2007 – Let’s Review

So, 2007 was a pretty good year on the crafting front. There are 84 photos in my Finished – 2007 set on flickr. Even I’m a little impressed by that. I’m particularly happy with how many new things I learned in 2007. Let’s review, shall we?

First, in knitting, thanks to Larissa I learned to knit socks. All in all I finished six pairs of socks plus two pairs of baby booties this year. Ten sweaters came off the needles and while all but one were child sized I’m still very happy about that. I made my first Elizabeth Zimmerman sweater and my first colorworked yoke sweater both for urchin number two. Katrina didn’t get quite as many sweaters but she was definitely the main beneficiary of my newfound sewing skills…

I think 2007 might just be remembered as the year I learned to sew. Wow, I’m so happy I finally conquered my fear. There have been a lot of pajamas and quite a few dresses. I even made my sister a bag. I also made my first quilt in 2007 and my second, third, fourth, and fifth as well. They were all doll quilts but I have full-sized quilt love for them all.

There was plenty of food in 2007 although not too much of it made it onto the blog. I’m glad that some jam made into some of your homes though. Lots of paper stuff happened as well including garlands, folders, and altered bottles. And let’s not forget the altered tin for Father’s Day — one of my favorite projects from the whole year.

We played games, we gave gifts, we swapped, we had two great birthday parties, and took about a million photos. So 2008 has some big shoes to fill. What do I have planned? Knitting wise I’d like to make more socks using a variety of techniques. I’d like to conquer a lace project and I am going to knit a sweater for Papa. At the sewing machine I want to continue to improve my garment-making skills and conquer my fear of knits. I also want to make a bed-sized quilt top — I’ll probably send it out to be quilted. I want to tell you more about some of the great food we’re eating and I really want to try to compost less of our CSA share each week. Thank you guys for being such a great inspiration to me, and not just when it comes to being crafty. Your talent in knitting, sewing, mommy-ing — making in all regards — inspires me everyday. And that you take the time to tell me you enjoy what I make is really wonderful to me. Ready or not 2008, here we come.

Bad Blogger

Do you guys remember back in February when it was my bloggy birthday? You may not have realized but I held off announcing a winner, trying to avoid the ridiculous delay of my previous blog giveaway. I did pick a winner — two in fact — and I picked them twice. Back in early March I thought I’d just remember them for the few days it took to get the gifts together but a few weeks later I couldn’t recall who it was I picked and since I was going to finish up the gifts that weekend I picked again. This time I wrote the names down. Now if I could just find that paper. This time it’s for real. The gifts are just about ready, I’m taking a photo and announcing the winners….. The random integer generator has selected Sarah and Shin. I’ll be emailing you guys to get your addresses but let’s get on to what they’ve won:

More altered frappuccino bottles. These are filled with mostly vintage crafty goodies. We’ve got buttons, trim, bits, and twine. The twine is from the new Martha Stewart: Crafts collection at Michael’s, everything else is vintage. It seems to me that no matter your craft — collage, knitting, sewing — you should be able to use this stuff. I hope Sarah and Shin find these to be fun and useful and I apologize for the beyond ridiculous delay.

In an effort to redeem my good blogger name I have a few more things to give away this week. Nothing too exciting — stuff like duplicate craft/cooking magazines, yarn I won’t use, and homemade jam. So check back later and I promise to send everything by Saturday. I don’t think my reputation could take another delay.

Five Things

As if telling you six weird things about me wasn’t enough now you are being subjected to five things about me I haven’t told you before. I’ve been tagged by Kelly for this one and I figure I’ll change it up a bit and tell you five craft-related things. So, here goes:

1. Aside from macramé, latch hook, and potholder looms my first creative pursuits were drawing and cross-stitch. I was even in the honors art class when I was in eighth grade.
2. I was super into cross-stitch when Stefan and I first married until he mentioned that he wasn’t super into having the house decorated entirely in stitched linen.
3. I like scrapbooking and stamping — both from major direct selling companies. The scrapbooks are of the kids and vacations and the stamps I use to make cards.
4. In our garden we have plants that are the descendants of plants on my grandfather’s childhood farm — and almost every house in between. This makes me very happy
5. My go-to meal is chile con carne. We eat this all the time — even in the summer — and it’s requested often by Katrina. Such a super easy meal but oh so yummy.

