Uh-oh, I got suckered into a new hobby

As I've been dabbling in crochet, I saw this adorable butterfly hat. So I had to make one. It will not be pictured here for several reasons - I tried to adjust the size to fit my one year old and it ended up looking more like a yarmulke. I added a few rows and then realized that I had messed up the first stitch on each round and long story short, it's probably a piece of trash. But definitely a learning experience. I'm discovering that, like baking, I need to stick to the recipe. So I went to the Heartstrings Yarn Studio to get some yarn to try the hat again. I fell in love with a beautiful yarn. It's Sublime baby cashmere merino silk. It is sooo soft and matches the fabric I had just picked up at Honey Run Quilters for a baby gift clothing project. So I had to get it, but then realized it was a different size yarn than the pattern the butterfly hat called for so I went to browse through other patterns and found this one which has very cute crocheted flowers on them. You can knit or crochet the caps then add the crocheted flowers. The knit caps looked so much nicer than the crocheted ones....so one thing led to another and thanks to the very helpful lady at the shop I am sitting here with size 5 (waaay smaller than the only one other pair of knitting needles I've ever used- they look more like cuticle pushing sticks) circular knitting needles in my hand and watching You Tube video tutorials on how to knit. (I bought some cheaper yarn to practice on, first. And I did find some yarn to try again on the butterfly hat). I also have the following to thank for knitting becoming a label in my blog - my husband indulging my desire to visit these shops without the kids, the large iced coffee I had just consumed, and the high I was on from the beautiful fabrics I had just ogled over at the quilting shop. But it was probably bound to happen at one time or another.

Other fabrics for baby gift projects- clothing & applique, along with my needles & first attempt at casting on. The only other thing I've ever knit- a scarf 3 or 4 years ago - my mom cast on for me then showed me the knit stitch. Although I finished the scarf I didn't start anything else.



I'm also working on the smocked dresses for my girls from Weekend Sewing. The fabric is the same as the dress I made for myself in last post, only in pink.



Also brewing is a spiritual blog post, I just finished reading The Shack and loved it.

Fathers Day & Vacation has begun

We had a fun Father's Day, despite the fact that we drove straight from Long Beach to Chico starting Saturday night at 6:45 pm and arriving at 4:35 am on Sunday. The girls were so excited to see their cute "new" room that grandma had fun decorating that it took a little while to get them back to sleep once we got there. But we eventually did and had a VERY leisurely day. We gave daddy the handprint art we made. Then we took our first family of four bike ride with one in the bike seat and the other in the trailer and mommy riding for the first time since she was pregnant (about two years - I'm not so coordinated, so never wanted to chance it) We rode from the house to downtown and had bagels for breakfast/lunch, stopped by a used bookstore (where I bought The Shack and couldn't find Breaking Dawn), and a park with playground. Then mom and dad took turns taking naps and watching the girls, followed by a late afternoon swim in the pool.

We are officially on vacation! Some ways I can tell...

1) The watch is off my wrist!

2) The afternoon cup of coffee has been replaced with an afternoon nap.

3) I considered getting up after feeding the baby at 5:40 am to do some sewing while the house was quiet because I knew I would get an afternoon nap. I considered it...then went back to sleep.

4) I have actually been cleaning up after myself and my kids because I'm not rushing to get somewhere else.

5) I have been going to bed before midnight, because I can!

I have been working on my crocheted basket. And finished the outfit I made for my neice due to be born any time now. I used this pattern and you may recognize the fabric from our Easter dresses. I actually originally bought the fabric with my new niece in mind, but got lots of it to make something for everyone because I liked it so much. It's supposed to be size 1-3 months, but looks a little big to me. I'm hoping it works, because from October on it's pretty cold in Buffalo, NY. I think my favorite part of the outfit is the little gathered sleeves, they kill me they're so cute. I really wish I had a better camera and was a better photographer. My pictures never look as good as the real thing.

We're heading out to Lake Tahoe tomorrow to go camping with friends. It is my first time there, though I think we've "planned" a Tahoe trip every year since we've been married. (7 years next month) I'll let you know if we actually make it there this time.

Sewing for daughters

I have been wanting to sew clothes for my kids for a while now. I finally got in my first project. The pattern is Sophie from BurdaStyle. At the time I downloaded it, it was free. She picked out the fabric from a stash I have (I have no idea where it came from. It was a hand-me-down, I guess). It's not my favorite fabric, but it's colorful and I wanted to practice my first time using something I already had. I'm pretty happy with it, overall. I made the neck opening a little bigger, and if I make it again, I'll tame the sleeves a little, making them not so big & poofy. By far the best part about the project...it was free! And I'm a little less intimidated to sew more clothes. I even went shopping for new fabric.

This is a fabric book I made. The pictures are printed on iron-ons from photos I took of our Monarch caterpillars & butterflies. The fabrics were scraps from the hungry caterpillar quilt project from last post. It looked better before I washed it, now it's a little wrinkly...but clean. Which is good, since it always goes straight in to the mouth of the babes. This is another project that I've actually kept for my baby girl.

aurelia?

What the heck does aurelia mean, anyway? Besides being a cool-sounding pseudonym, aurelia is a synonym for chrysalis, meaning golden and referring to the pupal stage of butterflies. So those who know me, now get the connection. My recent obsession with monarch butterflies has been a life-changing experience for me and the theme of metamorphosis and change is one that will never become outdated. I hope that I am always changing and becoming a more beautiful creation. Now, why am I creating a blog, like everyone else? I am very inspired by reading other blogs, especially crafty ones, and want to have a place where my creative outlets and life experiences can be collected and stored. More for me than for anyone else, so I have proof that I actually get to do things that I like occasionally. Unfortunately, I am sure my bookkeeping work will suffer as this is adding one more thing to take up my computer time. But I am hoping it will inspire me to follow through with more creative projects. By the way, I saw a cool show about monarchs on PBS the other night, thanks to my sister-in-law. They are amazing creatures! Make sure to check your local cable listings.