Wiseman update 3

  I've been learning by trial and error. While the instructions for these stockings includes a very long list of steps, the details of the work aren't dictated. Should I embroider before or after affixing the pieces? What about all the thread color changes? It's really a pain to pull out a red thread... I mean floss... to do one teeny spot, ie; the mouth. So I've started looking for other pieces in the set that also need stitch work and have been trying to used up the thread before switching to a new color. some of these are embroidered before being affixed, and others after. It seems that embroidered over stuffing makes a piece look more defined. For example the two sides of the head piece, the dark green floss over the light green felt... one side (right) is embroidered before stuffing and the other sided (left) after.  Which is better?

 

I'm also stuffing every piece possible, as advised by Debbie Bailey, a YouTube blogger who is obsessed with these Bucilla stocking kits.

 

This started out as a back up stocking... as a relative has kindly made these for 5 of my 7 children. A promise of "maybe" one more this Christmas is in the works, but I decided to give it a try just in case she can't squeeze out another for us for a while. Now I've got three kits in my house... cause I want to make more... cause I'd rather be stitching beads then reading my Continuing Education Nursing course materials....

 

You know what would be awesome?! Some sort of auto reader that reads the CE stuff to me and I could knit and sew while listening. That would be great! I love doing more than one thing at a time so I can feel like I'm never wasting time.  

 

Wiseman post 2

Calling it a night...

New Obsession

Hobby, fixation, interest....

Love of beading and appreciation for hand stitching...

Desire to have all matching stockings on the mantle this year...

It begins...

It is finished

 This is a wrap conversion half buckle with wrap straps. I'm not sure if this is considered a Mei Tai or a hybrid. The straps and waist band are padded with a soft high density foam, while the head rest and legs out sides padding is a little less dense.

The reason I went with wrap straps instead of a full buckle design is because I find buckles under my arms to be somewhat annoying. Now, if one were to have fixed straps without the buckle (such as with a Boba or Tula) than there is only webbing to contend with. Though I can still get a nice carry with an adjustable buckle carrier like Kinderpack and Beco's Gemini that allows you to wear the straps straight or crossed because of the buckle. Truth be told I miss my Gemini, which I sold to acquire a infant sized Kinderpack. I feel that right now the Kinderpack is too wide on the top and my little one doesn't seem as comfortable in it. While the standard size was a fabulous fit for her older siblings, I'm struggling to find the love with the infant version. I save it for times when I truly just need quick "ups" or errands.

 Meanwhile at home I'm more drawn to using a wrap to achieve a carry that's imitates what an arms embrace would feel like. Which brings me to the second reason I wanted wrap straps and this narrow contoured body panel was so I could adjust the carrier for a more custom fit every time. To narrow the seat I place the waist belt higher (where you'd want a new baby anyhow), and can spread the wrap passes in such a way as to hug the baby more snuggly than I could in my full buckle carrier.

I wish I could make more of these! I wish I could sell them... or donate them without fear of regulations and lawsuits should someone has an accident or something. I think that this design has some potential, but I don't have the time nor capital to test it in order to make it compliant... but if all I had to do was sew, I'd make one of these a week with whatever wrap someone wanted just for the thrill of accomplishing something.

Curtain Mei Tai: take two

Having two curtain panels, and a desire for improvement I had to try this again. Ultimately the goal is to make the dream carrier, but I need to be sure before I cut into a hand woven wrap. These curtains were free, I loose nothing but time, thread, and padding in making them. I hope to make someone very happy with this sometime in the future.

This child prefers
his arms in, but he
could put them out.

So the panel on this one is much larger than the first, both in length and to some degree the width as well. However, the slimmer contour design of my first one is still apparent. I want baby to be able to stick out his/her arms and for ventilation to flow from the sides of the carrier. The wrap straps provide the customizable support so additional fabric along the torso isn't necessary. To be sure the wrap straps can make this carrier very snug, almost too snug at times (and I loosen it some for a little more breathing room). I suspect that perhaps a woven wrap fabric will have a little more give than the canvas curtains.

