Another State

I heard that there was a call for baby hats to send to the Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, Wyoming. This tiny hat should have been finished in a day, but in the end it took me a while to get it done, because I was also working on those Thumb Buddies at the same time. It looks impossibly small but it is extremely stretchy. Pattern is the Stretchy Ribbed Newborn Hat - in the Round. Details on my Ravelry project page, for those on Ravelry.

The yarn (Berroco Comfort DK Solids) is very soft, which is great for a baby hat, but it had what I call a "mushy" hand to it that I find very unpleasant to work with. It was also incredibly twisty; I had to stop and let the yarn unwind many times. Not fun. I still have enough of this yarn left for perhaps two more tiny hats, I just have to work myself up to using it again.

So I have a new state on my list, and another contribution done. That makes putting up with uncooperative yarn worth the trouble.

Ink Pad Holder, version 1

When it gets this hot outside, it takes me a lot longer to get up the oomph to walk around the block to the recyling bin for paper and cardboard. Of course I have a huge stockpile of cereal boxes by now. I also had a bunch of Distress Ink pads stacked up in a drawer, and every time I wanted a particular color, I had to go through the stacks looking for what I wanted. Last night I got an idea, and so today I created version 1 of my new ink pad holder. The cereal boxes were already flattened. I measured halfway across the face of the box and drew a line. Same for the back.

I cut along both lines. As you can see on the left, I then taped the top and bottom of the box back together to create a long, shallow open-sided box.

I covered the outside and the bottoms of the shelves with paper, but I was too lazy to cover the sides and backs of the inside. Next time I will probably put the paper on before I close up the boxes. The other thing I will need to do (as you can probably guess) to to add another layer of cardboard between the boxes, to reinforce them. My original plan was to have stacks three ink pads high, but I don't think this version can handle that.

At least I got all of my ink pads indexed, with a small label stuck to the front showing what color it is. That alone is a huge improvement.

Good thing I still have plenty of boxes.

Thumb Buddy Loves You

I confess, I am a sucker for puns. I think a lot of kids are, too. And what could be better than making a kid laugh? It took a while, but I have made 34 cards, with accompanying Thumb Buddy finger puppets, that I will be mailing out to Cards for Hospitalized Kids as soon as I can (assuming, of course, the mail can get through. I'm currently living in what are sometimes called "interesting times.") From there, the cards will be sent to hospitals and Ronald MacDonald houses, wherever CFHK sees they are needed.

Working on a project like this is a lot of fun for me, and espcially these days it's nice to have something positive on which to focus. I've already got a couple of ideas for my next batch of cards. 

You've Come a Long Way...Baby?

You may recall that I sent these toys off to Hopeful Threads a while ago. I shared this photo with Kristy after I had mailed the package. But, well...it's a long journey to Tennessee from Israel...

I've learned that my package has arrived, and I am on pins and needles (ha) waiting for Kristy's reaction when she opens the package... There's a little surprise inside!

Just the way my quirky brain works, what can I say?

Meanwhile, the Thumb Buddies are coming along nicely. I hope to have 34 puppets and cards completed and - fingers crossed - in the mail by Friday! Back to my sewing, catch you later.

Making Progress

Progress on the Thumb Buddy cards and finger puppets for Cards for Hospitalized Kids is slow but steady. Of course the cards come together pretty quickly once I find time to sit and work on them, but the puppets take more time. So far I have only made 9 puppets, and there are going to be 34 cards; clearly I have a ways to go! I am using two different card designs that are fairly similar, which really helps keep things moving. I am so glad to be getting good use out of this packet of fun paper, too.

I am already thinking of ideas for the next batch of cards and puppets, though I think the latter are going to have to be sewn on the machine in the interests of speed and efficiency. I have some adorable patterns that I can't wait to try (thank you, Dona!).