call for embroidery. Some back stitching for Kate. Split stitching for Jane. Lots of needle re-threading by me. All in all, nice way to spend a rainy, summer afternoon.
Both of the girls embroidery transfers came from the Sublime Stitching Craft Pad.
Back tomorrow with the winner of Vintage Baby Knits. I haven't forgotten - just been busy watching my nephews and cleaning out the studio! Scrap bags coming soon!
Don't get all excited. It's not time for the shop update, but I am slowly working my way there.
This camera strap is one of a kind - you won't be seeing this version for sale. I made it for Caroline and it was long, long overdue. You see, she's the type of friend who goes and buys two camera straps from my store to give as gifts even though I had given her strict orders that behavior of that manner was not to happen. Well, she didn't listen. So I made swift promises that her very own strap would be made lickety-split and now, months later, here it is. I'm a bit embarrassed that it took me so long because, really, she's the friend that feeds my cat and takes in my mail and waters the jungle of a garden when we go out of town. Besides that, she listens to me gripe when I have had it up-to-here (imagine me holding my hand way above my head) and she makes me laugh, too. She deserves way more than a silly camera strap or a sample pack of kick butt olive oils. But until I figure out what exactly will fit the bill, a camera strap and olive oils will have to do.
So, I guess what I am saying, besides that I have a fantastic, one of a kind pal, is that the sewing machine and I were reunited this weekend. And that, my friends, is a great thing.
Care to join me for some breakfast?
Having leftover dessert for breakfast is one of my favorite things. This pie was killer both last night and this morning. In fact, Fatty said it was maybe my best pie ever. Uh huh. If you have peaches like me, I highly recommend you do this, too.
Make your favorite pie crust, or buy one - whichever you prefer. Roll it out into a deep dish pie pan. My pan is 9" wide and at least 2" deep. Take sliced peaches (I used about 6 cups) and mix them with a 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, 3/4 cup sugar and 3 tbsp. flour. Dump the peaches into the pie pan. Now make the topping - 1 cup flour, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cold butter mixed together until it's crumbly. Sprinkle on top. Cover the edges of your pie with a strip of aluminium foil (to prevent burning) and bake at 425 degrees for at least 45 minutes. The time will vary depending on how deep your pie is and the diameter of your pan. My pie took over an hour, but I started checking at 40 minutes. You are looking for a nicely browned top and bubbling juices. Watch it towards the end to make sure the top isn't getting too brown. If it is, cover it with foil. Best served warm. And then still good cold with a nice cup of coffee the next morning.
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A big thank you to everyone for the anniversary wishes. One part of me is amazed that it has been 13 years - it seems like we just met a few years ago! Thank you, too, for the nice words on last Friday's post. I was feeling pretty low and you guys really made me feel so much better. So much better that I got motivated and managed to meet my deadline early - hooray!
Just a reminder that if you would like a chance to win Vintage Baby Knits, you need to comment on yesterday's post before 12 noon EST tomorrow. You can also visit STC Craft for a chance to win one of three copies that they are giving away.
Back here soon. Hopefully with something made out of fabric.
Last night I finished up the little knitting project I spoke about a few weeks ago. It was a great project, perfect to knit while traveling. And although I don't have a cute, chubby cheeked baby to model it, here's the Stella Pixie Hat that I knitted from the pattern in Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren. I loved knitting this hat!
(my pixie hat - unblocked and needing a button)
(Stella Pixie Hat from the book)
I cannot say enough nice things about this book. It has great projects- sweaters, blankets, toys, slippers, soakers, hats and more. Kristen's directions are well written and easy to follow. She explainsthe orgins of each pattern and talks about the history of knitting indifferent decades. Additionally, it is a complete visual treat - thephotography by Thayer Allyson Gowdy is beautiful and the sweet babesmodeling the projects are absolutely adorable. As part of her blog tour, Kristen and I had a chance to chat about her book the other day. We focused on what to keep in mind when knitting for baby. Here's what Kristen had to say:
Erin: Hand knitted itemsare great for gifts, especially for the littlest people in our lives. What should you keep in mind when knitting for a baby?
