Gooey Knits

Happy 1st Birthday Lily Pie

2009-11-05T19:40:00.001-05:00

WE LOVE YOU!!

Finished Dolls

2009-11-04T23:19:00.002-05:00

Yea I finished the dolls. I ended up making Trinity one too, she pick out all her fabric by herself. For both dolls I used vintage sheet fat quarters for the head and limbs. The muzzle is sheet also. The bodies and dresses are made from as scrap bag I won from Sew Mamma Sew. I used Violet by Bit of Whimsy Dolls. I really enjoyed the pattern. It was well written and easy to follow! I will be working with them again!
The orange one is Trinity's, the white one is Lily's.

This time last year I'd be in labor with Lily, in a few hours my little baby is turning 1 :)

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!!

Fun with Feather and more on Lily's hips

2009-11-03T11:11:00.003-05:00

Well not that I'm not completely freaking out I can think more clearly about what to to with Lily and her hip "problem". We are going to take the x-ray to the ped when we take her in to her well baby check up and see if we can get a referral to another doctor. We will go see the surgeon whenever they call up for the appt and then we will go from there. What is really upsetting is that her doctor said her hip were "normal" just a few months ago, he was either wrong that time or this time. There is still time to "fix" her without cutting her open and casting her, we just need to find someone to do it. I know your going to say that babies are resilient and all that stuff but you don't know Lily. I think restricting her for 3+ month would break her. This kid is so unbelievability hight maintenance it's not even funny. For now it's wait and see as she learns how to walk and run, which she is starting to do fine with no problems at all.

Ok no time for fun with feathers...

So I have a ton of feathers left from Trinity's bird custome and late one night I started playing with them along with my vintage button stash....this is what I got!

I really love them!

Don't forget to enter my blog giveaway below!

Another Give-away and Lily's hips

2009-11-02T11:51:00.009-05:00

You could win this!

Let get started with the Give-away! I want to kick of 1 special persons holiday shopping or you could just keep it for yourself!

The beautiful necklace was made by my friend, SoVeryCharming. This is a wonderful example of up-cycling. The 18in glass beaded chain was a thrift store find. The frame pendent was part of another broken necklace. She added a lovely picture of two angels to the frame. The pendent also has an angel cut out on the back. The necklace will come boxed and ready to give!

Here are the rules:

You will get one entry for each of the following things, do them all or just one!

Follow my blog

Visit her shop and heart it.

Visit her shop and link me your fav item.

Visit my shop and heart it.

Visit my shop and link me your fav item.

Follow me on TwitterFollow me on Plurk

If you make a purchase from either shop you will get 5 extra entries!

Please leave a comment on the blog and let me know what you do!

The give-away is open to everyone and will end Monday Nov 9th at 12:00am est.

Lily's hip update.

Well we went in for her 1 year check up on her hips. A little background for any new readers. My youngest Lily was diagnosed with hip dysplasia a day after birth, so almost a year now. She was harnessed for the better part of 5ish months off and on. The harnesses was not my friend. Well at her last appointment we were given the all clear and that her hips are "normal". I was so happy to be done with it! Well, we went in this morning and now 1 of her hips are normal the other is not. There is something called a Acetabular Index, her right hip is at 25%, normal for her age, her left hip is at 35%, Moderately Pathological. Really I have no clue what this means all I do know is they now want us to see a surgeon now. I very likely will refuse any more treatment because the changes of her having to go through many surgeries and months and months of wearing a cast from her belly to her toes is very high. Also the surgeries may do nothing or make it worse. But anyway.....

Gnomey Lily!

2009-11-01T09:56:00.002-05:00

I finished Lily's costume yesterday. She didn't go out trick or treating, so pretty much it was just for this picture...well she'll still wear everything. The hat and socks were knit out of Yarn
Knit Picks Ambrosia Petal from my stash. It is 80% baby alpaca and 20% cashmere, I got it on sale when right before the discontinued it. The hat pattern you can find here, Ravelry page here. The socks I just made up as I went and made them with a super pointy toe. The apron was made out of vintage sheets and a doily. I used this pattern by leila and ben. I LOVE their patterns! The apron is a bit big on her, but that's ok. It will last her a long time!

Trinity's bird costume was a huge hit. Joe said everyone loved it and gave her extra candy. She did come home with a ton!

I finished one of Lily's birthday gifts.

