Exciting Stuff!

Well, aside from changing schedules, we are starting to really get into a groove. There are many days when the wee one lets me get a lot done.

New baby sweater.
"Puerperium"

Over the past week I strang (strung?) some pearls, finished a whole bunch of my tiny earrings, knitted a sweater, made some other baby gifts, baked bread... You know, the usual.


(I must say, it is fun to have a model for my knitting!)

Of course, I didn't really get to the specifically Valentine's inspired jewelry, but hey.
Pearls and earrings are good!

On another note:

A few years ago, I got my husband (at the time boyfriend) a sheet of stainless steel for his birthday to make a knife with. Well, that hasn't been done yet- not even started.  But drawings were just being done by him within the past two weeks. :D
Along with this idea, he decided he wants to learn to do blacksmithing. That reminded me, for my freshman orientation to college, I attended Haystack Mountain School for a long weekend - where I learned blacksmithing. Clearly not all of the ins and outs and what-have-yous, but I got to try my hand at it.
It was Great.
So now I have a hankering to hammer some hot metal on an anvil, along with my many other, more docile hobbies.


Baby shower this weekend.
I never really enjoyed any kind of shower (except the kind in a tub), but I must admit that having a baby around, I am pretty excited to go to this shower. It's more fun, I guess, knowing what they are getting themselves into!

Up next:
More earrings
Another baby sweater- same pattern, different baby.

Desserts? (I'm really hungry right now!)

Hats and...

A week or so ago, I made yet another baby hat.  

i know, the photo is kinda pathetic.

I tried to take a photo of it on my little one, but she wasn't having it!  (I think she knew it's not for her.  And, besides, she seems to HATE having a hat on in the house.  I can't say I blame her.  It's too hot!)

This was another *Catherine-isn't-using-a-pattern* kinda deal. 

Patterns, recipes... Guidelines, I say!

Usually very loosely followed guidelines, at best...

Also, we got a Free Baby Photo Book card from Shutterfly.com  Why not give them a free plug, right?  

So the better half and I sat at the computer and reminisced over photos from the past *nearly* 3 months, choosing which ones to have printed and bound.  I then went in and did what I could to tell a story.   I like to think I did a pretty fine job, but we will see when the book arrives.

Either way, I am pretty excited about it.

So this book thing, though...

Pretty neat!

With the red studio book I just made,

Designing the photo book,

And looking at an old college friend's work: http://dskidesign.com 

I started to think that I really would like to get into book binding...  Doing it right, and really well.

Yet another skill, necessary for me to acquire!

Maybe I will get a book about it.

Coming up:

°Valentine's Inspired Jewelry and Shawl Pins  (I better hurry!)

°Baby Sweater #3, but not for me!

Organizational Extravaganza

With this little baby around now, and my self-diagnosed OCD, I decided that maybe I should get a little more organized about my life, you know, to make sure I get something done... (Because I wasn't organized before?!) So I made myself some lists, got some dry erase markers, and then I made a book.
I thought, "Hey, I haven't made a book in a while, and I always want to use something to write my lists in, but I never like the planners that you can get in the store..." (Partly because they are always lined, and I have no love for lined paper- unless it's graph paper- then it's ok.)




So.  Book it is.

Complete with dates and checkboxes.

Nice.

Also, some more ornaments I made over Christmas.
No pattern, just some cotton, and size 0, stainless, square needles that I got to try!







Next up:
*Yellow baby hat
*Some more ornaments to try out a new pair of square wooden needles. (Exciting gift!!)

Christmas Cheer

I must admit, I've been really excited about Christmas this year.  Maybe it's the new baby, I don't know...  But we got to pick out a tree this year with our little darling.  (So she slept the whole time, so what?)  She wore her daddy hat while we searched for the tree.  This is the first knitting her daddy has ever done- and he did a great job!  Very even and everything :)  (A small fiasco after that trip: the hat was almost lost for good.  It was safely returned, though!)

Sleepyhead was hiding, but showing off her hat.

Mini Stocking Ornament

For our first Christmas with a wee one,  I thought I would try to make some wee ornaments.  (Miniature stuff shows up a lot in what I make, now that I'm thinking of it again...)  A stocking and a santa hat were the only two things I got to with all of the free time I have.  (The santa hat still needs the pom-pom attached though.)

And then...

My new santa hat!

Her pumpkin hat was getting to look a little out of season, so I decided to make a santa hat for the baby.  

I looked up patterns, and then, of course, just made one up.  

I can't complain, though.  I am quite pleased with it!

                                 *           *           *

Now maybe, just maybe, I will get around to making some Christmas cookies.  Amaretti and chocolate crackle.  YUM. 

Im constantly working on something..

For the past 4 weeks, I've been a little too busy with this one "project", to be able to work on any other big projects.
And I'm pretty ok with that ;)
My little hurricane baby is growing (I hope!)
It is amazing how many things come with babies.
I never thought we would have so many blankets in our house (or that I would find myself using her blankets- they're all REALLY NICE! Not to mention handmade.)


I plan to get to making more jewelry soon, but we haven't quite gotten to that part of our groove yet! In the meantime, I am learning to be a mommy.

Bellies, Babies, Buttons, Bananas and... Butternut Squash?

Bellies:

My belly is getting HUGE!

38 Weeks

Babies:

See above.  There's a baby in there. That's why!

Buttons:

I just about finished baby sweater #2 (a few weeks ago).  Now comes the time when I try to figure out what buttons I want to put on here.  I am debating whether I should make some or find some.  

Of course, if I make them, I still have to decide what to make them from.  

Wood or possibly Sculpey.

  We shall see.  At any rate, I am pretty certain that I want toggle buttons :)

Snug Baby Sweater
*So cute!*

Bananas:

For a somewhat productive day, I started by making a loaf of banana bread. 

It's tasty.  

Butternut Squash:

Ok, so this one is a cheat. 

To continue the productive day idea, I was going to make some fall-ish Butternut Squash Soup.

But, my husband got Acorn Squash instead.

(No complaints from this girl- Acorn squash is FAR SUPERIOR in my book!)

So, anyway, I roasted an acorn squash, let it cool, and now it's ready to be made into some DELICIOUS soup.

http://www.eclecticcook.com/thai-curry-and-coconut-butternut-squash-soup/

Do yourself a favor on a chilly fall night, and make this soup!

First Baby Sweater

Finished!

Sirdar Snuggly Yarn Baby Cardigan
(still in need of buttons)

Just over a week to make my first sweater.  I'll take it!

Of course, staying true to form, I had to "alter" the pattern a little in order to get the "Snowdrops" yarn to work for the trim.

Go Figure.



Speaking of staying true to form, I made some ginger cookies the other day.  I followed the recipe to a "T"- and they didn't turn out all that great.
I you'd think I would have learned my lesson by now:  Change the recipe (or pattern, or whatever) all I want, I'll be happier with the product if I do.

Oh well, lesson *kinda* learned.

Circular Needle Shawl Pin
(Thanks to my husband for the idea!)

This past week has proven to be somewhat productive.  Spent a little bit of time in my studio.  Among other things I made this here shawl pin.
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Luckily, this means I have some more finished shawl pins and earrings to post in my Etsy shop.

Working on getting the baby's room ready means a little bit of crafty stuff going on.  I won't go into that now, though.

Friday was apple picking day.  31 lbs. later...

Coming up this week:  Apple Extravaganza