yule presents for the kids

these are the totally awesome gifts i got the kids. 

they are made by native kneyan women. the women own farms and thanks to a local oregon woman, have stopped paying people to come shear their sheep and cart away the wool. 

instead they have been introduced to the arts of spinning and knitting. all of their designs they make with no pattern. many of these animals they have never even seen!

each animal has the woman's name on the tag, letting you know who made it. and each purchase sends money back to the woman who made that item. the women use the money they earn to put their children through school and buy sundries and household items. 

i think this is a great project!

the woman at the heart of this project was selling them at soft horizons today. i am unsure how long they will be there. if you happen to miss them she will be selling them at the black sheep festival as well.

 

 

 just in case you couldn't tell, deer, giraffe, zebra, wart hog, and rhino.

hats

a hat i made for saxon a few years back. 

 

the hat i made for sabrina for yule

 

 

my lovely model,  aiyana

soakers and wraps

my latest project has been making little wool diaper soakers and wraps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

home made cloth diapers

so here are the pics of the dozen cloth diapers i made. 

you can see there are a few different sizes. i tried to find fabrics that had light patterns for ease of keeping an eye on babies movements.

they are all 3-6 or thicker.

cloth diaper care

nappy and wippy care and washing

shake poops into toilet and flush

put dirty diapers and cotton wipes into dry pail, baking soda can be added for odor

wash every two to three days
pre wash
place cloth diapers and none knitted washies in washer, prewash, no soap, cold water.
soak
refill washer with cold water and a half a cup baking soda. let agitate for minute or two.turn off machine and let soak several hours or over night. drain water on prewash cycle.
hot wash
wash full cycle with hot water, detergent and baking soda.
rinse
run cold rinse cycle with half cup distilled white vinegar, can use a downy ball for this.
second rinse
run a second rinse with just cold water.

all in ones and diaper covers
wash warm water, gentle cycle, make sure velcor is closed

hang to dry, do not dry in dryer

wool soakers and knitted wippys
wool: once a week or when soiled hand wash with wool wash/baby soap.

run tepid water, add wool wash, gently swish, let soak 5 minutes, swish again, gently massage, turn inside out, rinse in tepid water.

once a month treat with lanolin:

add pea sized drop of lanolin and pea sized drop of wool wash to mixing container (squeeze bottle works well), fill half way with very hot water, shake vigorously till well mixed milky color, fill sink or wash pan with tepid water while continuing to shake vigorously, check mix for any blobs of lanolin, place soakers into sink, add mix a little at a time making sure it's not all in one spot, rinse container pouring water into sink. gently swish soakers, turn soakers over and swish again, making sure all has been covered. let sit 15 minutes. drain water and gently squish out excess water. lay on towel, roll, hang to dry.

bamboo and cotton: once a week or when soiled hand wash with dr brauners or baby soap.

run warm water, add soap, gently swish, let soak 5 min, swish again, massage till appears clean, rinse in tepid water.

dry covers and wipes by rolling in a towel and hanging to dry out of the sun.

cloth wippy recipe

2-3 drops tea tree, 1 tbs dr brauners, water

2 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp baby shampoo/wash, 1tsp oil: pour over wipes and place wipes in water tight container

picture updates

finally heres some pics of the latest projects as they stand.

 

 these pictures kinda suck. not sure why i always end up taking pics late at night with poor lighting, oh well. the fiber is an amazing alpaca in great colors. a lovely teal and the original which got washed dried and, well, felted (hat on right) has a burgundy, the one on the left that i am knitting up to replace said felted hat has a purple. they no longer carry the original color. both are amazing in person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

the little purple cable sweater i made for the rat dog. made out of a lovely bulky weight wool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

five hour baby sweaters. black one in a soft wool with matching hat. pastel one in a baby acrylic.  both with beatrice potter buttons.

 

 

baby hat in cotton.

 

 

baby hoody in acrylic. wish i'd have used a better fiber. 

 

 

 burp cloth in cotton.

 all my latest baby projects.

behind on posts

well i have camera batteries but no energy, alas i am a slacker!

i have finished three baby sweaters now, though one needs tidied up with some sewing and embellishment. have completed two baby hats, three pairs of baby socks, all those wash rags, one burp cloth, and hmm think that's it for little bean.

am working on a  cable knit dog sweater currently, as well as a hat for me. need to start yana's hat, though first need to pin her down and measure her head.

can't think of anything else project wise for now.