movie night :: under the stars

this weekend we attended the first family movie night at the park. it is a favorite activity of ours, and the movie shown is also a favorite-the princess bride. i loved the part of the evening when the crowd burst into excited cheer after inigo montoya defeated the six fingered man.

here are a few more movie under the stars favorites.

picnic dinner that took most of the day to prepare...

followed by iced animal cookies that were grabbed off the store shelf on the way to the park.

a good and long nap in the middle of the festivities.

a little orange kitty on a sweet pink cheek.

and a baby boy who woke from his nap bright eyed and happy with his surroundings. trees do make the very best mobiles, after all.

ah, summer is finally here, friends. i hope you are all enjoying the sunshine and long days.
xo, erika

weekending

thrifted treasures ::

i found this super fabulous vintage fabric tucked away behind some dusty, discolored stretch polyester. i paid $7. there are 5 1/2 yards of it. plenty to sew kitchen curtains, and cloth napkins, maybe even a table runner or place mats. seriously, the colors. the flowers. i am considering painting the kitchen and redecorating the whole room around this cheery print. what do you think?

this little knitting basket just had to come home with me. i certainly have plenty of works in progress to fill it. i also found a small cream pitcher for my morning coffee and miss esme fell in love with a handmade cloth doll with jointed legs and jointed arms. the arms, however, have not been sewn on yet and were just laying in the basket beside the doll. no problem for my girl, her mama sews!

i do believe this is the very best new baby gift ever. my mother and father in law visited a couple weeks ago and brought me an umbrella clothesline. my father in law also dug the hole and cemented the center pole in place for us. this was greatly appreciated because with the complete absence of spare time in our lives right now the clothesline would have sat in the garage all summer, untouched. perhaps i will sew a pretty little clothespin bag with my new thrifted fabric.

and of course we have spent a whole lot of time cuddling that sweet baby boy. he stays awake and socializes now. he grins at us and tries to tell us stories. there is always someone around to hold him. he is not lacking in hugs and kisses. he is told how much he is loved no less that a thousand times a day. i suppose it isn't all that bad to be the smallest member of a big family.

happy weekending, friends!

wip wednesday :: a rainbow for luca

already planning winter woolies...

june one :: here we are

spending our days snuggling,

and babywearing,

and helping.
yes, our whole world pretty much revolves around the littlest family member. we are totally okay with that.

welcome june - you snuck right up on me but i am happy you are here.

altered knits :: wool romper

i cast on this wool romper for baby several months ago while there was still snow on the ground. the yarn is cascade eco wool-it was originally gray and purchased for another project. one afternoon, on a whim, i decided to over dye the gray wool and whip up something wonderful for the little one growing in my womb. and this was the wonderful result. i think the first photo most accurately captures the colors i ended up with.

as for the pattern, it was completely improvised starting with a free sweater pattern. now there are two little romper patterns available for purchase from sweet mama-small sugar. her patterns were not yet published when i knit this romper, but if they had been i likely would have gone that route and saved myself quite a bit of figuring and guessing.

for those of you that would like to knit your own improvised romper i am sharing with you how i made this one. enjoy!

i started with the mossy jacket sweater pattern. since my baby was expected in the spring and i wanted him to wear it the following winter i cast on the 12 month size. i simply knit the pattern as written but did not cast off at the bottom of the sweater, but rather continued to knit the "pant" part of the romper. once i completed the button band i added stitch markers to each hip- i added the first hip marker where it looked like it ought to go, then knit half the stitches on my needles and added the second hip marker. i did not add short rows to the bum area, but you easily could for extra room, especially if the romper will be worn by a cloth diapered baby.

measure your baby from armpit to right below the hip. knit in stockinette until you have reached this measurement, then you can begin your crotch gusset. you are going to add two more stitch markers by dividing the stitches between your hip markers by 2 and adding the markers accordingly. so if there are 50 stitches between your hip markers you will knit to the first marker, knit 25, place new marker, knit 50, place second new marker, then knit 25, back to the first stitch marker. it helps if the new markers used for the front and back look different than the two hip markers.

gusset ::
you can use any preferred technique for your gusset. i made mine like this.
row 1 : knit to 1 stitch before front marker and m1r, slip marker, k1, and m1l. pass the hip marker and repeat increases when you get to the back stitch marker.
row 2 : knit all stitches.

repeat these two rows until you have your desired amount of gusset stitches. i ended up with 10 gusset stitches.

now you will knit the legs of your romper. knit one more row, placing the front and back gusset stitches on scrap yarn to deal with later. you can now choose to magic loop both legs at once or knit them singularly on dpn's. knit the legs to desired inseam, add a decorative cuff, and cast off. you will now need to go back and add the sleeves and button and neck bands as directed in the sweater pattern, then kitchener stitch the crotch gusset. lastly, choose the perfect buttons and sew them on.

and there you have it, a super sweet wool romper, perfect for winter bundling! i will be sure to post photos of our own little bundled baby when he grows and the snow falls. this would also be adorable with short sleeves and short legs in a lighter weight yarn for spring wear!

happy knitting, friends!

