Flower Power Hairclip

So my daughter wanted a flower hairclip to wear to school, and she just started Pre-K, so this mom could not say no! :-)
I searched for a good flower that would lie flat after crocheting so it would be close to the head and not be to "floppy" if you know what I mean!

So, here is my version of a cute "flower power" hairclip.  This flower could easily be added to a headband or hairclip.

Chain 91 stitches.
SC in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch until end (90 sts)
Turn, *ch 3, skip 2 sc, sc in next st*, repeat from * to * to end
Turn, ch 3, *3 dc in ch 3 space, sl st in sc*, repeat from * to * to end
Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing.

At this point you will have a long piece of crochet.  I like to run a "basting stitch" through the base and cinch the bottom together and start turning the flower around on itself.  I then stitch the flower together on the backside using the leftover long tail from finishing off.

Voila - a beautiful flower you can glue on a hair clip, sew on a purse or jacket, connect it to a headband, your possibilities are endless!

Stay tuned for picture tutorials!

summertime

So, bees are buzzing, roses are blooming, tomatoes are growing.......what could be better? POPSICLES! Don't you love them? They are the BEST! They bring back wonderful memories of childhood - sitting on the front porch swing with my great grandfather rocking in his rocking chair and having a popsicle drip down my arm because I couldn't eat it fast enough.

A friend of mine had a great idea - popsicle holders! So I came up with this pattern and hope you enjoy making your kiddos (or yourself) some - they also keep little hands from freezing while holding the gigantic popsicles!

Pattern for popsicle holder

Materials needed:
~22 yards of worsted weight washable yarn
G hook
tapestry needle

C22, in 3rd ch from hook, dc.
DC in each ch until end, ch 2, turn.
Repeat 6 more times for a total of 7 rows. Do not cut yarn.
Fold in half longways and sc around two edges. Finish off. Weave in ends.

Voila, you have a popsicle holder!

Gauge really isn't that important. If you are a tighter or looser crocheter than I am, you can adjust the length of the holder by chaining more or less stitches and if the holder is too big around or not big enough around, you can add or take a row of DC. If you have any questions, just let me know!

gamboni cloth diaper jeans giveaway

Enter to win a pair of Green Gamboni Cloth Diaper Friendly Jeans! A $39.00 Value! Ends 04-15-11

Check out the giveaway and all the details on the Knickernappies blog!

so I have a sick toddler - waiting on her to wake up to see if she needs to go to the doctor today - what fun for a Monday! ;-)

In the first 2 1/2 months of 2011, I have been quite busy knitting - I have finished 20 projects so far - some started in 2011, some started in 2010 - but finished! ha ha

I have made my daughter 3 knitted bodice with fabric skirt dresses (one is too big) - I made 2 doll skirts to match 2 skirts I made her owner. I gave one poor dolly new hair along with a couple of projects for a friend.

I am "dollbabymom" on Ravelry - check some of my projects out!

early morning diaper laundry

so here i am - Monday morning 5:52 a.m. getting ready to start diaper laundry for the week - I know a lot of people don't like laundry and even worse - cloth diaper laundry - but can I tell you a secret - i LOVE laundry - it is relaxing and something I have complete control over! ;-)

With a 2 year old in the house and 2 13 year olds that come to visit, well, you get the idea - making my morning coffee - starting "Bones" on Netflix, and will be knitting another ufo this morning - glad I'm getting those things done!

january to february knitting

so my yarn didn't come in for the Elizabeth Zimmermann's January Aran sweater, so I am moving on to February Baby sweater. I think Katrina and her doll (if I have time to make one) will like this sweater - very nice - garter stitch yoke and a nice pattern for the body of the sweater. I will be making it two tone and hopefully will start in a couple of days.

knitting in 2011

i have to say i can't believe it is 2011 and I can't believe my first baby is 13 and my newest baby will be 3 this year.

so this is the year of knitting for myself apparently! I have knit myself the EZ swatch cap while I am waiting on my sweater yarn to come in and kind of see where my gauge is for the aran sweater. This is my newest baby modeling it for me! :)


i am also knitting a hooded cowl as a KAL with my friend Sandy with some yummy yarn I got from sheepytime knits as part of my speshul snowflakes club - here it is so far.........


and.......I am knitting my 2 1/2 year old a "spring butterfly" and have the bodice done and am now working on the body of the button sweater. I'll post pictures later........so what do you have on your needles?

a year of knitting

so i never make new year's resolutions - but this year, i am making 2: one is to knit a pair of socks for me and the second is to knit at least 6 months worth of Elizabeth Zimmermann's "A Knitter's Almanac" - my goal is to start January with the aran sweater. I am going to start tonight with my "gauge hat" to see where I stand with her "written out" instructions! They look followable enough, but we shall see!

Those of you who are knitters, can follow my progress with my Ravelry account - I am "dollbabymom" and all of EZ's patterns will start with "EZ:" so hopefully they can be found easier (if anyone is looking for them).

So, have a wonderful and Happy New Year (and hope you had a marvelous Christmas) and continue to follow my knitting adventure! :)

another good reason to cloth diaper your baby........

So you are thinking about cloth diapering, but not really sure - well, here is another reason!