I really like wearing these mei tais, but I'm not fond of fumbling with the straps, especially the waist straps. However, I do think the wrap straps are much better than the discomfort of hard plastic buckles and hardware which can sometimes dig into your underarms and sides. The dream carrier might end up being a half buckle, wrap strap hybrid. I can't decide.

Another thing I am not sold on yet is the tie hood straps. I think the adjustability of the hood is second to none! However, I haven't figure out how to adjust them while in a back carry without assistance. These straps can be tied up to four different levels, but I can't reach the bottom two. In the picture above the hood is tied off at the first level adjustment.

No buckels, snaps, nor webbing

Back to the basics with a few updates; my latest project was the repurposing of some old drapes into a Mei Tai baby carrier. Having heard raves about wrap straps I gave them a go, however didn't quite get the right angle when I pinned them in, so they pucker out from the top somewhat, which isn't all bad in that it causes the straps to stick up like a side head wing for the baby. Padding was added to the waist band, shoulder straps, head rest, and legs out area, helping to eliminate digging and wrap lines. The body of this carrier is extra small to better conform to my new "squish."

I'm glad I worked with this old curtain before cutting into the wrap I have sitting in the project box, as I'd need to change a few things if I made another Mei Tai. The straps are great! The hood and body panel have potential, and the waist is very comfortable. Still, some lines would need to be drawn a little differently.

Sewing necesities

Being exceptionally prone to clogged ducts and mastitis all constrictive garments are off limits. Even "nursing" bras, despite the lactation friendly design have caused plugged ducts and rounds of "boob flu," the feeling I experience when milk is backing up, makes me feel achy and tired. Pushing myself a little too hard, or wearing the wrong under garment can be all it takes to kick off an episode... or a stressful conversation...whatever...

But a gal still needs some undergarments, and so I've been working on the perfect solution for my body over the last several years. In the past I've made my nursing shirts more like tank tops, which was fine sometimes, but would stick out under certain tops. Since those first shirts are wearing out, I needed to make more, and began to tweak my original design.

Last week I made two light peach cami tops using some stretch lace and adjustable bra straps.

This week I figured out how to incorporate clips into the straps so I can cross the straps or even open the front entirely for nursing. While it's not necessary to unlatch the clip to nurse, my thought was that if there's any compression occurring from simply pulling the wrap bodice aside, then I could unclip the panel to eliminate any possible duct compression. This afternoon, while my big kids went to see the scary dinosaur movie with their father, and the youngest took naps, I completed two more nursing cami tops. These are made a light jersey knit soy rayon blend fabric I had stashed in my closet.  Wish I had more of this.

Rainbow Ring Sling

Big squish
(little squish was asleep)

Since the new squish arrived, I've been reminded why it is that ring slings make the best carriers for newborns. They're so little, you just want something that hugs them up close and snug. They don't weigh much so a one shoulder support is amply sufficient. Yet, my other slings were inching in towards my neck instead of resting on my shoulder. The solution for this is a different shoulder style; Eesti Shoulder.

The hardest part was building up the courage to cut my wrap. Since I like to use the sling tail to create a second seat pass or to serve as a nursing cover, so this is a long sling.

I selected to convert my Girasol light rainbow size 2 "shortie."

All done... experiemental adjustable carrier

Inside, on largest setting

I'll have to try it out with babies of various ages and sizes before I'll know if this is a success.
It's late and I'm just glad to be finished with this one.

Inside cinched to smallest
setting

Outside, cinched to smallest
setting



Now what...

This belt is lower profile from
previous carriers.

This is as far as it's gotten. Before proceeding black thread will need to be wound onto a bobbin and I need to decide how to do the adjustable height sleeve for the waist belt. Currently, the bottom most sleeve is sewn on (French seam) and is good and snug, yet still allows for removal of the padded belt.
If I make a hood, it will be a snap in and not sewn in as previously. Neither of the fabrics on this carrier would make suitable hoods, so I would need to find something else. However, the top head rest still opens to allow for an interior pocket so I can insert a camel back or cooling towel.

