Exciting Knitting Announcement!

This blog has lately been filled with a lot of running.  Fairly enough since training for a marathon is an almost full time consuming passion.  HOWEVER, I do still find some time to fit in some stitches.

When my youngest daughter potty trained, I quickly changed her diaper basket into a knitting basket, and it sits nicely at the end of our couch.  One project started, another one joined it, (and another), and quickly it was near overflowing.  I've been working hard to empty the basket (mostly because I really want to cast on a pair of socks).

My eldest daughter turned 8 a week ago, and I ordered some special yarn from the US to make her a ballet shrug.  More often than not she would be cold at ballet class during the winter so this seemed like a great solution.  The pattern search however was not.  Knitting patterns are not cheap, and lately pattern price seems to have taken another leap.  Some costing anywhere from $6-$10.  I don't mind spending the money if I know I will use the pattern more than once, but likely for a kids pattern like a shrug, I won't.  A little daunted, I set about altering this adult pattern.  One I have knit for myself.  Calculations set, I cast on, and.... it worked!  It fits her like a charm, and I even had enough yarn to make the arms full length and with thumb holes (because who doesn't love thumb holes?)

One down in the basket.

Next in the basket was a capelet for my Mom.  I started this project for her 60th birthday.... two years ago.  Gosh wow seriously.  I was having knitting guilt everytime I passed out a finished project and it wasn't hers.  That included Christmas gifts, birthday gifts.  It was becoming a knitterly heavy burden.  Ballet shrug done, I picked that capelet back up, and cast it off this past weekend. It's beautiful, but I am glad to not see another p5tog for a while (that means purling 5 stitches together.  A feat that my needles are not very fond of).

Finally (and here comes the annoucement), is my icelandic sweater.  I finished up the arms this past weekend and have joined the arms to the body, so only have the yoke to go.  I'm excited to be entering it into the Western Showcase.  Every year at the Calgary Stampede,there is an art showcase tucked away in the corner of one of the buildings, wonderfully placed by the wine pavillion.  There are paintings, quilts, cakes, and oh yes, knitting and crochet.  Two (?) years ago I entered in two of my knits.  I loved seeing them on display and even won a ribbon.  The icelandic sweater is pretty unique in that the yarn is actually from iceland, as is the pattern, and I made a number of alterations on it to have a proper fit.  When I realized a couple of weeks ago I could have it completed to submit, I became determined to get it done.  I checked the brochure this morning and I have about a month left to get er done.

Once the sweater is complete, I will have a cowl left in my basket, and then SOCKS.  That should correspond nicely to the start of summer, where knitting socks is a wonderful light project.

What do you have in your basket right now?

A month has come and (almost) gone

It's been awhile since I've been in this space.  February was a doozy.  After the loss of Big Red, just two weeks later we saw the passing of my Grandfather.  It was sudden, and left me without the ability to communicate for a time.  The rawness of both losses left me not even knowing what to even say.  Both losses presented such different types of grief.  Spring is starting to show signs of arriving, with the sun being up longer, days being warmer, and slight touches of green grass.  Things are turning new and days once again feel lighter.

Can you belive that there are only 33 days left now until I race the Vancouver Marathon?  I've been putting in longer kilometers this past month, doing a couple 30Km runs as well as a 32.  The next two weeks are the final push where I will log 34 and then 36 before my taper begins.  I'm as ready as really one can be for a full marathon.  The distance as my brother was saying this weekend, is so elusive.  I always told people it is a distance that needs respect.  I'm going into it with a time goal in mind, but a secondary goal of just chipping off even a few minutes off of my Calgary time last June.

In the crafting world, I am still working on my Icelandic sweater, have a birthday gift from two years ago STILL on the needles for my Mom, have recently picked up a cross stitch kit that I bought three years ago, have a cowl on the go knit with the MOST delicious yarn, AND, my eldest will soon be turning 8.  Are you tired reading that list?  Me too - ha!  As I type this I have pink and rainbow speckled yarn sitting beside me, that needs to turn into a ballet shrug by the 5th of May.  No problem right?  Right!

I've been reading your blogs, keeping in touch with friends, and finally feel like I'm not treading water.

For those that follow me on Instagram, thanks for your love and support as I worked through this past month.  You all mean alot to me and my family <3

Keeping Your Water Cozy

There are a few essential items you need if you're a runner, to keep you outside during the cold winter months.  Some good grips on your shoes so you don't slip on ice, appropriate running gear so you can stay as warm as possible, and a way to keep your hydration from freezing.  Oh yes, a real issue.

It dips below -10C and making sure you have hydration (& fuel!) for your longer runs becomes a real issue.  Tucking it inside your jacket, putting it inside your mitts (your gels and bars anyways), and even inside your bra (yes I've done this with my phone).

