Diaper Service Dilema

When I signed up for our 10 weeks of diaper service, I was assured that I would be provided everything I needed (except consumables, like wipe solution).  So last week, when the diapers were delivered, I was surprised at what I received.

The diapers themselves look great, no concern there.  They definitely look appropriately sized for a newborn ...

The diaper covers however, had me worried...

Please allow me to use dolly to demonstrate...

Dolly in her Cloth Diaper

Dolly in the Diaper Cover provided by the service

Dolly has a permenant smile, and isn't likely to complain, but mama is not smiling!

Seriously... How is my precious baby supposed to where that and be comfortable, or look cute, or whatever... how is a onesie supposed to fit over that?

Let me just point out, that this cover is in fact, newborn sized:

Maybe I'm using it wrong?

Surely the other diaper covers they provided were better than this? 

Nope...

So, what's a mama to do?  I have a few wool diaper covers, but mostly onesies for baby to wear when she turns up.  Wool soakers and onesies don't mix... the wool will wick moisture when it is compressed.

I immediately headed into the internet to find some sort of solution for this problem.

I found the Spindles to Sashes etsy site which included a pattern for a PUL diaper cover.

There is a great youtube video which shows how she makes the covers.  They seemed quick, easy and like a good way to deal with elastic, because that's something I've never really done before.  The video can be found here.

I was able to whip up 3 PUL / flannel diaper covers pretty quickly.  There are sizes XS to XL available, and I used the size S.  It turned out very comparable in size to the newborn cloth diapers:

Dolly and mama are a lot happier with this diaper cover!

I didn't have a snap press, so I have used sticky velcro to close the covers.  I only have the diaper service for 10 weeks before I switch to washing my own BumGenius diapers, so I'm hoping the sticky velcro will work that long. 

I stuck with white flannel knowing these covers would mostly be worn with patterned onesies.  I didn't want the diaper cover pattern to show through to the onesie.  Really though, you could have a lot of fun with this type of diaper cover.  The sky is the limit for patterns.  Even different types of fabric would be great.

I also knit up a tiny wool soaker, mostly for when she is just born and will be spending a lot of time in just a diaper:

I used the Vanilla Soaker pattern and modified it to look like the Milo Soaker, which is super cute on a tiny baby.  I might have to go back and add some ribbed legs to this soaker, but I also want to use in our newborn photoshoot, so it'll stay like this for now.

Dolly seems to like this soaker too:

Hopefully this will be the first and only cloth diaper dilema we face.  I really am committed to cloth diapering, but don't want it to be a big hassle either!

Nursery Bits

I'm 39 weeks along now, and baby should be here any day now (I hope!).  Our cloth diapers (from a diaper service) arrived on Friday along with our birthing tub and the nursery glider.  So officially, we are about as ready as we ever can be.

I am getting excited, but also nervous, about what having her here will be like.  I know deep in my soul that I will love her immediately and that the changes she will bring will be good for both me and my husband, but it's still a little strange to think of how suddenly everything will change.

I worry about things like our dogs, who we love deeply and who are already pulling away from me (why doesn't my puppy want to snuggle with me anymore?).

Anyway, I have a few scattered photos of the nursery, but none that show the whole room yet.  I'll work on that today.

Here is the mobile, featuring knit fruit I happened to have kicking around.  My friend Kimberly made one of the strawberries and the grapes a while back.  All the patterns are available through ravelry (except the grapes which are from Itty Bitty Toys).















Diaper Caddy with all the essentials.  The basket is from Michaels and is traditionally used for scrapbook supplies.  I love all the pockets.  This caddy will move around the house with me and baby, so I always have what I need to change her.

Floating shelves from IKEA with mostly decorative stuff for now.

Cloth diaper stash of BumGenius Diapers.  We won't be using these until week 11 or so, since we have a diaper service for weeks 1-10.  I got these gently used and they are in great shape. 

Homemade Crib Sheets using this pattern.  This pattern makes a casing for the elastic, so you don't need to worry about sewing the actual elastic.  It was super easy.

Slowing Down...

I am 36 weeks now and quickly approaching full term.  I am one tired mama! 

I try to keep up with my husband, but it's just not possible anymore.  At least things on the home front are much more settled these days and our renovations are pretty much complete.

