Hollerholleroo

A Knitter's Month in Review

I've been knitting a lot this month even though we are having a very strange winter that is affecting the way we enjoy the season. It helps when I'm working on small projects that can be finished quickly because that really keeps me knitting. On larger projects I tend to get stuck when I hit a road block, like the yarn isn't matching up well, or I'm afraid I'm going to run out. I've actually finished quite a bit more of the Tiny Tea Cardigan pictured above. I've finished the body and I am getting ready to pick up the stitches for the button band. This is a classic road block for me and I know if I pause too long, the project could go into hibernation! And with this project I am worried I will run out of yarn. I want to be able to knit a full length sleeve and I'm not sure I am going to be able to do that. The worry just gets in the way of joyful knitting. I've got to let it go!! Tomorrow starts a new month of knitting!!

 

 

Yarn Along

Joining in Ginny's Yarn Along again today. I'm knitting up a storm over here even though it really isn't knitting weather. The success of Shalom is propelling me forward! This is a horrible photo, but it is all I had time for as the light was fading fast. The color of this yarn is not well represented here. It is actually a gorgeous, rich brown with very subtle variations in color. This will be another Basic Vest for Theo since the other one is getting a little too small for him. I'm knitting this one in a slightly bulkier yarn on size 9 needles so I hope to get a size 9 or 10 which will give him room to grow into it. I can't wait to see him in this!

In the spirit of the Revels performance that my kids are in this year, I decided to reread this old Jane Langton mystery I read probably 15 years ago. When I read The Shortest Day the first time, I hadn't yet had the pleasure of attending a Revels show. I know I will better appreciate the book now that I know what Revels is all about! I'm especially enjoying it now since we are having the unique opportunity to see behind the scences with our own eyes. We are having a very special fall leading up to such a wonderful event. And all the rehearsals give me plenty of time to knit!!

 

Shalom!

Finished and blocked! Franny loves her new cardigan and I couldn't be happier about how it turned out. I was totally winging it on the sleeves but I think they are just right. I purposely knit a lot of length so she will be able to wear this for a couple of years. These two have been growing like weeds lately and all their handmades are having to be retired so early in their careers. 

On the needles now is another vest for Theo in lovely Blue Moon Fiber Arts Gaea. What a dream this yarn is to knit! I'm starting to tire of the somewhat boring straight knitting that I will be doing for another 15 plus inches, but I'm spurred on by the desire to see him in this vest before Christmas. After that and any holiday knitting, I will be eager to cast on for my own Shalom!

Yarn Along

I'm breaking my pattern of once a month (last-minute) posting to join Ginny's Yarn Along at Small Things today! I'm pretty excited about the Shalom cardigan I cast on for last night. It was so hard to fall asleep because I kept thinking about working on it! Happily, I have a whole free day today and will surely enjoy many moments of outdoor, unseasonably warm-weather knitting.

I'm re-reading Last Child in the Woods for our homeschool support network this evening, but I'm not sure I'm going to be ready to give it the treatmaent it deserves, especially since I know the knitting is going to be calling me today. I'll probably go to the meeting anyway because I'd love to hear what others have to say. We make every effort to be outside for a good portion of every day, all year-round, but I have noticed that our schedule this fall is making it difficult to do so on Mondays and Tuesdays. It's such a difficult balance to strike, especially as a homeschooler. There are so many great activities out there, outdoor ones even, but it is so important to have unscheduled time as well. I wonder if I will ever get the hang of it!

Holiday Handmades

It was another handmade holiday this year and I think the adults had even more fun than last year. We were certainly more ambitious and that did lead to more than a little bit of stress, but now that it is in the past, I hardly remember what the trouble was about. (I guess that is how one gets in such a predicament to begin with, right?) I know it's important not to take on too much during the busy holiday season, but I'm so much happier when my kids prefer the lovingly handmade gifts over the cheap plastic stuff. That is what really drives me to take on more and more.

Dave really outdid himself with the woodworking projects. He worked tirelessly every night after the kids went to bed. I'm not sure the kids understand how impressive these gifts are--that Dave is not a skilled carpenter but nevertheless designed and built these items with love. I know they will get it someday, but I'm pretty sure they think he can do anything so sometimes the amount of work that goes into something seems a little lost on them. Not that they weren't super excited and grateful about these gifts... every time I see them playing with them I am so happy. It is so rewarding to know that you can create your own happiness, in some cases out of sticks right in the backyard.

It was more difficult to motivate the kids this year, especially with the plans they had for Dave. I guess I should take the blame for that, but I really did encourage and remind them consistently. They both had very grand plans and they were just too overwhelmed to complete them. I guess the good news is that they are more than half-way finished with next year's gifts!!

There are a few gifts that never made it to the photo shoot--among them a beautiful pair of fingerless mitts made from a felted sweater. Franny designed and sewed them for me and they are just lovely. I was so touched because they were a total surprise. She embellished them with a flower she crafted from the ribbed section of the sweater. I was very impressed with her ingenuity! Also, the kids and Dave made two very cute tissue box covers for me that I love. I know we should really stop buying tissues, but I haven't been able to yet. I really love the fabrics they used and I was impressed with the design on those as well. We've got some pretty crafty people in this house!

