Pumpkin Pie Baby

yarn along

2011-12-14T08:36:00.001-05:00

Just two more gifts to knit before Christmas! Last night I started this pair of fingerless mitts for my daughter. The yarn is an organic merino by Becoming Art in her "Neverland" colorway. My daughter has a hat in this colorway but doesn't wear it as much as she'd like because none of her mittens or gloves match. So I'm hoping she'll be excited to get these mitts.

I'm still reading The Other Boleyn Girl. It's entertaining and easy to read a couple of pages at a time. I've seen so many of you in these Yarn Alongs mention Simplicity Parenting that I finally got a copy for myself yesterday. I'm hoping to get through it over the next couple of weeks, while acknowledging that a book about simplicity is an interesting thing to read during what I think is one of the least simple times of the year.

I hope all of your gift making is coming along well. As always, please feel free to leave a link to your yarn along post in the comments. And thank you to Ginny at small things for hosting another yarn along.

my newest favorite craft

2011-12-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have always loved making paper snowflakes. They're fairly easy to make and they're simple little decorations for the windows. But mine have always left a little something to be desired.

Last week, I saw this tutorial by Michele of Michele Made Me. In it, she describes how she folds the paper for her snowflakes. I've just always folded the paper in quarters and then folded the quarter into a triangle. But she folds hers differently and that makes all the difference!

It's really the simplest craft. All you need are scissors, paper, and a free minute or two. I love that Michele makes them with recycled materials. I've been using catalog pages from the many pounds of catalogs we've received so far this holiday season while my children have used brightly colored origami papers. Either way, it feels like a new twist on an old craft.

Yarning Along

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, little owl! I made him as a gift for my sister for her Christmas tree. Last week he was unstuffed, but just an hour of extra work and he was done. I made his eyes out of felt and affixed them with hot glue. And next time I'd add a little fringe on his scarf, but I do think he's just right anyway.

I'm just about to start working on the second fingerless mitt for my oldest. It's the only thing I'm knitting for her for Christmas. I'm actually doing more sewing this year which is beginning to make me a little nervous given that I am a much better knitter. I'm hoping to start the sewing projects soon. All the fabric is here, I just need to prewash it all.

By the way, I'm really anxious and excited to start the sewing. I'm in love with the fabrics I chose. But I need to prewash them. Prewashing fabrics is, in my opinion, the equivalent of knitting and washing a gauge swatch. They're pretty necessary steps if you want the item to actually fit and look right, but they just seem like obstacles.

And I began reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. I found it for $1 last week at a book sale and like that I don't have to worry about returning it to the library, given that it's rather long. I like historical fiction--although I don't know how accurate this novel is--but I'm enjoying it anyway. It's perfect for picking up and putting down in between things.

What are you knitting and reading this week? Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

weekending

2011-12-04T19:32:00.001-05:00

Joining Amanda at the habit of being for weekending.

Celebrated an early Christmas with my family.

The littlest was afraid of Santa when he stopped by for his annual visit.

The girls really got into decorating their own gingerbread houses, made of graham crackers.

A lobster quiche, delicious, maybe the start of a new tradition.

yarn along

2011-11-29T16:07:00.001-05:00

I'm happy to say that I'm in good shape for my family's Christmas get together this weekend. Last week, I was feeling a bit panicked about finishing my niece's In Threes cardigan in time, along with all of the other gift making and preparations for this weekend. But thanks to a stomach virus, I was able to stay home for most of last week and just get things done. Not the way I wanted to spend my Thanksgiving, but here I am way ahead of schedule this week!

(The exclamation point above is my trying to put a positive spin on this stomach bug that hit us right before Thanksgiving and derailed our plans. Plus, it had four of the five of us sick at the exact same time, making for a sleepless night. But here we are, healthier now and without the added 5 lbs. I usually gain over Thanksgiving.)

I'm so ahead of schedule that I took a detour to make an owl stuffed ornament. That first picture above is my unstuffed owl and the start of her scarf, because owls need scarves too. I had to make one after seeing these.

And I picked up a copy of Buddha in the Attic to read this week. I had read a positive review of it somewhere. But I'm not getting hooked, and I don't think I'll finish it. The story is about a group of Japanese women who come to the U.S. as brides early in the 20th century. The narrator speaks for all the women collectively and I think that is what has kept me from really engaging with the story. The collective voice mirrors the anonymity and invisibility the women feel here in the U.S., but it's also keeping me from connecting with any of the characters.

What are you reading and knitting this week? Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

yarn along

2011-11-23T00:25:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving isn't even here yet, and already I'm feeling slightly panicked about Christmas. My family (including my parents and my sister's husband and children) celebrates Christmas the week after Thanksgiving here at my house. So that means house cleaned, presents made or bought, and food prepared for my family to come visit overnight. And it's 10 days away. It's always a lot of fun, but my heart starts to race just about now every year.

I've got a spreadsheet started that includes gifts and deadlines and I'm off!

I was able to check off the first gift earlier this week. I finished the Koolhaas hat I made for my husband's birthday on his birthday. I'm thankful he likes to open presents at the end of the day on his birthday. And now I'm onto handmade Christmas gift #1 for my niece Brooke. I'm making her the In Threes cardigan. I'm second guessing my choice of size--she's a little 1 year old peanut, and I'm making her the 18-24 months size--but I'm going to run with it anyway. I'd rather the sweater be too big than too small.

I managed to finish We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson earlier this week too. I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and engaging without being too scary. I don't have anything new to read right now because I'm focused on holiday preparations, but I should probably find something light to read to help me relax at night. Any suggestions?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you participating in the Yarn Alongs. I'm thankful for Ginny at small things for hosting these weekly gatherings and please feel free to leave a link to your knitting and reading here if you'd like.

yarn along

2011-11-16T01:00:00.000-05:00

I realized on Monday that my husband's birthday is rapidly approaching. So I started making him a Koolhaas (pattern by Jared Flood). I fell in love with the Koolhaas that Joy at You Know How We're An Art Family made last week, so I was sold on making one for my husband. The only appropriate yarn I had on hand is a black superwash sock yarn, so I've doubled it up and I'm hoping for the best. So far so good. But my goodness is black difficult to photograph!

I picked up We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson based on Erin at Wild Whisper's recommendation. I love suspenseful stories and Shirley Jackson too. Her book The Haunting of Hill House is fantastic.

Thanks for all of your recommendations last week on a toddler girl's sweater. I've decided on In Threes and I'm just waiting for the yarn to arrive.

What are you knitting and reading this week? Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another yarn along.

dans la grande ville

2011-11-14T14:48:00.001-05:00

I went to visit a college friend this weekend in Boston, without my husband or children. It was a wonderful way to catch up with her. I did miss my family. But I also really enjoyed my pumpkin martini, mussels, and a goat cheese, apple, pecan, and cranberry salad for lunch. I dare say it wouldn't have tasted nearly as good if I'd spent the entire meal asking the girls to stay seated, and please eat their food, and please talk in inside voices.

(This is the only picture I took in the city this weekend. I sent it to my kids so that they didn't think I'd forgotten about them. Their grandparents took them last year to see the Make Way for Ducklings statues, so I thought they'd find it interesting that I was there too. Their response, "So?")

While browsing in Beacon Hill, before I sent them the picture--I was still feeling charitable--I found this French Bingo game for them. I grew up learning some French from my grandparents who spoke it, mostly, when they had something private to say to each other. And my mother spoke French too. And my kids are fascinated by languages.

As we played yesterday, lots of words immediately came back to me. I don't, however, ever remembering that "le pullover" means sweater. I think that one would be difficult to forget. But there it is. The easiest word on the board. And now I feel I've addressed something knitting related too, so this post doesn't seem too out of place.

Hope your weekend was wonderful!

yarn along

2011-11-09T06:19:00.000-05:00

Forgive the picture this week, please. I can't decide whether I love that it's overexposed or not, but it's the only one I have, so here we are.

I finished the scrappy linen stitch scarf I was knitting last week and love it. I blogged about it yesterday.

This week, I'm starting my Christmas knitting. I'm making my oldest daughters each a pair of fingerless mitts. They keep stealing mine, and they're way too big anyway, so each is getting a pair. I'm just making them long and plain stockinette, because sometimes I just don't want to have to think about what's coming up next in the pattern. I'm using some leftover Malabrigo for this pair.

And I need some help from all of you. I want to make my 1 year old niece a sweater for Christmas. I'm eyeing In Threes. I'm open to other suggestions, though, too. I want to make something special for her. The only stipulation is that it has to be for worsted weight since I've already picked out the yarn. Please suggest away!

I'm about three-quarters of the way through Made for You and Me. I'm finding this book interesting to read. It's a memoir of a couple from Maine who moved west to California to seek greater career opportunities right as the recession was starting. Finding themselves unexpectedly pregnant, then with a newborn and without work, they must move back home to Maine. The book examines the idea of "going west" that Americans have--an image that evokes limitless opportunity--with the perceived loss of the American dream brought about by the recession.

What are you reading and knitting this week? And thanks to Ginny for hosting another Yarn Along.

a wool scarf, on a 60 degree day in November

2011-11-08T20:33:00.000-05:00

My scrappy linen stitch scarf is done! What a fun, interesting knit. I finished this late last week and spent most of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs weaving in the ends. (Not my movie of choice on a Friday night, but it was the kids' pick.) I think I'm in a minority of knitters who enjoy weaving in ends--I find it very peaceful--and thank goodness because I had over 50 of them to do.

I used a variety of worsted weight yarn scraps for this scarf. Some were solids, some were variegated. I worked most yarns for just about 2 rows each. I made the mistake at the beginning of the scarf of changing yarns at the start of a row. When I saw how many yarn tails I was accumulating on one side of the scarf, I realized I had to start changing yarns mid row, and staggering where I did that, to space out some of the weaving in later on.

I wore the scarf this weekend when it was cold and loved it. It's super warm and just the right length. But when I finally got around to taking pictures of it today, it was over 60 degrees outside. In Maine. In November. My kids didn't jump at the opportunity, but my oldest indulged me anyway.

::project details::
Pattern: Linen Stitch Scarf
Ravelry page: Scrappy Linen Stitch Scarf

yarn along

2011-11-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

What a week it's been! Between getting ready for the Nor'easter we had this weekend, and Halloween, and more Halloween...well, I'm just glad it's over. Don't get me wrong. I loved watching the kids celebrate Halloween, but I'm ready for the decorations to be put away and for me to get back to knitting. (As my husband tells me, you can't knit and watch scary movies at the same time because you'll miss something.)

I'm bordering on obsessed with this linen stitch scarf I'm working on. It's knit lengthwise, and I'm guessing it's about 6 feet long. I've knit a few scarves before and they always seem to take forever. Maybe because this one is knit legnthwise, I feel like I'm making progress more quickly. It's already about 4 inches wide, so I'll probably only knit a few more rows before binding off.

I've just started Made for You and Me by Caitlin Shetterly. I've joined a Maine Women Writers book club at my local book store, and this is the selection for November. I just wish I weren't so tired when I finally sit down to read at night. Thank goodness the next major holiday is several weeks away!

What are you reading and knitting this week? Please share and link to your blog. And thanks to Ginny at small things for another yarn along.

Tendre is here!

2011-11-01T14:13:00.002-04:00

My newest pattern, Tendre, is available for sale. It's a cowl neck sweater for girls in sizes 6/6x to 14/16. The design was inspired by my daughter who loves a big cozy cowl or scarf around her neck anytime it gets chilly.

It's available through Knit Picks and Ravelry. Thank you to the knitters who so generously tested out the pattern for me and to Katherine Vaughn for tech editing the pattern.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T13:17:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I stress myself out a lot trying to come up with costume ideas for my kids. Thankfully, the two oldest knew what they wanted to be this year. We owned one of the costumes already, and I had a good idea of how to make the other.

My oldest wanted to be a cow girl. My mom sent me this cow scrap fabric, from her and my father's costumes, and I made a skirt and vest in one afternoon. I'm not great with a sewing machine, so I was pretty proud of myself. And I found the red rick rack in my grandmother's sewing basket, and it added just the right finishing touch to her costume. And the hat is her dad's from when he was a child. I should add that I used the Lazy Days skirt pattern by Oliver + S to sew the skirt. Great, easy (and free) pattern!

