Monday, April 30, 2007
Appreciating teachers and stinkbugs
I've been knitting cotton facecloths for the teachers at my son's school. This was my bright idea and goes under the category of things I committed to months ago when it sounded like a terrific and reasonable idea. Now a few short weeks remain in the school year and I have only completed 2 of 7 facecloths. Thankfully, I wrangled help from two other (very generous) knitting mothers. Also, I feel much better now that I finally started them, because they're so quick. I even began to crochet one today. I am not a crocheter - but luckily my standards are very low for this project. I joke. These teachers are too special for low standards...I just know that accustomed as they are to the accomplishments of preschoolers, they will appreciate my feeble efforts.
In the end there will be 21 cloths all wrapped up with locally crafted soap and tied with pretty twine. I'll photograph the group when they're finished.
Instead of knitting facecloths this weekend, we had a family outing and climbed a volcano. My favorite kind of hiking is the kind where you can see for miles in every direction. I prefer it to feeling hemmed in by trees and surrounded by GREEN. Sure there are snakes in a landscape like this but there are also lizards (excellent for chasing) and stinkbugs (excellent for aggravating into a stinky frenzy).
I've been knitting cotton facecloths for the teachers at my son's school. This was my bright idea and goes under the category of things I committed to months ago when it sounded like a terrific and reasonable idea. Now a few short weeks remain in the school year and I have only completed 2 of 7 facecloths. Thankfully, I wrangled help from two other (very generous) knitting mothers. Also, I feel much better now that I finally started them, because they're so quick. I even began to crochet one today. I am not a crocheter - but luckily my standards are very low for this project. I joke. These teachers are too special for low standards...I just know that accustomed as they are to the accomplishments of preschoolers, they will appreciate my feeble efforts.In the end there will be 21 cloths all wrapped up with locally crafted soap and tied with pretty twine. I'll photograph the group when they're finished.
Instead of knitting facecloths this weekend, we had a family outing and climbed a volcano. My favorite kind of hiking is the kind where you can see for miles in every direction. I prefer it to feeling hemmed in by trees and surrounded by GREEN. Sure there are snakes in a landscape like this but there are also lizards (excellent for chasing) and stinkbugs (excellent for aggravating into a stinky frenzy).
Labels: knitted cloths, life in general
¶ 9:53 PM 4 comments
Sunday, April 15, 2007
3 things I want
I want Babydews! Babydews are one-of-a-kind vintage fabric head scarves for infants and toddlers. Have you ever seen anything so cute?! They are the brilliant idea of my friend Chris, who is super-stylish and talented, and makes each one herself. The beautiful vintage fabrics make them so special and many are embellished with little embroidered details that make me swoon. If only I had a little girl in my house...
I want this gorgeous book by Lotta Jansdotter. I can't stop thinking about it.
I want aluminum tumblers. Can't you just see them all frosty cold and filled with fresh-squeezed lemonade (who am I kidding? Margaritas.) on a hot summer day? They sell these beauties at the Vermont Country Store (purveyors of the practical and hard to find - a favorite site of mine). Unfortunately, they are a bit pricey, but I've spotted some on ebay. I predict I'll be sipping from them soon.
My big kiddo has been outgrowing his undies, and I fear the invasion of Lightning McQueen underpants. This will make me sound like a snob, but I have aesthetic issues with Disney-branded clothing. I adored the Wonder Woman Underoos I had as a child, so I understand the appeal, but I'm hoping to preserve an innocent state of brand-free undergarments just a little bit longer.
We made little patches with permanent fabric markers and I attached them to his plain old Hanes boxer briefs. The tiger and big black bird were drawn by him. In addition to those pictured here, we made shark, monster truck, caterpiller & whale undies.
We had so much fun and he loves his undies.
Speaking of mommy/kiddo collaborations, yesterday we began a very ambitious and important robot project (watch for details) and in our search for ideas, we came across Lizette Greco and her kids who create all kinds of inspired and ADORABLE things based on their drawings. They reminded me of our underpants and they make me want to decorate my own wardrobe and everything in my house with drawings by my kids! If you haven't seen her site, you must go.
Another thing I want:
A nap, all alone on my couch in the middle of the afternoon.
I want Babydews! Babydews are one-of-a-kind vintage fabric head scarves for infants and toddlers. Have you ever seen anything so cute?! They are the brilliant idea of my friend Chris, who is super-stylish and talented, and makes each one herself. The beautiful vintage fabrics make them so special and many are embellished with little embroidered details that make me swoon. If only I had a little girl in my house... 
I want this gorgeous book by Lotta Jansdotter. I can't stop thinking about it.
I want aluminum tumblers. Can't you just see them all frosty cold and filled with fresh-squeezed lemonade (who am I kidding? Margaritas.) on a hot summer day? They sell these beauties at the Vermont Country Store (purveyors of the practical and hard to find - a favorite site of mine). Unfortunately, they are a bit pricey, but I've spotted some on ebay. I predict I'll be sipping from them soon.My big kiddo has been outgrowing his undies, and I fear the invasion of Lightning McQueen underpants. This will make me sound like a snob, but I have aesthetic issues with Disney-branded clothing. I adored the Wonder Woman Underoos I had as a child, so I understand the appeal, but I'm hoping to preserve an innocent state of brand-free undergarments just a little bit longer.
We made little patches with permanent fabric markers and I attached them to his plain old Hanes boxer briefs. The tiger and big black bird were drawn by him. In addition to those pictured here, we made shark, monster truck, caterpiller & whale undies.