I could add another sleeve to the interior side panels with a couple belt loops perhaps on the comfort mesh part...

Or I could insert the belt upside down and flip the current waist belt sleeve up... but then there needs to be a way to secure it in that position or the sleeve might slide down.

For cinching most likely I'll put the double cinch belts on the side panels like I did on the ACU carrier.

But all that will have to wait for another day. This is as far as I'm going to progress today.

knitting right along

I wasn't sure if this would be a sweater or more of a poncho... from the top down you can go either way. Now though, the decision has been made and it will be more of a sweater with traditional sleeves. Sleeves are now on holders (stitches are just looped onto a piece of yarn and tied in a circle). The circulars are proceeding with working down the length of the body.

The Que

I'm trying to cross a Kinderpack with a Girasol Mysol Mia Tai...that's what this boils down to. I want the deep seated triple panel of the Kinderpack, with the height and leg adjustability of the Mysol. Combine the ease of buckles with the squishy softness of a hand-woven wrap, and an element of adjustability and perhaps I will have it all.... or will go crazy thinking of new combinations to try.

So I've redrawn a body panel of my own by connecting lines between sizes. Instead of experimenting with my Girasol Donau size 4 wrap (that I procured explicitly
 for conversion, I'm going to start with my water carrier first. Yes, even though I have a water sling, I think I "need" a water soft structured carrier too. Last summer I watched a mom wear her baby in a beater Ergo in the pool almost everyday. It was a marvelous idea as Ergos can be found for cheap and aren't so valuable that you'll be loosing money wrecking it in the pool. However, the only thing that bothered me a bit was I noticed her Ergo fabric (cotton) was wearing out pretty good. It certainly seemed stable enough, but I conjectured that there had to be better materials out there for water use. So I found a polyester canvas to pair up with my polyester comfort sport mesh fabric, and hope that this would prove a more water durable option. Nylon is lovely too, but tends to be a bit slippery, and flimsy, so Polyester it is. One downside though is this polyester canvas is not very soft... at all. It's not going to win any squishy baby carrier awards that's for sure! However, since I need an experimental for this new pattern I'm playing with, if it doesn't turn out awesome, I won't be heartbroken.

On the other hand, if it's as I'm hoping, I'll have a more clear direction to take with my precious Girasol Donua Wrap.

Room for two heads

Baby opening tucked in
closed position

Right because two are better than one.

Baby opening
open

It's my hope that when I don't need an opening for baby the button panel will tuck under discretely and not be too noticeable.

I'll have to sew on buttons, but the button holes are ready on the flip side of the baby collar/ opening ribbing.

Weird, uh?

Baby and Me Sweater

Here's the beginning
of the baby opening.

While it's spring, I'm still keenly aware of how awkward staying warm while baby wearing was this past winter. Waiting till next winter to come up with a solution seems silly, and now's the time to solve this problem. There are a few baby wearing coats being made which retail for anywhere from $100 to $200, but most need to be imported from overseas. I might still opt for a shelled baby wearing jacket eventually. However, for the moment I'm working on something which I hope will work for most winter days, save the most extremely cold ones, as our Virginia winters aren't too terrible. Often a heavy sweater or fleece coat is sufficient given you're properly layered underneath.

Donau Wrap Conversion

I have all the materials, except my made up mind at hand. I know I'm turning this wrap into a carrier with buckles. I like how the olive drab webbing looks with this, but I haven't determined if I want a firm structured waist belt or a softer quilted belt. Do I want a ventilation panel or the baby pouch to be totally made out of the wrap? What size I've yet to determine. So I'm not sure when I'll begin this particular wrap conversion.

ACU carrier

seat straps cinched all the way
for baby mode

While the stitching is rather sloppy in several places, they seem to be functional. Perhaps an industrial machine would help in a few steps, but I'm making due with what I've got. I changed a couple more things with this carrier, and still have one more addition to make once my digital camo elastic arrives (with the webbing for my next wrap conversion). 

This new ACU carrier
will work for both
present toddler
and incoming baby

The waist belt padding is one solid piece instead of three separate pieces. Not only is this easier to work with, and more esthetically pleasing, it seems to be equally comfortable.

