Frog Blanket

This new frog blanket is a big hit. E. says, "Hop hop hop hop hop..." every time he sees it. Polar fleece and flannel = uber cozy. 'Cuz the nights are still chilly, even if we're finally getting some well-deserved sunshine 'round these parts.

Frog Stuff

Next up in the crafting queue? Frog stuff. Frog pants and a frog blanket, to be precise. E. is currently a big fan of frogs ("Hop hop! Hop hop!") and has two stuffed frog friends, Hop and Ribbit. I'm continuing a tradition I started last Easter, wherein I make him a pair of pants for the holiday. This year it just seemed right to make frog pants so that he can hop around the house. We went to buy frog fabric and there were two different bolts that really caught his attention, so I decided to make a pair of pants out of the cotton he liked and a fleece-backed blanket out of the flannel he liked.

Off to fashion frog goods...

Forgetting About Pictures

I keep forgetting to take pictures of stuff before I give it away.

I have made and gifted:

1. A hat for baby Kristaps
2. A hat for soon-to-arrive baby Sydney and one for her Mama-to-be Lyzel
3. A blanket, pillow and superbaby cape for one-year old Simran

The cape turned out great- I hope Simran likes it. I may make another for E., if I do I'll be sure to actually photograph it!

Baby Hat (complete with creepy baby doll photo)

I crocheted this newborn-sized hat for a friend who is expecting a baby in several months. I wanted to use my son as a model for the photo because the hat is really cute, but of course if it's sized to fit a newborn, my little almost-15 month old child cannot be stuffed into it! So instead I give you the hat, modeled by a somewhat creepy-looking baby doll.

I didn't use a pattern for this hat; I just double-crocheted and increased by doubling up stitches every few rows until I had something that was the right size for a wee one, and then made a big fluffy pom-pom for the end.

I'm sure it will look much cuter on the actual child.

Great Giveaway!

Check out the terrific giveaway over at What I Did at School Today! So pretty!

Swapping = Meeting Inspiration

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, one of the ways I got my craft blogging mojo back was by participating in a vintage swap. It was a great experience not only for the lovely goods that came my way, but also because I was paired with an exceptionally talented mama/crafter/blogger/art teacher named Jennifer. In addition to the lovely goods pictured above and below (pillowcase = already on the bed; small wooden box engraved with the name Chester Avery = my favorite little treasure of the year), Jennifer and I exchanged several great e-mails about the trials, tribulations, and great pleasures of parenting. She encouraged me when I mentioned that I was slowly working up to integrating crafting back into this brave new world of motherhood. I appreciated her encouragement so very, very much. Thank you again, Jennifer! I will post photos of whatever it is I eventually make from these vintage treasures. The great trim is just calling for a starring role on a bag or a pillow, I think.

To Market, To Market

I learned how to make yarn out of plastic bags from a friend. There's a good tutorial here, too. Although both cats and toddlers are fascinated by the stuff (making for very slow project progression), I somehow managed to finish a market bag for my wonderful friend Christa's birthday. (She's also here, and about a million other places online too.) Such a meta craft- making bags outta bags.