Congratulations Amy H.!

You've got an email, and I'm looking forward to knitting for your little bean!

Newborn Slot Lotto will close at noon PST

:)

I forgot to state a time, and since we'll be heading out for the afternoon I want to close it in time to announce the winner. :)

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas tomorrow! We're headed to my ILs this afternoon (weather permitting) and then tomorrow we'll be celebrating the day as a family. Enjoy your celebrations as well!!

Silly Stripes™ Custom Slots for January

Because I'm going to be working with a new yarn base with a different gauge, I will need to rewrite all of my patterns. In order to do this, I need to knit at least one of each size soon. So, I'm going to work my customs this month around this. :) I'll be doing the very first pair in a newborn size. Now, this slot will have to be a semi custom, because I want to do my standard newborn hip (15") and rise (14")...so no changing those...but I can do your inseam as desired.

I will be offering this newborn slot as a lottery. To enter, please email me at littlebearknitwear@comcast.net. Please put "Newborn Custom" in your email subject. I will accept emails for this until Wednesday at which time I will use a random # generator to choose the lotto winner. As soon as you are contacted, I'd love for you to have chosen your four colors from my new yarns so I can start on then as soon as possible.

As soon as the newborn pair is knit up, I'll do another lottery for the next size I want to work up. So...stay tuned!

:)

New Yarns for Silly Stripes™ Custom Longies

I have decided to switch to Cestari Fine Merino for custom Silly Stripes™ woolies. Cestari is known for it's squishy soft, cottony feel and it's well wearing strength. I am happy to have made this switch to support a small US farm. Now, Silly Stripes™ are 100% made in the USA!

Here are the new colors!

Row One : Zinnia, Mountain Laurel, Lemongrass, Goldenrod
Row Two : Country Lavender, Babies Breath, Spruce Blue, Hummingbird Vine
Row Three : Dahlia Red, Moss, Bluet, Thistle Pod
Row Four : Tiger Lily, Pussy Willow, Spring Pasture, Peony Pink

Black is also available, but not shown.

**NEWLY ADDED** Iron Weed (a deep purple) & Wheat (a darker natural)

Silly Stripes™ Sizing, Pricing & Other Info

	Newborn	Small	Meduim	Large	X-Large
Rise	14”	15”	17”	19”	20”
Hip	15”	17”	19”	21”	22”
Inseam	6”	8”	9”	11”	13”

These sizes are updates to my former size chart.

Longies/Skirty Pricing Using Cestari Fine Merino
Newborn ~ $55
Small ~ $65
Medium ~ $75
Large ~ $85
X-Large ~ $95
ruffle cuffs ~ +$5
extra inseam ~ +$5/inch
pricing is based on largest measurement (hip & rise)

Manpris/Capris Pricing Using Cestari Fine Merino
Newborn ~ $48
Small ~ $58
Medium ~ $68
Large ~ $78
X-Large ~ $88
ruffle cuffs ~ +5
pricing is based on largest measurement (hip & rise)

Your Silly Stripes will be knit using four colors. Two "main colors" and two "secondary colors". Winning a custom slot will entitle you to one pair of woolies. I will only knit additional pairs in one slot in the case of twins, or triplets (or higher order multiples) however, the increased # of pairs of woolies will add to my completion time. Thanks so much!

A *Good* Yarn Day!

I just got a *big* box of yarn!! Look for an announcement in the next day or two! Lots of pictures to take!!

A scary future for all WAHP businesses....

I'm sure many of you are aware of the new regulations going into effect this February. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) is trying to improve the quality of good available to all American's age 12 and under. It is a noble idea, and should certainly be enforced against imported goods from countries know to have "less than safe" products. However, it currently will be enforced unilaterally against all products markeded to children 12 and under. This will dramatically effect the wares available from small American companies. As it is currently written, Little Bear Knitwear, and many, many other small WAHP businesses will be closing up shop. The fines are astrinomical. (If fined, I'd lose my house trying to pay the fine.)
Anyway, there are oodles of sites to read more about this...certianly more eloquently stated than I am here.

