robin egg patterns

A new batch of button babies and some fine winnings

2009-08-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

I have the honor of leading a little preschool this coming year and I couldn't help but show off some of the little tidbits I've made for the occasion. You can see all of the fun things I'm doing with my kids on my other blog that is now dedicated to that subject. Just a warning, I'm keeping my kids and their growth and development a top priority, so the blogs will only be updated when it fits around my mommy schedule. (aka, sporadic)

Anyhow, I'm going to be doing a Letter-of-the-Week club with the kids, adding in all the extra preschool skills within the realms of the letter we are addressing. These sweeties are for B week and are Button-up Blanket Babies. They will not only be learning the sound of the letter B, but also be practicing the buttoning skill. Eventually I'll write a tutorial on how to make them, but I thought you'd like a sneak peak at what I'm up to for now.

On another "note", I recently won these little notes in a contest from kindnotes . Okay, so the photography really doesn't do them justice, but I've been having a ball using them to pack in my kids lunches for scout camp and as thank you notes. They are tiny and darling. I love to just sit and look at them, but then I remember that the point is to write something kind on them and give them away. A neat idea really.

Reusable Produce Bags

2009-06-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

I put a few of these reusable produce bags together for a friend of mine. I thought they turned out pretty good. I simply made a few drawstring bags out of unbleached muslin. Then I embroidered some delicious lovelies. Here they are posing out in my garden. You can see the green onion trying to get it's seedy head in the shot.

This is also the first time I've had lettuce grow so well. Which is a happy thought.

A camping we will go!

2009-06-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

What does this have to do with camping? Well this happens to be what a glow stick looks like waving around in the darkness of a tent at night. Just in case you wanted a beautiful mental image picture this: about 40 kids each with 6 glow sticks dancing around in the dark.

When and where did this happen? Why at outdoor school of course. My kids had a ball, and I got to snap a photo of some lovely camping feet of a lovely camping friend. They were just too cute to pass up!

What the. . . ?!

2009-06-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

I looked out the window one morning to see what my kiddos were up to and was greeted by a rather interesting site. As I was wondering what on earth it was supposed to be, my kids started walking across this crazy tightrope one by one. Apparently they decided to build an obstacle course to train for "Wipeout" which is a show we've been watching lately (it's a bit fluffy and pointless, but apparently intriguing to a certain young inventor/athlete of mine).

Next I found this rather scary monster lurking in my dungeon of a basement.
Just anther reason to avoid my basement (the laundry monster is down there too!)

Busy Little Red Hen

2009-06-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

True to Little Red Hen form, I got a little help in making the bread in exchange for being able to eat the bread. As a glimpse into my everyday life, I make bread a lot! My husband loves it, and my kids go through about 2 loaves a day. I love that I know exactly what's going into it, and it makes a great workout for your arms.

Here's the finished product. It's hot, delicious, and heavenly! I'll add the recipe that I most often use below. I make 6 loaves at a time. This is as many as my oven will comfortably hold, and keeps us in bread for at least a few days.

My grandmother once got sick of making bread so often. So one day she put blue food coloring into the bread. She laughed as she told me that it lasted a whole week! The woman was born in 1901. So this was one of the amazing stories from a different era (she remembered the first time she saw a car) that she told me when I was a kid. I'm glad I got to know her.

Here's the recipe: Enjoy!

Bread

makes 6 loaves

1/3 cup yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix together and let set for a little bit. Then add:

3/4 cup honey

3 cups milk

3 cups warm water

2 Tbs salt

3/4 cup applesauce (I use this to replace the oil)

9 cups whole wheat flour

Let rise for 15 minutes (this is the sponge)

Then add enough flour to make a soft dough that holds it's shape pretty well when held in your hand, but careful not to add too much flour or it will be a brick. Whether it's whole wheat or white flour is up to you. I started with mostly white and then bit by bit added more whole wheat to wean my family onto whole grains. Now I rarely use any white flour.

