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New Pants and a Birthday Banner

Yes, new pants. Chicken chasing, spring weight pants. The main fabric is a vintage sport denim. I'm still tracing old pants for patterns, but want to try this pattern and this one too. 

It was also Brian's birthday over the weekend. We celebrated with Peanut Butter Kiss cookies, Pine State Biscuits, Powell's and a house full of the flu. Luckily the celebration committee had planned ahead, and we had already been working on a banner, which is where I caught this genetically influenced posturing,

My boys. Similar stance and assessment, but entirely different drawing content. One was spitefully drawing the shape of Ava's toes, and the other a crawler backhoe with caterpillar wheels. Neither particularly focused on dad or his birthday.

But they came around.

Painting Spring

 

Pederhosen

 I knitted these a while back, but just brought them out again in time for our fleeting Portland sun. By golly, our knees must come out from hiding! Our neighbor aptly called them Lederhosen. You see where we had to go with that. Seeing these cotton shortalls on little walking legs with little brown shoes makes me so happy, the way Pederhosen were meant to be worn. The pattern is adapted from Knitting Pure and Simple's Baby Bottoms, using Cascade Yarns Cotton Rich DK. They are an easy wash, being a cotton/nylon blend, which is a good thing when they meet with one of Ava's happiest days of the year- the day it is warm enough to turn on the sprinkler.

More Decoupaged Bike Helmets

I've been working on a couple of new bike helmets, similar to this one and this one I made a couple of years back. 

A Where's Waldo helmet for the school auction,

and one for Ava with vintage children's book illustrations.

With Ava's helmet, I was reminded how challenging it is to work with larger images when decoupaging on a round surface, like a helmet. With smaller images, like Where's Waldo, you can cut the actual pieces of paper smaller, and thus end up with fewer wrinkles on the final product. Still, it is hard to resist vintage children's books illustrations, so I'll live with the wrinkles.  

As Brian and James have been out of town, Ava's been tending the home fires (that would be Peter) with me. When I went to climb in my bed last night, I found this,

Oh my gosh, I love that creature.

Wool Goslings

Yesterday morning, our Mother Goose finally hatched her eggs,

They're little knitted triangles sewn up and stuffed,

Pocket size puffballs, if you will.

A Ventriloquism Update

This last weekend Jerry Mahoney joined the family, courtesy of Papa Kelley. 

He sits tall and straight thanks to his box shaped torso, making him all the more life like for James.  He also has a removeable head on a stick, making him all the more terrifying for everyone else.

 

Easter

Happy Spring!

Mother Goose

Several years ago, to celebrate Spring, Ava's preschool teacher made the grandest goose you ever saw. She was made of sweaters, and had an overly broad breast to accomodate the eight large felted eggs she was keeping warm. I loved that goose, probably more than the kids.  So, one night last week I made our own Mother Goose Largesse.

 

Her belly's mighty and she's got a look of pride about her. Ava delights in her, tucking her into her wool feathered nest, just so. Peter also delights in her by wringing her neck and sending her for rides on his truck. She's alright with it.

Despite her rough handling, yesterday she managed to lay four beautifully wet felted eggs.

And though I certainly should be spending my time doing more useful things, like, oh perhaps working on my long overdue job resume, I'm thinking about how to get these eggs to hatch. I just need size four needles and a bit of yellow DK weight yarn. Yes, goslings would be nice.

New Bibs

New bibs for use. The one in the middle of the top photo is made from a cutter quilt. I really did try to salvage it at one point, but it was beyond what I could give it.  Respectful thanks to the original stitcher of that dresden plate pattern. You made us a really nice bib.

And now may they all get filthy.