26 January 2010

More knitting for Baby

I did some more button sewing and stitching together and have some more projects that are finally complete.

Another cardigan using the 5 hour baby sweater pattern but this time I found a version without the holes to make it less girly. I hope this will be just the right size for the baby when fall comes around.

A diaper soaker I made with some really nice Twilleys of Stamford wool yarn.

And crazy cute baby shoes! These are from the same cotton as the baby vest. So with the cotton I figure baby can wear them all summer.

22 January 2010

Fabric Toy Buckets


I saw a tutorial for these a while ago and thought it was pretty cool. And then I liked this old table cloth and needed something to do with it. Considering all the little toys we have already before the baby is even born, I think a few toy buckets are a good idea.
http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2009/06/fabric-toy-bucket.html

I wish I had a picture of my baby playing with it but not yet. The only thing I did differently is I didn't want to use interfacing because that would make the project a bit pricey so for the inner layer I used an old bedspread that I had bought from a thrift store for sewing with. It keeps the shape well I think. The bigger one has a diameter of about 12 inches and it is a bit floppy but still works. The smaller two are 10 inch diameter and all are about a foot tall.

Scroll Saw Toys


So back when I first got my scroll saw Kevin and I started working on all of these simple toys. We finished working on them months ago but I thought I would get around to making some sort of a barn for them so I haven't posted them but it doesn't seem like that will happen anytime soon. So I still wanted to post them.

The tractor does move along on its wheels (but not very well since they're not super round... no I am not going to buy a drill press just so I can make better wheels).



20 January 2010

Knit Baby Vest


I finally finished the little knitted vest for baby that I started over Christmas. It was just waiting for its 7 buttons to be sewn on for weeks. I think it will look so cute over a T-shirt or onesie or on its own in as a shirt in the summer. I have a few other knitting projects that are just awaiting buttons or other finishing touches - hopefully I will be posting those soon.

Homemade Mustard



We've been experimenting with making our own mustard using Kevin's Grandma's recipe. It turned out good but very hot! Here is the recipe:

Hot Mustard

2 TBSP dry mustard
1TBSP cider vinegar
pinch garlic powder
hint of nutmeg, cayenne pepper, black pepper
1/4 tsp vegetable oil
Combine mustard and vinegar to smooth paste.
Add other ingredients and mix well.
Let stand an hour.

And we already started experimenting with different varieties.

Honey Mustard: add 1/2 TBSP honey and 1/2 TBSP water/beer

Cumin Mustard: add 1/4 tsp cumin and dash water/beer

We're not sure what the advantage of putting beer in mustard is, you cant taste it but it will make it sound fancier. Next we have to experiment with making it less hot so that other people will like it too. Also so that you can put enough mustard on your sandwich to actually taste our variations.

17 January 2010

Diaper Stash done

Here is my diaper stash all complete. Here are the different types I made:

Some knitted longies using these Ravelry patterns:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fancy-pants
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bib-overalls

Some fleece covers using these patterns:
http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/2007/10/free-soaker-pattern.html
http://handmadebyrita.blogspot.com/2007/10/httpwww.html
I think I might make a few more fleece covers but other than that I'm definitely done.

Some wool covers, knitted using the Ottobre pattern and Rita's Rump cover
http://www.ottobredesign.com/en/print/pdf/wool_diaper_cover_en.pdf
http://handmadebyrita.blogspot.com/2007/10/httpwww.html

Some waterproof ones I made using nylon and some other rubbery material I found at a thrift store and this Chloe Toes pattern:
http://www.chloetoesboutique.com/full_cover.pdf
The green one is a bought one.

Some bought and homemade prefolds:

Some fitted newborn diapers made from this pattern and old T-shirts
http://www.thenappynetwork.org.nz/images/shars_newborn_fitted.pdf

And all my Rita's Rump Pockets, I made the most of these.
http://handmadebyrita.blogspot.com/2007/10/classic-rrp-ritas-rump-pocket-pattern.html
Here they are as all in ones with fleece outers:
And all the regular ones from various flannel:

Fergus and Elora

Today Kevin and I went out to explore Fergus and Elora, two small nearby towns right on the Grand River.
Fergus was nice, lots of old buildings. Elora had some old buildings to as well as some trendy shops to look around in.

Fergus:

Elora:

12 January 2010

Frames

There's so much I can do now I have a table saw! I made these in December and Kevin and I just got round to finding the perfect stain and finishing them. I made these frames out of regular 2x4s. They are simple and cost nothing. I just used the table saw and the router (didn't realize all the opportunities a router would open up either). The total cost for the three including stain was less than $15.



04 January 2010

Christmas Pudding


We ate the Christmas pudding on New Year's Day with lots of custard. It was very good.

Christmas Presents I made

Now I can put up pictures of the Christmas presents I made that I'm quite proud of. I made a rice filled heating bag for my Mum complete with removable cover.

The final product, our soap that we gave to various people. We ended up with 3 kinds: lavender and marigold, orange, and mint.
Homemade limoncello for Kevin's Dad. We used the instructions found here:
http://patty.vox.com/library/post/homemade-limoncello-when-life-gives-you-lemons.html
And for Kevin I made a dinosaur pillow and coaster for his office.