Let rise about 1 hour or until doubled. Yeast likes it warm and moist, so placing it above a running dish washer is a wonderful place to get it to rise quicker. Next shape the dough into 6 loaves and let rise again about 15 minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

Return of the Church mice

2009-05-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

I've had a request for a church mice tutorial. So, here it is. Enjoy!

A little bit about these little cuties is that they are only about 2-3 inches long, so you can use the last little scrap of your favorite fabric to make them.

Church mouse tutorial

2009-05-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

Start with a couple of sketches of these basic shapes. A tear drop and a half heart shape. They don't have to be incredibly exact. Just a basic shape.

Next cut out your fabric. You'll need to cut one layer of the #1 and 2 pieces of the #2. (#1 is the bottom and #2 are the sides).
The last pieces to cut are a pair of ears out of felt. Here is the shape of ears to cut along with the bottom piece for scale.
Next, you're going to sew up the "spine" of the mouse. After that sew, the top to the bottom leaving an inch space to turn and stuff. Just a warning, the top will be considerably smaller than the bottom when you are attaching them. This is okay, you can just leave off a big chunk of the bottom piece and cut it off later. I find I like a little wiggle room on the bottom. It keeps you from getting big ol' sewn in wrinkles while trying to squeeze the top onto a too small bottom.

After you sew the top to the bottom, clip around the curves and turn right side out. Using a piece of yarn on a yarn needle add a tail by tying a knot in the end of the yarn, pushing the needle through the tail end of the mouse and then tying a knot to the end of the tail to keep it from unraveling. Stuff, but do not sew shut.

Using three strands of a dark embroidery floss stitch an X onto the nose. Next make two french knots for eyes (you could use small dark beads instead if you choose). Last, fold each piece of felt in half lengthwise and stitch to mouse using X's.

To finish up, whip stitch the stuffing hole closed. I find if I do this last I can hide the knotted ends of the embroidery floss inside.

Voila! Sweet little church mice who line up so nicely.

If you make one, feel free to leave a comment with a link to your blog picture. One of these days I'm going to set up a flickr account so we can share. In the meantime, I just might bug some of you to show me how to do that.

Ill Gotten Gains

2009-04-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is a purple heirloom tomato plant (in case you couldn't tell just by looking at it), and I didn't pay for it. I only feel slightly guilty about this because I didn't steal it after all. However, the gentleman who gave it to me was a bit starry eyed (I think it was my new haircut, the last time he saw me he didn't give me a second glance) (I seem to be enjoying parentheses today).

Anyhow, if the oodles of kids piling out of a big ol' suburban didn't scream THIS WOMAN IS MARRIED! I don't know what would. So in my defense, I didn't encourage his attention.

But hey! Free fancy tomato plant, and my haircut just might be a keeper.

And as a celebration of spring, I thought I'd send you a bouquet of flowers from my garden.

Happy Spring!

What have I been busy with?

2009-04-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

Designing a new hat pattern, and reading the latest copy of Better Homes and Gardens.

Plus doing a little mending.

I've got a question for ya. How do you patch a patchwork quilt?

With love in every stitch!

Retreat

2009-04-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

I just had the most heavenly weekend. I was seriously needing a break from being a mom, which happened to coincide with a few of my friends and I heading to the beach.

We stayed in a lovely beach house, ate wonderful food, and watched chick flicks.

Then we headed to the beach to hunt for shells and rocks, and savor the scenery.

I particularly loved the cliffs and caught a seagull flying by. It was a great place to meditate and recharge my batteries.

I also enjoyed gazing at the tide pools and the little creatures that dwell there.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend with some wonderful ladies that mean the world to me. I also gained a great appreciation for a wonderful husband who let me go and didn't complain one bit. I think he's glad to have a happier, more content wife return to him.

Oh Yum!

2009-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Are they really this delicious?

Oh yes! They are!