I was directed to this site this morning. http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476 In under one minute, you can email your state elected officials urging them to help to revise this act. It does not ask that the whole act be repealed...certainly I'd love to see stricter regulations against many MIC products. It does ask for the safety process to be ammended to allow wahp to make safe products. You also have the option to print out the letter and snail mail it to your officials' offices. It is quick and easy...you don't even need to know the name or address of your officals. The site will do it for you.

I appreciate you thinking about this....it is scary to all of us wahms....and consumers are afraid too...if it stays as currently written, it will change the way we shop for our children. :(

I would like your input please :)

I am going to be making some changes at Little Bear Knitwear in the new year. One of the things I'm working on is a yarn base change. I have been frustrated by the delivery times of the yarn I'm currently working with, and to change yarns I will need to make a *massive* purchase of the colors I intend to offer. However, by doing this, I will have the yarns I need on hand and I will not have to wait for yarns to be delivered. (Trust me...this has been a HUGE headache....this change is good! ) I think you'll be happy with the new yarns as well. :)

So...here's the help I am requesting. What four colors would make up perfect Silly Stripes™ in your mind? I'll be limiting my offerings to probably 16 colors...but as you've seen...just adjusting the order of the same four colors can make a marked difference, so I think it will work wonderfully. But, which colors are "must haves" in your opinion? I'll be ordering this yarn this week...so please comment as soon as you can. Thanks so much!!!

Huge smiles...and I'll be trying to post more often...I'm not sure where November went...

Karma

I've had an amazing month when it comes to good fortune and selfless giving...and it's only the 15th! So, rather than try to keep this contest to myself, I must share it with you all! Karma is an amazing energy!

My friend Christina of Bamboletta dolls is running a blog contest. You can read all about it here. Christina's dolls are amazing...we are the proud owners of two. Every boy and girl should have one - momma's too! My next purchase will be for me. :)

Also...I have been an absentee blogger recently. I've taken pictures, though of things to write...and not done any of it. We have been especially busy...but I'll be taking the time for an update soon. I'm probably going to be laying low on customs for the month of December, then have a few things in mind for January. I'll keep you all posted!

Smiles~Monica

Baby Elephants and Sushi?

So...sometimes inspiration comes in silly forms. ;)

First are two new baby sized woolies inspired by elephants-Ella and Elliot to be specific. These make me wish I were pregnant with boy~girl twins. These sweet woolies will be available at Sympatico tomorrow...though, I honestly have considered adding them to my hope chest....just in case. Don't tell my husband. ;)

Then the Sushi....yum...these woolies are for a really sweet momma and her adorable little girl. We worked really hard to find just the right combination...pink ginger, sage wasabi, fluffy white rice and using a bit of artistic license, black for the nori. Um....yeah, I'm feeling a tad hungry right now. :)

Drumroll please! ;)

And the winner is.....Comment # 14! Left by my dear friend Andrea!! This should help to keep you warm in your new state! I'll be in contact with you to pick your brain about colors. :)
Thank you to everyone who left a comment....I really appreciate all of you!

Ok...so unless you have "super spy eyes" there is no way you can read that! lol...but if you click it to open, you'll see that I got a random # between 1 and 29...and 14 it is! :)

It's going to be a Zoo at Sympatico!

Here's just a sneak peek of one of the goodies I have in store for you. :)

Inspired by the Ella Elephant fabric, it will be darling with many of your new baby's tops.
I hope to have a pair inspired by Elliot too. :)

A Special Knit~And a Giveaway

I woke up yesterday morning feeling *off*. I've felt that way every September 11th since 2001. What a horrible, life changing day. I did not personally lose anyone in those planes or towers...but many of my friends did. Much has changed in my life since that fateful morning....but that feeling of shock and dismay that I felt on September 11th remains in my memory.

So, as I began my knitting work yesterday, my heart just was not in it. I wanted to do something for my children...something lasting for them. I have had a gorgeous single ply from Selah in my stash for a long time. Prayer Flags just seemed like the right thing to knit...so I went off to Ravelry to find the right quick knit.

