Stash Blaster: Week 8 - The Outhouse Edition

Last summer we had some plumbing troubles for several days and I was VERY thankful for the homestead outhouse.

Although we were still able to do dishes and get drinking water from the tap, the septic had backed up into the shower & tub which made bathing difficult.  So what did I do? Sponge bath on the porch!

I filled up a bucket, took it outside, and thanked God that it was 90 degrees and that we have no neighbors within 2 miles of the house.  :)

Before I did that though I decided that if I did in fact have to take a sponge bath outside I was going to do so as luxuriously as I could with what I had.  So I found a nice fluffy towel and some yummy smelling soap.  I also found a washrag pattern and knitted myself up a new washrag for the occasion.  It was a very quick knit (about an hour) with great texture and was an easy to memorize pattern.

It was actually kind of a fun experience and helped me realize what I can deal with, but I'm glad I don't have to do this on a regular basis.  Especially in the winter time!


So what does this have to do with this week's Stash Blaster?

Well, I have lots of cotton yarn from when I was first learning to knit and with Baby Tuckey's arrival just a few weeks away I thought we could use more hand knit washcloths around the house.  I whipped up these 4 in no time and have another one on the needles now. I'll probably end up making a giant stack of them and use them as gifts since I know of a lot of babies that are arriving this year!

How'd your week go?  What did you get done?  Grab a button from the sidebar and link up your most recent finish(es)!

Stash Blaster: Week 7

Well, I don't have any handmade completed projects to share with you this week.  Not because I didn't finish, but because it's a secret until the recipient receives it.  :)

I did make progress on my Scrappy Trip Around the World.  The blocks are ready to be sewn back together and the batting and backing are on their way!  There's also been progress on a knitted baby blanket and another pair of adult socks.

Scrappy Trip-along strips ready to be sewn together

I also made some quick birthday cards for a couple birthdays that snuck up on me.  It was fun to go through my old scrapbooking things to see what I had on hand, and to use up some of those tiny scraps that I just can't ever seem to get rid of.

Birthday cards

Mostly this past week has been dedicated to getting ready for Wiggles' arrival in a few weeks.

Wednesday was my 33 week appointment and our first birthing class.  I'm very happy that Jake was able to get the time off from work to go with me, he got to hear Baby's heartbeat again which is always fun.  Then we (he) drove home in a snowstorm, so I'm extra glad that he went with me!  ;)

We've also been rearranging furniture and cleaning out closets to make room for everything.

Travel system (stroller/car seat) from Jake's cousin

I moved the blankets we'd been storing in this footlocker....

A beautiful old footlocker that Jake's had forever, is becoming a toy box

...into this armoire, which was full of winter outerwear.... (the handknits are staying in the top section)

Something's missing....Any guesses?

...and the winter clothes went into a closet that first had to be decluttered of older clothes we never wear anymore.  Phew!!

We (well mostly Jake) also moved all the furniture in our bedroom to make a nursery corner. Although our house has 3 bedrooms things just worked out better for Baby to sleep with us for now.

Bedroom rearranged, ready for Baby

The dresser will be the changing table and I'm auditioning the Tula Pink fabric as a cover to protect the finish.

Nursery

Diaper basket

So although there wasn't much going on in the handmade department last week, there was plenty of other things to keep us busy!

Me at 33 weeks, freezing in the winter wind

Your turn!  Share your finishes, or almost finishes, from last week by grabbing a Stash Blaster button from the sidebar and linking up below.

Stash Blaster: Week 6

Egads!  It's Tuesday night all ready??  Yikes!!

First things first, the winner of the January Stash Blaster giveaway is Mandy of Loverbunny Designs with her Camp Out Fingerless Mitts.  She won this fun little coin purse (pictured below) that I made which will be filled with some of my favorite notions.

Congratulations Mandy!  I'll be sending you an email shortly.

For last week's project I decided to make Baby Tuckey a bonnet from Vintage Knits for Modern Baby.  I used a skein of Belmoral Shetland wool that I received (along with other yarn & fiber) as trade for spinning some buffalo roving for the owner of Wyoming Wool Works in Dubois.

I chose this pattern to be my first from this book because I loved the modern take on an older style cap and thought it would look great on either a boy or a girl.  It still needs a button and I'm glad to have a lovely stash of vintage buttons to choose from.  The pattern was well written and I was able to complete the bonnet in a few hours.  The one complaint I have is I couldn't find a stitchionary in the book and since there can be different abbreviations for stitches I got a little confused on one of the decreases.  Luckily I was able to figure it out and continue on.

Modern Baby Bonnet for Baby Tuckey

I also started a Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt using my Simply Color jelly roll.  If you haven't seen the Instagram mania for this quilt you must, just search #scrappytripalong and see what all the hubbub is about!