I had seen a fall fairy costume online in September for close to $40 and knew right away that I wasn't paying for that. So I found this website with an idea of how to make a fairy costume. I bought 6 yards of tulle for 50 cents a yard and I got the silk leaves for $1.50. So for $4.50 total, I made this costume. And I have to say that I absolutely love it.

My littlest's reaction to being a fall fairy was that "it's yucky." She, in all of her 2 1/2 years, actually wanted to be Dominic the Italian Christmas donkey. And if I hadn't bought the stuff for the fall fairy, I may have indulged her. There's always next year!

::this moment:: Halloween parade

2011-10-28T09:31:00.000-04:00

From soulemama:

First Snow

2011-10-28T09:27:00.001-04:00

It snowed last night for the first time...brrr. Time for warm mittens and hats, wool sweaters too.

My kids have been wearing hats and mittens to school this week. Look at this sweet hat, knit by one of my test knitters, SheepTherapy, for the Give Thanks Hat pattern. If you love it as much as I do, here's the link to her project page on Ravelry.

Stay warm this weekend and Happy Halloween!

yarn along

2011-10-26T09:09:00.003-04:00

After finishing up my hat and mitten set for my friend's baby, I was really stuck on what to knit next. I wasn't feeling inspired by anything. But Saturday night, while looking through my stash and being irritated by the number of small leftover balls of yarn, I decided to make a scrappy lengthwise linen stitch scarf. I'm following the directions from this pattern, but I've modified the number of cast on stitches since I'm using worsted weight wools.

So Saturday night I cast on 360 stitches and worked the first row of the pattern. I got to the last stitch of that row and realized I'd made a mistake somewhere earlier. Looking through that twisted up, long row, I realized I'd made it almost right away--about 300 stitches ago. I tinked back one stitch at a time until I realized it could take me an hour or two to get back. So I ripped the whole thing out and started over.

I did find the first two rows of this pattern challenging, simply because there are so many stitches and I hadn't quite gotten the hang of moving the yarn front and back and I sometimes lost track of where I was. But now that I'm several rows in, the pattern is a breeze and it's fun to see how the colors are coming together from all the scraps. And the linen stitch makes a wonderful texture.

I'm reading Bossypants by Tina Fey. It's hysterical. That's really all I can say about it.

What are you reading and knitting this week? Thanks for stopping by, and thank you to Ginny at small things for hosting another yarn along.

yarn along

2011-10-19T13:37:00.002-04:00

Today's post is a wrap up of sorts of previous yarn along posts. I finished the hat and mittens for my friend's newborn daughter. I gave them to her this morning and she loved them. The yarn was a surprise hit for me. It's Lion Brand Baby's First, a cotton/acrylic blend. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. Super soft and squishy and machine washable.

I worked on this cowl this weekend. Big needles, big yarn, super satisfying!

And to wrap up my reading: I finished The Dovekeepers. I was surprised that I read the entire book--about 500 pages--in just two weeks. But the story pulls you in. It interweaves the stories of four women living around 70 C.E. during the fall of Jerusalem. It was based on historical events but, because women's lives weren't recorded like men's, it's a fictional tale of what their stories may have been.

And finally, and most exciting for me, I'm going to a book group tonight about Melissa Coleman's This Life Is In Your Hands and Melissa herself will be there. I read this book a month or two ago and it affected me deeply. I'm looking forward to meeting the author, asking some questions, and hearing what other's reactions to the book are.

I hope you've been having a great reading and knitting week. Please share what you're reading and knitting. And thank you to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

weekend knitting

2011-10-17T20:05:00.000-04:00

So technically I knit this on Thursday night. But that's all the knitting I did this weekend, so it's going to have to count. This is Malabrigo Rasta, a super bulky single ply merino. My friend is letting me borrow her size 17 needles (thanks, Liz!). This is the beginning of a cowl.

My local yarn store is once again carrying Malabrigo, which is both a blessing and a curse. (I'm going to have to thank Liz again for telling me this.) It's fantastic to be within a 10 minute drive of Malabrigo, and I was able to check out their Rios superwash 3-ply merino in person. But I didn't need more yarn. I have a hard time distinguishing between wants and needs when it comes to some yarns. I can always rationalize the purchase by telling myself I'll make a gift out of it. And so that's how I ended up with this gorgeous skein of Rasta.

My other way of rationalizing yarn purchases is that I'll design something with it. That's how I acquired these two lovely skeins of Rios. And so my purchase is now a "business expense." Good thinking.

::this moment:: October in Maine

2011-10-14T08:49:00.002-04:00

From soulemama:

Yarn Along

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

This week's Yarn Along feels like an update of last week's.

I'm almost done with the hat and mitten set for my friend whose baby is arriving this morning. I had lunch with her yesterday and I couldn't get over the fact that today she'd be holding the baby in her arms. You would think I'd never had children. But I remember that feeling the night before my third baby was born knowing that tomorrow all of our lives would be different forever. And the knowledge that you know nothing at all about the little person you're about to bring into the world. I'm thinking of her today as her family welcomes this beautiful baby who is already loved so much.

Who wants to talk about fingerless mitts when there's a new baby entering the world? But there they are in the picture anyway.

I did much more reading this week than knitting, thanks in part to a strange virus that left me stuck in bed all day Sunday while it was 85 degrees outside and my family was at the beach. I enjoyed the sunshine through the sky lights and thankfully whatever it was passed quickly and no one else got it. I think my husband thought I was just trying to be lazy but when I passed up eating lunch because I was too nauseous, he knew I was serious.

I managed to read the first 300 pages of The Dovekeepers this week. The story follows several women who have fled Jerusalem around 70 C.E. (because the Romans have attacked it) and are now living among a community of refugees in the desert. Their lives are complicated and engrossing. I read a good chunk two nights ago between 3am and 5am just hoping I'd fall back to sleep, but the book really kept me engaged.

What are you reading and knitting this week? Please feel free to leave a comment if you stop by with a link to your own yarn along post. Thanks!

::this moment::

2011-10-07T13:46:00.000-04:00

From soulemama:

My daughter hopped on a bike this week and rode without training wheels for the 2nd time. She first rode a bike without training wheels 2 years ago but has refused to do it again ever since. This week she was motivated by a little friend who was over for a play date who can ride a bicycle. So she jumped on the bike, had me help her start, and then took off.

We had about 20 seconds of pure joy as she realized what she was doing. When she tried to start up again on her own, she was having a very hard time, and she didn't want my help. She couldn't figure out how to get the peddles up and over so that she could just get going from a dead stop. And she wanted to keep up with her friend who could. So she dropped to the ground in the middle of the street and refused to get up. And she melted down for about 20 minutes.

I'm trying to hang on to the feeling of excitement and pride she had when she took off riding for the first time. And trying to remember that these little people are stuck between a place of wanting independence but needing help and balancing excitement with frustration. This picture reminds me of how complex their lives are but how simple the joys can be.

If you stop by, please feel free to share a link to your moment. And don't forget about my giveaway going on here. Today's the last day to enter!

yarn along

2011-10-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

Joining Ginny at small things for another Yarn Along...

Since it's been raining since Saturday, I've found a lot of time to knit. I managed to finish the sweater I was working on last week, and I started a baby gift for a dear friend and a pair of fingerless mitts. The fingerless mitts are from my Low Tide Convertible Mitten pattern...I'm just going to make these without the mitten cap.

My dear friend is having a baby next week and we don't know whether it's a girl or boy. I wanted to be able to bring her a gift for the baby in the hospital, so I chose a cream colored cotton/acrylic blend and I'm really happy with how nicely it's working up. This is my friend's third child and I wasn't quite sure what to give her, but since we're heading into winter, I figured a hat and mitten set would be perfect. I've finished one mitten and I'm almost done with the hat. I can't wait to meet this little baby!

I'm about to start reading Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers. I know nothing about this book. I chose it because it was on the new fiction rack at the library and because Toni Morrison, one of my favorite authors, endorsed it.

While at the library, I also picked up Weekend Furniture Facelifts. I have a cedar chest that belonged to my grandmother that is in desperate need of some paint, but I have no idea how or where to start. I don't imagine for one second that any furniture painting project would take me only one weekend, but I can hope.

And I picked up a few children's books that I've wanted to read with the girls. Two Strega Nona books, written and illustrated by Tomie dePaolo, and a Tasha Tudor sampler, based on one of your yarn along suggestions in the past couple of weeks. Tomie dePaolo is visiting one of our local bookstores later this month, and I want my girls to be familiar with his work before we go. They own copies of his children's bible but a friend recommended his Strega Nona series too.

I'm interested in seeing what you're all reading and knitting this week. When you leave a comment, please feel free to include a link to your yarn along post.

And please feel free to enter my Give Thanks Hat and Mitten pattern giveaway here. Thanks for stopping by!

in praise of rain (and earthworms)

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a new sweater design and had a self-imposed deadline of this weekend by which to have the photos done. I imagined taking the pictures outside on a beautiful fall day, maybe in an apple orchard. But it rained all weekend. And my photographer (thank you, husband) did not want to get his camera wet.

So while he stayed inside our dining room, we asked my oldest daughter to stand outside in the (light) rain under an overhang. So while it was drizzly, she didn't get wet. He took the pictures through an open door and she posed for us happily enough.

Until she caught sight of the earthworm on the ground. My daughters love worms. Thank goodness. I do not love insects. And I don't want them being as squeamish around insects as I am. So we promised her that as soon as she was done, we would take off the sweater, find her a different shirt, and she could play with the worm.

Which reminds me of last weekend when we found a garter snake in our front yard. We hauled all three girls outside to see the snake. They were really interested in it and we followed it until it was right next to our front step near the house. My husband was preparing to pick it up when it found a tiny hole in our siding and slithered right in. He went somewhere between our interior and exterior walls.

I didn't walk barefoot in our house for several days and had to keep repeating to myself that he'd rather be outside in the sun than in the dark between our walls. The girls had a minor freak out about the snake entering the house but then seemed to forget about it. I haven't. I also haven't forgotten that my husband left me a pair of work gloves on the counter in case I found the snake inside while he was at work. He told me--with a straight face--that's what the gloves were for.

So I'm thankful for little girls who love (some) bugs. They certainly don't love them all. And I'm thankful I didn't have to use those gloves. Really thankful.

What are you thankful for? I'm giving away a copy of my Give Thanks Mitten and Hat patterns here.

weekend knitting

2011-10-02T14:52:00.000-04:00

I had high hopes for this weekend. Fall weekends are rare things of beauty. Time to pick apples, work outside in the yard, attend a festival where the kids can ride a pony and paint a pumpkin. I had a photo shoot at an apple orchard planned for a sweater design I'm finishing up.

But it has rained for the past 2 days. (And in the case of the photo shoot, my photographer has decided to take a Sunday afternoon nap. That's what happens when the photographer works for free and it's cold and dreary outside!) So I'm resolved to being inside and knitting. I have two friends having babies in the next two months. One of these babies is arriving next week. So I'm making him or her a pair of newborn mittens and a matching hat. I haven't knit on dpn's in a long time and, while I don't love the fiddly-ness of it all, I do love bamboo needles. I started Friday night: one mitten down, one to go. And most of the hat is done too.

Tonight I need to get started on some fingerless mitts. I'll have the pleasure of working with Three Irish Girl's Springvale Superwash merino in her "Ice Blue Raspberry" colorway. I have a thing for blue raspberry.

I've got a giveaway going on now for my Give Thanks Hat and Mitten pattern set.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

::this moment::

2011-09-30T08:02:00.002-04:00

From soulemama:

Give Thanks (and GIVEAWAY)

2011-09-29T14:30:00.000-04:00

When I began designing these mittens and hat last fall, I really was motivated by thankfulness. That I have little ones to hug and love, that they are healthy. That we have enough food to eat and a warm house when it gets cold. That I have good friends and a wonderful family.

Anyone who knows me well knows I like to complain. A lot. When I get overly anxious or down, I try to remember to be thankful for the good things I have. I am lucky in many ways, even when I'm feeling overwhelmed by life.

So I try to remember to give thanks for the simple and most important things I have: a home to live in, a family to share it with, and people in my life whom I love and who love me back.

I'd like to give away a copy of both the Give Thanks Mitten and Hat patterns. I will email the winner a pdf version of each pattern. To be entered, leave a comment about what you're thankful for. I'll pick a winner at random next Friday, October 7th.