Pin It

may giveaway day!

welcome to may giveaway day!
today i have for you this adorable monster plush, the kindest breed of course, who desperately needs someone to cuddle and love.

he has been lovingly sewn with a green corduroy body, a fun linework robot print for his arms, legs and horns and wool felt for his sweet little face. his button eyes have been securely stitched on and he is sporting a hand embroidered toothy grin.

if you would like to give this happy fellow a home please leave me a comment telling me so. i will choose a lucky winner on the evening of thursday, may 20th. please make sure i have a way to contact you if you are the giveaway winner. i am only able to ship within the US this time- thank you for understanding.

and before you go be sure visit sew, mama, sew for more fun and fabulous giveaways!
thanks for stopping by!

the winner is shelly who said "How totally adorable! My son would LOVE this!!"
i will be contacting you soon so we can get this little monster on it's way to your son as soon as possible , shelly! thanks to all who visited and entered my giveaway!

random postpartum musings

luca is one week old today.

i can hardly believe it. his umbilical stump fell off wednesday evening and while i was thrilled to not have to worry about bumping it or making sure his cloth diaper didn't cover it i was a little sad and overwhelmed at how quickly time passes once baby is on the outside. truthfully i am so happy he is finally here, in my arms, at my breast, and not inside my ribcage. he really is absolutely amazing!

i have a knitting project involving cables in progress that i tried to pick back up yesterday. i have no recollection of where i was in the pattern... and what does "c8f" and "c8b" mean again? hmm, knitting might have to wait another week, or two.

i did finish a sweet little knit romper for the baby quite a while back. it has been sitting in my knitting bag, waiting for perfect buttons. i am considering taking my newborn and toddler boys to the fabric store to buy some. button stitching sounds simple enough and then i would have something fun to share with you here instead of all this new baby/postpartum mama stuff.

before i go i want to thank you for all of your wonderful comments on the arrival of our little luca! i enjoyed reading each sentiment and am so happy to share our family's excitement with you.
thank you, friends!

and lastly, a quick message for my little luca bird ::

grow.
slow.

that's all.

he has a name!

and just like that...

...our family grew by two {tiny} feet, our hearts grew two sizes {at least} and our love, collectively, could power the earth {and more}. thank you, wee one, for the great gift of YOU.

our sweet baby boy was born at home friday evening, may 7th. he is a lovely little package weighing 8 pounds and 5 ounces. i will share more of him and his entrance into the world with you very soon, perhaps after we decide on a perfect name for this perfect being.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~ Elizabeth Stone

happy mother's day, dear friends!
erika

last minute made

i am still plugging away on little projects here and there while i wait for baby. most recently i made a new baby carrier sewn with a fantastic pattern from seedpod craft studio.

here is the bright red sleeping hood that tucks into a little zippered pocket when not in use.

and the bright red cotton lining. i do wish i had better photos to share- once i have a flat(ter) tummy and a new little one to tuck inside i will post some carrier-in-action pictures, for sure!

until then, i will be carrying on and patiently waiting to meet this tiny person.
yours in anticipation,
erika

belly blessings

39 week belly.

henna by my sweet friend liz.
photos courtesy of harper and esme.

and one photo from mama... the current view from up here.

wee sewing :: itty bitty layette

these little tee shirts had been cut out and ready to sew for months- i finally buckled down and stitched them all a few afternoons ago. and just look at how sweet!!

it occurred to me when i got outside with my camera that i had intended to iron them before taking pictures. and notice how i am not fickle at all about which direction the fronts cross over. i made duplicates of most of the prints to add to my baby gift stash.

and here are the cute little hats to match. again, i made a few extra to pass along to our expecting friends!
the tees and hats are all sewn from the new conceptions baby essentials pattern. i love this pattern somuch- if you have a little one to sew for go check it out!

now... moving on to receiving blankets and changing pad covers...
three weeks to go, three weeks to sew!

blessingway for baby!

a couple weeks ago some of my girlfriends helped me celebrate this new baby-on-the-way with dinner and a blessing shower. a wonderfully fun celebration where i had my camera with me but forgot to take it out of my bag! that's right- not one single photo the entire evening.


but here are a few of the lovely gifts from my lovely friends! we are feeling very blessed indeed and more ready than ever to meet this little one. 3 weeks or so to go!
there are a few more photos and descriptions of each gift over here- check it out!

egg funt!

we woke up early, anxious to see what the weather would bring. rain, snow, wind, sun- we have had a bit of it all this week. i reminded harper of our plans for the day.