Kristen: The first thing I ask myself is if this garment is appropriatefor this particular baby. Wheredoes the baby live? In what season is the baby going to wear this garment,taking into account when I’m likely to finish it? Will they get at least one and hopefully twoor three seasons of wear out of it? (I often like to knit projects inrelatively fine gauges, because a lighter garment can be used as a layer andwill therefore get more wear across the seasons; I also find that babies tendto get lots of use out of light blankets and stretchy hats , which take longer tobecome undersized.
Once I’ve thought about that, my next concern is whether ornot anythingabout the parents gives me clues as to what to knit. While my first impulse is toknit what Ithink is cute,if the parents won’t like it, it’ll never get worn. I think about their tastes, their style, and their lifestyles, andtry to pick a project that will match those predilections. Would they prefer a special garment to beworn only a few times, or would they feel happier if I gave them something moreprosaic that they could use every day? Ialso try to consider what I know about their ideas about colors and gender –parents can be surprisingly particular one way or another. And I think about the care required for thegarment – some parents don’t mind hand-washing and prefer to avoid the chemicaltreatment required to make super-wash yarns, while other parents would stronglyprefer something they could throw in the washing machine.
That said, sometimes it’s not possible to gauge too muchabout the parent’s preferences. In thosecases I try to knit something practical, unisex, washable, and in neutral orbright colors that are likely to please anyone.
Finally, I can’t stress enough that if I’m ever to finish agarment on time, it’s important to think realistically about how much time Ihave to devote to the knitting. Justbecause a baby garment is small doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll be fast – thatdependson how involved the pattern is and upon how many stitches it requires. In general, for safety’s sake, I presume that a knitting project willtake me twice as long as I think, because life has a habit of getting in theway of knitting for everybody.
(Dewey Cabled Pullover)
Erin: Babies come in alldifferent shapes and sizes. One of my daughters was 4 lbs., 13 oz. atbirth and the other was 8 lbs., 7 oz. How do you choose what size to knitfor a baby that hasn't been born yet? Or for that matter, for a baby thatwill certainly grow before you finish the project?
Kristen: The short answer is, When in doubt, knit big – some babieswouldn’t fit into the smallest size even at birth. Knitting a larger size can also mean morelongevity for a garment. Pants orsleeves can be rolled up, and pullovers or cardigans can be worn big until babygrows into them.
Erin: When knitting babysweaters, I tend to choose cotton yarns because they are washable. Arethere other yarns to consider when knitting for babies?
Kristen: The firstconsideration is what material to use. Personally, I prefer wool, which is lightweight; holdsmany times its weight in water; wicks moisture away from the skin; and helpsregulate temperature, keeping baby warm in winter and cool in summer. The idea that all wool is too scratchy forbabies is generally a myth, and wool allergies are actually very rare – there aremany kinds of wool, both soft and not, so the best way to test it is to hold itup against your face. (If you havereason to suspect that there may be wool allergies, of course, or if theparents just don’t believe in wool for babies, it’s best to avoid wool, nomatter how soft.) Other potentialanimal fibers to use include alpaca, which is many times warmer than wool, andappropriate mainly for a baby in a cold-weather climate; silk, which isinelastic and harder to wash, but has a lovely drape and softness for a specialproject; and of course cashmere.
Plant fibers have some advantages and disadvantages. Cotton is cool and soft, but very heavy whenwet, and babies are often wet! Hemp andlinen take many washings to become soft enough for baby, but they make greatbaby garments – they’re cool in summer, they’re completely washable, and theydrape beautifully. Bamboo, whileinelastic, also has a nice drape, and tends to be very soft.
And then of course there are man-made fibers. Whether or not to use them is a matter ofpersonal choice. Fromthe perspective of convenience, there is no longer a huge difference betweenacrylic fibers and those made of natural materials. Superwash yarns eliminate the need to hand-wash wool, and even hand-wash garments can be easilyand inexpensively laundered using any of the the new no-rinse garment washesavailable today. That said, acrylicis no longer the scratchy Orlon of the 1970s, and there are many nice acrylicsand acrylic blends.