I have been cleaning and organizing and preparing for baby, but if she were to turn up today, we'd be okay (except for diapers, we don't get our diaper service diapers until July 4th, but it is unlikely she will turn up this early, after all). 

This weekend we installed the carseat and I pulled together most of what we will need for our homebirth.  We're waiting on a birthtub, which I won't get until early July, but again, it's pretty unlikely that I will go earlier than that.

I am still knitting, although slowly these days.  It's more about the process than churning things out.  I have to admit, it's nice to slow down. 

I recently finished this dolly, for an informal knitalong with the Itty Bitty Knits group on Ravelry.

The pattern is from Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson.  I am currently working on her little dress.  I think she will be the perfect companion for baby (eventually).

Here is what my craft studio is looking like these days.

Last week I made 2 fitted crib sheets.  I'll share those soon.  This week I need to make some wet bags.  I've decided to use this pattern from Little Birdie Secrets.

I should also share some updated photos of the nursery.  I'll do that soon too, I promise!

Oodles of Knit Hats...

One of my biggest knit cravings throughout this pregnancy has been hats.  This baby is going to have a rediculous number of hats.

Logically, I know knitting a million hats is a little silly, but I haven't really been able to help myself.  They are quick and cute and well, impossible to resist!

Here's what I've finished up lately:

Rainbow Marley.
Pattern by Susan B. Anderson from Itty Bitty Hats.  Knit with Spud & Chloe
Ravelry page here.

Bunny Tail.
Pattern by Susan B. Anderson from Itty Bitty Hats.  Knit with Spud & Chloe
Ravelry page here.  I sized this one for baby to wear next Easter.

Upside Down Daisy.
Pattern by Susan B. Anderson from Itty Bitty Hats.  Knit with Spud & Chloe
Ravelry page here.  This hat is super tiny.  Baby will likely wear this one right away.

Strawberry Hat using the Upside Down Daisy pattern by Susan B. Anderson from Itty Bitty Hats. 
Knit with Berroco Vintage
Ravelry page here.

Sun Hat
Pattern by Kristi Pyatt (Free on Ravelry). 
Knit with Patons Bamboo Baby.
Ravelry page here.

Pretty in Pink Prop hat
Pattern based on  Uptown Babe by Rae Lynne Chase (Free on Ravelry).
Knit with Malabrigo Worsted (white) and Universal Yarn Tides (pink).
Ravelry page here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strawberries and Chocolate Cocoon

Using the Photography Cocoon with Matching Hat pattern by Cara Einwechter ($4.00)

Knit with Berroco Vintage (Chocolate, Butter Cream and Emerald) and Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Superwash (Pale Pink).

Ravelry page here.

 

 

 

 

Not a Brown Bag...

I finished this project up for a while, but for whatever reason, never got around to sharing it on the blog.

Ever since I have been pregnant, I have been a big snacker.  I've always been a big snacker really, but now that I am pregnant, when I need to eat, I need to eat.  I got tired of carrying around all these snacks, usually things like fruit bars, granola bars, apple sauce, juice boxes, dried fruit and nuts.  I have enough clunking around in my purse without adding all that extra stuff. 

I have been getting yarn as part of the Pancake and Lulu Yarn Club all year (my membership is sadly about to run out) and I wanted a great way to be able to showcase a lot of the colours, and use up a lot of bits I had left from other projects.  This yarn is 100% Merino, and is Organic too.  It is super yummy and Amy has kept me looking forward to my yarn all year long.

I decided to make myself a snack bag, using the popular Brown Bag pattern from Knitty a few years ago.

This ended up being a much bigger project than I'd imagined.  The bag is felted, so you knit it big and then shrink it.  It turned out to be a lot of knitting and a lot of ends to sew in.  It was also a really great stash buster.

I made my bag slighly larger than the pattern, casting on 35 instead of the recommended 25.  The finished bag is sizable, but it's something I'm sure I will continue to use for a long time.  Did you know that wool has great insulating properties?  Always a bonus when storing food!

My project page is here.

Busy Bee...

I haven't been updating the blog much lately, but I have been so busy behind the scenes.

The painting continues, but I have secured my husband as a painting partner for the weekend, so I'm hoping we can get to priming the library as I finish up that darn trim.  I know it will only take me a few hours to finish up the trim in the craft studio, yet I haven't managed to get it done yet. I would like to blame my current size for the slowness.  I have no work clothes that I can wear anymore.  I'm not really sture what I will do now that gardening season is upon us....

