To Chase, On your 6th Birthday

Chase, 

My darling, sweet, strong little boy. Today, you are 6. I can't quite believe it. Six years ago today, you came into the world, and gave me the most important title - mom. And I am so lucky every single day to be your mother. 

This year has been a year of major transformations. You have grown so so much. This past year, you have found and embraced your independence. You no longer need me to hold your hand and walk you to the playground. Instead, you are up bright and early and head over there with your friends. There's no more pushing you on the swing or supporting you on the monkey bars. You have conquered the playground, in all its glory. And this summer, you learned to ride your bike without training wheels, which opened up a whole new world of possibility for you. Instead of being confined to our alley, you now have the freedom to race around the block with all your friends. If I'm being honest, it is all quite bittersweet. I am so proud of you, and I'm proud that I can trust you with these little freedoms and know that you'll follow the rules and boundaries. But I'm also a little sad, because this new found freedom means that you're growing up, and that the last of your "babyness" is really gone for good. 

You've also become quite a responsible little boy this year. So responsible in fact, that your dad and I got you a hamster for your birthday. And while I wasn't sure if you could handle it at first, you've proven me quite wrong. Every day you give that little guy fresh food, and water, and play with him. And you don't argue when it's time to clean his cage, even though be both know how stinky that job is. You have a list of chores to do everyday, and you (mostly) complete them without argument. You (usually) decide to save your allowance, and have become such a huge helper around the house. 

You have also become such a wonderful big brother. I know that your sister gets on your nerves sometimes, but you rarely let is show. If the house gets too quiet, I can usually find you upstairs playing house or babies with your sister, even when I know you'd rather build Legos. You are so patient and kind to your sister, and try so hard to calm her down when she gets upset. And my sweet boy, I know you don't always see it, but your little sister worships the ground you walk on. She would follow you to the ends of the earth. And I'm so proud to say that you are an excellent role model for her. Being the oldest child can comes a lot of responsibilies, but you are meeting each one with strength and grace. 

As wonderful as this past year has been, it has not been without its challenges. Shortly after your fifth birthday, you were officially diagnosed with ADHD. And that was a hard blow for both of us, baby. Your momma cried. Oh, how I cried. After talking with every doctor who would listen, we finally decided to try medication. It took us quite a bit of trial and error to find out what was right for you. I was unsure at first, but it has turned out to be one of the best things we could have done for you. The medicine has helped you so much. Before, you were struggling to learn your ABC's, and now you are nearly reading. You had begun to hate school, and now you get up in the morning and are so excited to get to school. The medicine hasn't changed who you are, but it has helped you to show the smart, lovable boy that I know. This past year, I have watched your confidence soar, and it takes my breath away. Everyday you come home from Kindergarten and tell me all of the new wonderful things that you've learned, and my heart swells. Together, we have learned to reframe what others wrongly call a "disorder", and embrace your endless energy and creativeness. 

Oh, my darling boy, how you have changed this year. You've transfromed from a boy who needed help, to a child who is always willing to help. You've transformed from an unsure preschooler to confident Kindergartener. And I see the amazing young man that you are becoming. And I am so proud of you. But the one thing that has not changed is your heart of gold. And my sweet boy, I pray you never outgrow that. 

Love, 

Your mommy

Summer Wrap Up

I don't know about you, but ya'll, this summer has been a scorcher! I'm usually a knit all year kinda girl, but this oppressive summer heat really got to me. I had so many glorious projects planned, but once the temps broke 100 degrees, I couldn't bear the thought of sitting around with wool on my lap. I knocked out a few small projects, but between the heat, the kids being home, and crazy summer travel, none of my glorious projects came to fruition. So this summer has been...well...unproductive. Here's a quick roundup of what I finished this summer:

First up - dishcloths and hand towels. 

Hot sticky wool sounded miserable in the heat, so I pulled out some trusty cotton and worked on something a bit lighter. The yarn for these is just some random 100% cotton that I grabbed from the mill ends bin at the craft store. No need for fancy schmancy yarn when it's just getting used to scrub dishes. These were perfect little mindless projects while my kids were running around the splash pad or while we were road tripping (which we did A LOT of this summer.)

Next Up - Hemlock Rings Doily

After my hands just couldn't take anymore stiff kitchen cotton, I switched over to crochet thread. A light, lacy doily was just perfect during the heat. The yarn for this one was Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet cotton, on size 1.5 needles. I enjoyed the more mindful project after the dull dishcloths. But I'm really not thrilled with the final project. I gave this bad boy a thorough blocking, but it's still pretty saggy and the edges are flipping up. Truth be told, the imperfections are driving me crazy. I usually scour the Ravelry notes before starting any project, but I just dove right in on this one. Lesson learned. After I finished, I read the notes, and sagging seems to be a common problem with this pattern. It's still adorning my fireplace, but I'm going to give another go at blocking. And if it doesn't straighten out after that, then I'll have to try a different doily pattern. 

