Mondays in February

This winter so far has been kind of a bust.  I love this season.  I don't mind the cold, can appreciate the stark landscape and – being a bit of a homebody – I welcome the occasion of being snowed in.  This winter we haven't had any real snow to speak of.  It's been warm-ish.  And we had record breaking rainfall in December.  And the wind... today it's like the lake effect in downtown Chicago. Brutal. It's the kind of thing that makes me scurry from back door to the garage and then silently curse having to get out of the warm car and make the trek into the office from the salty, windy tundra that is the parking lot.  There are tiny snow flurries blowing around out there, but so far, not much is sticking. Fingers crossed that today is our day for some legitimate snow.

Fondant experiment. Turned out
pretty well.

To stay warm and cozy, we've been drinking lots of coffee and tea.  Throwing birthday parties and making thinks like crazy.  We made the small fry a gi cake, for her karate-themed birthday party, and she asked that the party favors be peppermint bark.  We made those less Christmas-y by adding a little pink food coloring and sprinkles instead of crushed candy canes.  They were delicious.  And we've got our handmade birthday thank you notes out the door.  This is the first year that she is writing her own notes.  They are perfect in all their barely decipherable phonetic spelling.  I love them.  I was tempted to keep one for myself.

Party Favor Assembly Line

Valentines day is fast approaching.  This is the first year we've be given the chance to make a valentines box for school.  And I am so excited!  (I'm keeping myself in check though, this is the small fry's project, not mine.)  And 24 valentines to make too. 

Valentine's and the beginnings
of the Valentine box.

I have such fond memories of school Valentine's day parties. My favorite valentine was always from my best friend Kristen, whose Valentine always included one of those cherry vanilla Life Saver swirl lollipops on it.  Do you remember those? I haven't seen them in years.  Anywho, we'll see what we come up with... we have until Friday.

My finished sweater... which fits SO well.

In other making news, I've finished my sweater, it is blocking now.  And I've picked up another half finished project that is coming along nicely.  It's a McDreamy jumper in the softest fingering weight single that wanders from green to blue to purple and back again.  It's knitting up as a 2T, but I have a strong suspicion that our resident 2T is already too big for it.  ho hum.  It will make a good gift for some worthy recipient.

In progress

In the meantime, stay warm while dodging from one toasty place to the next.
XO
F-

Not so much a resolution...

...more just something to be mindful of. This year, I've been thinking about maybe being a little more intentional about using and enjoying what we have. Not just our things, but our life as it is right now, these girls, these jobs, our family and friends. It's a pretty broad idea, but intentionally so.

It seems that it is so easy to get caught up with keeping up.  And not in the luxury-items way so much for me, but in the "that's beautiful, I should buy the materials for that" kind of way.  Or, "why doesn't my home look pristine and as if it's self cleaning"? This year I think I'm going to be a little more mindful of starting projects that are already in the queue, be a bit less of a consumer, and waste less in general. And I'm going to do my best to try and enjoy the fact that a house full of little bodies and active imaginations means that sometimes there are chalk marks on the wall, and the bath water is rarely confined to the tub (among other things).

With that in mind, I'll share what is in the works at the moment...

Scrappy Log Cabin

and again.

I've got a quilt top nearly finished for the peanut, that is literally all from scraps... most of this was a remnant from a baby garment or some other project.  So far the only thing I've purchased is the twin size quilt batting and I still need to get a piece of yardage for the backing.

"Parker Head" Pullover by Amy Herzog

The other project, which has been coming along at a really fast pace (for me) is this sweater.  I took a custom fit class with Amy Herzog over 18 months ago, and have had this yarn stored in a box for 4-ish years... they were of course not originally intended to be used together, but nevertheless, here they are, with a shared fate.  (Good news, I've tried it on without the neck knit, or the blocking done and it's definitely going to fit... alert the media!)

I'd share the state of disorganization of the bathroom or the total chaos that is the toy closet (that I'm allegedly coming to peace with) but that's probably best left between these walls.