Yarn Along...in which I admit that I'm afraid of my book

2011-09-28T08:28:00.001-04:00

I'm still working on the sweater I showed you last week. It's a sleeveless sweater, so I've only got to crochet around the armholes and weave in some ends. So I should be finished soon!

I took a picture of the sweater sitting on top of my knitting basket. The basket is overflowing with little projects that need to be finished: a button missing from a sweater, a single mitten that needs a mate, some hats that need to be hand washed, some swatches that I'd like to catalog somehow, and a scarf that needs some serious attention before Christmas.

I'm still reading The Lost City of Z. While I admitted to finding Amazon adventure stories fascinating, I think I also have to admit that they've been giving me nightmares. I haven't been sleeping well this week and I think reading this book right before bed isn't helping. I've just downloaded a copy of the novel Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan, and I'm hoping to start reading it soon. I'll save my Amazon reading for earlier in the day.

What are you reading and knitting this week?

Thank you to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

hanging on to summer

2011-09-27T13:14:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty sure that yesterday was our last beach day of the year. At least the last one when we'd wear a bathing suit. While I welcome fall and wool sweaters and hot coffee and pumpkin everything, I still want to hang on to these beautiful days.

::this moment::

2011-09-23T14:54:00.001-04:00

From soulemama:

Happy Fall (and sale too)!

2011-09-23T08:24:00.003-04:00

To celebrate the first weekend of Fall, enjoy 25% off any of my self published designs that you purchase through Ravelry. No coupon needed. Just add the pattern(s) to your cart, and the discount will automatically apply. This sale will run until the end of the day on Sunday.

Happy Fall!

Give Thanks Mitten

Lucia Hat

Lucia Sweater

Yarn Along

2011-09-21T15:17:00.000-04:00

Now that school is back in session, I'm hoping I can find a new routine with blogging. This is my last minute Yarn Along entry for today:

I'm working on a red version of this sweater. I'm using Knit Pick's Swish Bulky in "Hollyberry." I've also been working on a fingering weight sweater for my daughter, and it's astonishing how much more quickly bulky yarn knits up. I'm finalizing the pattern for the cowl neck sweater and if anyone is interested in testing out a girls' size 12 or 14/16, please let me know.

I'm reading The Lost City of Z by David Grann . I chose this book to read because I find exploratory journeys into the Amazon fascinating. My most favorite historical non-fiction book is The Mapmaker's Wife by Robert Whitaker. I read The Mapmaker's Wife several years ago. It was one of those books that was so interesting, it kept me up late at night. It chronicles the journey that an 18th century Peruvian upper-class young woman undertakes to find her French husband who has set off down the Amazon. Imagine traveling the Amazon in the 1700s and starting off your journey in a silk gown. I can't say enough how fascinating I found this book!

Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

Please share what you're reading and knitting. Thanks!

new pattern in the works

2011-09-15T14:14:00.000-04:00

Despite the 80 degree days, until just yesterday, and time still spent at the beach, there are hints of fall in the air everywhere. The mornings are cool, pumpkins are popping up on doorsteps, and some of the leaves are even changing.

I've recently finished up a new design: a girls' sleeveless sweater with a textured cowl neck, worked from the bottom up with minimal seaming. It's a sophisticated little sweater and cozy warm too. Perfect for fall. Or not too cold winters.

I'm looking for some knitters to test the pattern for me. And I'm in the middle of knitting up another one myself. If you'd like to test the pattern, you can sign up in the Free Pattern Testers forum on Ravelry. Thanks!

Yarn Along (#?)

2011-08-03T07:33:00.001-04:00

Yarn Along, oh how I've missed you!

I was doing pretty well this winter and spring keeping up with reading and knitting and participating in the Yarn Alongs. But then summer vacation arrived and, well, I wasn't able to keep up.

So I'm back this week going back and forth between Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees and Jack Kerouac's On the Road. The Bean Trees came highly recommended by two acquaintances randomly a few weeks back. And I figured it was about time I read On the Road, given that I was an English major who focused on American literature.

I'm slowly making progress on Kate Davies' Paper Dolls sweater. Between the i-cord cast on and the corrugated rib, the first 2 inches were very slow going. But I love the effect of both techniques and I quickly got used to carrying both the pink and green yarns in my left hand while knitting and purling away. I'm now into the body of the sweater and won't hit colorwork again until the yoke. So I've got inches and inches of stockinette stitch ahead of me, in a sock weight yarn to boot.

I've got a long stint in a doctor's office waiting room ahead of me today, and I'm hoping this doctor has wifi so I can read all of the other Yarn Along posts.

I'd love to see what you're reading and knitting, so please leave a comment if you stop by. Thanks! And thanks to Ginny for hosting the Yarn Alongs.

it's here...

2011-08-01T14:52:00.001-04:00

The Fall Issue of Twist Collective came out today! I'm so honored to be a part of this issue. This beret is my design, Plover. It's an interesting knit combining cables and eyelets and lots of texture.

I poured my heart into this pattern from the gauge swatches I worked and reworked, to the samples I knit, and the charts that I learned to write. This pattern has both written and charted directions and it was working this pattern that finally convinced me that charts are a life saver and really not all that scary.

This sample was knit with Miss Babs Yummy Monochrome Sport and Sock 3-ply in her Firecracker colorway. I fell in love with this yarn the minute it arrived in my mailbox and it didn't disappoint. Look at that depth of color. How can you not love it?

Make sure to check out all of the amazing patterns in this issue of Twist.

Find Plover on Ravelry.

Photo courtesy of James Brittain and Twist Collective.

in anticipation...

2011-07-31T18:59:00.000-04:00

I noticed this bird's nest in our lilacs earlier this summer. I never saw a bird visit it, but I found it fascinating nonetheless. Today it fell onto our patio.

I hate to think I took a several weeks break from blogging to write about a fallen bird's nest, but it has come to that. I don't know how anyone with children home full time manages to do anything other than care for them or the flurry of stuff they leave in their wake. I've had things I've wanted to write about, but no extra time or mental energy to do it.

But my motivation is this: I have a new pattern coming out tomorrow! It's named after a bird who finds its home on our beaches here in Maine. I'm excited and a bit nervous to have the pattern debut tomorrow.

So stay tuned. And I'll try to have less time go between this blog post and my next.

have you ever seen a rainbow's end?

2011-06-19T18:01:00.000-04:00

My husband packed us a picnic dinner last night and just as we arrived at the beach, it began to thunder. We decided to eat in the car given that lightning probably wasn't far away. This is what we saw after about 10 minutes of rain...

I've never seen the end of a rainbow. This one ended right in the ocean. It was awe inspiring. This world we live in is fascinating.

weekending 6.12

2011-06-12T20:19:00.000-04:00

A few of the blogs I follow post along with Amanda at the habit of being about their weekends. Since this last week had lots of milestones for us, I thought it felt like a good time to join in.

celebrated our daughter's second birthday with a big family party. all of my worries about it being too hot and sunny for everyone in the back yard faded when we were faced with rain and 50 degree temps. that will teach me to worry.

enjoyed watching 8 cousins under the age of 7 play together. it got noisy and chaotic at times, but they loved it.

felt like a kid again when my husband rented a sno cone maker and we enjoyed blue raspberry sno cones. remember we were worried about how hot it might be for the party? we just ate them inside on the sun porch.

ate a rare dinner of steamed clams and root beer with my daughters for "ladies night." we do this every time their dad has to work or is away for dinner.

started a hat for "hats for japan." ripped out the neck of the sweater I was working on and will give it another try again soon.

teared up over my daughter's last day of preschool. felt proud reading the notes her preschool teachers left her in her journal. it's always a wonderful feeling to know that an adult outside of our family finds something to love about our child.

If you stop by to read this, feel free to leave a comment and a link to your post about your weekend. Thanks!

::this moment::

2011-06-10T06:05:00.000-04:00

From soulemama:

2 candles plus 1 for good luck. I had a tough time choosing a picture for this week because we had several really wonderful moments. But nothing beats my baby turning 2.

Yarn Along (#19)

2011-06-08T09:03:00.000-04:00

I'm joining Ginny at small things for another Yarn Along...

I didn't get a lot of knitting done this week, but I did finish my first 5k, and I did get over the hurdle I was facing last week: how to handle the shoulder seams on the sweater I'm making. I figured out how to shape the shoulders with short rows and used a 3 needle bind off. And I tried it on both of my older daughters and it fits perfectly! So that was a success.

My next challenge then was to figure out what to do with the neck. I knew how I wanted it to look, but I was afraid I didn't have enough yarn. So instead of going ahead with the idea and finding another ball of yarn if I need it, I decided to scrap that idea and try another one: a dropped stitch turtleneck. Before I even started knitting the neck, I think I knew it wasn't going to work. But I kept going anyway because I was at least knitting and making some progress. When I finished, I knew immediately that it was a failure and I'll have to rip it all out. It's yet another reminder to always trust your instincts when it comes to knitting!

I knew that neckline wasn't going to work because I made a destroyed cowl last year out of a handspun yarn I had. I had seen a number of destroyed cowls made out of handspun yarns and they were gorgeous. But after knitting the whole thing and dropping the stitches and trying it on, it looked terrible on me. And I didn't like the look of the dropped stitches. I didn't even bother to take a picture of it finished. I frogged the whole thing and now that yarn is sitting unused in my yarn stash. I don't think I'll ever use it again. It will remind me of the first failure.

{{I'm happy to send this handspun yarn from the cowl to anyone who wants it. It's been knit, frogged, and rewound by hand into balls. Just leave a comment for me with a note that you'd like it, and I'll send it to you. Otherwise, it truly will sit here unloved. If more than one person wants it, I'll go with the first person to respond.}}

As for reading, I've acquired this little stack of books over the past 2 weeks at yard sales and a church book sale. I'm moving quickly through Wuthering Heights and I'll be saving the other three for this summer. Wuthering Heights is a much darker story than I remember. Whenever I hear references to this novel, they suggest that Heathcliff and Catherine have a romantic, tragic love story. And it is tragic. But it's also obsessive and hurtful. There isn't much to redeem either character as human beings. Maybe that changes as the book progresses. I'm still enjoying the story, but it's a much more complex story than I remember.

What are you reading and knitting this week?

::this moment::

2011-06-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

From soulemama:

Yarn Along (#18)

2011-06-01T11:51:00.000-04:00

I'm slowly trying to finish the sweater I started a couple of weeks ago. It should be done by now but I'm procrastinating, not sure how I want to seam the shoulders. If I can get past the next few rows, the rest of the sweater should go quickly.

I started reading Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I found it at a yard sale this weekend. I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying this book. I read Wuthering Heights in high school but only remember one scene so it doesn't feel at all like I'm rereading it. I only wish I had more energy at night to read.

I'm hoping to run my first 5K this weekend so I've been exercising a whole lot more than usual. My baby has been waking up a lot earlier than usual too. The days are long and filled with lots of outdoor time and active kids, so by 8pm most nights I'm exhausted. I'm reading a few paragraphs, napping, then reading a few more before finally committing myself to sleep. I'm hoping I find more energy soon!

I'd love to see what you're knitting and reading this week. And thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

must read article about knitters and women's history

2011-05-25T20:36:00.000-04:00

Seneca Falls holds a special place in my heart. During a visit there, my then boyfriend, now husband, suggested that we name our daughter, if we ever had one, Seneca. Seneca Falls, NY, was home to the first Women's Rights Convention in the U.S in 1848.

I came upon this article today by Gerit Quealy, entitled "Forgotten Women: Knitters and the National Women's Hall of Fame." The Seneca Knitting Mill, where women worked and operated the knitting machines, will soon be the new home of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

As I was looking for an image to include with this post, I came across this page from the Syracuse Herald, from January 3, 1928. While it's not the most engaging image, I chose it because of the caption they wrote about Lucretia Mott. Somehow I hope she, a Quaker, would forgive their grammatical error.

looking for the sun

2011-05-24T09:12:00.001-04:00

Last week my friend posted a picture and wrote that she was trying to see the beauty in life. I loved her photo and the color.

It got me thinking about doing the same. We've had 11 days of clouds, rain and fog with only a few hours of sunshine in between. Thank goodness for plants in bloom.

While I'm knitting with wool in late May sitting next to our pellet stove and enjoying the heat, here's to hoping that the sun comes back soon bringing with it warmer, brighter days.

If she had only known what I heard her say...