Third Project - Well, it's still a surprise! 

I can't actually tell you anything about the next project I did, because it's a Christmas gift for someone I know reads the blog. Yes, that's right - I said Christmas. I know it's summer, but I always get caught up in the Christmas rush, and this is going to a super special person, and I wanted plenty of time to give it the attention it deserves. It will have to remain a mystery for now, but I promise I'll do a reveal after it's been given to the recipient. But here's a sneak peek photo of the details. The yarn for this piece is Madelintosh Light in Composition Book gray. I love the recipient enough that I used Merino in 100 degree weather. 

And finally - Cardigan Pattern Design! 

While I was thinking up Christmas gifts for everyone, I had an idea of a cardigan I wanted to make for a friend. But after searching the endless library of Ravelry, I still couldn't find anything that was what I wanted. So, I sat down with my calculator and excel sheet, and decided to write one out. Let's just say that knitwear designers don't get nearly enough credit. I will never, ever, ever, complain about the price of a pattern again. Math is not my strong suit, and this cardigan pattern gave me fits for a month. The cardi below is for me, and I used it to work out some design flaws and double check my numbers. I've got a little more tweaking to do on the pattern, and then I'll publish this bad boy on Rav. 

That's it. Four projects in 3 months. That is all I was able to accomplish this summer. But Fall is almost here. The mornings are a bit cooler, there's a breeze in the air, and it won't be too long before pumpkin spice everything. And I for one, can not wait! 

Campside Cardi

I did it! My first official grown-up sweater. And I LOVE IT! This cardigan is from the same designer that created the Campside Shawl, which I finished this past fall. I loved that shawl, and wore it all winter! So of course, I had to give the Campside Cardigan a try.

The pattern is all charted, so this isn't a pattern for knitters who can't read a chart. (Although it's definitely a skill worth learning.) I found the pattern pretty straightforward and easy to follow. I made sure to review other knitters pattern notes, and many said that the arms were too tight. So I picked of 4 extra stitches under each arm to try to fix it. It helped a little, but I will add some more raglan increases next time I make this pattern. This was also a really quick pattern to knit up. In fact, I think the shawl took me longer than the cardi. I finished this up in about a week, which means it's perfect for a last minute gift. I'll be giving these as gifts like crazy.

I decided to go with Malabrigo Rios again, this time in Ivy, because it worked so perfectly for the shawl. And it worked perfectly here, too. In fact, it was my savior. Even though I made a gauge swatch, my finished cardi was a tad small. But thank heavens that this yarn grows like crazy when blocked. Just a little bit of blocking and it fit perfectly. And I love how it softens and has a subtle halo after blacking. It really is a delight to work with and wear. I'll be honest, I was secretly happy when we had a cold front come through, because it meant I didn't have to wait until the fall to wear this beauty. And I got so many compliments on it. My pharmacist complimented it, my neighbor petted it, and a knitter at the store was try to secretly deconstruct it, until I noticed and told her where to find the pattern.

HOTN -Briochealicious

Remember that New Year's Resolutions lists - well, check, check, and check! I am feeling like one seriously accomplished knitter after knocking this baby off my list. I've been dying to learn two-color brioche since I saw it for the first time last year. It's just so pretty and squishy and I want to wrap myself up in it. And fortunately, with this shawl, I can do just that. This baby turned out huge, with barely any blocking.

This was the perfect pattern to learn brioche on. The sections of garter stitch gave my brain a break from the more challenging brioche sections. It was a really nice balance. I will say that two-color brioche is sloooooow knitting. It's the same idea as double-knitting, where there are actually 2 "stitches" for eery stitch, so it takes about twice as long as plain knitting. At first I didn't mind, but I was losing patience during that last section of brioche.

Gah! Would you look at those awesome colors in the Zarzamora!

I used Malabrigo sock in Zarzamora, and Knit Picks Capretta in Platinum. I had actually ordered the Capretta a few months ago for a different shawl, but when it arrived, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. So into the stash it went. I was so happy when it worked out for this Briochelicious shawl. It's so soft and has just enough of a halo for this project. I wore it right away, and my son wouldn't stop petting me. I'm thinking I'll have to make him a sweater in the Capretta.

(left) "Right Side"   (Right) "Wrong" Side.

