Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Andrea who won a free diaper!! I'm proud to be able to send you a lovely diaper of your choice. Thanks to all who participated and joined in the fun! Just to let you know, I am continuing to offer 10% off to those of you who follow my blog. I haven't decided how long this deal will continue for so jump on it while it's available!

I've been getting ready for baby to come. I only have a couple of weeks (well, I'm due on the 15th) but have definatly been having contractions recently. I have several diapers 1/2 made right now and I'm hoping to work up the energy to peel myself off the couch and go in there to finish them. I usually work at night after the kids go to bed but I haven't had much luck with that lately since my energy level is below zero by that time! Luckily I'm still able to knit since I can do that without moving off the couch (so sad). And it drives me crazy not to have something on the needles to take with me to the doctor's office etc. We'll see...it's hard to believe that very soon we will have a little bambino to hold in our arms!

Nesting

I am finally 37 weeks prego with number 3. I think my way of nesting is by obsessivly knitting! I can't stop myself...and it doesn't matter what I'm knitting I just have to have at least one or two projects going. Hats have been my newest obsession. But, this last week I went to a baby shower for a friend and so I couldn't help but make up this cute little cupcake set. She doesn't even cloth diaper but I know it will still get some wear!

For a Fluff Lovin' Mama

I was contacted last week by a local mom who was desparatly seeking longies, fast...she purchased a few pairs from me when we met downtown and then asked for a custom order. A few days ago she sent me a message with the specifics. Well, let's just say this is some serious FLUFF! I love it! I haven't made such girly longies ever! And, they fit right in with the Ooga Booga mania that seems to have swept the cloth diapering community off it's feet! Check them out...I think I'm gonna have to make some for my new (mystery) baby.

Diaper Review!

I love being contacted by fellow cloth diapering enthusiasts (weird I know:). Anyway, a little while ago I had the privilage of meeting a lovely Christian mom named Margaret who blogs and does reviews. I was originally contacted by a friend of hers who does reviews and was doing a special segmant on bamboo products for baby. But the timing wasn't right as we were leaving for summer project and I wouldn't be able to take advantage of any bump in business. Margaret was sweet enough to do a review on my diapers recently and show them off to her readers! Here is the review: http://cherryblossommj.blogspot.com/2009/10/clothdiapers-woollybums-review.html. Check it out!! It makes me feel so official:)

Fall Scarves

I started these last winter and just finally finished them up! For some reason it takes me forever to get things finished when I have to sew buttons or do a fringe or something like that. I just procrastinate! But the boys LOVE these and have been having "snake fights" with each other and dad constantly. It's fun to have them like something I make! The snake's tongue makes him look a little like a fire breathing dragon...but oh well. I was a little afraid that they would be itchy but they're not at all so that's lucky I guess. I plan to make a few more for the other guys (nephews etc.) for Christmas. They're pretty quick and easy. The tweed gives them a fun effect too! Mark thinks I should make a hat that looks like a snake swallowing your head and call it the 'I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor' hat...you know that poem? It's one of those morbid poems that we all grew up reading.

New Goodies on Etsy

Here are my latest creations for Etsy:) The other day I got to go take pictures of my friend's baby in a new little cocoon that I made. Sooo cute! I am making one for our bambino in the meantime. I also put my little stocking cap on her and took some cute photos. Newborns are just so easy to photograph! I wish toddlers and 5 year olds were as easy...

Did I mention I LOVE my camera?:) Below: some new sock monkey longies and some adorable girly longies that I'm calling 'Sunday's Best' because of the black and purple and also the picot trim around the bottom. I'm laughing right now to myself becuase I know there are people out there trying to predict what we are having based on what I've been knitting...he he he....by the way...I sold the 'jack o'lantern' longies a couple of weeks ago in case you're wondering:)

