Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

Warning - this is a ridiculously long post. Feel free to skip to the end!

Where oh where shall I begin? Trying to fit all of this into one post is a bit much but let's see what I can do. I don't have any beautiful pictures of Baby L's presents due to living in the land where the sun never exists...ahem. I love Oregon - it's only downfall is that it can be frustrating picture wise. Anyways,maybe once these rainy days have passed I can get some better pictures. Until then, these will just have to do.

I'll start out with my personal favorite presents... the ones K made for him.



She finger knitted Baby L's doll a scarf. She wanted to make one for Baby L, too but ran out of time.



She also decided at the last minute on the afternoon before Baby L's birthday that she wanted to make him an angel puppet/mobile. She cut out the fabric and quickly created it for him.













I made him a rainbow ball (for crossing the rainbow bridge) from random scrap yarn using the pattern from Knitting for Baby: 30 Heirloom Projects with Complete How-to-Knit Instructions. I planned on making a bunch of these knitted balls but then I channeled my inner Kim John Payne and remembered ‘less is more’ and stuck with just one. I mentioned before that I was going to try stuffing it with a wool ball I had already felted (from a previous project) instead of wool stuffing and it worked! It felted down perfectly over the pre-felted ball. It made it more of a bouncing ball, which is a plus and now I can throw it in the washer when it gets dirty.





He received this new hat from me simply because I was looking for an excuse to knit this cute pattern up. I had to modify it a bit to make it a larger size but I think I managed to get it to work out. He makes an adorable little bear if I do say so myself! That silly picture of him wearing it in his car seat is the only one I have right now due to aforementioned dark and gloomy skies.







Of course we can't forget his baby doll - a first birthday tradition in our home. This time around I used a Weir dolls pattern. He is a 16" doll yet he is much smaller than the other dolls I have made. He's just not as chubby or plump but that works out since Baby L is the tiniest of my children so far. I unintentionally embroidered his left eye the tiniest bit smaller than his right. It is almost as if that was meant to happen because Baby L's left eye is the one that appears smaller (due to the slightly droopy lid) from his Horner's Syndrome. I just hope in the future when he starts to understand more that he's ok with his doll being that way too. I also gave his doll the hat I knit for him when he was first born. It was too small on him but fits his baby doll just right.

I didn't plan on making his doll some clothes but then I found myself procrastinating and avoiding his birthday crown, which ended up with me looking for something else to make. My lovely friend Julia enabled me with her pattern. It was so fast to make and just what his doll needed. I used left over scraps of fabric from a blanket (and pillow) I made a couple of years ago and the fabric I ordered for his crown. I adjusted the pattern ever so slightly so that the top and pants were a bit more fitted on his skinny doll.






After finishing his doll's clothes I felt the need to further my crown procrastination and knit a pair of doll socks. We don't want his doll to have cold feet, right? It was the perfect project for a mini skein from Sweet Basil.





I did eventually get around the other first birthday tradition - making his crown (using my usual pattern). It wasn't until very late at night on the eve of his birthday. I just wasn't inspired or motivated for some reason. I kept it really simple with a snowflake in the center. I wanted to add candles (since he is named after Saint Lucia), king winter and more but it just wasn't happening. I do plan on adding to his crown until I feel it is finished but this was done enough for his first birthday. None of my other children kept their birthday crowns on for more than 5 minutes on their first birthdays so I didn't expect him to be any different. Next year it will be better, and I am sure he will understand.











I almost forgot our tradition of the birthday sweater. I have been wanting to knit this ever since it came out in Petite Purls. The pattern designer lives here in Oregon and she was inspired to create this sweater by our beautiful landscapes. That seemed only fitting for our 'outdoorsy' family, in particular my baby actually born here in Oregon. I used that beautiful Sweet Basil yarn in the lemon grass colorway that I have been hoarding forever. It looks so darn cute on him, the color is just perfect.
I modified the pattern here and there (don't I always). I didn't like how it left a gap towards the bottom almost in need of an additional button. You can see all my mods on my rav page. I basically just added length, changed the collar up a bit and ended the last leaf motif on the bottom of the cardigan differently. Again, better pictures coming soon!


Since I make the girls each a dress for their birthday, I was going to sew Baby L some pants from Handmade Beginnings, but my sewing machine became possessed so I had to scrap that idea... at least for now.

I thought I was keeping it somewhat simple for his first birthday but boy, typing this post up makes me think otherwise! Sorry that was so long. Phew!

If you would like to join me and share your current works in progress please leave your link below. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Please remember to link back here for all of us to see. It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. Now please share and inspire us all!


What are you working on? Happy creating!

p.s - I am linking this post up to my friend Tricia's stash bash this week since I used up some stash yarn and fabric. Won't you join us?

p.p.s - Stay tuned for another great giveaway later this week.

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}