There's also a new yarn up in my Etsy shop today.  I'm not much for pink normally, but I added a couple splashes of purple and a tiny bit of teal and really love how the color turned out.  It's approximately 86 yards of sport to DK weight and would make a great child's hat or pair of mitten, or maybe even a pair of wristers for you!

'So In Love' handspun yarn

So that's what I've been up to, how about you?  It's your turn!  Grab a Stash Blaster button from the sidebar and link up your finished project(s) from the past week. Remember, that your link-up will also enter you into this month's giveaway drawing.


***A quick note on comments:  I love and appreciate each and every comment I receive so much! And I respond to every comment, with one exception.  If you are not a Blogger user than you are most likely a "no-reply blogger" which means that your comment comes through to my email with a return address of noreply-comment@blogger.com.  Sadly, that means I can't respond back.  So if you're not hearing from me after you leave a comment be sure to follow this brief tutorial so that I can reply!

Stash Blaster: Week 5

Well, January is over and February is already in full swing.  How did you all do blasting your stash?

I think I did pretty well.  I finished at least 1 project each week (see them here) and didn't increase my stash by much.  I had already warned you that I'd be stocking up on Lizzy House's Constellations and Pearl Bracelets, and thought I'd throw in some feathers for good measure.  

I also bought Megan Nielsen's maternity/nursing lingerie set pattern.  Yesterday I picked up a gorgeous raspberry colored knit (pictured below) at Walmart for the nightgown and also to make a baby wrap to carry Wiggles around in.

Plus my Plucky yarn from December also came the same day.  It's a gorgeous tonal teal/blue called Skies of November that I'm sure you will be seeing knit up very soon!

Raspberry knit

Week 5's completed project was a pair of baby mitts that I made from a mini skein of wool that I spun and kettle dyed a lovely green.  I made up my own simple pattern, making them similar to a pair of toe up socks, but without the heel of course.  ;)

Another project I made last week was a giant duffle for our friend, Ash, who will be going to manage a ranch in Russia for the next 3 years.

I allowed Cord on the couch for size comparison

The bag was inspired by Studio Cherie's Travel Duffle (which I someday need to make), but by the end of it the only similarity was the shape and the webbing handle.  Really, it's just a big box bag with a pocket on the outside.  

And when I say "big" I mean BIG.  It measures at approx. 26" x 14" x 16"!  My Holiday in London duffle fit easily inside it and there was still tons of room.  And the Holiday in London is not small either.

Plus the entire bag was made from my stash!  I even had a heavy duty 54" zipper that I'd thrifted recently.

The outside is denim with a cotton lining, bandana print outer pocket, and 3 1/2" webbing handle.  I did forget to add zipper tabs, but the bag works just fine without them.  I even got to use my new serger to finish off the exposed seams on the inside.

Jake loves this bag, so I'm sure I will be making another one in the near future.  :)

**********

I've also been dyeing and spinning more things for the shop...

100% Wyoming alpaca, will be listed in the shop later this week

Handspun & kettle dyed 100% wool, "Tide Pool", for sale here

 ...and even sold my first skein of handspun yarn!!

Handspun & kettle dyed 100% wool

Now it's time for you to link up!  Any crafty projects that you finished between January 27th and February 2 are welcome.  Also, I will be drawing a giveaway winner for all projects linked up during the entire month of January (weeks 1-5).  I'm still deciding what the prize will be, but I've got some good ideas kicking around my head.  And don't worry, it'll be good!

Please be sure to also share a link back to here on your linked up post.  There's a button on the sidebar that I'd love if you used too.  Thanks so much for playing along!  I love seeing what everyone else has been making and it really helps me to stay motivated and on task too.   :D

Stash Blaster: Week 3

I have a button!!  I've been scouring the interweb trying to find a tutorial that I can understand and finally found this one at Between Naps on the Porch.  If you are html impaired like me this is the perfect tutorial for ease of use and explanation as to what I'm actually doing.  That being said, the button works for me, if for some reason it doesn't work for you please let me know and we can troubleshoot together.  :)

This week I decided to pull out my recently thrifted crock pot and attempt some yarn dyeing.  I was so excited with the results of my first attempt that I grabbed some roving that I'd stashed and kept going.

100% wool roving, dyed and ready to spin

Keep an eye on my shop for new hand dyed handspun yarns later this week.  And perhaps even some roving for you spinners and needle felters!

I also knit up a little cap for Baby Tuckey using some leftover yarn from my Blair cardigan (which I still need to re-bind off and find the right buttons for).  Even though this hat is green it reminds me of a pumpkin, I think it's the knot on top, so I named it the Pumpkin Head hat.  It's super stretchy and long so it should fit Jelly Bean for several weeks, perhaps even months!