Laundry Soap recipe

So, I know I've passed this recipe around to some people but I thought since I've had a few conversations about it recently that I'd go ahead and post it here as well. We use this laundry soap almost exclusively, and when we are using diapers this is definatly the stuff I use. Laundry soap that you can use on cloth diapers is really expensive and so to have an alternative that keeps my diapers economical is really an essential. I'm also posting my homemade wipes recipe (I say 'my' but really, none of these are original to me! They can all be found on multiple sites around the web). For those of you who recieved an electric knife for your wedding and don't have any use for it (it's definatly one of those gifts that I wondered why we were hanging onto it!)...cutting rolls of paper towels is the only use we've given ours! And I have to say, that if you don't have an electric knife it is a total pain to try cutting the rolls.
For diapers use:
1Cup Borax
1Cup Washing Soda
1Cup Oxiclean free (no smellies etc.)
Just mix and store in a bag or box of some kind. I like to make lots of this so I usually at least double or triple the recipe at once. To use just scoop out about 2-4 tablespoons and throw it in the wash with the soiled diapers.

For regular laundry soap:
1Cup Borax
1Cup Washing Soda
1 bar of castile soap ground in a food processor or blender (Kirk's Castile soap is super cheap and can be found in most grocery stores, otherwise you can also use Dr. Bronners if you want a little scent but it is much more expensive!).
And, no, I haven't ever had any issues with soap residue in my kitchen appliances. If you think about it, you wash them with soap right? Just consider them extra clean:)
Just mix and store this as well. You only use between 2 Tablespoons and 1/4 Cup for a load depending on how soiled your laundry is and how big the load is. I do usually try to allow the soap to dissolve just a little in the water before adding cloths but I'm lazy and I don't like to wait for it to totally dissolve before adding my clothes (I have better things to do than sit and watch my washer fill!) and I've never had a problem with it caking onto my clothes.

Ok, so for the wipes:
Use strong paper towels (I like the Bounty ones from Costco). You can also choose a kind that has the 1/2 towels and you won't have to cut the roll in 1/2. I always just cut the rolls in 1/2 so they are about the size of a roll of toilet paper.
Mix 2 Cups of boiled/filtered hot water with 2 tablespoons each of baby wash and baby oil. I acutally like to use apricot oil since baby oil is usually nothing more than just mineral oil wich does NOTHING for our skin. I've also used Burt's Bees oil wich is wonderful and has a really nice apricot scent. Jojoba oil works well and so does olive oil.
Just mix these together (double if you're not cutting your towels in 1/2) and then poor into the tube of the paper towel roll and let it just soak up. You'll want to have your paper towels in the container that you're using to store them, like a tall plastic storage container or something. A ziplock bag will work as well, you just need something to hold in the moisture.

A word of warning about the wipes...they will dry out quickly if not sealed properly. They will also mold if you hang onto them for too long since there aren't the preservatives in them that the store bought ones have. Enjoy!

Cute little cupcake

This is another fun little knitting project that I've been contemplating for a long time. When a friend had a baby and I needed a quick gift, this came in handy! It was a quick and simple knit and turned out adorable. I made a newborn size that is quite small and I hope it will still fit this fall when the weather turns colder (which at this point seems like it will never do!).

Another project I've been working on for a long time are these linen stitch longies. I ordered yarn way back in the spring and couldn't wait to start the project. I made the newborn size so that I could finish them quickly. They were done before we left for our summer adventures but I didn't take pictures of them till now. I love the way linen stitch turns out with varigated yarn! I have another pair in the works now with a little brighter colors.

New Knits for fall

After a particularly monstrous day with the kids I sat down and knit these little pants up. I was in the perfect mood to knit the little monster pants! The project is one that I've been contemplating for a while now and so when I sat down to do it, it moved really quickly. Then, after they were finished, I realized that my color choices were kind of halloweeny....not sure what to do with them now since I'm not due until November 15th...I haven't decided if I'll keep them or not. I almost used dark brown instead of black, I even hesitated 1/2 way through but then kept going with them. I didn't even think about the black/orange combo until I got past the mouth and noticed it was looking like a jack-o-lantern! Oh well.

I've moved!

After starting my blog on wordpress, I've decided to change over since it didn't seem as streamlined. Any complexity that makes this more challenging for my slow brain is just not tolerable! So...I'm no longer at 'www.myknittygritty.wordpress.com'.