Baby Pod

I made the Baby Pod (some would call it a cacoon, and perhaps when I make one in another color I may too)... in any case.. the pod is made using two strands of worsted weight yarn so knits up fairly quickly on size 13 needles.

Since I don't have an infant in the house I borrowed my granddaughter's "Bitty Baby" doll to use as a model. She is 15" long in total, but the pod is knitted to 17" before decreasing at the bottom and making a short i-cord for the stem. Perfect for a newborn to keep snuggled up in and toasty warm. An older infant would want to have arms free, but the pod should be great for about the first 4-5 months.

I will post another photo with the cap later.

This Greenie Meanie is a plushy made from a drawing done by my 4 yr old grandson. I kept the shape he gave to the mouth and teeth, as well as the eyes!

I added legs... mostly because little ones like something to grab ahold of!

I will have some at the Christmas Holiday Craft Fair; but it can also be see at

http://www.ssmartraggs.etsy.com

Ben's Hat

This hat I made for Ben, a custom order thru ETSY. I bought some dark red melton wool that I will be use to make a hat for me.
Ben sent some extra metal bands as part of our bargain, so I can make a few more hats in this same style.

This is Ben's Hat... he wanted a hat like the hat Brando wore in the 1953 movie "the wild one".... if you are old enough, you may recall that helmets were not required for bikers in those days. Brando played a rebel on a motorcycle and wore a hat much the same as this.

The hat is an 8-panel hat made from a camel melton wool. It is very thick and will be warm to wear, but I doubt it would protect you from head dents if you crash into a Redwood Tree!

I lined the hat with a creamy oxford silk. The brim is leather, as is the inside hatband. Ben provided the metal band for the front of the band... I anchored the band with two viintage metal buttons from my stash. The wool was too thick to use to cover the button on the crown, however I had another wool that is a near perfect match!

Handkerchief Angel

They were really fun to put together! I used a bit of poly fiber fill for the head and a bit of hair. I have some "rainbow" organza that I cut into strips; each of the angels has a slightly different color combination. Four layers of tulle underneath give them a bit of fullness that I like. Since the angels are to be a memory keeper for relatives of Rose, I added a rose with ribbons. The angels appear to be laughing... I used a Mary Englebrit drawing as inspiration for the facial features, but I doubt that Mary herself could figure out which one as the embroidered features look nothing like the face in her picture!

A customer sent me 9 of her grandmonther Rose's handkerchiefs so they could be made into something to share "grandma" memories with other family members. Such a sweet idea! I suggested that perhaps the old fashioned handkerchief dolls used by mothers forever to keep little ones quietly entertained might be a good inspiration.

9 lovely handkerchiefs arrived, but were a bit aged; I brightened them up in a bit of a soak. I added 2 drops of Mrs Stewarts bluing to the wash water and they came out wonderfully! Bleach would have been way too harsh for the fragil fabrics.

This bandana is made from a mottled yellow quilting fabric, with her name stitched added.

Lola sporting her newest bandana... she's a happy dog! Now... off for a walk on the beach while the sun is still out!

Poor orphan! The mannequin I mean! Some of the photos are before I got her a wig. She looks much better with hair!

I have been making hats lately.... some can be seen in the ESTY mini off to the right; others I will post from time to time. It took several tries to perfect the pattern draft for the hat currently in progress. It is an 8-panel parachute pattern, in a modified aviator style that Brando wore in the 1953 classic "The Wild Ones"... camel melton wool; lined in silk oxford cloth with leather brim and sweatband. The customer provided a metal stretch band for the front. I am ready to begin sewing it up.... it should be hot!

Spring is in the air!

Just a note to remind myself that I need to get busy posting! I have been working on making hats for fun and to list in my etsy shop..

A couple of full coverage hats that work perfectly for "chemo caps"... The blue twill hat is reversible and extra long sot that even rolled up you can have "full coverage". It reverses to black micro fleece; very warm! The organza pin gives it a bit of panache. :D

The Raspberry Mohair and Wool Felted hat was knitted on size 17 circular knitting needles to be extra large so that after felting it is still a full coverage hat. Incredibly warm! I felted it by hand rather than in the washing machine because I am a control freak. I shaped it to dry with a fold in the front above the brim. I was inspired by the Darrow Cloche.

The newsboy hat was a custom order made in black velveteen and lined with a fun red printed flannel for warmth. I also made one to list in my etsy shop that is lined with green and black checked flannel.

I found the head to use as a model in the local antique shop... she isn't antique, but maybe vintage. I am thinking that someone must have used it it a beauty school to test hair cutting; as you see, she has none! Prickly little 5 o'clock shadow on the head!

I found a wig to put on her so she is now happy.