Gnomes!!! I love gnomes. They are knit and then felted using some scraps from the stash. I used this pattern from Crafty Alien. I love they way they came out! I also plan on sewing her a rag doll from one of the patterns in this shop. I'm not sure what one yet, and I'm waiting on some $$ for a couple custom things I made. Her birthday is on Thr so I have a little time. Speaking of her birthday, we went to Target yesterday. Lily need a pair of shoes and I wanted to pick up a few things for her birthday. I ended up finding her a super cute winter coat and an outfit and some toy I know she will love. But I feel dirty, like I want to take it back, not because of money or anything like that, I just think handmade stuff is so much better. I wish I would have just put all them money I was saving for her birthday gifts in the bank and bought something nice off of etsy. If I had more time, that is what I would do. Oh well there is always Christmas.

Stay tuned tomorrow I will be hosting another give-away to kick off the holiday shopping season. And those of you who have been following me for awile, Lily has her 1 year hip check tomorrow morning.

New Light Box

2009-10-24T11:26:00.004-04:00

I've been getting sick of the weather dictating when I can take pictures for the shop. I've also wanted to be able to retake some using props and didn't want to drag all that crap outside. So I made a light box. Now I will have more time to make sure my pictures are perfect. It was super easy to make and took me less then an hour. I used a large cardboard box, (free) a white fitted sheet (free) and a glue gun (poor thing been getting a work out this week, and I'm almost out of glue sticks). I just need to iron the back drop fabric, (part of the sheet) and get a proper lamp and a daylight bulb. Here is the tutorial if you'd like to make one!

Now to find somewhere to put it and keep the cats out of it!

Trinity's Halloween Costume

2009-10-22T10:19:00.004-04:00

Last x-mas Santa got Gooey a huge box of crafting fun and in that box was a huge bag of feathers. She's been putting feathers in a hat for almost a year now and trying to fly, an then a couple of weeks ago she said she wanted to be a bird for halloween.... I just finished her costume this morning. I used a pair of store bought white angel wings and covered them with craft feathers. The mask we found for .75 and I added more feathers to it. The hat, which I don't even think you can see, is a vintage mens dress hat from the 60's. She just stuffed feathers in to the ribbon around it. Now I need to work on Lily's costume, I'm thinking Gnome!

And the Winner is......

2009-10-21T07:45:00.002-04:00

Digital Misfit!!!!

I'd like to thank everyone who entered my first giveaway! I have more planned very soon!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-19T09:56:00.000-04:00

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

OMG you have to check this out!

odds and ends

2009-10-19T08:25:00.004-04:00

Ohh Look what I got yesterday! This super cool sewing table that belonged to my husbands late grandmother. She need a good cleaning, but other then that I'm going to leave her the way she is! I was also gifted some vintage linens and other vintage goodies, mostly kitchen stuff!

I've been busy with the shops. I was featured yesterday in the Handmade News. That's one of my new hair pins. Here are a couple more.

This is Deco. I used a vintage earring that my friend Krissy gave me with a bag of goodies.
This one is Fly Away. I used a vintage wing bead thingy and 2 vintage buttons. The clear one is glass. I think these are my favorites off all the hairs I've made to date! I've also been listing Wash/Dishcloth and Scrubbie Gift sets. Here is one...

I found those cute kraft paper tags here. Check out her shop, her service is wonderful!

I won a blog Give-away that was hosted by SewArtsy. I won this cute little set by Penelope Designs - Wearable Art for Everyone. You can find her blog here.

BTW don't for get to enter my Give Away! It ends tomorrow at 12am est!

Did I ever blog about my cat nip? Anyway, check out daizyed shop over on etsy. She made cat toys using my nip and is giving 10% of the sale to the “No Pets Left Behind” pet rescue in the Omaha area and 10% to Heifer International. You can't go wrong, you arehelping rescue critters, helping a family make a living, and spoiling your kitty!

First Every Blog Giveaway with some Shameless Self Promotion!

2009-10-13T10:47:00.006-04:00

You can Win THIS... I knit this scarf using some of my gift yarn in my previous post and I wanted to share the love! It is made with Luxury Mohair by King Cole 78% Mohair, 13% Wool, and 9% Nylon. I use a stitch pattern from the Encyclopedia of Knitting, my very first knitting book! I've washed and blocked it, but you could block it out more if you'd like. The Scarf is about 64in long and 4.5 in wide.

