New Stuff in my Etsy Shop

It's very strange for me to have no custom orders floating around.  I've been working on some really cute stuff for friends and family that I'll be posting shortly, but until then, enjoy the few things I've made and put in my shop!  I've changed the eyes on the owlie skirty.  I like these better.  I also like the way I did the eyelashes, and may change the way I do them on monster bums too.  Also, I really like the dark sock monkeys.  I'm tempted to keep the shorties for my little guy.  If they don't sell before the weather starts to cool down, I think I'll take them down and keep them for myself.  Yes, I do smile at my baby's bum wandering around my house decorated by the monsters and monkeys I've made for him and for my nephews who've lent them back to me.  Enjoy!  All of these are made with 100% wool except for the owlie skirty which is alpaca wool blend, and all are size medium large fitting from about 12-24 months.

 

 

  

 

 

 

My Little One's Coming Home Outfit

Here's my sweet little guy modeling his outfit.  He came naturally on January 6th, weighing 8lbs, 20 inches long. We named him Jonah Michael, and we're utterly and completely head over heels in love with him <3

Baby Monkey

This is my niece modeling the little footies I made to bring my newbie home in in January. I think they're adorable :D As is my gorgeous little niece.

More Girly Sock Monkey Longies

This is of course inspired by the Cutest Thing I've Ever Made.  These are only NOT the cutest thing I've ever made because the other ones were newborn and these are toddler sized.  I hope I can get the mama to send me action shots.  The monkey pants are SO much cuter on than just posing on a table.

Cutest thing I've EVER MADE!

Yes... this is definitely the cutest thing I've ever made. I think the monkeys will remain my favorite forever. This one was made holding three strands of lace weight alpaca together. The marled brown is actually 2 different browns and a natural. This is one of those that I'm sad to see go. However, I'm pretty sure I have enough of the yarn left to make myself one... if I ever have another baby and if that baby happens to be a girl. *Sigh* Making baby stuff sure makes for baby hunger.

Monkey Costume Part 1

This is going to be a sock monkey Halloween costume and I love it. The yarn is so squishy and thick! It's Plymouth Earth Homestead 100% eco wool, which means it's not dyed and it's not treated with chemicals. I would have expected it to be full of twigs but it's totally not! I think I only got 2 little bits of grass the entire time I was knitting the pants! Texture wise, it's a lot like Cestari. It's kinda cottony and doesn't have a ton of stretch. I'm thinking it'll hold up about like Cestari also, but I like it MUCH better than Cestari. I'm thinking I'm going to have to send some to a dyer... or maybe even dip my toes into the world of colorway dyeing because if this yarn holds up the way I think it will, it'll be something I'll want to use on my next little one... when one comes along :).

I love making monkey pants! This one will have a detachable tail AND detachable eyes so they can be worn as regular sock monkey pants or the whole costume. I can't wait to get this all done and see it on the little guy it's made for! He lives close so I might actually get to see this one in person! YAY! :)

Here's the whole costume together on the little guy it was made for :)

Pink Monkey

I finally managed to get pictures of some new monkey shorties before I sent them out! This really is an amazing feat. I've sent out probably 6 or 7 pairs of monkey shorties without ever getting a good pic before sending it. And they're really cute! Just like the monsters, I love making the sock monkey things. Love them. Love it even more when the mom agrees that a wool/alpaca blend yarn is the only thing that's good enough for her little one! :). Yes, it's made of my very favorite yarn. I made a pair of longies to match... gotta get that pic up here too....

DK Weight Ultra Alpaca

Remember how I said I love working with Berroco Ultra Alpaca yarn? Well, I've found a way to convince more people to let me make their soakers out of it! All I had to do was find it cheaper so I could make it at the same price that I make regular wool soakers, and that came in the form of a DK weight instead of worsted. I had Suzie try out a little soaker on Addy that I'd made from the DK weight to make sure it wouldn't be too thin for a soaker, but alpaca fibers are so much more water resistant than regular wool that the DK works just as well, but holds up better than the wool. And it's so pretty and soft! My mission to convert the world to alpaca is well underway! (Mwah-ha-ha-ha!!!)

