Babie Quilts and Grandbabies

Here is sneak peek #2 of Arams' quilt-in-progress.  I must say--I am not really a quilter--I just end up creating quilts by default because a special occassion requires one and/or a daughter wants me to "make a quilt with her" and I end up sewing it (while she cuts the fabric). I am no seamtress....I like to sew but much the same as with my knitting I mostly don't use patterns--but alter clothing---or if I use a sewing pattern I alter the pattern. I'm not much a linear thinker so complicated quilt patterns just confuse me. I thought a strip quilt would be easy though and it proved to relatively uncomplicated.

This is a true "patchwork" quilt in the sense that I just used green and blue quilt cottons I had already had (thanks to my traveling friend Carol --who gave me a good deal of her green and blue quilt fabric stash before she took off to travel the world...) instead of going out a buying fabrics that were all coordinated.  I like designing a quilt buy buying fabrics--but it is a different process than creating a quilt top just using your fabric stash.

At any rate here is Aram's quilt top--minus the border(s) which I have yet to design and sew on....seems a fun start though and his Auntie Serenity and I had fun getting this far along with it...

and here is my new grandbaby Aram with his brother Jasper and his Pappa. Welcome Aram Adrian Micheletti to our family---may he enjoy this quilt....

Our family has been blessed with 2 babies this month...Aram born June 5th and now Caden born June 22nd! yupp!  two grandsons in one month! Here is Caden--about an hour old....I watched him arrive since I was invited to be present at his birth. All babies and parents are doing great....

                             welcome Caden Asher Gray to our family...

(Scroll down to see the blog post about Caden's quilt.....)

  After all, Our lives are like quilts - bits and pieces, joy and sorrow, stitched with love.

BEAR OVER THE MOUNTAIN baby quilt

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Finally finished this quilt after 30 years! yup---I started this quilt for my youngest daughter 30 years a go--but with a toddler and a baby I was just overwhelmed and never finished it...but I sure did keep all the pieces..for over 30 years. And so now I have finished for the baby she is expecting this June--a little boy!

Now most of these fabrics are considered vintage ;-) The quilt pattern  is called BEAR OVER THE MOUNTAIN. I am pleased at how it turned out after so many years a a WIP (= Work-in-progress).

New ART and the Hat WINNER!!!!

I have been ill and so I am remiss in holding the drawing for a HAT hand knit by me. Feeling much better now and so pulled a name out of the hat ;-) and the WINNER IS: ROSEMARY! thanks you Rosemary for your kind comment here, I hope you enjoy the hat!

I wanted the share with folks one of two painting I created for my Grandson's room---when he turned 2 last August I painted two painting for his room. Well, technically, these are more drawings than paintings--since they are created with pen and ink and prisma colored pencils.


One is already framed and hung up and I am shipping this one off this week (why that is so delayed is another whole story...suffice it to say that I suffer from STARTITIS when it comes to projects...not from "end-it-is"). Each painting contains a surprise in the randomness of the alphabet....(hint: what is my Grandson's name?). These were really fun to create.

here is a close up of the little birdie in the tree....

I am currently working on a few more children's designs....zoo animals and so on...so check back.

Grandma's Pillow

I really have no idea how old this needlepoint pillow is...I found it in my mother's home after she died. She lived in her childhood home ---where I have many fond memories of visiting my extraordinary Grandma almost weekly throughout my childhood.

My Gram (as I called her)  had dining room chairs with identical needlepoint seats--so I just assumed she also made this small pillow---was it a sampler for the chairs? or an after thought made to use up left over yarn? or did she even make all the needlepoint chair seat covers? maybe someone else made them--although family lore attributed them to Gram--so I suspect she did make them. There were at least 8 of these chairs--what a project! I wonder how long it took her to stitch 8 chair covers?

I keep this pillow on my bed because it reminds me of Gram---a very special Grandma who taught me the Golden Rule by embodying it herself in her daily life. My Gram died when I was in my 20's--and in all that time I never heard her make one negative comment about another human--not even politicians.

Not that she was one of those impossibly cheerful women---when my grandfather died I saw her cry for the first time; I remember feeling very sad for her (I was 11)---but really I had no idea then how devastating it must be to loose life long partner. Looking back now I can see she was sad for most of that year, but soon she adjusted to living in the big old house by herself. I stopped almost every day to see her on my way home from school and she ALWAYS had homemade cookies in the cookie jar in the kitchen--a Grandma who never ran out hugs and cookies---she was that kind of Grandma.

Funny how this old pillow can remind me of the smells and feel of her house, the happy times eating cookies and milk while she read me fairy tales from her 12 book series of MY BOOKHOUSE. I always felt safe at her house and loved unconditionally---something all children should feel, but sadly lacking in my parental home.

When I moved away from home at age seventeen I was terribly homesick, but Gram wrote me a long newsy letter with all the family gossip once a week. Those letters became a lifeline for me--I always wondered if she knew that (now I'm sure she did). I also wondered if she wished someone had written her such letters after she traveled to Alaska as a young woman---so far way from her family and the Wisconsin one room schoolhouse where she taught school.