The shoulder straps are still big and fluffy, which I love. My strap padding is a little longer and wider than Kinderpack standard straps, almost as long as their plus straps. However, my buckles are single adjust, and sewn so the buckle stays on the strap (or at least once I get the elastic on it should stay put). With our Kinderpack, my husband needs the plus straps in order to not get choked by the sternum strap, while I'm perfectly comfortable with the standard straps. This resulted in needing a special Dad carrier or he never wanted to wear it. I've noticed that with my first SSC (Dandies) wrap conversion, we can go back and forth wearing the same carrier and it works for us both.... or my dear husband is making more of an effort in making me believe I've improved our carrier situation. Our Dandies currently serves as the resident van carrier since it works for us both with our current crew of toddlers.

Proof that this is becoming a bit of an obsession, I want to make "just one more." My husband really likes the pockets on the waist belt, and the uniform label I transferred to the inside of the belt that keeps him from putting the carrier on backwards.

Almost finished...but not quite done

Another naptime, and I was able to get the belt and hood sewn onto the body of the carrier. I tried something a little different on the belt, and while it's tighter than previous seams in this area, the stitching, when examined up close, is not impressive. Having the stitching up close to the firm padding is very hard to accomplish, and so the feeder foot doesn't move the fabric as evenly as I'd like when I'm doing this seam. It hardly moves it at all, so I have to sort of tug at it to keep it feeding through, resulting in a very teeny stream of stitches. While they're quite functional, it's not appealing to the discerning eye.

The straps clash with the ACU fabric in the exact same fashion that the current uniform regulation desert camel boot clashed. I gave my husband a choice between the kaki or black straps. He choose Kaki, staying true to the look of the uniform indeed. The buckles will be black though, as I've yet to run across any other color in all the sizes I require.

Today's sewing...

I wouldn't usually sew in the middle of the week, but as the school children were out for a field trip all day I was home with the little folks, which allowed me to revert back to the good old days when I could sew during nap time.

This is my third soft structure carrier effort, at this point, turned inside out, and not totally assembled just yet. On this one I'm trying to do as much fabric sewing as possible before I start adding the buckles and stitching the webbing ends. It feels like it's going together a lot faster than the first two carriers.

More hints....

Much of my time prepping this project involved a seam ripper. I think I've finally got all the pieces cut out, and couldn't help but pin a few together to get an idea of what it would look like.... because we don't have enough of these laying about the house, I've got to have more of them. Actually, this one is going to be for my husband.

Uniformity

As is prone to happen, uniforms having been decommissioned are being called up once more to serve another tour of duty, but with a new mission. Can you guess what this will be?

Sheet dress... I hate zippers

New dress, left
previous dress, right
Both repurposed bed
sheets.

I've been reading negative reviews here and there of other crafting merchants, and it's getting to me a bit. Now I scrutinize my projects, nit picking till I no longer feel they're worthy of value to anyone other then my own children, who love their twirling dresses. A fellow angoras rabbit, spinner, knitter, and crafting enthusiast (who passed away last year) once told me to stick to making things I'll be able to use myself, because nothing ever sells very well. She made some lovely hand spun, angora wool hats, gloves, and sweaters and they would sit on her little website for ages. I try and keep her advice in mind when prioritizing my sewing and knitting projects, because it's very sage. My kids will grow up wearing a lot of handmade.

Not being prone to giving up entirely or wallowing in failure, I've decided that I could certainly use some instruction on sewing zippers. I've sort of winged it for years, but honestly, hate how they always look, and am certain there's a better way, I just haven't figured out yet. My attempts a hidden zippers never work out the way they should. The instructions on the zipper package just don't make any sense to me. I'm going to have to google this and see if I can find some tutorials online or something. I get frustrated with folks who never try or choose to turn away from the lessons they could learn. So what if that first knitting project looks awful! Try again, and the next will be better.

