Month: November 2009

Match and Set

Marie Haigh7 Comments

Tamsie did the impossible. She found a matching yarn for Elizabeth’s shawl!

It’s not perfect, but it’s close enough for hand grenades and horseshoes. The funny thing is that it’s the same colorway that I purchased when I tried to buy more yarn. When Colinette states that they hand dye each of their hanks and thus no two are alike, they’re not lying.

I’m still in the process of ripping back a few rows of the 1st skein of mohair so I can gradually incorporate the 2nd skein in.

Though, to be honest, most of my attention is focused on sewing the curtains for Elizabeth’s room. I am in the process of hand tacking the binding down. It didn’t really ‘need’ the binding since there were no raw edges showing, but as my neighbor would say “it adds that finishing touch”.

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Falling in Love with Stencils

Marie Haigh4 Comments

What I learned while painting Elizabeth’s room is the following:

The prep work takes the longest and is the least fun.
Painting a ceiling sucks as much as you thought it would.
Painting a wall is quick and easy.
But the one task that brought me the most joy was stenciling.

Stenciling is so much fun! You get a huge impact and a custom look for very little effort and time. That is my kind of painting.

Next on Marie’s to-do list (which is so much shorter than Dan’s to-do list. Not that I’m bragging.): Make curtains for Elizabeth’s room.

This is a post from Knitted Gem’s blog, authored by Marie Haigh.

The 5 Cent Tour

Marie Haigh11 Comments

The room isn’t done, which is why this tour is only 5 cents. Yet, I couldn’t wait to show off all that has been accomplished.

Before photo:

And now?

Well, this is what the backside of the panel doors look like now.

The front of the doors have been stenciled with Elly’s name on them. (Elizabeth wouldn’t fit.)

The shortest of the walls features a home plate. (The rest of the walls are awaiting more stenciling and a pair of baseball bats).

I couldn’t resist buying this switch plate for her room.

Part of the reason I am so excited that the painting is done (outside of the few stenciling projects) is because this belly o’ mine was starting to get in the way of crouching and climbing.  Do you believe there are only 9 more weeks to go? I fluctuate between excitement and utter disbelief.

Now Dan has to start tackling all the tasks on his Honey-Do list. The biggest item on it is to rip up that lovely green carpet that now sports splotches of white and red paint. With a little luck, the hardwood underneath won’t need any work outside of a good dusting and mopping.

This is a post from Knitted Gem’s blog, authored by Marie Haigh.

Elizabeth’s First Dress and Bunny

Marie Haigh11 Comments

Last night, while watching the Phillies win Game 5 of the World Series, I finished Elizabeth’s 1st dress.

This pattern required a lot of hand stitching, specifically slip-stitching. Due to this fact, a month had passed between when I had cut the fabric out and when I had gathered up the momentum to sew the dress together. Yet, it turned out to be the perfect baseball project, filling the countless minutes (hours!) of TV commercials.

Stats:
Pattern: Simplicity 2900 from their vintage collection
Fabric: a gift, the mundu from a sari made in India
Size: Small (6 months)

In the mail, Elizabeth received another gift.

This yellow bunny was hand knit by Nicole, author of Throws Like a Girl blog. I had won a small contest on her blog, guessing correctly on how long it took her to make mac-n-cheese on her grill (1.5 hours!). As a prize, she offered to knit something for Elizabeth. She picked this pattern. Isn’t it adorable? I’m just so thrilled and thankful.

Baby Notes:
Elly is quite active these days.
Visits to the midwife have increased to biweekly.
My wedding rings no longer fit. I wear them on a chain now.
The pregnancy shirt I made may not make it the full 9 months. It already feels a bit short in the front.