Last year to get around this, I sewed a cozy for my phone, and a cozy for my water bottle.  It was pre hydration pack days, and the days of my Iphone 5 battery that would die if it 0C.  I took some quilt batting, and some minky fabric left over from my sons baby quilt, and made little pockets.  Because my phone was so finicky, it was only taken out in dire conditions because as soon as it was exposed to the elements.  Zip it had no battery and turned itself off.  The comical part to this, is once it was warmed back up, turn it on, battery was back to where it had been.  Anyways, the water bottle cozy also worked well.  It fit into my waist pack, and between the cozy and flipping my bottle upside down, I was in business.

But I switched to a hydration vest last year, and the day before the Last Chance a couple weekends back, I called my brother in a mild panic.  How do you keep your hydration pack from freezing?  He wore it under his jacket.  I got off the phone and thought there HAD to be a better way.  So as a crafter and sewer, I set to work.

For the brief mockery I got, this hydration pack cozy was AMAZING.  My water folks was room temp until 16K, and it NEVER froze.  Nor did any of fuel.  I had the pack under my jacket, and my fuel inside the vest.  Not only did it keep my water warm, it also kept me warm!  The quilt batting on my back proved to be a nice source of warmth.

Here's how you too can make your own if you're crafty inclined:

You need to be able to have the cozy come off easily, so either a zipper needs to be put around, or in my case, I used a metal snap closure.

First, trace around the outside of your pack where your hydration pouch sits.  You need to cut this "pattern" out of both your quilt batting (twice), and once with a cover fabric (or twice if you also want to cover the back).  The back of mine is only the quilt batting.  For the purposes going forward I'll describe how I constructed it for my UltraSpire vest, as each pack will be slightly different.

First you need to attach your metal snap to both pieces of quilt batting.  Mine had prongs that flipped out, so I just needed to push the prongs through the batting, then push the prongs out sidways.  With that done, I sewed together my flannel with one of the quilt battings using a 1/4" seam, flipped inside out and pressed (piece A).  For tidiness purposes, I took the second piece of batting and sewed the edge in 1/4" (piece B).  I then sewed piece A to piece B, only along the BOTTOM until it hit the lower set of ties.  Hydration packs need to be washed, and I didn't want anything complicated to have to take apart on a weekly basis.

Side view so you can see that only the bottom of piece A and B are sewn together, leaving the side open.

So how does it actually stay on??  Along the top edge, both piece A, and piece B have a piece of velcro in the corner, sewed down on a diagonal to keep the velcro secure.

And voila!  One hydration pack cozy to keep you, and your water, nice and warm.  A fellow runner commented after the run that all of her gels were frozen as well as her water.  That was the point I was really glad I took the few (maybe half hour?) to sew this cozy together.

If you make one, I'd love to see how yours turns out.  Keep warm friends!

Tis' Almost the Season

Can you  believe that Christmas is almost around the corner?  It's hard to want to believe that given Summer only just ended, Fall has just begun, and the days here are still in the 20's.  But before we know it, Christmas carols will be on the radio!

I like to start shopping early for my family, especially since there are 7 birthdays all celebrated in December and January!  So far I've already picked up my sons 5th (holy cats!) birthday gift, and yesterday out at Costco picked up some stocking stuffers.

As a crafty person I like to make as many of the gifts as I can.  But am also realistic about the amount of time I have, and that frankly, some things are just cheaper bought.

I've had fabric since my eldest was 2, along with a pattern to make her a housecoat.  I pulled out the pattern, measured her now at the age of 7, and was determined to finally make it for her.  Until I realized yesterday the pattern is only appropriate for a toddler.  Hmmmm.  No problem, I'll make it for my littlest and get more fabric for the eldest and the right pattern, but at the back of my mind realizing that the original fabric and pattern cost me close to $50.  That's alot for a housecoat.  And you know what I found yesterday afternoon at Costco?  A purple housecoat, in size 7/8 for $15.  I may be crafty, but I'm also not dumb!  That $15 housecoat entered my cart.

There are a few handmade items on my list though that won't be bumped off.  I have:

A hat for one of my sons teachers
A capelet for my Mom that was meant for her birthday 2 years ago (wow this shows I should not commit to making things as gifts).
The housecoat for my littlest (might as well use up what I have!)
And I'm working on a Lego idea for my son

That list is pretty short, but I know at least the second item will take me quite a while to complete.  My Dad loves handmade socks so if I have time those might be added to the list as well (for either his December birthday OR Christmas!).

How about you?  Have you started planning/plotting/snooping for ideas?

Hexagon Birthday Quilt

For each of my kids, once they had transitioned out of a crib, and into a bed (corresponding to their second birthday), I made them a quilt.  My littlest one has been out of a bed for some time, so when her birthday approached this Summer, a quilt was more than necessary as she was outgrowing sleeping with her crib blankets.  I put it off for quite awhile though, only starting her quilt end of July, with a middle of August deadline.  Most naptimes, and evenings were spent at my sewing machine. The pattern came all the way from Ontario from a friend of my Moms who owns a quilt shop out East.  I loved it, but wasn't sure I could tackle it.