In terms of “natural” vs. “man-made” yarns, it’s important to remember that manyyarns made of natural materials, including super-wash wools and yarns made fromnon-traditional materials such as bamboo or corn, are made in part usingchemical processes and/or dyed using non-chemical dyes . Unless yarn ismade of locally grown material, its carbon footprint is also made larger by theconsiderable amount of fuel that it takes to ship it from grower to mill toconsumer. With that in mind, because they are so often derived from petroleumproducts, and because they involve the same long hauls in shipping terms, acrylic yarns tend to have an even larger carbonfootprint than natural materials. So thechoice is purely personal.
No matter what material you choose, it’s important to checkthe label for care instructions. Whilemany yarns are machine washable, there are also many yarns that requirehand-washing, regardless of their material.
(Maude Honeycomb Blanket)
Erin: What do knitters needto keep in mind when it comes to keeping babies safe?
Kristen: Buttons and snaps are okay to use with most baby garments,but you’ll need to be sure to sew them on very tightly, using two to threetimes as much thread as you might use to secure a button on an adult garmentand knotting the ends very tightly so your sewing can’t unravel. It’s also a good idea to regularly check suchfasteners, and to keep an eye out for any which might become loose. Some parents prefer to use garments with buttonsonly when the baby is supervised; other parents prefer to make short i-cord orcrochet ties instead.
While ribbons and drawstrings at the neck have literallybeen used for centuries, it’s best to either use them in a garment that can beworn when baby is supervised, or leave them out and let the baby wear thegarment open.
Take extra care when putting a garment with buttonholes on ababy, because you don’t want baby’s fingers to get stuck in them. The same goes for lace garments – you justneed to be careful that they don’t get tangled up in the lacy holes.
As far as yarns go, most modern yarns are pretty safe. While it’strue that many acrylic yarns are not fire-proof, neither is most children’sclothing, and thankfully situations that warrant this concern are extremely rare.If you areseriously worried about fire hazards, stick with wool, which isnaturally fire retardant.
(Frankie Striped Socks)
Erin: Which of the projectsin the book are good for beginning knitters? And which ones should betackled by those with more knitting experience?
Kristen: The Milo Soakers are probably the easiest pattern in thebook, requiring only a knowledge of how to cast on and off, and how to knit andpurl. The Stella Pixie Hat is anothereasy project that’s very enjoyable, and the Floyd and Dewey sweaters are amongthe easiest in the book. On the otherend of the spectrum is the Avery Christening Gown & Frock – definitely aproject that requires a little more focus.
But one cool thing about vintage knitting books is that theynever gave skill levels, because they assumed – quite correctly – that anyonewho can knit and purl could learn to take on any project. And that is totally true – any pattern inVintage Baby Knits is completely do-able by any knitter, with enoughconcentration and maybe a little practice.
(Daisy Soaker)
Erin: Speaking of soakers, can you tell us a little about them? I know there are many parents out there who are cloth diapering. What should we know?
Kristen: If you cloth diaper, wool soakers are really great, mainlybecause of wool’s amazing properties. Wool is antimicrobial, it’s absorbent, andit wicks moisture away from the skin. When properly lanolized, they can hold many times their own weight inliquid on the inside, while miraculously neither feeling nor smelling wet onthe outside! They stay comfortable for baby for an astonishingly long timeafter a leak. What’s more, once wet, they can simply be hung out to dry, withno odor at all – meaning that as long as they are not soiled, they can be wornmany times without needing to be washed and lanolized. (Lanolization is the simple process ofsoaking the soakers in a mixture of lanolin and hot water, until the naturallanolin has been restored to the wool.) For any cloth diapering parent, I highly recommend trying it – ourgrandparents were really onto something! If you don’t cloth diaper, ofcourse, wool soakers just make cute pants, too.
Erin: They sure do! Thanks for your time, Kristen. I'm really looking forward to casting on another project from Vintage Baby Knits!
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To find out more about Vintage Baby Knits, visit the other stops on Kristen's blog tour. You can learn more about vintage knitting on Kristen's own blog, Retroknit Design.