"egg funt! esme' wake up! we are going to the egg funt!"

esme' emerged from her deep sleep and joined us for breakfast. then the kids were quickly dressed, baskets were retrieved from the closet and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, enough to share, were made and packed up.

before long we were at the easter egg hunt with a couple dozen little friends. kids filled the house, excitement filled the air and before long colorful plastic eggs filled the baskets.

lunch was eaten, large amounts of chocolate was consumed, games were played and then it was time to say good bye and head home...

... home for a much needed snuggle and nap.

happy easter, friends!

earth hour 2010 :: glow

candles, flashlights, story books, shadow puppets and giggles!
earth hour 2010 was a very good time. daddy had to work so it was just myself and the littles. esme loves the dark, harper had to be convinced.

and, just like last year, we decided an in the dark earth hour interview was in order. apparently sitting in a dark with a flashlight for an hour makes esme a wee bit silly. normally she does not speak in a creepy redrum-shining voice... perhaps she was trying to set the mood. who knows!

makes my day happy

yesterday morning while getting esme' ready for school i discovered this little note on top of her neatly folded clothes that she had picked out the evening before. her "sk8r" outfit was a pair of dark denim skinny jeans and a pink pullover sweatshirt with brown hearts. i am not a morning person. this was an undeniably happy way to begin the day. yes, esme' is awesome indeed!

hello spring!

ahhh, could it be... SPRING!! spring is here and i couldn't be more ready for it! we are busily and happily spring cleaning (with a bit of nesting thrown in, perhaps) and garden planning. the windows are open, the sun is shining, we are playing outside and coming in with dirt under our finger nails and smiles on our faces. we have been bringing out seasonal decorations and assembling our spring nature table. this afternoon we set out our felted bird's nest and eggs. i have been browsing etsy looking for little wood trees and woodland creatures to add to our display.

here are a few seasonal projects that we have planned. this week we are going to ::

make a brown bag bird's nest to add to our nature table display

create a nesting station for our feathered friends. we do this every year and i am always hoping to spot a colorful nest in our trees with bits of yarn and woolly fluff sticking out.

start a wormery! nothin' like the close up investigation of our earthworm garden friends to celebrate the season!

happy spring, friends!

sheep - wool - farm

during our recent weekend get away we drove by this sweet little sheep farm. it is beautiful, nestled in the canyon right next to the river. all of the sheep were freshly naked of their fleece. i couldn't help but stop and say hello and take a few photos of them- and thank them for their woolly sacrifice, of course!

a few summers ago while we were camping right up the road the man who owns this farm herded his flock right through our campsite on their way to a nearby grazing spot. that is a pretty exciting event if you love sheep as i do.

i am already day dreaming of a summer trip- tent camping, road side berry picking, river rock throwing, open fire cooking... and of course a friendly visit to the deep canyon, river side sheep farm.

mountain mama, river belly

on the salmon river - 33 weeks

this weekend we took a brief but wonderful road trip. we stayed in a favorite lodge on our favorite river. we spent the days swimming, hot tub soaking, throwing rocks into the river and watching people catch fish, both big and small. the kids crafted fishing poles out of driftwood and string. the evenings were filled with board games, more swimming and soaking and hot cocoa and fresh cookies, compliments of the lodge. i spent a fair share of the weekend knitting and drinking tea. while we drove we spotted several deer and a beautiful red fox.

we are home now, and home is a good place to be. home... made even better by mountain getaways and family fun!

there is no place like right here, friends- happy monday!

stitches of the not so crafty kind

i write about stitches quite often here on my blog- knit stitches and sewn stitches... but this afternoon we experienced medical stitches... not so fun.

this was the classic tale of toddler + pavement = emergency room trip to put one little stitch in harper's forehead to keep the tiny but gaping gash closed so it can heal properly.

he was brave beyond belief and was given a special new friend, and a sucker, and many, many hugs and kisses and snuggles from every member of the family.

he is on the road to recovery now and he has a big story to tell everyone he talks to, and we hope to only share stitches of the crafty sort from now on! right this very second i am off to snuggle and hug and kiss some more...
good night, friends!

this hat

i really did not want to knit this hat. normally i love creating handmade gifts for friends, and even for friends of friends.

this hat was knit for a friend of my mom's. her best friend, in fact. her best friend who was recently and unexpectedly diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. she went in for some tests on a thursday afternoon in february and was admitted to the hospital the next morning where she remains today. her chemotherapy was started two days after she was diagnosed and she began losing her hair a week later. someone kindly brought her some hats to wear but they all resembled ski hats- very plain and practical. my mom and i decided that she needed something cute and girly.

i knit the hat in a couple short days. with each stitch i was reminded just how quickly things can change. how you can be living your life today and tomorrow have the rug pulled right out from under you. how precious every day, each moment really is. how lucky i am to have been able to pass on a special gift to a special friend in her time of need.

today i am grateful for this hat and the reflection that accompanied it. lessons in living where you least expect them... this is life, friends.