 There's also got to be a way to keep more seams tucked and hidden. On my dress I have almost all the major visible fabric seams turned and topstitched, but not all of them. Like the shoulder sleeve seams, and the bodice to skirt, while all on the inside, are still finished off with a tight zig zag because I couldn't figure out a way to have them hidden. A lot of garments just utilize the finish of a serger for these sorts of things, but I don't have one of those, so I zig zag the edges.

Recycled sheet dress

This weekend's sewing project is operation clear out the sewing closet supplies by doing the project stacked up in my mind. Two worn out sheets are being turned into a dress. The purple Egyptian cotton sheet will be the lining and the butterfly print cotton sheet will be the outside.

Cutting fabric is kind of tedious, but perhaps the most important step. Tomorrow we'll see how much I can get done.

Baptism Gown in a new medium

Usually I knit these with my yummy stretchy cotton, but alas, I couldn't find any in white. Instead I decided upon a 50/50 Merino/ Bamboo sport weight blend called Galileo by Knit Picks. Both being very fine and silky straight fibers, there's not much crimp, and the only elasticity is created by the ribbing effect of the cable patterns. Befitting a spring time baby, this is short sleeved, and hopefully won't be too hot or heavy. It's no lace knit, but it's certainly not worsted either. I purchased 6 skeins for this project, but only used four. I could make booties or a hat, but neither would be worn. My last Baptismal gown had a matching hat, but it was worn for like a minute and was practically a waste of time and energy.

My Bernina is back!

It's like a brand new machine! Excepting that it's actually quite vintage, it's running smoother than ever. Before I dove into my major wrap conversion project, I did a quick recycle t-shirt into bamboo lined, side snap, fitted diaper. I forgot to give the Lastin a little more clearance on the legs (which would make a cute little ruffle around the edge). Opps. It's still works, just not as cute. While the boys bathed I used my little snap pliers to add snaps to the diaper and the suck pads for my new soft structured wrap conversion carrier... which is a one-of-a-kind (Ooak).

Recently, I went through my oversized diaper stash to decided to cull the herd. I could literally diaper triplets at any age! I plucked out diapers I hadn't even used for the last baby and some I decided I wouldn't be using for the next, and began listing them for sell on a diaper trading site linked on Facebook. First I sold things in smaller, but like groupings and lost a lot of money on shipping cost. Some of the packages I shipped cost me more than I had charged total. To keep things simple I included shipping in all my listings, making many of them practically free for shipping (or in some cases it didn't even cover that). So I decided to make even more cuts and listed some or my more prized items, like all my newborn kissaluvs, and most of what remained of my Clover collection...neither of which have seen much use since child number 4... as 5 was too crabby to let me do anything and I turned to disposables for a good amount of time. Then 6 had health issues that caused me to stop using cloth for a considerable time. So honestly, I thought it was prudent to pass them along. Still not wanting to just "give them away" I listed them for a price I felt was fair, but not quite a bargain. If they didn't sell, it wasn't going to break my heart, because they were still good and I "might" still use them. Perhaps they would be the perfect diaper for number 7? 

Anyway, despite my best efforts, nobody left any feedback, though some would e-mail me privately and indicate that they'd received their packages. It didn't bother me, till I had one gall contact me over my Clover diapers. She didn't like my price, wanted me to come down. I really just wanted to pass on her since she seemed to be very nit picky, and I just had a feeling she wasn't going to be happy with them.  I disclosed they were used. How old they were, and that they were indeed stained, though in my opinion still useable and elastic in good condition (because they're adjustable, the diaper will fall apart long before that elastic will be totally useless. I posted pictures inside and out, and hid nothing. I even sent a long letter describing my washing and household allergens for the entire lifespan of the diapers.  Still, she insisted, and insisted again she wanted them. I even knocked the price down when my washing machine needed to replaced and (it forced me to just let them go). So I sold them to her, shipped them off, and got on with life. A couple days after they were scheduled to have arrived, she writes to tell me how disappointed she is and wants a full refund, ect. I just had a feeling she was going to do that.  But how do you turn down a buyer...just cause you have a feeling they're going to come back and bite you in the butt? You really can't and not be decried as unethical or unfair or something. You can't say, "I just have a feeling you're going to be a pain in the..."

