Fabric Samples

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Liberty Cotton

Cotton Flies


Light Cotton flowers

Bamboo Leaves

Brown Bamboo

summer shorts

IMG_6873
Originally uploaded by The Haske Family

I am still working on my daughter's polkadot jacket, but couldn't resist making a quick pair of summer shorts at the same time! After making the kanoko pants I created my own pattern for these wool shorts. They were knitted in the round and it was the first time I knitted short rows, garter crotch and ruffles. I am really pleased with the result and they look incredibly cute on my daughter. The short rows really help cover her chunky diaper as that has been my one frustration with the kanoko pants shorts. I have completely fallen in love with this malabrigo yarn as well. Both shorts are made from malabrigo and are wonderfully squshy soft. They are also amazingly watertight and so far seem to be the best diaper covers we have! I am sure there will be several pairs of wool pants for the winter!

kanoko pants

kanoko pants
Originally uploaded by The Haske Family

I used the pattern for kanoko pants but adapted it slightly to create loose fitting shorts that will work as a cloth diaper cover for the summer. This is my first time working with malabrigo wool and I am really impressed with how beautiful this wool is to use. The down side was that the shorts seemed to stretch with the first wash, although I felt like I was being really careful. I ended up drying them in a machine to shrink/felt them slightly and they actually turned out beautifully.
This is a really easy pattern to follow and all I needed to do was add increases on one more row to accomodate bulky cloth diapers. They look more like a skirt than shorts on my daughter at the moment, but hopefully they will then last her through the summer, as I have allowed for growth room.

baby surprise jacket

baby surprise jacket
Originally uploaded by The Haske Family

I finally finished this and now have the elizabeth zimmerman bug. I can't decide what to make next, but i know that there will be at least one more BSJ in store in the near future.
This one was made using a yarn spun from sugar cane fibers! It is a beautiful yarn and hand dyed in gentle blues, greens and purples. It looks lovely as a jacket but hangs in a strange way and I needed to stretch it to make this pattern work. I would like to try and make the pattern next time using regular wool to see how different the end result will be.

Knitting

IMG_6168
Originally uploaded by The Haske Family

I have decided to return to knitting for a while. I started this hat when I was still pregnant but was not enjoying it so packed it away and stopped knitting. It was supposed to be a 'medusa hat' but I was getting so frustrated with knitting the snakey bits. I decided instead to know them and then just make up the has as I went along. I played around with decreasing on one side so that the point would fall in a certain direction. I learned a lot and am pleased with how it turned out. It was very freeing to turn away from following a pettern. It was a lot of fun, made more fun by now knowing the baby that will wear it! I made it a bit big so that she can wear it next winter.

Maia is also wearing some pants that I knitted her. Now that I am venturing into trying wool diaper covers I decided t try and knit some myself. These were my first try, made from a blend or alpaca & mohair. I am not that pleased with them as I think the yarn is not really hardy enough for baby pants. I also wish that I had chosen the "knit in the round" pattern instead of knitting each leg separately. I used the pattern from tiny birds organics. It was a great pattern to follow and I will definately try again (with modifications).


Next up are a pair of bell bottom pants and the infamous Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket, using some great yarn made from sugar cane!

ad space

I have been helping someone out with their website and they offered me a small ad space. So here is the ad I have made and hopefully it will bring some people to my store.

bamboo pants

I have been so frustrated recently that I simply cannot find pants to fit my daughter. I admit she is on the chunky side, and very long, but still. The reason is that she wears cloth diapers and pants simply are not designed for that kind of bulk. Either they are too tight around her bottom and ride way too low on her tummy, or they are far too long.
I have been meaning to make these pants for a while but finally sat down one evening last week and made them! I actually got so carried away that the same week I ended up making her some wool pants too (to serve as a diaper cover too, so double duty).
These pants were made from some organic bamboo interlock material I dyed a while ago. The pocket was dyed at the same time but is made from organic bamboo terry for added texture! I am really pleased with the pants and Maia seems to be too. The wide waistband is really stretchy, the rise is great and the material is so comfy and soft against her little legs. I should have made them a little longer, so that there is room to grow. I know to do that next time. The wide leg though means that they will just become cropped trousers which I guess is great for the summer!