And next on the docket?  I'm not exactly sure.  I have a play room to paint, which I have most of the supplies for, and a piece of paper cutting in mind for the office wall, and another plan to make a wall hanging for the peanut's room, and then there is the fact that neither girl has curtains, and the yarn stash, well, that's a whole other blog post.  But see... this isn't going to be so hard.  There is more than enough to keep me occupied.  Have a wonderful weekend friends.

XO
F-

Process...

From start to finish. Ashland Bay Merino Top in Jade transformed into a pullover vest for the peanut. The vest is called "Neighborly" and was a quick and easy knit.  It's turned out to be a very versatile little garment too.  Perfect for cool days over a t-shirt and leggings.

On spinning a yarn...

While I was in Syracuse with the gathering of creatives that Susan put together, as mentioned in the prior post, I had a chance to see some spinners in action.  I've always been fascinated from a distance with the idea of turning wool into yarn. But I'd been sort of actively resisting investing in a spindle or really any un-spun fiber tools or materials.  On our last day in Syracuse, we sat around in the sunshine outside – a big circle of Adironback chairs full of people making things.

The spinning looked so meditative.  Watching those wheels turn was something akin to watching a fire burn in a fireplace... And the fibers that were being spun were just beautiful.  I must have come home just bubbling over with descriptions of the process.  And the next month on my birthday, my better half surprised me with an Ashford Kiwi.

First attempt

I was equal parts excited and terrified.  Having never even used a drop spindle, I had the feeling that I was diving head first into the deep end.  But it turned out not to terribly difficult to grasp.  With the help of the local yarn shop owner, who also spins and an excellent Craftsy class with spinner Amy King, I was off and running.

Wavy blue thick and thins

First handspun finished object
For my little friend Charlie

My first run through four ounces of Merino was anything but smooth or consistent, but it was fun, and I got a grasp on the process as a whole.  And with each successive attempt, my control is getting better.  I think I'm prone to over spinning in general.  I do love a tightly twisted ply, but even I will admit that some of my output seems to be spun to death.

Take two

So slowly, I'm learning by trial and error. We'll see how things progress and maybe someday if I see another spinner in the flesh who is able to watch what I am actually doing, and I'll learn to improve the process.

Singles

In the meantime, three cheers for new found hobbies and husbands who are patient enough to listen to stories about things that are of interest to only their spouses. You never know when the two might intersect.

Two ply

Happy making.

Where does the time go?

July was my most recent post in this space. I'd like to say that I'm not sure how this absence has happened, but I have some pretty good ideas.

My eldest in her element...

Our girls are growing and the eldest is developing her own small and closely guarded orbit of activities, school and socializing.  Both of our careers are going swimmingly and are keeping pace a frenetic full-time rate.  And when given the chance to "make" or blog in the last six months, I've chosen the former. (I've also developed quite an Instagram habit.  I wish that it hadn't impacted this space, but I believe that it probably has.  Sharing pretty things and progress shots is such instant gratification with that app.  Come and find me there if you like.)

Window screen in Syracuse

I had opportunity to visit Syracuse, NY for the first time in the spring with some of my friends who I found on my first Squam adventure. We attended the Yarn Cupboard Retreat that was hosted by the lovely and kind Susan Miller.  The event was well organized, really affordable and packed with gracious people.  The classes were fantastic and the "faculty" of the retreat was amazing.  My classes were taught by Jill Draper, Cal Patch and Norah Gaughan.  Be still my knitting heart... I could barely get over my triplicate fan-girl reflexes.

Cal helped me navigate crochet and I learned a lot about the options for color work in crochet.  I have not actually crocheted anything since attending, but I'm tempted... and I now own a crochet hook.  And best of all, was the chance to spend a couple hours around the table with the charming Cal Patch.  There is something about her that just exudes kindness and also makes me want to giggle. Weird, I know.

Norah's class was all about deconstructing cables.  She had oodles and oodles of swatches and garments.  And shared so much really interesting information with us on her methods and experiences.  I was a little awestruck by the body of her work, not just how prolific she is, but also how inventive she has been in her design.  I left feeling very inspired.

