Spring has Sprung!

*the first ranunculus*

*the mystery plants in the front yard turned out to be lovely white irises*

*and soon, fresh paint*

Handmade Baby Sling

I made this sling using these instructions from the Maya Wrap website. I really appreciate that they provide them. I couldn't justify spending the money on one of their slings because I didn't know if I would like using it or not. I made mine for 15 dollars. While it is not perfect, it is comfortable and useful. If/when it wears out, I would probably just buy a real Maya Wrap.

The fabric is from Hancock Fabrics and I bought the rings at slingring.com.

*no, he is not Conan O'Brien's illegitimate son*

One of the advantages of a home made sling is that it won't be recalled. One of the disadvantages is, well, that it won't be recalled. I was very careful with my stitching and tested it with cans before I put him in it. Even before the CPSC warnings about baby slings came out, I've been careful to make sure his face is always uncovered and I usually wrap the tail around the rings so his head won't bump against them.

I don't know if baby wearing will really make him a smarter, more confident child, but it is definitely convenient and sometimes soothes him well.

Baby Knits in Action

Nautie, aka the cuddlefish being...cuddled.

The earflap hat fits now...and not a moment too soon since it SNOWED today.

Book a Month in 2010!

I love New Year's resolutions. They're like makeovers. They're irresistible.
"I am going to make a sweeping change that will drastically improve ______". This year, I would like to drastically improve my brain.
Pregnancy rendered me incapable of completing a thought. Mommyhood has me speaking Parentese more than English - and I teach English as a second language for a living.

So, this year, I will read a new book a month. Books I've read in the past can't be re-read, but other works by previously read authors are acceptable.

I started with The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell.

This is technically my buffer book, since I started it in December and finished it in very early January. (Yes, buffer books are allowed, I'm not going to set myself up for failure.) I live in a house divided over fiction and non-fiction. This was my husband's book that I picked up while nursing and I couldn't put it down.

It is a fascinating look at what causes trends, epidemics, and other large scale changes in our world. The book is written in a very accessible style and Gladwell illustrates his point with intriguing real world examples, like the story of Sesame Street's success or how STDs spread through cities.
Even though I finished it a month ago, I find myself still thinking about it. Which, with so many grabs for my attention these days, I find that a high compliment.

The official selection for January was The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. I picked it because it was on an endcap near the cash register at B&N and I read a couple of pages while waiting to check out. (Clearly, my book choices are well researched. Does reading a book just because it's there make me a book slut? I digress.)

This is Chabon's first novel. On the cover, someone makes a bold statement comparing it to The Catcher in the Rye. Ordinarily, such claims would cause me to roll my eyes and move on, but I'd already read a few pages, and you know, it was...there. And, I've read two other Chabon books and enjoyed them thoroughly so I figured I'd overlook the Catcher in the Rye thing and give it a shot.

I'm glad I did. The writing is beautiful. It's the kind of writing you want to lose a Saturday to. Unfortunately, I never got to do that, but I did finish before the end of January.

It's an unique coming of age story that I didn't identify at all with. Our protagonist is a recent college grad, circa the late 80's. He's staring down some huge coming of age questions, such as, "How do I reconcile my childhood with what I want my adulthood to be? What do I want my adulthood to be? Do I like girls or boys?"

In the late 80's I was first grade girl who liked a particular big-eared boy in her Sunday school class. In college, I was a philosophy minor so by the time I graduated I was over the whole meaning of life thing. The drinking though, I could identify with the drinking in the book.

While I was reading, I kept thinking that The Mysteries of Pittsburgh would make a great movie. Lo and behold, someone beat me to it and it came out on the big screen in 2008.



I haven't seen the movie version, but from the trailer it looks like the original story has been heavily reworked. Have to be honest, I doubt I will rent it.

If you've made it this far, congratulations. It's been a long post. But it's been a while and the baby was asleep, so I sized the moment. I hope everyone else's resolutions are going as enjoyably as mine!

2009 Projects in Review

Things I've learned from this last year of craft:

1. I always think green is my favorite color, but clearly blue and red were in 2009.
2. I like to keep extremities warm.
3. Needle felting is fun, I should pick that up again.
4. Do I like to make toys? Yes, I do.
5. Making a person is the best craft of all!

The Evolution of the Hipster

from paste magazine

The neglected to mention that if you were a hipster girl in 2005, you were learning how to knit. They do get half credit for having the model wear what looks like a hand knit scarf.

Baby Benji Beanie

Pattern: Baby Beanie (ravelry link)
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock
Needles: size 2

This was a cute, easy pattern, just right for full term preggo/new mommy brain. I really wanted to finish it before he was born, but he came 4 days earlier than predicted. A friend and fellow knitter was coming to meet him so I HAD to finish it.

How is that more motivation than the birth of my first child? Re: Ben can't yet discuss the pros and cons of various sock yarns.

But he looks so cute wearing them that this will not be the last knitted hat he is subjected to wear!