sweater pants :: re-fashion

we are busily gearing up for cold weather.
i recently took some thrifted sweaters and sewed a few wool diaper covers for luca. we almost exclusively use wool cloth diaper covers - either knit or sewn from recycled or purchased wool fabric.

these were made from the sweater sleeves. super quick and easy. there are quite a few tutorials available online. i really like this one ::
sleeve pants
and the leftover sweater pieces will likely become eco pixie hats.

the rainbow stripes is our favorite pair. i also just finished knitting a pair of rainbow pants and am currently knitting one more pair for him with the yarn from my previous post. then it will be time to move on to wool mittens and wool hats, and perhaps a small wool sweater or two.

on an unrelated to this post note, i think it is seriously cute that he sucks his thumb! i suppose a tiny pair of wool sucky thumb mitts would be a fitting project for fall, no? maybe to match his wonderful wool pants... ah yes, add them to the queue.

happily yours from the little house of wool,
erika

september 2010 happenings

brand new month, brand new happenings to post about ::

new kettle dyed colorway. i plan to knit something for luca. pants probably. i have been undeniably drawn to aqua blue lately.

new bag listed in the shop today. i really love this one.

new craving for an old favorite. this chai concentrate is so, so good. in my tea, in my coffee, on pancakes and even ice cream. i just made a fresh batch yesterday but don't expect it to last long.

and lastly new and wonderful inspiration in the autumn issue of rhythm of the home.

all of the above is sure to keep us busy for weeks. very*happy*busy.

welcome september!

current offerings

{shop talk alert}

i added some fun things to the inspired mama MAKES! shop this week.

kettle dyed yarn, spinning fibers, and a couple project bags.
(there is a third project bag that i have fallen in love with and i am having a hard time letting it go... i dunno, i might list it monday and see what happens)

i am currently working on a series of gradient and self stripping colorways and hope to have them ready to list next week.
autumn is near... time to kNiT!

now, if it would just get cold...

i {fi-nal-ly!} finished my shalom cardigan. i mean like, totally, ready to wear, finished. washed, blocked, buttons attached, bring on the cold weather. it is warm. and i really like the color. i think it will definitely get some love this winter!


i modified it quite a bit. i used wool from peace fleece in the lena's meadow colorway. rather than binding off after the triple yoke i left the sleeve stitches on some scrap yarn and came back to them later and knit full length sleeves. this would be super cute with 3/4 length sleeves too! the cuffs are knit in the same twisted rib as the yoke.

i also added three button holes-one for each tier of the yoke. the buttons are also from peace fleece. i found them in the bottom of my notion bag and coincidentally there were exactly three of them left. it was meant to be.

hey, summer, you are officially dismissed.

oh hey, a new season is approaching....

...affectionately referred to as BACK TO SCHOOL!

which means i have a new back-to-school project queue keeping me plenty busy. let me share.

i plan to sew this lunch bag for esme ::


i have become obsessed with bento boxes.


i want to sew some little snack bags like these, but i still need to find a food safe liner that i feel comfortable using. any ideas?


this dress is super cute and will be a fabulous project for the yards and yards of michael miller knits that i acquired this summer.

i found this adorable mushroom lunch bag tutorial this morning and when riley saw it he said "i want one!'


why, you ask, would a sixteen year old boy want a mushroom shaped lunch bag? his answer- simple. i'm a fun guy. enough said.

cheers

did you know that it is world breastfeeding week 2010? mama's milk certainly deserves a celebration, i think! here are a few of my favorite nursing photos from the past three years.

busy on-the-go harper, 2008- just stopping by for a sip.

breastfeeding harper on the salmon river

harper and mama on the payette river

and little luca nursing on the salmon river. turns out we like taking river nursing photos!

and a sleeping baby luca wearing one of our favorite little tees.
yum.

wander and return

we are just home from a short family road trip that took us through the beautiful idaho mountains, into montana where we spent some time on flathead lake and missoula, and then to riggins idaho to play on the salmon river. and in typical inspired mama fashion i barely touched my camera. boo. here are a few pics i did take, mostly of the last day of our adventure.

sleeping kids. finally. bliss.

wild blackberries for lunch. sogood.

the perfect wading beach for little people. and we had it all to ourselves. score.

super cute boys. swoon.

tiny toes in the river for the very first time. too cold.

sand monster? this photo is totally reminiscent of the classic bigfoot strolling though the trees video, no?

kissy face. he loves it, i promise.

mr. charming and inspired mama.

summer market :: the pretty and the pretty bad

yesterday i participated in the very 1st supa summa craft market at the flying m coffee garage.

let me share with you all of the pretty things that i took along with me to the market ::

little pants and skirts that really need a better way to display. however i think i may have come up with a solution after talking to a fellow vendor...

fabric button rings and hair jewlery

coloring wallets and cute wash cloths

tiny tote bags and four clearance crowns from a previous market

luca was the cutest thing over at my booth. after getting his fill of people swooning over him he settled in for a long nap.


now i will bravely share the pretty bad that comes along with market preparations...

two weeks of laundry shoved into the baby cradle, most of it unfolded. we co sleep with luca so please do not be alarmed- no babies were sleep deprived in the making of this market appearance.

and here is what my dining room table looked like on friday. i finally cleared it off this afternoon. my kids were thrilled to eat all of their meals on the patio outside.
i didn't photograph the sink full of dishes or the take out dinner bags that we accumulated over the last two weeks. but everything is back to normal around here after a big day of catch up.

see that rainbow knitting project in the last photo. i currently have that in my lap, a cup of tea on the side table and a sleeping baby over my shoulder.

happy sunday, friends.

a whole lotta luca

i have so much to share with you all... cute little hand knits, recent sewing projects, summer celebrations, a yummy iced chai recipe... i promise i will be back very soon with all of the aforementioned but this evening i am going to overload you with new photos of my sweet baby boy.

he is covered in delicious little rolls of baby chub, courtesy of mama's milk. it is just the cutest thing ever.

he attended his first outdoor concert this past weekend. widespread panic at the idaho botanical gardens. he loves to be outside.

this gorgeous green quilt was sewn and gifted to luca by a good friend. we have decided to take his picture on this quilt each month to track his growth. here he is at 4 weeks old...

... and just a few days ago at 8 weeks old. (8 whole weeks, people!!)
it appears he grew half a quilt square, no?

this is quite possibly the worst photo in existence of me, but luca, oh my! my heart melts each time he looks at me with those big dark eyes.

love.
happy.wonderful.nothingelseintheworldmatters.love.