A good friend of mine makes these tasty little sweeties, and sells them at our local farmers market. Every time she makes these I have to buy at least a dozen and them hide them from my kids. These are the last of the box that I snarfed down. The best part of it is that there is no junk in them. They are made of the best and highest quality ingredients. Heaven!!!

Aahh Spring!

2009-04-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

I took a peak under my cold frames, and found some baby spinach poking its little head above ground. It seems everywhere I look trees are bursting into bloom and daffodils are nodding "hello". Spring is finally here.

I was also greeted by a few friendly flowers whilst I was strolling through my garden.
And in case you didn't notice another spring change, I (obviously) have a new blog format. I feel like I've been playing musical backgrounds trying to find just the right look for my blog, patterns, and hopefully future web site.

Just between you and me, can I tell you some of my big plans for the future of Robin Egg Patterns? Other than offering my patterns on Etsy (which I've been threatening to do, but haven't been able to do until I got the right format) I also plan on creating a web site with all kinds of Learn-to-crochet/knit/embroider stuff on it. I've had so many friends ask me to teach them how to crochet I think it's only fair. Of course I might be able to just offer this on my blog. This will happen as I have the time (aka when the baby is sleeping, and the rest of my monkeys give me a few minutes)

Anyhow, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think. I'd love a little input.

Sneaky Snake

2009-03-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hello, this little fellow is sneaky snake. He is constantly sneaking around in my garden in search of something tasty to eat. This morning I caught him trying to sneak apples from my apple tree. Maybe I should tell him that it's a bit early and the apples are a little tart yet. He might get a belly ache.

Now he's rambling down my garden path in search of something to calm his tummy after filling up on sour apples.
Aaaah, nice green peas. That will calm his stomach. I am wondering just what he is implying with that look he's giving me. Perhaps he is intending to get into more mischief today. I'd better keep my eyes on him.

Granola Bars

2009-03-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

I have had so many requests for my favorite granola bar recipe that I thought I'd post a tutorial on it. I've tweaked the original recipe to make it healthier and easier and now I make it constantly. They make a great on the go breakfast that is not riddled with preservatives, sugar, or any of the other scary things that are in store bought granola bars that we tend to think of as so healthy. They also are a fraction of the price and are gentler on the earth with less packaging. Okay, enough blab. Here's the recipe.

In a large saucepan heat the following ingredients until dissolved:

1 1/3 cup rapadura or brown sugar

1 cup honey

1/2 cup butter

Then add:

4 tsp vanilla

On top of this concoction toss the following ingredients and mix really well:

4 cups oats

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2 cups chopped peanuts (I usually do this in my food processor with a handful of flax seed as well)

16 oz. dried fruit (optional)

1 tsp salt

Press (hard) into a well greased cookie sheet or 2 cake pans. If I want to do chocolate covered ones I leave out the dried fruit and toss chocolate chips on top. The heat of the liquids usually melts the chocolate chips and you can then spread them to look like this. If they don't quite melt toss it under the broiler for a few seconds then spread.

When they are completely cooled (cheating and putting the in the fridge works just fine) turn them over onto a cutting board and cut into bars. The chocolate ones really need to be cool to avoid a big chocolate mess.

Voila! Granola bars!

To store them I layer them with wax paper in this kind of gallon container. You can leave them on the shelf or put them in the fridge or freezer for longer storage. In my house they don't tend to last long so I usually make them in quadruple batches in my big canning pot. I feel like the witches from Macbeth when I make them.

My kids call them candy bars and beg for them all day.

Church mice

2009-03-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

A basket full of mice, isn't that nice?

I originally made these cute critters for a preschool class I was teaching the letter "M" to. We played "Missing Mice" and had the equivalent of an Easter Egg hunt with them. Afterward I let the kids adopt some and their moms mentioned that at home the kids were building houses for them and letting their imaginations run wild.

