Crafty Thursday

 My apologies for missing last week.  The day just got away from me.  I have lots to show off this week, though.  First up, my sweater.  It's finished!  I regret that I can't model it, as it doesn't quite fit over the bump, but I'm pleased with how it looks.  Can't wait to wear it!

Speaking of clothes not fitting over the bump, even my maternity clothes aren't covering the bump these days, and I still have approximately 9 weeks to go!  So my mother and I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics to see if we could find any patterns.  Unfortunately, the selection is rather slim, but I finally found a Butterick pattern that claimed to be easy (I dispute that claim.  Granted, this is the first time I've sewn from a pattern like this, so maybe my definition of "easy" is different).  We found a nice ribbed knit, and I like the colour, so we went ahead and got it, not paying attention to the fact that it wasn't a 60" width like the pattern required.  This meant that I couldn't do the pattern I planned, but was able to do a different pattern in the pack.  Overall I like the shirt, though I think it could be a little wider/more flared, and I think the armholes are a bit large.  I wore a camisole under it, though, and it was fine.  Now to try making more maternity shirts!

When we were getting the materials for the shirt, I spotted a pattern book for cloth diapers and was intrigued.  I remembered that someone I know had made some diapers, so I decided to ask if she used the Babyville Boutique patterns or not. It turns out that she had used those patterns and had a good experience with it, so I decided I'd go back and try it out. After all, my bumGenius 2.0 diapers are wearing out pretty fast, and I'll need something else for the baby once he outgrows the Lollipop diapers I have (I have to say that we're pleased with the bumGenius overall, as they've lasted through potty-training two children; some are still fine, but the velcro, elastic, and PUL are starting to wear out on others).  Making my own diapers would also be a lot less expensive than buying a new stash.  So I returned to Jo-Ann's and picked up the pattern book and a pack of their PUL.  I saw their snaps, but thought they looked less durable than I'd like, though they're really cute, so I got some metal snaps and snap pliers from the notions section.  And then I found some soft flannel for the inner part.  Since I'm used to pocket diapers, I decided to try that.  The PUL pack I got came with two prints and one solid, but I decided to start with the solid one for my first try.  I really like the way it looks.  I used the medium template, and it looks to be the same size as my Fuzzibunz medium.  Since Charlotte's no longer wearing diapers during the day, I asked a friend to try it out before I make more, so I'll have to update once I hear back from her.  

Last for this week is a cute playmat I'm making for a Christmas present for the baby.  I found the pattern when browsing through my mother's Knitting Today magazines (now called Your Knitting Life, I think).  I figured it couldn't hurt to see if I could find the yarn for a good price, and I found a steal of a deal at Herrschner's.  While the yarn is thinner than what the pattern requires, I figured that even with double-stranding it, it would still be less expensive to get their chenille yarn than to buy the bulky chenille elsewhere.  While it can be annoying working with double the balls of yarn, especially when I'm using multiple colours, it's worth it.  It's also interesting how different colours of the same yarn feel and act differently.  For example, the blue is noticeably thinner than the green; the red is the only one that sheds, and it also tangles the worst of the three colours I've used thus far.  In case you've noticed the gap with the red, this is because the pattern calls for binding off stitches then casting on the same number the next row to make the barn door.  So right now I'm working the two sides separately, at the same time, and then I'll rejoin for the top of the barn.  This way, once the playmat has been lined with fabric, the barn door will be able to open and close to store the farm animal toys that will go with the mat.  Ingenious!