Dino Bumps

I love it when something gets finished.  This was an impromptu project. I picked up the yarn on a whim and only bought one hank (about 55 grams).  Then all of a sudden,while I started to lose interest in the idea of going through my sewing stuff to tidy up a bit, I decided to make a hat with it. I've always thought the Anupriya hat was really cute so without really reading much I chained it up in the child size. Happily going along I realized that it was looking really big. So big that I would probably be able to wear it myself and so big that I might easily run out of the yarn before being able to finish it. So I frogged it and modified it and started again. You see in my enthusiasm I had not really read about the gauge or what kind of yarn they were actually using. The yarn I used was much heavier as was the hook. So I took out a few segments to make it smaller. I really just guessed but it worked out ok.  I also changed the way the bobbles swirl a little and made the ear flap smaller, added a tiny visor extension too. I have about a yard left. sigh of relieve! 

I think it turned out really cute. I've called it Dino Bumps because my daughter is into a song about dinosaurs this week and it kinda in a weird way reminded me of them. Maybe it's the colors. ;)

In case you feel like listening to the silly song too. It's actually kinda educational!

Memories. Some old, some new.

It's been a nice Monday. A productive Monday. The kind of Monday that doesn't make me feel like it's a Monday. :) (The best kind of Monday.)

I made muffins! These simple muffins always take me back to being a little kid. You see I use to make them for my mom on special occasions like mother's day. So every time I stir up this mix I go back in time to when I was maybe 8 or 9 and I was making these with my brother Erick really early in the morning so that we could serve them to mom and dad in while they were still in bed. We use to put a teaspoon of jam in them. So simple and yummy!

Today I made them with some candied mango and pineapple plus a few raisins tossed it.

These candied mango and pineapple bits are new to the local market and once I saw them I knew they would be perfect for muffins! I'm so glad that more and more products are making their way into the everyday Indian market.

Anaiah was all excited when they came out of the oven. She pointed and said cake, cake! I told her she needed to wait till they cooled down. Every few minutes she would go up the the table and ask cake? cake?

Once she finally got to eat one she enjoy the first few bites but then hit a little piece of mango and that was the end of it. She does not like mango! Good to know!

I will be enjoying them as a snack and probably have some for breakfast tomorrow. They are not too sweet and taste great cut open with a little butter! They sure bring back memories! I hope that I can teach Anaiah how to make them when she is a little older, sans mango then of course!

I'll share the recipe if anyone wants it..

Another silly moment:
Today while reading an ABC book, we came to the I for ice cream cone.

Anaiah proceeded to lick the picture of the ice cream cone. I laughed and laughed and so she licked it over again. "Is that tasty Anaiah?"  - "It's yummy!" She cracks me up sometimes!

Happy Monday!

Finished! :)

I finished the cropped cardigan I was working on for Anaiah. It's a bit big on her. I also think it would have looked better if I had gone up a hook size on the rib edging because it probably would lay a little flatter.
Overall I think it turned out cute! I hope she gets lots of use out of it!

Please don't mind the bedhead hair! She was just getting up from her nap.
Thanks to a new pirate cartoon on TV, she sat still long enough for me to snap a quick picture.

She loves her "faff".

W.I.P. Wednesday!

I am doing something very unlike me.. I am juggling a few crochet/knitting projects at the same time. Usually I like to focus all my energy on one things till it's finished and then start a new thing. However this month I'm working on lots of things.

A scarf for my brother John. I hope he likes it. I've never crocheted for him before and he's a young guy. I love how this pattern reminds me a little of hounds tooth. I think he will like the colors. The pattern is called the Subway Scarf by Vickie Howell

Also on the hook, a plum colored cropped cardigan for Anaiah. I just started this today and expect to finish it quickly. It's a simple and cute pattern that I was given and couldn't wait to get started on!  No pictures yet.. sorry. It's the same yarn I made the Small Talk shawl out of.


On some needles, another scarf... sadly I as of right now do not have enough yarn to finish it. Hopefully I can get some more. I don't have a huge stash of yarn but somehow I did think I had more than I actually do have of this yarn but the pattern is so lovely I hate to rip it all out. I'm also a VERY slow knitter so that's hours of work for nothing if I frog it.
The pattern is Three Sisters scarves #2 by Monika Steinbauer

Post linked to Tami's Amis - WIPW

The end of summer sundresses.

I think this dress is one of the last sundresses I'll make this summer. It's time to dig out the corduroys and denims for fall. Hopefully I'll also catch up on a few other neglected projects.  I love sewing summer things, there are a few dresses I had meant to get stitches up but the time seemed to slip out of my fingers. (Not that Anaiah really needs more dresses.)  ;)


I intended to add some big yellow buttons to this dress and I might still do that. It's a simple dress with a fairly open back which I great in this humid heat. I added elastic to the back to make it comfy for all the jumping and climbing she does. It's a self-drafted pattern. 

The fabric is very light so I lined it in soft white cotton.

I love the little shiny threads that run though it, it's really cute.

Thanks MOM!

                                

I love my mom. She does not read me blog but I still wanted to post a Thank you to her. I received a package from her today containing lovely things. There was my favorite brand of Taco Seasoning, some quick pasta sauce mixes which are perfect for when I am not feeling so great and need a quick meal, and lots of fruit rolls ups for my daughter. Things that we cannot get here or that we pay an arm and a leg for if we do find them.

<<< Anaiah's silly face and wearing new shirt daddy bought her. :)

However the best part of the package was the shoes for Anaiah! It's hard for me to find cute and yet practical shoes fer her here. Lots of the shoes they make locally I find a little uncomfortable for little ones or they have ugly cartoon characters on them. So unless you are willing to pay a lot it's very hard to get decent simple shoes. Anaiah also has big feet for a child her age.. at least it seems that way to me. I told me mom about the trouble I was having finding shoes that fit her. She has grown out of her size 8 shoes that we got in March. (They were also from Grandma Ellie) So today I got these:

Anaiah LOVES them! She instantly was drawn to the crocs' style ones.  I love that they are a little big on her so that she'll hopefully enjoy them for a long time to come.  I love the brown ones! They are cute and comfy and easy to put on, a real plus for a kid learning to put on her own shoes! 

Thank you mom! You make me feel spoiled!