Tooth Fairy Pillow

Looking for a fast and fun leftover fingering weight stashbuster project/gift for a kid?  How about a tooth fairy pillow?  Xena lost her first 2 teeth this summer.  She really treasures them and was worried about crushing them if she left them under her pillow so I wanted to make her something special to keep them in when the tooth fairy comes to visit.

I used size 2 needles.  I cast on 30 stitches and knit an 8" long flat rectangle in stockinette.  For the tiny pocket, I cast on 14 stitches, knit 5 rows in garter and enough additional rows in stockinette to create a square shape.  Then I seamed 3 sides of the pillow together - end to end with single crochet and mattress stitch on the sides.  I stuffed it with a shredded up old t-shirt and garnished it with mini pompoms in the corners.

Of course, she loves it and the bonus is that she can use it as a pillow for her dolls and stuffies.

You can also use this recipe with heavy weight yarn to make a bigger pillow.  If I had more energy, I might've even made a whole string of pompoms and sewn them around the entire pillow for the border.

Sport Socks and Matching Mommy and Me Socks!

 

When the NYK's were in the NBA playoffs, I had my moment and celebrated by knitting matching blue and orange socks for Xena and I.

I know the Knicks wouldn't clench it but since I am also a Syracuse and UVA NCAAMB fan, these socks share multiple purposes.

I shared these photos on IG a while ago but forgot to post them here.  I used baby alpaca sock yarn.  

They are super basic and I didn't follow any specific pattern.

 

Xena loves to pretend she's ice skating when sliding around our hardwood floors in her slippery socks.

I'm frequently asked if my socks are made to order.  If I had the time to make and sell extras, I might but it simply just isn't in the cards right now.

I still want to knit Xena a few more new pairs before school starts in August but I'm running out of time!

For the past few months since I moved back to RVA, I've been attending the weekly meet up at Dances With Wool out in Midlothian.  I bought this Sheep Graffiti sock yarn there after one of the first meet ups I attended, literally because it had "graffiti" its name and also because it's from VA Beach.  I later visited The Yarn Club during the JRYC and met Andrea, the owner and dyer herself.  I always love putting a face to the yarn and shopping locally and supporting fiber artists across VA.

My friend, Lauren, mentioned that one of her favorite color combos is hot pink and black. Then I found out that her daughter June's birthday was approaching and of course, I simply couldn't resist knitting them matching pairs of striped socks.  

 

Prior to gifting, these socks travelled all around the country with me.

 

I want to preface this with the FACT that I will not knit socks for just anyone.  I have to really, really like or full on love you to do it.

Lauren is an amazing mother, incredibly supportive wife and excellent friend.  She is so thoughtful and dependable and she owns THE COOLEST vintage clothing shop in RVA, Blue Bones!  She is hilarious and her thrifting skills are no joke.  She is my ride or die partner and I could not be happy living here without her love and support.

 

Our kids constantly play together and even though we've only known each a few months, we already shared so many mutual friends and have shared so many amazing adventures, her family are like family to me.  This is starting to sound like if I wasn't already married, I would propose to her.

Anyway, after I finished knitting the matching striped socks, I looked at June's feet and then my own feet and realized that even though she's a child, her feet are only slightly smaller than mine.

So in the event that she grows out of the striped socks too soon, I knit her a second pair of socks in some of my favorite yarn from Wooly Wonka that I purchased all the way back at the first ever Stitches West (RIP) I attended in Santa Clara, CA.  Thankfully June has a younger brother who can hopefully get some legs out of the striped socks as well.

 

I haven't seen Wooly Wonka at Stitches in years.  It looks like her Ravelry page hasn't been updated since 2017 so I wonder if she is even still dyeing.  

 

This is some of the nicest yarn I've yet to knit or crochet with.  I wonder where the base comes from and if I will find something similar again.  Just to give an example of the sizing, the photos directly above are of my feet in June's socks.

Xena-sized Knit Lighthouse Keeper Pullover Designed by Lindsey Fowler

Well, the momentum kept going and I managed to finish knitting Xena's pattern matching Lighthouse Keeper Pullover in under a week.  It might seem quick but for me, aside from knitting with 100% pure cashmere, there is nothing smoother, quicker and more enjoyable than knitting with silk and mohair blends.  Some people despise mohair; some are allergic to it.  I never really gave it much thought until I really started knitting a few years ago and now it's safe to admit, I'm obsessed.