I have been doing some knitting lately, and a lot more sewing.  I have a whole slew of baby sweaters that I have yet to share on the blog, so without further ado, here we go:

I finally got around to finishing my Blue Stripes Sweater.  It was sitting around for a long while, just waiting for me to finish one arm.  I went off of this project because I didn't like the way it was knitting up in terms of its proportions.  The arms seem too narrow, as does the neck.  I'm not sure I will be able to get a big baby head in there at all!  Ah well, we'll see I guess.  It does look a lot better now that it has been blocked.

I am in love with my Malabrigo Mossy .  It knit up really quickly and is super cute.  I want to make another one in a cardigan version.  This is from the pattern Mossy by Jolene Lye.  It's free.  You should check it out!

I also adore how this Butterfly Baby Sweater turned out.  It is made from Patons Bamboo Baby.  I got a lot of this at a factory sale last year, and this is the first project I have used it for.  It's super squishy and light.  It really has a cotton feel to it, but it's not cotton, which is great, because cotton really hurts my hands.

The pattern was quick and easy but is only available in newborn size.  I'd love to see bigger sizes!  It's free too.

I love the yarn I used in my Violet Sophisticate but I wish the sweater had turned out a little longer.  I blocked it pretty heavily to get it this long, and it still looks a little short to me.  I used way less than the 255 yards suggested in the pattern.  I sort of hate it when that happens.  I ordered enough yarn based on the pattern, and it was way too much.  I know I can make a hat or something, but I patterns had more accurate yarn amounts.  Maybe I could have used stash yarn for this project?

Finally, is my That's Just Plummy Sweater, using the Snug Pattern (also free).  I added a zip, because I'm crazy like that.  This pattern was really unique to knit.  It kept me guessing, that's for sure.  Again, I wish it were longer.  I think this one still needs a good block too.

That was a bit of sweater overload for me.  So I've been working on some other stuff lately.  I do need to make some larger sizes if baby is going to be outfitted all year long though!

Second Trimester Pregnancy Journal: Week 21

My baby girl knitting yarn has arrived!

As soon as we found out we were having a baby girl, I made a large(ish) order from WEBs to make a whole bunch of girly sweaters and assessories.  I was fully expecting to have to pay duty, since the order was over the $70 they usually let slip by, but lucky me, no duty!

Here are some of my spoils:

I am going to use this Nashua Creative Focus Superwash for a Hello Baby Cardigan.  I actually got a bunch of colours of this yarn, since it was on sale for $5.00 a ball and is superwash (good yardage too).  I haven't used it before, but the colours are nice and it feels soft enough.

This Nature Wool Chunky by Araucania knit up wonderfully into a Baby Sophisticate sweater. I love the colour variation in each skein (be sure to knit from both skeins since they do not have dye lots!)  My project page is here although it still needs to be updated.  I wished that the button hole row was more clearly labelled in the pattern, it didn't end up working out for me at all, and although I added extra length, my sweater ended up quite short.  I am blocking it to be longer right now, so hopefully it'll be okay.  Of course, I didn't really pay attention to gauge, so the problems are probably my fault.  Also, the pattern recommends 255 yards, and I had 260 yards available yet I have a tonne of this left over somehow...  Watch for photos of the finished object soon!

Next up I am going to make Snug with this Cascade Eco +

I am hoping I will have enough left over for a Quinny hat for me although goodness knows I don't need it!

I have a whopping 14 baby sweaters worth of yarn to work through over the next little while.  I have recently finished 4 sweaters though, so I am well on my way.  I will be posting lots of finished objects in the near future.  Some are just waiting for buttons and such.

Swedish Fishy Leg Warmers

I recently finished another pair of baby leg warmers.  This pair was based on the Spilly Jane Swedish Fish pattern.  I used her fish chart and made up a pair of leg warmers!  The whole time I was knitting these I kept have cravings for the real Swedish Fish candies.  We bought a lot of Swedish fish during that time, and I kind of want more just thinking abou them.  Pregnancy makes me highly suggestable!

Here is my project page. 