2011-05-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

I swear that I don't mean to make Mondays a day to complain. But I had to write about a comment my daughter made last night.

She off handedly told me at dinner that she and her best friend both wanted to be teachers. They talked about it, though, and decided that it involved too much training. So they decided that they were going to "just be moms."

They're seven.

I was speechless. My husband made eye contact with me and said, "This one's all yours."

My initial reaction was to the tone of "just be moms." What she said as a little girl, I heard as an adult woman. What I heard is that being "just a mom" is the easy way out. I could hear in those three words all the cultural biases against stay at home moms. That we've got it easy. That we don't have to work hard. That maybe, if we pursued an education and career prior to having children, that we've taken a step back and given up.

In some sense, I can also hear the conversations I have had with friends lately. That we've sort of lost ourselves over the years of staying home with our kids. That we've forgotten what it is that we like to do. That, in putting everyone else's needs first, we always come last. And sometimes we don't get around to focusing on ourselves at all.

I will be the first to admit that I find it very challenging to be home with my young children. I have had to learn more about patience and selflessness than I ever thought I'd have to. I have learned that my actions will have long lasting effects on someone else. There hasn't been one day that parenting has come easy.

So it crushed my heart a little to hear that I'm "just a mom." Maybe it was a compliment. Maybe I make it look easy. But I don't think that's what she meant. And I certainly don't think she meant any harm by what she said. But I don't want her to think that moms are settling, choosing to be moms because their other options are more difficult and challenging. I don't need a medal for being a parent, but it's nice to know that the work I do has value, even if no one is paying me.

::this moment::

2011-05-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

From soulemama:

My little reader. We visited the beach last Friday to celebrate her sister's birthday. Her own birthday was a few days earlier. She got the sunglasses, dress, and book as gifts. I love this image of her.

Yarn Along (#17)

2011-05-18T11:59:00.000-04:00

After writing a feeling sorry for myself blog post on Monday, I decided to stop complaining and just start knitting something. I had bought some bulky yarn months ago with the intention of making a sweater for my daughter. I tried to force the yarn to be something else--a sideways cabled sweater--and it just wasn't working. So I ditched all of my swatching for that sweater, and instead I am returning to my original idea. (It's easy for me to overthink knitting sometimes, and right now I just want the satisfaction of making something.)

So I'm just going to work it out as I go, using Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Pattern as a guide. I'm using Cascade's bulky superwash and it's just so nice to be flying along quickly. What you can see above is just the bottom ribbing, but that worked up quickly in about 30 minutes.

I'm still reading The Forgotten Garden and really enjoying it. I love stories that span different time periods and generations and it's something of a mystery too. And I love the idea of forgotten spaces--whether they be homes or gardens.

I'd love to see what you're knitting and reading this week. Thanks for stopping by! And thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

inspired Monday: when inspiration leaves

2011-05-16T14:52:00.000-04:00

I've managed to write at least a few of these inspired Monday posts. But this week, I'm stuck.

I've spent the last 2 weeks on 2 different knitting projects, both of which have hit dead ends for now.

The first is the lacy scarf I was working on. I discovered it yesterday morning just before hopping into the car for a long car ride. I figured I'd get at least a couple hours of knitting done yesterday on our way to a first communion for family friends. But when I felt the bend of the needle--where there shouldn't be one--I knew something was wrong.

It broke sometime on Saturday, somehow in my girls' swimming bag. I threw the scarf into my kids' swimming bag so that I could knit during their almost hour long swim lesson on Saturday morning. I was already cranky about having to take them. I don't like activities scheduled on Saturday mornings. I don't like sitting in a 90 degree and humid room. I don't like dripping wet people standing around me. (My list of hang ups is long and ridiculous.) I was missing out on a spinning class which is the only spinning class that fit in my schedule all week.

I had already nixed the idea of bringing a cup of coffee with me. The pool room was already too hot, and last week my daughter had knocked into the cup of coffee I'd brought and spilled it all over her towel while changing in the locker room.

I kind of knew I wouldn't actually get to knit. I did want to watch the kids swim but I figured I could sneak in a little knitting here and there. I also heard a little voice say, "Every time you try to sneak in time for yourself while taking care of the children, it ends badly." As my girlfriend said on the phone this morning, if she ever wants to make time for herself away from her kids, she knows she has to pay the piper when it's all done.

It's only a broken needle. I only need to buy new knitting needles for it. Minor stuff. But still annoying.

The second project I've been working on is a design proposal. I've spent the last three weeks off and on swatching, trying to find a stitch pattern and gauge on a bulky yarn I've never worked with before. I finally found a stitch pattern I liked and thought I'd determined gauge. I even washed and dried my swatch. But when I tried to think through the sweater design, it was too complicated. And I'm not up for complicated right now. And we celebrated two birthdays in our house last week. And I knew if I pulled away to try to figure it out, I wasn't going to be able to celebrate those birthdays like I wanted.

So I missed the deadline.

Again, minor stuff. My kids won't always be little and birthdays only come once a year. I'm not upset about that at all. But I do need something to jump start my creativity again because I'm getting bogged down by little annoyances.

Yarn Along (#16)

2011-05-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

Nothing new to report on the reading and knitting front. Same stuff as last week. But I'm enjoying it all.

My sweetest moment from this week was falling asleep on my daughter's bed as she read me a chapter from Charlotte's Web. She didn't want to wake me because she wanted me to sleep on her bed all night.

It almost looks like I've been ignoring this scarf. But I swear I've spent hours working on it. I even brought it to a town meeting last night that lasted almost three hours. I've never participated in a town meeting, but I'll sum it up by saying that there was a lot of "You're out of order" and "No! You're out of order" and motioning and seconding and, finally, voting. I felt like I was watching a movie parodying small town life.

I'll just say that if, at a meeting to decide on the school budget, one needs to pull out a calculator to figure 1% of a number, then that's argument enough that we need to adequately fund our schools. And someone did indeed need to consult a calculator for 1%.

I'd love to see what you're reading and knitting. My "to read" and "to knit" list in getting longer as I read all of your entries every week. Thank you! And thanks to Ginny for hosting another Yarn Along.

********

And last week, Ginny announced that she was organizing Knit for Japan, an effort to collect 400 hats by July to distribute to those affected by the earthquakes and tsunami. I'm offering two of my patterns at a discount, and donating my profits from their sales, for anyone who is interested.

Knit for Japan

2011-05-09T17:01:00.001-04:00

I've been participating in the Yarn Alongs hosted by Ginny on her blog Small Things for most of this year. Just last week, she announced Knit for Japan, with the goal of collecting 400 hats by mid July for those who've been devastated by the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan.

From now until June 15th, use coupon code knitforjapan for 50% off the Lucia Hat pattern. The Lucia Hat is sized from newborn to adults and knits up quickly. You can use any worsted weight yarn.

Because they are also collecting mittens, you can use the same coupon code toward the purchase of the Give Thanks Mitten pattern. That pattern is sized from newborn to 5 to 7 years old and calls for any worsted weight yarn.

I will also donate my profits of the hat and mitten pattern sales from now until June 15th to the Red Cross, specifically to benefit those in the South affected by the recent tornadoes.

Thank you and feel free to spread the word about this project.

Yarn Along (#15)

2011-05-04T12:16:00.000-04:00

I cast on last night for a new project! I had purchased a skein of sock weight yarn from Sweet Basil Fibre Works--many of you know her store--and I had originally planned to knit a pair of socks with it. But I just couldn't stand the idea that I'd have to swatch, so I opted for a lacy scarf instead. This "Bittersweet" colorway is just beautiful--the colors are rich and deep. And the pattern I picked out seems like it will have enough lace to challenge me, but not enough to overwhelm. It's even got beads along the edging, so I had a lot of fun knitting the first several rows last night.

I just started reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. And the kids and I have been reading Charlotte's Web before bed. In the last week we read Fairy Houses of the Maine Coast and a couple of Grimm's Fairy Tales. (But in all honesty, some of the tales are pretty scary and dark, which doesn't make for good right-before-bed stories.)

But we loved the Fairy Houses book and made our own this weekend. I wrote about it here.

Thanks to Ginny for hosting another Yarn Along. I really look forward to these each week. And I'd love to see what you're knitting and reading, so please leave a comment if you stop by!

our beach fairy house

2011-05-03T13:59:00.001-04:00

Each year our town hosts a May Day celebration. We've never been able to attend, but we've seen the fairy houses children build each year and display at our library. Inspired by the book Fairy Houses of the Maine Coast by Maureen Heffernan, my kids decided they wanted to participate this year.

We spent last Wednesday at the beach collecting materials: rocks, shells, sea glass, seaweed, and driftwood. There's even part of a crab on the roof. My middle daughter loves finding crab parts.

We spent 4 hours Saturday building it. My oldest believes in fairies. It was wonderful to see her excitement as she built this house, imaging how the fairies might enjoy their mussel shell beds and moss pillows,

or the hammock and swing,

or the chicken and rice dinner she made them (out of rocks and pine needles).

In the back left corner of the above picture is the dishwasher my middle daughter made for the fairies.

She wondered over and over whether they would come visit her house Saturday night. When she woke up Sunday morning, the first thing she did was to visit the house, and the birch blankets had been moved back from the beds, and the fairies had moved some of the chicken and rice from the serving bowl on the table onto the table itself.

The sweetest details she added were the bedside lamp she made out of a seashell and seaglass

and the ceiling fan she made out of a feather.

We also added a fireplace with little logs...

and a swimming pool with a diving board.

Midway through building our house the ice cream truck made a stop in our neighborhood. It doesn't come through often, so it was a huge treat.

I was able to put aside my obsessive desire to keep all things neat and tidy--it took me a few years to get over the anxiety I felt anytime my children mashed up different playdough colors together--and enjoy spending this time with my children. It was a perfect early spring day.

Yarn Along (#14)

2011-04-20T17:31:00.000-04:00

Please forgive me, this is my second week of not posting a knitting picture! All I can offer is the yarn I hope to cast on tomorrow.

(I've been knitting a design that will be published by a magazine for Fall 2011. I can't post pictures of what I'm working on. I don't dare even post the yarn. But I'm working hard and my deadline is quick approaching, so I haven't knit anything else these past couple of weeks. I'm hoping to finish knitting this project tonight, however, because I've got another project I want to start swatching.)

About 2 months ago, my husband took the kids out for the day, leaving me free to do whatever I wanted for 12 hours. At first I felt a little panicky. How often does a parent of young children get that amount of time to themselves? What did I used to do with myself, pre-children? And would I get bored?

I spent the day driving up and down the seacoast visiting some yarn and antique shops. I did not get bored and I got in and out of my car several times without having to buckle and unbuckle someone out of a carseat! And I was a good knitter and bought only yarn for which I had an intended project. Ok, some people might consider that to be silly, and I did have to fight the urge to buy the most amazing orange Dream in Color, but I did it.

So I'm finally now getting close to being able to use the bulky Cascade Superwash I bought (pictured above). It's going to be a sweater for my daughter next fall, and I'm hoping to be able to experiment with the construction and design and we'll see what happens. Hopefully I'll have pictures for you next week.

This week I've been reading Give Me Your Heart by Joyce Carol Oates. It's a collection of short stories and not for the weak of heart. I love suspense and mystery and these stories are very good, but I'm going to the library tonight to see if I can find myself something a little more light.

And I finished Cinderella Ate My Daughter, which I wrote about during last week's Yarn Along. I posted my thoughts about it earlier today, if you care to read that.

What are you knitting and reading this week? And if you're a sock knitter, have you got a must knit sock pattern that I can try?

Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

Cinderella Ate my Daughter

2011-04-20T12:54:00.000-04:00

During last week's Yarn Along, I posted that I was reading Cinderella Ate My Daughter. I found this book interesting enough that I wanted to give some space to it here on my blog. If you've read the book, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

I have been no fan of the Disney princesses. Since the birth of my first child just about 7 years ago, it has been an ongoing struggle. That's why, when I heard about the book Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein, I knew I had to read it.

The most important thing I took away from this book is that mass media and culture have an enormous impact on young children. Young children are unable to be critical of all of the advertising and marketing messages they are bombarded with hundreds of times a day. When my daughters see an advertisement for a drug that helps a woman control an overactive bladder, they will be the first to tell me that I should discuss this problem with my doctor. Nevermind that I don't have this problem. Or, they tell me that I should sign up for AAA because they'll be able to help me if my car ever breaks down.

