little leg warmers

these adorable little leg warmers are great for Spring! wear them with skirts or over pants. any worsted weight yarn will work for this pattern~ i recommend using something that will wash well. the pair in the photo were knit with alternating stripes of alpine cotton and lion brand organic cotton (i was stash burning!)

material needed:

3.5 ounces/ 100 grams worsted weight yarn

size 7 double pointed needles~ set of 4

elastic thread (any color as it will not be seen)

2 pretty little buttons

tapestry needle

children's sizes 2 (4) (6) (8)

measure your child's leg from just below the knee to just below the ankle bone. this will be the length of your finished leg warmer.

cast on 30 (32) (34) (36) stitches and divide evenly between 3 needles. join and begin knitting in round in 1 x 1 rib pattern until you reach your child's leg measurement. knit the next 3 rows holding the elastic thread with your yarn, continuing the 1 x 1 rib pattern. continue without the elastic thread for another 1.5 inches.

bind off loosely, weave in ends and fold over the last 1.5 inches you knit and sew on buttons.

drawstring version:

work as directed above until you reach your child's leg measurement then bind off loosely. make a single crochet drawstring as long as you would like and thread through your leg warmer approx. 1.5 inches from the top. this is cute tied in the front or on the side!

wordless wednesday! a day on the salmon river!

my little BIG girl!

yesterday was busy-fun for us! not only was it Ain't Patrick's Day (as esme' calls it) which entitled us to enjoy green peeps, green cookies and hot cocoa with green whipped cream (i know, that is A LOT of green dye and sugar for one day!!) but we also registered esme' for kindergarten! i simply cannot believe my little esme' will be off to school next year. where has the time gone?

this is a picture i snapped at niko's spring program last week. we got there a little late and there were no available chairs so esme' sat on the floor behind the kindergarten class. every couple minutes she would scoot a little closer to the group and soon she was right in the middle of them (that is her in the pink shirt on the left) i stood and watched her and got a little teary eyed at how she just seemed to fit right in with these school aged kids. yep, she is ready and there is no stopping her. as for me, i don't know if i will ever really be ready...

just for fun here is a cute little photo of harper. he is standing all the time now, as long as there is something to hold on to.

harper, here is a message from mommy~

G-R-O-W S-L-O-W!!!

happy st. patty's day!

My Leprechaun Name is
Underpants O'Brannigan

cute!

Get your Leprechaun Name at Quizopolis.com

harper and his baby!

linky love!

i know i have mentioned my love for other bloggers before, but i thought i'd go a step further and share the links to some blogs that i have been reading and loving!

now that SPRING is right around the corner i have been spending countless hours day dreaming about my garden this year, and almost as much time hanging out at heavy petal. i didn't plant my garden last year because i was hugely pregnant when it was time for plants to go into the ground, and i knew there was no way i would find the time to get out there each and every day to water and maintain the garden with newborn baby and a toddler in the house. so i instead spent my summer months snuggling and kissing on my fresh new baby, and trying to hang out with the big kids as much as possible, and pretty much just adjusting and recovering. oh, but i never did stop missing fresh tomatoes from the garden...


i also stumbled upon hip mama's place recently. it is a super fun mom blog where you can read reviews, win great prizes and even list your own blog to increase traffic and gain more readers, if you so choose! and if you are a blog junkie like me be sure to check out the mom's blog directory page while you are there!

and i have had a lot of fun reading treehugger, a passionate blog about living green. it was treehugger where i first saw the human cheese video... hi-larious!!

wordless wednesday! happy SPRING is right around the corner!

the whole lot of us!

it isn't often that we get a photo of the whole family! this was taken on the salmon river during our weekend trip to visit grandma and grandpa. i will post more pictures of our trip once i unpack and recover from being in the car with 4 kids for 4 hours each way... it may be a few days!

inspired to party!!

it's party time over at 5 Minutes For Mom! i simply can't pass up a good party, so here i am!

this is my little corner of the web where i write about my life as a home birthing, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, baby wearing mommy to 4 great kids. i knit a lot, i sew a little and i love showing off my projects!

i have a little online shop called inspired mama creations where i sell organic baby and mama care products as well as hand painted and kettle dyed yarn. i just bought my first drop spindle so i can start spinning my own yarn too! whee!

so, how about a party game? i am always looking for inspiration for new yarn colorways, so please leave a comment with your wonderful idea~ something fun like Bert and Ernie or The Cat in the Hat, and it just might be the newest colorway at inspired mama creations!

there are many great prizes to be won at this blog party, but a few that i am especially excited about are:

~a kleen kanteen sippy cup from non toxic tots

~ a blog makeover from shauna at see my designs

~ "I make milk, what's your super power?" tee shirt from crunchy domestic goddess

and of course a $25 amazon.com gift certificate from welcome to my world of dreams would be great too!

thank you for visiting my little blog, and don't forget to leave a comment so i can come visit you!

wordless wednesday! harper LOVES avocados!

flash my stash...