I knit Dave a hat and mittens set back in the fall and gave them to him for Christmas, but those pictures are on my laptop instead of this desktop. I was able to meet my goal of something hand knit for everyone on Christmas morning! There's a rush that comes with completing a handmade project and that can often propel one into the next project looking for more of that great feeling. But today, when we had a performance to attend for Theo, and both kids were able to wear hand-knit sweaters and hand-sewn accessories, I was happy all over again. That is what really makes the work worth it...

Swiftly

  

The pictures pretty much tell the story here. Dave and the kids gave me a swift and winder for Valentine's Day, so we finally took out the supplies to dye our bare wool and set to work! I'd read quite a few online tutorials about dying the wool. While overwhelmingly diverse, the different techniques finally convinced me that it would be hard to screw this up. So we just mixed up an assortment of colors and got to it. The kids and I had fun smooshing the yarn into the kool-aid and we were eager with anticipation about how everything would turn out. The wet wool smell was just barely overpowered by the fruity kool-aid. We were please to see that the fruity smell remained after the wool was dry. We like to think this adds to the finished product!

We hung the wet skeins on the drying rack by the radiator until they were dry enough to go by the fire without dripping all over the hearth. I loved the sight of wool drying by the stove and can't believe I didn't snap a picture of such a cozy image. As nice as the skeins looked hanging to dry, I was even more eager to get them on the swift and wind them up. My favorite is the ball of orange, pink, white and yellow. It's just so summery and cheerful. I would never pick up a skein in that colorway if I had to pay for it, but I think it is a very good example of what you can do dyeing your own wool at home. I just can't WAIT to see how it looks knit up in a swatch. I was planning to gift this yarn to Franny's friend on her birthday next month. I'm not sure any of us will be able to part with it now...

After such a successful first attempt, I went out and stocked up on more kool-aid flavors. I also purchased some bare wool in a bulky weight so as to work better with our new round of homemade needles (more on that soon!) We are putting together a knitting bag for a special friend and I can't wait to see how all of our projects come together.

         

A Handmade Holiday

We made a big effort to keep things simple this year. We really wanted our gifts to be meaningful, necessary, and enjoyable to create. We might have missed the mark on that last one a little. There were many late nights spent huddled over the sewing machine or knitting needles, and I know I had more than one moment of worry that we wouldn't make it in time. But, we did finish, and it felt so good to see so much of our hard work under the tree on Christmas morning. We felt just like the Ingalls in... well, pretty much any of the Little House books! And even now, several weeks later, we still get a little thrill when we put on our handmade jammies, or reach for our handmade washcloths and handkerchieves and bookmarks. 

 

                 

 

For some of our friends and family outside of our house, we collected several jams and butters from our summer picking and canning and paired them with freshly baked loaves of Honey Wheat bread in a handmade bread bag. For other teachers, librarians and friends we shared handmade chocolates, marshmallows and caramel corn. We churned out A LOT of sweets this year, and I was happy to see the season come to a close so I wouldn't have to look at them anymore. Looking at these pictures, I feel like I could go for one of those peanut butter cups right about now. The caramel corn is looking pretty tasty as well. I'm sure Dave will cringe if he catches a whiff of me even thinking about making new batches of any of those sweets. I'm going to have to come up with a pretty good sell if I'm going to expect any kind of help!

   

There were other handmades as well, but not all of them so photogenic. Theo made a lovely door hanging for Franny and also made a beautiful picture to go along with an original poem about our Christmas tree. It was a lovely poem and a lovely picture and I was so proud of both of them for sharing their art and words with each other this year.

Where there are lights, there are ornaments

Where there are ornaments, there is a Christmas tree

Where there is a Christmas tree, there is happiness!

Theo, age 5

At the end of the day, I think we were successful in showing the kids what Christmas means to us and I think that they agree that handmade is best. It is really a gift for both the giver and receiver, and it is a gift that keeps giving long after the thrill of a plastic toy wears off.

An early celebration!

We decided to celebrate my birthday early this year because of the trip. Even though it was seriously chaotic (and there were a few disappointments,) I was treated to a wonderful dinner and dessert. French Onion Soup (from The Moosewood Cookbook) is traditional for my birthday. Chocolate cupcakes are always good! This year there was a delicious homemade bread and apple cider to round out the meal. Yum!

Franny had tons of ideas of things to make and buy for my birthday--too many to follow through with. I love the pot holder she made for me! The colors she chose are so pretty, and they go so well with the candle, I'm tempted to keep them together always! The candle reminds me of a shopping trip we took to the mall in early September, just the two of us. We stopped in at Anthropologie to ooooh and ahhhhh and get excited about our trip to Paris. I don't know what got into her, but she was so excited about every thing she saw. She was practically giddy! I've never seen her that way while shopping, but it reminded me to plan more special one-on-one trips to places other than the bookstore. Anyway... she remembered the soy candle and asked Dave to take her there to get if for my birthday. That is the kind of thoughtfulness that really touches me and makes me feel like I haven't completely screwed up in this job of mothering (you know...the most important job I'll ever have!) I'm so lucky to have her in my life!

Dave and Theo made the knitting needles with supplies I bought to do the same with the kids. They are so beautiful! I can't wait to make more in different sizes. Along with the dowels for needles, I bought a whole bunch of natural, undyed wool to paint. (It was meant to be a unit for homeschool.) Once we do the project this winter, we will have a whole pile of gifts to give for birthdays! There's nothing like pulling in new knitters to the hobby.

Today the cupcakes are calling me to the kitchen. Maybe there's room for a second celebration?