I found a pattern for a lovely little lace cowl...I knew that I could knit it up quickly, and it would keep Emma cozy, warm and wrapped in a little love this fall and winter. Out came my needles, and I knit while Emma and Bear played around me. It was really quite nice. Here's the completed cowl...which is now called a neck warmer, as Emma thought I was calling it a "cow". ;)

Because I enjoyed this knit so much, and because I believe that we could all use a little hug, I'd like to knit one up as a gift to one of you. It won't be in this colorway, and may be a solid color of my choice, but it will be this pretty little lace cowl. I can do a child size as pictured, or an adult size. All you need to do it leave a comment with a positive thought about anything at all. What a lovely day you have today, how plentiful your garden is, or just how nice it is to be loved....any little positive thought at all. I will use a random number generator to select the winner on September 20th. Please make sure I have a way to contact you. :)

Community and Sharing

There are many reasons why I love being a work at home mom.

I have the priveledge of raising my two children. I am with them when they are happy and engaged in play and learning. I am with them when they test their boundaries and try all sorts of new things. I am their teacher - their nurse - their cook - and best of all their mommy.

I enjoy working for other moms and dads. I have the pleasure of getting to know lots of these parents fairly well. Some have gone on to become friends with whom I stay in very frequent contact. Getting to know about the little one that I am knitting for is joyful. Seeing their pictures in the woolies I hand knit is even better!

I love being a part of a larger community of wahms. I've shared ideas and "best practices" with these other work at home moms. I've shared struggles such as organization and time management. I also shop from many of these other wahms...and therefore provide for my children while helping another mom be home with her children...it is an *awesome* circle.

Being a part of this larger community has provided me with two friends who have shared with me some little "tricks of the trade" that I've not used before. So, I'd like to say thank you to Lindsey of Cake. for sharing her idea to do both legs of my woolies at one time using two 12" circular needles. Why didn't I think of this? I love having both legs work up at one time without magic looping. This is just such a fun trick. :) I also want to thank Kim of Western Sky Knits for suggesting I try a crochet bind off. Another simple tweak to my process and I love it! It is so much quicker than using a traditional bind off for stockinette work.

Two simple tweaks...two members of a larger community who are willing to share. What a lovely way to work. :)

One of my custom Silly Stripes is making me hungry!!!

Here is a hint...be on the lookout for pictures off these delicious longies in the next few days! :)

A WIP I'd like to keep for Bear!

I am loving this color combination. As a mater of fact, I have a very similar collection of yarns selected for bear for a very special set of shirts that are being custom made for him. ;) lol

I took a quick shot of this pair to share with a customer, so I thought I'd share here too...I won't tell you all about them yet, but this pair will be part of a special collaboration later this month! :)

A custom heading home tomorrow!

This sweet little set is headed to its new home tomorrow! The baby who will be wearing it is still growing and is not due to be born for several more weeks...so it will be a little longer until we see action shots. I'll be excited to see them though! :D

The first picture here is the truest showing of these colors. They are really quite fun in real life! I am having a terrible time getting good pictures now that our days are often rainy and overcast in the PNW. Any suggestions, dear readers?

HABA Recall

Well, this post is just as a mom...I figure some of you may have these HABA toys...so I wanted to show you the link so you could make an informed decision regarding your child's toys. The recall was released today.
HABA RECALL

Headed to the Kite Festival!!

We are leaving for our beach vacation a day earlier than planned originally! :) Yippeee!
I'm gathering my yarns, and I'll be working on customs. If you are trying to reach me....I will not have access to the internet...or it will be extremely limited. My laptop is staying home. I'll return all emails and PMs on Monday!
Have a great weekend!

Did you know Purple and Green were meant to be together?

I don't think it is as common a combination as it should be. I adore these colors together!

When this momma requested that *I* choose purple and green colors that worked well together, I was so excited to play in my yarn stash. I originally was thinking a different darker green to compliment the sage, but when the bottle green rolled over, it was serendipity. I loved it from the very first moment...even as just single strands of colored yarn.

Now, this picture needs to be retaken...we're having a lack of sun in the PNW...but I had to share them with their new owner...so for now, it works. ;)

Would you like to hear the sad fate of the little hat for this set? It was nearly complete, when Bear decided to put it on his enormous noggin. Oops. Stitches were coming apart everywhere. The ends had not yet been woven in, and I was not pleased with how they were tightening up after such a big stretch. So....that hat will become a felted ball at some point, and a new one will be cast on this weekend. ;) Bet that never happened in a factory! I love being a WAHM....not everyone could say production was halted by a 19 month old curious boy.

