By Brienne

Quick and Easy Knitting

I've had this sweet little set finished and waiting in the wings for some time. I finished the cowl last summer on our camping trip. And I finished most of the sweater too. For some reason, though, it's been languishing in my basket almost finished for months. 

 It's all that it's cracked up to be: warm, squishy and super quick to knit. If you're still thinking about knitting a wee person something for the holidays - this one could be accomplished with relative ease. The pattern comes with a cowl and a beret too. It'd be fun to add to over time. It's difficult for me not to just order up the yarn in every palette:) 

The dress she's wearing is her favorite to date. It stings to see how short it's gotten. I made it for her last year to wear to the Nutcracker, which she'll be attending again this year. I used my Mother's Day gift certificate to finally order my first Liberty fabric and if it arrives today I think that I just might have to make her another dress to commemorate the occasion. 

I'll be joining the knitters and readers today over at the Small Things blog and at Frontier Dreams to share this project. Part of the charge for the knitalong is to share what we've been reading. I have been sewing and knitting for sale quite a bit these days, taking a break only to work on these sweet little softies (squeal!). It makes reading the printed word difficult. I have been listening though, a lot. Most recently I finished The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. And I'm loving the Woolful Podcast.

What are you working on and reading? Please do tell. I'm in the mood for some fresh books. 

Big Wool Time

Of all the things that I make, these are my favorite. 

From the winding to the weaving, working with this yarn is truly a thrill. 

Each skein is different. And each hat has a different look from every curve. Plus the wool is slightly felted, making the hats very, very warm. They are worn year-round in our household and are loved by us all. 

Is there anything more cheerful this time of year than a little scampering along a forest path in a pointed hat?

I knitted up three of these this weekend in between trips out to the woods to see the fresh snow. I simply couldn't help myself. It's time for knitting on big wool. 

 

I haven't been reading in earnest because my hands have otherwise been very busy updating my little shop (where you can find all of the hats pictured here). But I have been listening a whole lot. Right now, I am finishing up Elizabeth Gilbert's novel, The Signature of All Things , which turned out to be a very compelling read. In addition, I cannot get enough of Sarah Koenig's new podcast Serial. 

Joining my reading and knitting friends over on the Small Things blog today and checking in with Frontier Dreams too. 

Please do tell, what are you reading and working on these days?

Lilac Livie Sweater

I know, those aren't lilacs. They are lupines. We spent the morning chasing the season's last lupines. And we found them. Still handsome and in their prime near the cool lake shore. I think that we'll go to them again tomorrow. 

I officially finished a version of Maddermade's Livie Sweater over the weekend. I had to pry it away from my sweet girl while she slept because, as I mentioned last week, she was already wearing it with only one sleeve - its unwoven ends trailing behind her like kite strings. 

I'm really excited about this pattern. I adore it's modern shape, it's unique technique for raglan shaping, it's long garter cuffs. This will most definitely not be the last Livie that I knit. I'm plotting a scrap cardi in stripes to follow this one up. I may size up next time but I'm really happy with how this one fits. My Ravelry notes are here. The antler button was made by my Grandpa. 

I talked about Miss Dandelion Doe, her doll, over here. And about her shirt here. 

In the spirit of keeping up with the Small Things readers and knitters, this week I finished listening to Behind the Beautiful Forevers. 

The book wasn't at all what I expected. The writing is spare in comparision to other books that I have read about India, which seem to go to great pains to describe the beauty of the culture and countryside. In her own words, Katherine Boo found slumdwellers to be "neither mythic or pathetic [and] certainly not passive. They improvis[ed], often ingeniously, in pursuit of the new economic possibilities of the twenty-first century (249)."

It was important to the author not to sensationalize experiences that would be shocking to Westerners. She focused on the economy in the Annawadi slum during the period before and after America's recession. Because the book's focus was narrow and because the author chose not to decorate the narrative with metaphors, readers will, I think, come away from the book with an academically influenced understanding of the economics of this particular slum. 

It is an important read, though not an easy one. It is redundant-seeming at times but not because the author is artless, the style of the book reflects Mumbai's culture which is complex and layered. 

What are you reading and knitting on?

Stitching Softies ala Posie Gets Cozy

This is Miss Dandelion Doe. She is one of four new kits available for sale from Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy. 