Seaglass Pumpkin Head

Next to a can of pop for size comparison

Full length view

Now it's your turn, link up your projects from the past week so we can root each other on and continue blasting our stash!

If you haven't finished any projects this week that's ok, show me what you've been working on.  But be on the look out for a giveaway in 2 weeks.  All linked up finished projects completed during the month of January will be entered into the drawing.  They can be 15 year old WiPs, just so long as you finished it in 2013!

Stash Blaster: Project 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the Stash Blaster Challenge!

Well, I had intended to finish the kitchen mat I showed you last week, but I wasn't up for sewing until today and that was to sew a couple bee blocks for Jacey.

Instead I knit up a couple pair of socks.  One for me and one for Jelly Bean.

The first pair is I Heart Toe Up socks from Socks From the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson.  Knit with Brown Sheep Wildfoote in Sonatina.  I originally intended to do 1-2 heart repeats per day and finish sometime near Valentine's Day, but it was such a quick and easy pattern to memorize that I just kept going and got in finished in just a few days!

Valentine's Socks

Note:  If you follow me on Instagram I'm sorry for the repeat photos. I forgot to get better pictures in the daylight this weekend.

I'm really starting to get the hang of toe-up socks and love Judy's Magic Cast On and a short row heel so I decided to bust out my hoarded Hedgehog Fibres Copper Penny sock yarn and make a coordinating pair for the little one.  I knit most of the sock in a plain stockinette, but added one heart near the cuff. 

And there's still plenty of yarn left for another pair of adult socks!

So tiny!!  Shown on my Kindle for size comparison.

These took me just a few short hours to finish.  I'm sure there will be many more pairs of handknit baby socks in my future!

Side and top view

In other baby news, the crib arrived this week while I was on my way to my 28 week appointment.  The box was huge so it may have stayed on the porch for a couple days until the threat of a major snow storm forced us to bring it in.  ;)

Luckily it was a piece of cake to put together!  It's HUGE so we have to rework our plan for where it's going to go, but it definitely is making things seem even more real now.

It's time for you to link up your finished projects from the past week.  How did you do?  Did you finish your intended project?  Or did you get distracted by other pretties like me?

Stash Blaster Project 1!

Thanks so much to everyone who gave me suggestions on what to name this little stashdown challenge!!  There were some great choices, but "Stash Blaster" from Bree was definitely my favorite.  Thank you for the suggestion Bree!  Your DS notions bag will be in the mail later this week.

I did have a couple people ask if they could participate without a blog.  Sure!!  If you don't have a blog I would suggest opening a Flickr account, if you don't have one already.  That way you can still share your finished projects.  There will be random prizes throughout the year, so you'll definitely want to link up!

I'm trying to create a button for anyone who wants to share on their blog, but between my lack of knowledge of html and the internet going in & out all night I'm over it.  I'll give it another go later this week when I'm fresh.  In the meantime you can see a picture of the button here.  :)

Now onto the fun stuff!

Project 1 of Stash Blasters goes to Baby Tuckey.  A few months ago I found some super lush merino wool at The Prairie Stitcher in Douglas, the town where my doc is.  I chose to make a Sheepy Sack since I intend to cloth diaper (wool makes a great diaper cover from what I hear).  Also, April can still be very cold and snowy here so I'm making sure I have plenty of warm newborn clothes!

This was a very quick knit and was able to finish it in just a few hours.  I was a little worried that I wouldn't have enough yarn, but I worked it from the top down and shorted the bottom ribbing by just a couple rows.  It actually worked out perfectly and looks like it'll be long enough, at least until summer arrives.

Sheepy Sack: Made with Trabajos del Peru by Plymouth Yarn, 100% extra fine merino wool

And here's a little sneak peek of Project 2.  A kitchen mat!  I used a charm pack of Domestic Bliss and a small pack of 2" hexis.  I will be squaring off the edges, adding borders, then quilting.  I have lots of ideas for giving the kitchen a little kick and I thought this would be a fun project to start with!

Now it's your turn!  Link up your Stash Blaster project from the last week.  If you haven't finished yet, don't worry, there's always next week!

A Fun Challenge for the New Year

Since I started sewing (3 years ago) and knitting (last year) I have built quite a stash of fabric & yarn.  It's always nice to have a strong stash for various projects and swaps, but now that Baby is on the way I need to make some space.