WIP for Bear

So...I made a deal with myself. Once a week I go stitch and b!tch at my LYS. It is really a fantastic yarn store...she has the *hands down* best espresso in town. So...I go to stitch and chat and have a really good coffee. This is my *me* knitting time. :)

I've been working on these longies for Bear each time I go. They have a 23" hip and a 20" rise...and the leg will be around 13", so they are no small task. I work on them just a few hours a week...but I just had to share the progress I've made because I'm thrilled with this yarn.

This is Red Rock Canyon dyed by Southwest Spectrum. Debbie is new-ish to HC and also has a shop on Etsy. I could not be happier with this yarn. It is soft and squishy and the colors are so vivid. Debbie offered this colorway on her HC, and I just loved it, but the four ounces offered were simply not enough. I emailed her and requested a greater quantity. She dyed it up for me quickly and expertly!

I have about 6 inches left to go on this first leg...so this wip will be ongoing for a while...lol...I'll show updates from time to time! Hopefully they'll be complete by spring! HA!

They Call Me ~ Redbeard!

So...this post has nothing to do with woolies. Or with stripes. Or diapers for that matter...but because so many of you have become my friends, I feel the need to share these pictures with you. This is my Bear...my messy little love who keeps me knitting dishcloths. I can't stand them all stained up...so I think I'll need to knit another. ;)

With two red bearded uncles (one on each side) it will be no real surprise if Bear eventually grows a red beard...but at only 19 months old, he is already trying to look like Uncle Matt and Uncle Guy.

He liked his ravioli so well, that he sucked his spoon clean and slurped from his bowl...hence the perfect beard.

Quite the proud little guy, wouldn't you say? ;)

Let's not talk about the clean up. :)

Over the Rainbow Stocking at Sympatico

We're having a Rainbow Party at Sympatico!
In honor of that stocking I just wrapped up one of *hopefully* two pair of very special Silly Stripe™ Woolies. This pair is a traditional rainbow with red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. They are *bright* and I think they are oodles of fun!!
You'll notice that these Silly Stripes™ are a bit different in that they have six colors, not the ordinary four. I have no plans to repeat them anytime soon....they are kind of a special edition. ;)

A little *extra flair*!

What little girl *wouldn't* like Silly Stripes ™ with a bit extra flair? ;) lol

In Progress...

Well, my friend Andrea inspired me to take a shot of my current W.I.P.s (Works In Progress). So...here's what is on my needles currently.

Some of them are in a holding pattern. Namely, the ones for Bear. ;) Poor guy. Those Turtle Butts for him have been holding for weeks! They only need a cuff! Then he can wear them...I should really complete them. I guess since they're out...I could do that tonight. ;)
The silly stripes are complete, they need to be washed and blocked tonight...then I'll get good pictures. ;) The Tiny TB need completing before the bottom they are for outgrows them! Eep!
Oh...and the Rainbows...I'm going to work up the legs on those next. :) I can't wait! I have another pair of really special rainbows in my noggin'...I need to commit to knitting them up for our Rainbow stocking just around the corner. :)

Hibernating in the Bear Den

Oh! What a week! Bear has had a virus of some sort. Poor guy. He held a 102 degree to 104.7 degree temperature for two days. It did not respond terribly well to Tylenol...so I knew he was "cooking" out a little problem in his system. I did take him to see the doctor when he began to whine about his ear...but the doctor declared him perfectly healthy-with a virus. So...we've been waiting it out. Today is day 6 of the illness and day two of no fever...I won't share his remaining symptom with you...just know diaper laundry has been fun. Not.

Now, how does that affect Little Bear Knitwear? Well...I'm behind. I will catch up...but naps and nighttime have been a bit of a "growl", so I am about a week off my schedule. I don't do well knitting with a child clinging to me...and I'm reluctant to share our germs anyway. So please bear with me and accept my apologies for not stocking two slots on Friday. I didn't want to over commit September if August runs behind. Thanks for understanding!

Yesterday I washed and blocked this pair. I love the way they turned out, and hope their new family does too! ;)

I am also about 70% complete on a small girly pair with a little flair! Expect pictures on those soon!!