Now the Rules.

You can follow my blog

visit my etsy shop, Twolia, or my new Artfire shop and tell my what your favorite item is, if you make a purchase you get an extra entry, just let me know when you check out!

and then leave a comment with a way to get a hold of you if you win.

Giveaway open to everyone!

Ends Oct 20 at 12am est

I'll draw an name on the 21st.

More Handmade Gifts...

2009-10-08T11:30:00.003-04:00

Kath if you are, for some reason reading this, close the window NOW...

Ok gifts in a second, I want to show you something. But first a little back story.. My husband now sells Kirby, you know the vacuums. To sell them he goes to someones home and does a demo. Well last week he was in a home of a knitter and they got to talking about me. She gave this pile of goodies for to my husband to give to me. (and she bought a vacuum too)

Look at that pile of yummyness! This is one of the nicest things a stranger has ever done for me. I will use every last bit and think of her when I do.

Gift time. These are all for Kath for her birthday next month.

A pair of wrist warmers with vintage buttons. (they are mermaid pearls if your wondering) I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby for easy care.
A pair of slippers from this pattern that I found on etsy. I added the staps and the flowers. I used dish cloth cotton.
and I made this cute bag also. Pattern here by Ali Foster Her patterns are super easy with tons of pictures. It took me longer to cut the fabric then it did to sew the thing. I've also made this one but I can't show you that yet.

Let's see what's else has been going on....The Conture died again, it was just the battery, so that was an easy fix. I've been working mostly on things for the shop. I have tons of goodies photographed and ready to list, and I have tons of stuff I need to get pictures of. I will be well stocked for holiday time...no new yarn, I'm hoping soon. I need to find a base I want to use and I'm still working on that.

Lily is 11mo this week.

I've been cutting a ton of quilt squares from vintage sheets and pillow cases....

I think that's about it....I really am going to try to blog more, really I know I've been say thing for almost a year...blame it on the Lily Pie :)

Oh I'm working on the wristwarmer pattern...it will be up soon!

The Baby Shower

2009-09-28T09:19:00.002-04:00

The baby shower I've been working on was yesterday and now I can show you all the stuff I made...lots of picture coming!
I finished this the night before. Trinity picked everything out and it was her idea, I just handsewed the birdies and tied the knots. I this was their fav gift from us. I think I'll be making more of these for the etsy shop!
Not part of the gift, but made for them...I hate hedgehogs.
Again not part of the gift but made for them, these critters are for the mobile
This was the favor bag. Dh made the soap, I made the rest. There were 21 of these.
I didn't have any $$ to get a gift bag....so I made one, it can be reused as a tote bag.
Birp cloths.
Hey look more owls!
Crocheted blanket.
Bibs
and hat and baby socks.

I'm happy with the way everything turned out and everyone seemed to have fun at the shower...It's wierd having it all done...I guess I need another big project. Oh I know, I can get the shop ready for the holidays.....I think I'm going to take today off....

Indian Summer Shirt and Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-15T17:35:00.000-04:00

Indian Summer Shirt and Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Now this is just plain cute!

I'm almost done with the baby shower gift, just one more sock and the hat! I also signed on to make a bunch of little critters that I'd like to get done before the shower in less then 2 weeks. Oh and I still have that other thing to make...and I've been working on this..
She has way more hair now, I'll post a pick when she's done. I did the repaint over a year ago. Her hair is wool that I dyed. I won't be playing with her again for another couple weeks...

Ok I've got tons of stuff to work on, i can't wait to show you the finished baby shower gift!

Poppy Boutonniere Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-11T13:10:00.000-04:00

Poppy Boutonniere Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Now this is just cool! I'm going to have to make some of these!

Teachers Pet Cardi, Simple Tee and Poppy Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-11T13:05:00.000-04:00

Teachers Pet Cardi, Simple Tee and Poppy Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

ok so I really like giveaways!

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-11T13:04:00.001-04:00

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I so need one of these!

Everyday May Childrens Toolbelt GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-11T13:04:00.000-04:00

Everyday May Childrens Toolbelt GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Oh this is cute!

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-11T13:02:00.000-04:00

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hey go check this out!

So I've carded up some more Glow in The Dark batts for the shop, all very Halloweeny!

ok that's all I've got!

Facebook has killed my blog

2009-09-09T09:34:00.002-04:00

I spend way to much time over there...

