Purple Owlet

Late winter this year I planned sweaters for my girls.  The small fry asked for a purple owl sweater, after she and I surfed around Ravelry.  And so, I happily obliged… glad for an excuse to navigate over to Quince and company for some fresh wool.

Sweater from mom; table and chairs from her great
grandfather; stenciling done by her "nanoo"

 This was a really fast and fun sweater to knit.  I chose the smallest size kid version for our girl.  I think the pattern calls it 3/4.  It fits her like a dream right now.  Hopefully we can still squeeze her into it in the fall after the weather cools and the humidity gives up it's annual midwestern campaign.  I'm really, really tempted to make another one of these for the little nugget, but for her I have planned the cabled yoke cardigan in red.  (Her sister nearly wore out the orange one that I made).  I'm also feeling a little bit of motherly guilt about the hand-me-downs of all variety.  It's good to have a few things that are yours and yours alone…

One dozen owls on the yoke

I knit this out of Quince and Company's Lark wool.  The color way is called Lupin.  It really is this gorgeous purple color, the current favorite of the small fry. It washed and blocked beautifully and will be stowed away for a cooler day.  More details on Ravelry here.

Hoot!

The Woods of New Hampshire

This last weekend I was fortunate to return to Squam Art Workshops.  It is one of the best places and gatherings I have ever visited.

Just imagine yards and yards of
this type of shoreline peppered
with cabins and docks – perfection.

The lake is beautiful - calm, clear and offers a cold and fantastic swim.  The camp, Rockywold Deephaven Camp is the perfect balance of amenity and simplicity - fireplaces, screened porches, lots of hot running water and down comforters on the beds.  And all of this is the backdrop for the Squam Art Workshops. Elizabeth, inventor and organizer of the event was so right in her choosing of locale and content.  My second visit in three years was just as perfect as the first. 

I made some wonderful friends two years ago, when I attended Squam the first time.  And this year four of us returned.  We learned some new things from some wonderful teachers, kayaked on the lake, drank wine and sat in front of the fireplace.  It was the perfect break from my otherwise-lovely normally scheduled routine and I have returned home feeling like it was time well spent.

So fun!

This year I took an amazing class on the history of Estonian knitting from the fabulous Nancy Bush.  She was charming and patient, well organized and well versed in Estonian tradition.  I came home with one half of a pair of Estonian fingerless mitts.  Isn't it lovely?

The fabulous Nancy Bush...

If you ever have the opportunity to take one of her classes I would highly recommend it.

Oh, the details… the best!

The other class I took was Amy Herzog's fit to flatter class.  And she and her amazing math brain has done all the heavy-lifting for sweater knitters.  With accurate body measurements, a knit swatch and an internet connection, you can essentially choose a sweater profile and have generated a custom pattern that is literally designed for your body.  I cannot wait to try it.

For Jack

For a darling little man.

There are fewer things more satisfying to knit that small sweaters… everything looks better in miniature.  Raglan stripes that line up beautifully. And cotton yarn that is fluffy and dense at the same time, in a color palette that is wonderful.

Striped warmth

So I knit this little piece for a new family member of some good friends.  Welcome Jack.  May this fit in time for cooler weather, and be worn in diapered comfort with your big butt baby pants.

XO - Faye

Big Butt Baby Pants

Spring is so near.  Each day, the morning is a little more light, the bulbs push though those first few leaves and evening is a little bit longer.  We are all so ready. Today it rained.  That fact, in and of itself, is pretty insignificant, but for the last three months… the only kind of precipitation we have had has been some frozen variety.  What a welcome change.

Works in progress

This weekend was still a little cool.  We did venture out on a few walks, had lunch in the neighborhood, played a little in the yard.  I did get some time to get a few lingering projects finished as well.  I had cut out three different sizes of my favorite baby pants, and they have been waiting patiently for me to set the sewing machine up.  The pattern is called "Big Butt Baby Pants" and was designed and published by Rae Hoekstra.  You can find her online here.

An original pair… part three amigos,
part mariachi pant.  

