Winter Walk

We have been having some wicked cold weather around here.  We have had the same snow for weeks and are eagerly awaiting some fresh snow!  We want to have a snow day and build a snowman. It is too cold for snowmen now. The snow is dry and powdery and doesn't stick together.

Yesterday, we enjoyed a quick walk to the frozen lake.

Our house project is moving along slowly. We are still in the demolition stage. Some flooring came up yesterday and one wall in the stairwell came down before that.

If you were wondering - plaster dust gets in EVERYTHING. Even when you close doors to the demolition area. The entire house filled with a cloud of plaster dust. I cleaned up a lot of it but I think I'll wait until the rest of the  plaster that needs to come down is removed before doing much more.

Thoughtful Sunday

"The whole world had changed. Only the fairy tales remained the same."

Number the Stars, Lois Lowry, 1989.

Gratitude

I am grateful for even the smallest glimpse of the sun in the winter.

Handspun Handknit

This little doll sweater was knit as a sample for Chris's Blue Faced Leicester roving. It was a real pleasure to spin this fiber and the yarn turned out very soft. I split the roving lengthwise into fourths before spinning. This is what it looked like before I started.

P loves this sweater. The pattern is for an 18 inch American Girls style doll but she was thrilled when we discovered that it also fits her doll. She has seen me knit two of these sweaters that were not for her. Both sweaters have been mailed away.

I am sure you can guess what I did last night.

I spun some yarn for a sweater for little miss Petunia's doll.

I don't know when I'll get that next sweater knit.

A mother's work is never done.

Thoughtful Sunday

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank, 1952.

Pie Day

I seem to learn a lot of things on flickr these days. I checked in this morning and learned that today is National Pie Day. So, naturally I made a pie.

Put it on your calendars for next year. January 23 - National Pie Day.If you're quick you still have time to make a pie tonight!I mixed up a pie crust and used this easy recipe with blueberries from the freezer.

Happy Pie Day.

If you missed the celebration today you get another chance on  March 14: Pi Day.

Progress and Twin Doll Quilts

We have been progressing slowly on our projects around here. The demolition part of the bathroom renovation was without incident. There is still a bit of dust and crumble that is cleaned up each day but I am happy to report that I can still work in the sewing room even without half of the ceiling. I even finished up these two doll quilts yesterday. They were a special order from a grandmother for her lucky granddaughters.

I hope they have fun with them.

Thoughtful Sunday

"Music is very nice for a party because it gives you time to eat your fill without having to make conversation."

The Cricket in Times Square, George Selden, 1960.

Flashback Friday

I was a real square in high school. I wore dresses almost everyday. Usually they were dresses made by me. Here I am as a high school junior wearing a dress hot off the sewing machine. I am not sure where this was taken but probably at a 4-H competition event.

My sister has been converting all of her old slides to digital format. She has been distracting, entertaining me during my cleaning process with lots of fun photos.

And since I know you are dying to see more of the junk I have cluttering my house - here are some things I unearthed in the sewing room. They never got put away when I brought them home from the thrift. There is a lot of inspiring stuff here I tell you.

We actually had a copy of this one when I was growing up. It is chock full of mushroom and owl ideas. What goes around comes around. It has a 1972 copyright.

This book from 1966 also has some great things in it. There are a surprising number of pink and orange projects.

When I am a little more caught up I plan to make some things inspired by these books.

Yeah, someday.

Double the Fun

Every major clean up project needs a snack break.

Today's clean up required two.

That ceiling is coming down TOMORROW!

Back to work. Today's portion of the sewing room clean included sewing a doll quilt top together. Now I don't have to worry about losing parts to that project.---------Peppermint bark is WAY easier to make than I thought.

Melt. Pour. Melt. Pour. Sprinkle.

It is THAT easy.

It might be a really bad thing that I stocked up on candy canes when they were on sale after Christmas.

The Big Sewing Room Clean Up

Some of you may know that we live in an old farm house. We have s-l-o-w-l-y been renovating it for over twenty years.Shortly after M was born the tiles in the shower of our only bathroom started falling off the wall. We had made plans to put two bathrooms upstairs so we decided not to spend the time to fix the bathroom that was to be torn out and turned into our mudroom.

Well, M is now 16. And we still have no bathrooms upstairs. We are still not using the shower in the downstairs bath.  Sixteen years of baths. The sink has started leaking into the basement.  So it goes.

Now is the time. We are putting in the upstairs bathrooms. We have adjusted the plans and are getting ready to make some progress.

The flooring in the upstairs bath areas was removed years ago and used to repair the floors in the other rooms of the house. The next step is to remove the temporary plastic ceiling that has been in my sewing room for 18 years so that the plumbing can be installed.  There will be lots of dust and debris.SO yesterday was spent cleaning in the sewing room so that everything does not get buried in debris. I am starting at the construction end of the room and going through everything. I found many piles of vintage patterns that I have picked up at sales. In sorting them to file them by size and style I found that I am TOTALLY prepared in the doll clothes department.

Any size doll and any style of dress. I now have half a copy box of doll dress patterns...  It's a sickness.

Have any of you ever seen a looping needle? Well here it is! After looking at the directions it appears that someone has developed a really complicated way to crochet. I could be wrong but really, that is how it looks. If all of my crochet hooks break or get lost I am ready and even have 22 EXCITING patterns to make!  This is just one of the many strange and quirky sewing/crafting items I have accumulated.

I found this partially made smocked dress. It is a size four. If I hurry P might be able to wear it. I didn't check to see if all of the pieces are there.

