Sam’s First Football Game

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Ali

This past Saturday Paul and I took Sam to his very first football game! University of Idaho vs Utah State! The game got down to double overtime, but unfortunately the Vandals lost. But it was a really, really great game, and most everyone was already gone for Thanksgiving break, so it wasn’t very crowded, which was nice.

I also made Sam his very own Vandals hat for the game! Unfortunately it’s on backwards in this picture, but you get the idea.

Sam did really well during the game. He lost it a little bit at the end, the crowd got really loud during the double overtime, but other than that I think he had a good time. Well, pretty much he just slept the whole first half.

(And yes, I did bring my knitting to a football game. It’s a disease, I tell you!) And then, Sam got to meet Joe Vandal! YES! I was pretty excited about this photo-op.

He’s also wearing a Vandals outfit, too, but you can’t really see the lettering on the side of his onesie says University of Idaho Vandals and it’s pretty cute, too. But the hat steals the show, the little lady at the concession stand just couldn’t get enough of Sam.

Go Vandals!

Bobbles Bonnet

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Ali

So, I made myself a bonnet. Well, it wasn’t supposed to be for me. This was off a really old pattern from a magazine… this was supposed to be infant size. Hahaha! Riiiight.

Yeah- but I kind of like it anyway.

I even made it with tassles.

It keeps my head all nice and toasty, and keeps my ears from freezing.

The back is a little bit funny…but that’s probably just my hair now that I look at it..

Yeah… I guess next time I should do a little gauge check. But hey, at least it turned out ok, right?

This would be an awfully cute hat for a baby or toddler, so maybe you need to order some for those little ones on your Christmas lists! (only $20!)

Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Ali

Sam has a lot of hats, I know, but when I saw the pattern for this one I couldn’t resist making it.

I know, RIGHT?

I am loving this hat. And those boys. Seriously.

I love that it keeps his whole head warm (even his little ears!) but it doesn’t slide down over his face, like his other hats do. Every time we put a hat on him, 30 seconds later he’s fussing because it’s slid down over his eyes, and now that it’s cold here in Idaho, it’s definitely a necessity to wear a hat. AND it buttons underneath his chin so he can’t pull it off!

Sam was tired of posing, I guess, but he was a good sport while it lasted. So, in goes the “mute button”.

I’m thinking that there’s several little ones that might need this hat for Christmas. I better get started.

Little Blue Buttercup

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Ali

I made this sweater for a sweet little girl, the daughter of some friends who live far away.

I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. I love the color.

But my favorite feature is how the cable that goes down the front goes all the way around the hood. I love that little detail!

The back cabling is fun, too.

I am pretty excited to get this in the mail to her this week, even though it might not fit her for a little while. I just love finishing big projects!

Grey And Mustard

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Ali

I love the combination of grey and mustard. I’ve been wearing it a lot lately, so I thought I needed a hat to match.

And it’s been cold, cold, cold here. Really cold.

But my mama is coming out this weekend and that makes me real happy. I am excited about that!

I think Sam is excited to see his grandma, too. But I guess that means I should fold the laundry and clean the house, huh?

Louella’s Birthday Dress

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Ali

My good friend Mary put up some adorable pictures of her daughter Louella wearing the dress I made for her first birthday back in April!

Pretty darn adorable, huh? I love this little girl! I am sad that they moved all the way to Seattle, but there’s a good chance when Paul graduates we will be moving back over west, but who knows! But I couldn’t help but share these adorable pictures!

Coffee Bean Cardigan, Booties and a Pumpkin

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Ali

So, I made Sam a lot of sweaters and things before he was born, and I am so excited that now he’s starting to actually fit into some of the things that I’ve made! The Coffee Bean Cardigan fits him now (well, the sleeves are a little long, but oh well!) and so do the matching booties! (I blogged about both here before Sam was born)

He was being kind of a squirrely little model for me, so I didn’t get any great pictures…

And I think he was trying to distract me, like in this next picture, I like to imagine he was saying something like “Oh, look mama, over there!”

But I am just glad to have some warm clothes that fit him now, because MAN it is getting cold out there. There was talk of snow here a few nights back, but fortunately it didn’t snow. I know I should just embrace it, but it’s really hard because we have such a short fall season here. I feel like once I had the baby all the sudden it was winter! Which is ridiculous! It was 95 degrees out the day Sam was born, and he’s only 2 months old and now we’re talkin’ snow?! What! At least now he’s got his handknits to keep him nice and toasty. And he’s wearing the hat I made him in the picture below.

And here is Sam holding the pumpkin he picked out (hah, right) It did have a stem on it, but some little trick-or-treater accidentally kicked it off the porch and it got knocked off. I never got around to carving it, oops. Oh well, I guess I will just leave it on the porch until the snow comes and buries it, like last year.

Fair Pay

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Ali

“Trying to balance what people will pay while trying to make some sort of profit is really a hard call.”

So, I just finished reading this amazing article, Fair Pay For A Fair Day’s Work, written by Vicki, the knitter extraordinaire behind Dover & Madden. (Also, you should check out her Etsy shop. She makes some beautiful stuff!) I would encourage all of you out there who knit, crochet, sew, or do anything crafty, to read this article, because we shouldn’t be making a pittance for what we do (even if it is doing something we love!) For one project that I made last year, I did the math, and with what I had already promised the customer the price I would charge on a particular item that was harder to make than anticipated, I ended up making less than 50 cents an hour, which is ridiculous. I work really hard on the things that I make, most of the time the things that I make are my own patterns, too, which take time and energy to come up with. I don’t want to sound like I am complaining or getting defensive, but I have had several people request for items at a lower price, and I just want to let them know why I have to charge as much as I do.

I think it’s important that people see the breakdown of how things like handknits (or crochet, or sewn, whatever) are priced. I had a talk with a friend a few days ago and she mentioned that “If you charged too little, people would undervalue your work. So in essence, the more you charge, the more people value your work.” (Thanks, Betsy!) This is an especially relevant time to bring this up, with the upcoming holiday season, which is obviously my busiest time for custom orders.

But seriously, if you’re a crafter and have trouble pricing your work (I’ve always struggled with this!) I would highly suggest you read Vicki’s article, she eloquently states what I’ve been struggling to for years. Also, make sure to get your Christmas Orders in soon, so I can make sure they’re out to you in time for the Holidays! I may not have enough time (obviously I’ve got a bit more on my plate this year) to do quite as many orders as I did last Christmas, so please make sure to place them early so I can get a head start on making them.

Remember, feel free to make requests for specific animals, or different color combinations, I’m willing to give just about anything a try! Email me at lexikaye@gmail.com if you’d like to place an order!

Blue Stripes!

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Ali

I finished the blue and white striped hat. I know I said that when I had my own baby I wouldn’t model things on the coffee canister anymore, but it’s way too big for my lil’ man, so here you go.

Ah, I love making pompoms. Paul and I debated back and forth on whether this hat needed one or not, but eventually I decided that I liked the pompom on the top.

I love knitting stripes. It’s so much more fun than knitting just one color!

Purple Stripes

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Ali

So I started making a hat for someone for Christmas, but the farther I got into the hat the more I just wanted to keep it for myself.

I’ve been really into stripes recently.

And now it’s cold enough to wear hats and scarves and all those fun winter accessories, and they’re so quick and fun to make.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how much knitting Sam has allowed me to do. I thought that I’d be constantly holding him, but a lot of the time he’s happy as a clam in his swing and he lets me get things done around the house. What a sweet baby he is. Right now he’s singing to his mobile while swinging away. It’s pretty darn adorable.