The pattern is really, really simple.  Three pieces.  Easy to download.  Directions are written clearly and there are lots of photos accompanying each step.  And the finished product is pretty cute and - more importantly - really, really functional.  My favorite part about these little pants is the panel in the back that is reminiscent of a classic men's boxer short.  It is ideal for a diapered bottom.  I think I must have sewn no fewer than a dozen pairs of these pants in the last three years.

Three easy pieces.

Here is what we worked on this weekend.  The small fry was really pretty interested in the sewing, and the straight pins.  She lost interest as soon as Scooby Doo came on television, but that worked out too.  I was able to finish three of these little pants in a couple hours.

Green!

I made one pair for out littlest little.  They are probably going to fit for another week, she is growing so fast.  And two other pairs are going to be gifted and accompany a hand knit sweater each.  Now all I have to do is finish up that blue striped cardigan…  off to knit.

Almost there… just the sleeves
left to knit.

Warm Hands of Little People

The mittens I knit earlier this year inspired me to write a pattern for something similar. I started out with some stranded color work and a cuff and corded wrist which I loved and changed the thumb construction for an improved finished product.

In the works

The pattern is in work, it's a straightforward one, with a little customization option included for knitters who enjoy stranded color work.  I'm also planning to chart a little alphabet and provide that for people who want to customize things.

It's not too difficult and perfectly sized for toddler hands.  I hope to get the writing done and a tech editor to review and hopefully I will have a new pattern ready for the fall…  It seems like ages away, but I'm not the speediest writer of patterns.

Prototype Mittens front and back

Until then, here is a little sneak peak of what the finished product will look like.  Stay tuned!

Noni

Today marks the anniversary of the loss of one of my favorite people ever.  My grandmother or Noni, as we called her.  I was fortunate to have my grandparents as neighbors throughout my childhood, and although it's been seven years, she remains with me in the best possible way.

Since this blog is about making things, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that she was a maker of a great many things.  She was a quilter, a cook and a gardener.  And she was famous for turning anything I was working on to see the back side.  She reviewed my embroidery and the floats between stitches and my seams and the bottoms of the pie crust.  She took pride in doing things well.

Raising these two little girls, I find that I want them to learn things that I learned from her.  To take pride in what you have, regardless of how much it cost, to keep your feet off of the table, use egg yolks in your pasta dough and to be hardworking and strong.

So I'm going to scrub the ears of my girls to make sure no "cabbages" are growing back there, vigorously brush their hair into tight pig tails.  I'll teach them to grow flowers, make ravioli and feed family meals that reflect how much we love them.  We'll pick jelly bean rocks from the "beach," play UNO with conviction and do headstands in the middle of the living room.

And they will know that I love them because I demonstrate it.  Like Noni.

Finishing up...

A few weeks ago, I finally finished the knitting for my Ripple sweater (a mere three years after I cast on). I started weaving in ends and seaming the final garment together.  I blocked it and tried it on only to discover that I would really like an additional 3-4 inches of length in the body to be comfortable wearing it.  (sigh)  So, it turns out that it isn't quite over yet.  Stay tuned for more of this fascinating tale...

Ripple blocking

And I've also just picked out some other findings for nearly finished knits… buttons, clasps, etc. It feels good to make the final lap for these projects… I love these matte buttons on this green sweater.

February baby sweater – version 4

And the Brooklyn Tweed Shelter Loki cardigan is also coming together.  I decided to create a hem around the steeked edges of the right and left fronts. It will match the hemmed body of the garment as well.  And I'm going to sew on some hooks and eyes to see how I feel about that type of closure.  The bulk of the steeked edges and the front and back of the hems is not insignificant (about three times the bulk of the sweater fabric in the stockinette areas naturally). I think would be too much to double them up with snaps or buttons.

Cross your fingers that this works out.  I'm hopeful.

Internal view of the Loki and steek hems

Hooks and Eyes coming soon.

In the meantime, stay warm.  It sounds like the snow is going to fly again soon.