My August yarns have been delayed by UPS...why, oh why, UPS, must you toy with me? I sure hope you show up today! 10 days on order is too long. I'll update when they arrive! :)

OH!!! I almost forgot. Sympatico is doing a Rainbow stocking on the 29th. I'm excited. I have a special pair ready for legs for that. Keep your fingers crossed that my kiddos stay well...as I have a second pair I really want to do as well. :)

Ok...about customs...

For now, I have decided to keep filling slots through my HC Congo only. I'll be listing two slots on Friday the 8th, and one more on the 22nd. These will be September slots.
Also, I wanted to let everyone know that I'll be traveling the whole month of October...most of it without my husband...poor guy must work. So, I'm not sure if I'll be taking any slots for October. It will depend on how settled my kiddos are while we're traveling. I will resume filling slots for November though! :)
Also, I should note, I've changed the slots at the request of quite a few to be longies only. However, a hat can still be added on. This way, you get just exactly what you want. Yay!
Thanks so, so much for all of your support!
Smiles~M

Latest Silly Stripes

This is just a quick shot of my latest custom Silly Stripes Longies. In this picture they're unwashed or blocked...and in need of a drawstring...lol...but with two toddlers and a weather issue...I always want to get the shot when I can!
I love these colors together and hope to see them in action when they arrive at their new home. (hint, hint-lol)

Thanks for peeking!

Knitting with Toddlers....

I have two kiddos. Emma who is 38 months old and little brother Bear who is almost 19 months. Emma can knit. :D You know...use straight needles and make a huge knot out of momma's yarn. I learned this the hard way with some fairly expensive Selah yarn. Oops! Now she has her own ball of yarn and her own needles. Who knows? She may just be the next great knitter! Then there is Bear...love my little guy. While I'm knitting, he will confirm (at least every 10-15 stitches) that I'm using "yan" and knitting a "haa". He points to me and his little voice inflects with the questions. I will confirm for him that I am using "yarn" but I'm not knitting a hat...usually it's britches. When I really am knitting a hat...he'll continue with "my?". lol It's really quite cute, but after about two minutes of it...well, you know. Broken record syndrom. ;)
Which brings me to my point. I don't get much knitting when my babe's are awake. But, here's an update...the orange/blue/yellow pair below have one leg left, then the matching hat. Yahoo! The rainbows have one leg started, but they're on the back burner right now. And Bears TB? lol...maybe I'll take the time to finish it today. It's just **so** close!

It's that time again....

The eve of the day I've been challenged by for two years now. The Crankypants lotto day. If you're a woolie momma...you know the routine. ;) If not...it's the day that Amy takes emails and several mommas and their kiddos become the lucky recipients of hand knit Crankies. I've been trying for *two* years.

Just wanted to be clear. T.W.O. years.
So, I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe it will be my lucky day! I mean really...how long can one try without success? Want to know the fairly pathetic thing? I want sock monkeys. We had some when Bear was quite small. He outgrew them with great speed. Now I know...I could get him a Peruvian pair. But, he's very tall for his age, and they're too small. So...I'm trying for a pair directly from Amy. If I actually get a slot...I may be tempted for monsters...or a bear...but I really want another pair of sock monkeys.
So...guess who I'll be emailing tomorow? ;)

Knitter's A.D.D. & Some Haiku

Knitter's Attention Deficit Disorder. I think it may really exist. I'm fairly certain I have it! ;)

Here are my current WIPs.

What we have here are a custom I began two days ago, a Turtle Butt soaker for my own ds, and a rainbow pair of Silly Stripes I started last night.
The Turtle Butt only has a cuff left ~not a lot of work, but my kids always come last...cobbler's son effect...and so it's on the back burner. ;)
The custom will be resumed very shortly...like when I'm done typing. ;) And the rainbow? Well, there is time for that one...but I was excited to put the colors together. This snapshot doesn't do them justice. They're going to be adorable I think.

Also, true to her promise, my poetry momma is still serenading me with poetry! :)
Here are the latest two.

From Tuesday...

dry and happy boy
colorful stripes on his bum
warm all winter long

And this morning while I sipped my coffee, I enjoyed this one.

longing for longies
bright, bold, fun and fabulous
perfect pair of pants

:) How fun are these? What my poetry momma doesn't know, is I used to be a school teacher, and each day I check her Haiku for proper structure. They're correct! lol...I really like getting her emails...I bet they'll stop when she scores a slot! ROFL!!

