Warm and Woolly Baby

If I'm going to show off Maya in her freshly sewn wardrobe, I also need to show off the knitted items that have been keeping her cozy since day one. She continues to be a peaceful baby for the most part, with one exception: She does not enjoy being undressed for diaper and clothing changes one bit, and expresses her displeasure loudly. The more warm, snuggly layers, the better!

This sweet yellow blanket from Maya's grandmother Ursula (Nick's mom) shows up in many photos for good reason - she was hardly ever not wrapped in it for her first few weeks! It continues to be a favorite. I made the little white hat for her, but like almost all her other hats, it's really too big for everyday wear.

Grandma Ursula also made this little blue sweater, which we were pleased to find fits Maya even in her tiny-peanut phase. She gifted us with this sweater, as well as a larger knitted dress in pink, at Christmas - covering the bases whether Figgy was a boy or a girl!

Meanwhile, Grandma Marla (Kate's mom) outfitted Maya with another knit item just perfect for the early days - this snuggly little cocoon. Maya obliged with a photo-worthy newborn yawn when we bundled her into it for a session in front of the camera.

Another cozy knitted blanket, this one made by family friend Dee, makes a perfect prop to show you the many faces of Maya.

This is one short session while she happened to be awake, but even in her dreams she has a repertoire that keeps us entertained - fluttering eyelids, raised eyebrows with forehead wrinkles, round-circle mouth, suckling lips, and even little smiles. A hint of what's to come!

Looking for still more Maya photos? Here they are!

I'm working on writing my way through the story of her birth and will share that soon, but you'll find a short version chronicled in this photo album, as well as lots of scenes of us all settling in at home in the first weeks.

Butterflies, Birds, and a Birthday

Guess who just turned 1! It's hard to believe how much my nearly-niece Maggie has grown and changed and learned in one brief year. She took her first steps at nine months, and now she cruises anywhere she wants to go. She waves bye and she says "hi" when she picks up her toy phone. She claps her hands to request either of her two favorite songs: "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or the University of Michigan fight song. At her party, she ate homemade pizza and cake and charmed all the people gathered to celebrate her first birthday milestone.

It was the perfect opportunity for some craftiness, of course.

I made the birthday girl a little stuffed bird in a knitted nest, a project I've had in mind for a while.

It's inspired by the bird mobile I made when she was born, but instead of just watching it fly on high, this bird is for playing. I thought a nest with eggs and a bird inside would make a fun game for a girl who likes to take things out and put them back in...although I'm sure she'll come up with her own ways to play with it. The bird is a slightly-larger version of the ones I've made before, with a green corduroy body, an orange-flowered belly, and two felt eyes.

I knit the nest from two strands of a chunky wool-blend yarn, using an invented-on-the-spot pattern that's much like most of the hats I've made. When I finished it, it seemed too pointy and hat-like, and I thought I'd need to refine the prototype a bit. Then I turned it inside out. Aha! Perfect!

The wooden eggs I bought, and I made this beeswax polish to finish them. Nontoxic, of course!

(photo by Sarah Gano)

To continue the theme of winged, springy things, I also brought some festive butterflies to decorate for the party.

Rain was pouring down, but it was a warm spring rain instead of the cold and suspiciously white precipitation we've had until very recently. The soft light illuminated the colors through the windows, and daffodils bloomed in the yard outside.

I made the butterflies from grated-up bits of crayons, melted with a warm iron between sheets of waxed paper (inspiration here). Against the slowly-greening spring landscape, they're a cheerful burst of color.

Holiday Handmades: The Hats

Following a precedent set last year, I declared the month of December a House-Project Free Zone in favor of creative pursuits. Of course, that means now it's time for some show and tell.

Hats turned out to be one of my principal outputs. It all started with this one, knit at Thanksgiving.

This particular hat was meant to go to a fundraising auction. But when I finished it, somehow these colors were speaking to me and I felt a need to keep it. I've been wearing the same stripy hat every day of every winter for eleven years now. (If you've seen me, or a photo of me, in winter, I guarantee you've seen it. For instance: here, here, here, here...) I decided I could justify a second one.

So then I dropped by the Thistledown Shoppe in Suttons Bay and bought more of my favorite hat yarn in some exciting new colors and made this one to donate to the cause instead.