Welcome and A Year in Review

I’ve been seeing a bit of a traffic surge here at Mama Urchin in the last few days due, in large part, to my recent whiplash win over at Whip Up. Thanks so much Kath for choosing my little pea as one of the winners. And thanks also go to Blair for such a fun idea that I only adapted. Wow, this is starting to sound like the academy awards, and I’d like to thank Jill at my LYS for helping me select the yarn…. Seriously though, thank you.

And, I figured since there might be some new folks hanging around I would share a mosaic of some of the notable creations of 2006. I’ve been meaning to do one of these anyway and, with all the new traffic, now seemed like the perfect time. The links will take you to the flickr photos — for more information about each project you’ll just have to poke around.

1. Hat and Scarf, 2. Bomber Baby Hat, 3. Stitchette, 4. Tulle Bag, 5. Little Pea, 6. Pom-Pom Sweater, 7. Hat Stack, 8. Aran Pullover, 9. Dinner Last Night, 10. Autumn Dinner, 11. Pillow, 12. Felted Bag, 13. Bolero, 14. Card Box, 15. Scrapbook in a Tin, 16. Mini Scrapbook, 17. Father’s Day Book, 18. Finished Scarf, 19. dream, 20. Baby Bonnet, 21. Mini Flower, 22. Bunny Slippers, 23. Felt Beads, 24. Final Product – Hand-dyed Yarn, 25. Felted Flower

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

Handmade Christmas Recap

I apologize in advance if this post seems a little braggy but I want to recap all the gifts I made by hand this year if for no other reason than to remind myself next November that it’s worth it. I amazingly got just about everything done that I had planned. Here’s the lowdown:

• My Mom — a hat and an elfin stitchette
• My Dad — a hat and scarf set (pictured above)
• My Sister — an evening bag
• My Brother — a hat
• My Sister-in-Law — a hat
• Papa’s Sister — a card box with cards (sorry no photo but it is similar to this)
• Katrina — a sweater
• Tristan — a pea

Now I just need to update my Completed Projects – 2006 and I’ll be ready to start fresh for 2007.

Stressed

I have to admit things have gotten a little stressful in the urchin abode. It seems like Halloween was over and WHAM, BAM, we are now freakishly busy. I’m sure it’s this way for everyone but we have the added stress of my brother’s upcoming wedding and Tristan‘s first birthday. Don’t get me wrong, these are both wonderful joyous events it’s just they come with a lot of activities and to-dos at an already busy time of year.

Anyway, enough of the complaining and onto something crafty. I present, the birthday invitations for our little cowpoke as well as progress on the birthday sweater. The back is complete and the front is in progress — six more cable pattern repeats until it’s done. The sleeves are just seed stitched so they should go pretty fast. I think if I get the front done this week I should be fine and maybe even have time to block it before the birthday candles get blown out. Then it will be time to jump headlong into Christmas projects and my list just seems to be getting longer and longer.

Focusing on the Positive

I never said thank you to you guys for your nice comments and emails about the post where I mentioned my postpartum depression. I find that most of us want to only blog about the good things in our lives or when we do blog about bad stuff it’s the stuff that we perceive as out of our control. A friend emailed me that she thinks that maybe we only blog the good stuff because that’s how we want our lives to be, and by blogging that way we are possibly bringing ourselves closer to that in reality. Positive thinking is a powerful thing.

So anyway, thanks for the nice notes. I most definitely don’t have it all together — as some of you crazy people thought — but I do get it together sometimes and that tends to be what I show on this blog. Also, about postpartum depression — mine is very mild and has improved greatly now that Tristan is once again sleeping through the night — it can be a serious problem and anyone who says it isn’t doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Tom Cruise better hope that Katie Holmes doesn’t develop it or he’ll be eating his uninformed words.

Now, continuing on the focusing on the positive theme, here are some positive things. First, a decent amount of progress on a sweater for a friend’s baby. It was intended as a new baby gift but after numerous attempts the yarn I was using and the pattern just would not play well together. So, yarn switch and no pattern later this is what I have –

Yes, you read that right — NO PATTERN. Am I insane or what? Making that felted bag in the round was fun so I thought, I’ll just make up a pattern in the round. Well, now I haven’t worked on it in two weeks because I am so sick of stockinette stitch. Arghhh!! But right, we’re focusing on the positive here and I think I have a plan. Just a few more rounds and then I’ll start some shaping for the top. I’m thinking this will be more of a smock — to be worn over a shirt in cooler weather — so that means no sleeves. Now that’s positive.