We had so much fun and he loves his undies. Speaking of mommy/kiddo collaborations, yesterday we began a very ambitious and important robot project (watch for details) and in our search for ideas, we came across Lizette Greco and her kids who create all kinds of inspired and ADORABLE things based on their drawings. They reminded me of our underpants and they make me want to decorate my own wardrobe and everything in my house with drawings by my kids! If you haven't seen her site, you must go.
Another thing I want:
A nap, all alone on my couch in the middle of the afternoon.Labels: sewing, things i want
¶ 8:42 PM 6 comments
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Happy Birthday Frances!
My sweet little friend Frances turned one year old this week. Many happy returns little one. May you someday own a pair of shoes as perfect as these.
Project Spectrum has me looking around and noticing tiny signs of spring.
I knit a Calorimetry for my small, stylish friend Sydney for her recent birthday. I used doubled Koigu, and cast on fewer stitches to fit her little head. I also did fewer short rows to decrease the overall width. The best part (and the part most-loved by miss Sydney is the glittery lavender Unicorn button which attaches at the underside. According to her mommy (an excellent friend, and also the photographer) Sydney frequently wears it button-side-up, so that the unicorn can by enjoyed by all.
See more pics here.
Sydney is no shrinking violet - she makes a splash wherever she goes and she makes my 4-year old son blush. I love that.
More soon.
My sweet little friend Frances turned one year old this week. Many happy returns little one. May you someday own a pair of shoes as perfect as these.
Project Spectrum has me looking around and noticing tiny signs of spring.
I knit a Calorimetry for my small, stylish friend Sydney for her recent birthday. I used doubled Koigu, and cast on fewer stitches to fit her little head. I also did fewer short rows to decrease the overall width. The best part (and the part most-loved by miss Sydney is the glittery lavender Unicorn button which attaches at the underside. According to her mommy (an excellent friend, and also the photographer) Sydney frequently wears it button-side-up, so that the unicorn can by enjoyed by all.See more pics here.
Sydney is no shrinking violet - she makes a splash wherever she goes and she makes my 4-year old son blush. I love that.
More soon.
Labels: calorimetry, project spectrum
¶ 9:47 PM 2 comments
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Gratitude
My sincere thanks to everyone for your generous comments about my Sahara. There's nothing like kindness from people who appreciate knitting as much I do. It is gratifying to know that my efforts were not only for me and my family, who have seen me in the sweater now about 150 times. I got lucky with the weather. Things have been chilly and it's a good thing, because I would have worn my Sahara 150 times regardless of the temperature. This way I didn't look like a crazy person.
I also owe a big thanks to Panther, a perfect stranger who found my plea on Blogger help forums and took the time to get my Flickr Badge into the right gutter of my page, where it belongs. Lookie! There it is! Can you believe that people just browse through the help forums offering up advice to boneheads like me whose eyes cross at the site of HTML code?
Do you like to cook, Panther? Maybe I can knit you a nifty potholder as a gesture of thanks...
Having issues with Blogger yourself? You can always find the link to Panther's helpful blog, Beta Blogger for Dummies, in my list of links to the right.
We took a road trip this weekend and I sat in the back seat and knit while the baby slept.
A little peek at a new secret project...
I also bought the new Interweave Knits and browsed at it during knitting breaks. Have you seen the Ruffled Surplice that's pictured on the cover?? Holy cow. Love it! I am very tempted. I also LOVE the Indigo Ripples Skirt.Other things I'm tempted by these days: Well, I'm dying to knit another Wendy Bernard sweater since I enjoyed my last one so very much. I am thinking seriously of making Something Red, except not red at all and with long sleeves. Maybe blue and brown.
I am also seriously smitten with Lelah by Christine at Knitting for Boozehags. It makes me want to show off my shoulders. I have some beautiful Euroflax Linen in eggplant that I used on a tragic disappointment that I like to call Peek-a-Boob.
It's looks stunning on me as long as I don't lift my arms above my waist. It hurts me to open my closet and see it there, and I finally feel ready to rip it out completely and make something sweet with it. Maybe Lelah. What do you think? Has anyone heard any horror stories about a Lelah elastic-band failing it's wearer? My wedding gown was strapless and I had a dream pre-wedding that I was dancing at my reception with an elderly uncle when, suddenly, out flops a breast. Thankfully, I was spared this humiliation at my actual wedding.Maybe I'm a candidate for straps.
I've been coveting beautiful needle cases at sites like The Organized Knitter for over a year and wishing I could justify spending $75 on one. I knew that if I just spent an afternoon making a huge mess at my dining room table, I could sew one that would make me proud, but time is precious and I just wanted someone else to do it for me.
My disinterest turned to inspiration when I saw the handmade needle case made by my friend Heather. She used old flour sack fabric that belonged to some ancestor of hers, generations ago.
(Am I over-romanticizing it Heather?)
Well, anyway it's adorable.
Here's mine.
Green Project Spectrum goodness.
My favorite new book: So Few of Me by Peter Reynolds. It's about a boy named Leo who is a busy lad. No matter how hard he works, there is always more to do (sound familiar?). Crazy things happen in the book that are meant to help him complete all the tasks on his endless to-do list, but poor Leo is overwhelmed by it all and he slips away to take a nap. When he wakes up, he is still savoring his dream and he says, What if I did less—but did my best?
Can you beat a message like that?
Have a good nap this week, and do less.
Labels: life in general, project spectrum, sewing, tragic knitting disappointments
¶ 9:40 PM 2 comments
