Too Small (yay! sort of)

About 2 weeks before Christmas, I began knitting a cute little elf hat for Taco. Little did I know that knitting with a newborn is a one-row-at-a-time endeavor.  By the time I finished, Little Christmas had come and gone.
 
And now the hat is almost too small; it just fits on Taco's head. I should have used a stretchier cast on. But I'm choosing to be positive about the too smallness of it. It's sort of a victory (yay, breastfeeding!) that he's grown out of the hat in the time it took to knit it.

Anyway, the pattern is Red, White and Ewe Elf Hat by Vania Jenny of Knit While He Naps. It's a free pattern and I used leftover yarns in my stash for it.  It could not be easier to knit up and is very cute. I made a few little changes, eliminating the long tassels to make it safe for Taco to wear when I'm not watching like a hawk.  That's about all there is to say about this cute little hat. 

On another note, thanks for all the nice comments about my last post.  My secret to looking well: a husband who has paternity leave. Phin is a HUGE help and we are doing about as well as a new little family could, and better every day. In the last week, I've even found a few minutes every day to think about and plan a few simple sewing projects - looking at patterns, buying fabric and notions online, etc. So, I hope to be posting again soon. Til then, happy sewing, knitting and crafting.


 

Last 2014 Sew: Another Cardi-Shrug

Before I try to do a belated year-end summary, here is one last 2014 sewing project...

 
With all the sewing and knitting I crammed into the last few weeks of pregnancy, this was the one project that was finished just under the wire. Truly. I hemmed the sleeves while in early labor.

It's another Simplicity 2603. I used the last bit of my precious stashed modal fabric to sew this one up. I didn't have enough for the long version that I made the first time around. So, this is view D with the sleeves shortened to elbow length. I've been wearing this and the striped version non-stop now that Taco has arrived.

For this version I added a hook-and-eye hook to the end of the front drape and a sneaky thread bar hiding along each shoulder seam.

I had seen some RTW "nursing wraps" that had a button or snap closure similar to this. It enables you to drape the front over to the opposite shoulder for nursing. I thought it was a great idea but didn't feel like paying the mark up that seems to apply to all "maternity" and "nursing" clothing. Really, there is nothing "nursing" about this except for the hook and bar. 

 
I'm kind of pleased with myself for managing to put on a bit of lip gloss for these otherwise no frills, indoor, with-a-flash photos. What you see is what you get when you have a 5 week old.What you will not see with this cardi-wrap is any nursing slip ups!