I think it may be too late for this one. It is a much smaller size but I really like the fabric. Someone even started the smocking.

Do you think these hat designs will be coming back? Bow ties might already be back in. Didn't Martha demonstrate how to make them on her show recently?  Those rick rack flowers are pretty special -that is an idea I think I can use.

I am telling you. It is a jungle in here. Look what else I found. Yes, I wore that on my head when I got married.  It looked a bit fresher then.

I had better get back to work. That ceiling is coming down on Friday!

I wonder what treasures I'll find today.   

Too Many Irons in the Fire

Maybe it's because I finished up so many projects in a hurry for holiday gift giving. Maybe it's because it is a new year which is full of new beginnings.

Whatever the reason, I have started a lot of projects the last two weeks. Some are special orders and others are items for myself. I am even trying to write up a few knitting patterns from some of my designs.

Maybe I have too many things going at one time.

Today when I got up to get my coat so that I could pick up M from school, I walked through the kitchen and saw a batch of cookie dough in the mixer bowl from this morning. How did I get out of the kitchen to work on something else before I baked the cookies?!?

I am trying not to think of all the OLD projects that I have started...Focus.

I need to FOCUS

.Oh, yeah, I also ordered some yarn from Knit Picks.

Thoughtful Sunday

"There was no road, there were no marks on the snow but the feather-stitching tracks of birds and the blurry spots where rabbits had hopped. Deep in the still woods axes were chopping with a ringing sound."

Farmer Boy, Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1933

Walk With Us

P and I visited with neighbors yesterday. It was not snowing on our way down but on the walk home our tracks had been covered.

Walk home with us...

It was a wonderful day.

Around the House

In making some of my most recent projects I had to dive deep into my yarn supply. I ended up getting ALL of my wool out and taking inventory. I have a lot of yarn for some really pretty socks and need to get working on some of those. I also found quite a bit of odd bits of wool left from other projects. I think I need to make a stripey pair of elf shoes and use some of that up.  The cleaning and organizing has gotten the creative juices flowing for me. I have some designs floating in my head now but my sewing room looks like something exploded in here.

I know you don't want to see a picture of that so I'll show you what we did in the kitchen instead.

Peanut butter cups and marshmallows.  There is some great snacking going on here. After all the fuss of filling those paper cups we think that trying them in layers like peppermint bark might be the way to go.

I have stocked up on candy canes so peppermint bark is next on the candy making list.

Super Warm Pink Mittens - the experiment

Two years ago I made P matching mittens, hat, and a scarf.  They are getting a bit small but she has been wearing them this winter. The mittens never were very warm for her so I have been thinking about how to make warmer mittens that will be good for playing in the snow.

My plan was to make lined mittens but to make the outer mitten felted. I used Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino for the inner mitten and made it to fit her hand first. I started with a provisional cast on so that I could start knitting the outer mitten from there.

I knit the outer mitten larger, about the size of my hand, on larger needles but with the same number of stitches using Jaeger spiral spun frogged from a project my neighbor started years ago and said she would never finish. The preknit yarn that I didn't take the time to steam before using gives the knitting a bit of a textured look but I didn't worry about it because I knew it would look completely different after the felting anyway.

The inner mitten yarn is 30 percent microfiber and will not felt.

P wants to make sure you see the Christmas tree made by the space between her hands in the picture below.

After a bit of squishing them around in hot water in the sink we have finished mittens! The end result is a more weather proof outer mitten with a soft inner mitten next to the skin.

I hear they kept her hands warm on the playground at preschool today.

I love when this kind of experiment works out.

Now B says he wants a pair...A crafter's work is never done.  

Thoughtful Sunday

"You've got to be able to make those daring leaps or you're nowhere," said Muskrat.

The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban, 1967.

Snug as a Bug

We are trying to stretch the winter break enjoyment as long as we can. We love these lazy days at home. We have enjoyed almost two full weeks at home together. Sadly, it is time to prepare for the return of the school/work routine.

Yesterday we packed up the all of the holiday decorations that are not on the tree. Someone has enjoyed the Christmas cds so much that we left those out too. P loves to listen to music while watching the tree.

We will leave the tree up a while longer because we like the glow of the lights at night (and during the day). P says the living room is her favorite room in the house now because of the tree.

I am off to bake blueberry and peach pies.

I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Reflections

Here we are at the end of another year. They seem to go by so quickly now. Isn't that something "old" people say?

I do like that there are dates, or markers, that encourage us to pause and look back; to reflect on the time that has passed.

We tend to assess the choices we have made and make plans for the future. We can put "bad" decisions or events behind us and look to the future.

We make plans for new beginnings and new adventures.

I hope the new year brings great things to you and your family.

Handmade Holiday

Here are a few of the handmade gifts given this year. This little sweater is for a doll.

I made one of these ascots a few years ago and really like it. The pattern is from a workbasket magazine from the 1940s. This one is made from alpaca. I should have looked in the mirror before taking the photo because I didn't have it on quite right.

There is just one toe left to knit on D's Christmas socks. I think I can finish that today.

B helped out a bit with our handmade gifts too. I couldn't find a frame that I liked for this print so he made one from some walnut he had in the basement.

He used old glass from a barn window and an old violin string for the hanging wire.

I think it turned out great.

I also consider my calendar handmade since I took the pictures. We gave a few of those too.

I think we did well to have a mostly handmade holiday

.edit: The print came from Jenny's Bake Shop on etsy. She has them in different sizes and colors.