snapdragon crafts

bambino sweaters

Realistically, sweaters aren't a huge baby wardrobe necessity in Mississippi. But we do hit the freezing point off and on for about three months of the year, and babies can't regulate their body heat as well and need more layers ... not to mention that it would just be a crime for me not to knit at least one. I'm already half-done with the first sweater on my list. Sock yarn sweaters seems to be a good choice for our climate, considering that they make thin sweaters that are perfect for layering and won't be stifling hot. I'm limiting myself to no more than three sweaters in big sizes, since I have no idea how big lil' bambino will actually be by the time our chilly season rolls around.

Red Heart, Heart and Sole Baby Pleasure Pullover :: In progress, using the Tequila Sunrise colorway. (I have to admit that I am not so much a fan of this colorway now that I've knitted it, but I've finished too much of the sweater to quit now. What looked gender neutral on the skein looks pretty boyish to me now... I have enough yarn to make a second sweater in the Green Envy colorway, which looks much cuter.)
Seedling (Rav link) by Jil Eaton, in the book Minnies: Quick Knits for Babies and Toddlers. To be cast on using a sunny yellow Lion Brand Homespun.
Some variation of a baby kimono ... but which pattern? Lately I've been admiring Carina Spencer's version and Jacki Kelly's version. Carina's is written for worsted weight, while Jacki's is for DK so maybe I'll let the yarn make my decision. I've got some DK/sport weight green Baby Bee yarn that would be cute worked up in this sweater style ... or a green/yellow/white variegated colorway. Can't decide.
If the baby's a girl ... Helena will be knitted FOR SURE. Soooo adorable. And the 5-Hour Baby Sweater too ... oh yeah.

project plannin'

My knitting mojo has been floundering lately. After some last-minute, intense knitting for Christmas presents, I completely burned myself out. Thankfully, I have a great group of ladies to knit with each week that's kept me going--but for the past month or so, knitting's definitely been on the backburner.

Despite my slump, my mind is filled with projects I want to make. The fingers just haven't been as willing as my mind to keep up! Lolly's recent announcement of the theme for Project Spectrum 4 on Ravelry has inspired me to do some prioritization and organization around here ... priority numero uno right now is baby knitting. My southern summer baby will be arriving in July, so no winter garments necessary, but I can't turn off the urge to knit. Baby blankets, toys, a handful of sweaters that will get rarely used ... you know, the basics. Ironically, the colors for the first two months of the "Cardinal Directions" theme for PS4 are perfect for my baby knitting--yellow and green. Which I've already been stocking up in, en masse. :-D

So my goal in the next couple of posts is to zero in on exactly what I want to make for the lil' bambino ... in an attempt to quit distracting myself with all the millions of amazing patterns out there! And prioritize a few projects for myself, of course. :-D

If you haven't participated in Project Spectrum before, I highly encourage you to do so. Last year my participation was sporadic, but the Ravelry group is amazingly encouraging and fun to be part of (even if it's only to lurk and admire everyone's amazing work!).

toys

First up in the project planning/wish list---toys! I haven't attempted any since my felted flamingo (details on Ravelry), but I've been meaning to for a long time. These cuties are top priority in my queue!

Raynor Gellatly's Jelly Bums Lion
(details on Ravelry)

Tums the Hippo by Anna Hrachovec
(details on Ravelry)

Elijah by Ysolda Teague
(details on Ravelry)

Otto by Ysolda Teague

(details on Ravelry)

first bloom

First daffodil ... in February?!?! I freaked out when I saw them sprouting at Christmas. Yes, you read that right--Christmas. I am all about this southern year-round gardening thing, but seriously, this is sick. Let me extend a little bit of sunshine to the other parts of our nation that are experiencing much more decidedly winter-like conditions!

organized chaos

When I realized I had to search through more than six "works in progress" project bags to find all my knitting needles, I knew I had a problem. Did I have a pair of size 5 circulars? No idea. The search for a perfect needle case began ...

My answer? The Namaste needle binder. I had seen it online and fell in immediate lust, but thought it was too much of a splurge at first. Instead, I focused more on the roll-up cloth needle cases. When I realized my LYS carried Offhand Designs, which I had been admiring online, I dropped in to see the product in person. Instead I walked out of the store with a shiny new turquoise Namaste needle binder and extra inserts in hand. Oops!

After seeing the Namaste needle binder in person, and comparing to cloth-based needle cases, I realized it wasn't as much of a splurge as I initially thought. Many of the cloth-based needle cases my LYS carried were similar in price. And the Namaste needle binder has one significant advantage the cloth-based needle rolls were lacking--expandability. Even as a relatively new knitter, I could immediately fill the cloth-based needle cases with my current needle collection. The Namaste binder? Plenty of ability to grow with my needle collection. After that realization, I was sold. And no regrets here!

The binder comes with four inserts. Two sleeves for straights, one with skinny pockets (below), the other with wide (above). I easily fit a set of size 7 and 8 dpn's in the wide pockets. One zippered mesh sleeve divided into two pockets, and one zippered notions bag. I used the zippered mesh sleeve for my circulars, which has worked great so far.

The Namaste needle binder also has internal zippered mesh pockets on both sides of the binder. I'm using one side for my dpn collection (below) and the other side for various notions.

Final verdict? I am sooo in love with this needle organization solution. Now that I know what I have, I know what I need to purchase! :-D

I'm baaaack

New year, new crafting! Not only am I back, but my trusty 'ol sewing machine is too ... thanks to a "Beginning Sewing" class I started this morning at the Golden Triangle Fabric Center. The class is great--our instructor, Everlyn, is a sweetheart, and this is just the boost I need for my sewing confidence. After reviewing the basics and practicing sewing some straight lines, we actually completed our first project on the first day of class (a pillowcase!). Next week? A tote bag! I'm lovin' it! So look for weekly updates on my progress. I've got extra motivation to beef up my skills now that there's a little bun in the oven that's going to need some hand-crafted love. :-D

happy halloween

dahlia daze

Wow. I can't believe how well my experiment of planting dahlias on my patio turned out. I foresee many more in my gardening future!

Summer Roundup: WIP

Hey, Teach! Such a fun, fast knit! I highly recommend this pattern. I opted to use the pattern's recommended yarn, and I loooved it. It feels so good to knit with recycled yarn! I'm in the process of seaming and picking up stitches to knit the button band.