Here are the finished leg warmers:

I used KnitPicks Palette for the project, and the only colour I don't love is the yellow.  It just doesn't pop quite enough on the background I chose.  Oh well!  I might do a hat in this same pattern eventually.... Once I get through the 14 sweaters I have in my queue.  haha

Lots of Leg Warmers

I have finally finished up the three pairs of leg warmers I have been working on.

I'm only ready to share two pairs with you now though.

I have this friend.  She is expecting twins soon.  A boy and a girl! 

I am slowly putting together a small package with a few fun things to welcome her babies.

These leg warmers use the free Baby Legs pattern and worked up super cute.  I didn't make the boy version quite as flaired as I think the flaired ones are quite feminine.

I used all Berroco Vintage from my stash.  It is still my favourite baby yarn and I fell in love with it all over again on this project.  I love how every colour ends up looking great with the next.

Malabrigo Sweaters

I've gotten hopelessly behind on blogging about my knitting. 

Here is a quick recap of some sweaters I have finished lately (all using Malabrigo Worsted).

Malabrigo Cardigan from Cascade by Raya Budrevich.  This is a free pattern from

Petite Purls, Issue 7 Winter 2010.  I didn't have enough brown, so I used green for the leaf trim.  I've included my mods on my project page, so be sure to check that out if you want to do a two colour version.

 

I haven't added the buttons to the sweater yet, nor have I blocked it.  It still looks pretty good I think though!

 

 

My baby Kimono uses a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn:  Nature Baby Kimono.
This turned out very cute, although a little bigger than I expected.  I've been knitting shortened arms on these sweaters since I'm pretty sure our baby will have very long limbs and I will never be able to knit the sleeves long enough anyways.  I think this sweater will look very cute layered with a long sleeve shirt underneith.
 
This sweater used less than a skein of Malabrigo Worsted in Pigeon.  I used Emerald to crochet chain stitch the trim.
 

 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finally, I have one more sweater in progress.  I haven't worked on it for a while, because I'm pretty sure the neck is going to be way to small and the arms have been doing wonky things.  Also, the styling is a little feminine, but the colours are not.  I'm not sure what to do with this little sweater.  I'm sure I will finish it eventually.
 
Blue Stripes from the free pattern Organic Guernsey by Fawn Pea.  I'm sure it's not the pattern that is wonky.  It was definitely, probably, my knitting.  I modified the styling quite a bit and I'm afraid I may have ruined the sweater!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I went a little Malabrigo crazy a few weeks ago.  I know it pills, etc. but it just feels so good when I am knitting it.  I will have to find a good use for all this Malabrigo over the coming months.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Applewood (brown)
Pigeon (grey)
Moss (green - hiding)
Emerald (turquoise)
Indigo (navy)

New knits...

I am starting to get my knitting mojo back.  Thank goodness!  It made me incredibly sad when I just didn't feel like knitting.  That is so unlike me.

I have been addicted to Malabrigo Worsted these days.  It is just so cushy and soft, I can't wait to put it on the baby.  I don't care that it's handwash only, and that it will pill.  I've made mostly newborn size stuff, so I know it won't get worn for long before it is outgrown.

I am getting into knitting shorties and longies to cover our cloth diaper baby. I feel like I will need so many of of these for the diapering period. 

I decided to use up a bunch of little bits of malabrigo for a pair of shorties.  Our baby will be born in the heat of July and will need to keep cool.  I love the way these turned out.  I am very into the folded over waistband and ankles.  I think they make the shorties look very polished.

I love how all my scraps have become something great.  The colours just flowed together.  I know they are a little boyish, but oh well. 

Project page here

Merry Christmas from Ivy!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season!

Ravelry Project Page here

Whose a Mama? Monster

I started knitting this monster a few weeks after I found out I was pregnant.  I love that she is a mama, and a baby carrying mama at that.  I can't wait to be a baby carrying mama.  It would be very convenient to have a built in pouch to carry around the baby (like a kangaroo).  I think I'll have to find myself a good carrier instead.

Anyways, the pattern is  Daphne and Delilah the Momma and Baby Monster by Rebecca Danger and I knit it using Spud & Chloe in Rootbeer and Grass.  It was a quick project, but took a long time for me to get around to photographing it.