Anyway, I've finished the drawstring bags for Kath's shower, Dh just has to make the soap and I have to make the hat, and socks for her shower gift and her last birthday gift and I'll be done! I have less then 3 weeks to finish that a purse for my sil and the last pair of Dashinings for my FIL. I hope I can get it all done!

I joined Wardrobe Refashion. I took the 2 month pledge, I think I may sign on for life..it's kinda fun. I made this outfit for Lily yesterday.

I used 2 old t-shirts. The red one was a long sleeve that my sil gave me years ago and the stripy one was from old navy. I used the ls sleeves for the pants, that was super easy! The shirt I kinda just made up as I went using a RM shirt I had. It's not perfect but I'm happy with it. This isn't the first refashion I've done, I've used to cut and hem oneies for Gooey and I've frogged and knit many of sweaters.

Well I've got a pair of Dashings to work on...I'll get the wrist warmer pattern that I posted about a few days ago up next month....hopefully sooner :)

Batts For shop Update Sept 4th

2009-09-02T15:06:00.001-04:00

Batts For shop Update Sept 4th
Originally uploaded by merlinthecat.

Shop news!

2009-09-01T13:28:00.001-04:00

I've been carding! This and That Batts will be returning on Friday morning!

What happened to summer?

2009-08-27T09:07:00.003-04:00

Really is it the end of Aug? I mean really? I don't think I've done one fun thing this summer...On well... Next year.

I've mostly been working on stuff for the shop...no new yarn. I've been adding a ton of ready made stuff, I'm hoping to bring new people to the shop and it's fun to work on new things! I have been carding my This and That Batts and am hoping to have them in the shop next weekish. There will even be Glow in The Dark ones :) I had forgotten how much fun carding is, I wish I had more time for it! I hoping to have another yarn update before the end of Oct...but we will see.

I've got a huge list of crap I have to finish by the end of next month...
2 pairs of Dashing
Sew the gift bags for K's baby shower
Make soap for the gift bags
Finish K's baby shower gift...I've crocheted a blanket, sewed 2 bibs, a pair of shoes, 2 burp cloths, and crocheted 2 owl stuffies....I'd like to knit a pair of socks and a hat still
Finish K's b-day gift...slippers are crocheted and wristwarmers are done, still have to cut and sew a purse.
Sew another purse for someone
Oh and I should make the kids some stuff before it gets cold.
Here is a picture of the wristwarmer I made for the shop...I'm thinking of writing up the pattern....but haven't had the time yet.

Well I better get to work....

Back To School

2009-08-10T12:10:00.000-04:00

This was not the blog post I was planning on. I was going to show you all the neat stuff I've been working on and tell you about the girls. But I've been thinking about why I'm going to homeschool Trinity. I've gone back and forth about sending her to "real" school this year. She'd make friends, I'd have time to do things around the house, time to spend 1 on 1 with Lily, the list could go on. But yesterday I came to the realization of why I'm going to keep her home for now, not because the Lansing school district sucks or not because of religions issues. I don't do religion, but that for another time. I guess I should start off with a little story. My neighbors' great granddaughters were over yesterday, they are just a couple years older then Trinity, nice girls. We they came over to say hi to Trinity and the older one, who I think is going in to 3rd grade was telling Trinity about how she was so happy about putting her Twilight posters up in her room. Something just clicked, what the fuck is this 8 year old girl doing watching/reading Twilight? Does she really need to know about hot sparkly vampire sex and vampire babies. I loved reading the Twilight books, they sucked me in! But I'm 32, not 8. At 8 I was reading the Bobbsey Twins and Sweet Valley Twins and going to the frog pond to build a fort and check out some frogs. Kids need to be kids. They need to be allowed to enjoy their childhood and keep their innocence as long as possible. I don't want Trinity to be around things like Twilight yet. I want here to believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny, I want her to think there is real magic in the world. I don't want her to be exposed to things that she's not ready for yet. So that is why I'm homeschooling her. Rant over....crafty goodness coming soon!

I really need to blog...

2009-08-08T09:18:00.002-04:00

I promise a real post coming soon! I've been super busy sewing and crafting. There are tons of new stuff in the shop. I'm working hard on planning a friends baby shower and making her baby gifts and all the favors...

Trinity turned 6.

Lily's now 9mo.

Where is the time?

I know I spend way to much time on facebook playing Farm Town, Farmville, and Barn Buddies...