by small means

hi all, long time no see. 

I have swithced over to wordpress. you can find my new blog at bysmallmeans.wordpress.com.
come over and see the changes.  

i am so glad school is out. dave and i are both students right now and have started our winter break. as a homeschooling mom i made the decision to cancel school for the kiddies so we all could have a winter break together. we haven't been able to go and do too much due to thisbe's newly acquired ear pain but i do have high hopes for today and for the next two weeks.

here are a few finished projects.

the fraternal twin to the last striped blanket.


after seeing this post. i knew i needed to make some blank books for my budding authors. i didn't sew these on a machine. i uses dmc floss and hand sewed them.


i also made a couple for me. i experimented with wonder under on paper/fabric. the results were great. if i get a moment i might make some more. these little books are a bit addicting to make.


more pics on flickr

my semester is finally coming to an end. i am so looking forward to a few weeks off.

i discovered a window of time that i can work on a few of the projects in my head. on wednesdays the kiddies spend much of the day with their homeschool group. after lunch while the thisbe and magnus are in art class and bron is down for a nap, i have an hour and a half of free time. i had been using that time to study but i found myself daydreaming about projects i want to make. so i have dedicated that hour and a half to quilting or whatever else i feel inclined to do. this really only amounts to a little over an hour of craft time due to the setting up and taking down part. but that is an hour i didn't have before. it's also a hassle to have to lug my sewing machine with me and supplies needed to their school, but it's well worth it.



this is the first of two blankets i've been working on. the second one uses the same fabrics and will be very similar. i pieced the front and back, sandwiched in some cozy flannel, and quilted some stripes. this is such a nice swaddling weight. i love the drape and it folds up small enough to fit in the diaper bag. i plan on using this one as a gift and maybe the other one too. i know quite a few pregnant ladies who all are having boys this winter and spring.

i have this blog set aside to document the things i make . after reading this post from a dear friend i realize that i am indeed creating many other things. with that said i wanted to post about some of the frogs in my life.

we have two costumes that have been worn by all three of my children. a cat and this adorable frog.

this is 2000 with thisbe,

2002 with magnus,

and this year 2007 with bronwyn.

i love these memories.

check out this post on The Three Kiddies to see pics from this halloween.

hi all, it seems that my life got busy a bit sooner than expected. with school for me now in full swing i am doing my best to stay on top of  the it and homeschooling the kiddies. the homeschooling part is not hard but it does eat up a big chunk of my day. needless to say i have no time to work on my projects. i did reknit the hat but after trying it on a baby i realize the width is right but it is still too tall. easy to fix but will take time. i also am dealing with tendonitis in my wrists so with all the writing required in my chemistry class i will need to put any knitting projects on hold until school is out for the winter. if someone really wants the pattern sooner and is good at figuring out patterns that aren't perfect and is willing to knit i for me, i do have it written down and am willing to share it. i figure it is pretty much done but i just dont have the time or the wrists to knit it again right now. 

i did sneak in a small project last week. it kinda moved into homeschool time since it was for thisbe. she desperately needed a bag to carry all her writing supplies in for her writing class. i used the simple tote pattern from bend-the-rules. i didn't follow the pattern exactly and had to adjust the size to fit a three ringed binder. i also made a lined bag to keep all her pencils and things organized as well. i didn't follow instructions from amy's book for this bag but i imagine it is pretty much the same.

 

this tote was fun to make and i got out a bit of creative energy. i feel i can now set all the ideas in my head aside for a season and focus on my current tasks at hand.  so maybe i'll be back soon to post something i've been working on but i suspect some time will pass. have a great fall.

upon request i have been trying to figure out the pattern to this hat (the cream one). here's bron modeling my first try. 

the hat was intended for a baby, obviously my sizing was off. i should have used different sized needles since i knit so loose. now i just need to work on the size, find a good gauge, and knit it up again. i'll post the pattern in free patterns when i get it done.

i popped over to pink chalk studio today and saw this. i just couldn't resist giving it a try. i used the tutorial she linked to and her dimensions for a nine year old.

i love how simple it was to make, and the size was just perfect for my almost nine year old. i used scraps of fabric from the skirt i made a month ago or so.

thisbe was present while i was making it and is now asking me to teach her how to make some for her stuffed animals.

i finished up my robot quilt today. i just love how he turned out.

the quilting made such a hugh difference and burying all those strings was not painful at all. it did take a couple of hours but i could do it while watching tv. thanks again kathy for the tip. if i ever make a robot like this again i will probably do a bit more quilting on the robot itself. but i do love him as he is.

here is close up of the head and some of the quilting.

here is the back. i love how you can see the robot in the quilting.

well, last night i sewed up the lining for my purse and started sewing it into the tube. i got about 75% done when i tried zipping it up. i seems i sewed the knit outside of the purse too close to the zipper. i couldn't zip it up. i didn't have the patience last night. so, i set that aside and got to work on the robot quilt. 

i decided to stitch in the ditch the robot and do some heavy quilting on the white. i figure this will help the robot to stand out from the background.

(sorry, i just realized the photo is half blurry and i don't feel like taking it again)

in the past i have always been a backstitcher on my quilts that had quilting that didn't flow from one end to another, but was never happy with the results. when i started this quilt i remembered this post over at pink chalk studio. my plan is to give it a try. in the comments of that post she gave instructions to bury the knots, which i plan on trying as well. i have only started the quilting and am a bit nervous about all the knots i'm going to have to bury, but maybe it wont be too bad.

ok, i can check them off my list.

i just love how they fit in my hand. soon there will be a little guy who will fill these with his tiny feet. too sweet. holding these make me hungry for a little one again.

for these booties i used a pattern from this book. (classic bootie pg 13) i did however make a few changes. i made a rib cuff instead of the roll top increasing the number of rows to 15 and did seed stitch instead of the written sockinette on the top of the booties. i also added the ties. they give a little extra help with keeping them on extra busy feet. i used super soft and yummy baby bamboo yarn in snuggly blue, with size 4 needles.