I giggle about those kinds of things. But my girls are also being exposed to messages about what it means to be a girl and woman. Sexism, while often no longer overt, is still alive and well. Companies are no longer selling a Barbie who hates math (remember her from the 1990's?), but the toys and products that mainstream culture offers them encourage them to shop and be pretty and sexy--and not much else--in not at all subtle ways. If you're in doubt about how advertising encourages women and girls to dislike their bodies, you need only look at the two most recent examples: Dove is now selling deodorant for women that promises to make your underarms look better in 5 days, and Abercrombie and Fitch marketed a push-up bikini top to girls under 10.

As Orenstein writes, princesses "did mark my daughter's first foray into the mainstream culture, the first time the influences on her extended beyond the family. And what was the first thing that culture told her about being a girl? Not that she was competent, strong, creative, or smart but that every little girls wants--or should want--to be the Fairest of Them All."

We should be living in a time when girls have the world open wide before them. They should be able to play any sport they want, excel in any academic field, pursue any career they desire. But the focus in our mainstream culture is on pretty. And that focus starts early--ages 2, 3, and 4. Pretty clothes, pretty hair, makeup, big eyes, tiny waists, high heeled shoes. The princesses don't achieve anything, except for marrying a prince charming they've just met and barely know.

Over the past 7 years I have gone back and forth between hating the princesses and their insipid story lines and thinking they're not such a big deal. But Cinderella Ate My Daughter has confirmed my suspicion of all things princess. As Orenstein writes, "Even brief exposure to the typical, idealized images of women that we all see every day has been shown to lower girls' opinion of themselves, both physically and academically." There is enough in our culture that devalues women and girls--women are still paid less than men, women don't occupy as many positions of power in the public and private sector as they should, 3 women die at the hands of an intimate partner every day.

Orenstein struggles with the idea that just as women and girls seem to be gaining ground in our culture, these marketing forces come along that define girlhood in a narrow, restrictive way. Girls can now be smart, but they'd better be pretty and sexy too. And we may have thought these pressures were reserved for middle and high school aged girls, but they're extending to younger and younger girls. I don't need my girls thinking they are not good enough.

I want to thank Lori at Beneath the Rowan Tree for writing about this book. It's what motivated me to read it. Lori has been writing a series of posts on princess proofing that you should read if you're interested in this topic.

inspired Monday: yellow

2011-04-18T16:16:00.000-04:00

I've had a taste for lemons lately. It started with a trip to the gym in January. I was running on the treadmill and the TV was tuned to PBS. PBS was running an old Julia Child episode and she and a guest were making the most amazing lemon meringue dessert. (Talk about derailing my desire to eat healthy.) I searched and searched online and finally found the recipe. I made it one night and it was really delicious. Time consuming, but worth it.

I was reading Rhythm of the Home a short while ago and came across these directions for preserving lemons. I had Meyer lemons, not thick skinned ones, so I followed a different recipe, but I've been enjoying looking at my lemons sitting on the countertop and hoping I can sample them soon.

Which got me thinking about designing with yellow. One of my favorite children's books is Gossie by Olivier Dunrea. My youngest daughter especially loves this book. I dream about designing a sweater coat in a gorgeous yellow wool and finding a pair of red boots to match.

I have no yellow yarn in my stash right now, but Genevieve of Sweet Basil Fibre Works has two beautiful yellows to choose from:

Sweet Basil Fibre Works "Sunshine" on organic merino

Sweet Basil Fibre Works "Meadowlark" on merino/cashmere/nylon

How can you choose a favorite?

And last week, while I was reading other blogs, I came across this beautiful photo by Tracey of the blog Clover. Take a look through her blog and you'll see she really does take some of the most beautiful photos.

Photo courtesy of Tracey who blogs at Clover

On Mondays I've been writing about what inspires me. If you've written about something that inspires you, please feel free to leave a comment and link to your blog post.

::this moment::

2011-04-15T07:03:00.000-04:00

From soulemama:

Feel free to share your links to your moments below.

my own happy forest

2011-04-14T12:23:00.000-04:00

I posted yesterday about the cowl I just finished for myself using Dream in Color's "Happy Forest" colorway. I think if I had to choose one color to knit with for the rest of my life, Happy Forest would be it.

My girls and I went for a walk in the woods behind our house today and I came across this moss covered birch. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it will remind me of how quiet and peaceful our walk was and how good it felt to be outside.

Yarn Along (#13)

2011-04-13T08:09:00.000-04:00

Another week has gone by and we're another week closer to spring-like weather. It's hard to knit and read indoors when I'm wanting so badly to be outside. But I've started a thought-provoking book this week: Cinderella Ate my Daughter, by Peggy Orenstein. I worry all the time about raising daughters who will love themselves, be strong, smart, courageous and curious. Cinderella Ate My Daughter addresses some of the more recent cultural forces that are defining what it means to be a girl, forces that are somewhat different than when I was a child. I'll write a more in depth post about this once I've read more of the book and thought about it more, but it's holding my interest at night even when I'm tired.

I finished the cowl I was working on for the past 2 weeks and I'm in love. I will say that as much as I relish spring weather, I was a tiny bit happy yesterday that it didn't warm up to the predicted 70 degrees until later in the day. The morning was damp and chilly, perfect for a wool cowl!

And realizing I've never posted pictures of other projects I've shared during these yarn alongs. So here goes.

The little one's shrug:

My oldest's cardigan:

and my Rosamund Cardigan.

What are you knitting and reading this week? Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along.

inspired Monday: my kids

2011-04-11T10:24:00.000-04:00

Last night my husband was unexpectedly called into work. It was about 7pm, so the kids were in their pj's and we were getting close to their bedtime. We were watching a movie. (Luckily, the kids had been outside all day so we were just unwinding a bit.) And my husband and I were looking forward to relaxing after a busy day of yard work, cooking, and just being.

I know the call jolted my husband back into his work mode, but it also unsettled the kids too. They weren't expecting their Dad to have to leave, and so putting them to bed by myself was no easy task. My oldest was very upset and wanted me to sleep with her. My middle chimed in that she wanted me to sleep with her too. And my one year old just always needs a little help getting to sleep. So I felt guilty tending to my one year old while the bigger girls were feeling so sad.

The best I could do at the time was to offer to get them a hat and a cowl that I had knit (and that they love to wear) and let them sleep with them. This made me feel just a little less guilty and it actually made them feel a little better. Better enough that my oldest was no longer crying. And I promised them that I was just in the next room, and that Daddy was only gone for a few hours and would be home later to kiss them goodnight.

One of the emotions I struggle with most as a mother is guilt. I feel like I can never do enough for any of my children. It's hard to be emotionally present for all three children when they all need different things. If I could have last night, I would have cuddled with my oldest to help her feel better. The best I could do last night was a bunch of hugs and kisses and letting her sleep with something that I had made. It won't always work and it shouldn't--a hat shouldn't be a stand in for a parent--but at least last night it made her feel like she had some part of me with her.

On Mondays I've been writing about what inspires me. If you've written about something that inspires you, please feel free to leave a comment and link to your blog post.

Yarn Along (#12)

2011-04-06T12:35:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along...

Just this year, as my oldest daughter has learned to read, we have begun reading longer chapter books. We started reading Tumtum and Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall several weeks ago. My children have really developed a love for this book and the characters. Our newest ritual is to read two chapters every night before the girls go to bed. This is a new experience for us--reading just a little at a time and leaving more for the following night. They both get so excited to see what will happen next in the story. And they love conjecturing about what will happen and whether they'll have guessed right.

I finished Pride and Prejudice last week and immediately started in on Middlemarch by George Eliot. I first read Middlemarch in a 19th century literature graduate course and remember nothing about it (which is extraordinary given it's over 700 pages long). During my grad school days, I often had to read just about 1200 pages a week. At the time I was just reading to get through it all. How did I manage to write a 15 page paper about this book? It must have been rubbish. Graduate school ruined me on reading. I didn't read a book for 2 years after I finished my Master's program. I was afraid I'd never want to read another book again. But time away from school has renewed my love of reading.

I'm knitting along slowly this week. I've been working on some other projects and haven't actually knit much. I knew that I'd be doing this which is why I picked this easy pattern that I could just drop and pick up whenever I wanted.

I'd love to see what you're reading and knitting this week. And if you have any suggestions for books I could be reading with my children, please suggest away!

Day 7 :: Your knitting and crochet time

2011-04-03T20:48:00.001-04:00

When I was in middle school, my family moved from Massachusetts to Maine. We spent a lot of time in the car to make visits to family who were still in our hometown. My dad listened to a lot of NPR, namely Car Talk, and the Doobie Brothers. I considered this torture at the time. Actually, I still consider listening to the Doobie Brothers torture. But I'm now a total NPR convert.

One of my favorite shows is This American Life. I fell in love with it after hearing this episode: Fiasco, especially Act One. I've probably listened to this episode over 10 times, and each time I hear it, I laugh so hard I cry.

I tell this story because I'm usually listening to NPR while I knit. I listen to broadcasts I missed during the week. Sometimes, if my husband has rented a movie I don't think I'll like, I'll sit next to him while he watches and I'll knit. And sometimes I play my crap TV reality shows and listen to them while I knit. I guess it depends on whether I want to use my brain or not.

Today is the last day of the Knitting and Crochet Blog week. I've really enjoyed being a part of it and being introduced to so many other bloggers. I've also found it a challenge to try to keep the posts interesting.

To reward any of you who've made it through all of these posts, or even just this one:

Beneath the Rowan Tree is giving away a copy of my Lucia Sweater and Hat patterns to one person. The giveaway ends tomorrow. For more details, visit her blog here. Lori has an amazing and beautiful selection of natural play items that she makes herself and I've followed her blog for a while. Good luck to all those who enter!

Day 6 :: Something to aspire to

2011-04-02T14:25:00.000-04:00

From Eskimimi Knits: "Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft? Maybe the skill or pattern is one that you don’t even personally want to make but can stand back and admire those that do. Maybe it is something you think you will never be bothered to actually make bu can admire the result of those that have."

I'd love to be able to tackle a big, complicated lace project. I just don't think I'm at a point in my life where I can do that. I can only knit at the end of the day. And by the end of the day I'm exhausted. I've tried lace before and I make so many mistakes that I just get frustrated and give up.

This Wisp is an example (if you read the project notes, note how optimistic I sounded). I really loved the yarn, loved the color, and loved the pattern. But I felt like I was knitting with sewing thread, and I kept dropping stitches and having to rip back to a lifeline. I eventually got so frustrated by it all that I gave it to someone else to maybe continue working on.

I'd love to try lace again. Maybe later this year. Maybe in a few years. I've got my eye on this beautiful Lace Tunic from Vogue Knitting. I got a postcard in the mail as an advertisement for Vogue Knitting and it featured this pattern. It looks so lovely, but so complicated, and so time consuming. And if I'm ever going to actually wear it at a beach, I'd better start 2 or 3 years early.

:: this moment ::

2011-04-01T14:52:00.000-04:00

From soulemama:

Mother Nature created a little hideaway for my girls this morning.

If you've stopped by, please feel free to leave a link to your moment from this week. Thanks!

Day 5 :: And now for something completely different

2011-04-01T13:30:00.000-04:00

From Eskimimi Knits: "This is an experimental blogging day ... Yes, it's April Fool's Day, so have fun with the post."

At least someone is appreciating our April 1st snowstorm. Yes, I really did take this picture today. The kids and I built a little snowperson who we bundled up in my baktus. The girls thought it would be fun if I knit him or her a pair of glasses, but I'll have to work on those this spring and save them for next year.

Want to win both Lucia patterns?

2011-04-01T08:49:00.000-04:00

Lori, of Beneath the Rowan Tree, is hosting a blog giveaway this week! She's giving away both the Lucia Sweater and the Lucia Hat patterns. She's one of my favorite bloggers, focusing on natural play for children. After you've visited her blog, be sure to check out her amazing Etsy shop.

Here's the blog for the giveaway: Blog

Here's her Etsy shop: Etsy

Thanks, Lori, for including us!

Day 4 :: Where are they now?

2011-03-31T01:00:00.001-04:00

From Eskimimi Knits: "Whatever happened to your __________? Write about the fate of a past knitting project."

