a tale of a knitted Christmas garland

It all began with a Not Martha post. She described a white knitted garland for a Christmas tree. (Don't ask me to find the specific post; I've tried and cannot find it.) So in November 2006, I bought the yarn. Lion Brand Festive Fur in White. It sparkles and is fuzzy. Perfect. And then it languished in my yarn box for months. Until it was resurrected for a road trip in June 2007. During the 14 hours in the car, I finished the garland using two balls of Festive Fur.

It was fabulous and looked just like garland. I couldn't wait to put it on the Christmas tree. Fast forward in December 2007--the garland is too short. It wraps around the tree only three times.

So back to the store for more yarn. This time around, I didn't wait months to finish the project. With another two balls of yarn and car trips to Kansas City and Kennett, I was able to finish this in a month. But it was still too late to add it to the tree this year.

(But I did add it to the tree before we disassembled it so I have an idea of the placement.) At least next year it will be perfect. Details can be found on Ravelry.

Save Handmade

Some of you might recognize a new button to the right, Save Handmade. It is in response to the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act, a law which goes into effect in two months and will absolutely decimate the small toy manufacturers, independent artisans, and crafters who have already earned the public trust. My husband first alerted me to this yesterday by way of this blog post: http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/smartspending/archive/2009/01/06/thrift-stores-may-stop-selling-children-s-clothing.aspx

Cool Mom Picks has an informational page about the cause, which I urge you to visit to find out more.

The law would basically require every children's product be tested for lead and phthalates before it can be sold. We're all for strengthening the safety standards of mass-produced toys, clothes, and accessories made in China, and banning toxins like phthalates and lead.
But requiring manufacturers and secondhand stores to invest tens of thousands of dollars into third-party testing and labeling, just to prove that toys that never had a single toxic chemical in them still don't have a single toxic chemical in them, seems a bit much. (From Cool Mom Picks)

Essentially, I don't like the idea of thift stores not having children's items anymore, since that is where I get a majority of my children's wardrobes. So if you are inclined, click on the Cool Mom Picks link, find your senator and congressperson, and shoot them a quick email.

K

Crafting as of late

I haven't read a single book since finishing The Rest of Her Life. I tried reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, but I knew I didn't want to waste my time reading a million pages about how kids so picked on this one student that he lashed out in a school shooting. Just too much.

So instead of reading being my stress relief, I have returned to the yarn. I've completed several projects and keep buying the yarn for more!

First, I greatly expanded my knitting skills by making my first knitted garment, a baby bolero from OneSkein. I totally messed up the edging, so the fronts do not match. It's so wonky I can't even give it as a gift. Oh well, it was good practice.

Next, I finished a baby blanket for the newest Baby Riley two and a half years after buying the yarn with the intention of making it for her older brother. I really like how this turned out. A couple of days ago, I finished a crocheted cardigan for Baby Brooklyn. It is a 3-6 month size (the only size the pattern was written in), so I hope it still fits! Even though it took me many tries to get the neckline right, I liked this pattern and would totally make it again.

And now I'm working on a cardigan for Addie. It's going to be light blue and edged in a contrast color (but I don't know which one yet). I'm crocheting it with alpaca yarn and it is so soft!

Even though it seems like most people prefer knitting, I feel like crochet comes so much more naturally to me. I can do both, but I guess I just have more confidence in my crochet skills. Next in the lineup is a knitted toddler dress for Addie in some pink alpaca yarn. I'm getting the right sized needles today after work, so I hope to cast on tonight.

K

my new favorite thing

I love the website Ravelry. I finally got my invite yesterday after probably 2-3 weeks on the waiting list. It's so fantastic, it makes me wonder why I didn't think of it first! My favorite parts are how you can post the projects you are working on, including the yarn you used and hook/needle size. The pattern and yarn fields are searchable, so I can search for a pattern I am interested in and find others who have already completed the project with a different yarn or color. This morning I just searched by yarn and found all the projects I hadn't considered when starting my latest project using Red Heart Baby Clouds. This is a dream come true for knitters and crocheters! I encourage everyone to sign up for it, and if you are already a member, my username is kewillia.

K

current projects

In a flurry of inspiration from my sister-in-law as she decorates her impending arrival's nursery, I have launched several projects for Addison's room. Since we didn't know if Addison was going to be a girl or a boy, I didn't decorate her room or hang things on the walls. We painted the walls butter yellow and the trim white and hung up all the bedding accessories, but beyond that, her room is devoid of decoration. It's about time to remedy that with the following projects.

--ribbon bulletin board--multicolored dots sprinkled on a blue background with purple ribbon--I bought purple ribbon at Michaels without the fabric in hand and thought the purples would match and they totally don't.
--embellished letters--I am covering A-D-D-I-E with scrapbook papers, sanding the edges for a rough finish. I've seen a multitude of ideas online which go one step further and add 3-D details on the letters, but since I chose five different papers for the letters, I can't decide if I need a unifying element besides the paper colors. People have been using scrapbooking flowers, beads, sequins, buttons and ribbon. Making Memories added their enamel letters to embellish just one initial which looked really good. I could definitely add some ribbon, but it would come down to finding the right color. Michaels does have a good selection, but I couldn't find exactly what I needed. Maybe Joann's?
--square box shelves--At Hobby Lobby, they have decorated the typical cube shelves by painting the edge facing out and adding a design on the sides of the cubes. I want to make something that isn't so girly but that coordinates with the bedding. Definitely green on the edge and maybe something simple like dots or circles on the sides.
--I also bought three picture frames to hang on her walls. One is a wall hanging with a picture frame in the middle, another is a predecorated shadowbox. At Target, I found Making Memories preembellished mats that you use in any picture frame. The colors are a little muted, so I don't know if I will end up using it in her room, but I'm sure I can find another place for it.

Other exciting crafting news:
--I finally found a copy of Ribbonrie! I've been looking for this book everywhere. Usually I try to ILL a copy before I buy it but no libraries had it and I couldn't even buy it through Baker and Taylor. I found it on sale at Archivers and I love it!!
--At Walmart and Joann's, I found fabric that was smocked at the top that you just throw a seam and a hem into and you have yourself a top or dress! I bought some of this in a great pink and green paisley design with the intention of making Addison and I matching clothes for tonight's Mother/Daughter banquet at church--Addie would get a dress and I would wear a top. But they won't be complete in time since I haven't even taken the machine out of the box, which leads me to the next item...
--I got a sewing machine for my birthday/Mother's Day! A researched and picked it out all by himself! The only free time I seem to have lately is at night after Addison has gone to sleep, and I can't really start practicing then since the machine is so loud, I'm afraid it will wake her up. But very soon, I will be cracking that thing open! I'm so excited to have this tool in my repertoire now! I went through my fabric box and found all sorts of goodies (several of them paisley, surprise, surprise) that I cannot wait to sew into some fabulous skirts. I've been waiting and waiting for this day and I'm so excited!

K

finding inspiration

My darling baby is just so darn cute that I've been inspired to knit her something to wear. Of course by the time I finish it, spring will probably have come so I shouldn't start a cold weather item. I've been combing all the knitting books at the library trying to find something simple to start with (since I've never knitted anything more complicated that a scarf). There are some promising things on Knitty, so I should be able to decide on something soon. Then there are just decisions about the yarn and the color...

K