Binky, Binka, Paci

Helpful at times? yes.  Annoying at times? Definately.  Even more so when they're dropped on the floor every 5 seconds!  And if you happen to be somewhere you're concerned about germs and putting it back in your babe's mouth, you could wind up with a very unhappy boy or girl deprived on their comfort! 

Of course, there is a solution!  I don't know how many parents use them, but pacifier clips are wonderful!  For obvious reasons - now whether or not the binky is in Johnny's mouth, it's NOT on the floor!  Most brands of pacifiers have a cooresponding clip for this purpose.  But aside from somewhat colorful straps and clips, they're rather boring. 

That's why I think these clips are just so cute!  A handmade item paired with cute! :)  This is my second Elephant Pacifier clip.  Such a quick project.  I'd make one for X, but the binka is making it's way out, so the need isn't so great at this point.  But I know so many people with babies right now!  So it's hard not to want to make them.

Heros in a half-shell...turtle power!

I posted a few days ago about a knitting swap I participated in.  The project entailed knitting a Painted Turtle hat and including things needed for a toy kit (swap partner picked a surprise toy from Itty Bitty Toys), and then any other goodies you wanted to include.

I recieved my package (or would it really be X's package since the hat was for him?) yesterday.  It was great to come home and see the box sitting by the front door.  I rushed inside, swooped up X for some attention, and went to open the package. 

The hat my swap partner knit is beautiful!  The base is a lovely creme with turtles of all different greens and cremes surrounding it, as well as one camo turtle on top (he's hiding).  X wanted to play with the hat immediately.  He's so drawn to those little turtle-dudes (as we have been calling them on Ravelry!). 

Painted Turtle Hat from FlFiFiLaRue

X enjoyed playing with the taffy

The toy kit I recieved had some beautiful KnitPicks Comfy Sport yarn to knit up the Egg/Bluebird & Nest reversible toy.  I love making these reversible toys...they're so much fun!  And the yarn came in a beautiful handmade blue drawstring project bag.  Just what I needed!

Yarn & project bag for Egg/Bluebird reversible toy

Finally, the remaining items included a touch & feel book for X, a beanie baby crab (Claude) for X, some salt water taffy, some neat shells from the beach (she's from FL),  and handmade burp rags.  It was a fantastic swap. 

All the loot

On another note, I recently finished the Elephant Paci Clip from Itty Bitty Nursery.  This knit was so quick!  I got at least half done while watching Night at the Museum 2 and finished what remained the next night.  This clip could easily be altered to accomodate any type of pacifier, just as long as you purchage the corresponding clip to attach to the knitting.  Mine is for a NUK or MAM type paci. 

The head & trunk of the elephant are knit first, with an Icord to lengthen it and attach to the clip.  And a strap is attached at the top of the head to attach to the binky ring. 

The ears are crocheted.  This one has an open ring in the middle, but it's also possible to close that hole.

 

This was a great project to work on for how little time it took.  The knit time is minimal but the results are fantastic!  I would certainly recommend this as a project for anyone with babes who use binkies!

Another one bites the dust!

That's really not an appropriate title for this post, but I was thinking how I finished another Paper Bag hat, this time in blue (appropriately titled Blue Paper Bag) and this song got stuck in my head.  I immediately thought "Another one bites the dust" and then my next thought was "and another one gone and another one gone, another one bites the dust!"  And now that song will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Boo.

But on the plus side, this hat did not bite the dust, rather it's just finally finished.  :)  This hat is for a little boy so I wanted to make it more masculine.  I also wanted to try my hand at different stitch patterns.  So to accomplish those things this is what I did:

Instead of using only garter stitch, stockinette stitch and seed stitch, I used 3-4 new stitch patterns.  I really enjoy the look of the horizontal dash pattern.  I may knit up a hat using only this pattern and see how it turns out.  We'll see. :) My only thought here next time is that if I'm going to incoorporate color changes into the hat, I won't knit the dash at the color change b/c it creates messy lines.  I like the look on this hat, but just a note to myself!

 Horizontal dash (white); checkered (blue)

I also used a chevron type pattern (I'll have to look up stitch pattern names later), double moss seed stitch (?) and a checkered stitch.  Some of the patterns are more easily visible than others, and perhaps if I blocked the hat they would look better, but I kinda like the way it looks now.  I did use seed stitch for the last 2 inches at the top.  I really liked the texture it gave the top on the Pink Paper Bag hat so I decided to stick with it here. 