She is being called by her full, formal name in our household and is, according to the boy, in desperate need of a brother/husband (he makes no distinction between the two). 

I've gotten softie kits before, not many but a couple and never actually pursued them to the finish. Alicia's kits, though, well there's some kind of magic in the little package. No detail has been spared. The head, ears and limbs were all so carefully drawn. The nose is just the right, slightly rounded shape. The legs are springy and long - just as they should be. 

The project comes together relatively quickly but I wanted to take my time. It was important to me that the shapes not be compromised by greedy, bulbous knots at the ends. And the little creature captured the hearts of my littles almost immediately. I wanted them to join in the fun.

I did all of the stitching this time, although my daughter was desperate to get the needle in her hands and next time I will relent. She did all of the stuffing. And after doing so, unable to wait for me to stitch limbs to the body, the kids played with her undressed and with one leg for a whole weekend:) 

The instructions provided with the kit are complete and easy to understand. But my experience with the blanket stitch and with sewing softies together by hand is limited. Plus it always helps me to have a couple of references to use when I'm trying something new.

Wool Foods Mama's  Toy Maker University Series includes a three part tutorial dedicated to making felt toys using the blanket stitch, starting with a simple project and working up to a very cool playscape at the end. I referred to this a couple of times while I was making Miss Dandelion Doe, particularly the part about beginning, ending and going around corners. 

The most difficult part of the project, for me, was the tiny clothes making.The kit came with a beautiful Liberty Lawn, which I waited to cut into. I wanted to make a muslin first. For this dress, I used Riley Blake's Swiss Dots in Gray, leftover from some the sewing that I did for the Squam sale.

The reason that the sewing is difficult on the tiny hems is that because the pieces are small, the machine has little chance to gain purchase. If you start sewing the seam too close to the edge, the fabric might get eaten up. I staystitched the curves and hems to get a good pressing line and worked slowly and carefully throughout.  I held onto both of the needle's threads when I began a seam and even tugged a bit at the fabric on both sides of the presser foot as I sewed.

I made her boots out of scraps that I had leftover from this tote and others like it. 

Her shawl is not perfect - a friend once told me, though, that each project should contain a "spirit stitch". That is, evidence of the human who made it. So I finished the shawl anyway and tied it on:) There was enough yarn in the kit to make one that was maybe even double the size - I may make a larger one next time. 

Once she was done, the kids and I thought that Miss Doe needed a quilt. Quilt making is also on my list this summer. I've now made three tops but have yet to finish any of them! So I used this opportunity to make a sort of swatch quilt out of some catnap scraps that I had left over also from the Squam sale. Plus a bit of Nani Iro fabric from my daughter's dress in STYLO magazine. 

Best project ever! And the most loved by my littles project ever. Longest post ever...

Joining Nicole and company over here today:)

Joining the Small Things readers and knitters today too and in honor of that - a brief plug for one of the best books that I have ever read, ahem listened too... Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward was the National Book Award winner in 2011. The book is about a family in the weeks before Hurricane Katrina. The subject matter is dark but the story is so beautifully written. I could not stop listening to it. And although I chose it in order to better acquaint myself with contemporary southern authors, I soon forgot about that and became completely absorbed in the beauty of the language and in the pure, whole-hearted relationships between the siblings. In my opinion, it is a must read. 

Let them be.

I finished up some knitting last week, a quick Barley cap to block out the balance of the winter cold.  

The snow turned into rain. 

This transition was a thrill for the littles. They couldn't wait to try their limbs out in this new medium. 

This is how we wash away the winter. 

I've been mulling over this article in the Atlantic all week... Have you read it? 

I always fret about, well everything. But parenting in particular. While I fret, they grow. Scratching out meaning on their own. 

If you need an extra dose of funny this week, be sure to give this hilarious short story your ear: We are Fine Parents  by John Jodzio. 

What are you working on?

Joining Frontier Dreams readers today. Thanks to Nicole for hosting:)

This is How You Lose Her

Here's a little sewing room sneak peek. I'm putting some gorgeous fabric from Frances to work as I'm heavy into some sewing for sale these days in anticipation of the summer craft fair season. 

This one is going to be tough to let go, though... 

In the wee hours of the morning and late at night, I am still knitting up a storm. My guy needed a hat for spring training and I've had a hankering to make one of the Barley's for a long time. 