On a roll at that point, I made another for Nick and gifted it to him in time for his travels to Wisconsin for Christmas.

The simple pattern is one I learned from my friend Siri on a college semester-abroad program, copied in spiky handwriting on a bumpy bus ride somewhere in the high country of Ecuador. I've been making these hats ever since (15 and counting at this point). With size 10 needles and bulky weight yarn, the knitting goes quickly. I line the inside with a band of fleece for another layer of warmth and add a few extra rows as I knit for complete ear coverage. The result is quite cozy indeed, which is why mine has become a near-permanent fixture on my head.

But I did branch out from this signature pattern to make Maggie a little pointy-topped pixie hat. It's the Stella Pixie, oh-so-popular with the online crafty crowd. Much slower going on size 3s with sock yarn (I used this from Yarn Quest in TC), but it's entirely worth it in adorability. Unfortunately she's not a big fan of hats in general, so she won't be loving this gift - but hat-wearing isn't optional in these parts, and if you're 9 months old, your hat might as well be as cute as this one!

More Made by Hand

What better excuse for crafty projects than new babies? And because I have become a dangerously devoted reader of blogs that feature crafty projects (such as this one, and this one, and this one . . . and also this one and this one and this one!), I can't resist using my own blog as a show-and-tell forum for a few recently completed items.

Hats! Back in February, I made the green one for Maggie-to-be and the dark blue one for just-born Nathaniel in Reston. The light blue one was the first attempt, and turned out so very small that I'm saving it for somebody extra tiny.
Birds! Somewhere in my online explorations, I came across this idea for a bird mobile and loved it. In hopes that Maggie has many outdoor adventures ahead with her Aunt Kate, I thought I'd introduce her to a bit of nature-watching right from the start.
I'd been wanting to sew some birds for quite some time, but hadn't found a good pattern until now. I'm so pleased with the way this one produces such authentically bird-like shapes, and I especially like the way the wire l used to attach them resembles feet. Here's a closer look at each of the birds on their driftwood perches.Of course, Maggie isn't the first "baby" in her family. Here's Keelie modeling a little something I made just for her.

Making Stuff

I'm officially reporting success on the vow to put all home improvement projects on hold for the month of December. In fact, I may well extend the hiatus through January. But what am I filling all those extra hours with? Other projects, of course! Too much sanding, patching, priming, painting, staining, tiling, and grouting led, apparently, to serious withdrawal from sewing, knitting, and other creative pursuits. As soon as I got my spare-bedroom crafting corner in order, I went a bit crazy.

My sister-in-law Courtney suggested that perhaps I ought to join Projects Anonymous. I suspect she may be on to something. But I prefer to remain in denial a while longer - I'm having too much fun to quit. Indulge me in a bit of show-and-tell, if you will.

Star toy for Maisie from recycled fleece, stuffed with the filling from previously disemboweled dog toys:

Toasty handwarmers for Courtney (pattern here):

Super-soft alpaca scarf for Mom. Hers is orange, actually, and finished, but otherwise it's just like this work-in-progress:

Failed to take a photo, but I also made pajama pants for Jeff (with pockets, by request). And promised Dad custom pajama pants, too (pockets no, fly yes). But not only have I not taken a photo, I haven't actually started them yet. Soon!

But first, preparations for a west coast trip, which is fast approaching on the heels of the holidays. Five little girls to meet means lots of fun possibilities. For baby Lucie, the youngest of the bunch, a stripy hat with a pointy top:

And for the other four girls, Opal (4.5), Helen (3), Nell (3), and Iva (2), coloring kits. Each holds a set of crayons and colored pencils and a refillable stack of paper. It folds up, snugs closed with velcro, and is ready for on-the-go art. Here are the various combinations:

Finally, a couple things to round out my own collection of travel gear. A little zippered pouch whipped up quick from a colorful woven strip I bought in Guatemala years ago:

And a new bag, fashioned after a store-bought one that I borrowed from cousin Sarah to copy. Modified it just a bit to hold my computer in the main compartment and various other essentials in the various pockets:

Patching holes and scraping paint are satisfying in their own way, but this is a whole different kind of satisfaction - and a kind that I was in need of, it seems!