This first one is from The Soaring sheep and is so lovely I really need more slots with this lovely lady

You can find more of her work at http://www.thesoaringsheep.co.uk/

This next item is wool shorties from Bdazzlers

Her work can be found at http://www.bdazzlers.co.uk/

Here we have a collection of Emily’s wool, from The Soaring Sheep, and KnitterArty.

After a a bit of thinking I wanted to try dye some wool for some longies, I did a biy of asking around and researching.
I then went and bought 1 skein of BFL undyed wool and 3 packets of kool aid. Well to be honest it did not go as planned. I tired to sort the wool but only for my step daughter to HELP!!!! or not. Later on I spent a good 4 to 5 hours trying to sort it out so I could dye it up. The next day I got out my instructions I got with my wool and kool aid. I soaked the wool and sorted the kool aid. Here is a few pictures of the start of my first project
The wool in for it’s soak

Then dried out and put in the bath on cling film.

I then tried to dye the wool multi-coloured

After about 30 minutes of being in the dye I wrapped it up and put it a pan of water, this is where it went wrong, I cooking it for around 30 minutes to fix the dye.
.

After I cooked it I let it cool before raisning under cold water. Then left it to dry.

After my first rubbish go a dyeing wool I had another go with much better results.

And this is it knitted up

Now I have done a little dyeing I have moved onto knitting it. I watch and watch videos on google and youtube I did a little practice and again I kept mucking up. Then I thought I would make a scarf for Emily. I started off so well then ending poor and running out of wool. Here is the finished scarf

I have now moved on to knitting a blanket. I am going to be knitting 30 stitches to 30 rows squares I think I will do 4 squares along and about 12 up I think. I am knitting in aran weight wool in either merino wool or/and BFL.

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First you need to realize your reason of cloth diapering your baby.  Is it for comfort, environment, or finances?  Maybe it’s all the above.

If you are cloth diapering your child for comfort or because you are wanting to live greener then definitely yes.  A newborn is changed at least 10 times a day and often more.  That is a lot of disposable diapers going into the landfills.

If you are cloth diapering to save money the answer is still yes.  A great method of cloth diapering a newborn is prefold diapers. With prefold diapers you can also use them when your baby grows out of them for doublers, inserts, and burp towels.  Definitely a money saver.  If you go with a fitted or pocket it will still be worth it.  You will save money on not having to replace your baby’s clothing due to blowouts.

Is cloth diapering for a newborn worth it?  Most definitely yes.  You save the environment, your money, and keep your baby comfy.

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There are many different fabrics used for inserts.  There is hemp, microfiber, microterry, and bamboo to name a few.  Some inserts are a combination of the different types of fabrics.

Microfiber is a common fabric for inserts.  Microfiber is quick to soak up the wetness.  The more layers it has the more absorbent it is.  There are some drawbacks to microfiber.It can have detergent buildup which can cause stink issues. Also you should never put microfiber against baby’s skin.  It will cause a rash.  So it is best used as an insert and never a doubler. Doublers are laid inside the diaper rather than on the outside or in the pocket.

Hemp is another type of insert that is farely common.  Hemp is very absorbent.  It doesn’t take many layers of hemp to have a very absorbent insert.  The drawbacks to hemp are that they do not soak up as quickly as other fabrics and can also hold smells.

One of the brands the combines the benifits of microfiber and hemp is the the Loopy Do insert. It has hemp then microfiber on top.  The microfiber quickly soaks up the wetness and the hemp holds a good amount in.

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When I got pregnant with my oldest son my husband suggested cloth diapers. Why on earth would I cloth diaper when Huggies was available at Wal-Mart? Because I loved my husband I started asking questions. I found out all kinds of scary things like folding, dunking, toilet clogging. Oh no, I was not going to do this.

When I got pregnant with my second son cloth diapers were brought up again. My sister-in-law’s sister was cloth diapering her baby. She sent me pictures. She used receiving blankets. Nope wasn’t going to do that either. What would you do when everything got wet because the baby peed?

While pregnant with my third son I was also potty training my second son. We didn’t use pull ups but Gerber training pants. I was dunking and washing every day. I thought ok cloth diapers can’t be worse than this. So I did what I should have done from day one. I Googled cloth diapers.

My world opened up. I was introduced to an amazing world of cloth diapering. Diapers that didn’t leak through, adorable prints and colors, and all kinds of helpful accessories. I spent the next 3 months researching and learning. I learned about washing, care, types, and so much that my head spun. I got my first diapers in the mail 3 weeks before Dakota was due. It was love at first touch. They were amazing!

Through my research I found some things out. That the constant rash the my two older son’s endured was probably a reaction to the chemicals in the disposable diapers. Cloth diapers rarely had blowouts. Then lastly how easy they truly were.

