catch up

I realized that there hasn't been much craftiness on here for awhile, though I seem to still have lots of projects of the go. It really does help to keep me sane to be making stuff and I feel the same sort of sense of loss when I finish a project as I do when a good book is done- "Oh no! What will I do now?" But being such a beginner I don't always feel like showing off what I've made- I am still learning from what other people make and am only starting to make the odd thing that feels like it came just from me. These pictures are all from tutorials or patterns I have found from other bloggers or on line, and though I sometimes feel unoriginal, it is such a fun way to learn from other creative folks. So much more interactive than my ancient needlework instruction manual.

The hat above is from this pattern. I've made three now and am starting to get the hang of knitting with 4 needles. This one is modeled by my lovely boy, but is for my friends newborn. I lined it with a cotton cap because the wool I used knitted up so much rougher than it seemed when I bought it. Is there some sort of roughness meter that knitters use? There isn't much of a yarn shop here, but on a recent trip to a nearby town I picked up some wool that feels soft as a baby's bum and certainly cannot knit up scratchy. More sweet little gnomey hats to come.

This bag is the first thing I've made that is just for me and I love it, imperfections and all. It is from tinyhappy's great tutorial and was really my first big sewing project on the scary sewing machine. It is made out on an old corduroy skirt that I thrifted but never wore, and the button is one Perry brought back from Australia before I'd even met him. It is serving as my small diaper bag so I don't have to lug around the suitcase sized backpack anymore. Yipee!

And finally a minimoopy. I have had the pattern sitting on my desk for ages but it was finding this sweet paper boat trim that inspired me to finally get to it. He is knock- kneed and gangly and might not stand up to a whole lot of baby play but he's become a favourite all the same. His body is made from a velour shirt my friend and I found in a market in Ladakh and which she sent me years later. The legs and arms were from another shirt that made me look more like a primary teacher than I wanted to look (I was one, but still, who wants to look like one?) and the ears are left over fabric from Ari's book. Reusemoopy. I loved Luckybeans' moopy when she posted about it back in June and mine just didn't look right until I gave him rosy cheeks like hers.

Ari thinks Moopy's antics are pretty funny as he has a habit of popping up unexpectedly, around corners or up from under highchair trays. Especially when Ari is grumpy. He's a bit of a clown our Moopy is.