While the two-color brioche was a big goal knocked off my resolutions list, I have managed to fail completely at knitting from stash only. Whoops! But Love Knitting was having a huge sale, and any knitter that can say no to that must have superpowers. So, I splurged, and got 4 skeins of Madelintosh sock. Mmmmmm... drool. I love Madtosh. I grabbed 2 of Steam Age, 1 Turquoise, and 1 Astrid Gray. I have no idea what they're going to become, so they're getting stashed.

I'm weak. I know it.

Noodles the Mouse

Remember Eli the Elephant, and how much I lamented amigarumi knitting? Yeeeeaaaa... I take it all back. I am so so so in love with this little guy. And I loved knitting him. It was quick, and easy, and not once did my hands feel like they were going to burn off.  As it turns out, it's not so much the Amigarumi that I hate - it's the double pointed needles. So I found this awesome pattern for a magic loop teddy, and gave that a whirl. I'm still on my quest to knit from stash, and I lucked out and found the perfect yarn for this little guy. It's Aslan Trends Artesanal, which is a tweedy cotton/alpaca blend. It's not the softest yarn ever, but it has a furry little halo that was perfect for a mouse. And it feels like it will hold up well over the years.

I needed this little guy to be a mouse, not a teddy, so I had to make some alterations to the pattern. I made his ears a little larger and more concave that the bear, used a pink nose instead of black, and added cute little whiskers and a pink tail. All in all, I think he resembles Noodles from the book pretty closely. And fortunately for me, newborn babes are not harsh critics. This is a first part of the set that is going to my new niece/nephew who is coming in just a couple weeks. I'm working on the blanket that goes with it, and then I'll be done with all of my baby knitting for this year.

This pattern has inspired me to give Amigarumi another go. Since my son got "Sharky McShark", I'm going to try and make a dolly for my daughter. Of course, I also still haven't made her baby blanket, and she's coming up on 3 years old. So yea, it's probably time she got some mama knitting love.

Easy DIY Chalkboard Chore Chart

I can't be the only mom who is a stuck in the black hole of chore charts. We've tried so many variations of charts, but nothing was quite right. We started with good ol' printer paper and stickers. But reprinting every week wasn't working for me. So we tried that store bought one with magnets. That was an epic fail. The magnets didn't stick well, and my toddler thought they we super fun to chew on. So we ditched that before we ended up in the ER (again!). I brainstormed and came up with this chalkboard version that's been working really well for us. The lines and days of the week are done in chalk marker, and the chores are done with plain chalk. So I can start fresh each week without wiping off the lines. My son likes that he can mark off the completed chores, and he never lets me forget when he's completed one.
The whole project only took a couple of hours, and that includes drying time. It's super easy to make, and it's looks much nicer hanging in my living room than a paper sticker chart. So, let's get started!

 Supplies Needed:

• Wooden chalkboard frame
• Chalk or Acrylic Paint
• Wooden Letters ($.98 from Walmart)
• Twine
• Staple Gun
• Scrap Fabric
• Hot Glue Gun
• Wood Stain
• Sandpaper 
• Chalk Markers
• Assorted paint brushes

Step One: Painting
You can do this project with a picture frame and chalkboard paint if you happen to already have one you're not using. I didn't, and with a 50% coupon, I scored this chalkboard frame from the craft store for $6.  If you're using a frame you already have, you're going to need to paint the backing in chalkboard paint. Make sure you do a few coats so it's nice and dark. If you're using a store bought chalkboard, then you only need to worry about painting the frame. I used Martha Stewart Chalk Paint because I had some on hand, but you could just as easily use plain old acrylic. Make sure you use painters tape to cover up the edges of the chalkboard. I didn't, and ended up having to go back and repaint my chalkboard. It took two coats for a nice, even coverage. While you've got the paint out, go ahead and paint the letters for the top. For this part, I used dark blue acrylic, because that's what I had on hand. 

Step Two: Chalk Pocket
  Remember my post about me versus my sewing machine? Yea, that should tell you how bad my sewing skills are. But I wanted a little pocket to hold the chalk for marking completed chores. So while the paint is drying, you can whip up a chalk pocket.
This pocket is as basic as it gets. I  used my chalk and got a rough estimate of the size I needed, and then cut two rectangles about that size. With the right sides facing together, I sewed around 3 sides and then flipped it right side out. I folded the raw side down and did just a quick hem to keep it clean looking, and then ironed it flat. I'm sure there are sewing gurus out there who can figure out a better way to do this. But this way is super simple and does the job.

