Sewing on a Thursday Afternoon

Mama? I want to make something with my own hands.

Perfect for Skystorm the Panda.

Spring Day in the Woods

It was an absolutely perfect day for visiting the river, and running through the woods with a friend.

And, also telling pirate stories.

Finshed! (Except for Maybe Some Pockets)

I bit the bullet and bought a couple of extra skeins of Berocco Vintage Chunky to finish up the sweater for The Youngest.
If the dyelot was overly different I could have been okay with using it on the button bands, and I would just have used the contrast variegated yarn to finish the sleeves.
However, miraculously, the new dyelot was a pretty great match.
So, now I have some extra yarn and I thinpk the sweater wouldn't suffer from a couple of pockets.

It did turn out pretty cute, if I do say so.
I ran out to the fabric store and my friend Rebecca helped me choose the perfect buttons.

There are a couple of finishing touches that may or may not happen. 

Every butterfly needs antennae. I added some to the bottom row of butterflies, but I don't know if I have the stamina for the entire yoke. 

Then I also was thinking about adding pockets, because what self-respecting 3 going on 4 year old can go without pockets?

That's a project for tomorrow, though. 

Sleep well out there, I'm 'bout to hit the hay.

Well, blurgh

I got an itch last Friday to knit something. I took The Youngest to the zoo and grabbed a couple of balls of stash yarn and my copy of Knitting with Icelandic Wool as we ran out the door.
I purchased the purple for a sweater for The Eldest when she was 8 and so I figured I had enough for a sweater for The Youngest who is still (for another couple weeks , anyway) 3 years old. I chose a variegated yarn to knit the yoke, It's been thinking about making a sweater with multicolored yoke for a while and this seemed like a good time to try it out.
I chose this sweet sweater, and the knitting went really fast. By the end of the day I had most of the yoke finished.

So there I was cooking along and today I came to the realization that I must have lost a ball of the purple yarn during our move.

There's no way I am going to finish the second sleeve, let alone any neck or button bands.
I made a size bigger than she needs, since it's almost Spring here in the frozen North and a bulky cardi isn't going to get much use. So, now I have three options going forward.
1. Rip out the whole sweater and reknit it a little smaller and hope that I can eke out the button bands with what I gain in yardage.
2. Work the button bands and collar in the variegated yarn, of which I have plenty. I don't love this choice, there is so much color in the yoke I think it'd be overkill to make all of the borders so bright.
3. Look around for a matching color of the yarn (*update: which is Vintage Chunky [I think] I didn't keep a ball band because I'm a dope) and finish up what I started. This is the least likely to work, since I bought the yarn 4 years ago.
I guess the best thing is to go to bed and let this lie for the night.
What would you do?

A Trip to the Zoo and Some Silly Fun

I brought my kids and my new camera to the zoo yesterday, and I think I got a handle on how to work the camera.

The kids, however, will do as they please most of the time. Though they will stand, reluctantly, for the obligatory What's your Wingspan photo

In non-zoo-related news, I finished up my music blocks yesterday and they have brought me no end of joy. 

Look how easy it is to show an inverted chord!

Or a (giggle) blocked chord!

Also, you can flip over the blocks that are accidentals in the key and have an easy reminder when you're playing a piece!

I'm sure the fun will wear off eventually, but I am pretty jazzed about this new teaching tool.

I Blame the Internet

It's a day off from school, and what better opportunity could there be for whipping up a couple of projects from the internet. 

Over the past few days I found a couple of fun wood-working projects that even a near-novice woodworker like myself could tackle. 

First there was this super fun Yard Yahtzee set and then I saw an add for these amazing blocks for music teachers. 

Last night I went to the local big box hardware store and spent $12.53 on the wood needed for both projects. 

I fired up my trusty miter saw and sander and pretty soon I had enough cubes for all of my wood block needs.

After some math and exact-o work we had some templates and now just a little painting remains between us and a couple of fun games.

A Hat Fit for a Princess

Today was a relaxing kind of day, with not much on the agenda (save ignoring the laundry) but fun projects. 

I made some headway on a secret project for a loved one, and also remade (again) this princess hat.

The drape was from a previous incarnation of one of The Elder's favorite dress-up items. 

However, it was much too long for the new recipient, so I cut it down and now it's just right.

The Youngest has a friend coming over tomorrow, and I am sure that there will be some dressing up involved. I may whip up a second one for her so they can be matching princesses.

The photo gods were not with me today, perhaps I'll be able to find my mojo tomorrow.

She seems to like it, though, so that's all that matters.