this is an accountability post of sorts. i have spent the afternoon organizing my yarn stash and was surprised at how much there really is! as i mentioned in a previous post i am currently knitting only stash yarn and making no yarn or knitting related purchases. the truth is i really like my stash. i love digging through piles of wool looking for inspiration for a new project. but, even i can admit that this is excessive. so, here it is in all it's glory~

peace fleece~

undyed wool~ (the undyed peace fleece is in the previous pic!)

misc. yarn~ hmm, i see some malabrigo, noro, lorna's laces, cascade 220...

this tote is about half full.

and totes full of yarn and unfinished projects~ (which are going to be completed during the stash game i am participating in!)

i didn't include photos of my dishcloth cotton or the acrylic blends and novelty yarn, because it is just not as fun to look at!

okay, knitters everywhere, flash your stash! and please leave me a link so i can come see!

pirate booty!

not only are his little pants absolutely adorable, but look, he is standing! usually he stands when he is helped out but yesterday he pulled himself up... there is no stopping him now!

MARCH!! (finally!)

i am so happy that march is finally here! how is it that the shortest month of the year can seem soooo looonngg?! as prompted by stephanie at adventures in babywearing here is what i am really into this month!

The Thing I've Been Working On The Most: knitting! i am participating in a stash game with some knitting friends (and fellow yarn hoarders like myself) so my goal for this month is to not make any knitting related purchases and to knit though as much of my stashed yarn as possible. be prepared for plenty of knitting pics this month! my first project should be completed tonight...

TV Show I Used To Love But Now Hate And Refuse To Ever Watch Again: american idol. it just got really old for me a couple seasons ago. my kids still love it though!

TV Show I Sometimes Hate But Really Like This Year: dr. phil~ i am mildly embarrassed that i have been recording his show!

The CD I Can't Stop Listening To: ben harper's lifeline those who know me know my obsession! you can watch one of his videos (or two or three) here! fight outta you is awesome!

My Favorite Blog Entry This Month: big push for midwives~ part 2 this is a topic that remains so, so important to me.

Blog I Am Always Visiting: this varies for me, as i am a blog hopping fool! let's see, last month i couldn't get enough of crunchy domestic goddess, crunchy peas, and the birth book blog!

What I'm Most Looking Forward To Next Month: SPRING!!! i simply cannot wait! we are also looking forward to taking a tiny roadtrip to visit grandma and grandpa, and i have an appointment here next week!

i would love to read what you are really into this month~ leave a comment so i can come and check out your post!

wordless wednesday! me and my daddy~ 1974

goods 4 girls!!

you may have seen the tv commercials from tampax and always about young girls in areas of africa that are often unable to attend school during their time of the month due to inadequate feminine hygiene supplies. apparently these big companies have offered their products to these girls. but, what if we instead supplied these young girls with reusable cloth pads~ pads they can wash and use, over and over and over. i recently came across the goods 4 girls organization and their goal is to do just that! through donations they hope to provide reusable menstrual supplies to these girls who would otherwise be using newspaper, rags, camel skin or nothing at all. providing disposible supplies to these communities causes additional burdens to their enviroment and living conditions.

want to donate? it is easy! visit the donation page of the goods 4 girls site and you will be given links to several shops that sell cloth pads as well as a pattern page for those who would like to sew cloth pads to give. as soon as i can wrangle an afternoon to sit at my machine i am going to sew some pads to donate.

want more enlightnment on this subject? read more about it at blogher.

BITTY!!

in the spirit of The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog asking "what's so funny about breastfeeding?" i thought i would share this little bit of breastfeeding hilarity! enjoy!

brother and sister...

i will always remember these days, when they are little and still love hugs and kisses. when they fit nicely in my lap for story time, one on each knee. when their faces light up when they see each other in the morning. when they seem to have a special language that only they can understand.

when they are the most important people to each other.

i will never forget these days, and i will not let them forget either~

a list...

a list... why haven't i thought of this before?? here is what i have been up too...

i cut my hair, again!

and after!

before...

i took a care package to my friend monique who slipped and broke her ankle earlier in the week. please stop by and wish her well!

i picked out fabric for my reversible emmeline apron. now, i just need to find time to cut and sew...

we decided to set up the crib in our bedroom so harper can sidecar next to our bed. he still co sleeps with us but i want to be able to lay him down for the 2 or 3 hours after he falls asleep until i am ready for bed. after a traumatizing first night (traumatizing for both harper and mama!) we went to the book store and bought a copy of "the no- cry sleep solution" i have been reading it every spare second and so far i love it! i will definitely keep you all posted on how it works for us. harper agrees that it was a very wise purchase!

esme' was having a shy day and did not want her photo taken at the book store coffee shop.

come on, can't a little girl enjoy her hot cocoa in peace without the paparazzi in her face??!!

and, mom victoriously sneaks one quick photo in before she can hide her face in her jacket!

one last thing, i will be stocking a few goodies at Majestic tomorrow!

a meme for me and my sweetie!

my blogging friend kim at prairie mama tagged me with this valentine meme and, slacker that i am, i am just now getting around to posting it!! so here it is, everything you ever wanted to know about tony and i!

