the crochet monster

it’s happening, and i didn’t even see it coming.

i mean, my love of handmade items is obvious. and my burgeoning love of crochet has been developing steadily over the last year or so.

but i’m pretty sure there’s an unwritten rule saying the grandmom-types are supposed to be the ones bringing the knit blankets and quilts and crochet items to baby showers. not the 30-somethings. right? 

we’ll call it the passing of the torch—albeit maybe a bit early. because the thing is, i can’t seem to stop myself. not when there’s things like this to be made:

yes, i could have simply run to the store and gotten a gift card (which i actually did do, to give along with the dress & hat). and that probably would have been the wiser, more practical avenue, seeing as i do have some other responsibilities in my day-to-day life.

but…why? i mean, you’ve seen this, right?

it’s so tiny and so delicate. i should have put something in the photos to give you an idea of size. it’s definitely for a newborn, and only a newborn.

just one skein of caron simply soft in a muted mossy green color (lighter than what it looks in these photos) bought on a whim because it was on clearance at walmart for about $2.50 (and which i threw away the wrapper for and so NO you can’t have the actual color name). and even after doing the dress and hat i still have a significant amount of yarn left.

the dress has three little buttons in the back, and i think it would look adorable with a long sleeve onesie and tights underneath.

the dress pattern is the angel wings pinafore from bev’s country cottage.

i eliminated the last row of edging and did three buttons in the back. but it was quick and easy and—as we’ve already established-ridiculously adorable.

the hat is the shell stitch beanie from the dainty daisy. also a quick project, and the shell stitch is the same stitch used in the dress.

i was going to add a flower to the hat, but i’ve had this butterfly pinned forever and decided this was the perfect place for it.. butterfly pattern from marie’s making. all the patterns are free, and i found them on ravelry.

this was a quick series of events: the shower was planned within a week. i made the dress and hat up on saturday, the shower was sunday, and surprise! baby arrived monday. i have yet to meet her, but i know what she better be wearing when i do ;) you don’t want to make this monster angry.

okay 2012, let’s do this. (plus some thoughts)

how about a quick roundup of everything some of the things that happened here at googiemomma last year? (click on the link or the photo to go right to the post)

january

we started off with a bang. the girls’ bunk room—far and away the most viewed post here. ever.

it’s been one year, and i’m still getting requests for info/plans on those beds. i need to get the room cleaned up—momma clean ifyaknowwhati’msayin’—and do an update with all the info i have.

also in january?

i reinvented the pinwheel with the pinwheel dress:

brought a little southern charm north with my gone with the wind dress:

tried my hand at some roaring 20’s jazz dress and cloche making:

and dressed my girls all alike so they’d be easy to track in a crowd:

(look how tiny elliot is!)

february

february brought a leather knitting bag for a friend:

with a tutorial for the needle & hook organizer:

(okay so that happened in march, but it flows better here…)

and a foxy little number for ms. gigi:

march

march was tough. we began with casting for ava.

it seems to have become our springtime routine. (looks like she’ll be casted again this april. that was the decision at her checkup 2 weeks ago—wait until the snow and slush are done with and we’ll cast in the spring)

then i did some artwork for the boy’s room:

and i got to be a part of YARN IT ALL with kim at bugaboo, mini, mr and me!

sharing my first ever crochet pattern for an infinity scarf!

april

april was crazy town. i did sew-vivor! and it was AWESOME. i pumped out a bunch of fun projects before i was kicked off the island.

 

 

 

 

 

may

may brought a lovely vintage dress for guinevere, and a reminder of WHY I HATE COMMERCIAL PATTERNS SO VERY, VERY MUCH:

a repost of my submission for see kate sew’s RUFFLES2012 event—a ruffled dress for ava.

a hand-painted wall mural for a friend’s princess:

another sew-along submission for project run & play (one day…one day…) was ava’s alice in wonderland dress:

and a plaid jumper for elliot:

phew! may was busy!

june

i started with a lettuce edge hem tutorial:

and jumped into my sewing for “the girls” series:

and rounded out the month as a “sewlebrity” with my obi dress for ava:

after a crazy may and june, i took

july

a little slower.

the main thing i shared was this little quilt i did for elliot’s crib:

august

august got cray again.

we had guinevere’s sweater-to-cardi upcycle:

and take 2 on vintage-inspired dress sewing for her:

my simple shirred sundress tute:

then i tried to take photos of all five of my children. together. at once. in matching outfits. (told ya august was cray. i can only blame the heat)

we squeezed in a week of NO ELECTRONICS (eek!), and rounded out the month with a night owl party and 13 stuffed owls:

september

started with an awesome & easy back-to-school knit skirt:

and i contributed a rapunzel to the train to crazy’s handmade costume series:

i solved my curtain troubles with grommeted drapes for the dining room:

and then covered elli’s butt in cotton balls with my bunny dress:

october

i was a pattern tester for melly sews, making the pristine swing dress:

and the only thing i accomplished during kid’s clothes week—prison jams for ell:

i also began my love affair with the jumper, sewing up ell’s whale jumper:

november

found me pattern testing again, this time the big bow dress from one little minute:

finally finishing another pr&p dress—the fall colored bias dress:

and sharing my very first large scale crochet project, ell’s dress:

december

a quiet month, posting-wise. but i can’t even begin to explain the depths of my love for these overalls:

 

 

***********************************************

i ended my blogging for 2012 on a bit of a downer. it wasn’t my intention. the last post i wrote was about what a rough week it had been. little did i know that the very next morning would bring news of the shooting in connecticut. it was a like a gut punch knocking all the wind out of you. my blogging ambition and desire took a big back seat to just spending the vacation days with my kiddos and family.

i wrote a post about the events in newtown, ct. many times in my head. i just never felt the drive to actually get it all out on paper/screen/keyboard.

so many tears over the week. i cried at home, watching tv. i cried in the gym on the elliptical—one of the tv’s was playing photos of all their little faces and i couldn’t tear my eyes away. ugly sweat and tears mixed, and i looked around furtively to see if i was the only one paying attention to that particular screen. i couldn’t stop.

i read articles about them. one article started out that “he loved super mario brothers and legos” and that was as far as i made it. because that? that’s MY son. that’s MY boy who loves mario and legos. and my boy is safe in his bed but that mommy’s son ISN’T.

do you remember the movie "what about bob?” do you remember how bob was a hypochondriac—but deep down the root of the issue was that he thought if he pretended like he had the diseases then he wouldn’t get them?

i call it my “what about bob? syndrome”. in the dark of night i read articles about babies lost and children with cancer and cry and cry and cry. healthy? nope. not at all. am i alone? nope. not at all.

maybe if i read this it’s not going to happen to me. to my babies. come on. tell me that’s not lurking in the recesses of your mind. i think maybe we all have a little bit of the what about bob syndrome.

my heart and prayers go to those affected by the events in newtown. lives are forever changed, and hearts are broken. but i pray for their peace.

******************

2013 is here now. a bright fresh start and new year. and i have projects stacked up and ready to be shared.

okay 2013, let’s do this.

it’s been.

it’s been one of those weeks.

one of those weeks where you head into it knowing it’s going to be crazy. and you’re right—but not for the reasons you’re expecting.

your to-do list is a joke: more things piled in each day than can possibly be done. but you have high hopes. #unrealistic
there’s a big weekend coming—dresses to sew and please PLEASE finally finish the boy’s suit. maybe? there’s etsy shop orders to do and finish and ship for patiently waiting customers.

and then…

then your dad goes to the hospital sunday night. and there’s talk of emergency surgery and things are up in the air.

and then things start settling down. probably he’ll be okay. probably rest and medicine will make it better for now, and the surgery can happen later on a non-emergent basis.

and so you breath a sigh of relief. and head down to the cafeteria for a snack because you’re one of those people who secretly actually kind of love hospital food.

and then…

then a 14 year old, who’s story you’ve been following for a while now, succumbs to the cancer that’s been plaguing her for five years. 
and you don’t know her personally…but does that matter?

when you’re sitting in the hospital room with your dad and your phone dings a new message and you see what it is—a notification from a caring bridge site--and you instantly dread opening it because you know—you JUST KNOW—what it is…yeah, it’s been one of those weeks.

because even if you didn’t actually know her, she’s a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL for cryin’ out loud and she should be playing with her sister and talking about boys and laughing and having sleepovers and not DYING FROM CANCER.

and then…

and then it hits closer. because someone you DO know personally—a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a good woman who has been battling her own battle for over a year now also succumbs.

and that’s what this is really about. 

…

today it’s been one of those days. this week has been one of those weeks.

my silly to-do list made me chuckle when i saw it on the fridge this evening. because it was done for by tuesday, when my brain packed it’s bags and took a brief hiatus. it hit the high road and all i could do was untangle yarn.

literally.

three hours spent sitting at my dining room table, untangling yarn, with only my thoughts as company.

by wednesday i was spent. it’s been one of those weeks that by hump day i didn’t even have words left—me, who has too many words all of the time. and i had to ask my husband to pray the words i couldn’t come up with anymore.

today it was over.

tonight in line at walmart i turned to jeremy and said i feel the need of a good cry.

i need a cleansing cry.

it’s been one of those weeks, you know.

…

my daddy will be okay. he will most likely be released tomorrow. we brought him balloons and watched his tiny tv with him yesterday.

but i’m thinking now of a family without a wife and mother tonight. a woman who is me in ten short years. her children a little older, her marriage a little longer. she was kind and funny and although we weren’t best friends she was a friend, and her passing has put an ache in the middle of my chest that literally physically hurts. the last time i spoke with her she was weak. and tired. and sad. and she told me to enjoy every minute with my babies. and she told me that she would give anything to be where i was—young, happy, with health and life ahead of me. but then she told me how thankful she was though that she’s older now, and that her children aren’t babies anymore. because at least she got to raise them this far and how much more difficult would this be if her children were still babies?

how do you answer that?

it’s been one of those weeks. my prayers have turned to thankfulness for my father, and comfort for grieving families.

if you’ll excuse me, i need some chocolate now.