Could I really sew hexes?  I read the instructions and felt particularly like I was way over my head, but I decided to tackle it one step at a time.  The first task being to get a hexagon template the right size.  I thought I had it... and cut out all the hexagons, to realize I had the measurements THE WRONG WAY.  Quick math and I realized I could fix this by adding another row to the width, and two to the length.  Leaving me with mere scraps after all was said and done.

When all was said and done though, I am so proud of this quilt.  I love the colours, how soft yet strong it is, and that (I hope!) it can grow with her for years to come.

First night sleeping with her big blankie.

 I need to get some better photos of the entire quilt, but here is one a friend of my Moms snapped of it with daughter sitting on it for size comparison.

I wanted to have the quilt done, longarmed, and back to me for binding so I could have it wrapped for my little ones birthday.  Acorn Quilting was recommended to me by a friend, and the husband and wife team did not disappoint.  I had it to them on a Sunday, and a call came on Tuesday the quilt was done!  To top it off when I went to pick it up, they had rainbow loom bracelets for all three of my kids.  Now almost a month later, my middle still wears his on an almost daily basis :)

Now that I'm done having kids, and don't have anymore 2 year old quilts to make, I'm thinking on the idea of making one for my husband and I for our bed.  That seems like an even bigger job to tackle, the first part being landing on what colour palette to use.  I thought maybe I would be done quilting once the kids all had one for their beds, but it seems the quilting bug has bit a little bit ;)

Sweet Valentine Delights

Thursday mornings after dropping my big two at school, I've been taking the littlest and meeting up with a friend to visit.  It was at our visit last week that she mentioned she was making a Pinterest treat for Valentines.  I have a Pinterest account, but don't use it frequently.  The treat involved chocolate and pretzels.  With a weakness for the combination of salty and sweet, I asked her to send me the 'pin'.

These are so good I can't properly describe them.  I do know almost everytime I walk by the fridge I pop one into my mouth.  (I found at room temperature they tend to stay too soft).

To make:

First, get some little people to do the legwork for you of taking off all the wrappers from the Hershey Hugs.

While they were doing that (with their Dad's help), I assembled the pretzels on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, and heated the oven to 200F.

Put a Hugs in the center of each pretzel, bake in the oven for 3 minutes, then press a smartie down onto the centre.

I let ours sit for a couple minutes, then placed the cookie sheet into the freezer to set them.  Once set, I've stored ours in a tupperware in the fridge.

Yum and enjoy!

Stay in Friday Activity

My eldest had a day off of school on Friday, and with a busy Saturday and Sunday ahead, it was a great excuse to stay at home.  It was also -14C outside.  Brrrr!

As the kids were watching cartoons, I logged on and saw this post.  Ice, candles?  My kids (and I!) would love this.  We quickly set to work doing the first layer of ice.  I used three different sizes of tupperware bowls, and used Ikea shot containers (not sure if this is their technical name... I use them for espresso shots ;), to weight down the water.

 We waited a few hours, then did the second layer.  The first layer wasn't completely frozen but was good enough to continue on.  The kids had great fun pouring in the water, and swirling in the food coloring with a toothpick.

We were partway through dinner when I remembered our ice candle holders outside.  They weren't completely frozen yet, but were good enough :)  I think if/when we do this again, the freezer is probably a better way to go, but the kids enjoyed being able to look out the window to see their creations.

If  you're looking for a great snow day activity, this one is alot of fun :)

Lego Loot Bags

My middle will soon be turning 4, and he requested a birthday party this year.  We've always had one for him in the past, but this will be his first inviting friends from his preschool.  We've hired in a company to come and build Lego with the kids (I figure at the age of 3-5 it is best to have someone else responsible for controlling the kids lol).  My son ('A') LOVES to build so this is right up his alley.  He's been busy telling people he is having a 'block party'.

Today we set about making the loot bags.

I like to include the kids when it's something that is intended for their friends.  It adds for a bit more time and work involved, but they love being helpers.  My eldest who is 6.5 is becoming particularly good at helping with some of the more intricate tasks.  Today she added all the dots to the paper sacs to turn them into Lego bricks (I used a Stampin Up 1 1/4" circle punch, regular kids craft paper, and raised them up with foam dots).

A is just getting into drawing people, so I put him to work adding smiley faces to Lego heads I cut out of yellow craft paper.  While I got to work stuffing the items into the loot bags (Mega Blocks Smurf figurines, Lego stickers, a Minifigurine coloring page, and Candy Blox), A started cutting yellow paper.  He cut up an entire page and started adding them to the bags while saying his friends names :)  I loved that he wanted to do something all by himself for his buddies.

On the back of the Lego heads I wrote a little note thanking the guests for coming.  I think they turned out really cute and think A's friends will enjoy them :)