Lucas

Look at my cute baby!!! I can't believe how grown up he's getting. I still think he should be a model. Looking at him makes my stomach do flip-flops. Yup... I'm in love with my little Boo-boo. Now I've got to make something big enough for Anson to model so I can get pics of him up here too!

Eyelashes or Eyebrows? That is the Question.

So, what do you think, brows or lashes???

Sock Monkey Costume

First of all, I've got to say, Owen... my model... is SO FREAKIN' CUTE!!!! :)

Then I have to say... I'm completely spoiled for yarn now. This little outfit is made of 100% alpaca except for the red, which is Berroco Ultra Alpaca. The brown is baby alpaca and is probably the softest fiber I have ever, or will ever work with. I'd pick this one up to work on when I was feeling stressed out or sad because just touching it was like therapy. Any knitter, crocheter, tatter or embroiderer will tell you how cathartic needlework can be, but when you use luxurious fibers like cashmere or alpaca, it moves you into a whole new realm of finger-pricking happiness. I have just a tiny bit of it left, and I'm going to use it to make a hat for Owen, but I'm really going to miss it!

Maybe I should get some laceweight baby alpaca and start on that wedding shawl I've been wanting to attempt? A wedding shawl, for those who aren't knitters, is a lace shawl knit so fine that the entire thing can be threaded through a wedding ring. For most knitters, it's a years-long project... I think maybe if I started it out of baby alpaca yarn, it could give me several years worth of marriage and family saving therapy.

Happy fibers aside, I love how this cute little costume turned out. I surprise myself with my ingenuity sometimes. The tail is detachable. It just snaps through the fabric and leaves no mark whatsoever, which I think is pretty darn cool. I also LOVE the hat!! It's one of those things, like the Monster skirty/longies that just made me giggle while I was making it because it so cute! It was also a big hit with my niece and nephew. Jack, a 2 year old, put it on and went around patting himself ont he head, feeling how soft the yarn was! I made a matching adult hat for the mom who ordered it. The night I made it I was hanging out with one of my best friends, and we kept passing it back and forth, taking turns wearing it :). Now I'm going to need to make one for myself! It's so soft and cozy and warm! If I'm not too busy this Christmas season, I think I'll make several of them and take them up to the hospital children's oncology ward and donate them. My friend's little boy has leukemia and it makes me much more aware of how much things like cute hats are appreciated both by the patient and the family... just to know someone cares.

Oh, and just FYI, for anyone who wants to know, this entire outfit was improvised by me. I used several reference books to figure out technique, but the patterns are uniquely mine, which is very gratifying in and of itself.

Classic Fit or Wide leg???

I've got the cutest little monkey in the world! I now wish I'd had my sister take pics that included his face so everyone can see what a cute baby I made :). The model in these pics is my little boy Lucas. He's quite a character. He doesn't stand still for more than about 5 seconds at a time. I guess that's pretty typical of a 2 year old, but he really is very VERY busy, and pretty hard to catch. I have many more pics of his big brother Anson than I do of him because I can't get him to stand still for long enough for the picture not to be blurry! I think we lucked out getting what we did for this blog!

When I finished the monkey pants, I absolutely had to see how they would look on. I thought they would be too short for Lucas, but obviously, I was wrong! Not only would he not stand still for a pic, he was extremely difficult to catch to get them off of him again!!! He was so funny! He did this funny little dance that made the pant legs swing around and brush his little legs... he was a tiny, tow-headed Elvis. When I finally got them off of Lucas, Anson decided he wanted to try them on too. It was heartbreaking to try to make him understand that he was just too big for them. So now I HAVE to make them for my boys!

I have to say I'm really glad that I figured out how to do wide legs. Not that it was difficult... it's basically just an inside-out or backward gusset. I love the way both fits look, but I think the wide-leg is a little more manly and boogie friendly. I would recommend them if your toddler really loves to dance :)

Monkey Longies - Wide leg red/chocolate brown

Love this. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! I really do think I'm going to have to raise my prices and start making everything out of Ultra Alpaca. It's such a gorgeous yarn! So soft, beautiful colors, gorgeous drape... And yeah, I like the design too, if I do say so myself :).