Gram wasn't a feminist or political at all---in fact once in my teens I was reading F. Scott Fitzgerald and asked Gram if she had been a flapper---and she became quite indignant---but she could bluff anyone at poker and she taught me to knit (for which I am eternally grateful). She was adventuresome and loved the Alaskan outdoors, sports fishing, and hiking with her friends and husband.

We also spent many a happy afternoon playing Canasta at her kitchen table. I credit her with my love of card playing and all types of fiber arts....including sewing, embroidery, and knitting. I can only hope that I can be as good a Grandma to my grandsons as she was for her seven grandchildren.

"If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first. " ~Lois Wyse

No Idle Hands

So, even when my brain is fogged by too much mucas my hands are not still. Seriously folks, I have been rather "under the weather" but still knitting--in fact busy hands and some mundane tv help to take my mind off how lousy I feel...so enough whining ;-)

When I am not feeling well, a small project which provides instant gratification is good, so here are some baby booties for little Jasper---he is growing so fast he was out growing all his other ones.

I used some of the new chocolate brown angora for nice soft, warm booties.

I just love this simple baby bootie pattern---which is by someone named Christine or Marilyn--bless her heart! I have 2 different sources for this pattern and they have different names for the designer...?

Because I think this is such a good pattern--- I am going to post the pattern here for everyone. I have made about 8 pairs of these booties now...and they all stay on good. I vary the size by changing the size yarn and needles I use (the bigger the yarn and needles--the bigger the booties).

Needles: size 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 double pointed needles (depending on how big you want the booties to be) you need 5 needles for this pattern.
Yarn: baby fingering, up to worsted weight--again the smaller the yarn size, the smaller the booties--I like to use wool, but cotton yarn is good, also if you want them to be washable in a machine.

Cast on 10 sts. Knit 32 rows (you are making the sole)
(you should have a rectangle with 10 sts on each end and 16 sts on each side)

Count 16 ridges. Pick up 16 sts on each side of this rectangle and 10 sts on the other end. Use a separate needle for each side and end (4 needles--you need the fifth needle to knit with)

Now make the sides of the bootie:
1) Join and knit one round
2) Purl 3 rounds
3) Knit 4 rounds
4) Change color (if desired--I like them in at least 3 colors) and knit one round
5) Purl 3 rounds
6) Knit 4 rounds
7) Change color and knit 1 round
8) Purl 3 rounds
9) Knit 4 rounds

NEXT ROW (make toe):
1) change color and * Knit 9 stitches (across the 10 sts end)
2) Knit 10th st together with edge st (edged st is on the long side needle that has 16 sts on it) TURN.
3) Slip 1st st, purl 8 sts, purl 2 together (the 10th st and the edge st). TURN*
4) Repeat * to * until you have 10 sts on each needle. 40 sts total.
(you are just picking up and knitting sts on each side of the rectangle to make the toe of the bootie)

NEXT ROW (make ribbing):
1) Knit 4 rounds
2) Knit 2 sts, yarn over, k2 together entire row
3) Knit 2 rounds, 40 sts total
4) Knit 2, Purl 2 for 15 rounds (or more--depending on how high you want the bootie ribbing to go)
5) Cast off

I-Cord (knit shoe lace)
1) cast on 3 sts
2) Put all 3 sts back onto left needle
3) Knit 3 sts
4) Put all 3 sts back onto left needle
5) knit 3 sts
Repeat step 4 & 5 until your cord measure 18 ' long

NOTE: You do not turn your work. You're working yarn comes from the furthest stitch left & it feels very wrong & weird. Just do it! (and magical I-Cord will grow...)

NOTE #2 : If you are using double pointed needles--you can just slide the stitches to the other end of the needle--rather than slipping them onto the other needle--but this is NOT turning your work.

Thread the "shoe lace" into the holes left by your yarn over row--and there you have it! lovely baby booties! now find a baby to give them to....

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Please feel free to copy this pattern and make as many baby booties as you like...CRAFTING IT FORWARD
crafting it forward means to teach others what you know, so they can then teach others...and the traditions and stitches of knitting (or whatever art/craft you are doing) get passed down generation to generation.

Welcome Baby Boy Jasper !

Jasper Killian Micheletti emerged into this world on August 19th at 7:30 am...his Auntie --Serenity---was there through out the whole labor and birth, with Grandma Aurora arriving soon after (1 1/2 hours later)---flying in from the Bay Area. Momma, Pappa and baby are all doing fine! Isn't he a cutie with all that thick dark hair?

So --I am in lovely green and moist (it has been raining--something it very rarely does this time of year in Berkeley) Portland, Oregon for a few weeks--helping out. I get to hold the newborn (such a treat!) and cook and wash clothes and dishes...and just be wise (old?) resident Grandma (!) who can answer all those new baby & breastfeeding questions.

I am going to be trying to blog more regularly for the few weeks I am here--so do check back for some nice images of the sketches I am creating for my SKETCHBOOK SWAP, and even some photos of Portland!

Oh--and do also check out the great new BLOG my son-in-law Dustin has started to write about his parenting/fatherhood experience...FROM OLD TO YOUNG. In addition to his amusing and witty take on new fatherhood--he has posted some nice photos of the baby and family members.