Pixie Hat

When I saw this tutorial for a baby/toddler pixie hat, I fell in love.  I could not wait to make it.  I was so eager, in fact, that I tried to work on it while my kids were up.  I read crafting blogs where moms talk about sewing with their young kids (including toddlers) underfoot.  It always sounds so zen and magical and wholesome.  This was a super simple project.   So I tried it.   Let me tell you, it was anything but zen.  It was incredibly frustrating... both for me and my kids.  I don't know how those other moms do it.  Are they leaving out the bad parts?  Or, as a friend of mine remarked, are they giving their kids Benadryl?  I'm kidding.  But, as far as I'm concerned, lesson learned.  I'm going back to sewing at night while they sleep.

This hat is made from a recycled wool blend sweater, lined with red fleece.  The ties are made from knit ribbing.  And I think (fingers crossed) that I may have finally figured out how to sew knits.  That's something I've had trouble with in the past.  Only time will tell, I guess.

Here's my girl in her new hat - 

I also found this tutorial for patching jeans.  [Aside:  There's so much good stuff on the Craft Gossip website!]  It gives them that disdressed look that the kids are wearing these days... except they buy them that way.  I apologize for the bad lighting in the picture.  Be forewarned that it's pretty sweary trying to get little pant legs under the machine.  But don't give up.  It is possible. 

We're making gingerbread cookies today.   I found these top ten tips for gingerbread. The best one is #4 - "If you're cutting out large or delicate shapes, save them from falling apart by rolling out the dough on parchment paper, removing the scraps and sliding the paper directly onto a baking sheet."  Worked like a charm.