 Chevron (blue)

Instead of a picot trim on the bottom of the hat, I crocheted a single crochet edge.  Simple and gave the effect I was looking for.

 Single crocheted bottom edge

I still used a picot trim for the top of the hat, though.  I considered frogging it back and putting just a single crochet trim on it, but then I decided it was okay.

 Crocheted picot top edge

Finally, instead of tying the I-cord in a bow, I laced it through the eyelets and double knotted the I-cord.  I then put knots on the resulting strings just to add a little more visual interest.  This decision nicely balances the picot trim (I think) and makes it a little more "boy." 

 Knotted Icord

Overall, there are a lot of things going on in this hat.  Several different patterns, different trims, an I-cord.  As I was knitting and looking at the hat, I wasn't sure I'd be pleased with the end result.  I contemplated starting over several times.  But then when I got the I-cord, cinched the top shut and sat back to observe my work, I was happy with my choices. 

Finished product

More pictures

I thought it was about time I posted a few projects I've worked on and completed. I've been lazy when it comes to getting pictures posted. It's such a process (or at least I feel like it is) to get th pics on the computer, edited, and then posted to the blog. And of course putting it off just means the pictures pile up when I finish another project. So here we are with a lot of pictures to get through.

First, this project is Painted Turtle. I made this hat for a Itty Bitty group swap on Ravelry. The hat is from Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson. The original pattern calls for an orange based hat, but since this is meant for a little girl, I thought the soft yellow would make it a little more feminine.

My cute little model

The turtles are crocheted (something new for me) and then embroidered. I stuck with different hues of green - I wanted the turtles a little realistic. I think the colors compliment one another nicely and are soft. The pictures are a bit dark since I took them in the evening. I was anxious to get pictures and didn't want to wait for daylight. :)

The turtles

The second set of pictures are of a project bag for knitting. The design is from Sew What! Bags. It's a fairly basic drawstring sack with a shoulder strap. The nice thing about this book is that it gives a basic template for making your bag, but identical measurements aren't necessary. Leslie (author) really teaches you how to design and create your own, unique bag. This was a fun project. It's the first bag I've ever attempted. I had to rethink the way I pieced things together, especially since I decided to line it. But I'm very pleased with the overall design.

Finished bag

The drawstring enables the knitter to keep her project, notions & yarn contined in the bag without running the risk of snagging the precious yarn or project on a zipper.

Drawstring top

I also added a few small embellishments. I used a decorative stitch on the strap to make sure it was extra secure and I also added some decorative quilting stitches to the bag, just for a little flare.

Can you see the stitching?

And to top it off I decided to make a matching pouch. This pouch is meant to be a notions bag, to hold such things as needles, stitch markers, ruler, scissors - anything little that you need to help you accomplish your project.

Completed notions pouch

I don't know much about different size projects, but this bag could easily hold a couple different projects: socks, hats, scarves, mittens - small projects to possibly medium sized projects. I was able to fit 4 skeins of yarn, notions, knitting needles, finished hat, and a small amount of stuffing. There may be more stylish things out there, but this is a nice, simple bag.

Finished project

So that's some of what I've been up to.  It's nice to finally get this pictures up!

Egg-static!

Okay, corny title I know!  I couldn't help myself.

Yesterday I tried and successfully blew out 2 eggs!  Now, you may ask, why in the world would she do that?  Simple answer: because I could. :D  Lengthy answer?  I've always wanted to learn - for no other reason than to know how it was done.  I've always marveled at decorated eggs and could never figure out how they emptied them.  No one wants a raw egg stinking up their house just because it looks pretty!  And I've finally found a couple projects that would lend themselves to using blown out eggs.  The process is surprisingly simple. 

Most eggs are blown out using one of two techniques: 1 hole vs. 2 holes.  I used the 2-hole method since I did not have a syringe & needle needed for the 1-hole method.  So in case anyone is curious, I thought I'd share how it was done.  (There are links in the post to direct you to more official explanations if you'd prefer).  (Pictures to come later tonight!)

Supplies: 
Needle, pin or tack (anything to puncture the egg)
Egg
Bowl
Water source




1. Wash your hands with warm, soapy water.  Remember that raw eggs can carry salmonella and no one wants to deal with that issue.  So be sure your hands are clean and you have a clean work surface.