Well...off to knit. Have a great Wednesday!!

Wait! Stop the presses...I forgot to post this hat when I took pictures of it. Love this picture. It just makes me smile...though, you really can't see the longies at all.


Now...off to knit! :)

How to handle customs? (And a sneak peek!)

I'm actually quite perplexed on this one. I love knitting Silly Stripes, especially customs as the colors that other mommas come up with are so much fun for me to work up! But, I'm finding that I have more mommas wanting Silly Stripes than I have the time to work on knitting. So, how do I do it? Sell to my friends first? This doesn't seem quite fair. Should I keep a list that has no obtainable end? Keep a list from email or PM requests? Not sure I could organize all that. Sell to the momma with the fastest finger? Slots via lottery? Auction? I really don't know what the best option is.
Here's the other part...I still want to stock my store, and I also would love to knit up some of the amazing HC yarn that I have in my stash! :)

So~dear reader...are you out there? I'm asking for your opinion...what would you like to see happen? Oh, and I must share this with you. lol...I have a momma who's threatened (promised? ) to email me a poem everyday until she has a slot. With her permission....

I was going to write you a large and heartfelt piece of poetry proclaiming my love for your knitting and describing my unending quest to own one of these beauties. However, we're both busy women - I'm sure you don't have anymore time to read that then I do to write it. And so, I've decided that I will have to do the next-best, time saving, condensed version.
That's right. Haikus.
I was thinking maybe one each day until your next stocking. And if I'm too annoying, well, I'm sure you know where the block sender button is on your email. (I'd help you out with that, but I use hotmail, so mine is probably in a different place than yours.)

So without further delay -

Little Bear Knit Wear
longies dance across my dreams
like crabs in the sand

Fantastic! Don't you think? It sure made my day!! I know how she thinks I should fill my customs. lol...but what do you think? Please comment to let me know your opinion and suggestion. :)

Now, to share a wip! (Work In Progress)



I love these colors together. Again...a pair I'd love to keep for Bear. ;) They'll be off to their new home in a week or so.

Since diapering wool requires a diaper....

I'm constantly on the look out for amazing fitteds. :)
Honestly, we use a great deal of prefolds too...but good fitteds are such a joy. When I was about 6 months into diapering two children, I underwent a *huge* diaper sell off and streamlined my stash to prefolds, flats, and my favoirte workhorse fitteds. This included GMARs (now called Prefitteds), Fireflies and Clovers. They work. They fit well. They're simple to use when diapering two requires a quick laundry turn around.
Now that Emma has PLed, I'm on the great diaper search again. Bear is my last baby, so I've decided to get him some new diapers (who am I kidding, they're for me) to finish out his days in cloth. So...what am I loving?
Clothmopolitans. What is not to love? I used them when my babies were in smalls and mediums, then overlooked them when I did my great streamlining. Here's Bear in his new carrots diaper. There is a peas to match. I also treated him (me) to a bear one as well...but we can't show that one off just yet.



I've found another new *favorite* for night time. I'm not sure how I did night time diapering before these diapers!!! Bonnie at Holden's Landing makes an amazing diaper called the Bed Bug. When she makes them all pretty with dye and embroidery, they then become a Dreamscape. These diapers are *amazing*. I can let Bear sleep in one with a day weight layer of wool, and our sheets are dry and he's totally comfortable. Here's Bear with his bear getting ready for bed.

Nice looking diaper, huh?

So...I'll continue on this quest for new and wonderful fitteds until Bear PLs. Hopefully when he does, it will be easy for us both...but secretly, I'm wishing it won't be for a while. ;)

He *is* a Bear!

Ok...so you may know by now that I call my darling son Bear. It's his nickname..though he has a perfectly good name on his birth certificate, I call him Bear most of the time. It's funny how a nickname can evolve to become just what it needs to be in the moment.
When Bear was born, he was a snuggle bug...like a teddy bear that you had clutched to when you were small. He also growled a little bit. He wasn't a grunter...he was a growler. He grew quite quickly, and when he began to crawl, he looked like a small cub. So big, with huge hands, lumbering along. He still growled quite a bit. Now Bear is 18 months old. He fits his name for different reasons each day. He's still my cuddly teddy bear. He still growls-though often now a defensive growl at his big sis'. ;) When he's teething, or especially tired, he's an angry bear...watch out. Today, he's been my teddy bear, and my angry bear. Right now he's sleeping and I should be knitting. My little Bear's hibernation only lasts just over an hour.

