Month: January 2012

Not quite socks

Sarah 4 Comments

About a year ago, I discovered the joy of making crochet baby sweaters from sock yarn. Sock yarn, in general, is easy to wash, comes in such lovely variegated colours and seems like the perfect weight for little ones (while still being cozy for Canadian winters). Now, I of course, break all sorts of “rules” for crochet patterns. Most of the baby sweater patterns I use call for a thicker weight of yarn, but by using sock yarn (super fine, #1) I’m able to make the sweaters small enough for newborns (0-3 months). Or so I hope. I’ll let you know how they fit soon enough. I can’t help but experiment! I’ve done some slightly larger ones as well. All in all, I’ve probably completed at least six using different patterns. Here are two I made especially for our own little babe, using a pattern from the book Natural Crochet for Babies & Toddlers by Tina Barrett. It’s the “Matinee Jacket” with my own personal twist… I change up the top part of sweater so that it buttons on the side instead of straight down the middle. A slightly more modern look, I think. Anyway, there are sure to be a dozen more sweaters made over the coming years as our little one grows and I’ll continue to experiment with different yarns and patterns, breaking some of the “rules” as I go.

Crochet baby sweater
Crochet rainbow baby sweater

P.S – Turns out these little sweaters work great for Sam. The sleeves are a bit long, but they help to keep his little adorable hands warm during our quick ventures out into -30C. He wore the blue one home from the hospital:

Sam in his sweater

Tagging along

Sarah 4 Comments
Made by Joanna Bytnar

We received many thoughtful baby gifts, but one that stands out is this tag blanket designed by my friend (sewn by her mom). I’d seen similar blankets around at craft shows and filed it away as a project to do “some day”. Of course, there are a ton of “some day” projects that I will never get around to, so I was tickled to see that my friend had made me one!

These tag blankets just seem like the perfect thing to give baby in the car to suck on and (quietly) entertain themselves with. And in talking with another friend who is trying to start doing some sewing, it seems like an awesome beginner sewing project. There are lots of variations of them out there, different sizes, slightly different fabrics (all of them good for sucking or cuddling with) and some with crinkly bits inside for added entertainment.

So for those interested in giving it a try, here are some tutorials that I managed to round up:

Thanks again for the blanket, Joanna! Can’t wait to give it to baby to play with!

A week ago today…

Sarah 5 Comments

… At this eary hour, I was sitting outside the OR waiting for a team of nurses and doctors to assemble and say those magical words, “It’s time.” From there followed the typical c-section prep, which quickly turned into a not-so-typical situation. After a few tears and more than a few scary moments, we finally got to meet the precious babe that had been growing inside me for the past nine months. And here he is, Samuel Ian Helmut Riedner:

Baby Samuel
Baby Samuel, born Jan. 12, 7lbs 8oz, 20.5in long

Mama and babe are doing alright, although the recovery for this mama is going to be a long, slow road. Must remember to be patient and gentle with myself over the coming weeks. Thankful that Sam is doing so well! Hope to have a full birth story post to share with all of you soon.

Tummy time with mama

Keeping with non-tradition

Sarah 1 Comment

Back at the beginning of December, between craft shows, I squeezed in a baby shower. Well, really, I didn’t do much more than show up. My sweet friends did all the work. Now I know some people don’t like the idea of baby showers before the baby is even born, but knowing that I would have a c-section made this not-so-traditional approach to a baby shower appealing for us. Plus, it had been months since I had seen many of my friends and this was the perfect excuse to visit with them (all in one go) before Christmas hit. There was tasty food, lovely gifts, and much baby talk! Came home with bags of things to stock up the nursery and it definitely made me feel more prepared. AND loved! Thanks to everyone who attended! Special thanks to Lisa, Shauna, Tina and Peter for pulling it together (on a bit of short notice). You guys rock!

Here was one special treat, I had to share with you… my friend Anita made this amazing cake for me! Check out those buttons and balls of yarn! Couldn’t be more perfect. This super talented gal started up her own cake business, Cake Rocket, and I love seeing all of her creations. Thanks again, Anita!