So I put a few in my purse and now my kids are as quiet as church mice when we go to church, or the doctor's office, or have to wait in line somewhere. Isn't that nice?

A bounteous harvest of play food

2009-02-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

A tomato in a window. What's the story here? My sweet kids got a play kitchen for Christmas with plenty of dishes and no food. It felt a bit like Old Mother Hubbard who went to her cupboard and found it bare. So of course we needed food, but I have recently sworn off shopping ever again in my life. (well as much as I can help it) So I had to get creative and make my own play food, which of course turned out cuter than anything plastic you can find in a store.
A plate of strawberries to go with the tomato sounds delicious.

And for the grand finale, a bounteous basket with strawberries, carrots, a tomato and a pumpkin. Just right for my little people to cook with. I think they're all set.

A couple of chairs and the Purple Balloon

2009-02-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

Would you like to have a seat? We were taking a drive in the country and happened upon these delightful places of repose. I think it would be a bit tricky sitting in the tall one. It reminds me of one of those old bikes with the huge front wheel that you basically need a ladder to get onto.

Have you ever wondered what a colored shadow looked like? It reminds me of the spot in Mary Poppins where the chimney sweep traces her shadow complete with the curly cues on her hat.

Yipes! Stripes!

2009-02-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

We're going a little stripe crazy. This is a bit normal for me, though, I love stripes. Particularly stripy socks. For Christmas that is what my husband got me was a pair of knee high striped socks. I was in Heaven!

I think of all the animal hats I've made my kids love the zebra most of all. He does have a mane in back although you can't see it much from the picture.

Crochet Bear Hat

2009-02-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

Just in case you wanted to go bear headed. (Har! har!) I think my word plays are getting corny-er. Maybe I just need a little sleep. I always get a little slap-happy when I'm sleep deprived.

A couple of crochet hats

2009-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

A hat to horse around in, and . . . .
a handsome mouse hat, what do you think of that?

Orville

2009-01-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Hello, this is Orville. He's a frisky little pig who, I think, is related to piglet from Winnie the Pooh (I'm guessing they're distant cousins). As you can see he's very proud of his curly tail. He insisted that I photograph it (even though it's a bit out of focus).

2009-01-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

When he grows up, Orville would like to be a pirate. He has even built his own pirate ship. . .

2009-01-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

. . . and has a treasure buried in the sandbox in the back yard.

Teeny Tiny Shoes

2009-01-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Who, I wonder, do these teeny tiny shoes belong to?

2009-01-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

Perhaps they belong to this little sweetie. I think she got stuck in the teacup while trying to get her shoes. (I wonder how they got in there in the first place)Hmmmm... She also seems to be missing one, maybe she threw it out before she got stuck.

Teeny Tiny Teatime Dolly

2009-01-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

Ta-da! There she is, the world's tiniest crocheted doll (barring something in a museum somewhere that is crocheted out of a single strand of human hair or something). She finally succeeded in getting both her shoes, and is ready to pour the tea. Personally I think she's going to need a little help with that. Just a guess.

Purple Flower Baby Afghan

2009-01-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

Another baby afghan made from one skein. As you can see this one is a lovely purple flower. I couldn't choose which photo I liked more so I picked both.

Snow Day

2009-01-02T22:38:00.000-08:00

A week of glorious snow has left us homebound. It's been wonderful to have an excuse to just sit inside and go nowhere. The first few days you'd think my kids had gotten a new toy. They played outside constantly. After that some freezing rain came, and my husband got a few shots of the ice it left on some bushes in our yard. What a fun way to spend Christmas!

2009-01-02T22:15:00.000-08:00

After being snowed in for a week, everything began to thaw. Quickly. Rain, sun, and then more rain made for a very, very soggy lawn. The fence between us and our neighbors likes to let off a little steam when the morning sun hits it after a good rain. The first time one of my kids saw this phenomenon they ran in and announced that the fence was on fire.