How long have you been together? 10 years!
How long did you date? we dated for 1 year and were engaged for 1 year.
How old is he? 31
Who eats more? uh, he does!!
Who said “I love you” first? he did, after our first disagreement!
Who is taller? tony~ he is 5'8" and i am 5' 3" we are shorties :)
Who is smarter? definitely ME!
Who does the laundry? i do laundry for myself and the kids and he does his own laundry... he even irons!!
Who does the dishes? mainly me, or the big kids.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me
Who pays the bills? tony does and i have to say i am just now kinda getting used to it. it is hard for an independant mama to let someone take care of such things!
Who mows the lawn? tony, i have major fears of the lawn mower!!
Who cooks dinner? we both cook~ lately i have cooking more.
Who is more stubborn? me again *sigh*
Who kissed who first? um, i think i kissed him!
Who asked who out? i really don't know!
Who proposed? tony did~ we were camping!
Who has more friends? me, but my friends love tony too!
Who has more siblings? me, i have 2 brothers and tony has one brother who passed away the year we were married.

culinary spunk!

how cute is this?!! i just got the pattern today. let the fabric hunting begin!

emmeline apron

JULIET, and other pretties!

this is juliet, knit in cotton ease. this was a super quick, fun knit. i may even knit another one in a different color, and a size smaller~ this one is a little bigger than i would like. i was shopping at target earlier this afternoon and saw some little cropped cardis very similar to this one... but not nearly as cute!

and, here are some long over due swap photos of a Magic Yarn Ball i put together for my friend heidi~ it was a valentine themed swap. i painted some superwash sock yarn in a fun spring colorway and some spinning fiber in very valentine-y colors. i included a sock pattern, some organic hot cocoa and raspberry syrup, and organic chocolate bar, some lip balm,

and some handmade stitch markers. the bottom set went into heidi's yarn ball and the cocktail set was made for another friend.

here is the yarn and goodies i received in the swap. this is peace fleece in the georgia rose colorway and will be knit into a new spring hand bag for me! and that chocolate bar is endangered species dark chocolate (fair trade!!) and is the best chocolate ever!! i have bought 2 or 3 more since i finished this one off...

babywearing bliss!

our first onbuhimo~ we are in love!

images of love...

roses from my sweetie

sweet sentiments from friends

teeny tiny shrinky dink messages

handmade valentines for mom!

wordless wednesday! say cheese!

big push for midwives~ part 2

i thought i would post an update to the big push for midwives campaign here in idaho.

on wednesday the House Health &Welfare committee held a closed "print hearing" where they agreed to print our bill. now it will go to the printer, be assigned a house number and be available for everyone in the world to see on the legislative website - http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/. next we will be given a hearing date with the House H&W committee where we provide testimony. when it passes out of the committee it will be heard and debated on the floor of the House of Representatives. once it passes the House we go through the same process on the Senate side.

we are on our way!!

amy at crunchy domestic goddesss wrote a wonderfully informative post last week in an effort to share this message and get the word out to as many people as possible. i encourage you to stop by and check out some of the great links she has provided!

i spent the weekend preparing a letter of support to send along to the House Health and Welfare committee. as i have mentioned in previous posts supporting midwifery and making sure it is always an option for myself and other women is very important to me. i want a midwife's care to be an option for my children, and my children's children, and long, long after that.

visit the big push for midwives to learn more about the big push and see what you can do to help! share your midwife assisted birth stories with anyone who will listen and encourage them to support midwives as an important option for moms and babies! harper's birth story can be read here and esme's birth story was printed in the summer '05 issue of compleat mother magazine. someday soon i will post it here as well.

here are a few photos from harper's amazing waterbirth at home~

your sister in birth, erika~ the inspired mama

"if you don't know your options you do not have any"~ diana korte

i am coming back to edit this post because i got to thinking that a lot of moms and families can probably benefit from hearing about my 2 hospital births too. i was very fortunate and had fairly natural, intervention free hospital births. i was not nearly as educated about my options back then nor did i have the wonderful support i was blessed with for my last two births. i will work on getting those birth stories written up, to the best of my memory!

a happy little painting!

Click here to create your own painting.

wordless wednesday! if i could only freeze time...

Yes We Can

super tuesday~ i am caucusing for obama. i, too, want change...

so busy!!

no new blog posts, i have been busy creating new goodies for the shop, for a swap, for the kiddos and for myself...

i hope to have photos of all my crafty adventures up this week... so stop back by very soon!

hi, i am erika....

and i am a baby carrier addict!! we live in a tea cup and my obsession with wraps and mei tais (along with my books, yarn, fabric... i know, i have a problem...) are taking over! i recently wore harper in a ring sling at a friend's house and we loved it. so i have of course decided that i must add one to my stash! i entered my name in a ring sling giveaway at de reviews, so fingers crossed!! i have my eye on this sling...