Cake courtesy of Cake Rocket
Cake courtesy of Cake Rocket
Cake courtesy of Cake Rocket

Baby’s hideaway

Sarah 5 Comments

So here we are, only one sleep away from welcoming baby. Can you believe it?! The time has really flown by. Lots of things didn’t get finished and will just have to wait for another time. I’m okay with that. We’ll take this all in stride, like we have all the other things that have come our way. That’s not to say that I’m not freaked out about how to keep an infant alive, though. I just mean that we’ll figure out how to fit things into our new life, find a new way of walking through each day and moment. I’m embracing the change that is coming our way.

Here’s a little tour of the nursery that has been slowly coming together over the past several weeks, as different bits of furniture arrived. The walls are looking a tad bare, but rest assured, there are plans in the works for getting it more cozy.

Nursery
A comfy glider chair (courtesy of mom) and pretty new dresser with change table on top
Nursery
Sweet crib (Toys 'R Us) and bookshelf (Ikea)
Nursery birds
Cute crochet birdies
Nursery
Closet, diaper pail & hamper ready for use
Closet knobs
Pretty knobs for the closet, purchased at Anthropologie

A couple of notes… the crib sheet, which you can’t see too great in these photos, is adorable! Just take my word for it. I purchased it from a fellow Etsy Alberta teamie, Jaimie, who runs Parker & Posie. Thanks so much Jaimie!

And as for those wondering about the little crochet birdie family, I made them up over a year ago, using a tutorial by Attic 24. I simplified things a bit (as I tend to do) by just cutting the wings and beaks out of felt, instead of crocheting them. They have little buttons for eyes and feet and they hang from a ribbon. I made two sets of these birdies at the time, but the other set has four birds… maybe one day in the future we can upgrade to that, but for now, the number three suits our little family.

Those knobs on the closet doors are a big deal (to me, anyway). Since the day we moved into this house, those door have been without knobs. Who knows where the previous owners put the original knobs! It didn’t matter much for a couple of years, because this room was the office and the closet didn’t see much action. But as we started converting this room into the nursery, it became more and more important to me to have, not just proper knobs, but unique knobs. We finally made our way down to Anthropologie last week and quickly found several beautiful options. We decided on two of similar design, but each is a different colour. Keepin’ it quirky in the nursery!

Well, I guess that’s it… in less than 24 hours we will (hopefully) be snuggling with our new baby and embarking on a wonderful journey. I’ll introduce the little one on the blog, as soon as I am able. I am prepared to be very patient with myself as I recover from the c-section and learn to care for baby. *If I get a chance today, I hope to prep some pre-scheduled posts for you to continue reading while we are consumed by our new life.*

Sad goodbyes and anxious hellos

Sarah 8 Comments
Marcus & Sarah Napping
Photo by Scott Frank

That is how much of 2011 went. Started the past year off by saying goodbye to a much loved job and wonderful co-workers after a round of layoffs, which allowed me to dive into the nerve-wracking adventure of running my own craft business. I sat for months anxiously awaiting the birth of my friend’s babies, two special ones in particular, while mourning our own loss when my first pregnancy came to a sad and quick end (I don’t think I ever really said much about that here on the blog… a very private loss that has become a bit easier to share now that we have a healthy, full-term baby on the way). All the while, my mother’s diagnosis was going from pretty good to not-so-good when it was discovered that her cancer was already stage 3.

Hubby and I made the decision somewhere along the way to be baptized, together. It started out as a way to confirm the faith and reliance in God that has grown stronger and stronger in our lives. To say goodbye to old thoughts and habits, to be forgiven and to forgive. Who knew one of my greatest challenges would come the very night before our baptism? A horrible phone call to confirm fears that I’ve carried with me for too long. My oldest brother had died. At first we wondered how we could possibly go through with our baptism the next day… but that quickly changed to “how could we not?!” A clear sign from above that life is precious and often shorter than we expect. So instead of pulling away from our faith, we leaned into it even more.

Saying goodbye to my brother has had to be the hardest thing to do this year. In a way it has become more difficult for me as my due date draws near, knowing that he will miss holding his first niece or nephew. We will make sure our little one knows who he was and the amazing things he did to change the lives of others.

And so we sit and wait for the greatest of “hellos” we will ever have. A hello to the small life that has been growing inside me, to the person who has and will continue to forever change our lives. If we thought 2011 was a full and life changing year, just wait till this small babe arrives in only eleven more sleeps. Here we come 2012…