So far, this is the post I struggled with the most. I've given a lot of my knitting away. I've knit hats and sweaters that I loved looking at but, when I put them on, they didn't look right on me. So I've given them to friends in the hopes that they would enjoy them. And I don't know what's happened to them so there's really no story there.

But then I thought about this pair of longies that I crocheted for my middle daughter when she was just 18 months old. I cloth diapered my middle daughter because we'd had all kinds of problems with disposable diapers. And cloth worked for us with her. I had fun making her soakers and longies. And they just looked so cute on her little chubby legs.

After she outgrew them and potty trained, I put the longies away with the cloth diapers in case we ever had another child. We had a third child, but cloth diapering was much more difficult for us this time. The first six months were easy, but I couldn't keep up with it once she started eating solids. So my littlest never got to wear these longies.

And I eventually sold them online. I cried when I packed them up to mail them. I've saved lots of baby clothes for my grandbabies (if I ever have them)--outfits that I just couldn't put in the donate pile because of the good memories they evoke. But for some reason I couldn't see holding on to these longies and I feel guilty about selling them. But I hope whoever bought them is enjoying them.

I'm in the middle of going through baby clothes and keeping, donating, or selling our smallest stuff. Each time I do it, I'm emotional and nostalgic. I try not to dwell on how quickly the kids grow up. But it does all go by so quickly.

Have you ever given something away that you've knit that you now regret? I'm sure I'm not the only one?

Yarn Along (#11)

2011-03-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone who commented last week about my knitting setbacks. I'm happy to say that I fixed the problem. I've now got 2 matching button bands and all of the buttons sewn on properly! No pictures yet, but the sweater fits my daughter and that's all that matters.

This week I'm knitting a scowl. One of my friends designed this cowl last fall and has been wearing hers all over town. I loved it so much that I'm finally making one for myself using a skein of Dream in Color Classy "Happy Forest" that I've had sitting in my stash for about a year. I'm in love with this color and wanted just the right thing to show it off.

I'm still working at Pride and Prejudice. I've got about 100 pages left. I'm really enjoying the book now but just not finding much time to read. I've been participating in the 2nd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog week, so I've spent most of my reading time on other people's blogs.

Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along. And if you're reading this, please feel free to comment and leave a link to your Yarn Along post.

Day 3 :: Tidy mind, tidy stitches

2011-03-30T00:15:00.002-04:00

From Eskimimi Knits: "How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised?"

Today's subject matter presupposes that I do in fact have some kind of organizational system. That I do in fact have a tidy mind. But living with three children, nothing is ever tidy. And my mind feels scattered almost all the time. That's why I wrote here about wanting a space of my own.

I fully admit that I am one of those people who keeps things stacked in little piles all over the place.

Bin 1 under the bed is yarn for my personal projects.

Bin 2 in the closet contains all the yarn I used to use to crochet the play food I used to make.

Bin 3 under my husband's dresser contains all of my cotton yarns.

Bin 4 under my dresser is really supposed to be where I store my kids' artwork, but has recently become home to a stray bag of wool scraps.

My project basket, which sits on my dresser, contains pattern swatches, the projects I'm currently working on, my needle roll, and random bits of stuff that I don't know where else to put. The organizational mantra "everything needs a home" haunts me when I look into the bottom of this basket.

I try to keep track of design ideas but that's not working very well. I've got bits and scraps of paper tucked into books, piles of paper on my desk, a desk calendar that most members of my family use as a scratch pad, and a notebook that more often than not gets overtaken by one of my children.

There are a thousand reasons I love Ravelry, and one of the biggest is my notebook. It's so easy to keep track of projects and yarns and books, and it's one place my kids can't get to yet.

Day 2 :: Skill + 1UP

2011-03-29T00:30:00.001-04:00

From Eskimimi Knits: "Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year."

It's taken me a while to fall in love with knitting cables. One of my first knitting projects was the Irish Hiking Scarf. I made one for my dad that was 6 feet long. It required a lot of cabling, and the only tool I had at the time was a metal hooked cable needle that, when it made contact with my metal knitting needles, made me feel as though I was running my fingers over a chalkboard.

Dad's Irish Hiking Scarf on Suri Merino

My second cable project was Crumpets. Again, I had that awful metal cable needle and knitting the top of that dress was tedious and unenjoyable. I finally gave up, finished the top only, made the skirt out of fabric, and sewed the two together.

Senny's Crumpets

After these two projects, I thought I was done with cables.

But then I ordered Barbara Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns and I fell in love with some of the cables she wrote about. I began swatching some of them and thankfully found Grumperina's tutorial on cabling without a cable needle. It took me a few tries to get the hang of the technique but, once I did, I began knitting cables a lot faster and with a lot less fiddling.

Cables on Quince Chickadee and Madelinetosh Vintage

I've since knit the Rosamund Cardigan for myself.

My Rosamund Sweater

And I've designed two patterns featuring cables that will be published, hopefully, next fall.

Day 1 :: A Tale of Two Yarns

2011-03-28T00:30:00.001-04:00

From Eskimimi Knits: "Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them."

I learned to crochet when I was in graduate school. I had an atheist, feminist roommate who came back from a holiday break having crocheted an entire afghan. (I say this because at the time, crocheting and feminism seemed antithetical to me. Not so anymore.) I made her teach me and we would stay up late at night crocheting and critiquing the gender and class politics of The Brady Bunch. Oh to be young with so little responsibility again!

I learned to crochet with Lion Brand Red Heart Supersaver. I made my first blanket with it and gave it to my then boyfriend, now husband. The blanket is still keeping us warm 12 years later. And while I don't think I'll ever work with Red Heart again--I've become much more of a yarn snob--it served its purpose and it served us well. It's held up to multiple washing and dryings, 3 kids, and a dog. It's definitely not the softest yarn. In fact, I remember it would make a little squeaking sound against my plastic crochet hook and it made my hands sweaty, but I could afford 10 balls of it to make my afghan. And I made 3 other afghans for other relatives that have survived just as well.

Today, one of my favorite yarns is Madelintosh Vintage. I love the colors. I love the feel of knitting with it. I love its softness and stitch definition. I recently bought four balls of Madelinetosh to make a sweater for my daughter. I never spend that much money on my own clothing, never mind for my kids who toss their clothes in backpacks, on the floor, and on the ground outside. But I so wanted the pleasure of knitting with it, and I reasoned that it will become an heirloom. So let's hope this sweater can survive my 3 girls.

Maine Maple Sunday

2011-03-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

from our very own trees...

And this year we made enough to cover more than 4 pancakes! All the credit can go to my husband for both the syrup and the photo.

coupon code for my patterns on Etsy

2011-03-26T14:48:00.000-04:00

I've shopped through Etsy for a while now, and lots of my friends and family shop through Etsy too. I could spend hours looking through their handpicked items on the home page. I've finally decided to list my patterns there.

You can find Pumpkin Pie Baby on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/pumpkinpiebaby

From now until March 31st, use coupon code PPBBLOG25 for 25% off the Lucia Hat, Lucia Sweater, and Give Thanks Mitten patterns.

As always, thank you for your purchases of my designs!

::this moment::

2011-03-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

From soulemama:

I'm thankful for an almost 70 degree day in March in Maine. And that we made it almost an hour at the beach before the little one fell in the water and we needed to go home.

2nd annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

2011-03-24T10:02:00.000-04:00

I just learned yesterday about the 2nd annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week starting on Monday. I'm hoping to post each day and look forward to reading other's posts. Learn more about it here:

http://eskimimiknits.com/knitting-and-crochet-blog-week-2011/

Yarn Along (#10)

2011-03-23T13:08:00.000-04:00

I really look forward to posting a Yarn Along every week. This week, though...it just left me feeling inadequate. I'm in between knitting projects right now and I feel a bit aimless. I tried to crochet some squares this week that I've been admiring on Ravelry (wooleater and African flower hexagon), but that posed way more of a challenge than I was ready for. The picture below is the first 2 rounds of the wooleater.

So instead I've had 2 knitting disappointments this week.

The first is that I accidentally put my 4 year old daughter's hand wash only sweater (that she loved) in the washing machine. It felted up nice and thick, erasing all of the pretty lace that made up most of the body of the sweater. It also shrank several inches lengthwise. I'm hopeful that it will fit my 1 year old next fall so that it's not a complete waste.

The second is that I decided to tackle sewing grosgrain ribbon onto the back of the button bands on this sweater. Two nights ago, it took me just under 2 hours to finish one button band and I was pretty proud of myself. The ribbon was on nice and straight, and none of the sewing showed through to the front of the sweater. I worked on the second button band last night and when I had one side sewn on, I decided to line it up next to the other button band to make sure things were looking OK. Well, I fiddled and shifted things around, but one button band is now almost 1" longer than the other! And now that the ribbons are sewn on, there's no more stretching them to fit one another. They don't stretch at all, ironically, which was the whole point of putting the ribbon on in the first place.

I know it's not a knitting mistake because I knit the button bands as I knit the sweater, so they're the same length. I think during the washing and blocking process, my daughters picked up the sweater one too many times ("Is it dry yet? When will this thing be dry? When can I try it on?") and it got stretched out. So today, I'll undo the ribbon from one side, wet it, and reblock it to the proper length. I'm trying not to get too frustrated and to see this as a lesson learned. Always measure first!

I'm still reading Pride and Prejudice. While I didn't like it much when I first started, I've now really grown to enjoy reading it. And I'm constantly thankful that I no longer live in a time when women had no property rights and marriage was a necessity given their lack of economic rights.

What are you reading and knitting this week? I'm definitely looking for some inspiration on both fronts.

the Lucia Hat pattern is finally ready!

2011-03-21T08:10:00.000-04:00

One of the things that amazes me most about knitting for my kids is how much they enjoy what I make for them. I never expected that. And they have a strong sense of ownership about what I make for them. It may fit their sister, and their sister may wear it, but I made it for them, and them alone.

When I designed my first sweater, I named it the Lucia sweater, after my youngest daughter. I made the sample in her size and the name fit.

I went on to make a Lucia sweater for my middle daughter and she wore hers to school. Her teacher, who knits, said, "I see you're wearing the Lucia sweater." And my daughter's reply was, "It's not Lucia's sweater, it's mine." I wasn't there to hear this conversation, but her teacher told me and it makes me laugh.

So this hat that I'm releasing today is the Lucia hat, named because it features the same stitch pattern as the sweater. My middle daughter claimed the child sized hat I made, and I had to make one for Lucia too because Lucia loves hats.

I hope you enjoy knitting the hat as much as I do. And I hope your kids love their hand knits as much as mine.

Lucia Hat on Ravlery: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lucia-hat

welcome spring!

2011-03-20T13:50:00.000-04:00

Mark Twain:

outtakes

2011-03-19T20:20:00.000-04:00

We had a photo shoot today for my new pattern coming out Monday. It's always a treat when there are so many good pictures that it's hard to choose just 2 or 3 to represent the pattern. These are some of the outtakes.

A huge thank you to Coastal Photo Design for taking the pictures. I ♥ them.

::this moment::

2011-03-18T09:17:00.000-04:00

From soulemama:

OK, 2 photos and some words, but not many.

My 1 year old loves puddles. There's nothing extraordinary about that. Most 1 year olds do. But I love the expression on her face when she's splashing in them. I feel like a kid again when I wear rain boots.

And slowly but surely our snow is melting away and spring is coming.

If you've stopped by, please share your moment in the comments. Thanks!

Yarn Along (#9)

2011-03-16T09:26:00.000-04:00

My reading has fallen by the wayside lately in favor of knitting. But I'm not really knitting all the time. Let's be honest, I've been playing way too much Fruit Ninja on our iPad. Talk about addicting. Who would think that slicing fruit with your finger on a screen would be so satisfying?

This week I'm reading Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard and I'm knitting the Confection Baby Shrug by Tanya Wagner. I skimmed the entire Custom Knits this weekend and found lots of beautiful sweater patterns and helpful information about customizing them. (I've wanted to knit Ingenue for a while, and I fell in love with Tang while reading this weekend.) I think this book is one I will return to a lot.

After spending a couple of weeks knitting the cabled sweater for my daughter and the hats for my new Lucia Hat pattern, it's so nice to follow someone else's pattern and not have to proof it as I go. The Confection Baby Shrug is a quick and easy knit and I think it will go perfectly with my daughter's Easter dress. In 2 nights I managed to knit the body of the shrug and now just have the two arms left.