Clean Eggs

2. With a clean egg and your puncturing tool (in my case a push-pin/tack) puncture one end of the egg.  I start with the more rounded end as the tack didn't slip as much.  Hold the egg in your hand while puncturing.  Placing the egg against a hard surface will crack the shell when pressure as applied to the egg.  If filling your egg with an item make sure the opening is large enough to fit the item through the hole (I made one egg large enough to fit seed beads through the hole).  The resulting hole should be large enough for the contents to filter through out. (e.g. least twice the size of the original hole)

Punctured egg

Larger hole - 2x original size

3.  Turn your egg over and repeat on the other end. Don't worry about the hole on the bottom - the egg will not leak out.

Second hole

4.  Insert your pin or needle into the hole to pierce the yolk.  By doing so, it allows the yolk to flow more easily through the hole. If your piercing tool is not long enough to reach the yolk, this can be done after all the egg white has been blown out of the shell and the yolk is sitting on the bottom of egg.

5.  Place your bowl in front of you.  Place your lips over one of the holes you have made (I prefer blowing into the smaller hole and letting the contents flow out of the larger hole) and steadily blow air into the egg, forcing the contents out of the shell.  Be patient as this may take a few tries before any egg pushes through the hole.  If you cannot get the contents to come out, make your hole larger and try again.  The egg white will exit the shell first, then the yolk.  Consistent air pressure ensures your egg will not crack and the shell will remain intact. 

Blowing out egg into bowl

6. Rinse your shell under cold running water, making sure water gets into the shell.  (Hot water will result in cooking the protein in the shell).  I use the sprayer to fill the shell with water.  Place your fingers over the 2 holes and shake well. 

Filling & rinsing w/ water

Shake well

7. Place your mouth over the hole and blow out the water.  Rinse 3 times.

8. Bake the uncovered, empty shell at 300F for 10 minutes to harden the shell for handling. (This will also dry the interior of the egg!)  Alternatives: place in microwave for 15-30 seconds or drain dry for 2-3 days. 

Now you're ready to start your project!

Tips:

• Keep a washcloth or paper towels nearby and regularly clean the egg of any raw contents.  (Sometimes it's necessary to resituate yourself and the egg.  I don't like slimy eggs!)
• Room temperature eggs are easier to use because the contents are less stiff and flow more freely from the shell.
• This seems like common sense, but use a dry towel, paper towel, or oven mitt to remove the hot egg from oven or microwave!
• Place in bowl when heating in microwave, or small dish when heating in oven to prevent the egg from rolling around.

• Don't waste the eggs!  Cook them up and enjoy!

Click on the links below for additional how-tos:
One-Hole Technique
One-Hole Technique 2
Two-Hole Technique

Learn something new every day, right? :)  I don't know why, but doing this last night made me extremely happy.  I felt so accomplished! :)

Slowing down

Recently my knitting has become a bit more relaxed and less "hurry to get it done."  The stuff I wanted to accomplish for Christmas was finished a couple weeks ago, I've finished the hat I was working on for the swap on Ravelry, I'm about halfway finished with the 2nd hat I'm working on in the January Paper Bag hat knit-a-long, etc.  So that's nice.  I've enjoyed working on all these things, but there are more important things I really need to buckle down on and focus on for a little while.  There are also other crafts I'd like to try my hand at, which is hard to do if I always feel like I need to be knitting something to get it completed.

Knitting is something I want to do because it's fun and relaxing, not because I feel like I have to do it.  And up to this point, I've done pretty well.  In the near future I may be choosing a few project to work on that will be long-term projects, which I will work on and dabble at here and there, but there will be no pressure to finish them. 

I've also compiled a bunch of supplies to start working on some polymer clay projects.  Again, just doing a little bit of this - if I let myself get engrossed in it, then I will neglect other, more important things.  Just little things to keep my appetite for hobbies satisfied.  The month of February will be a pretty sparse project month.  Hopefully in March I'll really be able to concentrate on sewing, knitting and claywork.  I have so many ideas in my head!!

As I said before, I'm half-way through my second Paper Bag hat.  I've chosen different stitch patterns than the pattern called for on this one - hoping to create a more boyish appeal.  We'll see how the two hats compare when I'm finished.  I hope I like it. 

Last night I practiced my hand at blowing out an egg.  I've always been intrigued by how this is done (obviously no one wants decorated raw eggs sitting in their homes!  Overall, the technique is pretty simple.  I blew out two eggs and have chosen the project for them.  Pictures to post after I'm finished.  :)

That's about it for now.  Life has been kinda busy recently and that means less time for stuff like this.  I got the project bag completed for the swap and I can't wait to use my sewing machine again. As I said - so many ideas!  I may have to prioritize my list of projects.  :)