Next, I knitted up what can only be called the skimpiest of all gauge swatches for a sweater I intend to make for Tristan’s birthday. I think I knit about three more rows from what you see below before I called it quits.

Right, I know, not really a gauge swatch at all. But, I did get gauge in that miniscule sample so I intend to cast on and start soon — his birthday is approaching rapidly. It will be my first ever cable experience. Wish me luck.

And the last thing is these invitations I made for a bridal shower for my soon-to-be sister-in-law. My sister and I are hosting it for her in November so she can meet some of our extended family. I think it’ll be fun, and a wedding, now that’s something positive indeed.

Gifts From a Sparrow

So sorry about the crummy photos in that last post. We had everything setup in our empty dining room for taking photos (studio paper, lights, etc.) but last week we got dining room furniture. Hooray!! So anyway, we had to clear everything out of there before the furniture arrived so the result was very marginal photos. We purchased a small roll of paper for my crafty-type photos and we’ll just get the big paper out for people-type photos. So, better photos will be forthcoming but I decided for this post to take the photo on the new buffet in the dining room since I do love it so much.

I was very lucky a few weeks ago when Toni chose my name from many as part of her blogiversary celebration. If you haven’t been over to simple sparrow please visit there soon. Toni is really the sweetest thing — she reminds me of my mom so much, although younger of course — and she writes honestly about her crafts and also her lovely family. She’s traveling right now so it would be a good time to get your eyes over there and read up so you can be ready to hear the tales when she returns.

Hooray for Swaps!

If you didn’t notice, I’ve been away. I started a post before we left but it fell by the wayside in the pre-vacation mania. So now, I’m really behind in posting some of the awesome things that have arrived in my mailbox recently, so on to the photos…

First thing is the postcards I received as part of the Open Yours Too trade 07. We each made three postcards, sent one to one person and then “lost” the other two which were fully addressed and stamped to another two people. One of my “lost” postcards got through to it’s intended — hopefully the other two will soon. Here are the great cards I received (all three!). How hysterical that all three include embroidered fabric. I love them all — it’s an amazing swapping world.

From Kristy

From Carolyne

From Ali

Next, I got my package from my One Skein secret pal — very cool manos del uruguay yarn in the caribe colorway plus a note and some great stitch markers (I only have ugly utilitarian ones). The color is fabulous and the yarn is totally feltable – yahoo! So now, what should I make with it? A little felted bowl or box maybe. Perhaps a clutch? Decisions, decisions. Whatever I make I know it will be fun. Thanks so much secret pal whomever you are.

Mail, mail, mail

I need to hire a new photographer. My current one is behind on all of his assignments. No, really, you all should know that the good photos posted to this blog are generally taken by Papa Urchin — the bad ones are usually mine — or at the very least, he sets up the lights and tripod and I just press the button. Last week I set up the lights myself — as he was out of town — and was totally overexposing the photo (too much light). It turns out I had it set up so wrong that I was asked, So, did you think the light needed a parasol? Okay, fine but that umbrella thing is tricky.

Anyway, the lack of decent photos has been holding up my posting and thankfully, the logjam has been broken. So, here are some mail-y things that I received from Dawbis, my partner in Open Yours Too trade 05. She is such a cute, fun woman and she sent me the greatest stuff. The trade this time — the “rules” change every third trade — was a supply swap where you sent supplies for your partner’s chosen hobby. I chose knitting as my poison and as you can see I really cleaned up. Plus, the ribbons and buttons, while excellent for all things knit, will be wonderful for other crafty projects as well. The package also included a piece of Dawbis‘ art which I know is created truly from her heart. Katrina seems to think that it was sent especially for her so it may end up in her room but for now is sitting in the family room where we can all enjoy it. A big thank you Dawbis and a cyber-hug from me.

Continuing with the mail, this is what we finally sent to Jude and Arki as part of the kids cd swap (organized by Tracy). Tracie — Jude and Arki’s mom — said we were well matched since they were also late sending their box to us. Thank goodness for that! You can read more about the music, etc. over at urchins when they receive the package but I thought I’d at least show you the cards for Tracie. We also included jam made from sour cherries that pretty much tastes like cherry pie, minus the crust. We made it last summer after picking the cherries at a local orchard. I’m pleased with the cards even though they turned out differently than I planned — doesn’t that always happen? Hopefully Tracie will find an occasion to use them.

Anyway, that is definitely enough rambling for now. Catch you all later.