Young Einstein for Baby Tuckey using Madeline Tosh LEDK in Deco Green

So I'm creating a stashdown challenge for myself.  And anyone else who'd like to join in. Every week in 2013 I will make something for me or my family from my stash.  It could be clothing, toys, something for the house, or even something for the dogs (they could really use some new beds!).  Notions purchases; interfacing, buttons, zippers are allowed to complete projects and the occasional special fabrics & yarns - Hello Constellations! - will be allowed as I use up or destash what I already have.

Each week's challenge will run Monday-Sunday & the finished project and a linky party, for those who want to play along, will be posted the next day.

Kickstarter Project 0: Literary Genius e-reader cover

Here's where I can use your help, I need a name for this challenge.  I've thought about simple ones like "Stashdown 2013" or "Living Handmade", but I'd really like a name that I'm not totally annoyed with in 3 months.  So, I'm doing a little giveaway.  Leave suggestions for a title for my challenge and the one I choose will receive this boxed bottom zippy pouch I made.  

Notions pouch made with DS Quilts fabric

Interior

My new official brand!

Side view

 The winner will be chosen and notified on January 2nd.  Thanks for your help!!

Halfway Point

Yesterday was my 20 week appointment and baby sure has grown!!  Jake was able to get the day off from work so he went with me.  We got to see the Jelly Bean's arms & fingers, saw his/her little face & ears, and saw lots of squirming around. 

Jake really loved hearing the heartbeat (it was his first time to hear it) and my favorite part was seeing the spine & little fingers.  We decided that we would not be finding out the gender; Jake was adamant that we not find out and I didn't really mind either way. The only bad thing about it was that we didn't get to see the toes, but we'll have plenty of toe time in a few months.  :)

Defined shoulder muscles & alien face.

At one point baby even gave us a thumbs up!  I can't wait to meet this kid!

We got some great mail this week too.  One of our Facebook friends sent us this adorable crocheted cowboy hat & boots!

For our little cowboy/cowgirl

And I got (most of) my birthday yarn!  I was able to catch The Plucky Knitter's latest update and picked up a couple colors I've been lusting after for a while now.  Lincoln is a gorgeous copper that I think will become another honey cowl.  The honey cowl was actually my first knitted project, after my learn-to-knit washcloth.  It's a great scarf, but because I didn't know how to use stitch markers yet the pattern is a little wonky.

Plucky yarn: Lincoln on Primo sport

I've also cast on a baby cardigan and hope to have progress pictures later this week.

Pregnancy-wise, I'm often tired, have achey joints, & trouble sleeping, but for the most part feel pretty good.  And the energy spurts I do get are great!  We're having Jake's aunt & uncle over for Thanksgiving next week so there's a long list as to what still needs to be done, but it's slowly getting smaller.  At least I can always close doors to hide messy rooms!

19 1/2 Weeks

It's been several weeks since our last baby bump pictures.  I honestly didn't think we had grown much, but looking back obviously there's been quite a change in the past couple months.

Sun reflecting off snow on the ground makes for squinty eyed pictures

Wednesday is my 20 week appointment & ultrasound, where we may or may not (probably not) find out the gender of the munchkin.

I say "probably not" because I prefer bright gender neutral colors over pink and blue, and am worried that I'll get into that boy/girl mindset if we find out.  I've decided to use the rest of my pile of Stitch Organic (used below for a Holiday in London duffle) for the bedding & nursery accessories.  There will also be maps and a mythical creature or two around the room as well.

Holiday in London duffle, pattern by Bari J using Stitch Organic fabric by Betz White

I have lots of green, orange, brown, & raspberry yarns for clothing and toys.  Yesterday I cast on a Young Einstein cardigan using MadTosh LEDK in Deco Green.  Since it'll be early spring when the Jelly Bean arrives I like the idea of having a couple wool sweaters for picture time!  :)

An FO and a WiP

Today I wanted to share 2 projects that I'm really proud of.  The first is my finished object (FO), my first knit sweater.  It is the Miette cropped cardigan by Andi Satterlund.  The pattern is very well written & easy to follow.  I love the raglan sleeve and the subtle lace detailing around the edging.  I had a little trouble figuring out the button band & neck band, but I got some advice from friends on Ravelry and after that it was a piece of cake.

I used Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted in Silver Sage.  The yarn was very nice to work with and the color is a beautiful grey with a green-ish tinge.  You don't even notice the green leanings unless it's next to another grey.  The buttons are shell buttons that I picked up from the LQS in Douglas.

Goofy picture, I know, but it shows the detail of the sweater nicely

My second "project" is a work in progress (WiP) for another 6 months....

11 weeks, 6 days

Yep, that's right, we're expecting our first child in the beginning on April!!  Yesterday I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time.  I did get to see the little jelly bean dancing on the ultrasound 2 weeks ago, but hearing the heartbeat & movements was very exciting!

Now it's time for me to start making baby things!  :D