Step Three: Sanding and Dry Staining
This is my favorite part of any project. This is the part where the project really comes to life. After your paint is dry, grab your sandpaper and start working on removing some of the paint. Focus on the corners, outside edges, and inside edges. In some places I sand heavier and some lighter. If you're not sure where to sand, try to think about how the frame would age. Things like the corners are more likely to take a beating over time, so I sand especially heavy there. But the beauty here is that there is really no way to screw it up. Sand as much or as little as you want, and anywhere you want. Once you're done sanding, give it a wipe down with an old towel to get the dust off.
For dry staining the frame, you want to use a dry, clean, bristle brush. You want just a tiny amount of stain on it, and then you'll quickly brush it over the frame. I like to just tap the brush on the lid, and find that dipping it in the can just puts too much on the brush. I also keep a rag handy, to wipe down places where I get too much stain. The idea is a streaky, distressed feel. I go over the corners a few times to make it darker. You'll find that the stain will sink in darker in the places you've sanded, and you can go over the spots a few times with the brush to darken them.

Step Four: Assembly
Once the stain is dry, it's time to put the whole thing together. I used my trusty hot glue gun to glue the letters at the top and to attach the chalk pocket. I didn't measure anything, just eyeballed it. For hanging it, I braided three pieces of twine together for more thickness. If you're using rope, ribbon, or thicker twine, you can use just one. I then flipped it over and staple gunned it to the back of the frame.

Step Five: Seasoning
To season the chalkboard, just use the long side of a piece of chalk and rub a thick layer over the whole chalkboard, and then wipe it off. I get the best results if I do this step a couple of time. Whatever you do, DON'T skip the seasoning. If you skip it, then you'll see the shadows of the first thing you write on your chalkboard forever.

Step Six: Drawing The Chart
For the lines and days of the week, use the chalk marker. Chalk markers only come off with water, so they won't wipe away when you reset the chart each week. I used a ruler and measured out 1" vertical and horizontal lines. You'll notice my chart only has Monday through Saturday, because in our house, Sunday is a freebie day. I refuse to do chores on Sunday, so I don't make my kiddos do it either. Once your lines are done, just fill in the chores and hang it up.  And then get those kiddos cleaning!

 

Well, hello again!

Well, hey there friends! It's been a while, I know. These last couple of months have been a whirlwind of busy, busy, busy. And well, there hasn't been much time for crafting at all, let alone blogging about it. But cross your fingers that life will settle a bit for me now. (Ha ha! Two kids and two dogs - that's a pipe dream!)

So what have I been up to? A lot, actually! I finished up my last two classes for my degree (woo hoo!) and the hubs and I have basically taken on a new lifestyle.  Remember that New Year's resolution to eat clean and lose those ten pounds I've been carrying around? Well, check and check! Matt and I spent many hours scrounging, coupon clipping, and planning, and we've built our very own home gym! We spent two full days cleaning out the garage, and getting rid of soooooo much junk that has accumulated over the years. And then began the deal hunting and setting up. But we're pretty much put together now, and we're rocking out a full free weight system in the garage, complete with a beast sound system (sorry neighbors!) We've been lifting six days a week, and it's been really awesome. I can't honestly say that we're now 100% clean eating, because we live in the real world. But I'd say we're at about 80%, and I'm pretty happy with that. Happy enough that I'm down 16lbs since this all started. I've still got so me goals to meet, but they're getting closer. Our new diet is all about real food and lowering our carbs. It's tricky, but I've found some really great (and really awful) Pinterest recipes that I'll share with you soon!

It's been quiet on the crafting from. I've managed to knock out a couple small projects, and I've got a big one on the needles now. My latest accomplishment has been an amigarumi shark for Chase. Remember Elijah the Elephant that I made for my nephew (who's due in the 3 weeks!)? Well, Chase loved Elijah so much that he begged for a friend of his own. And how can I turn down a child begging for a handmade toy? Exactly. So I put my other projects on hold and whipped out "Sharky McShark", as named by my ever so eloquent five year old.  And of course, now the toddler is begging for a bear.

After two amigarumi, I've discovered that it is really, really not my thing. Those stitches are just so tiny and tight, my hands ache just thinking about it. The pattern for this guy was constructed in an unusual way, and it just wasn't very intuitive. I started with the pattern and ended up just winging it. I can't say it's my proudest piece, but my little guy loves Sharky and has been sleeping with him every night. So I'll call this one a success.

The pattern for this guy is Shark by Natty Knits, and the yarn is some leftover Caron Simply Soft.The pattern has instructions for knitting the teeth, but I really didn't like the way that looked. So I made a major modification and decided to use felt for his teeth and hand sew them in. It's already obvious that the teeth aren't going to hold up as well as the rest of him, but fortunately, I've got extra felt and can just replace as needed.