Sir Sump Pump, the Diligent

2009-01-02T20:58:00.001-08:00

What is this messy, battle scarred object that makes a rather depressing photo, you may ask? This is my knight in not-so-shining armor. It is our lovely new sump pump that is sitting in the recently chopped out hole in my basement. Talk about a last minute impulse buy. I simply couldn't resist it. Especially after the thaw flooded my basement.

The morning of New Year's Day one of my kids woke us by shouting "There's water in the basement!" Apparently, between melting snow and non-stop rain, the drain field had drunk so much that it decided to vomit the rest of it's contents into my basement. What joy! That's what comes from drinking too much, silly drain field.

So to make a long and rather boring/depressing story short. My wonderful husband and our friendly neighborhood plumber drilled, chopped and dug a big hole in my basement and installed this trusty little sump pump that is protecting us from further messes and frustration. Now for the endless laundry, mopping, drying, and otherwise fun work that accompanies such messes.

Crochet frog hat

2009-01-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here trying to think up something snappy or witty to say about this hat, but nothing is coming to mind. I just like him. I don't have a name for him or anything. I just get a kick out of the bright green. Can't you just imagine this on the head of a darling child? I chuckle at the thought. I do like how it goes for a boy or girl as well. When it comes to clothing (especially from a mom of several kids, and I mean several) I like stuff that I can hand down from either brothers or sisters.

Sunshine baby afghan

2008-12-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

Yet another baby afghan pattern that I've put together using only one skein. Did I mention that I love the big ol' one pounder skeins of yarn.

So this one is (in case you couldn't tell) a sun. Talk about wrapping your baby in sunshine. I made one for a friend of mine when she had her baby and got a squeal of delight. Mission accomplished!

One of the things I particularly like about this one is that the color is gender neutral so you can make it in advance and it would work for a boy or a girl. Considering how many baby showers I go to, that's a nice feature. Then I don't have to make multiple afghans. Plus, where it's one skein, it's affordable and quick. Though not quite as quick as the denim one that just may be the quickest, and easiest afghan on the face of the earth. If you're just starting to crochet I recommend doing that one. I also like fact that the denim stripes one isn't to frou-frou. Nice for friends who hate that sort of thing.

"Denim" baby afghan

2008-12-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm figuring out this whole blog photo layout thing so if it's a bit wonky you'll understand. This is one of my latest projects. I call it "denim stripes". It's a baby afghan that I made entirely out of one skein of yarn. That's right! One skein!

I was meandering down the aisle at Joann's one day (which always gets the creative juices flowing) and I saw the biggest skein of yarn I've ever seen in my life. It was flat out obese! I stopped dead in my tracks and laughed out loud. Needless to say, I got some strange looks from people and my kids were probably thinking I'd lost it.

However, it inspired me. On the label it claimed you could make an entire afghan out of one skein and suddenly patterns just started flooding my brain. So this is the first one you'll see, but I'm coming up with more great baby afghans to add to my collection.

Tiny crocheted frog and bunny

2008-12-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

A frog and a bunny, what could be more fun?

In the dead of winter that grass is looking glorious. Do you remember what it was like? Of course my favorite comfy sweater is calling to me as well. If I were a frog or a bunny, I think that this is where I would hang out. That, and maybe a cup of cocoa to bring along. If they try it, though I'll banish them from my pocket. Hot cocoa down the leg is not one of my preferred sensations.

Pip, Skip, and Pearl

2008-12-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I also find them hiding in my violin case.

2008-12-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Pip, Skip and Pearl are a rather mischievous bunch. They love to play in my shoes. The only problem is that these are my favorite shoes and I often can't find them because they've taken them for a drive.

Hello Pip

2008-12-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

This is my new little friend. His name is Pip. He's a lot of fun as you'll soon see.

He seems to be hiding his other wing behind himself (maybe he's a bit shy, or maybe he's just a tad bit chubby).

I'll soon be setting up an Etsy shop and have his pattern available.

2004-04-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

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