Should the Man of Steel be encased in a plastic vitamin bottle and then showered with glitter? He seems so helpless.
After a very long quiet spell, I'm resurfacing to share a few irresistible things. The first, of course are the snow globes we made today. This was entirely the inspiration of my nearly six-year old. The Indian warrior and Superman figurines look really dazzling inside their new homes.
Another recent creative surge led me to a thrilling shopping visit to Purl Soho for fabric and the results are making me very happy. Check out the before and after:
The happiness is mingled with anxiety, as these chairs often snuggle up to the naked butt of a potty-training two year old. They are coated with three layers of scotch gard. Also, when the little guy is eating at the table, he gets to sit on this oilcloth-covered chair (as in: Guess what?! You are the luckiest member of the WHOLE family! You get to sit on the shiny, flowered chair!):
The knitting is constant lately. I can't mention all of it here, but here's a little something I've been adoring between big projects:
Bombyx Silk from La Lana. Dyed with lavender flowers.
More soon. I promise!
Labels: crafty kiddos, dream swatch head wrap, home sweet home
¶ 2:53 PM 4 comments
Pattern: Mittens on Strings
Source: Simple Knits for Little Cherubs by Erika Knight
size:age 2-3
Yarn: Holly Spring Homespun, Merino Twist Hand-dyed, color- seaworld
Edging and string: Zara from Filatura Di Crosa, color - 1466 red
Needles: US size 6
It's still way too hot here in New Mexico and I'm so anxious for fall to begin. I made these mittens for my little boy and it was such pure satisfaction. I've knit many pairs of mittens in the past, but never like this. The pattern was quite unconventional and I kept thinking that I'd gone terribly wrong. Then the mittens suddenly appeared before my eyes. So much fun.
They were knit straight, but the seam is cleverly placed so it's inconspicuous.
The yarn was a gift from Emmy, my KMKS partner last year and I adored it from the moment I first saw it. It's plumpy and luxurious and the colors are delicious. There's enough yarn left to make myself a matching pair with little button-down flaps. Maybe next year.
I'm still working on the red string. It will be a thick double knitted tube that will never let those mittens go.
Headwrap for Paloma
Pattern: Adapted from the Dream Swatch Head Wrap By Wendy Bernard
dimensions: 44" x 1.75"
yarn: Regia Stretch Sock Yarn color- 82
My 12 year old cousin stayed with me recently and while she was over she saw me knitting a headband much like the one you see here for my son's best friend's birthday. She was dazzled by it so I started one for her during her visit. It's much narrower than the original version, but still long so that it can be worn with the ends peeking out from under her hair. She is a very fashionable child and I can't wait to see it on her.
A little preview of one more almost-finished small thing:
Labels: dream swatch head wrap, mittens
¶ 11:01 PM 6 comments
As some of you have surely noticed, I've let my pledge to 5.4.3.2. . .etsy! slip. I feel sheepish about this. But, in my defense, I must tell you about the number of frustrations I have encountered while attempting to honor my pledge.
Etsy is one of those maddening sites that forces you to create a username when you sign up, instead of just having you login using your damn email address. Why do they do that!? As is always the case when they do that, the first six usernames chosen have been claimed by other people, so in the end you pick a username that is forgetten 15 minutes after your transaction is complete.
I created my username and forgot it 15 minutes later.
My archived email noting said username is lost forever and the desperate plea I sent to support@ etsy got no response.
My spare time is very spare, so resolution is slow.
I do enjoy browsing on Etsy, and many times I have found things I want to buy as part of my pledge, including a set of adorable buttons for the baby surprise jacket I'm making for a very special little friend in Seattle. Alas, the pledge remains on hold. I will keep the button on my page and I will find a way to support the dedicated craftspeople of Etsy someday.
The pretty hair scarf blocks as I write this, and it makes it's way into Scout's travel bag this evening.What fun that was to make! And quickety quick too. The pattern is the Dream Swatch Head Wrap from Wendy Bernard at Knit and Tonic.
It will make a fine gift for someone extra-lovely and someday I will knit myself one in a Fiesta Yarns La Luz silk.
The house is really beginning to pile up around me. Ornament boxes overflowing with tissue paper and bubble wrap litter the living room floor, the unfolded laundry is out of control, we all have coughs and runny noses, and our old cat has begun to pee on the fireplace hearth.
The holiday spirit is not proving sufficient to make me cheerful in the midst of all this.
The good news is that we had a fine time picking a tree this past weekend and I even knit myself a big pink hat from Handknit Holidays for the occasion. I used quadrupled Manos for the hat and Lamb's Pride Bulky for the pompom and tassles. See it here modeled by St. Francis.
Our tree is enormous and very pretty and we lose about 3 ornaments each hour to the irrepressible urges of the toddler. With tremendous effort, and only very occasionally, he can manage to touch each ornament with just one finger (as we all constantly remind him to do) and then he applauds himself loudly. As I write this I see the tree shaking in the distance and I hear squeals of delight.
The advent calendar has been overshadowed by the more pressing need for a handmade stocking for the little one. The stocking must be as special as the one I labored over for his brother so many years ago when I had nothing but free time and an abundance of awe for my new baby. As is always the case with the second kiddo, I'm motivated by a combination of love and guilt.Good wishes to everyone!
Labels: adult hat, dream swatch head wrap, etsy, stocking
¶ 10:51 AM 5 comments
Giving Thanks for Fiber
We had a bit of a flu on Thanksgiving. I will share no unpleasant details, but the saddest part was that my delicious Thanksgiving meal sat, untouched on my plate and I almost laid my head down in it to rest. It was still lovely to be at my Granny's house and to sip Matzo Ball soup (a much-loved tradition), and to see the teens who look far older than their years. (I was never that sophisticated).
Even with the illness, we were able to enjoy the weekend. We walked to the Twinkle Light Parade and saw all sorts of parade shenanigans. I love parades. Cheerleaders, beauty queens, clowns, lowriders, shriners and Santa with elves. My kiddo sat with his pals on the curb, wearing mittens, sipping hot cocoa and looking dazzled. It was great.
Now, suddenly the holidays are here.
Oh, the mind is a flurry of gift fantasies. Every year, the holidays get more fun with these amazing kiddos. I thought it was magic when I was a kid, but being a parent at Christmastime is hands-down more fun. It will break my heart when they become jaded about it.
Naturally, I would like to make about 50% of their gifts myself and naturally, I have not even begun.
My first wish is to make an advent calendar out of all the scrap fabric and thrifted wool felt I have in my basement. I was thinking of something fairly conventional, turned funky and fabulous with terrific fabric, but then I came across this and, for God sakes, THIS. Oh, the inspiration is almost too much. After finding these divine examples, my advent wish became an advent imperative. I have 4 days. oh boy.
I have put my sweater down yet again for a very fun little project I'm making from this beautiful yarn from Scout.
It will be a fetching and funky little hair scarf in a few days, at which point I'll show it off to you all, then it goes on a trip to TV-land with miss Scout. You can read all about her adventure on her blog.
Thank you my dear for the lovely hank and for the pattern tip! It's been fun to knit and it looks terrific. I'm planning to give it to someone very special for Christmas.
Despite our illness and holiday mayhem , we managed to finally get fancy magnetic child locks installed on the kitchen cabinets this weekend.
Amazing how happy this makes me.
It's a battle each day keeping that crazy toddler out of the plastic bags and dishwasher soap. Here, a picture of him, blissfully unaware that this would be his last opportunity to sit in the cabinet, squeezing soap on his shoes and the floor.
Labels: dream swatch head wrap, life in general
¶ 10:09 PM 4 comments