   

I used the same size needles for Xena's sweater as I did for mine.  I used Kim Dyes Yarn Stroopwafel DK (55% SW BFL/45% Silk) in her Shrimp Bisque colorway + La Bien Aimeé 70% Mohair/30% Silk in her Tang colorway.  Xena is 5.5 yrs old and this sweater only used a 2 1/2 hanks of Kim's yarn and less than 1 hank of Aimeé's.  This will come as no surprise, but I am obviously knitting matching socks for Xena and I with our leftovers.  I was so excited for Xena to wear her sweater, I still haven't blocked it, so I apologize for my wavy stitches.  I promise they will look better soon.

 

As a transracially + transnationally adopted Korean, it was very significant for me to knit something, for the first time ever, with yarn dyed by two different Korean women who also grew up in the USA.

I knit the smallest size of the sweater.  The smallest bust measurement was a few inches wider than Xena's body but the upside of knitting garments for kids is that inevitably, they will grow into them.  That's why I generally intentionally knit longer sleeves to maximize the mileage on Xena's handmade garments.

This sweater is very easy to modify.  For instance, there wasn't an exact corresponding separation point for exactly where I wanted put the sleeves on hold but because the pattern has a 20 row repeat, it took minimal math to calculate when to stop and which pattern row to pick up when I started the sleeves.

These are all of my failed attempts of, "Smile for the camera!".

We went even further into our backyard for this photo shoot than for mine.  I'll post photos of the pool when (hopefully) we successfully open it in a few weeks.  We're making a super quick trip up to NAPEX next weekend and then Xena starts summer camp the following week so my plan is to open it mid-June.  

What's on my needles next?  Well, I still have to finish the lace top I started over a year ago.  

 

I also have to add pockets and buttons to a couple cardis for Xena.  

Then I am already well overdue to get started on my official Rhinebeck sweater which Amber and I are knitting matching patterns of.

 

Happy to see these pretty mushrooms growing behind our shed.  It makes me curious about what died to help feed them.

Anyway, I am super stressed out about all of the wack algorithm BS that has been going on with Etsy.  They've already threatened to shut my account down on numerous occasions because of their messed up algorithm that seems think there is something wrong with selling postage stamps?!  I just don't understand how much of it is real or bots or what.  It's infuriating because I have been selling on Etsy since they started.  I even tested their BETA version and assisted with multiple software upgrades.  Yet now, even though I am a Star Seller with nearly 9,000 sales, they continue randomly deactivating my listings, not responding to any of attempts to contact customer service and ignoring all of my emails.  Ex.) 3 different Hanukkah and carnivorous plants postage stamp listings were randomly deactivated for "being against Etsy's policies".  Are they now anti-Semitic with something against meat eating plants?!

Knit Lighthouse Keeper Pullover designed by Lindsey Fowler

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had originally intended on knitting a pattern from Lindsey Fowler's Salt and Timber book prior to knitting my recently finished Hotdish Cardigan and the Lighthouse Keeper Pullover was it.

 

I used Wandering Flock Worsted weight 100% Extrafine Merino in their Dune colorway for the MC and their Lace weight 80% Kid Mohair/20% Silk blend in their Mother of Purl Rhinebeck custom colorway as the CC.

 

I knit size 6 of the pattern.  I used the recommended needle sizes which I can generally only get away with if I'm knitting in the round because I knit really loose when working flat.  I simply spritzed and steam blocked the sweater on my ironing board; no wet blocking required for this one.  

 

I love the woven textured chain created with a simple alternating repetition of purls and slip stitches.  I also love the extra structure created by the alternating slip stitches on the sides of the body and sleeves.  It has a thick double-folded collar that will offer extra warmth and fuzz in blustery weather.

 

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon and when I was getting ready to take photos, instead of getting all dolled up, I decided just to be my natural-self, unbathed, sweatpants, old Vans, no make up and messy hair since technically, this sweater is specifically intended to be that special handmade sweater that you can pullover anything to feel good and cozy.

I think part of the reason why I finished this sweater so quickly is because I was so excited to a knit a matching (pattern) for Xena with 100% Korean dyed yarn from Kim Dyes Yarn and La Bien Aimee.

Photos coming soon, maybe even before the end of the week if I keep my momentum going.