Do you want a copy of this fantastic book? I thought you did! Leave a comment on this post before Friday at noon and I will draw winning name. You can also enter to win one of three copies that STC Craft| Melanie Falick Books is giving away. Click here for more information.
Thirteen years later, I know that the best decision I ever made was marrying this man, my best friend. I can't imagine my life without him.
Happy Anniversary, Fatty. I love you.
I'm itching to make something. Anything really. Well, anything except the one thing I am supposed to be working on. I should just sit down and get it finished, but I am at a bit of a standstill with it. I have a deadline and it's soon. I am trying to be better about my procrastination problem, but sometimes, it just seems easier to wait-until-the-last-moment. The problem is that when I get to the last-moment, I realize that I shouldn't have waited. Uh-huh. On the plus side, I sat down and paid the bills in full swoop yesterday without any procrastinating. And yes, it felt good.
Also, I keep getting emails asking about camera straps. I am making more! I promise I will let you know when they will be listed at least a few days before they go in the shop. I don't know when that will be. The girls go back to school in one month and I want to make the most of what is left of our summer. When I think about how fast time is slipping away from me, I get all worked up and when I get worked up, I really can't do anything at all. Not a thing. I am also feeling overwhelmed with stuff. I feel the need to purge, clean closets and trash out. The studio, in particular, is a huge mess. I will probably put together some fabric scrap bags for sale. Again, no time table. I'm just wondering if there is any interest in something like that.
We have a busy weekend ahead - school carnival and citywide swim meet. I think that is why I feel so overwhelmed. Normally, the weekend is my down time and this one is going to see me coming and going like a crazy person. If I see you out and about and I appear to be in a daze, take it easy on me. Next week, I'll find my sanity.
After I meet that deadline, of course.
As promised, here's a little how-to on the fabric ranunculus.
First, cut your fabric into strips on the bias. The width and length of your strips depends on how big you want your finished flower to be. For this small flower, the strips are about 3/4" wide and around 10 to 15 inches long. I used four strips here, but you made need a few more or maybe one less so cut as you go. For a bigger flower, make the strips wider and longer.
Next, using a small zig zag stitch (about 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm), sew along one long edge of your strip. The idea here is for one side of the stitch to catch the fabric - you really have to be on the absolute edge. Going slowly will make it easier.
Along the other long edge, sew a gathering stitch (straight stitch, long in length). Leave the thread tails long and gently pull one thread to gather.
Starting on the outside of the flower, pin the gathered edge into the shape of a circle. Stop pinning when you complete a full circle.
Using a zig zag stitch, sew along the gathered edge of the circle. When you come to the curves, leave the needle in the down position, lift the presser foot and rotate the fabric. Continue until you finish sewing the pinned circle. Back stitch and cut the threads.
Continue gathering and pinning the strip in a circle, slightly overlapping the ends in a soft spiral. You can fold the end of the strip under if you want. Sew it in place. Back stitch and cut the threads.
Keep adding strips to your flower in this manner. I varied the start and stop points of my strips and the direction to add interest - some go clockwise and some go counterclockwise.
When you get to the center of the flower, zig zag back and forth at different angles to ensure that all edges are sewn.
Before you stitch on a pillow or a skirt or a t-shirt, get out some scraps and try a practice flower. It'll be worth the few extra minutes because you will get a good feel for how much you need to gather and how big to make the flower. If you do this on a t-shirt, make sure you don't sew the back to the front. Ahem. Go slow, use lots of pins and have fun.
I'll answer any questions in the comment section.
We arrived home last night and the kids should be here with their grandparents in a few hours. I have laundry going and have been to the grocery and got the car's oil changed. I am completely exhausted due to the three hour time difference. I think a third cup of coffee is in order as there is much to do and not much time for a nap. I am having a hard time getting the cleaning started, let alone finished. Can you tell my mind is muddled? What I really want to do is cut fabric and sew. But a rotary cutter, sharp needles plus lack of sleep only adds up to a bad idea. Later, then. After the cleaning and the nap, when the laundry is folded and put away, and after a good long cuddle and chat with the girls.
I'm so happy to be home.
