it’s playtime! We got a huuuuuuuge cardboard box lately (well, we got what was inside and the cardboardbox came along with it) and thought it to be to precious to throw away. So what do you do when you have an architect in the house? Let him do his work, that is!

We added some light (the little chain-light-thingies you get for near nothing after christmas as they are supposed to be hanging on the Christmas tree, we got them one by one through the roof and the kids have their own light switch) and curtains (of course). And door plate. How could we not?

And what can I say? It’s a huge success. They are in it playing all the time. They got the doll furniture inside, some pillows, sometimes they even take blankets…

They even have over night guests sometimes!

And look who got stuck in the chimney lately:

I can only recommend to build one for your kids. Mine are playing inside for hours. OK, fighting for door closed or open, curtains closed or not, light switched on or off… but anyway. I know, it’s nowhere near the stuff liar does, but we are having fun anyway!

Have a lovely weekend,

S.

believe it or not, I did something for me. And I love it! Will wear it every day now until I finish the next thing on the needles that is for me only (and already casted on!). The last things I made for me (if you are not counting gloves and hat) was at around 18… This is one of my New Year’s resolutions: make stuff for myself.

So, let me show you what I had in mind first:

This is (or, to be correct, was) the famous Shalom cardigan, which I love, don’t get me wrong. Only, the fit was awful. So I undid it, with kind of a bleeding heart, but I won’t wear it like that. Have to try again. In the meantime, I did the bulky topper from the last Vogue Knitting, and holy cow, I LOVE IT!!! I even forced husband into taking some pics the day the thing got blocked, so I can delight you with the adorable thing immediately.

Great design, warm, comfy, just right. Am completely happy with it.

Have a nice week,

S.

here’s the dress I made for my model for Christmas. The pattern is from the last Ottobre. As you may have noticed, I kind of have a thing for toadstools. So I added some. Then the upper part kind of felt naked. So I added a 3D toadstool pending from a pocket. The only problem is that she is fumbling around with it constantly.

The front:

The toadstool:

And the back:

I like it!

Have a nice evening,

S.

let’s open another present! This one is for my model, and she LOVES it! Pattern is from this book. Overall, I like the book a lot, and maybe it’s because I’m a sewing beginner so I didn’t get it, anyway, I ended up having fixed the straps on the wrong side and had to re-open the whole thing 2 days before Christmas and let me just tell you that I wasn’t happy. At all. But in the end, it’s nice.

I was happy to get some buttons that I think are just made for it. I already used them for this year’s advent calendar.

Here, you can see it in action on Christmas eve. We’ll talk about her dress later

And on a walk with her dad, who had her little brother in another baby carrier (not made by me).

Have a nice week,

S.

I know, who wants to get potholders? I mean really, potholders? Why, of course my model! She loves them!

And here they are in her little kitchen.

She is really happy to have them and not to have burn her hands with all the hot stuff she is handling in her little kitchen

Idea and pattern from this book, but I changed the flower, I didn’t like the original one suggested in the pattern.

Have a nice weekend,

S.

I forgot to show you these:

So we can start to have a look inside these ones. These were presents for our 3 nieces and nephew, so what they got was this film:

And these hats, they are slightly different in positions of spots.

I made the hats using this pattern, but only as a guideline. I knitted the hat in the round, added the spots afterwards and did the ears in stockinette stitch, making every ear twice and sewing them together afterwards so they keep nice and streight and not rolling the edges.  Seems like they enjoyed the film fully equipped, meaning with their hats on and a dalmatian puppy cuddly toy already existing in their household.

I made these because I thought it’ll give some fun photos for three brothers and sisters in the same kind of dalmatian hat.

Have a nice evening,

S.

I hope, you all had a wonderful Christmas. Today, I’ll give you some impressions of given presents. We’ll take a look inside soon…

Have a nice 2012!

S.

I’m shocked to say that my baby now officially is no baby any longer. He had his first birthday and now he’s an infant for real. Oh boy…..

Of course, we had to party this event! Here are the invitations:

Yes, of course it’s him driving the train. So now for the cake:

Yes, there are Gummibärchen-passengers and a Gummibärchen driving the train. And the marshmollows, that’s the steam.

And would it be a real birthday without a little handmade something? Here it is, using this pattern.

And it was a lovely party!

Have a nice Sunday,

S.

I did it! I finished it, I tamed the beast! Why in h…. did I only start to make it last week is beyond me, but anyway, it’s done and hanging on the wall. And we will re-use it next year. And the years after. I’m not doing this every year for sure.

So now, let me introduce you to THE ADVENT CALENDAR 2011:

This is the whole thing.

A part of it.

And now, some house numbers:

Did you see who looked out of house number 11 and 24? Thank you, Ikea….

From behind. Enough space for 24 little one-story-books. Gladly, my model likes it a lot.

I found this post for a guide, enlarged the pattern freestyle and added a pocket behind for the daily gift.

What did you do to have an Advent calendar this year?

Have a nice second advent,

S.

today I’ll show you something I made for me. I kid you not. For ME! Called Chimera, pattern here, love it and is lovely with my winter clothes.

Love them. And so practical to get kids into stroller, out of stroller, into nursery, out of shoes, into slippers, all without pulling gloves off all the time. And it’s by far cold enough to wear them.