I'm using Knitpicks organic cotton and my stitch gauge is right on, but my row gauge is too big. I'm just hoping that it shrinks up lengthwise a bit once I wash it. I've read that it will, but I was too lazy to make a gauge swatch for myself. So I'm crossing my fingers.

Thanks to Ginny at small things for hosting another Yarn Along. I'd love to see what you're reading and knitting.

inspired Monday: in which we discuss Pi

2011-03-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

::PART 1::

(this is the 1^st of a 2 part post which I hope will help designers to calculate yardage requirements for hats)

I'm inspired this week by π (or pi or 3.14). Today is 3/14, and I'm not the only one observing this quasi-holiday. I had every intention of baking a lemon meringue pie for today, but our Girl Scout cookie order arrived and, well, we're swamped in treats.

Just last week, I had to google how to calculate the area of a circle, and I was reminded of the formula pi times radius squared. I'm a complete math nerd and seeing the formula made me wonder how I ever forgot it because it's really so simple.

I wanted to know how to calculate the area of a circle because I was trying to estimate how many yards of yarn it would take to knit each size of the Lucia Hat pattern that I'm designing.

To do this, I need to start with two questions:

How many square inches are there in the sample hat I knit?
How many yards of yarn does it take to knit 1 square inch of the hat?

To answer the 1st question, I need to use some geometry to turn my hat into simple shapes so that I can calculate the area—or square inches—of each shape.

So let's answer Question 1 first.

How many square inches are in my sample hat size?

Let's imagine that the hat, laying flat and 2-dimensional, is made up of rectangles and a circle. (It's not perfect, but it's close enough for our purposes.)

Area of a rectangle (square inches) = height x width.

Area of circle (square inches) = 3.14 x radius x radius

The circumference of the hat I knit was 14."5. So if the hat were laying flat, the width would be 7.25", or half of the circumference. The height of the rectangle is 4.1", which includes all of my knitting from the bottom of the hat up until I begin my decreases.

The area of that rectangle is 7.25 x 4.1 or 29.725 square inches. The bottom of the hat is essentially 2 rectangles, so I can double that figure to make 59.45 square inches.

The top of the hat (the portion made up of all of the decrease rounds) is a circle. The circle at the top of the hat has a radius of 2.6" (this is the distance from where the decreases began to the center of the hat). So the area of the circle is 3.14 x 2.6 x 2.6, or 21.25 square inches.

The total number of square inches in the hat are then 59.45 + 21.25 = 81 square inches (I rounded up).

Now let's answer Question 2: How many yards of yarn does it take to knit 1 square inch of the hat?

I first need to know how many yards it took me to knit this sample hat. The hat weighed 1 ounce. And the yarn I used is 250 yards per 4 ounces. So I set up a formula like this and solved for Y:

250 yards / 4 ounces = Y yards / 1 ounce

250 x 1 = 4 x Y

250 ÷ 4 = Y

Y = 62.5

So a 1 ounce hat contains 63 yards of yarn.

How do you figure out how many yards of yarn are in each square inch? I know that it took 63 yards for me to knit the hat which is 81 square inches. So,

63 yards ÷ 81 square inches = .77 yards per square inch.

In Part 2, which I'll next Monday, I'll show you how to take this information and estimate yardage requirements for each size of a hat you're designing.

I'd love to hear your comments on this post--is it helpful, confusing, or what? Thanks!

{this moment}

2011-03-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

From soulemama:

Yarn Along (#8)

2011-03-09T12:26:00.000-05:00

Last week while at the library, I spotted a book on the shelf that looked familiar from someone's Yarn Along post last week. I borrowed the book and realized when I got home that Ginny (who hosts these Yarn Alongs) had been reading it with her children. My oldest child loves this book. She wakes up in the morning and the first thing she wants to do is read it. We're staying up late too, just to read more.

This week I'm knitting a sample for my Lucia Hat pattern. I'm making this one for my daughters and I'm knitting with Becoming Art's "Neverland" colorway. I'm enjoying knitting with this yarn because of the beautiful shifts in color that happen every few stitches or so.

I've made good progress on the sweater I was knitting last week but took a few days off to finish this hat. I've only got 1 1/2 sleeves left to go, and now that I'm done cabling, those are knitting up quickly.

What are you knitting and reading?

inspired Monday

2011-03-07T20:54:00.000-05:00

I listened to an interesting podcast while knitting last week and, for the life of me, I can't remember its name. The podcast was about blogging and planning ahead. It got me thinking about something I could write about on a regular basis. One thing I'm interested in looking into is what inspires me, as a designer and knitter. I'd also like to hear what inspires you in your life.

Today it's the weather. Since Saturday we've had spring-like weather. Temperatures in the 40's, grey skies, melting snow, rain. I've brought out my rain boots and think I can retire my winter boots.

But this afternoon things took a turn toward winter again. After being warm and rainy this morning, temperatures dropped and it started to snow. As I waited for my daughter at the bus stop, I watched the water running underneath the edges of the ice on the side of the road. It was so cold that I immediately wanted something warm and soft. I thought about this yarn.

At about an hour before sundown tonight, the sky turned this color. It turned everything in the house a pale but glowing shade of pink.

This Quince yarn has just the slightest touch of something in it that makes it neither cream nor pink. It exists in a place in between.

I wanted to immediately knit myself a warm chunky cowl. So I've sketched a design and now it sits in my notebook until I can work through some of the other projects I've got going on right now.

Yarn Along (#7)

2011-03-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

I missed last week's Yarn Along...and I had been doing so well the previous six weeks. My children were home last week for school vacation and it wasn't happening. I missed writing about what I was reading. I also really missed reading everyone else's blogs.

So this week I'm reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I'm embarrassed to say that I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. I'm also embarrassed to say (since I have my Master's in Literature) that I have never before read anything by Jane Austen. I'm in love with the movie Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee. It's one of the few movies in my life that I've willingly watched more than once. I enjoyed the movie Pride and Prejudice. And generally I never like a movie as much as the novel on which it was based. So I figured that I'd love this novel. But my brain, at night when I read, is struggling to make sense of 19th century prose. I may just put this novel aside for a while and come back to it later when I'm less sleep deprived.

I got my Spring 2011 copy of Interweave Knits yesterday and have loved looking through that.

I'm knitting my daughter a sweater with Madelinetosh Vintage and this is by far one of the most lovely yarns I have ever knit with. My daughter wanted a sweater the color of the sky, and this color is named "Windowpane." The sweater is knitting up quickly and it's a design that I'm working on as I go. I swore that I'd never knit a cabled sweater, but ever since I learned how to cable without a cable needle, I'm sold on cables. I'm still not sure about what to do with the sleeves?, and do I make a hood or not?, and what about pockets?, but I'll come to those questions as I get there.

You can join Ginny's Yarn Along on her blog. Feel free to leave a comment with a link to your contribution because I love reading everyone else's.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade...

2011-02-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

when the sky sends you freezing rain, make ice cream sandwiches. (Knitting seems obvious here, but you can do that after you eat.)

Ok, that's a bit of a stretch. But curl up on the couch with an afghan and some warm socks and one of these ice cream sandwiches, and I promise they'll make you happy.

Before Christmas, I went a little nuts baking cookies. I have my standard favorites that I like to make every year, and this year my husband requested pizzelles. I've only made them once before and in my mind, I was thinking they were difficult and a lot of work. But as I got going, I realized they're very easy and totally worth it.

We're lucky to have my husband's grandmother's pizzelle maker from the 1960's.

I used Giada DeLaurentis' Pizzelle recipe. It's a super easy recipe that I can hand mix in one bowl. She suggests making ice cream sandwiches with them by slicing up a pint of ice cream and placing a slice of ice cream between 2 cookies.

For every year of my childhood that I can remember, my family had a Friendly's Jubilee Roll at dessert for Christmas. We always had homemade stuff too, but that's the dessert I remember. In the past couple of years, I've been buying them myself because it reminds me of those really wonderful times and my family laughs when I bring it out. But everyone has a piece too.

So this year, I cut up the Friendly's Jubilee roll, and placed it between 2 pizelles. It was heaven!

Now I realize we're well past Christmas, but I made these again this weekend and they were as good as I remembered them.

this moment (or something like it)

2011-02-18T21:07:00.000-05:00

On Fridays, soulemama blogs {this moment}: in her words "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

I've been seeing these posts on her blogs, and others inspired by hers for a while now, and I'm finally joining in.

And I love Waldorfmama's spin on it: adding the things she's grateful for.

So here's mine:

I know I'm not supposed to add any words, but what I'll remember from this day is not just the peacefulness of walking by the ocean on a warm winter day. It'll also be that my 4 year old fell into a tidal pool and had a complete meltdown because she couldn't figure out whether she wanted to stay on the beach in her soaking wet clothes or go home. And that as I packed us all into the car, I could hear the words to Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" in my head. Because we seem to leave a fair number of places going down in one.

Here's what I'm thankful for:
An unusually warm day in February that gave us a reprieve from winter and hope for spring
Living close enough to the beach that we can go whenever we please
Having observant children who found this heart shaped rock wedged into one of the bigger rocks
A daughter who has so much energy and passion inside of her that sometimes she doesn't know what to do with herself

If you'd like, share a link to your moment.

Yarn Along (#6)

2011-02-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

I'm still reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver this week. The book has convinced me to give up all industrially raised meat and dairy. And it's made me aware of where the produce I'm buying comes from. I really appreciate her desire to create a food culture for her family. Cooking was important in both of my parents' families, and my mom's parents grew their own vegetables. They had a huge raised bed that took up most of their backyard and their beans used to grow up the side of the house and onto the roof. I remember very vividly their basement cabinets filled with all of the pickles, beans, beets, and tomatoes they had canned themselves. My Dad still talks about how good my grandmother's pickles were.

This week I'm also reading the knitters handy book of sweater patterns by Ann Budd. I'm starting to put together my idea for my daughter's sweater and the book is providing some useful sizing guidelines and ways of shaping the sweater.

The sweater I'm knitting for myself is just about done. I'm hoping one more week!

I listened to this interesting broadcast on the program On Point yesterday on NPR: "The Resurgence of Knitting." Good to listen to while knitting, of course.

And thanks to Ginny for hosting another Yarn Along on her blog this week.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is about Valentine's Day, but I have a serious weakness for paper heart doilies. I bought a bunch this year for my daughters to use in making their Valentine's cards.

We spent yesterday doing most of our Valentine's Day prep. Chocolate dipped strawberries for my daughter's preschool class, heart shaped watermelon cutouts for my other daughter's class party, heart shaped red velvet cakes with cream cheese frosting for our dessert tonight. Nothing too original, but my kids love it and that's all that matters.

And this little treat showed up on my doorstep today. Not a present, but I've been waiting anxiously for it ever since last week. And it's stunning, just like I'd hoped it would be. I'm promising myself that I won't touch it until I've finished knitting the sweater I started a year ago. Only 4 inches or so left. I hope I can hold out!

and the winner is...

2011-02-14T13:36:00.000-05:00

Twig and Toadstool!

Thank you for entering the blog giveaway. The Give Thanks Mitten pattern and a skein of Lamb's Pride worsted in the Cranberry Swirl colorway will soon be on their way to you!

can I sell finished objects made from a Pumpkin Pie Baby pattern?

2011-02-12T09:49:00.001-05:00

The issues of copyright and licensing are often thorny and sometimes even contentious when it comes to knitting patterns. The issue of whether crafters can knit and sell items made from a pattern not of their own design is especially confusing. I've been giving this particular issue some thought recently, and this is what I've decided.

I'm happy to have crafters hand knit finished objects from my patterns to sell, make for charity, or trade. I only ask that you please provide credit to me in your listing by including the pattern name, that it was designed by Pumpkin Pie Baby, and a link to my blog. Thank you!

This pertains only to patterns that I sell directly through my Ravelry store or Hyena Cart store. This does not pertain to my patterns that are published by others.

(Let me add that I don't know for certain what is legally permitted regarding sale of finished items from a knitting pattern--some say it's legally permitted while others say no--but this is where I stand on my patterns only. I respect that some other designers offer licensing for their patterns and my decision is not a commentary on any of their business decisions. I think many knitters agree, however, that it is common courtesy to give credit where credit is due.)