I'm joining the Small Things readers today to share what I'm reading and knitting and it's a good thing because boy am I eager to talk about Junot Diaz's most recent novel. Have you heard of this guy? I hadn't read anything of his before, though I had meant to read The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao and never got to it. 

Awhile ago, though, I caught this interview with Diaz and Kerri Miller. Now, I am one of those weirdos that has NPR kind of droning on endlessly in the background while I'm working, eating, cleaning - you name it. I do tend to shut it down when my kids are around because, well, it can be so totally violent and depressing. Anyway, when I caught Diaz talking about women, I sat right down and sobbed. His interview was funny and informative but really moving too. I had to get this book on  my book club's list. 

It did not dissapoint. And how could it with that title? The book was vivid and painful, impactful - what else can I say? Having been born and raised in Northern Minnesota, I'm not terribly familiar with Latin American culture so I was very curious about this book. I do have a veracious appetite for social history and although this is a work of fiction, I think you could argue that it addresses some very real life gender issues. Not to mention a story about immigrant experience in America that is so often glazed over. 

I'd encourage you to give a listen to his interview - it's eye opening. The book took him 16 years to write, yet it's relatively short and well worth your attention in my opinion. I listened to the audiobook version and was thrilled to learn that Diaz, himself would be the one reading. 

Please, tell me - what are you stitching on and reading?

Earflap Hat and Girls in the Woods

When I was a wee girl, I was shy. And I liked to spend all of my time reading. I remember reading everything and all of the time. My son is doing it now. Every new sound he can see let's him into a world that he was excluded from previously. Shampoo bottles, road signs, tags in clothing all have new and curious meanings. 

For me, with adolescese came impatience and a creeping sense that reading and pretending just for the fun of it were not the normal things to do. I was self-consious and nervous. Around this time, I met a once-in-a-lifetime friend whose family raised sled dogs and lived primitively in the woods without indoor plumbing or television. Her name was the same as a slain lover in a Johnny Cash tune and was therefore much weirder than mine and hard to pronounce too. We were natural allies. I escaped with her as often as I could. 

We were brave while we drug buckets of water and food through the snow toward the howling, wriggling dogs. We slept in down sleeping bags that kept out the subzero temperatures. We woke with frost on our noses and dressed by the woodstove. And it couldn't have been more perfect. Adolescent superficiality was meaningless there, where there were real-life adventures to be found in the snow-covered pines and on the back of a sled pulled by dogs. 

Knitting, sewing, sketching - handmaking of any kind is connecting me again to the kind of quiet work that I did when I was a little kid. Eowyn Ivey's novel reminded me of who I was as a young woman in the woods. 

I will not spoil it for you here because if you haven't read it, I think that you should. If you're curious about its content, I shared an excerpt from the book  here. And if you do decide to read it, I hope that you'll share it with your nieces and daughters. There are some fierce women in this tale. I think you'll agree that they deserve a spot in your imagination. 

This is my son in the photos. His hat is the Garter Ear Flap Hat from the Purl Bee. Full Ravelry notes are here. I'm joining the Small Things readers and knitters today. Head on over there for some very inspiring knitting and book recommendations galore:)

Reading: Lena Corwin's Made by Hand

 

 

 

I have my marching orders. In order to be ready to contribute a few pieces to a holiday gift fair, I need to get sewing.

However, I received a beautiful new crafty book in the mail this week and promptly abandoned the work that will soon be due. 

 

Lena Corwin's book is beautiful and inspiring. The projects can be done simply and affordably. Like Maya Donenfeld's Reinvention, Made by Hand encourages readers to forge their own path. A recipe for drafting garment patterns from Wiksten's Jenny Gordy caught my attention right away. 

I really wanted to work on some women's garments. I can't wait to try that out! But, reluctant to cease the production of the "things I should be sewing"  for too long, I opted to experiment with drafting patterns for my children's dolls. 

In two evenings I was able to crank out an outfit each for their babies plus a couple of little hats. 

 

Please excuse the creepy photos of these weird babies... My kids do have a beautiful Waldorf doll that I purchased here, but for some reason also have an affection to these others that have been handed down to them. Yikes. 

 

My kids were thrilled and I feel a new sense of confidence having drawn up the patterns myself based on the instructions in Corwin's book. Now back to work!