More Fun Projects

I have been working on lots of fun projects lately. I made DS this hat which required that I learn a new method of casting on, relearn how to increase stitches, how to do magic loop knitting and learn to knit i-cord. All in all a very fun project! We call this hat the "skull protector since it seems to help cushion some of those head bumps that come along with a child who is trying to pull up on everything! I have started a second one but I think I will take it out and try my hand at a pilot cap pattern instead.

I also decided to make a felted wool ring chain for DS. He enjoys holding onto it and teething on it. It was very easy to do. I made thick i cord about 10 inches long, stitched the ends together, interlocking them to make a chain which I then felted in the washing machine. It was a very fun and easy little project and I look forward to making more of them.

I am continuing to work on the gnome for DS and I hope to finish it this week. If I did not have so many other projects going at the same time it would have been done a while ago. I still have to knit his head, stitch him up and stuff him though.

I have been working on some non-knitting projects too! I set up our first nature table the other day in our dining room. DS and I pick up little things for it when we go out for nature walks. I would like to make some cute little items to add to it as well. My hope is that I can start learning to needle felt in the next few weeks in order to do so.

I also started making window stars recently. They are really fun and easy to do! They also look really pretty. I made some multi-color ones to hang in DS's room. When we look at them together, he smiles so big. I really prefer these to the window clings we were putting up in his windows previously!

Lastly, I have been trying to learn wet on wet watercolor painting. My first attempt was yesterday and it did not look good at all! I really want to paint some 4 season trees to frame and hang in our dining room. The first one looked nothing like a tree. Today, I tried again and managed to paint a tree that looks like a tree! I am excited! It seems though that time to paint more than 1 per nap is not going to happen. I love this painting style too as I just use paint pots of the primary colors and the colors blend as you paint.

My New Creative Obsession

My new creative obsession is making toys for DS. I started the other day by knitting a crown for him out of cotton yarn that turned out way too big. I then decided to play around with the pattern I had developed and make one from wool and then felt it. While researching felting I also decided to make some felt balls out of some wool roving I had left from the time I had brief fantasies about spinning my own yarn. The whole process is so rewarding and so much fun and I think making beautiful textile toys may just be my calling in life (other than being a mommy). I am wondering if it would be worth my while to start making some of these items to sell. In the meantime DS seems very happy to test out the toys and help with market research.

I am now working on a knitted gnome for DS loosely based on this pattern . I am debating if I should attempt to felt this gnome too. Can you tell I love felting. I also need to get some more wool roving for stuffing the gnome and for making more felted balls and more yarn for making crowns.

I also have plans to make DS a play kitchen and some felt food so that he can play alongside me in the kitchen.

Just Odds and Ends Again

So I haven't written in quite a while. Things have been very busy! DS is 7 months old now and really keeps me on my toes! He continues to eat solid food like it's going out of style and I am now making his baby food and giving him some table food. He loves hummus (which he tried after ripping a piece of hummus covered pita bread out of my hand and shoving it in his mouth). This week I have made him chicken sweet potato stew and cumin scented lentils and carrots. He loves these dishes and I think I may have a junior foodie on my hands!

A couple weeks ago he received a box of toys from A Toy Garden as a late half birthday present. He received beautiful wooden stacking cups, several play silks and some herbal cloth bean bags. DS loves these toys and I am happy to say he usually will choose them over the plastic ones. This makes me happy. I plan to phase plastic toys our of our house all together over the next year and hope to make his first birthday and this coming Christmas "plastic free" events. I was amazed the other day when DS was playing with some older friends how much they loved his wooden and fabric toys. Their play became much more creative and imaginative than it had been with the plastic toys with which the boys usually play It was encouraging and I feel like I am really on the right track with this.

This also ties into the research I've been doing about Waldorf schools and Waldorf home schooling. I am so drawn to this. Granted I am in the early stages of my research but I am very intrigued by the focus on imagination and creative play and nature and art as well as daily routines and things like baking bread. I also am very intrigued by the ideas of avoiding media. I need to do more research however and begin presenting it to DH. He is very pro-public education so I feel like I am fighting a bit of an uphill battle.

Another great thing that has happened recently is that we lost the tv remote control for several weeks! It has infuriated DH but honestly we only watched a few DVD's after DS went to bed and they were things we really wanted to watch. It was not mindless watching tv just because it's there and on. It felt really good. I found the remote two days ago. DH was very excited, but even so, we have not turned the the tv on since we found it! I consider this to be a big victory for a couple of tv junkies like ourselves.

Let me see, other things, DH and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary this past week. We went to the Mount Vernon Inn for lunch and I had the salmon corn cakes just like I did at our reception. After that we took a walk on the Mount Vernon trail and spent the evening visiting with our NoVa friends. It was lovely. To celebrate our "paper anniversary" I made and printed a digital scrapbook album of our wedding. Also my parents commemorated the day by getting a deep freezer for us. I am so happy to have it and to feel like I can take advantage of good buys when I find them and I hope to start doing some once a month cooking in order to fill it up.

Also, DS and I have really upped the time we spend outdoors;particularly walking and hiking. DS has of course also increased his time on the swings too. I've been writing about this on my other blog: http://myhealthychangesjournal.blogspot.com/. DS and I have also been going to the pool. He loves to be in the water sling and has realized that it is fun to splash mama.

I've also been enjoying some other creative activities such as knitting and cross stitch. These occupy my time after DS has gone to bed in the evening. I am working on a hat and scarf set for myself for this winter. DH gave me a Mount Vernon pioneer farm cross stitch kit for our anniversary which I am working on too. I also hope to get a cute little winter hat made for DS once I finish my scarf. I am also trying to do some digital scrapbooking too with the hope of making a family album and one album just for DS. I think I can manage a few pages a week and print them as we go.

Designs are freebies at ScrapbookFlair Designer Collections www.ScrapbookFlair.com