And then Jill's class.  It was my last class, and was a cowl pattern called Twister, designed to intentionally pool the colors of a skein of her hand-dyed, superwash Hudson.  And I loved it.  The class, the project, getting to hear from Jill.  And I wear the cowl ALL the time (Ravelry details here).  It is double layered and crazy durable and warm.  And Jill shared with us a little about her business and how carefully and intentionally she selects farms, breeds and mills.  All that talk of sheep and sustainability made me want to rush home and reclaim my agrarian roots.  But alas, reality struck as soon as I returned to the other side of the rainbow.

"Embracing the wobble... as Jill says"

Pooling beauty

My finished friend

Any way, it was great.  A perfect getaway with lovely friends, doing things that I love and with people whose creativity and commitment inspire me.

P.S. Susan's registration is open for this year.  Just sayin'

Cable Yoke Cardigan

Sometimes a pattern is so good that you have to knit it twice. This is one of those.  The pattern is "Top down Baby and Children Cable Yoke Jacket by Kyoko Nakayoshi.  And our girls have been getting a lot of wear out of each of them.  

Cardi's and leaves

  

The second and most recent is this red version that was knit last fall out of Quince and Co. Osprey in a color called "Peak's Ferry".  It is a really, really good red.  Not too orange, not too blue.  Just right.  And the small fry loves this cardigan.  Having only two buttons near the yoke keeps her movements from being restricted (we can't have that!) And really who doesn't love a good hood.

Small fry – Fall of 2014

In progress

The first cable yoke cardigan that I made was back in 2010. I knit this in the NICU, when the small fry was so busy learning to breathe and eat and grow, and my anxious self was trying to stay occupied.  This first  has been worn by both girls and is wearing well.  It was knit out of Shibui Merino Worsted in a color way called Pagoda.  

Awaiting buttons

Small Fry – Summer of 2011

The Peanut – Summer of 2014

A Little Late: Stockinette Winter and Spring of 2015

The late winter and early spring of 2015 were really, really hectic.  Our lives include these two darling and busy girls, both of whom really want the attention and help of their parents – us. We also were still settling into our "new" house, undergoing a fairly large remodeling project and working full time. Thankfully the construction is behind us.  But that busy time really impacted what I had the energy to undertake creativity-wise.

Strangely making things for me is somehow therapeutic. So in the midst of this fun and hectic time I'd knit a little here and there. These two projects were ongoing, and straightforward enough to be manageable. I didn't have the mental bandwidth for much detail so it was plain stockinette that appealed. 

Simple socks

The first is a pair of simple toe up socks in a yarn that was gifted to me by my dear friend Jen. Pretty aren't they?  The color reminds me of tarnished brass. I used a provisional cast on and short row toe. And also a short row heel.

New socks, old floor.

My plan was to do toe up and use half of the yarn exactly as to not waste any. As it happened I lost the ball band and didn't weigh the yarn prior so although it was a great plan I didn't follow it. So I have some yarn leftover. (It dawns on me now that I could have weighed the ball and the sock in progress. Duh. I must have been high on drywall dust because that never occurred to me.). Oh well, on to the second stockinette project.

…for miles

While standing in line at the checkout at my local yarn shop I spotted this pretty lace weight yarn. (I liken this purchase to buying the candy bar in the grocery checkout.) The yarn was Berocco Boboli Lace in the Gazebo color way.  I don't generally knit much lace, and I felt that there was enough lovely color variation in the yarn, that a fussy stitch pattern would only fight with the color.  So a stockinette cowl was what I launched off to knit.

The only model on hand who
would stand still 

Simple textures

It was really, really simple. I knit about 12 rows of garter stitch, and then miles and miles of stockinette and then a dozen or so more garter rows until the cast off.

The net result is a really, really simple cowl.  It's fairly lightweight and will likely be a good fall/spring accessory.  And soon, I'll share some of the more interesting stuff that I've been working on since…

Folded and awaiting colder temps

Socks and Eric Carle