The issue of copyright as it pertains to the actual written instructions is less confusing and there is more agreement about what it means. I ask that you not copy a pattern you have purchased from me for free (to give to others to use) or to sell to others. Copies for your own personal use are fine. I also ask that you not copy my written instructions and distribute them under your own name as your own design.

When I first started knitting and selling hand knits online, I benefited from designers who said it was OK to knit and sell items made from their patterns. Being able to knit and sell items for sale helped me grow as a knitter to the point that I was finally able to design and write patterns of my own. For me, I feel it's only fair that I pass that on.

Yarn Along (#5)

2011-02-09T12:56:00.000-05:00

I don't know if it's because I've been participating in Ginny's Yarn Alongs, or if I've just gotten lucky with my reading choices, but I've been reading a lot lately and enjoying what I'm reading.

This week I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. She and her family commit to a year of eating locally. This book has given me much to think about. Eating locally and organically is already part of my family's consciousness. We have switched over to organic when buying meat and, with some planning and effort, we could easily also be purchasing locally. We buy organic produce when we can. In the summer we frequent our farmer's market whenever possible. I absolutely agree with Kingsolver that local food tastes better. To me, there is nothing better than a ripe tomato in August. I can't stomach "fresh" tomatoes any other time of the year, but a tomato in August is something.

I'm only a quarter of the way into her book, but it's already got me thinking differently about how we could eliminate some things from our diets (blueberries in winter that have been flown in from South America) but replace them with frozen blueberries that we picked fresh in the summer. We've got an abundance of those here in July.

And least I forget what I'm knitting...well, see that sad little bag nestled between my nightstand and dresser. That sweater has suffered from inattention for at least a month now. And aside from the one night of attention I gave it a month ago, it had been months before that.

I started this Rosamund Sweater last January--2010. (It's in the first picture above.) I'm still only half way done. I'm hoping I can focus just on this sweater this week. I'd love to be able to wear it this spring.

And my daughter wants a cardigan and I've got an idea for it, so I'm looking through Barbara Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns for some inspiration.

New pattern and blog giveaway!

2011-02-07T14:08:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to be releasing my fourth design--the Give Thanks Mittens pattern--next week. The pattern includes instructions for four sizes: infant (which are thumbless), 1-2 years, 3-4 years, and 5-7 years. These mittens are knit in the round, by magic looping, and have a slip stitch pattern that creates a thick fabric to keep hands warm.

I'm very thankful for the knitters who helped me test knit the pattern, and I'll post more about them later on.

The pattern will be available next Tuesday, February 15th on Ravelry and in my Hyena Cart store.

But here's the fun stuff. I'd love to give away a copy of my newest pattern (either a .pdf or printed copy, your choice) along with a skein of Lamb's Pride worsted in Cranberry Swirl (color represented in the middle picture above) to one of my blog readers. Each person who leaves a comment for this post will be entered to win once. To enter more than once, you can do any of the following things:

1) Follow or subscribe to my blog. Make sure to leave another comment letting me know you've done that.
2) "Like" Pumpkin Pie Baby on Facebook and leave me another comment here letting me know you did that.
3) Comment on another blog post of mine. Then comment on this blog post about your other post. Sounds redundant, I know, but it'll help me keep your entries straight!

Please make sure in your comment that you've included a way for me to contact you if you win.

You've got until Monday, February 14th at 12PM EST to enter. When I've received all the entries, I'll enter the comment numbers into a random number generator and that person will win.

Good luck and thanks for reading!

Yarn Along (#4)

2011-02-02T13:39:00.000-05:00

I'm joining Ginny at small things for another Yarn Along. This is my fourth so far, and I'm enjoying the glimpse into other people's reading and knitting lives.

I'm working on another pair of Low Tide Convertible Mittens for my cousin. She asked for 2 pairs and sent along 2 kinds of yarn. This week's pair is knit with Mochi Plus, a heavy worsted weight 80% merino/20% nylon blend. It's super soft and has long color runs, so the mitts have these wide stripes of color that easily flow from one to the next. This picture isn't the best at showing those colors, but I'll post more pics once I'm finished.

Last week I posted that I was reading The Trial by Kafka on my Nook. But later that day I was notified that the digital copy I had requested through my library of The Help by Kathryn Stockett was ready for me to download. Once the book becomes available, you only have 3 days to download it and then 14 days to read it. This book is easy to read and I've already read over 350 pages this week. I'm hoping I can finish it by tomorrow.

This morning I also pulled out our copy of FamilyFun Boredom Busters. We're on our third snow day in as many weeks and I was looking for activities to keep us busy today. The book provided instructions for making a catamaran for dolls out of two 1 liter bottles. The girls begged me to make it, and they then spent the better part of an hour sailing their dolls around the tub and giving each of their dolls and ponies a bath.

I had hopes of us all playing outside this afternoon, but it's sleeting right now. We're supposed to get between 12 and 18 inches of snow today. It's a winter wonderland outside...stay warm!

lining a mitten with fleece

2011-02-01T14:20:00.001-05:00

One of the most satisfying things about knitting, to me, is that my children love to wear the things I knit for them.

I made my daughter this pair of mittens a year and a half ago, and she's worn them a lot. Several times a week, during the fall, winter and spring.

Last winter she asked me to line them with fleece. I went to the store, bought the fleece, and the fleece has sat, unused, in my closet since then. Lately she's been asking me again to line them with fleece. It's been in the teens here so her hands get cold quickly. And when she plays in the snow, her mittens get wet quickly too. I finally decided yesterday morning to just do it.

It was a lot easier than I thought.

I traced her mitten onto a piece of paper and cut that out to use as my template.

I pinned the paper mitten onto fleece that had been doubled up, and then I cut the fabric.

Using my sewing machine, I sewed the two pieces of fleece together (wrong sides facing each other), with about a 1/4 inch seam allowance, maybe a bit less.

I then tucked the fleece mitten into the knitted one and, using a coordinating thread, hand sewed the cuff of the fleece mitten into the cuff of the knitted mitten. The white arrows indicate where I sewed the fleece onto the cuff--for the most part, it's pretty hard to see the thread at all.

When she put the mitten on last night, she said, "Ahhh, it's like having a blanket for my hand."

I'm sure there are better ways to do this, but I'm not an experienced sewer, and part of why it's taken me so long to do this project is that I wanted it to be perfect. (They're not perfect, but I finally just decided it would be good enough.)

Both of my grandmothers had a lot of experience sewing, and I wish they were still around to offer guidance and advice. But I did inherit my grandmother Rita's sewing things. I even have some of my husband's grandmother's too. Here's a picture of some of the thread I got from them.
I wonder how old some of this is? 15 cents for a wooden spool of thread?

I'm making things for my daughters with things that belonged to their great-grandmothers. And for me, that's why handmade always comes back to nurturing a sense of connection.

Yarn Along (#3)

2011-01-26T14:51:00.008-05:00

I'm joining Ginny at small things for another Yarn Along.

(My pictures this week look a lot like last week's. I promise they're different. The most important difference for me is that I ate all the chocolate eggs I had last week and now I have none left.)

I finally finished The Woman in White earlier this week. I started this book back in late September/early October, and I finally finished it!

This week I'm starting Franz Kafka's The Trial. I'm trying to read classics that I haven't had the chance to read before.

I'm still working on the pair of Low Tide Convertible Mitts that I'm making for my cousin. When I designed the pattern, I didn't think to design a thumb that could flip back. But the more I thought about my cousin, the more I realized that she probably texts, and so she'd need that. I knit the thumb as though it were for a pair of fingerless mitts, and I added a cap. I worked on one thumb last night and I'm finishing up the second today. I'll just then have to knit the mitten caps onto both hands.

snow day

2011-01-21T16:11:00.003-05:00

No time for knitting when there's a driveway to shovel!

Yarn Along (#2)

2011-01-19T12:53:00.004-05:00

Joining Ginny at Small Things for another Yarn Along...

Growing up, I read all the time. As an adult with children, I rarely have time to read anymore. I only have time to read at night, so I try to read as I'm going to bed but usually fall asleep quickly. I just zoomed into last week's Yarn Along picture to see what kind of progress I'd made on The Woman in White, and I've discovered that I only read 32 pages in 1 week. At this rate, I have about another 3 weeks on this book.

My cousin asked me to knit her a pair of the convertible mittens I designed. She sent me the yarn and I jumped right on the Dream in Color "Some Summer Sky" colorway. It was such a treat to find this beautiful blue (with splashes of purple) yarn in my mailbox, especially when summer skies are still a long way off. I finished the first part of one mitten last night, and I've just cast on for the second today.

My head is in a fog today and I was craving chocolate. I was just about to raid my children's little stash of chocolates from Christmas (terrible, I know--but they got so much and they've forgotten about most of it), when I found the Cadbury Mini Eggs my husband put in my Christmas stocking. These are by far my favorite candies. I look forward to these things all year. He won't tell me whether he saved these from last year or found them in the stores right before Christmas. My guess, based on last year's experience, is that they're already in the stores. While the commercialization of holidays drives me up a wall, I'm willing to forgive it in this instance, as long as I can get my mini eggs.

Yarn Along

2011-01-12T16:15:00.005-05:00

I'm in the middle of testing a new mitten pattern that I've designed. One of my testers, who blogs here and who dyes gorgeous yarn at Sweet Basil Fibre Works on Etsy, recently posted as part of a yarn along. I'd never heard of a Yarn Along before, but some searching brought me to the blog Small Things.

A Yarn Along is a single photo that captures what you're reading and knitting or crocheting right now. When I took my pictures today, I forgot about the "single photo" concept. So here's my 2:

I'm reading The Woman in White, published in 1860 by Wilkie Collins, and have been since September when I got my Nook. I had to take a break from this book to read another, which I'm hoping explains why I'm moving so painfully slow on this one. I'm really enjoying this novel.

I'm knitting a Tickle Hat designed by Kristi Pyatt of Tree Frog Knits. This is the third Tickle Hat that I've knit in undyed organic cotton. I love that Knitpicks named this undyed yarn "Marshmallow." The picture below is of an earlier hat I knit.

a room of one's own

2011-01-10T15:45:00.007-05:00

I last read Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own as an undergrad. I forget the particulars of the book, but her argument that women need a space for themselves to create has always stayed with me. She believed that a woman could have written classics, like Shakespeare did, if only she'd had her own space. (As an aside, I'm sure her argument was more complex than that, but this is what I remember 15 years later.) I'm not trying to write Shakespeare. I'm just trying to knit.

I've been working on 2 designs in the last few weeks. I've got notes spread all over my desk, pieces of knitting scattered about my room, and more thoughts in my head than I can keep track of. My desk is in the bedroom I share with my husband, and my kids have free reign of our room. That means that my notes get moved about, my pattern notes get scribbled on, my pattern notes get cut into tiny pieces with preschool scissors, my knitting gets moved down the hall and stashed under someone's bed. In my zeal to declutter one day--given that my bedroom gets covered in kids' drawings, books, toys, shoes, clothes--I tossed a pattern I had written, but not yet typed into the computer, into the recycling. I still don't have the energy to recreate that one.

I daydream about having a space that's all mine. In my head, I sometimes "convert" our shed into a little one room studio with a wood stove, some curtains, a desk and a chair.

In my head, I sometimes build us a barn with studio space above. Or build a third floor onto the top of our house with a little staircase and a door with a key that only I have.

In my head, I sometimes think about a house for sale in our old neighborhood that had a bay window in front and shade trees in the back.

In reality, my desk is a mess, I have a hard time keeping track of my needles and notes, and it takes me 5 times longer to do something than it should. Until I'm able to take over the shed out back, this is how it'll have to be.

a little something sort of silly

2010-12-20T14:48:00.004-05:00

I'm not much of a tea drinker. Coffee is definitely more my thing. But I do love tea in the winter, and it got cold surprisingly fast this year. (I keep hoping it's going to warm up soon and, when I tell people this, they look at me funny because it's December and we live in Maine.) I bought myself a teapot last year and found myself wanting to knit a teapot cosy. I don't know where this want came from. But I wanted a quick and easy project to work on this weekend and so I found some scrap yarn in my stash and cast on.

The pattern is Teapot Cosy by Alexis Layton. The pattern is free, very well written, and start to finish the entire project took me under 2 hours.

I'm in love with my little teapot sweater. While I don't know that it will actually keep my tea warmer longer, it will at least keep my hands from getting burned when I hold the teapot. And just looking at it makes me feel a bit warmer.