What is a Mameshiba?

I am about to be an aunt for the third time! This time it’s my little brother (the baby of our family), who is about to become a father! Can you believe how time flies? I still remember when he was a baby wearing diapers and now he’s about to have a baby himself!

Now, this next project has a little history to it. I had see this Mameshiba plush at a trade show one year and I thought it was so ridiculously cute that I wanted one immediately. Unfortunately, they were not yet for sale in the US, being just recently released in Japan. I told my little brother about it and the next year, unbeknownst to me, he was able to get me a small “keychain”version of this plush. I don’t know what it is, but the Japanese have a knack for making concepts like a half soybean, half dog that is ridiculously round, the most adorable thing ever.

Anyways, before he had a chance to give it to me, his now wife saw it and thought it was really cute and for her. When he told her it was for me, her disappointment was palpable. He surprised her the next year with her very own. They now have three keychain plushies and one larger plush.

Well, I thought this would just be the cutest and funniest idea for a hat. I decided on the chili-bean version, which they have, and made some matching mittens for their little guy.

I can’t wait to see his round little noggin in this thing! We can’t wait to meet you, little guy!

The Long and Short of it

My daughter is growing so quickly these days it’s hard to keep track! One day she’ll have pants that are rolled up at the cuffs and the next, they’ll look like capris! Well, you would think that maybe accessories would have more of a lifespan.

I had made my daughter some mittes in this previous post. I thought that they may last all winter. Well, let me tell you, I was wrong. A couple of things I have learned from my first mitten foray:

1. Mittens are like socks on babies. They never stay on.
2. Mittens are like socks on babies. They get small very quickly.
3. Mittens are like socks on babies. They get ripped off the moment you put them on.

My husband and I broke down the mitten problem for our daughter in particular. It seemed that no mitten that we got her was long enough as they seemed to slip off quickly and easily. We finally concluded that perhaps a long mitten, almost like a second sleeve, that you put on before the jacket, may actually stay on. It was worth a shot.

I made these comfy looking mittens using some yarn that I got as a Christmas present from my brother-in-law and his wife. His wife is extremely talented as well and makes these adorable amigurumi dolls. She actually made one for my daughter of Hello Kitty in a duck outfit! Anyways, they got me a very thoughtful gift of some circular knitting needles, a little yarn caddy, and some yarn. I decided to use one of the balls of Lion Brand Homespun yarn for thie mitten. This yarn is very soft and comfortable. It’s acrylic so it’s machine washable and dryer friendly, always a plus when we’re dealing with kids!

This was a very quick project and I think that these turned out quite well! They look really comfy and the yarn is thick so I think these will be quite warm. I’ll have to see how they test out, but at least they’ll stay on for a little longer, yes? Wish me (and my daughter) luck!

A Whisker in Time

I was thrilled to learn that one of my former co-workers was pregnant with her first child! This co-worker witnessed my entire pregnancy and was so supportive, thoughtful, and curious about the entire process. Being pregnant for the first time, it was wonderful to have someone close to me to share my every day discoveries, questions, musings, etc. about pregnancy and it was great to have someone just as curious and in awe of the process as I was.

Well, she has since moved to the U.K. so this is the first time my work has traveled internationally! I wasn’t sure at the time of making this if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl so I opted for a gender-neutral color.  I decided to go with a mouse because I loved the idea of the little whiskers with a felted bead nose.  It was actually inspired by a hat I had gotten for my daughter when she was just 6 months old from the Egg by Susan Lazar line.  Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to fit very well so it was a little bit of a disappointing purchase.

Anyways, I wish very much that I could meet this sweet new baby, who I discovered is a girl, just weeks old at this point!  I’m sure that her mommy and daddy are enjoying every moment with her and I hope that she’ll get some good use out of this little hat!  Welcome to the world, dear!