Apparently when baby boys are "developing" disposable diapers seem to be a poor choice as they can raise scrotal temperature. And that apparently is bad for the developing sperm that happens in the first two years of a little boy's life.

Here is the complete article: link

So, what do you think? Do you want to keep your baby boy's scrotum a little cooler from now on? Cloth diapering apparently can do the trick!

Cloth diapers making a comback 11 Alive News

Cloth Diaper Comeback? - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

Cloth Diaper Comeback? - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

I am going to be on 11 alive news tnight at 11 pm and tomorrow at 6 am for the diapers - yeah!! <Jennifer>

Working on Facebook

So I finally got 25 fans for my Loads of Joy Diaper Service page and now I have a short URL to Loads of Joy on Facebook.

This is really nice - I can link very easily now and I don't have to remember ANOTHER URL! :)

So, what do you think about using Facebook as a networking tool? Good? Bad? Indifferent? I haven't really utilized the full potential, I don't think, so I'll have to check into it more!

Another Busy, Busy Day

So, it was just another busy day……….Saturday……….got up around 7ish – showered – checked e-mail – then on to church to get the crafts ready for VBS – so exciting – we got everything ready! J

Then I came home, checked at my grandfather's – the new floor was in and done! But we needed to let the seams set for an hour – I stayed to make sure he didn't "run over" any of them with his walker – then it was time for me to go to my brother's graduation party, but we had an accident, and I had to stay…………..

About half an hour later, we left – we went to the destination and had some grilled hamburgers and hot dogs – the kids fished and rode in the paddle boats on the beautiful lake – and all the "old folks" sat around and played catch-up.

Then as storms were coming in and going out, and it was getting dark, Granddaddy started a bonfire for the s'mores that would surely please the grandkids! Grandgranma made homemade ice cream – yum!

Then it was time to come home as little one had not taken a nap all day, so she was done for the day!

And now, looking back, the day zoomed by, but I am so thankful I was able to spend such a glorious day with family!

We had our #clothdiaper meeting today & 11 alive news was there to interview us! Watch for the link coming soon!

cloth diapers versus disposable diapers

This post is part of the Real Diaper Facts carnival hosted by Real Diaper Events, the official blog of the Real Diaper Association. Participants were asked to write about diaper lies and real diaper facts. See the list at the bottom of this post to read the rest of the carnival entries.



So I never really "blog" - I might send in a "line item" from my cell phone, but Pampers has me up in arms! I have contacted my local news affiliates in Atlanta and have heard back from one and hopefully we will be meeting on May 25th with some other moms who cloth diaper!



So Pampers is retaliating about how bad cloth diapering is and how good disposable diapers are. Their myths and facts can be found here.

So here are my myths and facts that I have found in my cloth diapering adventure! This is what I have run across with my daughter. I also own a small cloth diaper service and nothing discussed is from any of my clients. It is all about my family.

These "myths" are directly off the Pampers website with my "truths"

Myth: Cloth diapers are better for my baby.
Truth: Cloth diapers are better for my baby because when she was 4 months old, she developed a "chemical burn" type diaper rash (3rd degree) and we tried 8 different brands of disposables with no relief. The only relief she got was when we put her in cloth diapers. The "burn" diaper rash took over 3 weeks to heal completely.

Myth: Cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposables.
Truth: Cloth diapers are better for the environment. There is a chemical in some disposable diapers that firemen use as a fire retardant. Here is a link to the article. The chemicals used in tampons that caused toxic shock syndrome (tss) have also been found in disposable diapers. Here is a link to an article. So not only are the chemicals in disposable diapers not good for the environment, do you really want these chemicals close to your baby's skin?

Myth: Developing countries prove that cloth diapers are better than disposable diapers.
Truth: This is truth - most developing countries don't have the money to throw away on disposable diapering. Our country knew this just 2 - 3 generations ago. I think that cloth diapers are better than disposables in an established country or a developing one. When you buy disposable diapers, just as my husband has said, you might as well just be throwing your money away. For $200 you can have all the cloth diapers you will actually need to diaper your baby from birth through potty training. And you can use these diapers again on a 2nd or 3rd baby. How much money will be gone after buying disposable diapers for 3 babies?

Myth: Disposable diapers are harmful to the environment.
Truth: As above, disposable diapers are harmful to the environment. Another article can be found here on the trash that disposable diapers cause.

Myth: The materials that make up Pampers diapers are depleting our forests.
Truth: You know, I don't know - and I don't care at this point - it is the chemicals that is making my blood boil and that Pampers is attacking cloth diapering because they were attacked by a group of concerned parents. It almost sounds like they are bullies. You remember the bully in your school? Once you attacked them, they just threw something back, it usually didn't make any sense, but they did it.

So, there is my list of "myths and truths" and I am proud to be a part of this blogging carnival on real sustainable diapers. I think everyone should cloth diaper - after all 50 years ago, that's all there was!



The End

If you are looking to go green this earth day, try #clothdiapers!! <Jennifer>

Washing #clothdiapers - the smell of clean cotton is so yummy!!

Washing cloth diapers - the smell of clean cotton is so yummy!! <Jennifer>

Last day of the yard sale! Come bu to see "new" cloth diapering!! <Jennifer>