Tag Archives: mother

Mama Bear Update: Finishing

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We’re in the home stretch, folks! I wanted to send the bears out by Christmas, and I think I’ll make it.  I’ve knit up seven bears in the last couple months, and they’ve all got faces.  Now all I need to do is give them a little stuffing and make them lovely and chubby.  Time to break out the poly-fill.

I started by fluffing up some poly-fill and adding it by small hand-fulls to my completed bear, massaging it as I went to avoid lumps.  (He looks like a little zombie potato right now.  Braaaains…. braaaaains…)

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Then, using the long tail left over from the cast on, I whip-stitched this guy’s head closed.

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And made ears by sewing a little diagonal running stitch seam at the base of each ear.  (They turned out a little pointy, so maybe this is a teddy-cat, not a teddy-bear.)

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Then, to make a neck and get rid of the whole potato-head thing he’s got going on, I carefully ran my needle through around his neck, starting and ending at the back of his head.

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I tied the ends together tightly, and wove in the ends.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis formed a a nice, round, non-potato head.  Adorable!

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Then I wove in the ends on his little scarf and wrapped it around his neck, adding a little stitch to hold the knot in place.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADone!  And, adorable!

Thinking about joining the Mother Bear party?  It’s not too late!  Get your pattern here!

Project Bags!

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My folks came out to visit me last weekend (Hi Mom! Hi Dad!) and we spent three days exploring the Puget Sound, riding the ferry, and eating too much good food.  It was great to get to spend time with them without having to worry about doing all the holiday stuff that comes with visiting at Christmas or Thanksgiving (not that I mind making Christmas cookies and eating green bean casserole).

And not to sound too materialistic, but Mom brought me a present!  An adorable little project bag, perfect for a pair of socks-in-progress.

And, do you know the best part about the project bag?  She designed and made it herself- from sewing the bag all the way down to creating the fabric designs!il_570xN.835404308_255k[1]I know, right!  Look at those goats!  Adorable!

I will own that I’m pretty good with needles and yarn, but while I like doodling from time to time, I’m not half the graphic artist my mom is.  (She’s actually going to school for illustration and has a pretty cool little business designing fabric and paper goods)

il_570xN.835407966_lncv[1]She actually has on a whole line of knitting- and crochet-inspired patterns, and then is using them to make bags, pouches, chidren’s clothes, and all manner of useful things.  Look at this sheep/stockinette project bag.  Could you get any cuter?

il_570xN.780881295_lwek[1]And, she’s even making little hand-bound notebooks, perfect for throwing into your matching knitting bag!

il_570xN.825976551_3v45[1]I know I’m a little biased, but I think that any of these would make a great gift for a favorite knitter in your life (or me!).    If you want to take a look at all the adorable things Mom makes, you can visit her Etsy store here:

Paper or Threads

Or, if you want to make your own projects from the fabric she designed, click here:

Spoonflower

Inspiration: Mother’s Day

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I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of “inspiration posts” lately.  I’ve picked up some extra work, so my knitting-and-blogging time has been cut down a bit.  Sorry about that (unless you’re into the inspiration posts, in which case, you’re welcome.)

But this post isn’t so much an Inspiration Post, as a PSA.  Everyone!  Pay attention!

Mother’s day is this Sunday.

You have been warned.

Let’s take a minute to celebrate our moms!  Our moms who taught us to knit, to sew, and to make a mean pan of brownies.  (Or maybe that was just my mom?)

And our moms who dressed us up in matching outfits.

(Luckily, as far as I know, Mom never did the whole Mother-Daughter outfit thing (Thanks Mom!).  But, there is a pretty adorable Sears portrait of my brother and I in coordinating overalls when we were itty-bitty (Mine were pink, and his blue.)  I think Mom actually sewed them herself.  She’s talented like that.)

I get the impulse behind the idea.  I mean, kids are always cute when they look like tiny adults.  And, Lord knows, I can’t hold myself back when I think of a new craft project. But there is a right way and a wrong way to execute the whole matching knitwear thing.

Exhibit A:  The wrong way.  Look at that poor kid.  Her eyes are saying “Kill me” or maybe “I will burn this sweater as soon as I can get out of it.”

Mother/Daughter Sweaters #20306 by Lion Brand Yarn

20306ada_medium[1]Exhibit B:  This girl looks like she’s having fun, at least.  And the dress isn’t terrible.  I wouldn’t wear it with a white T-shirt and a pair of kakhis, but maybe that’s just me.

Mother-daughter Tunics by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Ltd)

img57876435_medium[2]Exhibit C:  Now, this is how you do matching knitwear!  These cowls are fantastic-cozy, comfy, and they look age-appropriate on both the mother and the daughter.  I love them! (I might even make one for myself!)

Cocoon Cowls by Stefanie Japel

IMG_1285_medium2[1]So, don’t forget, folks!  Call your mom on Sunday!

And, Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!  Thanks for teaching me to knit all those years ago!  I bet you didn’t expect it to turn into a lifelong obsession.  (And thanks for not dressing me up in matching outfits!)

Inspiration: Mr. Roger’s Mom

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Everyone (at least in the US), knows Mr. Rogers, and his beautiful kids’ TV show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Each episode begins with Mr. Rogers entering his house, changing his shoes and zipping up (or buttoning up) a cardigan sweater while singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”  (I still know all the words more than 20 years after I last saw the show.)Copyright © 1995 - 2008 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). All Rights ReservedBut, did you know that all (or at least, nearly all) his sweaters were knit by hand by his mother, Nancy Rogers?  How wonderful is that?   It totally makes sense.  Of course Mr. Rogers wore sweaters knit by his mother!25988[1]One of her sweaters has even ended up in the Smithsonian.   You can visit it in D. C. next time you’re there to pay respects to Mrs. Rogers.

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And, one of the most famous Mr. Rogers quotes (at least it pops up on my Facebook feed most frequently) is about his mother:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” — Mister Rogers

Mr. Rogers’ mother must have been a pretty amazing lady.  So let’s raise our knitting needles to Nancy Rogers (and all the other amazing mothers) this Sunday while we celebrate Mothers’ Day!

 

(And Happy Mothers’ day to all you mothers out there on the internet!  Especially Mom, Grandma, and Kris (my Mother-in-Law)!)