger than I thought it would (though if I had checked the finished dimensions I would have known the size)!  But, it will still be useful.  I’d rather hang it somewhere visible since it is such a cute fabric – I’m thinking perhaps the back of the door.  Not entirely visible, but better than in the closet!  The pattern is very easy and well written, the only slightly tricky part was attaching all of that bias tape.

February 20, 2011

Nursery Decor

Posted in Sewing at 8:01 pm by merknits

Yesterday my sister and I headed over to The Needle Shop to look for some fabric to begin decorating the nursery.  I wanted something nature-themed but still somewhat modern, since our apartment is very modern, as is the furniture we ordered.  Oh, and did I mention that we’re having a girl!?!?  I don’t want the decor to be too girly, but I do still want it to have some feminine touches.  I think these fabrics are a good start!

nursery fabrics

Both of the leaf patterns are by Jessica Jones – the big leaves are called “Sprig” and the small ones are called “Herb.”  The other fabric is “Spotted Owl” by Alexander Henry.  I’m planning to make a laundry bag with Sprig and a crib skirt with Herb, and I’m not sure what I’ll do with the owl fabric – but it was just too darn cute to pass up!

owl fabric

I’m actually almost finished with the laundry bag – I’m using the pattern from One Yard Wonders.  I can’t actually make the crib skirt until our crib comes in (well, I could, but I want to make sure it is the right size)!  And I’m hoping to incorporate these cute birds into the room somewhere.  I’m looking forward to updating as the room takes shape!

February 2, 2011

Snow Day!

Posted in Finished Objects at 8:51 pm by merknits

Well, technically it was a work-from-home day, but I managed to get some other things done too.  We had some pretty crazy weather last night – lots of thundersnow!  And it was so windy too.  Luckily I work within walking distance of home so it wasn’t a problem making it home after work, although I did have to grab on to some buildings and lamp posts along the way to make sure I wasn’t blown down Michigan Avenue!

snow day 1

snow day 2

It was pretty much a ghost town downtown this morning – these pictures were from around 10:30 this morning, and usually those parking lots are full.  After the snow finally ended around noon, the snow plows came out and people started wandering around and taking pictures!  In all, I think we ended up with about 20 inches of snow.

It gave me some time to finish baby’s first knitted items, though!

hat and bootees

baby hat

Patterns:  Hat from the Pea Pod Baby Set by Kate Gilbert and Cotton Bootees from Easy Baby Knits
Yarn: Rowan Calmer
Notes: These both may have turned out a bit big – but I think they’ll get some use eventually!  I’ve been wanting to make the Pea Pod set for a while, but didn’t have enough yarn for both the sweater and hat.  The hat is actually a bit confusing – I couldn’t figure out how to do the decreases without cutting into the lace panel until I realized that when the pattern says “arrange stitches so there are # on each needle,” you are actually supposed to rearrange everything so that the lace panel is centered on one needle.  I’m not sure why it’s not written so that the panel is centered to begin with.  But in the end, it turned out pretty cute!  The bootees are, as the name of the book implies, pretty easy and quick.

Speaking of handmade baby items, look at the cute little guy my husband’s cousin’s wife crocheted for us!  Awwww.

alligator

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