chunky knit hat.

yesterday was a rainy, chilly and dreary saturday. the kind where you don't want to leave the house and end up drinking an excessive amount of tea and coffee and watching way too much parks and rec on netflix. probably one of my favorite kinds of saturdays.

it was also the kind of late september saturday that creates in me an irresistible desire to knit something. so i did.

an awesome split brim hat with a ridiculously over-sized pom pom and a touch of fair isle. free pattern courtesy of sheepy shenanigans on ravelry.

because every toddler needs an absurd hat.

and the best part was, i was able to knit it up in a nap time. a huge win in my book. especially because knitting projects, once set a side, seem to get sucked into an alternate universe, never to be seen again. but not this one! so much cuteness!

the hat is a big snug, but that's because i used siz eleven rather than thirteen needles (what i had on hand) and forgot to add stitches circumferentially. alas.

i made up the fair isle pattern fairly quickly, going for an ombre-ish effect, where the cream gradually changed to the yellow. it worked out fairly well, i think.

i'm so glad it's feeling like fall, and i'm pretty sure this kid is too. bring on the apple picking, pumpkin carving, cider making and hay rides.

raveled here.

tiny kitchen.

as i mentioned in the last post, i performed a tiny kitchen reno for margot's second birthday. it's maybe my most favorite thing ever.

it all started with a perfectly acceptable, brand new ikea play kitchen, which i could have left alone and margot would have loved it just as much. but where would the fun be in that.

my first update was to paint all of the natural toned wood, other than the counter top, white. for this i just sanded it and then primed and painted it using supplies leftover from various house projects. i also stained the counter top a golden tone. i found that you really have to sand the wood well  to get the stain to take, as whatever clear coat ikea uses is super durable. in my first attempt (or maybe two...) i didn't sand enough and ended up with a blotchy stain job. i ultimately found that checking the wood with a wet rag after sanding helped to ensure all of the clear coat was removed--if the wood soaked in the water, it was good to stain, otherwise, more sanding. since it's plywood though, aggressive sanding can penetrate the first ply, so if you want to try it out yourself, be careful. this only happened in a few spots for me, and those ended up getting covered up by the sink and brackets. after painting and staining, i also gave everything two coats of polyacrylic so that it could withstand toddlerness.

next i may have gotten a little spray paint happy. the frame for the burner and the sink got painted white (originally grey) and most anything else that was within reach was painted gold. this included the updated handles (these), the stove knobs that we added (from lowes i think), the knobs for the pot holders (these), the faucet, the rod along the back, and the plastic legs...and maybe even the buttons for the stove lights. oh my that's a long list...typing it out makes me feel like maybe i have a problem...is there a twelve step program for this...

then, after an amusingly long assembly process (remind me to never install a real size ikea kitchen), it was time to accessorize. the tiny pot holders fit in nicely.

as do the salt and pepper shakers. and this rhino that i got from hobby lobby. i couldn't resist it. he didn't even require a spray paint job. the plant is fake, as margot can't be trusted, and also from ikea. the rod along the back came with hooks for hanging pots, utensils and the like, but margot hasn't figured them out yet. so for now, her utensils live in an old lyle's golden syrup can.

this is a very misleading picture. margot has only had the kitchen for a week, and the cupboard and oven are never this tidy. but one can pretend, right? here, the yellow colander is from world market and the tiny milk jug is once again from hobby lobby (and its cap may have been spray painted...oy...)

there are also lights! much to the excitement of the small one. the star marquee thing was from target ($2.70 on clearance!) and we added a touch led to the top of the oven, for checking on your soup and cookies.

the burners even glow red (though it looks orange in this picture). this may be my favorite feature. and probably one of marogt's too. she turns them both on and then exclaims 'i cooking pastas!'.

so, there you have it. my ridiculously unnecessary but oh so awesome tiny kitchen reno. it makes me happy every time i see it. which is often, as it lives in our living room.

tiny things for a tiny kitchen.

margot turns two on monday. which is basically absurd. where did this tiny nugget go?

for her present, i'm wrapping up the world's tiniest kitchen remodel, thanks to ikea. with the grand reveal of the full project still upcoming, i couldn't help but share the various tiny accessories projects that i've been working on, starting with some ridiculously undersized textiles.

a tiny tea towel and tiny pot holders! for all of your kitchening needs. continuing with the black and gold theme, a salt and pepper shaker.

for these, i bought two $1 packs of salt and pepper shakers from the grocery and applied some pinspiration in the form of gold tape and black stickers. the best part of these is that i was able to pry off the bottom, empty the contents, and fill them about halfway with popcorn kernels. now they make a really satisfying shake-shake sound and are still fully sealed. and i used the emptied salt and pepper to fill our shakers (waste-not).

and then, no tiny kitchen is complete without some play food. this may be the first of many posts about play food makes...

the blueberries are simply wood beads, dyed with some RIT dye i had on hand, and the strawberries were made following these instructions, doubling up on the leaves for added cuteness. i found the cardboard berry crates half off at hobby lobby. too cute to resist.

i'm pretty sure margot's going to be a huge fan. maybe because i'm terrible with suprises and have already let her play with some of the things as i've worked on them. who can resist this kid!

not me. that's for sure. mom's a sucker.