Hot off the needles!

I just completed these for a very sweet momma! They're not yet washed or blocked, but the weather is perfect for photography today, so I couldn't resist. I'm going to go cast on for the matching hat...I'll update when that is complete! Thanks for peeking!

Turtle Butt~A Test Knit

Ok...so I love this pattern. When Melanie first started showing these off....I knew Bear would need a pair. In brown and green-my favorite combo. So, when she was looking for testers recently, I pounced. (I love testing for Melaine. She's fantastic to work with, and I enjoy her patterns immensely.)
I started this one immediatly, then had to put it down to work on customs. I really need to pick it up and finish it. I think that I have less than about two hours work left now. This picture is not current, but it's the only one I have at the moment.
So....what do you think? Are you feeling a little turtle in your future? ;)

So...since I'm a blogger now...lol...

Here's a sneak peek at the custom that I'm currently working on. Actually, it's nearing completion! When the little hat is all done, I'll post a pic of the set. The colors are amazing in real life!

I've been discovered!

lol! Thanks to one of the sweetest mommas I know....who posted my link here. ;) So...I guess it's time to start using this blog? Um...OK! :)

Thank you Amy for such a nice rave about Till's Silly Stripes set. She's adorable and I hope you all really enjoy her set come fall. I look forward to seeing pics come fall...hint hint. ;)

Now...I'm off to read up on how to do all this blogging...I need to make this site prettier and also should have a place to update customs, huh?

Thanks for everyone's support!
Smiles~M

Mommy & Me ~ At the Market

I simply adore my market bag. I've gotten so many compliments on it, everywhere I use it. Just think. If everyone carried a market bag with them while shopping how many fewer plastic bags would be in circulation. This bag is knit of a pima cotton and wool blend. It's luxurious to the touch...and it's not "super crunchy granola" as my husband puts it. It's soft and drapey...made of a nice garment yarn. :)

It stretches out *big* to hold lots of goodies! It has such a nice sturdy bottom though...so it's going to hold up to lots of packing.

And, here's the best part. A little bag! It's so cute and just the right size for a child to carry. My almost 3 yo dd loves hers and feels a part of the action carrying her bag. It fits a bunch of banannas and a half dozen apples easily.

Here's the lacy weave...pretty, huh?

Felted Bowls ~ My new passion!

Um...what kind of hat is that? Is that a diaper pin sitting next to it? Why are there loose ends sticking out? lol This *gorgeous* hat (lol) is really 7+ ounces of bulky weight wool yarn dyed by G-Button Baby knit into a bowl! Really, it is! After about 30 minutes of agitation in hot water....

...it looked like this! I am really in love with this bowl. It's a fabulous large bowl which is nice and sturdy and ready to collect all sorts of goodies!

If it were going to live here with me, I know this one would hold my yarn and needles for whichever project I'm working on. Or maybe it would gather fruit up...or, maybe it would hold our keys at the front door....

What ever task it winds up doing, I'm a bit sad it won't be doing it here. Boxing it up was difficult. ;)

Oh, Marcie...I think I need more yarn! ;)

Tree Hugger Set

These little shorties were begging to be a set. I really wanted them to be a "boy" set, but it just wasn't in the cards. lol When they knit up so nicely, but short, they really wanted a little swing top. So they went on a shopping trip with me to Target. This little brown top matches the darkest brown flecks in the shorties, so it was a match made in heaven.

Since my personal theme for this April stocking is ~Earthy~ I thought that they really needed an earthy applique. The idea for a little tree came about, well honestly, becuase the trunk of the tree was *all* the wool left over from doing the shorties. ;) So, what can be made from a rectangle? A tree trunk of course! On to the top of the tree!

I just love the texture of felted wool. Kind of gives the texture of bark and leaves. Do you see how the bark runs vertically and the leaves run horizontally? Planned! ;)

While I've got oodles of pictures...just want to point out how much I love this britches pattern. Melanie's Adorabubble Britches pattern gives such a nice bootie area. Love the fit!