This monthly newsletter is brought to you from the Make Baby Stuff website. It is your kick in the pants to get crafty!

Knit Baby Hat Contest - Sponsored by Sundara Yarn!

A contest! A knitting contest! You could win a $100 gift certificate from Sundara Yarn by sharing your hand knit baby hat photo!

Enter the Contest Right Here!

All levels of knitting experience welcome. In fact, I really hope that beginner knitters will enter because that is what we are all about. Just...making stuff. Trying new things!

Did you realize that winter is at our doorstep? I'm guessing you knitters out there already cast off a baby hat (or two) or are going to very soon. Gotta keep those baby heads cozy. What better kick in the pants to get a hat (or two) finished than a contest?! And can you imagine having $100 to spend on the most luxurious yarn ever? Wowza.

Let me introduce you to Sundara (yes, that is her actual, beautiful name - cool, huh?) of Sundara Yarn, our wonderful sponsor for this contest. I asked her a few questions so we could get to know the woman behind the yarn:

Do you have any handmade items from when you were a baby?
While my mother was pregnant with me she crocheted a stuffed panda for me. I, being such a creative child, named him Panda and I still have him. I'd like to pass him on to my child, but I'm not sure if he'd survive another childhood!

What was the first thing you ever knit?
The first thing I ever knit was a pair of socks. Other knitters are often agog that I tried something so seemingly complicated for my first project, but I excel at following instructions, so I just did what the pattern said and it worked out okay. I always tell my customers to choose projects based on what they really want to knit rather than how complicated something is, as the motivation to finish a project always sees me through something difficult or frustrating.

What is your favorite part of what you do?
I love being able to find a way to take something that could be considered a problem and turn it into something that is actually better than the original plan, idea or way of doing something. It's so easy to get disappointed when things don't turn out the way you want, but to turn that disappointment into excitement or gratification is so rewarding.

Do you have any advice for new knitters?
It's only yarn! The great thing about knitting is that if you make a mistake, you can rip it out and do very little damage. The only thing you've lost is time, but most likely you've learned from your mistake, so, in my opinion, the time is still well-spent.

About our Sponsor:
Sundara Yarn is small, hand-dyed yarn business that started when Sundara Murphy couldn't find yarn that was soft enough and the right color to knit herself a very specific scarf she wanted. They've become a very family-run business, with all four of her siblings, her mother and grandfather working with the yarn in some capacity over the last few years. They still make sure all of their yarn passes their strict softness requirements and they strive to dye yarn that has a certain "glow" about it.

A super easy fall birthday Pumpkin Pinata made from paper grocery bags. These are actually pretty cute too, would be a fun "toddler assisted" Thanksgiving decoration project - just omit the candy.

Have a robot enthusiast in your house? I do. My little guy was a robot for Halloween last weekend. We made this simple and classic cardboard box Robot Costume which really, would be fun all year round, don't you think?

So tell me...

Did your little one wear a handmade Halloween costume? I'm dying to see!

PS - new tutorials and announcements are always posted on our blog: Make Baby Stuff BLOG!

The weather is cooling off and we've had a lot of rain where I live. Which means a whole lot of staying indoors. As we gear up for winter, you might be thinking of some indoor projects to do with your little one around. Well, no need to reinvent the wheel, just stick with the tried and true classics.

Fruit and vegetable stamping. So simple. I bet you did it as a kid too. Just cut up fruits and veggies (or grab anything from around the house to stamp) and supply some paint and paper and let the stamping fun begin. We like to use the end of a celery bunch (looks like a flower) and a mushroom cap (makes a circle) as well as onions (pretty rings) and of course apples.

But here is a twist to give you a kick in the pants to do this soon. I know I enjoy kid crafting more when there is a purpose for it. Grab large sheets of paper and have your little one stamp it, to create wrapping paper. Oh yeah, baby! The holidays are just around the corner and just think how pretty some red and green onion paper would be to wrap grandmas present in! The onion stamps look like little round ornaments. And if you want to get really fancy you could always carve a stamp out of a potato into a pine tree or dove or something.

The great thing about doing wrapping paper is that unlike many crafts, your little one will be occupied and interested for like, four whole minutes! Okay, a bit longer if you are lucky.

We're doing blue here in the photo for a friends birthday gift. We just used some sheets from a large roll of paper (thank you, Ikea) but even newspapers would be great for your wrapping paper canvas.

PS - Did I mention we're having a baby hat contest?!!

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As our site and community grows, I hope that you drop me a line and tell me what crafty baby stuff you are up to! Did you make something that was inspired by something on our site? Pretty please play "show and tell" with the rest of us! Often, having an audience for your crafting is just a kick in the pants that you need to get working.