I’m glad that I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I know pros and cons of both ways first hand. Do I wish I had cloth diapered all my boys? Yes. I would tell the younger me, try it you’ll like it.

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Start with the basics. Is the baby hungry? Does he have a dirty diaper? Meet these needs and all will be well again. But what if those aren’t the problems?

Try swaddling the baby. Babies miss the comfort of the womb. Also newborns do not have good control of their arms and legs. They jump out and startle the baby. Being swaddled in a light blankets is often just the trick to sooth an unhappy baby. They feel secure and thus happy.

Is it too quiet? Many people think that newborns and babies need absolute quiet. But the opposite is in fact true. Newborns miss the rhythmic sounds of their mother’s body. Try putting on some white noise, nature music, or soft instrumental music.

Perhaps all she wants is you. This is where a comfortable, supportive baby carrier comes in handy. Put your baby inside and go about your day with your arms free. Baby is where they want to be and you are free to get things done.

Babies cry and many times we don’t know why. Sometimes no amount of soothing will help immediately. They just need to say their peace. If you need a break, place baby in his crib and give yourself a time out. Remember this too shall pass

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It got me thinking to my own childhood and my own children. I remember playing dress up with my mothers out of style and unused clothing.  There was nothing that thrilled me more than making a tent out of kitchen chairs and blankets. I remember my mom making a game out of going into the bathtub to wait out a tornado. I loved it so much that it became a regular thing, storm or not.

My own children love things that cost very little. They have amazing imaginations. They love to play with the laundry hamper. It turns into a roller coaster, boat, car, cage, and chair.  It’s amazing and it doesn’t have sound or movable parts.

More and more we are seeing in magazines ways to have fun with everyday stuff.  What once was a necessity is now something that is in style. The newest movement for mommies is to be simple, unstressed, and unperfect. Realizing that happy mommies make happy children. That our children can have just as much fun with a laundry basket as with the newest singing toy out there. That we don’t have to meet every need to the umpth degree and perfectly. It’s enough that the need is met and the child is loved.

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Now he is wanting to play with his brother’s toys. It’s only been in the last few months that they are having to actually become aware of where they lay their toys so that baby brother will not snatch them up. Before that baby had his toys and didn’t care who played with them. This is no longer the case.

With the sleepy wrap I was able to pop the infant baby inside and go about the day. The older boy’s life didn’t change that much. But now they have to share more time. The baby has turned into a toddler that needs attention but popping him in the wrap is no longer the type of attention he wants.

I’m sure that as my boys continue to grow the dynamics of our family will continue to change and shift. As it seems in everything in life, you get one thing down only to go to the next step. I have to admit it is entertaining watching them and I am blessed to have them.

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I can tell you one thing, my life was quite a bit less exciting. I wasn’t runing outside to see the latest accident. I wasn’t find new and interesting things in pockets when I did the wash. I also wasn’t entertained several times a day with a new phrase, antic, or joke. No, my life was quite boring before.

Before children my life wasn’t nearly as full. My days were not nearly as busy. In fact I would wait to clean certain parts of the house so I would have something to do tomorrow.  Now I’m going here, there, and everywhere either chasing the boys or with them in tow.

In my life before children my house was clean, I had lots of time to myself, and my heart was not nearly as full. Now some days I think I might burst from the three blessings that I call my boys.

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Keep it simple. Your baby is too little to hit a pinata, jump in a blow up bounce house, or ride a pony. Don’t worry about hiring an entertainer or creating a birthday wonderland. Your little one is going to love all the attention being poured on them. Also realize when your little one is becoming overwhelmed. It’s easy for babies to become overwhelmed so as parents we need to watch to help keep the day going smoothly.

Make a personal cake for the birthday kid. That first birthday cake is often looked forward to by parents since they want to see their little one enjoy a great treat. The simplest way to do this is to make a small 5 or 6 inch cake just for them. Let them dig in and enjoy. Be aware that it will be very messy but your baby will think it’s a lot of fun.

Make it a morning or afternoon long affair. Going slow will help keep baby from getting overwhelmed. Take it a little at a time. A relaxed in no hurry atmosphere will keep baby relaxed and having fun.

Be flexible. Things may not go as planned.  You little one may need a nap in the middle of things. Or not like the cake and would rather some fruit. Go with the flow and continue to celebrate the day that your angel was born.

These suggestions should help your little one’s first birthday to be a special and wonderful day.

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Click on photo for larger view

I love this thing. I think it looks so neat and I love that it actually works. So many things I find in catalogs that I think look neat don’t really work. Nice to see that this one does work. I think I may just have a party for no good reason just to use this wonderful device!

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