I had had trouble with the mouths on my previous monsters Ivy and Ludwig so for this set I wanted to look for another option (last time I used fabric glue, it was messy and didn't work that well, especially on Ivy, who has a small mouth).  This time I found some doublesided fabric tape and used it to stick the felt mouth onto the monsters.  You set the tape by throwing the monsters into the dryer for a few minutes.  It seemed to work fine.  The doublestick tape also created a little bit of stability for the felt, which can be hard to work with if you are making a small mouth.  It tends to pull apart.

I'm really happy with how the pair turned out.

For the rest of this week and next, I am going to have a series of posts talking about my experiences with TTC (trying to conceive).  I will probably mix a few knitting posts in there too, but I think the whole TTC experience is a very important part of having a baby and I'd like to share my experience with all of you.  There are a lot of ups and downs, and I consider our experience fairly short (thank goodness).  The whole series is probably PG13, due to the nature of the discussion topic.  I'll be sure to put a bit of a disclaimer with each post.

Despicable Me

I'm posting this post for a few reasons.  First, it is despicable (of) me to not post on the blog for over a week.  Seriously. Unacceptable.  I swear I'll do better.

Second, we watched this movie over the weekend, and like any normal person (ya right...), it took me all of a millisecond before I noticed the knits throughout the movie.  Okay, there aren't that many, but enough.

Here is the main character Gru and his scarf.  He's a villian, or trying to be:

Do you like Gru's scarf?  I sure do!  Interested in knitting one of your own? Well, you can.  Check out Brigette Pini's pattern available for sale on Ravelry.  It's a mere $2.00.  Good deal.

Here is Edith.  This cutie loves knitwear too!

Brigette has also pattern for Edith's sweater.  It's super cute and cartoon-y.  A bit pricier at $5.00, but if your kids loved this movie, it'd probably be worth it.

I think I saw somewhere that Brigett is working on doing up a hat pattern for Edith's hat too.  There is already one available through Hilary Hunt.  It's called the Edith Hat and costs $1.99.

Do you fancy some Minions to call your own?  There is a free pattern for Minions available here.

What exactly is a Minion?  Who knows, but they sure are cute!  In the movie they help Gru with all his villian work.  I might have to make one of these for my husband for Christmas.  He definitely needs some Minions to help him get his work done!

I hope this post brings a smile to your day and makes me a little less despicable.

The movie was adorable, well worth watching, kid, adult and knit friendly.

A tale of four hats...

Earflap hats are hard!  I had two friends ask for some specific hats a while back.  I thought, no problem, that should be easy.  I hadn't seen their daughters in a long time, they had grown a lot and it's hard to make a hat when you can't see a kids head.  I'm used to making hats for little Mary, apparently she has a small head, apparently I do too.

The first hat I made was this penguin hat.  I used the Cozy Pattern by Alison Williams.  It was the first time I had used the pattern and I had no idea it would run small.  This hat fit Mary fine, but didn't fit the intended recipient.  Darn.  Back to the knitting needles.

I'll admit that the next version I made was not as nice.  I rarely ever knit the same pattern twice, I get bored, what can I sawy.  Also, there is a lot of little pieces for this hat, which makes it pretty fiddley (is that a word?).

The second time around I made the hat using Susan B. Anderson's Inca Snowflake pattern.  I obviously did not make the long pointed version, I just kept decreasing after her first set of decreases.  This hat was huge, it fit me, surely it would fit a one year old!  Thank goodness it did.  I did not want to make another hat like this!

In the meantime, I had made a Big flower hat for another friends daughter.  I CO 80 stitches using the Inca Snowflake pattern again.  The hat fit me before I sent it out, but it did not fit the 1 year old.  Gah... I made the next one really big (CO 90).  I also made one side longer than the other by picking up stitches across the front.  Apparently the bigger size is too big, but the normal size fits fine.

Original hat



Bigger Version, the larger side of the hat is on the right














I have no idea what I am going to do with the hats that didn't fit.  I don't have any real need to keep them, I suppose I will save them for gifts or donate them to a charity.

These hats really messed with my knitting mojo.  I really, truly, struggled with finishing the second versions.  As a result, I have decided not to knit anything for anyone any more, at least not for a while.  I have one baby gift I am doing before Christmas, because I want to.  I am not doing any Christmas gift knitting this year.

At least I am reminded that knitting, above all, has taught me patience.  I have become very good at seeing things through, even if I don't want to.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and blog readers!  I hope all your knitting projects fit perfectly!