Seriously, they're just diapers, and if I don't use them I'm going to give them away to either a cloth diaper charity or see if one of my friends wants them.

The whole experience has caused me to think about all of my sewing and knitting projects in terms of my goals. While it's kind of exciting to think about maybe going back into business and making things for folks. I enjoy making things that I KNOW folks will want and will enjoy. However, I'm not thick skinned enough to digest the critics. And frankly, I've noticed that even truly awesome products receive a lot of hate from some folks. And sometimes these select few are down right mean and try to actually harm the seller/ maker. Very little credit is given to the time and energy the maker spends and puts into their product. It's usually so much more complicated than anyone realizes. And well... I could wax on and on about this all day.

For now I'm just making my wrap conversions because I'm curious. I want to know how it's done. Like a kid and a toaster, I want to take it apart and see how it works :) I don't know how many times I've read someone comment, "Oh I wish (said carrier maker) would make a wrap conversion," or "I wish they still made their straps puffy like they used to," or see them clamor for certain fabrics and such. I like seeing the various wrap conversions out there right now, and look to see innovations and hear what folks find comfortable. And of course I like trying to figure out ways to have it all in one carrier. I've done this with knitting, diapers, clothes, and many things. Usually, I do not churn out the perfect replica nor the new improved model. My stitches aren't perfect (my machine can only do so much) and I'm only so patient. I'm human and I have limitations. However, I'm going to keep trying. I'll enjoy my successes and learn from my mistakes, which is always better than never trying at all.

So with this second wrap conversion I learned that a bamboo cotton blend Ellevill is a very scrumptious and silky soft fabric. It has a bit of stretch to it which makes it very comfortable in the body and arm straps of the carrier. However, as a waist belt, it's a bit too stretchy and doesn't hold the firm foam padding in place nearly as well as the silk cotton Natibaby wrap (which was significantly thicker). I think that a quilted waist belt might have looked and functioned a lot better with this wrap. For this wrap I changed a few things.
1. Moved the arm strap buckles so that the buckle will stay on the padding even when the straps are adjusted. Sure they're one way adjust, but I like this better and find it easier if trying a side hip carry or crossing the straps.
2. The chest belt strap are sew with the webbing folds under, reversed from what I did with the last carrier, as it just looks nicer.
3. The hood has one seam, almost in the center of the inside (again my sewing is very human, sometimes things come out a little off center and I'm not going to rip out the seam in fear of destroying the fabric along with it). And I decided to add a little strip of lastin at the top sides of the hood to give it a little contour. Lastin is very stretchy and soft!

Preteen Wool turtle neck dress

This one took about a month to complete. I'm mighty proud of the fact that I only had to tuck in three yarn tails. I hate seams, and there's not a single one in this dress. My next project will have at least two, :(  as I've not come up with a way to avoid them with the method I'll be using. There's got to be a way, I've just not figured it out yet. ;)  
While this may look a little "huggy" my experience with this yarn is has been that it will relax some after the first hand wash and might not continue to hug quite so snuggly.... at least that's my modesty seeking mama hope. It's a natural wool color, but it may return as a dye project in the future, as I've told my girls they can dye them if they so choose with any Kool-Aid they prefer.

And after that...Girasol Rainbow Wrap Conversion

Okay...I'm making myself stop after this one... or at least I won't buy anymore for myself after I finish with this rainbow beauty. It's becoming an obsession.

This weekend I'll be knitting...but I really wish I could be sewing!

Update:... I've changed my mind. This s such a delightful wrap, and now that I know a few tricks in how to make it work, it won't be getting cut up anytime soon. Besides, my machine is going to be in the shop for at least another week. The positive side of that is the repairman really seemed to know his stuff and his diagnostic seemed spot on with what I was expecting after I read the service manual. So I'm hopeful that he's going to get it up and running as good as new, and it will be worth the wait indeed. That machine has been ailing for years, but even so it still sewed much better than any new machine I've had my hands on. They just don't make them like they used to. My Bernina 731 is all metal, and solid as a tank!

