Friday, October 09, 2009

Me Do It!

I alluded to the current stage we are going through in my previous post. It is the “Me Do It!” phrase/phase when independence is not merely an assertion but a matter of life or death. Well, maybe just tantrum or no tantrum. The need for independence manifests in various ways, from trying to get in and out of the car (including the opening and closing of the car door) to attempts to make Mama coffee in the morning (resulting in some chewy and very hearty brew. Mmmmm). We have learned to not interfere too much with the chosen activities because it usually takes more time to calm the hysterical child. So we guide them through the steps and try not to impatiently tap a foot as we wait (and wait and wait for Owen to go through his rituals).

The perks to independence has been some “Me Do It” time for Mama as the boys explore play scenarios and reading “Meself” books. I took advantage of the energy generated by our fall weather and finished and blocked the Damson.
damson


I found the knit fairly simple, it was a whole lot of knit stitches on both sides until the border, the pattern was easy to follow and gave very lovely results. Blocking lace never fails to amaze me, the bloom and opening that occurs with a good soak makes all the ticky ticky effort of lace so rewarding. In this case the end really justifies the means. I did find the merino/silk blend from Karabella to be splitty at times but the silky texture of the yarn just about made up for the splitting. It has been given over to our bride, she graciously modeled it for me this week.

damson
damson
damson



We spent an evening up at the wedding site to get a feel for the light and space.

My creation


I doubt I have many master carpenter readers, but I am gonna’ drop a name here that might excite them (if they read). My brother and J are getting married at the home of Sam Maloof, a renowned carpenter. My Mama has worked for him and his wife for many years and they have a fabulous foundation home with native Californian gardens.
Wedding Site



Sam passed away this year and he is missed, we are all so happy that the place will be home to such a special event as it holds so much created and natural beauty. It sits lightly at the top of our Foothill community and the way the light bounces around up there is nothing short of magical. Taking a few test shots made me beyond excited for the quickly approaching day. I have always loved walking the garden paths and finding the art treasures revealed at every bend and curve. 2 more weeks. So excited.
Wedding Site
Wedding Site




The whole family will be in town for the wedding, so I had to use some of the energy I discovered to make up something for my delicious niece. This is the Girly Dress from Jennifer at JCasa.
girly dress :: Jcasa


It is free and simple and so much fun. You basically draft your own pattern.
girly dress :: Jcasa


I used one of the boys 24 month t shirts just to make sure it would fit her for a bit. I had a great time picking out my colors and used mainly pieces from my stash. (Hey, Lori Z, recognize the fabric at all?) The only new fabric is the lining, a sweet school day ‘print’ I found at our local quilt shop.
girly dress :: Jcasa



I had this dress done within one school day session for the boys. The boys were nice enough to hold it for me while I took some shots. And yes, I did make Mason try it on as a test subject….he is the smaller of the two and I was trying to gauge my success.

girly dress :: Jcasa
girly dress :: Jcasa


It felt a little tight at the armholes, so I would recommend that if you try the pattern you give ample room in your draft pattern for the armhole opening. I plan on trying to wrangle the niece and my two boys into a photo shoot in their home sewn clothing. I also plan on making more of these simple dresses. Thanks, Jennifer, for yet another wonderful pattern. You have to check out her newly redesigned site with easy links to her patterns. This woman cranks out the creativity…with twin girls and a hugely busy schedule. I love her work and you will too.

Now onward to a weekend full of family and more Fall weather. I am excited to see what else I can do with the “Me Do It” time on my hands.

Next up :: a scintillating post on potty training and the success and failures of boys in underwear.

9 comments:

Carrie said...

the shawl and the dress are both so lovely! and it sounds like the wedding will be awesome as well.

Sereknitty said...

Oh my -- you and I seem to be on the same bandwagon again! As I'm finishing up my FLS, I'm simultaneously working on a Damson for myself! Too funny!
That little dress is adorable! The pattern/fabric mix is really what makes it so cute. She's going to love it!

LauraC said...

We found giving in to the "me do it" phase tremendously helpful for the 3s. Now they truly can do those things, relieving us of a lot of physical duties.

But you are a saint for letting them help with coffee bc that is sacred to me. HA!

Bea said...

This stage can be frustrating, but fun! Maybe to help facilitate their efforts, you can have coffee premeasured in little containers, that they can just dump into the filter, Robby likes to help me make smoothies in the morning too. I pour the frozen fruit into small bowls so he can dump them himself into the blender. In his Montessori class, kids practice pouring skills, by using small pitchers to pour beans, rice, etc from one container into another. I love the shawl, it's so beautiful! And that little dress is so cute!g

jillian said...

Your Damson is gorgeous! And wow - that house and the grounds are truly incredible. I had no idea such an architectural gem was hiding up there ;)

Sarah-potterknitter said...

I met Sam Maloof once. We studied him in my History of Crafts classes, and he spent lots of time in this neighborhood here at Penland School over the years. Amazing person and I'd bet his house will be a perfect place for a celebration.

Em Natural said...

Sooooooooo precious! Kayda's dress is so cute I love it! and Jeanette's shawl is so beautiful! can't wait to see both next week!! :)
love you muches em

Julia (MindofWinter) said...

There is so much to love in this post! Damson is gorgeous, the site of the wedding is breathtaking, and that little dress is so sweet I can barely stand it! I am so, so jealous.

Preeti said...

The shawl turned out beautiful and the wedding site is just magical! I'm so excited for you, yeeeeeah!!!! Can't wait to see what else unfolds from your 'me do it' time:)

The dress is so sweet!