Next...Ellevill Paisley Vanessa Soft structure carrier wrap conversion

Even though my sewing machine hates me, and is now in the shop (please be cheap and easy to fix) I've begun another wrap conversion attempt. While not the most esthetically pleasing, my 3 year old loves to be in the "blue carrier" so much, that I've got a serious itch to try this again and see if I can do even better this time around. After I went back and altered the straps I found the sweet spot with my big fluffy straps, which I adjusted so the padding goes under the buckle. It makes carrying the 35+ pounder feel like next to nothing.

I picked up this wrap remnant from a mama on Facebook (my new buy, sell, and trade market place), which had been cropped to be converted into a ring sling. My half was almost, but not quite enough for all the pieces I will need. As soon as I saw it, a dress fabric I once used popped into my mind, and sure enough I had a yard in my stash. Thus it became clear I needed to make the exterior side panels with this thicker floral print cotton canvas, to give the flimsy bamboo/ cotton Ellevill more structural integrity, as this paisley wrap is not as thick as the Natibaby Dandilion wrap had been. Since this will be a smaller carrier I feel it will be alright, as a much lighter load will be carried by it. All interior fabrics will be the soft wrap, and the key strap points will be anchored into the canvas fabric.

Getting to work on these little projects makes me feel more... excited... happy... productive! Accomplished....

Also, I just cast off the hemline (but there's no hem) of my oldest's daughter's wool knit dress. Tomorrow I'll begin the sleeves. After that one is complete I'll need to sneak in a baptism gown.

Wrap Conversion

I'll start by saying my sewing machine did not like this project. I broke more needles than I could keep count of sewing this soft structure carrier, and there were things I wanted to do that just weren't going to happen with my machine. Finally, since hatching the notion to convert my wrap, it is done!
I even had enough wrap left over to make a ring sling , though not enough for a padded shoulder, but with fabric this thick, it's not necessary.

The wrap was Dandies by Natibaby, size 6. Now it's a toddler sized soft structured carrier conversion with plus sized straps (so dad can wear it too) and an adjustable panel (for my tall torso kids with short inseams). Yes, that's solarveil in the center. Admittedly, even though I adjusted my Personal Fit adjusters up an inch from the carrier I mimicked, the hood is essentially useless when the PFA's are cinched all the way down (which I have to do for me. But since this carrier's body panel is so tall, I don't think I'll ever actually use the hood for head support. Perhaps we might use it for shade...or not. I'd have to rethink that aspect of it should I ever take on a project of this magnitude again.

Woolie Sweater Dress

 We're all really happy with how this dress turned out. With no seams, knit entirely in the round, from top to bottom using circulars from the turtle-neck collar, down in a yolk sweater method, and finally the sleeves were completed using double points, leaving only three yarn tails to tuck.

So I just cast another turtle neck collar onto the small circulars and will try again for the pre-teen version of this dress up next.

All that's left now is the sleeves

Casting off the hemline last night, I hope to finish the sleeves by the end of this week.

New listing Item #00001

This hat can be found in my Etsy shop.

Since there are literally thousands of other baby hats on Etsy, I'm guessing it's still legal to hand knit a hat and offer it for sale? So I'm going to institute a record keeping strategy, assign a number to each item I knit. If I have a rare moment and complete something that isn't destine for our own closet, than I will try and list it.

I've made plenty of hats for my own kids this winter, so this is a spare we don't need. While it fits my youngest (who is presently 22 months old) he already has two hats, and favors one in particular, so he doesn't want nor need another.

Knitting compulsion

This is more of a compulsive creation stemming from my desire for winter time sweater dresses for my girls. My rough guestimate on my gage was off, so instead of being a dress for my oldest, in all likelihood, this will be for my middle daughter. Sleeves will be last, and thus far I'm about waist deep, the intent to knit all the way down to below knee length.

I'm making it up as I go along... as usual, top to bottom, no seams, knitting in the round with circulars. The yarn is fisherman's wool worsted weight, natural.